Night has come. Darkness fell from the ventilated ceiling and enveloped the corners of the tent. A slightly cold breeze blew in, and the bonfire swayed dimly, sketching a deep silhouette on His Highness's face, like an invisible shadow on a high mountain.
Blackhawk.
Following His Highness's inquiry, the hall fell silent for a moment. Ezpin was shaken. He raised his head and opened his mouth to say something, but was unable to make a sound. He peeked at His Highness's expression and felt that it was as difficult to distinguish between sadness and joy as a sculpture.
There is no way to figure it out. Looking at the warrior captain next to him, Bertard just had a calm face, vicissitudes of life like an ancient tree that has been hundreds of years old, guarding His Highness.
Ezpin opened his mouth again, only to say "Yeah..." mixed with Tarasco's dialect. He shut up in fear and kowtowed to the ground again. The impact and pain on the head made people wake up.
It also allowed him to reorganize the language and remember the pronunciation of the Mexicans.
After kowtowing ten times, he finally gathered up enough courage, looked up at His Highness's still calm face, and shouted as loud as he could for his own destiny.
"Your Highness, I want to be the commander of the new army! I can lead the new army well!"
Hulot stared at the Tarasco man kneeling in front of him. There was no emotion in his eyes, and there was no obvious change in his expression. After a while, until Ezpin's courage was exhausted, he lay weakly on the ground.
, only then heard His Highness’s divinely inspired words.
"Ezpin, how can I trust you?"
Ezpin was refreshed, as if illuminated by light. He grabbed the sun amulet on his chest hard, raised his head and spoke eagerly.
"Your Highness, although I am from Tarasco, my parents died when I was young. Since I was fourteen years old, I have entered the mines of Qin Congcan, digging from the open-pit copper mine to the dark underground. I have worked from the time the sun rises to
The sun set, and I never had a full meal. I worked like this for eight years. Later, I was recruited as a spear militia, and accompanied the kingdom's army to conquer the Tekos people. I never had a decent cotton armor, only the one in my hand.
Bronze spear. He was at the forefront of every charge, and fought like this for another eight years."
At this point, Ezpin's voice gradually became louder, bringing with it a bit of anger and true feelings.
"I served the Kingdom of Tarasco and never received preferential treatment! The spear militiamen had no armor or shields, and they kept charging in the most difficult battles, suffering heavy casualties every time. Almost all the old brothers in the mine died.
I haven't received any pension yet. Many times, I was able to survive just by luck!"
As if to prove something, Ezpan suddenly took off his Mexica uniform, revealing his chest covered with scars. There was one largest wound, which was cut along the shoulder to the lower abdomen.
"Your Highness, you also know that in the last battle, we were sent across the river to serve as stepping stones for the warriors and as firewood for the army... I have no nostalgia for the Kingdom of Tarasco!"
Seeing the scars all over Ezpan's body, Shulot moved slightly and remained silent.
Behind him, Bertard's eyes were solemn. He took a step forward, stretched out his strong and strong hand, and scratched the large diagonal scar on Ezpin's chest. He gestured at the width and continuity of the wound, and then asked seriously.
"Is this just a blow? What kind of weapon is this? It's so strong and sharp that it can make continuous and extremely long wounds?"
Ezpin's full of emotions were interrupted in an instant. He looked at the warrior commander in shock, confirming that the other person's question was not a joke, and then tried hard to remember.
"We were responsible for attacking a large Tekos tribe. There were thousands of them, and their camp was built in the mountains, making it difficult to attack. Most of them only had wooden sticks or stone spears, and a few had obsidian war clubs. Only the tribal leaders
There is a very sharp black knife. It is said to be black, but the area around the edge is actually white...
The wound on my chest was that when I besieged the strongest chief, he cut off his spear with the first blow, and then cut through the cotton-padded clothes with the second blow... However, he was also stabbed to death by the brothers...
"
Hearing this, Shulot looked solemn. He had some vague guesses, and immediately asked in a deep voice, his voice rising slightly.
"Where is the Tekos tribe you mentioned? Is it Colima State? Is that black knife on you?"
Ezpin tried to remember, with a wry smile on his face.
"Your Highness, I don't know where Colima State is. We landed at Lake Chapala, and then were directed to go southwest for more than ten days. There are continuous mountains there, not many people, and the roads are very long.
It’s difficult to leave. The tribes of Tekos gathered in the mountains. The outer tribes surrendered to the Kingdom of Tarasco, but the inner tribes refused to pay tribute and often came out to plunder... However, I remember the location of that tribe. If I can return
You should be able to find it when you get there."
For the first time, Ezpin noticed the ups and downs in His Highness's expression. He felt slightly happy and continued.
"As for the black knife, of course it was taken away by the nobles of Tarasco! After I was cut, I immediately bled and fell to the ground, and then I couldn't move. My brothers helped me bandage it and also captured a tribal witch doctor gang.
I healed my wounds. Some of them tried the black knife. It was said that it was only slightly sharper than the bronze spear... I didn't have time to hide it, so it was taken away...
