The sun rises into the sky, and the smoke never stops. A thousand Tlaxcala archers squatted and sat outside the inn, eating lunch in a messy manner. They had just formed an army and trekked from the two southern counties. Their military appearance and discipline were at the level of the Kingdom's trained militia.
However, after experiencing the brutal and unusually cruel Eastern Expedition, the strict obedience to farming in Water Valley City, the long and restless migration of thousands of miles, and the difficult and exhausting farming and road construction in the south of the kingdom...the Tlaxcala archers who finally made it through this battalion have already The tribe's consciousness of resistance was completely wiped out, and it became submissive and obedient, becoming a usable kingdom army.
"Well!... They know how to be reverent and can obey orders. They are all a good group of eagle cubs!..."
After eating the corn cake in two bites, the woodpecker carried the battle flag and patrolled among his archers. Whenever he appeared, the Tlaxcala archers would immediately stop eating and bow their heads respectfully to him.
Aipei looked carefully and saw that in the simple eyes of these archers, there was not only fear and obedience, but also an obvious look! This kind of look is just like the serfs who joined the army that Ai Pei has seen. It is an urgent desire to achieve military exploits, to confer land and slaves, and to change the destiny of oneself and the family! And for this goal, killing and being killed is nothing more than ordinary for these warlike tribes who are accustomed to life and death and sacrifice.
"Conferring military merit to the fields...the only way out for the surrendered tribesmen is to climb the mountains of the kingdom..."
Ai Peck pondered and moved his gaze slightly downward. In this thousand-man battalion, most of the tribal archers wore the talisman of the sun hummingbird on their necks. Some even had the emblem carved on their foreheads, and even wore an extra talisman of the black wolf, the god of death. The bonus of this belief in the gods, the ample food supplies along the way, and the encouragement of military meritorious officials finally maintained the morale of the army at a level worthy of a battle.
"Praise the Lord God! Praise His Highness! After dinner, we all set off as a team!"
The battle flag waved, pointing north. The officers of the kingdom waved the shafts of their bronze spears and shouted loudly, using "beat" and "roar" to line up the tribal archers into an irregular marching team. Then, under the watchful eyes of the postmaster Luo Duzhu and the camp leader Tai Shishan, they headed north noisily, leaving only mess and smoke along the way.
"Lord God! This messy camp leader is finally gone!..."
Tai Shishan, the leader of the field, curled his lips, looked at the tribal archers heading north, and shook his head.
"Lao Luo, look at how they look. They can't line up well. Do they look like they can fight?"
"Like! Yes!"
The postmaster Luo Duju's answer was concise and concise, but very affirmative.
"Ah? Why?"
"Look at their eyes, arms, and fingers. They are all good archers! Archers shoot arrows from a distance and don't need to line up neatly."
"...Uh! Whether you can fight or not doesn't just depend on your shooting skills..."
Tai Shishan, the leader of the field, pursed his lips and retorted somewhat unconvinced.
"When I was on the northern expedition, I also encountered those canine descendants who were good at shooting. As long as they lined up to charge forward and fought face to face for a while, the canine descendants of the group collapsed and ran as fast as rabbits!..."
"The Lord God witnesses! Taishan, this is different."
"What's different there? They're all the same mess, with the same shooting skills!"
"Um…"
The postmaster Luo Duzhi scratched his head with one hand, thought for a while, and answered seriously.
"They have the kingdom's weapons, armor and food, and they are also commanded by the kingdom's officers..."
"They believe in the Lord God, and the gods will give them courage. They come from the east and from the south, and there is no way out..."
"They are just like me back then, they can only risk everything, seize this only opportunity, and fight with their lives...for the blessing of the Lord God!"
Hearing this, Tai Shishan, the leader of the field, stared at the northern sky, watching the disappearing figures, and remained silent for a long time. It wasn't until the working village men returned one after another that he sighed quietly.
"God bless you! Lao Luo, it's time to stew the meat..."
There is very little rain in late autumn on the plateau, making it a suitable season for marching. After building sections of dirt roads and county roads, the marching speed became even faster.
Woodpecker Aipei estimated that before roads were built, long-distance marches on the plateau would be necessary. In order to maintain a stable speed and the ability to cope with the situation, a battalion of a thousand people could often march 30 miles a day. After building smooth dirt roads and county roads, the daily marching speed can be increased to 50 miles.
"God bless you! With the smooth county road, this march saves a lot of energy... And from here to Hekou County in the north, there are only 80-90 miles left. Hurry up, we will definitely be able to make it before noon the day after tomorrow. arrive!"
Thinking of this, Woodpecker's anxious heart finally felt much more at ease. The archers under him are all lightly armed troops. When they march quickly, they don't need to think about the next day's actions, and their speed can be doubled. Therefore, in front of so many nobles and priests, we will definitely arrive on time for the big ceremony at noon the day after tomorrow!
"Haha! Although the villages and fields in the north are only two hundred miles apart, they are very different from those in Gyeonggi!..."
The woodpecker Aipeck felt relieved and had some time to take a good look at the villages and fields along the road. He also recalled what he had seen along the way and compared the differences in various parts of the kingdom.
"The special feature of Gyeonggi County is the military manor. There are fourth-level warriors and first-level military nobles who confer land everywhere. There are also large and small manors everywhere, as well as Chinampa on the lake..."
