Aztec Eternals

The winter sun rose from the long lake in the east, shimmering on the vast lake, and also dyed the white stone city of Tenochtitlan in gold. The cool breeze blows from the plateau in the north, raising the brightly colored curtains of gods and spirits among the houses, and blowing the gorgeous feathers of passers-by. When the morning light was dim, hundreds of priests lit the sacred smoke for celebration at the same time, and a faint scent of rosin was diffused in the air.

Today is an auspicious day for the New Year's Eve. The sky was only dimly bright, and the capital city in the lake had already woken up from its deep sleep. The noise of hundreds of thousands of people was deafening, and even the clouds in the sky were scattered! Soon, community shrines around the world began their morning prayers, announcing the beginning of the ritual of offering sacrifices to the gods. The singing of the community priests was loud and clear, accompanied by the desolate bone xun, flying bamboo flute, and heavy leather drum, and then turned into waves of cheers!

The thunderous sound drifted from the eighty communities of the capital to the lake in Texcoco. The waterfowl migrating south also woke up from their deep sleep. They sang loudly, spread their wings of various colors, and hovered in the sky of the Lake District!

With the help of his concubine, Xiusoke had already finished dressing and was standing in his courtyard, looking up at the boundless blue sky. He has long been used to being in charge of the family alone. After returning to the capital, he did not live in the high priest's mansion, but only went to greet him regularly.

At this moment, he was wearing tight leather armor, a high-level battle suit with eagle feathers on his coat, and a gorgeous eagle helmet raised high on his head, looking extremely mighty. After watching for a while, the resolute warrior took out his long bow, aimed at the white wings flying above his head, and pulled the bowstring suddenly.

"hum"

The half-opened bow string made a deep sound, and let out a low trembling sound, but no flying feather arrows were seen. It turned out that this was just a blank note.

"The white bird flies freely in the sky, and the longbow is kept alone in the house. The new year is an auspicious day, and the ceremony is held, but the weather is really good!"

Xiusoke murmured two verses, then shook his head with a smile. He put the longbow on his back, fastened the baton around his waist, touched the short dagger tied to his leg, and strode out the door.

As the deputy head of the Eagle Squadron, his duty today is to lead the legion to defend under the Great Temple, that is, to stand fully armed for a day. For a resolute samurai, such a duty is not hard, not to mention there are festivals to watch.

When you walk out of the courtyard, you will be greeted with a roaring noise. Tens of thousands of people gathered on both sides of the street, forming circles one after another. Both nobles and commoners wore the brightest and most colorful costumes, laughed, sang and danced, praising the glory of the Lord God and celebrating the victory of the Western Expedition! This is the boundary between the nobles and the common people, and it is also the place where the parade celebrating the gods will pass.

Soon, the parade came from afar from the temple area. Hundreds of warriors cleared the way first, and under the guidance of the high priest's chanting, two hundred civilians walked forward slowly and steadily with their backs bent and a broad and gorgeous wooden altar on their shoulders.

The cheers of the crowd suddenly became louder, and the praises staggered like drums! From time to time, nobles bowed their heads and stepped forward, placing fruits, flowers, gold ornaments, silver ornaments and precious stones in tribute to the gods on the edge of the altar. On the inner side of the altar, there is a circle of cactus flowers that symbolize the sacred, followed by a circle of turquoise that symbolizes immortality, and in the middle stands the symbol of the Supreme God: a golden sun with a diameter of more than one meter and a weight of more than one ton!

In Europe in this era, a ton of gold is a huge wealth that makes all kings covet. But for the Mesoamerican civilization located on the gold and silver mines, a ton of gold is just a sacrificial vessel to the gods. Tenochtitlan, the capital of the lake, is the center of Central America, gathering the most wealth in the world! Excluding silver and precious stones, the reserves of gold alone are as many as hundreds of tons, scattered in every noble manor, courtyard and tomb!

Xiu Suoke stopped, and bowed his head to the head of the third-level priest. The priest sat high on the shoulders of the eight people, with a solemn and majestic face. He didn't change into a smiling face until he saw Xiu Suoke's face clearly.

