The setting sun is like blood, reflecting the palace area into the color of blood and fire, just like the royal power of the Mexica people.
In the setting sun, under the royal authority, two nobles walked silently, stepping on their own shadows step by step.
"Butcher, what do you think?" After walking out in silence for a long time, the royal nobleman Iskali slowly spoke. His face was cold and stern, and he meant something.
"At the end of the month, it's too early, so don't worry."
The glorious nobleman Tepopolo smiled kindly and calmly. The two of them were already familiar with each other and called each other by their nicknames.
"The Iskoatl family has been enfeoffed abroad for a long time, but there is still a day when they can make a comeback!"
Iskali frowned. His emotions fluctuated and there was dissatisfaction in his voice.
"So what? After all, they are a close bloodline of the royal family. From today's perspective, they are mysterious and quite extraordinary."
Tepopolo smiled gently and patted his old friend on the shoulder.
"Besides, King Avit can be regarded as a combination of the two royal families. He relies on close relatives from his father's line, probably because he wants to balance your power."
Iskali was silent for a moment and replied in a deep voice.
"But his throne is inherited from the maternal line after all! You can stand on the outside and watch, but I am standing on the inside!"
"You are wrong, my old friend." Tepopolo put away his smile and responded seriously.
"The Mexica throne is never inherited from anyone! It is only inherited from powerful force and outstanding talents!"
"This is why I told you not to be anxious. The coronation war in the autumn has not yet begun. The king needs to prove himself, and the heir must also prove himself! If he is really a great commander, what's the harm in obeying?"
"What you should pay more attention to now are the new laws and reforms introduced by the priests! Our power and position are also inherited from wealth and force. But now, the priests want to take it away!"
Iskali was horrified. He looked at Tepopolo solemnly.
"I have heard about the new law. It seems that it only restricts ordinary nobles and is not aimed at us. Besides, some nobles have indeed gone too far."
Tepopolo smiled softly and shook his head.
"It's like this now, but what about in the future? The priests are becoming more and more strict. Once they develop, they will eventually devour us!"
Iskali frowned deeply. He thought for a moment, but his mind was still blurry and he couldn't see clearly.
"Then what should we do?"
"Wait, still wait, wait silently." Tepopolo smiled gently again.
"The elders are behind the new legal reforms. Now we can't do anything."
Speaking of the elder, the two of them looked at the magnificent temple not far away at the same time. As the sun set, the bloody sacrifice seemed to appear before their eyes again. They shuddered at the same time and remained silent.
It took a long time, until I walked past the great temple and was far away from the shadows in the nightmare, that Iskali spoke again.
"Butcher, what should we wait for?"
"At the end of the month, of course I'm waiting for the opportunity." Tepopolo arched his eyebrows, looking even more kind.
"Opportunity? You mean..." Iskali's eyes flashed with a murderous look.
Tepopolo was startled. He stopped, looked at Iskali, smiled and sighed.
"My stupid moon friend, you are already forty years old and about to die, why are you still so murderous? I should really give you my name."
Iskali curled his lips.
"Come on, my clever butcher friend! When you followed the conqueror Moctezuma I on the southern expedition, you executed thousands of Zapotec prisoners at once. Why don't we use the same name? I will be the elder
You will be a young man for the second life."
Having said this, Iskali laughed and enjoyed himself.
Tepopolo sighed helplessly again. Then, he thought of something and looked serious.
"Iskali, let me ask you, will you bring the Zapotec captives back to the capital of the lake?"
Iskali pondered for a moment and simply shook his head.
"It's too far. It takes two months to get from the Zapotec city-state to the capital in the lake. The way is densely covered with mountains and forests, and there are no convenient rivers. Too much food will be consumed along the way. It is better to sacrifice on the spot to please the gods and gods.
Legion.”
Tepopolo smiled and nodded, his eyes twinkling.
"Yes, Iskali, this is distance and time. You see, even the great Montezuma was unable to completely conquer the distant southern states. The vassals from various places bowed their heads and surrendered when the army arrived. After the army left,
He often refuses to pay tribute and independently decides everything on the land."
"Next, if the king's conquest fails, the opportunity you have been waiting for will come! The nobles will renegotiate the future, and it will be difficult for the priests' reforms to continue. If the heir is not good enough, it will be your line of Vizili Vittel who will take action.
It’s time!”
Iskali pondered. He had many thoughts, testing his old friend's mind.
"So, we won't really contribute to this Western Expedition?"
"No, we must go all out in the Western Expedition! As a minister of government, we must give full support to the king before he fails and gain the king's trust. King Avit will take everyone in his heart, and Gillim is his eyes. If the king really
If you can lead us to conquer Tarasco, the opportunity will also come!"
Tepopolo smiled faintly. Under Iskali's confused eyes, he spoke slowly and deeply.
"At that time, we invited ourselves to be granted a title. We took our vassal warriors to the remote Lake Tarasco area to guard the frontier for the alliance. That is true independence, just like the military city-states on the front line of Tlaxcala in the northeast.
, but you don’t have to face a powerful enemy!”
Hearing this, Iskali finally looked shocked.
"Tepopolo, are you leaving Tlatelolco, which has been passed down from generation to generation?!"
Tepopolo nodded solemnly in confirmation.
