"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
In the school grounds of the Hekou Fortress, three squatting tiger cannons were arranged in a row, fiercely bombarding the grass target in front of them! A large plume of white smoke rose from the muzzle, and countless stone pellets were scattered forward. Within fifty meters, all the leather armor covered by the straw target was broken through, and within twenty meters, even the solid ship planks were penetrated!
Seeing the power of the Tiger Crouching Cannon's bombardment, the monkey Kuruka was surprised and speechless, and the crocodile Ospie was shocked and speechless. Only the black wolf Toltec had been seen before, and his expression remained unchanged.
"how?"
Shulot asked confidently with a smile.
"Great! I have always heard that the kingdom is blessed by the gods and a new copper beast appears. It turns out that it is such a powerful weapon!"
Monkey Kuruka was lost for a moment, then a smile broke out on his face.
"Your Highness, with this kind of weapon, no one in the world can resist us!"
"Ha ha!"
Shulot laughed loudly and looked at Crocodile Ospie again.
"Your Majesty, God Bless the Kingdom!"
Crocodile Osipai lowered his head slightly and sighed from the bottom of his heart.
"...Within twenty meters, even the heaviest giant shield cannot defend against the bombardment of the copper beast. From now on, there will be no more unparalleled warriors in the world!"
Shulot nodded slightly. With the development of firearms, individual bravery will inevitably be eliminated, and the scale of war will become larger and more complex, eventually becoming a sophisticated discipline. Whether it's a land battle or a water battle...the king smiled and asked in a deep voice.
"Ospai, the Rain God Crouching Tiger Cannon weighs about a hundred kilograms and is only half a meter in length. Its range is usually within a hundred meters, and the closer it is, the more powerful it is. I intend to place the Tiger Crouching Cannon on the Navy's ship. You What do you think?"
Crocodile Ospie pursed his lips and was silent in thought. After a while, he asked.
"Your Majesty, can I take a closer look?"
"Can."
Shulot nodded in agreement. He waved his hand.
Russian Pai walked around the Tiger Crouching Cannon, carefully looked at the size and shape of the cannon, and even touched it with his hands. Then, he asked the gunner who was operating it. The firing frequency was about three to four rounds per quarter of an hour, and the firing angle could be adjusted manually. Finally, he noticed the copper claws fixed on the ground, as well as the marks of the cannon body hitting the soil after the artillery bombardment... He thought for a moment and returned respectfully.
"Your Majesty, this kind of copper beast... tiger squat cannon can be placed on the newly launched Crocodile God galley! Two can be placed on the bow and stern of each ship."
Osipai bowed and answered cautiously.
"When two navies meet, the boats usually test each other back and forth, and the big boats gradually approach. Within a hundred meters, the boats of both sides begin to accelerate and charge towards each other... The water surface is choppy, and shooting is usually inaccurate. You can only fire before the battle. One shot. This shot can be placed within 20 meters. The Tiger Crouching Cannon at the bow or stern of the ship is fired. It can instantly break the shield on the ship and level a large ship!... Morale is important in follow-up battles. As long as one ship is destroyed, The rest of the enemy forces will also be frightened. Then the ships collided and started fighting. The gunners continued to reload, maybe they could fire again..." Hearing Osipai's story, Shulot nodded slowly.
Even a small cannon with a tiger crouching position has a heavy recoil force. The hull of a catamaran canoe is not strong enough and the space is very limited, so it can only be used on a paddle boat with keel support. The galley warship can carry 80 people, and has two small cannons at the front and rear, which is relatively suitable.
The Condor Cannon weighs 500 kilograms and is 1.2 meters long. In fact, it can barely be placed on a galley warship. However, the current enemies of the Kingdom Navy do not have large ships, and the battles are mainly fights. The power of the Crouching Tiger Cannon that fires shotguns is enough. Wait until later to fight the expedition ships of Western colonists, and then consider building larger ships and installing heavier artillery.
Shulot pondered for a long time and agreed with a smile.
"Ospai, you are right! I will leave you eight squatting cannons and more than ten gunners, and I will take the rest to the alliance. You first move them onto two galley warships, Qinjia Drill and become familiar with the use of the Crouching Tiger Cannon! In future water battles, this weapon will be indispensable!"
"I obey your will, Your Majesty!"
The crocodile Russian looked serious and knelt down to salute. In addition to the Guards Corps, his navy will be the first kingdom army to be equipped with the Crouching Tiger Cannon, which shows the king's trust.
Hearing this, Monkey Kuruka's eyes moved. he asked cautiously.
"Your Highness, do you want to bring these powerful artillery pieces to the Alliance as a gift to King Avit?"
"Yep."
Shulot smiled calmly.
"The high priest sent a special letter to remind him that King Avit is very concerned about this new weapon. I really should report something back to the alliance."
