Aztec Eternals

The sun goes west, leaving behind a deep and secret night. Under the dark night covering half of the world, there is the brightest bonfire of thousands of families on the entire American continent, the sleepless capital city in the lake.

The grand enthronement ceremony has just ended. In the palace area of ​​the capital, the nobles lit incense, gathered for banquets, sang, danced and recited poems. The civilians in the community lit torches and gathered to pray and bless. And on the shore of the starry Texcoco Lake, in swaying canoes, are young men and women in a tryst. They embraced each other, whispered, and looked at the bright Milky Way in the medieval night sky.

Starlight lights the way. Dozens of envoys of the chief minister walked through the secret path with solemn expressions. After a while, like a beast waking up from the jungle, the entire capital gradually became quiet, and the lights were turned off one by one. The autumn wind is full of chills, bringing unknown fears.

Troops of warriors poured from the armories of the Empire. They put on a firm grip, blocked key roads, bridges and ports, controlled small boats on the shore, and prohibited pedestrians from passing out of the city. Young men and women were frightened and herded to the nearest house. With some doubts, the warriors were on guard against "Prince Texcoco's Rebellion".

In the Prince's Mansion on the edge of the palace area, Bilil was shaken awake from his sound sleep. He opened his eyes in a little confusion, and saw the anxious face of the middle-aged warrior. After worshiping his uncle Trol, he was depressed and drank some wine. While thinking about the glory of the past, he fell asleep in the night wind.

In his sleep, it was the father who was the most watched, and then he became himself who was the most watched, standing on the majestic Great Temple, looking around at the capital under his feet. What does such a dream indicate?

"King, something is wrong! We are surrounded by a large army! The enemy outside has already broken in, and there are only a hundred warriors in the palace. We can't hold it! Get up, let's break through!"

The middle-aged samurai shouted anxiously, accompanied by the crisp sound of weapons clashing, and the low-pitched wailing before dying.

Billy woke up suddenly. He jumped off the bed, staggered slightly, and tore off the gorgeous royal clothes. Put on plain cotton armor.

"Who are the enemies? How many are there?" Bilil took the shield and baton from the warrior and asked calmly.

"The enemy's equipment is very sophisticated, including copper axes and leather armor. The martial arts are extremely superb, and they are absolutely elite. Either the royal guards or the temple guards! There are a lot of them. I don't know the specifics, but they are much more than us."

The middle-aged warrior's face was serious. He was ready to die.

Bilil rushed out of the gorgeous main house with a stride, followed by the middle-aged warrior. He climbed onto the cool roof and looked around. Enemies in leather armor and copper ax climbed over the stone wall, broke through the wooden door, and surrounded him from all directions. As far as the eye could see, the guards of the palace retreated steadily.

The opposing samurai was expressionless. Like puppets wielding copper axes, they slashed through the guard's chest vigorously, mercilessly cut the wounded's throat, and completely blocked all passages.

Billil felt sad. He remembered the middle-aged warrior's suggestion of returning east overnight in the evening, and the chief priest's suggestion of getting married, and roared angrily at the night sky: "Kechar, how dare you lie to me!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh". Dozens of sharp arrows came at the sound, and the archers equipped with Tlaxcala bows had been waiting for a long time.

A figure suddenly blocked the front. Bilil staggered and fell to the ground. He was shot in the arm and thigh by an arrow, and blood flowed. But he had no time to worry about his own wounds, he just supported the fallen middle-aged warrior, and the real tears flowed like a fountain.

The middle-aged warrior had more than a dozen arrows in his body, most of which only shallowly penetrated the leather armor, leaving bloody wounds. Only a fatal arrow pierced the leather armor and penetrated two inches into the chest, cutting the heart and arteries, causing rapid internal bleeding.

"Texcoco." The middle-aged warrior opened his lips, only had time to utter a weak half sentence, then opened his eyes regretfully, watching Bilil remain motionless.

In the distance, the middle-aged warrior with a longbow nodded slightly. This kind of bow is really good, within a hundred steps, it can shoot and kill leather armored warriors.

On the rooftop, Bilil was crying and angry, hiding under the rain of arrows that continued to strike. In just a quarter of an hour, all resisters died. Dozens of copper ax warriors stepped onto the roof, hanging down their bloody copper axes, and surrounded him.

"I am the prince of Texcoco, the son of the founder of the Tri-Cities Alliance! How dare you harm me for no reason?" Bilil shouted at the surrounding warriors. His handsome face was already full of distortions.