Later, the nobleman asked the militiamen to search around, and found that the entire tribe only had this black knife. The tribe's witch doctor said that this was an artifact made by the previous great witch with the power of the gods, as a symbol of the tribe's inheritance..."
Shulot's heart was filled with confusion and he fell into deep thought.
According to Ezpan's description, it must be the Colima area, with rolling mountains and complex terrain, as well as the rebellious Tecos tribe. The black knife should be an oxidized iron knife. With the tribe's metallurgical level, iron
The knife is indeed not much sharper than a bronze weapon. And according to the local mining capacity, it can only be a sporadic iron ore picked up from the surface, so only one weapon can be forged.
The iron ore in Colima is buried deep beneath the surface, with a shallow layer of tens of meters and a depth of even hundreds of meters. These scattered iron ores are just a drop in the bucket for the Alliance. But their existence is of great significance and can help determine the shallow layer.
The location of the iron ore, then the Alliance can invest huge manpower and material resources in digging...
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Thinking of this, Shulot looked at Ezpin again, with a little gentleness in his eyes. He smiled slightly and nodded.
"Ezpan, the Lord God has blessed you, allowing you to survive a hundred battles, fall into the arms of the Great Alliance, and allow you to meet me. Let's put aside the matter of the black knife for the time being, and continue to prove your loyalty!"
Seeing His Highness's smile, Ezpin breathed a sigh of relief. Although he didn't know where he catered to His Highness's wishes, the future suddenly seemed much brighter. So he replied in an excited voice.
"Your Highness, the great alliance is far more powerful than the decadent kingdom. The capital in the lake is unparalleled. It is the kingdom of God on earth that I have never seen in my life. There are hundreds of thousands of warriors in the alliance, and no one in the world can stop it...
And Your Highness, you are wise, wise and decisive, and are far more simple and kind than the greedy and cruel nobles of Tarasco. You value ability, regardless of birth. You can promote craftsmen to military nobles, and civilians to battalion commanders.
Commander of the Army, you are the only hope for the common people... Witness the supreme Lord God, I am willing to dedicate my loyalty and life to follow you forever!"
Having said this, Ezpin once again knelt on the ground and kowtowed vigorously. Then, he looked at His Highness with longing, and his heart was full of expectations.
Shulot's expression had calmed down. He looked calmly at the Tarasco man in front of him, also waiting for something.
Seeing His Highness's unmoved expression, Ezpin felt a chill in his heart. As a soldier of Tarasco, it was so difficult to prove his loyalty and gain the trust of the king!
Ezpan gritted his teeth. He remembered the recent rumors that had spread from the priesthood, and the ceremony in which the northern warriors pledged their allegiance to the alliance... He suddenly lowered his head and saluted deeply to the warrior chief.
"Your Excellency, please lend me a dagger. Under the witness of the Lord God, let me sacrifice flesh and blood to prove my loyalty!"
Bertard was startled for a moment, then he looked at Hulot. The young man thought for a moment and nodded. The warrior commander then took out his war stick, held it in his hand for warning, and then handed the obsidian dagger at his waist to Ezpin.
Ezpin took the dagger and knelt on the ground. He stretched out his non-dominant left hand, stretched out his little finger, curled up the other four fingers, and then pressed it on the ground. Then, he held the sharp dagger in his right hand, and first
He gestured at half of his finger, then gritted his teeth again, moved towards the weak joint at the base of the finger, and finally cut it off with force.
The face of Tarasco's training adjutant suddenly became ferocious. As he slowly but firmly exerted force, fine beads of sweat quickly seeped out from his forehead, and then gathered into small streams on his face, flowing down. As flesh and blood
Finally separated, he let out a low roar, his face already pale with pain.
Shulot nodded, praising Ezpan's determination and perseverance, and he thought highly of him. Then, the young priest stood up, moved the brazier to the center of the tent, and softly sang the Lord God's prayer.
"Praise the Lord Huitzilopochtli! I pray to Him, the Most High, offering the flesh and blood of the devout and the souls of the converts... This is loyalty under the gaze of the Lord God!"
Listening to His Highness's prayer, Ezpin dropped the bloody dagger and took two steps closer with difficulty. He held the sacrificial little finger with his good right hand, looked at it with nostalgia one last time, and then threw it into the fire. Soon.
, a burning smell of burning sebum came quickly, and then drifted away in the wind. The faint green smoke rose, taking away part of his body forever, and also truly took away part of his soul, and ascended to the distant kingdom of God.
Seeing Ezpin's performance, Hulot smiled in praise and said gently.
"Ezpan, from now on, under the witness of the Supreme Lord God, you will swear to Him and obtain the sacred responsibility to shine the glory of the Lord God!... Come, recite His name with me and praise the Supreme Lord.
Zilopochtli!”
Ezpin knelt down obediently again, raised his head slightly, and looked at the burning "holy fire". He was a little confused, but also a little expectant, and whispered softly with the satisfaction of finally being recognized.
"Supreme Huitzilopochtli, I devote all my loyalty to fight for the Alliance!"