"Your Highness..."
The monkey Kuruka hesitated. He wanted to say something but felt it was not the right time. After a while, he silently knelt on the ground and bowed to the ground.
"Please be careful!"
Xiuluo nodded, stretched out his hand, and shook the monkey's hair. He looked at everyone present and smiled gently.
"It doesn't matter. As long as you are here, I will be as stable as a mountain!"
Three thousand imperial guards stationed at the river mouth fortress for three days. Shulot summoned warriors, villagers and dog descendants within forty miles to hold a grand ceremony for the main god. Tens of thousands of people came from all directions and gathered outside the river mouth fortress. Then, the king, wearing heavy sacrificial robes, climbed to the watchtower at the top of the fortress and personally released the three-color fireworks!
Brilliant fireworks bloomed above the fortress, making the cloudy sky flow with strange light. Tens of thousands of people watched intently, marveling and awe, looking at the brilliant colors and listening to the roaring explosions. Then, in everyone's horrified and disbelieving eyes, the huge "Heart of God" slowly rose up, carrying the emblem of the Lord God, and flew high into the sky!
"Praise the Lord God! He sent down the divine creation and gave the authority of the sky to the most pious priests!"
Shulot chanted loudly, dozens of priests recited it loudly, and the sacred prayers echoed up and down the fortress.
"You must believe in my God! His power is infinite and he controls the sky, the earth and the sea! He gives us blessings and protects the spring plowing and autumn harvest! He rules the souls of all people and promises devout believers that that is the destination of the soul, death. The beauty of the future!... At this moment, repent to the Supreme Lord God and repent of all your disloyalty. Praise the Lord God devoutly again, praise His mercy and glory! Huitzilopochtli!"
"Praise the Lord God! Huitzilopochtli is supreme and omnipotent!"
Under the leadership of the priests, tens of thousands of Hekou people knelt on the ground and shouted in unison. Many Prepechas shed tears as they confessed to the miracle above their heads. At this moment, they completely abandoned their belief in the three gods and converted to the infinitely powerful Lord God.
Thousands of Guakili warriors fell to the ground in awe, kowtowed and prayed loudly. The wilderness tribe has always worshiped the divine heaven and earth. Facing the flying divine objects, they finally broke through their defenses and planted the seeds of belief in the main god. These seeds will gradually grow, like twining vines, firmly controlling people's hearts. With the nurturing of time, they will transform from unruly tribal warriors into powerful divine warriors, just like the Otomi Legion in Xilotepec City.
Shulot stood on top of the fortress, looking down at the tens of thousands of people, with a surge of pride in his heart. During the Southern Expedition, the rebellion in Kuramo City made him understand that the kingdom was expanding too fast and there were hidden dangers in people's hearts. But the spread of faith in the Lord God is far from enough! Therefore, he created these epoch-making creations, strengthened the power of the Lord God, and used unstoppable faith to unite the superiors and subordinates to unite all the Central American tribes!
"Grandpa, you will love these creations!"
Shulot looked up at the sky and looked at the huge "Heart of the Gods" hot air balloon. The lifelike red heart swayed one or two hundred meters in the sky, like a real beating heart of a god. Then, he recalled the fireworks just now, a strange light of three colors intertwined like a feathered serpent.
“Alyssa, you will like it too!”
The king smiled slightly. Then, his expression became more solemn and he sang solemnly at the end.
"God has arrived!! He comes from the sky to pick up the souls of the dead! The soldiers who died fighting for God and the people who have devout faith. Pray sincerely!! All souls will fly high into the sky and go to Go to the red Kingdom of God! There is eternal beauty there, and it is also our future!..."
As the king sang, tens of thousands of people knelt on the ground and worshiped devoutly. The low prayers gathered together were like the galloping cattle in the wilderness, and like the rolling thunder in the spring rain. This voice contains the faith of tens of thousands of people and has infinite power, enough to reshape everything!
The long festival lasts until dusk. After the festival ended, most people's expressions changed significantly. Solemn group rituals coupled with divine creations beyond comprehension are the best ways to spread faith.
At some point, the red "Heart of God" disappeared from the sky. The "Heart of the Gods" could only remain in the air for an hour or two, and then it was successfully recovered from the sky and fell into the fortress closely guarded by the Imperial Guards. After improving the internal structure of the hot air balloon, the liftoff was very smooth and there were no accidents.
Tens of thousands of people in Hekou County were reluctant to leave. They headed towards the sky above the fortress, finally fell to the ground and prayed for a while, and then left one after another under the leadership of the village priest. Thousands of Guakili warriors returned to nearby military camps to receive instruction from the war priests. Having just witnessed the power of the Lord God, it was a good opportunity to preach.