"Praise the Lord God! Captain Xiu Suoke, the New Year ceremony has begun, may the Lord God bless you!"

"Praise the Lord God! This priest, can I offer my gift and pray under the sun of the Lord God?"

"Of course! The blank area under the golden sun is specially reserved for noble people like you."

The third-level officiant waved his hand, and the parade stopped. Xiusock sincerely thanked him. Then, he took a step forward, took out two pearls from Lake Mikencho, placed them carefully under the golden sun, and bowed his head to pray silently.

"God bless you! My father, may you be in good health. My son, may you spread your wings and soar."

After a while, Xiusoke finished his prayer and greeted the priest with a smile.

"The priest, thank you for your kindness, may I have the honor to know your name?"

"Haha, I am Ariel from the Glorious Priest Family of the Capital City. My father Azar is a colleague of the High Priest and is also one of the twelve elder priests."

Hearing this, Xiusoke's eyes flashed. The root of the word "Yazar" is related to war. This priest family should be an ancient inheritance of serving the God of War, deeply rooted in the capital.

"May the God of War bless you! Priest Arieli, I am going to guard under the Great Temple, so I will bid farewell to you!"

"The God of War blesses us! Commander Xiusoke, the priests and elders are all in place in the main temple. The immortal elders should show up after the sun rises. You should be a little faster!"

"Thank you for your reminder! Praise the Lord God!"

"Praise the Lord God!"

The two bowed their heads, saluted and bid farewell to each other, and the parade continued on.

Husok walked like the wind, and soon came to the entrance of the temple area. The eagle battle group of thousands of people has gathered here, all fully armed, standing and waiting for the two group leaders. He looked around, Stanley hadn't arrived yet, only the captains of the battalions greeted him.

With a gentle smile, Xiusoke returned the salutes one by one, then walked to the head of the team and stood still. The towering pyramids and great temples are majestic in front of you, the priests have lit the raging holy fire, and the brigade of blue sacrifices has also been pushed out from the cells of various temples. He looked at the gradually brightening sky, looked at the endless sacrifice, and thought of his elderly father who was preparing to sacrifice in the great temple, and sighed softly.

"The New Year's Ceremony will last for three full days, and the high priest will personally operate on the father's body."

Just as he was thinking about it, the bear-like Stanley had already appeared at the end of the street, his brows and eyes were full of flying expressions. He greeted everyone with a loud growl, and then put his arm around Xiu Suoke's shoulder.

"Haha, praise the Lord God! Xiu Suoke, my old friend, we meet again!"

"Praise the Lord God! Greetings to you, Captain Stanley!"

"Haha, the sun is shining, the clouds are parting, and the holy festival is just today! It's such a good day of flowers and blood, I've been looking forward to it for a long time!"

Stanley held a high position at a young age, and he was full of unrestrained publicity. Facing Xiu Suoke, who has a similar identity, he is quite close.

"On the road, I watched the ball match. There were a few wonderful shots. The opponent who hit the ball spattered blood and fell to the ground with broken bones. Don't mention it. Although the Tekos warriors are barbarians from the mountains, they are really brave when they play the ball. It’s so much better than the Tarasco warriors! I watched two games in a row, and the Tarasco team lost and sentenced the whole team to sacrifice. When it was sent to the altar, some people even peed their pants! Ha ha!"

Hearing the wonderful game, Xiu Suoke nodded with a smile. Immediately, he asked with some doubts.

"Stanley, isn't the Human Sacrifice Stadium in the temple area? Where did you just look at it?"

"Oh, Xiusoke, you have only been in the capital for two or three days, and many arrangements are not clear. After returning from the Western Expedition, among the captives escorted to the capital, there were 4,000 Terkos warriors, and 4,000 Tarasco warriors. Thousands, and there are more than two thousand noble men."

"There are too many captives participating in the sacrifice! The priests and elders are honorable, and they are only responsible for sacrificing the nobles of Tarasco. The remaining two warriors are all thrown into the human sacrifice field. The respected king is kind and generous, Four new stadiums have been added in the noble area and the civilian area, so that all the citizens of the capital can have fun together!"