"Prince Texcoco, surrender. You poisoned the chief priest with the intention of rebellion, and your crime is unforgivable. Only by offering sacrifices to the great gods can you wash away the boundless guilt!" The messenger solemnly pronounced the sentence.

Hearing this, Bilil raised his head in disbelief and looked at the majestic messenger.

"Poison the chief priest?"

After being shocked for more than ten seconds, Billil finally understood something. He shouted in the direction of the Great Temple in despair: "The old thief is vicious! Unexpectedly."

The messenger waved vigorously, and the warriors rushed forward. They knocked Prince Texcoco down with the blunt blade of a copper axe, bound his hands with sisal rope, stuffed sackcloth in his mouth, and dragged him like this to the Great Temple. There are only corpses left in the palace, and there is also the head of Trol on the altar of the main hall.

The arrest of the Texcoco family was carried out simultaneously in various parts of the capital. Royal family warriors broke into a feasting gathering of nobles. Regardless of rank, they mercilessly captured Texcoco's military nobles, hereditary nobles, and even honorable nobles. These nobles came to attend the enthronement ceremony of the new king, and the banquet was in full swing. At this time, the incident happened suddenly, and they were all taken away in one go.

Then the priests of the Great Temple came with Ugel's orders, announcing "the crime of Prince Texcoco". The priests appeased the nobles of the king's capital and Tracopan, and invited them to the priest's palace in the temple area to pay homage to the chief priest, Kechar, and bid farewell to the noble souls.

The two thousand noble battle groups in the temple area have long been under centralized control. Hundreds of samurai from Texcoco were removed first and temporarily detained. The envoy announced the "order to crusade against the Texcoko rebels".

The military aristocrats showed uneasiness and couldn't make any noise. Immediately, more royal officers arrived, and only then did the noise of the noble battle group be suppressed. Two hours later, 5,000 warriors from the capital city came to suppress the noble battle group, and the 7,000 troops set off one after another. They took the boat division navy that had been mobilized long ago at the port, and sailed overnight under the moon. The fleet went to the east bank of Lake Texcoco, the city of Texcoco dozens of miles away.

Avit returned to Montezuma Palace under the guidance of the messenger. He asked the guard to bring the gift to his daughter first. Then, under the dim bonfire in the main hall, he and Gilliam were relatively silent.

After a while, Gilliam saluted respectfully and reported solemnly.

"According to the latest information, Chief Priest Kechar is dead, Prince Texcoco intends to rebel, and the elders dispatched troops to suppress it."

Avit nodded slightly, then shook his head again, Prince Texcoco could not be rebelling at this time.

"This incident is too strange, what happened?"

Gilliam pondered slightly, lowered his voice and spoke.

"The situation is under the control of the elders, and the Texcoco family is defenseless. This must be the elder's plan."

Avit was slightly surprised.

"You mean Kechar's death?"

Gilliam nodded cautiously.

"Why is the elder like this?!"

"That depends on what His Royal Highness Shulot said to the elder."

Gilliam responded with a respectful salute, which was meaningful.

At the same time, in the dark snake house. Shulot was awakened by the sudden noise. He was a little dazed, and carefully pushed aside the tail of the little green snake wrapped around his neck. Then he put his ear against the wall and listened carefully. There were loud shouts and call signs indistinctly. After about two quarters of an hour, the uproar gradually subsided. In the dark night, there is a deathly silence.

Shulot frowned. He was a little worried about Avit, and Alyssa, whom he hadn't seen for a long time. Immediately he walked to the stone gate and yelled at the guards outside to inquire. The guards remained silent and did not respond.

Shulot leaned against the wall again, staring at the darkness in front of him. Unaware of his fate, he worries about the people he loves. Silence and darkness make people irritable, and gradually make people fall asleep. The little green snake changed its posture and wrapped itself around his waist. It seemed to be surrounded by a silk quilt, which was smooth and soft and comfortable. The boy rested his head on his hands and fell asleep in deep thought.

This sleep is the next morning. At this time, there are two meals a day, and breakfast is around nine o'clock. The stone door was opened with a bang, and the breakfast was corn tortillas and black bean paste. The guards also did not communicate with Shulot, and left immediately after leaving the food. The young man chewed on the still warm bread, his thoughts wandered far away.

At this moment, tens of miles away to the east, in the name of a celebration, the city gate of Texcoco was suddenly opened.