"Tlatelolco has long been incorporated into the lake capital. The princes have either died or gone into hiding, and I have become the honorable noble with the highest status. With the general trend, the entire Lake Texcoco area will become a territory completely directly under the king.
The priests will also expand in power during the reform. If I stay here, the end will be bad. It is better to invite foreign vassals, jump out of this cage, and watch the king and priests in the center."
Speaking of which, Tepopolo has a profound meaning.
"I'm afraid we still don't know what the future holds. Now we just have to wait."
Iskali frowned deeply. His eyes seemed clearer, but the future was still murky, like changing tequila. Even though he was an outstanding warrior, his wisdom and vision still restricted him. After a while,
, he spoke hesitantly.
"Will the elders and the king allow me to invite a foreign vassal?"
Tepopolo smiled confidently, gently and forcefully.
"Of course. Changing the title must be the plan of the elders and the king. The elders have been detaining thousands of low-level nobles and warriors in Texcoco, polishing their character, and sending priests to teach them day and night. They must be waiting for Xilotepe
The Fall of Kecheng.
When the time comes, the upper echelons of the Otomi people will be wiped out and everyone will be sealed off. The alliance will be able to firmly control this important town by the river in the north and eliminate the hidden dangers of the capital. In the territory of the Otomi people, these changes will
The feudal nobles could only move closer to the alliance.
The core of Western Tarasco is the Patzcuaro Lake area, which is also one or two months away from the capital. It cannot be directly managed by the royal family. Since it is a divine war to destroy the country, there must be a noble lord.
Guard and rule the newly conquered land! Who is more suitable for this position than us?"
Thinking of this, Tepopolo was once again in high spirits. His thoughts drifted far away, and hidden ambitions rose in his heart. The Patzcuaro Lake District is also the foundation of the king, so why can the Mexicans only have one king?
Iskali lowered his head and said nothing. As an old man in the royal family, he had never endured the pressure brought by the royal family on the great nobles. He was actually not interested in sealing off distant lands. But what his old friend said made sense, and he finally understood some of the elders
With the King's Thoughts.
As a result, Iskali's expression was cold and stern again, with a fierce glint in his eyes.
"Butcher, you are right. In this divine war, the great nobles and priests of the Tarascans cannot stay. The weeds of Tarasco must be cleared and planted with Mexican corn!"
"The great nobles will definitely pull it out! But the priests of Tarasco...well, so do."
Tepopolo responded in agreement, paused for a moment between words, and then continued to nod as if nothing had happened.
The conversation continued, and people's hearts changed. With their backs to the bloody sunset, the two of them walked steadily forward in the shadows, waiting silently. And on their periphery, there were elite private warriors guarding loyally.
In the main hall, Shulot waited quietly for a long time. After the outsiders left, he sat cross-legged next to Avitt, closely watching the work of his friend the king, watching him record and sort out the pictures in writing and process the wooden boards.
From time to time, the young man asked for advice on how to handle government affairs and put forward novel suggestions.
During the chat at work, Avitt also had a slight smile. He returned from divinity and relaxed. He occasionally touched the boy's head and mentioned his favorite daughter. Gillim sat quietly.
In the shadow of the throne, I watched silently, occasionally adding some details.
The busy time always passed quickly. When Avitt finally raised his head, the setting sun sank into the earth, and the window was already dark. The distant moonlight fell from the window, reflecting the bonfire in the hall, bringing a peaceful warmth. So
, he smiled gently at the young man.
"Xulot, just stop here today. Come early next week for the New Year's Ceremony. Alyssa misses you a little, and I don't have time to accompany her on weekdays.
After the elders and we have finished patrolling the city, you can take Alyssa to go boating on the lake, and then go to the royal garden to relax at noon and look at the flowers, plants and butterflies. In the evening, when there are fewer people, you can go to the zoo and aquarium lake.
Play with the deer and patterned fish, and in the evening go to the priest's high platform to watch the moon and the stars... I will ask people to prepare snacks, snacks and drinks, but no alcohol..."
Listening to Avitt's detailed arrangements and specific plans, Shulot wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. He felt a lot of pressure. Feeling Avitt's true emotions, the young man felt warm in his heart and listened quietly with a slight joy.
over.
Soon, Avitt finished his instructions. The two looked at each other silently. This atmosphere had not been seen for a long time.
"Okay. Avitt, I will take Avelot to find Alyssa. The little golden eagle has grown up a lot and has new gray feathers. Of course, it is still very soft to the touch. It has always been very courageous.
Xiao, you can stay with Alyssa for a long time."
Shulot responded with a sincere smile. Avitt was slightly dazed. Thinking of the little golden eagle that had been trained, he couldn't help but smile softly.
The two laughed again for a while. Then the boy looked at his friend seriously and made the long-awaited proposal.
"Avit, when we were fighting on the Leman River, I was thinking of forming a well-trained spear militia to supplement the warriors and maintain the frontal front."
"Now, we have enough copper ore to make copper spears. Recently I went to the surrounding mines and found many excellent sources of miners... Can you allocate thousands of miners to me and let me form a new army?
?They should be able to use it during the western expedition to Tarasco."
Shulot had a frank look on his face. After talking about his proposal to form a new army, he looked at Avitt expectantly and sincerely.
After hearing this, King Avit looked at the young man beside him. His smile gradually solidified, another thought gradually emerged, and the ruthless divinity came to him again.