"The king's instructions..."
The midday sun fell straight from the ceiling of the main temple, shining on the majestic sculpture of the main god without leaving any obvious shadow. Hearing the sharp question from the commander of the Black Wolf Army, Yao Lin, the king's envoy, suddenly felt a thump in his heart. He tried hard to keep his face calm, but his thoughts were surging like waves and his eyes were twinkling.
"Messenger Yao Lin, what exactly is the king's will?"
Black Wolf's eyes became sharp. He asked again coldly, his right hand silently pressing the bronze sword on his waist.
"His wise Highness is stationed in Tree Snake City, and the correspondence between the capital and the capital only takes a few days... If anyone dares to forge the king's will, no matter what his identity is, Your Highness will not be merciful!"
The cold murderous intent came towards him, stinging the royal noble Yao Lin's eyelids.
Although he did not think that the black wolf Toltec would dare to attack the king's envoy, he also knew clearly that His Highness was second only to the king in power in the alliance and held a heavy weight in the king's heart. As for King Avit's vaguely revealed true position, it is not only different from the Kingdom of the Lake, which is bent on expansion, but also completely different from the traditional aristocratic order...
"Hoo!...The Lord God witnesses everything, and those who lie will fall into the abyss of the earth! Before I leave the capital, the supreme king has three clear instructions for the conquest of the Kingdom of the Lake in the land of Totonac."
The king's messenger Yao Lin was silent for a long time before taking a step forward. He approached the upright black wolf, bowed slightly, lowered his voice, and his posture suddenly softened.
"First, mediate conflicts without losing majesty! The majesty of the alliance is high on the sacred mountain and is maintained by powerful force. The conquest of the Lake Legion can only be won, and no major defeats can occur. And in the land of Totonac , let alone a full-scale rebellion against the alliance! Commander of the Black Wolf Army, please remember that the royal family and the armies of various states will have to repair themselves for at least a year, and must not be disrupted by the situation along the eastern coast..."
Hearing this, Black Wolf Toltec raised his eyebrows and looked deeply at the messenger Yao Lin. From this point of view, the enterprising King Avite did not have a clear requirement to maintain the traditional vassal order.
"Messenger Yao Lin, it turns out that what the king can't accept is failure and rebellion... The Lord God witnesses! The Lake Legion that is good at fighting will never let the king down!"
"Everyone in the capital knows about the bravery of the leader of the Black Wolf Army. However, it seems to me that some loyal Totonak tribes have been vassals for many years and have close ties with the nobles of the Alliance. The Alliance royal family collects tribute from the land of Totonak Fu, the great nobles of Weijian City have also been married to various coastal tribes for many years... They can be the legion commander's assistant, not the enemy. And you are also the friend of the alliance's great nobles, and you are definitely not... an obstacle..."
The messenger Yao Lin lowered his eyebrows and nodded a few words quietly before continuing calmly under Hei Lang's thoughtful eyes.
"The king's second decree is to ensure tribute and maintain trade routes! The alliance has been fighting for years and has consumed a lot of food and supplies. The rich Lake Texcoco is gradually drying up under the scorching sun. And the land of Totonac The tribute of grain, cloth, feathers and gems is the eastern stream that replenishes Lake Texcoco!”
"The trade of various seaside tribes is even connected to the Mayan world in the east. The sacred smoke, cotton cloth, dyes, and cinnabar from the Mayan tribes... are all daily necessities urgently needed by the alliance's nobles. Similarly, the gems of the Kingdom in the Lake, It is also from this trade route that it flows to all parts of the world... Dear Commander of the Black Wolf Army, if the conquest continues and the trade routes are always cut off, you may not be able to explain to the Alliance and the Kingdom!"
Hearing this, Black Wolf Toltec frowned and felt the pressure on his shoulders for the first time.
The Black Wolf Legion purged the coastal tribes and plundered a large amount of city-state wealth. These trophies, while satisfying the legion's consumption, can be used as a tribute to the alliance. Therefore, it is not difficult to ensure tribute. What is really difficult is maintaining coastal trade routes!
"The Totonac tribes occupy hundreds of miles of coast and control the waterway trade to the Maya in the east and the Zapotec in the southeast. Even if the legions capture Golden Bay City, they will not be able to open up all the states..."
Black Wolf pulled his hair and hesitated, his expression a little heavy.
The Eastern trade routes were cut off, and the kingdom's gem trade was greatly damaged.
