Chapter 652: The second kingdom exploration, a new journey
The bright moon rises in the east and sets in the west, the night is at its deepest, and dawn is about to arrive. Priest Tomat and Chief Mozi continued their unfinished conversation. In a few words, they told about the information about the Maya in the northern lowlands, and it was already dawn before they knew it.
"The Kanur Guardian Clan's territory is in the westernmost part of the peninsula, more than a hundred miles from east to west, and more than two hundred miles from north to south. The north is dry, the south is hilly, and the population is mainly in the middle. From north to south, along a line, a total of
There are more than a dozen small Kanur city-states. Each of these city-states is ruled by different chiefs of the clan, and they all belong to the Presbyterian Church in Kapok City. Such a loose political system is destined to make it difficult for them to gather their full strength, and there is no one
The great chief or king who decides everything..."
Priest Thomas took out a pen and paper, lowered his head to record and wrote down important evaluations in the bonfire along the coast.
"This clan is not a whole. Perhaps the scattered city-states within them can be treated separately. Moreover, they all originate from the Mexican plateau and have the blood of the Nahua people. They also occupy the coastal area in the western part of the peninsula and have good relations with each other.
Necessity and possibility!”
Chief Mozi looked curiously at the words that were either squares or simple characters, as if he were looking at the mysterious priest symbols, and he felt a little respect in his heart. The inheritance of the gods among the Puton tribe has dissipated, and the abstract words have also completely disappeared.
No one knows about them. They are the most isolated tribe among the Mayans, and they are also the barbarians who value force the most and are the easiest to assimilate.
"...Together, the Canur family owns more than a dozen small towns and 10,000 Mayan warriors. According to estimates, there should be a population of 300,000. The specific number is not clear yet, and further information needs to be collected."
Priest Thomas pondered for a while and then wrote down the last paragraph.
"It is also interesting that the Kanur clan also has a code of law, which was established in Kapok City, called the Kalkini Code, or the Kapok Code. In their view, Kapok (yaax)
che) is the center of the world, the place of birth, the origin of life, the unity of the universe and the means of communication between gods and humans. The kapok tree gives the descendants of the gods the power to rule people, and the rulers maintain the stability of towns and villages.
Witnessed by the sacred Kapok tree, they established the convention of the Council of Elders and decided clan affairs through consultation. Such a loose and peculiar system has been operating for three to four hundred years, and this was the case in the Mayapan era."
Priest Thomas scratched his head and wrote another comment.
"The Council of Elders, the Kapok Code, and consultation and decision-making. This system seems to have originated from the Council of Presbyterians within a city-state, but it has risen to the union of multiple city-states. I think this system is extremely stable, and the key to it is the Code.
"
The Mayan businessman Tikalo sat next to him, peeking at the writing of Priest Tomat in the dim light of the bonfire. Seeing the last comment, he smiled secretly in his heart.
"What kind of stable system, what kind of key code? It's just that in the Kanur clan, there is no divine leader like the ancestor Kokom who can unify everyone!"
Priest Tomat thought for a while, then looked at Chief Mozi, asked some details about the Xiwu family, and wrote again.
"The Xiu family leads the Tuturxiu tribe and comes from the desolate central Maya. The meaning of their name is 'those people full of virtue'. Therefore, they can be called the Xiu Med clan."
Seeing the last sentence, a sarcastic smile appeared on Ti Carlo's face. They rebelled against the king, slaughtered the royal family, sacked the royal capital, and led barbarian tribes to invade. What a 'virtuous' clan!
"Their history can be traced back seven hundred years ago. The first capital they established was Uxmal, and the current capital is Mani. They also occupy the royal capital Mayapan. They have a supreme clan leader (halaik
"
"The Xiumemed family is located inland, two hundred miles from east to west and two hundred miles from north to south. These two hundred miles are the richest place in the lowland Maya. With the wealth of their territory, they established two legions, one in the east and one in the east.
Wary the Kapoor clan and suppress the Kanur guardian clan in the west. According to estimates, they should have about 15,000 warriors and directly or indirectly control a population of 400,000 to 500,000..."
Tikalo looked at it for a while and remained silent. Priest Thomas lowered his head to write, not paying attention to the translation. He thought for a moment and wrote the summary again.