"Ah, what? In this great sacrifice, a total of 10,000 people will be sacrificed?"

Hearing this number, Xiusoke gasped. Even though he had fought on the battlefield and was used to seeing mountains of corpses and seas of blood, he was still very shocked. You know, in an ordinary city-state, all the residents add up to no more than 10,000 people.

"Haha, Xiu Suoke, it turns out that your math is not as good as mine!"

Stanley laughed. In his eyes, the life of the enemy is just weeds on the side of the road, and only the brave are worthy of admiration.

"Eight thousand warriors threw themselves into the Human Sacrifice Field and played for three days. Half of the losers became sacrifices on the small pyramids, and half of the winners became slaves for the construction of the king's palace. Oh, plus the wounded from the ball game, the elders sacrificed The nobles who sacrificed. This festival probably happened to sacrifice one Hikipiri, 8,000 people! Haha!"

Stanley smiled and patted Xiusock on the shoulder. Then, his expression became solemn, his eyes brightened, showing some rare wisdom.

"Xusoke, compared to the achievement of destroying Tarasco Kingdom, what is this number worth! Terkos barbarians are unruly, always resisting and fleeing, management is too troublesome, it is better to send it to the stadium to please the people!

And those who came to the capital were all loyalists of the Tarasco Kingdom, high-ranking warriors and inherited nobles who had power and wealth. We Mexica destroyed their country, occupied their fiefs, killed their relatives, took away their wives and daughters, and divided up their wealth. Do we still expect them to be grateful and surrender sincerely?

Haha, only low-level warriors and nobles are worth recruiting, because the alliance can give them more! As for the others, whether they are senior warriors, god-born nobles, or the Condor royal family, all should be sent to the altar and dedicated to the supreme Lord God! "

Xiusoke thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. After a while, he looked at Stanley suspiciously, sizing up his broad forehead and bear-like body.

"Stanley, who said that? No matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem like something you can think of."

"Of course it's me!"

Under Xiusoke's scrutinizing gaze, Stanley shouted the first half of the sentence loudly. Then, he looked embarrassed, paused, and finished speaking in a low voice.

"...listen to the venerable King Avit."

Xiu Suoke smiled lightly, with an expression of knowing this. Stanley blushed slightly, turned his head and roared.

"All eagle warriors, pack up your gear! Go to the temple area and guard around the Great Temple! The Immortal Elder is coming soon. If any suspicious foreign envoys approach, they will all be killed!"

"Roar!"

The Thousand Eagles roared like a beast, and followed the brigade to deploy defenses around the Great Temple in the Temple area. As the guards of the Sun God, they only need to be responsible for the safety of the Great Temple. In the temple area, three thousand royal warriors and one thousand jaguar regiments had already been stationed. These 5,000 most elite warriors of the alliance are enough to coerce everything!

As Xiusock moved forward, the majestic Great Temple became even taller. The 60-meter-high Twin Pyramids are like the Snake Mountain, the main god in mythology, casting a large and magnificent shadow on the ground, which makes people feel admiration in their hearts. At the top of the Great Temple, more than a dozen small dots have high feather crowns, wearing solemn high-level sacrificial attire. They are like the messengers of the gods, standing high above, overlooking the entire capital city in the lake.

Xiusoke narrowed his eyes and looked at the solemn and old figure at the head of the meeting. The figure was also casting its gaze over. After a while, the resolute warrior lowered his head and averted his gaze.

He glanced at the Human Sacrifice Stadium in the corner. The nobles sat on the carpet with relaxed expressions, eating desserts mixed with maple syrup and honey, drinking cocoa with vanilla and pepper, and talking loudly about the wonderful game. From time to time, defeated teams escorted up to the surrounding small pyramids, and then rolled down amid cheers, adding some bright red and sweet smell to the temple area.

In this cruel era, everyone turned a blind eye to this level of bloodshed and took it for granted. The nobles continued to talk and laugh loudly, enjoying the dried fruits of the four seasons, including sweet and sour cactus fruit, pineapple, kirin fruit, mami fruit, custard apple, monstera fruit, and delicious and popular black-fleshed persimmon.

