Aztec Eternals

The red sun hung over the mountains, and the waves swayed on Lake Texcoco. The twilight turned into a rosy glow, shining at the end of the sky. When dusk fell, the smoke of cooking rose again from all parts of the capital, accompanied by continuous evening prayers and praises, just like the kingdom of the Lord God on earth.

The hall is majestic, and the high priest sits high on the throne, calmly and calmly, handling daily academic affairs.

The messenger of King Avit in the middle came once. The messenger saw Prince Trakopan, and after confirming Trakopan's arrest, he left quickly. Now, the royal warriors of the capital have already been mobilized to assist in the suppression of the rebellion in the city-state of Tracopan.

Shilot sat cross-legged, flipping through the documents at hand, thinking about the direction of further change.

"The Gyeonggi-based household of the alliance is Qimin, which is directly under the direct administration. The tax and tribute is about 40% of the annual income, which is quite heavy. In the three city-states of the west, south, and north, the local nobles can receive 2.5-30% of the annual income as tribute. The royal family and the priesthood receive the remaining 1-1.5%. As for the more distant city-states, the proportion of the central and local tribute will be further tilted towards the local nobles.”

Seeing this, Shulot was silent. The Kingdom of the Lake is located in the west of the world, the farthest away, and it receives preferential treatment from the alliance. In order to reassure people, the kingdom's taxation and tribute is slightly more than 30% of the annual income. The annual tribute to the alliance is less than 0.5% of the annual income.

Of course, whether it is an alliance or a kingdom, the peasants in the villages and towns must accept the command of the village chief and priests, and perform various corvée services. Such as building canals, making stone tools, felling trees, mining stones, transporting grain... As the end of the state's rule, it is impossible for farmers to want to be at peace.

"The capital city in the lake is rich and prosperous, and it is located in the world. The main city is full of nobles in Chinese clothing, and has the most wealth in the world. There is a huge trading market in the northern city, which trades the most commodities in the world... gems, jade, obsidian, Gold and silver ornaments, bronze pottery, feathers and costumes, spices and herbs, cotton and cocoa, wood and stone, salt and grain, and servants of all kinds are traded in this great city."

Shulot recalled the prosperity of the Tlatelolco market with a slight smile on his face. Afterwards, he looked solemn and looked at the book business tax received by the priesthood.

"The reform of the religious law, the strict inspection of merchants' smuggling; the centralization of the system, the cut off the private trade of the nobility... Now, the daily amount of commercial tax in the capital is very staggering. Even if it does not count the part of the tax collector, it is enough to support two 8,000 branches. Human Army!"

Sherlot secretly marveled. Without the lucrative gem trade and the lucrative copper trade, the business tax of the entire lake kingdom would not be comparable to the capital of the alliance. Then, he raised his brows, and after recording the simple figures of the business tax, there was a small line of remarks.

"Doubt here... OK here..."

"This is an audited assessment by a senior priest who is good at counting in the priesthood."

The high priest smiled slightly.

"Commercial taxes on various traded goods will be counted every 3-4 months. The elders of the high priests generally know how much the tax collectors in the markets around the capital are greedy."

Shulott nodded. He looked at the list of tax collectors, and was quickly attracted by some labels. Under the gem trade name, there is a tax collector Mace, every assessment is questionable, but never further processing. And under the name of the bronze trade, another tax collector, Ramakui, has only one doubt, followed by a sacrifice mark of a skeleton.

"This is..."

"Huh? Oh..."

The high priest glanced at it and explained calmly.

"Metz is in charge of the gemstone trade, and every time he takes bribes from merchants. But the amount should be small, and there has never been a problem. And in the regulated copper trade, La Maque privately sold a batch of military funds to The Mistec people were sacrificed after being found out... As long as the important event is not delayed, the High Priestess does not care about the corruption of the preaching priests. But if it violates the bottom line of the alliance, only sacrifice will end! "

"Ok."

Sherlot lowered his eyes calmly and nodded in agreement.

When the water is clear, there will be no fish. For the feudal bureaucracy, one cannot ask too much. In the taxation of the kingdom, the loss of 1-20% is common, and it is usually shared by the various levels of the system. The loss of 3-40% will be scolded, and there should not be too much. And more than 50% of the loss, or delayed military affairs, will be held accountable and blamed, and sacrificed directly to the Lord God!

