Aztec Eternals

"The enfeoffment of the land in the clouds? My and Alyssa's child?..."

As tomorrow sets in the west, the eagle flies over the Mixtec mountains and forests, looking at the undulating mountains and valleys, and makes a distant cry. Even if the continuous camp of warriors is noisy, the cry of the soaring eagle still echoes between heaven and earth, making people yearn for it. Amidst the distant hawk's cry, Shulot straightened his back, changed from a relaxed half-crossed leg to a formal kneeling position, and his face showed solemnity.

"Witness the Lord God! This is essentially an exchange between Avitt and me, and it is also a clearer binding of interests. Alyssa's children, my son, and his grandson are the common interests of the two of us, and they are the means to ensure that I stand The contract on his side. While maintaining the authority of the royal family in the alliance, he wants to balance the various branches within the royal family. Use the royal family of the Holy City where I am to balance or even suppress the family of the ancestor Asar! This is to maintain the internal affairs of the alliance. In a stable and orderly fight, he will not personally end the game, but will serve as a referee who pulls the side, allowing me to fight and compromise with Assal's team..."

"For the long-term plan to stabilize the king's power, Avitt needs to find the right person, in the right position, do the right thing, and meet the right opponent. Such an exquisite arrangement must not only consider the current situation of the alliance, but also the past time. In the future, lay the foundation stone that will be equally beneficial in the future... The right person is not only right today, but also in the future. At least it cannot hinder the power of the God King... just like all the people he arranged today. ..."

Thoughts were turning rapidly. Xuelote lowered his head and pondered, then looked at the map on the table. He needed time to think. Avitt smiled and reached out to call his bodyguard, who then brought two clay cups and a clay pot. A faint aroma of wine spread in the tent.

"Huh? It's not evening yet, are you going to drink?"

Seeing this scene, Shulot sniffed his nose doubtfully, but diligently poured two glasses of wine in his hands. Avitt raised his glass and took a sip with a smile. Shulot also took a few sips, frowned slightly, and soon regained his composure.

"Strange... this wine is actually sour?... It seems that sour fruit has been added, or is it hot... hot sour fruit wine?..."

The two of them drank in silence, and Shulot didn't have the intention to think too much. He was just thinking about Avitt's personnel arrangements.

"There are four personnel arrangements today... Ekart is in charge of general affairs, and Huadiao Qilto is in charge of military affairs. The two of them cooperate and control each other, and are responsible for the farming in the valley of Shenshi City. Avitt first tested me, and then pulled me into the water, relying on the kingdom's farming backbone , to complete the goal of farming. Similarly, this is also an opportunity for Chilto, a close friend of civilian origin, to accumulate merit, learn military and political affairs, and advance further in the alliance army...Perhaps, this also includes an attempt to win over Ekart..."

"As for Cuitlavak of the Asar line to study under me, learn divine divination, and follow the path of a priest, I am not going to grant him the fiefdom of a royal prince. On the one hand, it is to prepare for the high priest group. The backbone of high-ranking priests from the lower royal family is balanced with the priests and elders from other backgrounds to enhance the direct divine power of the royal family. On the other hand, within the royal family, it suppresses the fiefdom area of ​​​​the ancestor Asar's line. To avoid this most powerful royal family The branch has become stronger and threatens the main branch of Avitt's royal family..."

"Finally, Avitt mentioned the enfeoffment of the Land in the Clouds. My and Alyssa's second child is likely to become the Prince of the Clouds... The Land in the Clouds was originally a territory promised to Asal's family. The fiefdom given to Montezuma II is now being cut into two large pieces. Looking at the current situation, if Alyssa gives birth to a boy, she will inevitably be granted a part of the fiefdom in the Land of the Clouds, or even most of it. The fiefdom is clearly in competition with the Assar family!..."

After some thought, Shulot looked down at the map, hiding some changes in his expression. His wife Alyssa is nine months pregnant, which really worries him. Counting the days, this was exactly what she was conceived during the month of last year's Spring Goddess Festival, when I was busy every day. And for this child who is about to be born...

"For the sake of this child's fiefdom, I must stand beside Avit with all my strength and suppress the royal princes of the Asal line, especially Moctezuma II! ... And Meng II's younger brother Quatlavac, since I The brother-in-law of Silver Crow's wife will worship me as the teacher of the priest's apprentice... This is a long-term foreshadowing in advance, allowing me to either succeed in dividing the two Asar brothers, or fail to influence Cuitlawak, and be defeated by both of them. Controlled by people!…”

Shulot drank all the tea and took a long breath. He then turned around and asked respectfully.