The woodpecker Ai Peck stroked his chin and recalled his estate in the Patzcuaro Lake District. As a first-class military noble, he was also granted 800 acres of land and 40 serfs to farm the land. But in fact, after several years of fighting and reclamation, his manor area has actually reached more than 1,000 acres, with more than 50 serfs, and more than a dozen clan members who defected from the Mexica Alliance. . The neighbors around him were all military nobles of the kingdom who had accompanied His Highness on the Western Expedition, owned hundreds of thousands of acres of land, and were ennobled with him.
Such large and small military estates are scattered throughout the Patzcuaro Lake area. The military nobles and warriors in the manor are also the most loyal pillars of the kingdom. During the autumn harvest season that just passed, the entire Gyeonggi County was full of prosperity and prosperity!
"With the help of countless prisoners of war and slaves, a long embankment of white stone has been built on Lake Patzcuaro, and 'cement' of volcanic ash has been poured. This large lake flooded in the rainy season has been initially tamed, as if it was surrendered at the feet of the Lord God. The huge anaconda, obediently obeys God’s will..."
"In the rainy season that just passed, the precipitation was blocked and accumulated by the dams, without causing a flood. Neatly constructed canals led the lake water, irrigating the large fertile fields along the lake, and also nourishing the farmland on the fertile fields. Groups of serfs Busy in the fields, wielding new farm tools, harvesting the green and yellow corn fields. A small Chinampa floating field was finally built in the corner of the lake, preparing for multiple harvests a year! And in the corner of the field , is a compost pit dug to prepare fertilizer for the highly productive Chinampa floating fields..."
Thinking of Chinampa in the Lake District, Woodpecker Epecker's face was full of smiles. With the floating fields of Chinampa, it truly feels like the home of the Mexicans! And if the entire Lake Patzcuaro could be completely divided and tamed by the kingdom like Lake Texcoco. Then the Chinampa Floating Field and Milpa Farmland along the lake alone can support half a million people in the entire Gyeonggi Province!
Yes, after the conquests and migrations of the Eastern Expedition, the Kingdom in the Lake's more than two hundred miles of capital has reached a scale of 500,000 people. Four-tenths of the Gyeonggi population, nearly 200,000 people, are serfs, labor slaves and mining slaves who produce wealth.
Among them, serfs from military nobles and warriors at all levels accounted for about 85%; slaves from the mines and smelters of Black Rock City accounted for 10%; and slaves working in the royal family building dams and temples accounted for the remaining half. become. This number is still growing with the kingdom's external expansion and the arrival of batches of prisoners of war, but the proportion is roughly the same.
For slaves in the kingdom, there are two ways to change their destiny. One is to survive a long period of time and become a commoner after working for ten years according to the teachings. The other one joins the army and makes military exploits for his family. If he is promoted to a warrior, he will automatically get rid of his status as a slave.
Of course, the woodpecker has no idea about these populations and numbers. As a military aristocrat who has already made a promising future, the Gyeonggi Lake District in his memory is a kind of prosperity blessed by the gods, led by His Highness, and created by the warriors of the kingdom!
"In the prosperous Patzcuaro Lake District, there are emerging military estates everywhere. A steady stream of small boats carrying stone and wood are transporting building materials from the mountains to the west. Among the military estates along the lake area, there are tall Wooden and stone houses, vast fertile farmland, enclosed Muzha market, and teams of patrolling Kingdom warriors!…”
"In front of the tall house, young warriors are training martial arts and practicing archery under the guidance of their elders. In every manor, there will be several warriors and the same number of servants. The warriors are well-dressed They wear leather armor, wear helmets, carry big bows, and carry bronze axes and spears... They are well-equipped and dare to face any enemy. Even their servants are also well-equipped!..."
"In the vast farmland, serfs wielded farm tools made of wood, stone, iron, and even bronze to harvest crops. The priests guided new harvest 'rituals' to fertilize the earth, and even found some stones that increased yield... Grain filled the barns, and pumpkins kept the serfs well fed. No one wanted to escape, as the chances of starving, being killed, or being captured in the wild were greater..."
"In the circled market, goods from all directions are waiting to be traded. There are obsidian sacrificial vessels from the Alliance, gold and silver jewelry from the people in the clouds, spices and dyes from the people on the seaside, feather clothing from the people in the forest, There are also jade and opal from the southwest mountainous area, and even fur and horn leather from the northern wasteland...all waiting to be traded by the military warriors!"
As a military noble, from the perspective of the woodpecker, the prosperity of the kingdom should be like this. This prosperity comes from the fighting of warriors, the conquests of legions, and the work of serfs. This is the prosperity of a military noble, a stable pillar of the kingdom, and an inexhaustible driving force for expansion!
And this kind of prosperity, compared to the prosperity of the Mexican Alliance, which only belongs to the great nobles, is more sincerely supported and embraced by the warriors!
"Prosperity comes from the land, but also from war... The warrior's manor is like a flower, blooming on Lake Patzcuaro in Gyeonggi Province, like the most beautiful Chinampa!... Praise the Lord God and the King!..."
After thinking about it for a moment, Woodpecker Aipei felt excited. He couldn't help but chant in a low voice, which was a hymn poem created by the poets of Qin Congcan King's Capital. After reciting, he looked at the vast fields on both sides of the road after harvest and the villages where people settled, and once again felt another kind of prosperity. A kind of prosperity that is unfamiliar to him, rare in the alliance, and belongs to the common people!