After reading the alliance documents, Shulot sighed imperceptibly. He stood up and looked at the already dark sky. A line of torches appeared from the west of the capital, swaying and approaching, and hurried towards the temple area.

"The team from the west came straight to the priest's hall."

Sherlot watched carefully for a moment, saw the shiny cloth copper nails on the heads of the group, and judged with certainty.

"High Priest, the arrest has come to fruition!"

The high priest nodded slightly. He summoned several priests and moved the books and documents in the main hall back to the confidential side hall. Then, the high priest wore a feather crown, held a divine staff, and sat on the head. Shirott stood aside and waited quietly.

"The Lord God bless!"

Elder Yazar, covered in blood and wearing bronze armor, strode to the gate of the hall and bowed his head in salute. The battle stick in his hand was low, and the bright red dripped down, splashing on the stone steps outside the hall, leaving a long imprint.

"Respected High Priest, the arrest of Trakopanbong went well!"

Hearing this, Shilot turned to look sideways. The God of War Elder Yazar is over forty years old, wearing 30 catties of armor and holding a battle stick that weighs several catties. The war priests of the Lord God have been professionally trained and are always ready for war. They are all armored warriors who can be strong and tough, not weak priests.

"Blessed by the Lord! Very well, Elder Yazar, you have worked hard!"

The high priest nodded in satisfaction and waved his divine scepter. Several temple warriors stepped forward to help the God of War elders remove the bronze armor and obsidian battle sticks. Only sacrificial obsidian daggers are usually permitted in the priesthood of the Lord God.

Elder Yazar didn't mind, put on the priest's robe, walked into the hall, and laughed happily.

"Haha, the decision of the high priest is very decisive! A dozen of the great nobles of Tracopan, as well as a few priests from the gods, were all wiped out! The temple guards came suddenly and quickly arrested them, but they encountered almost nothing decent. Resist. The big nobles were not ready in time, and they were directly taken down before they could mobilize the family warriors!"

Then, Elder Yazar looked solemn, and nodded slightly to Shirott.

"The Lord God witnesses! Prince Tracopan's information is very accurate. These great nobles and priests did conspire to assassinate them, and the time was set at the wedding ceremony of the Patriarch of Shulot. Depending on the situation, the conspiracy did not take long when they gathered together. There are many The preparations are not complete... As for the specific details of the conspiracy, whether other nobles will be involved, further torture is needed!"

"The Supreme Lord God blesses the sacred alliance! All blasphemy is revealed in the eyes of God, and there is nothing to hide!"

The high priest spoke in a deep voice. He commanded calmly.

"Yazar, hand over the captured noble leaders to the judges of the High Priestess. There are no secrets that can be hidden under the priest's medicine. In addition, send another high priest to the king's palace to report the latest news. The situation. King Avit should send an advisor to join the trial of the nobles."

"Follow you, High Priest!"

Elder Yazar nodded respectfully. Then, he hesitated a little.

"The elders..."

"Well... the elder is communicating with the gods, don't disturb it easily."

The high priest pondered for a moment and commanded in a deep voice.

"I will report back to the elders in person after everything has been reviewed."

"Follow your will!"

Thinking of the elder's physical condition, Elder Yazar showed his approval. Then, he asked in a deep voice, making no secret of killing intent.

"High priest, the priests from the gods who dare to participate in the rebellion, leave it to me to deal with it!"

"Can."

The high priest glanced at Elder Yazar lightly and nodded calmly.

"When sacrificing priests, don't let outsiders participate and affect the prestige of the priesthood."

"do not worry!"

Elder Yazar nodded clearly.

"The majesty of the Lord God will never allow any damage!"

"Very good! The glory of the Lord God will surely shine on the earth!"

"Praise the Lord God!"

In the evening night, many high priests prayed together and offered the most sacred praise to the statue of the Lord God illuminated by the fire.

After the evening prayer, the high priests dispersed. Under the **** of dozens of temple guards, Shilot and the high priest walked down from the high pyramid temple and went to the nearby high priest's mansion.