"Teacher, my cousin Moctezuma II is currently in the Western Route Army, leading the royal army and accepting the command of Marshal Casal?"

"That's right! Marshal Casal was a royal general promoted during the reign of the late King Asal. He then continued to serve during the Tisok period, and later swore to serve me during the Eastern Expedition against the Tlaxcalans. He has made great achievements and can lead a large army on his own when going to war..."

Avitt's smile was flat, and as soon as he clicked, Shulot suddenly understood. The main force of the Western Route Army is not only one of the basic bases of the Mexica royal family, but also the royal warrior force that favors the Asal line. An inaccurate and simple analogy is the "two white flags" among the Eight Banners in the early Qing Dynasty. While Kasar is a reliable royal general who is good at fighting externally, he is not a true confidant of the Avitt family internally, so he will take off his military power after every major battle.

"Well...Teacher, the Western Route Army's expedition is dangerous and the road is difficult. After the attack on Oak Valley City, Marshal Casal can be put in charge to appease the tribes, and his cousin Montezuma can continue to go south to conquer the Mixtec coast! Mi The seaside land of the Sterk people is said to be rich in products, including gold, silver, and jade shells. It is an excellent and wealthy fiefdom... After my cousin pacifies the seaside, it will be a good place for him to sit here and reward his military exploits!"

"Oh? You mean, leave the rich seaside in the south to young Montezuma, and leave the barren mountains, forests and valleys in the north to your and Alyssa's children?... Well, although the seaside is a little far away, it is indeed The rich and wonderful place is worth his hard work to conquer in the south!..."

Avitt's eyes flashed as he looked at the respectful Shulot and nodded in admiration. This suggestion is indeed good, and he understands the essence of personnel in political struggles!

First, the strategic locations in the northern Mixtec region were circled and placed in the hands of the royal family of the Avite family. Let Meng Er lead the royal family branch southward, enfeoff the wealthy seaside, suppress the distant Mixtec tribe, and completely separate from the central Cuitlahuac...both within the royal family and between the royal center and the local nobles. , have reached a stable and constrained balance.

The politics of the Mexica Alliance in this era was still in the royal enfeoffment era of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and there was no patriarchal system to strengthen the legal principles. Perhaps it was more similar to the time when the Xiongnu, Khitan, Mongolian, Jurchen and other tribes first emerged on the grassland.

There are no ox-carts or horse-drawn carriages in Central America, there is a lack of through-roads, and the terrain is mostly mountainous and forested, so communication efficiency is very low! In this case, the area that the Mexican Union could directly govern was very limited, limited to the Texcoco Lake area with a radius of several hundred miles. The rest of the peripheral territories must be divided into royal vassals to garrison the barbarians and suppress the local nobles. Once the power of the royal family is weakened, the barbarians and their subjects will rebel!

Therefore, the center of the alliance is just like the emperor of the Zhou royal family. On the one hand, it must prevent the royal family's vassals from becoming too strong and threatening the main branch of the central government. On the other hand, it must not let the vassals be too weak to resist the threats of tribes and nobles from various places! Likewise, "How can a child be a prostrate?". The "Great Khan" at the center of the alliance, on the one hand, is closely wary of overly outstanding heirs, and on the other hand, he needs to ensure that he has an outstanding adult heir who can take over. In order to avoid sudden accidents or sudden death from illness, the powerful tribal alliance will immediately split and scatter, or power will fall into the hands of more powerful nobles...

Historically, after Avit was assassinated, power fell into the hands of Moctezuma II of the Assal line. But Meng Er failed to catch it, which immediately triggered a rebellion between the Yunzhong subjects and the Huastec people in the south. In the end, it also caused a royal split and civil war within the alliance, and introduced the "White-skinned Envoy of Quetzalcoatl". A stupid move...

This complex political situation of the alliance is why Avitt tried every possible means and threatened him to recall Shulot, and then strictly ensured his safety, and even continued to rely on him and promised him future power. After all, the Aztec Alliance was a tribal alliance entrusted by the royal family, not a centralized celestial dynasty!