"However, they also had trouble. During the process of overthrowing Mayapan, many battles broke out around the royal capital, which destroyed the water canals around Mayapan and reduced food production. Then, they fought with the Kanur clan in the west and the Kanur clan in the east.
The Kapoor clan is hostile and consumes a lot of food. During the plunder of the Puton clan, the food obtained by the Xiu territory was far less than that of the Kanur territory. This is proof. And the generals of the Xiu clan are more
Because of their cunning, they are much quicker and more flexible than the Kanur Presbyterian Church. Therefore, the Puton tribe prefers to plunder the territory of the Kanur clan."
"In general, the Xiwu family is located inland and does not control the coastline. It has no direct interest in the kingdom's fleet. They are powerful, but they are attacked on both sides and have food shortages. The situation is not very good. In addition, they
With his always flexible behavior, it is unlikely that he will take the initiative to be hostile to the Kingdom's fleet. And for the fleet, there is no need to actively provoke the powerful Xiwu family..."
Seeing this, Ti Carlo turned his head and gritted his teeth.
Sure enough, as he expected, the Kingdom's fleet was destined to remain neutral towards the Xiwu family. Neither Tomat, the chief priest who was familiar with politics, nor Chihuaco, the cautious captain, would take the initiative to attack the Xiwu family.
The family takes action. And the Xiwu family, which is cunning and forbearing, will definitely not be rashly hostile...
"Hahaha! Destiny, after all, it all depends on man!..."
The morning sun cast a faint light, and the sky gradually became brighter. Priest Thomas closed his book, looked to the east, and prayed silently.
"Praise the supreme god! Please protect us! The kingdom's fleet will go all the way east and will not have too much entanglement with the Mayan city-states. We will definitely reach the Snake Island in the East China Sea and establish an outpost of the kingdom!"
As the morning sun rises, light comes immediately. The golden light shines into the priest's eyes, like the majesty and promise of the Lord God.
After a while, Priest Tomat stood up and formally bid farewell to Chief Mozi. He had not slept all night, but he was still full of energy and his eyes were shining.
"Goodbye, Brother Moqi! The Lord God has witnessed that we will meet again! Please believe that the friendship of the Kingdom will be like the rising sun in the east, flowing continuously and bringing you real light!"
"Okay! Praise the Lord God, praise the ancestors! Brother Moqi, take a hundred tribal warriors and hit the road early!"
Chief Moqi nodded solemnly. He glanced at the twenty pairs of leather armors, one hundred copper axes, and six hundred copper spears on the coast, and the corners of his mouth turned up with satisfaction. One hundred tribal warriors had already been selected.
They were handed over to the Kingdom's fleet. None of them were burdened by their families. From now on, they were members of the Menghu tribe.
"We Pudong people have a proverb, which is that if you climb the high hills, you will naturally see the way forward!"
Chief Mozi stretched out his fist and collided with Priest Tomat's palm again. At this time, there was already a strong fighting spirit in his eyes.
Reading with rice balls
"The Lord God has witnessed that the Short Spear Tribe will go on an expedition soon. Brother Moqi, I wish you a smooth journey to Snake Island! When we meet again, I look forward to more weapons and armor!"
"Okay! The Lord God bless you. With the Lord God's grace, you will be invincible!"
The red sun was rising, its path was bright. The farewell in the morning was not at all sad, but full of hope. The kingdom's fleet unloaded a ship of weapons, loaded another hundred Puton warriors, and replenished enough food and supplies.
water. Then, the fleet set sail again, heading to Jinshe City, one hundred and sixty miles north.
Sailing northward in March, against the wind and with no ocean currents to rely on. The fleet maintained its strength and stayed calm. It took more than three days to reach the "place of snakes and ticks", Golden Snake City.
area(kaan
peech).
The location of this city-state was approximately near the city of Campeche in later Mexico. When the fleet arrived, the surrounding forests became dense again and turned into hilly rainforest. Near the coast, there are many small lakes and lagoons
.
"Crabs, oysters, turtles, prawns and storks... can all be stewed or grilled!"
Didi drooled and counted the game near the lagoon. He couldn't recognize it completely, but there was a silver crow warrior osprey that grew up on the seaside, and he was also eager to try it.
"How can a seaside warrior not eat delicious seabass and hunt ferocious little sharks? Although the sea is full of deserts, this area near the sea is really rich!"