Shulot walked down from the fortress and came to the place where the hot air balloon landed. Dozens of divine priests were busy putting the hot air balloon away again.
"Chimel, hot air balloon No. 2, how is the Heart of the Gods?"
"Dear sect leader, everything goes well!"
Chimel smiled confidently and nodded respectfully.
"It doesn't take long to take off. There is no damage to the surface of the Heart of God. It can take off again at any time."
"very good!"
Shulot nodded with satisfaction.
"When we get to the capital city in the lake and hold the grand ceremony, we will fly again!"
"I obey you, the chief priest of the Divine Enlightenment!"
Chimel bowed his head and saluted. Then, he looked at the eastern sky. The great capital city in the lake was five hundred miles away, waiting for the miracle to come!
After the sacrificial ceremony, Shulot will set off again. On the second day, he said goodbye to the monkey Kuruka and the black wolf Toltec in turn, and made some follow-up arrangements. Then, the king led three thousand guards and boarded the kingdom's navy. Under the escort of the Crocodile Russian faction, everyone headed against the Leman River towards the capital city in the lake.
Forty bronze cannons were placed on several galleys. The king personally rode a large galley warship to experience the sailing of the new warship. Surrounded by hundreds of canoes, the large galley warship stood out like a turkey among hares. Compared with canoes, galleys are more stable and comfortable, and can travel faster upstream.
The huge fleet traveled along the river for more than half a month. In mid-July, Shulot arrived in the western city-state of Trocan State. He stayed for two days and had a banquet with nobles who had been friends with his family for generations.
Compared with Shulot's Western Expedition a few years ago, the atmosphere of this banquet was quite heavy. The nobles of the western city-state praised "His Royal Highness Shulot" and "Dear Prince", saluted and congratulated one after another, toasted and prayed, and sent many precious gifts. However, Shulot was keenly aware that the attitudes of most of the western nobles were a lot unfamiliar, and their respectful expressions were just a formality. In addition to the young patriarch of the Shanluan family, Izel was an old acquaintance during the Western Expedition.
The crowd invited the singers to drink and talk and laugh at the banquet, but they never mentioned any topic about the alliance. After half-drinking, a hereditary noble drank a little too much and finally couldn't control himself. He slammed the wine glass in his hand to the ground, breaking the ceramic cup with a bang. Then, he looked at Shulot and cursed angrily.
"Damn the Holy City family! Out of friendship for generations, we worked so hard during the Western Expedition, sending troops and food to help you! However, what did we get in exchange for this!..."
"Shaopan! What nonsense are you talking about in front of His Highness!"
There was a moment of silence in the field. Izel was the first to speak up and shouted angrily.
"Even the distinguished family of Spring Rain priests cannot insult the Venerable!"
In the Nahua language, xonpan means the green color of the rainy season in late spring. This is a word with religious meaning, symbolizing the blessing of the goddess of spring. The family named after this is naturally a priestly family with ancient heritage and ties to the gods.
Shulot's face sank, his eyes slightly lowered, and he didn't say a word.
He heard that when his father returned eastward, he killed the former head of the Shanluan family in the western city-state. This is definitely not my father's style. However, the rumor spread so widely that it was even compiled into a poem praising the loyalty of the warriors and sung throughout the alliance. My grandfather and father never wrote letters to explain, and the story behind it is not difficult to guess.
He also knows about the Spring Rain priest family. The other party has served the goddess of lakes, rivers and spring for generations and has held the power of sacrifice in Trocan State for nearly half a century. However, with the deepening of the religious reform, the main god gradually became the only one. In the past two years, the status of the goddess of spring has continued to decline. The chief priests of the royal capital also sent directly subordinate third-level chief priests to Trocan State, depriving the Chunyu family of many privileges.
In other words, this is a traditional aristocracy whose interests have been harmed during the reform.
"Izel! You wolfdog of the king! Don't think that everyone doesn't know how your father...well, well!"
Shao Pan blushed and roared angrily. The nobles in the field finally couldn't sit still, and several people immediately came forward, covered his mouth, hands and feet, and dragged him down forcefully.
"Dear Your Highness! Shao Pan, the leader of the Chunyu Clan, is drunk. I beg you, please don't punish me!"
"Exactly, exactly! When he wakes up, we will blame him!"
"Please do not inform the distinguished high priest! Although the Chunyu family has made mistakes, their sins will not lead to death!"
Several noble elders who had been friends with the Holy City for generations came forward and apologized to the king on behalf of the Chunyu clan leader.
Shulot's face was sullen, suppressing the anger in his chest. After a while, he nodded.
"Elders, please sit down, let's continue drinking!"
With that said, the king picked up the wine glass and drank the entire glass of tequila in one gulp. He recalled what the noble elders had just said, and was suddenly startled.
"Never tell the high priest? Sin does not lead to death?..."