, the alliance's business groups will also be greatly affected. Just as the messenger Yao Lin reminded, behind these business groups are the traditional alliance nobles and even members of the royal family. The cutoff of coastal trade will also make the nobles who cannot obtain enough luxury goods gradually become dissatisfied. If the Black Wolf Legion continues its conquest and fails to rebuild the trade routes, Toltec will step by step stand on the opposite side of many traditional nobles.
"Ha! No matter what, His Highness Shenqi will always support me! The hostility of those old nobles can't hurt me in the slightest!"
After pondering for a moment, Hei Lang's expression became stern, and his eyes became determined again. He doesn't care what the great nobles of the alliance think! The battle that needs to be fought must still be fought, and the sooner we fight it, the better!
"...Why!"
Seeing the change in Hei Lang's expression, messenger Yao Lin's eyes moved slightly and he pursed his lips. He sighed, said nothing more, and directly relayed the king's last instructions.
"The last decree comes from the request of the king and the high priests. In the land of Totonac, complete conversion and strict preaching! For the Totonac tribe that was directly conquered, they must fully convert to the main god and sever the belief in Quetzalcoatl. The tribes that have not yet been conquered by force require them to accept the priests sent by the alliance and upgrade the God of War to the main god of each tribe!"
Speaking of this, the messenger Yao Lin looked serious and his voice became cold and hard, like the volcanic rocks on the plateau.
"Praise the Lord God, He is higher than all things in the world! At this point, the leaders who dare to disobey, the priests who dare to block, and the tribes who dare to resist will all be dealt with severely... The legion in the lake does not need to ask the capital for instructions, and can directly sacrifice !」
"Praise the Lord God! He is located on the highest mountain of God, and he also looks at the boundless sea!..."
Hearing this, all the generals in the palace lowered their heads and prayed together. The black wolf Toltec looked solemn and glanced across the hall indifferently. The statue of the main god shone in the sun, and the tribal leaders of Qinbo Ali all knelt down in the temple, not daring to show any disrespect.
"Dear envoy of the king, I have heard all the king's will that you conveyed, and I will follow it."
The sun slanted slightly to the west and set in the main hall, casting a longer and longer shadow. The black wolf raised his head, straightened his spine, and stared at the glorious statue for a long time until he was enveloped by the shadow of the statue. No matter where the shadow comes from, it will always be the coldest blade, just like the bronze sword at his waist. And as a sharp sword, what should we worry about?
Black Wolf closed his eyes, thought about the answer, and opened them again. He raised a bright smile and looked at Yao Lin, the king's messenger.
"You have come a long way, and you have worked hard on the road! The legion will give you a sincere gift, which also represents the sincerity of the Kingdom of the Lake... Don't worry, this sincerity will never let you down!"
Messenger Yao Lin pursed his lips and stared at Hei Lang's smile. That smile was warm and bright, reminding him of the wild summer flowers he saw when he passed through the land of Tlaxcala. The king's messenger was silent for a moment, then gradually smiled, and suddenly recited an ancient sacrificial poem.
"The summer flowers are gorgeous, blooming on the battlefields of the Eastern Expedition. They are so bright, they are so moving! They take root on the corpses underground, feed on flesh and blood, and use bones as their bed!...Fearless warrior, please tell me , how long will their flowering period last?..."
"Flowers bloom in spring and summer and wither in late autumn. This is a tribute to the sun god and a reward to the mother goddess of the earth! We sacrifice the sky with blood, we sacrifice the earth with life... We use war to please the god of war, Use the soul of the god in exchange for the rising sun tomorrow!..."
Hei Lang smiled brightly and sang another sacrificial poem as Yao Lin's response. The two sang together, smiling and looking at each other for a moment. When they spoke again, their voices were emotionless.
"Black Wolf Toltec, please take care of the war between the coastal tribes."
"Royal noble Yao Lin, I am responsible for the war situation in the seaside area alone!"
"In this case, I can't stay here."
"Yes. Even if we lose the war, it will have nothing to do with you."
Speaking of this, Hei Lang's eyes were calm. He stretched out his finger, pointed at the kneeling noble Qinbo Ali, and said with a smile.
"Praise the Lord God! Dear royal messengers, these tribal leaders who disrespect the Lord God and offend the alliance
...Please also escort them personally to the alliance camp under Tree Snake City, and hand them over to His Majesty the Divine Enlightenment for trial! "
"...Praise the Lord God! Good!"