A large number of insiders have been preparing for a long time to lead the alliance's army into the city. The 7,000 King's Warriors entered from the west gate, and the 4,000 Holy City warriors rushed from the north gate. The more than 1,000 garrison warriors in Texcoko surrendered without any defense. Immediately, the city gates and streets were controlled. The samurai of the royal capital were in charge of suppression, and the samurai of the holy city broke into the door directly, arresting the royal family, nobles and priests of Texcoco.

The royal family and nobles who have been passed down for hundreds of years trembled, obeyed, wept, angry, resisted, and fought, but they could not change the fate set by the elders. Those who resisted were reduced to ashes, and those who surrendered were captured and captured. The incident happened suddenly, the strength was disparate, and crying and roaring were meaningless.

After breakfast, Shulot cheered up. He first recalled the religious teachings for three hours, then thought about the economic investigation for two hours, and finally thought about the military reform for two hours. At four o'clock in the afternoon, it was time for dinner again. The dinner was unexpectedly rich, turkey leg, rabbit stew, corn pie, and mushroom tomato soup.

Xiulot thought of the customs in his hometown, and patted his head in fear. By the way, the Mexica have a similar habit. He stared blankly, frightened for a moment, and then the will of the warrior prevailed. He let go and sat down, eating heartily.

"Eighteen years later, I'm a good man again! Well, I'm going to be fourteen soon." The young man was thinking wildly, pretending to be heroic, suppressing his inner anxiety, and drank the mushroom soup in one gulp. Then he tore a rabbit leg and gave it to the little green snake. The little green snake sniffed the cooked meat in disgust, and walked away from the boy. It's going to dive into waterways to catch tasty critters.

Meanwhile, on the eastern shore of Lake Texcoco. Thousands of children of the royal family and aristocrats were frightened, escorted by heavily armed warriors, and boarded canoes. With empty stomachs, bare hands, and trembling, they headed for the capital city in the lake. They already knew about "Prince Texcoco's Rebellion", but they didn't know what their fate would be next.

Another silent night. That night, Shulot slept very restlessly. He thinks of his father, grandparents, friends, subordinates and lovers, of the strict self-training, the technical research of forgetting to eat and sleep, and of his grand future plan.

The dark night makes people vulnerable, and the young man couldn't help but feel sad: "He died before he left the army, and the hero burst into tears. The ancients never deceived me!" Inadvertently, he had already entered the state of mind of Zhuge Junshi.

At this time, the little green snake finally came slowly from the ground. It twisted on Xiulot's clothes to remove the water stains, and then unceremoniously wrapped it around the boy's neck, making a comfortable "?" sign again. Shulot felt more at ease for some reason, and fell into a deep sleep again.

The night was so long and difficult that many could not sleep.

When the stone door opened again, Xiulot sat up vigilantly, and the little green snake disappeared without a trace again. Candlelight poured in from outside the door, illuminating the calm face of the elder, as well as the captain of the guard holding the clay pot.

The elder did not speak. He looked at the young man's expression, and the invisible smile flashed away. Then he made a gesture and turned away.

Shulot followed tragically, through the long ramp, through the corridor of the gods, and came to the window of the palace again.

Under the sudden light, Xiu Luote tried hard to adapt, and looked ahead carefully. The scene in front of me is so familiar, the gathered nobles and warriors, the priests and elders offering sacrifices. The world is solemn, but there is no singing of celebration.

A handsome young man smiled foolishly and was the first to climb up the towering Temple of War. The priest's chanting sounded again.

"Bilil, the evil prince of Texcoco, is going to the kingdom of the God of War! He will use a holy sacrifice to sacrifice, and wash away the guilt of offending the gods and the king!"

This is an unusually familiar voice that has not been heard for a long time. Shulot looked around in surprise, only to realize that the priest in the highest priest's attire holding an obsidian dagger was actually his grandfather! He looked around carefully, but could not find Kechar.

Shulot looked at the elder in shock, and the elder nodded calmly.

"My son, Prince Texcoco poisoned Kechar, and your grandfather is now the new High Priest."

In front of the Temple of War God, Bilil was the focus of everyone's attention. Standing on the top of the majestic Great Temple, he looked around the capital city below him. It turned out that this was the omen of the dream. He laughed miserably for a moment, and was pressed on the sacrifice stone by the priests and elders. Immediately, the body separated and rolled down the stone steps.

Behind Bilil is the blood of all the princes of Texcoco, which has been passed down for a hundred years, and there are more than five hundred people. Then there were more than 400 noble children, and finally dozens of minor noble family heads. They were fed anesthesia, their hands and feet were sore, their bodies were smeared with sacrificial blue, and one by one, they were sent to the Temple of War. The soul returns to the kingdom of God, and the body rolls down to dust.