The precipitation in the rainforest formed raging rivers, which also brought nutrients to the soil. There are many seaweeds along the coast, which naturally attracts a large number of fish and shrimps. Although the mountain bird in the Yolem tribe does not know the reason, he can clearly
It can be seen that the seaside here is richer than the coast of the northern tribes.
"A city! A small city!"
Shanniao squinted his eyes and was the first to spot the traces of Golden Snake City. He waved the flag and shouted, and everyone heard the sound and went away.
"Huh? This city is bigger than Prairie City and uses a lot of stones."
The old militiaman Chihuaco looked at it for a while and pondered in his heart. The Golden Snake City here is controlled by the Golden Snake clan and is familiar with the Tikalo business group.
"Old man Qi? Do we need to stop for supplies?"
Puap put on his bronze armor, held his bronze spear, and looked warily at the city-state on the seaside. There were two small rivers around the city-state, and there were also canoes for trade. But in general, compared with the trade node Red Lake Town, it was inferior.
Very far away.
"Well, let me think about it..."
The old militiaman touched his chin and looked at the Mayan businessman Tikallo. Tikallo had a smile on his face, with a vague expectation. Seeing this, the old militiaman made a decision.
"There is enough food and water on the ship, so we won't get off the ship to resupply! Well, let Priest Thomas row the boat, meet with the local divine nobles, give two bags of gems, and tell you about the prophecy. Tonight, or tomorrow at most
We’ll leave in the morning!”
Then, the old militiaman patted Ti Carlo on the shoulder and expressed cordial concern.
"Ti Carlo, you were a little frightened and a little tired in the Short Spear Tribe. Take a good rest these days... Just let your translator go with Priest Tomat!"
"...At your command, Captain Chihuaco."
Tikalo pursed his lips, remained silent for a few breaths, and responded with a smile. As he headed north, he got closer and closer to his hometown, and the old militiaman Chihuaco became more and more vigilant. No matter where he went, there would be two of them by his side.
Prepecha warrior, personal "protection".
"What a vigilant old turtle!...What should we do next?"
The Mayan businessman looked at the city-state by the sea with no emotion or anxiety on his face. He looked at Priest Tomat holding a stack of scriptures, wearing several sun talismans, and leading a few guarding warriors, enthusiastically
Get on the boat.
The boat rowed to the shore, and a group of people went ashore and entered the city. Then, Priest Tomat said something to the Mayan warriors guarding the city, and some people left in a hurry. After another two-quarters of an hour, several divine nobles with divine faces arrived.
He rushed over quickly, led Priest Thomas into the palace, and completely disappeared from everyone's sight.
Seven long boats docked at the beach, attracting the attention of many people outside this remote town. Soon, there were more than a dozen canoes, guarded by the kingdom's warriors, tentatively approaching. When they got close
Here, listening to the shouts of the Mayans on the boat, Tikalo showed a smile on his face.
"Dear Captain Chihuaco, the boaters are Mayan villagers along the coast. They want to sell some local products on the boat."
"What, local product?"
"Yes! Most of them are fruits, dried fruits, vegetables, fish and shrimps. Sometimes there are also shells, dried fish, cinnabar, and unknown beautiful stones."
Chihuaco frowned slightly, looked at the simple and expectant villagers on the boat, then looked at the Mayan businessman Tikalo with a gentle smile next to him, and asked suspiciously.
"Why would they approach us and sell to us?"
"Because, our fleet is very wealthy at first glance. And they are forced by the annual tribute and must work hard to earn some wealth."
Tikalo touched the divine bald head and spoke with emotion.
"Captain Qi, the population of the Mayan tribes in the north is extremely saturated. The land belongs to the descendants of the gods blessed by the gods, the nobles and priests, and every village must pay extremely high tributes. The villagers have limited land and have always had a mercantile tradition.
.For these coastal villagers, many of them have no land, and they just farm for the nobles in exchange for some food from the mouth of the lake. Therefore, it may be possible to sell some local products that cannot be sold at high prices to foreign fleets.
The only way they can make ends meet."
Seeing that Chihuaco's eyes were still suspicious, Ticaro smiled and pointed at the necks of the villagers.
"Look, what's engraved on the amulets they wear around their necks?"
"Um?"