"Sovereign Huitzilopochtli, I devote all my loyalty to fight for His Highness!"
"Sovereign Huitzilopochtli, I dedicate all my loyalty to His Highness and fight for His Highness!"
Listening to Ezpan's prayer for a conscious change, Shulot was stunned for a moment and smiled with satisfaction. He waved to the warrior captain.
"Bandage him with the best wound medicine."
Bertard nodded calmly and took out the boiled cotton cloth and refined herbs from his arms. Then, he bent down, held Ezpin's left arm, helped Lieutenant Tarasco, who was lying limply on the ground, to stop the bleeding, and then carefully
Bandage. On the ground, the drops of blood gathered into a mirror, reflecting Ezpin's strangely smiling face.
After a while, Ezpin knelt down again, his expression returning to normal from the baptismal trance. Hulot looked at him, smiling gently as he decided his fate.
"Ezpan, you have shown your ability and loyalty, but it is not enough. The commander of the new army has been determined in advance, and it is impossible for you to take the position with your qualifications. However, as long as you do what you should do, keep paying attention to the gods.
Prove your piety, and you will have a new starting point! Train the spear regiment well, and when the regiment officially becomes an army, I promise you the position of deputy commander!"
Listening to His Highness's decision, Ezpin looked gloomy at first, and then his face was full of surprise, and his face glowed brightly. He said "um" for a few words, not knowing what to say, and then he knelt down hard and "bang bang bang" on the ground.
"Kowtow.
This time, Shulot didn't count and wait. He laughed loudly and continued to promise the future and inspire the loyal generals.
"Ezpin, I have high hopes for you. I don't care about your birth as a foreign miner, but the Alliance will care, and so will other warriors and militiamen. So, you need to prove your abilities twice as much as you do.
of loyalty!
You were once a Tarasco, and now you are a Mexica. You must perform in the Alliance's Western Expedition! And when the Alliance conquers Tarasco, I will also form a new Tarasco Army,
That’s where your truly great future lies!”
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Hearing His Highness's bright promise and thinking of the ups and downs of this life, Ezpin suddenly choked up. The smooth road of hope was right in front of him, but he couldn't help but shed tears. He kowtowed vigorously.
, holding the wound of the severed finger, and woke himself up with pain again. After a long while, he could speak with a hoarse voice.
"I am willing to die for His Highness!"
Seeing Ezpin's true feelings revealed, Shulot suddenly felt a little emotional.
"If I was also born in a poor civilian family, when would I be able to struggle and step onto the world stage?"
After thinking for a long time, the young man laughed at himself. He looked at Ezpin with gentle eyes and waved.
"Go down, Ezpin, and take this bottle of medicine with you. I will leave the camp tomorrow and you should complete the training first. Soon, the new legion commander will arrive to replace the training chief Barda."
Ezpin knelt on the ground respectfully, and walked back to the door. Then, he stood up, carefully exited the tent door, and disappeared into the vast night.
Shulot watched the tent door close again, and the darkness was isolated in the distant world. He thought for a long time and shook his head.
"Balda was born into a noble family and is an eagle noble warrior. After all, he is not suitable to lead a civilian army... Bertard, are you willing to serve as the commander of the new army? This is a bit unfair to you, but this new army
The army will continue to expand in the future, and I will also make you the marshal during the Northern Expedition."
Hulot looked at the warrior commander, who was his most trusted subordinate, both in terms of loyalty and ability. In fact, deep down in his heart, he even regarded Bertard as half a teacher.
Bertard's face was solemn. He had been following Xiulote for a long time, and he could already judge the young man's thoughts, and he could also confirm that His Highness attached great importance to the new army. After thinking for a moment, the warrior commander shook his head.
"Your Highness, I am willing to always be by your side. I can serve as the leader of the new army for a short period of time, but it is not suitable for a long-term position. As your captain of the bodyguard, I should not serve as a marshal and have too much exposure to military power."
Shulot lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, and nodded slightly. Then, he smiled kindly and said.
"Bertard, you have followed me for many years and we know each other's thoughts. There is no need to worry too much. I have no experience in commanding an army. This northern expedition will definitely rely on you and Teacher Orosh. And you are the best in my heart.
Marshal candidate!"
Hearing the young man's voice, Bertard's face was moved. He bowed deeply, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke.
"Your Highness, as a warrior of civilian origin, it is difficult for me to intimidate noble generals, and I am not qualified to serve as marshal. In fact, there is a noble person who is most suitable for the position of marshal."
Hulot was stunned for a moment. He looked at Bertard's vicissitudes of face and asked in a deep voice.
"who is it?"
"Your father, Captain Shusok." Bertard bowed his head respectfully and suggested.
Hearing this, Shulot stood up suddenly, turned around and looked towards the north. The young man's thoughts drifted far away, and as memories flashed, thoughts came flooding in.
After standing still for a long time, he murmured to himself.
"Let father be my assistant during the Western Expedition?... It's indeed... good."
The big tent became quiet, and fresh wind blew from the ceiling. The bonfire flickered for a while, then burned brightly again, releasing more light and warmth.