This time, there is no need to ask for names. Because of their names, they are already part of the league's history. Once blooming top, now withered overnight.

Today's sacrifice was without cheers. The nobles under the Great Temple looked dignified and trembled in their hearts. This is completely different from the nobles who sacrificed their enemies. These people on the stage were still celebrating and drinking with themselves the day before yesterday, standing above the crowd, and they are sent to the altar today, how can they not be scary!

Those glorious names, even longer than the history of the alliance, are the real dignitaries that every Mexica nobleman must memorize. And now, right in front of everyone, a prince, two honorable nobles, and nearly ten hereditary nobles are about to die forever, cut off their inheritance, and disappear before the eyes of the gods!

It was a major purge unprecedented in league history. Although Prince Texcoco was furious for a while, he poisoned the chief priest, which is an unforgivable crime. But why do you need to get involved here!

If the capital hadn't been sealed off and the nobles were under the strict supervision of the royal warriors, the nobles, big and small, would have fled long ago and returned to their fiefs to mobilize the warriors to protect themselves.

Among them, Prince Tracopan was the most disturbed. He pretended to flee twice, but was intercepted by the elder guards. Then he bribed Ugel with a lot of money, and then he was instructed to go to see the elder. Under the indifferent eyes of the elders, the prince voluntarily handed over the management rights of the six thousand Tlacopan warriors, as well as Chinanampa who supported some of the warriors.

Only then did the elder nod gently, expressing comfort. The prince was rewarded with a scepter that symbolized his status and a royal amulet that expressed trust, and betrothed the chief priest's niece and granddaughter to him. Only then did Prince Tracopan feel at ease.

In the depths of the prison, out of sight of everyone, dozens of Texcoco's high priests were secretly executed. Most of them have the blood of princes and nobles, and they hold theocracy to hinder reform. And in the largest prison, more than a thousand children of Tescoko's little nobles and noble battle groups were imprisoned. These elite noble warriors are not within the scope of cleaning, the elders keep them for another use.

The elder calmly looked at the great red temple. There was blood in his eyes, and there was no wave in the ancient well. His eyes turned slightly, and wherever he went, nobles and nobles bowed their heads solemnly, keeping silent like cicadas. It's just that the reverence and obedience from the heart are gone.

The elder sighed in his heart. These days, there have been many nobles seeking to see him, asking the elders to pardon Prince Tescoko, and not to get too involved. Although under the power of the elders, the nobles and nobles once again bowed their heads and ears, but the hearts of the people have been exhausted.

In the entire Texcoco Lake District, there are no more than two princes, 20 glorious noble families, and more than 100 hereditary nobles. This time the purge completely eradicated the Texcoco family, exterminated the most religiously conservative nobles and priests, and recovered a large amount of land and property. At the same time, it deterred the great nobles and cleared the obstacles for the religious reform.

But his prestige was exhausted. The nobles were pinned to the brink of rebellion, and their interests could no longer be deprived for at least a few years. Even, the alliance should prepare for the next war as soon as possible, use the victory of the war to improve the prestige of the center, and use the flesh and blood of the enemy to feed the loyalty of the nobles.

At this time, Xiulot finally calmed down. He looked at the elder with a serious expression, not knowing how to speak.

The elder's face was expressionless. He said slowly.

"My child, the first litter of mice has been eradicated. You have to help Shutter compile religious books and clarify the law code. You have to sort out the text and teach apprentice priests. You have to prepare and make more longbows. After next year's autumn harvest , the alliance will send troops again."

Shulot lowered his head. The autumn wind blew his long hair, which also brought faint blood.

Sacrifice the blood of Prince Texcoco and take back the right to manage the army of Tracopan. From then on, only one of the 50,000 warriors in the capital will belong. It will never be like in history, when the Spaniards arrived, the prince rebelled and the Union broke out into civil war. This is to use the blood of a thousand nobles to pave the next step forward.

The development of the times needs the fuel of life, and the driver who drives the direction to a stronger future. This purge is to deprive the interests of the ruling class, eliminate potential hidden dangers, centralize power and land, and prepare for religious reform. If there is no absolute prestige, it is absolutely impossible. If the elder chooses this way, he is giving up his posthumous name.

Having figured this out, Xiu Luote saluted the elder sincerely and accepted the order in a solemn voice!