Chihuaco narrowed his eyes and looked at it from a distance for a while, with surprise on his face. He stretched out his hand to catch the mountain bird and let the other person look at it carefully for a while.
"Captain, there is a strange woman drawn on the amulet around their necks! That woman has a long rope loop around her neck, her eyes are closed tightly, and her exposed upper body is dark..."
The mountain bird scratched his head, his eyelids twitching, feeling very unlucky.
"It's really weird! It looks like a hanging woman!"
"Yes! This is the hanged goddess, the suicide goddess Ixtab! She has a rope around her neck, and she was hanged by herself. The black color on her body symbolizes the rotting corpse. This
This goddess is one of the few gods who belong to the common people, and she also gives the villagers a smooth way to enter the divine realm."
The Mayan businessman Tikalo spoke quietly, describing the cruelty of reality.
"In the Mayan tribes, there are only a few ways to go to the beautiful world of gods after death. Among them, the same as the Mexica tribes, warriors who died in battle, women who died in childbirth, and sacrifices can all go directly to the gods.
Realm... But in addition, there is another method that is ranked first, simpler, and encouraged by the gods. This method is often used by ordinary people who are struggling to make a living and are old and poor!"
"What? You...you mean?..."
"Yes, it's just suicide!"
Tikalo smiled faintly and nodded.
"These common people believe in the suicide goddess Isitabu and wear the goddess's amulet. When they are over thirty, they gradually become unable to work and their livelihood becomes more difficult... they will choose a sacred stone on a certain auspicious day.
Kapok tree. Then, they will go to the priest of the Suicide Goddess, borrow the divine rope, tie the rope to the tree... From then on, they will kill themselves and go to the Kingdom of God!"
"But sometimes, there are too many old people going to the Kingdom of God on auspicious days, and they have to share the same rope. The person in front has just hanged himself, and the people behind him can't wait to take him down and go up. If you are lucky,
No, you are not completely dead, you have to ask someone to help you and hang yourself again..."
"hiss!"
Hearing this, the old militiaman Chihuaco took a few breaths of air. He turned his head again and looked at the suicide goddess amulets on the necks of the civilians, and his eyes gradually showed unbearable.
"This!...Have these civilians never thought about resisting the tribute imposed on them?"
"Haha! The revered descendants of gods rule all the lands. They have the blood of gods and have the faces of gods! These obedient civilians abide by the traditional order and have been at the lower level for generations. It has been like this for thousands of years!
They have long been accustomed to thinking of themselves as butterflies that live and die in spring and autumn, while the gods and nobles are the kapok that lasts for years. Butterflies will only surround the kapok and will die on the tree, so how can they resist?"
Tikalo shook his head with a smile. In fact, before leaving the Mayan tribes and going to the Mexican plateau, he once thought that this kind of reverence for gods, humbleness of ordinary people, and stable rule from top to bottom was the will of the gods, and even more so in the world.
of heavenly principles.
"What's more, facing the direct management of various nobles and the powerful family warriors, these civilians have no ability to resist!"
"...Why!"
The old militiaman Chihuaco was silent for a long time before letting out a long sigh. He lowered his eyes, turned around, waved his hand gently, and left a message to Ti Carlo.
"Ti Carlo, let's exchange some! The local products of these villagers, the fleet... are also needed, so we can give them more goods."
"It's up to you, Captain!"
Tikalo lowered his head respectfully and raised the corners of his mouth again. Then, he started trading with the villagers in an orderly manner using the local Mayan language.
The day was getting dusk, the sky and the earth were getting dark, and then it was getting late at night. Priest Thomas sent an envoy back, saying that he had been warmly received by the other god's descendant, and that he wanted to spend the night in the palace and talk about the teachings of the main god.
Seven long boats were moored on the beach. Villagers came and left, left and returned, and even brought back more boats. Chihuaco looked around, with mixed emotions. In the distance, there was a feast of joy.
, the aristocratic nobles who are singing and dancing endlessly, and nearby the boat are the poor villagers who are struggling to survive and yearning to commit suicide. And this is the society of the lowland Maya, which has remained unchanged for thousands of years.
It wasn't until the morning of the next day that Priest Tomat returned with satisfaction during the delivery of the descendants of the Serpent God, and the Kingdom's fleet set sail again. The new journey began again, and the next target was the Salt Village nearly three hundred miles away.