In this prosperous and powerful tribal alliance, the emperor's power that is firmly inherited does not exist. At most, it is slowly beginning to appear in Avitt's centralization reform. Since this sole and supreme emperor's power has not yet taken shape, there can be no talk of usurping the throne, let alone an orderly inheritance of the patriarchal clan.

If Avitt is suddenly assassinated and dies, and Xiuhua has not grown up, it will be difficult for Xiulote to completely catch the Mexican Alliance. He will inevitably fight a royal civil war with the Assar family, the youngest son of Avit, and even other royal branches and local nobles, and wipe out the city-states one by one!

After all, so many local city-state aristocrats whose power has been damaged are resentful of the centralization and reform of the alliance. They have long been waiting for civil strife in the central government to sell them at a high price. For their own benefit, they will only invest in a Mexica royal family that offers a higher price. The price of such a compromise on autonomy was not what Shulot was willing to pay. His current support for Avitt is to support the centralized reform and external expansion of the Mexican Alliance, suppress the internal conflicts of the Alliance, and transform it into a true feudal empire...

"God bless you! Shulot, this world is so vast, you still need to have more children with Alyssa! Especially brave boys, so that I can be entrusted to various tribes conquered in the world and become members of the Mexica bloodline. Prince!…”

Avitt's expression was gloomy, rarely revealing his feelings, and he let out a sigh. His grandfather Montezuma was an extremely strong conqueror and gave birth to dozens of children. His eldest brother Asal was also famous for having many sons and daughters. He even conquered many female chiefs with his joyful songs, leaving behind a large Asal royal family. Only he and Tisoke, who died young, gave birth to few children. Among them, there are only two or three who have enough status and talent to be enfeoffed. And now, he is already over forty...

"My student, my son-in-law! Now that little Chimalpili is still underage, the only way to continue my line of royal family depends on you and Alyssa! I go out to conquer all the tribes in the north and south, and I don't want to get the advantage in vain. Give birth to the nephews my brother gave birth to...just like giving birth to Xiuhua, give me some outstanding 'Paqi'..."

Hearing this promise from his father-in-law, Shulot pursed his lips, looked at Avitt's solemn expression, lowered his head and bowed solemnly, revealing his hair.

At this moment, Shulot understood in his heart that although Avitt's intention in saying this was probably to win his heart and allow him to serve with peace of mind, this was indeed the truth in Avitt's heart. Although Avitt once broke his promise to himself, he was sincere about entrusting Alyssa's son and his own grandson!

Because, in the Mexica people's perception, there is no difference between "grandson" and "grandson" at all, and there is not even much difference in the inheritance rights of men and women. In the Nahua language, "grandson" and "grandson" are both "ixhuiuh" (ixhuiuh), and the grandson that the grandfather particularly loved is "pachin" (pachin).

For Avitt, there is no doubt that the three children Alyssa, Chimalpilly and Quautemoc will receive real power. The greatest power in the alliance, the royal power in the central Texcoco Lake District, will be passed on to his eldest grandson Xiuhua, whom he personally cultivated, through his most beloved eldest daughter! Just like his most respected grandfather, Montezuma I, passed the royal power through his mother, to his two brothers who succeeded to the throne, and finally passed it to him! The three kings of the alliance are all grandsons of Montezuma I!

"Xulot, my student! The so-called loyalty in this world is something that is difficult to predict, master, and count on... The more you experience it, the less you will believe in the so-called loyalty. At this moment and in this situation, this person cannot be trusted..."

Facing Hulot who bowed his head in salute, Avitt smiled slightly. But this time, he did not stretch out his palm to hold the student's hair, emphasizing their status as monarchs and ministers... Instead, with a kind expression, he lifted Xiulote up with his own hands and held on to his arm.

It stands to reason that this time the meeting has finished talking about all the serious business, and it is time to end it with a few casual chats. But Avitt's conversation got deeper and deeper, and he began to express his true feelings more and more. This was a very rare, strange, and dangerous omen...

“My good student, have another drink with me!…How about this wine?…”

"Ah!...The acidity is fruity, very distinctive, and leaves people with a long aftertaste!..."

"Well, Shulot, this is actually sour plum wine... I still remember the story you once told me, and I appreciate it very much!..."

"Hot sour plum wine? The story I told you? Ah! It's boiled wine..."

Hearing this, Shulot began to sweat on his forehead. He didn't know why, but he knew something must have happened. But what happened?