The night was dark, the firelight dispelled the shadows, and everyone went home. The high priest looked calm and walked steadily. Although he was busy for a day, he did not show the slightest fatigue. Sovereign power is the best energy potion, respected and in control of everything, above millions of people, naturally exhilarating and high-spirited.

Shulot followed in his grandfather's footsteps and quietly surveyed the capital city under the night. The lights in the civilian area in the distance were dim, and the nearby noble area was bright. The singing of the banquet sounded in the manor on both sides of the main road, accompanied by bursts of bamboo flutes, singing the prosperity and glory of the alliance. The Mexica nobility of this era is full of simple sturdiness and self-confidence.

The two were speechless all the way and came to the High Priest's Mansion. The high priest removed the heavy feather and stone crown, took off the complicated and gorgeous sacrificial clothes, and sat cross-legged in the side hall with a few long breaths. At this moment, he finally let go of the divinity that carried a day, and became a kind and amiable grandfather, a thin and vicissitudes of life old man.

After a lapse of several years, Shiroute felt a burst of sadness in his heart when he looked at his grandfather's all-white hair and thin body. He called out lowly.

"grandfather..."

"Shirot, cough... cough!"

High Priest Shuter smiled gently and coughed twice. He endured it for a day, but at this time he couldn't bear it any longer, and he coughed violently. After a while, he took the honey water hurriedly handed by his grandson, took two sips, and felt a little more comfortable.

"Cough...my child, everything I do is for you...I know, you have a lot of questions. Now that there is no one around, I just happened to have a good talk with you."

Sherlot stretched out his hands and firmly grasped his grandfather's thin palm, which felt rough and cool to the touch. He looked earnestly into his grandfather's eyes.

"Grandfather, on the way to the east, I heard the complaints of many city-state nobles, calling you 'the blood-colored setting sun, the sacrificer of the gods', and I heard that you issued a decree, and the genocide exiled many nobles and priests... I was in fashion and didn't really believe it."

Saying this, Shirot's eyes showed concern. He gritted his teeth and asked in a deep voice from the bottom of his heart.

"Grandfather! After I came to the capital, I saw with my own eyes that you were high on the throne of God and oppressed the whole city, leading tens of thousands of believers. Your majesty even surpassed King Avit! ... You forced the priesthood and elders to confer You gave me the right to interpret the scriptures; you gave me the right to interpret the scriptures; you mercilessly suppressed the many nobles of Tracopan, and even held accountable the priestly families of the western city-state; you also brought me the secret scrolls and let me read the religion of the high priesthood. The classics, the household registration tribute of the alliance... You once persuaded me not to rush for a while, but to operate slowly and cultivate the general trend. But now, why are you so sharp-edged and so reckless? Why are you so anxious?! "

"Why should I be so anxious?"

Hearing so many questions ~www.readwn.com~ the high priest had expected it, and his eyes showed relief. Then, a gentle smile appeared on his face, looked at his grandson with pity, and said calmly.

"Shirot, my child. Because, my time is running out~"

"what!!"

Hearing this, Shulot's heart was shaken, and his face paled in an instant. He held his grandfather's hand tightly, looked at the kind smile, and said in horror and difficulty.

"No!...Grandfather...you...you won't..."

"My child, everyone has that day."

The high priest calmly pulled out his hand and gently touched Shilot's cheek.

"The ancestors of the royal family went to the kingdom of gods, the great Montezuma went to the kingdom of gods, and the immortal elders are about to go to the kingdom of gods... let alone me, an ordinary mortal? I have already heard the call of the Lord God, That day is not far away."

"grandfather!"

Shirot lowered his head and couldn't help but get wet in his eyes. He lost his mother early and grew up with heavy memories. In this world, his grandfather, who has cared about him, nurtured him, and took care of him since he was a child, is his closest relative, even more than his father... At this moment, the young king is in a state of turmoil and feels a fear he has never had before. , and do not know how to face it. He gritted his teeth and shouted in a low voice.

"Grandfather, the great Montezuma has lived to be seventy-one years old, the immortal elder has lived to ninety years old, and you are only sixty-two years old... In the inheritance of the royal family, there must be some way to maintain health... I Tomorrow I will go to King Avet and ask for it!"

"Ha ha!"

Hearing this, High Priest Shuter smiled lightly, patted his grandson on the shoulder, and shook his head.

It will be refreshed!