Inside the stadium is the square of the temple area. The graceful dancers dance lightly, the dedicated musicians play the Divine Comedy, and the solemn singers praise the gods. From time to time, an inspired poet steps onto the stage and recites a new poem, in exchange for a cheer or a shake of the head. Occasionally, a nobleman from the capital would step forward and show off his demeanor in front of everyone, showing his knowledge and boldness.

All kinds of poems describing the Western Expeditions were the most popular, and even foreign envoys listened hard, asking questions in a low voice from time to time, and then exclaiming in a low voice.

Xiusoke listened for a while, and only heard something like "His Royal Highness of the Divine Inspiration turned into a running black wolf, projecting lightning that exploded like thunder, and the strong fortress collapsed", "The priests prayed for the Lord God to come and bring God The tree turned into a roaring treant, throwing out invincible stones". The resolute warrior smiled reassuringly.

Xiusoke smiled and led the group of eagle fighters through the lively crowd. Soon, he came under the steps of the Great Temple. A group of temple warriors dressed as black wolves bowed their heads, saluted the two captains, and handed over two erected spears respectfully. This special spear is five meters long, with a large banner of the main god in the middle, and a head with disheveled hair on each top.

Xiusoke sighed lightly, his expression instantly solemn. He took his spear and held it upright with both hands. Then, the resolute warrior looked up, and there was Tepetel's fresh head on it. He glanced at Stanley's spear again, but the head at the top was dry and fuzzy, and he just stared angrily.

"Who is that?"

Hursok recognized it for a moment, sure he had never seen it before.

"Haha, this is Prince Tarasco, the commander of the South Road, and the head of Queus!"

Stanley looked at the head, laughed heartily, and then felt a little emotional.

"This guy is a powerful man who is good at fighting! He kept the highest main fortress on the South Road airtight and blocked us for almost a year! I personally led the team and charged several times, but was beaten back in disgrace. Shangdu was hit by an arrow. After Suangua escaped, he blocked us for more than a week, and he is the most capable marshal in the Kingdom of Tarasco!"

"Commander of the South Road, Kuiyous?"

Hearing this familiar name, Xiusoke was a little surprised.

"Didn't he escape?"

"Haha, he fled to the Mixtecs. If the people in the cloud with grass on the wall can be relied on, the domestic guinea pigs can fly up the tree!"

Stanley looked at the Mixtec envoy in the distance, and smiled disdainfully. The aristocrats of the People of the Clouds are humble, they never make big movements, and they even speak slowly. They were wearing gorgeous robes inlaid with gold and silver, and there were glittering hollow gold rings on their wrists and ankles, which looked very unattractive.

"No, the people in the clouds have treated Queuse for a few months with good food and drink. As a result, when the news came that the king had defeated the Tlaxcala Army, they immediately turned their faces and poisoned him, and then cut him off. Sent over the head of the alliance, to admit his mistake and show his loyalty to the alliance. Tsk tsk, look at the expression before death with wide-eyed eyes, a hero of the first generation, how unwilling he must be before he dies!"

Hearing a few more words from Stanley, even Xiusoke was a little moved. He suddenly remembered a line of poetry his son said, which was in line with the concept of destiny of the Mexica people and also in line with the current scene, so he recited it in a low voice.

"When the God of Destiny favors you, the divine sky and the earth will give you the power to win! And when the God of Destiny leaves, even an immortal hero can only lament his defeat helplessly!"

"Huh? Xiu Suoke, this poem is really good! Who said it? No matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like you can come up with it."

Stanley praised loudly, then looked suspiciously at Xiusock.

Xiu Suoke's old face suddenly turned red. However, if the son copied his poems, he would copy them, and he could still speak ill of Lao Tzu.

"Of course it's me!"

The two of them held spears in their hands and turned their backs to the Great Pyramid Temple, laughing and talking like this. The sun soon rose into the sky, and it was already bright.

Suddenly, a wave of fanatical cheers resounded from the square in the temple area. In a moment, it was like a thunderous thunder, shaking the whole world! All the people in front of them, no matter nobles, priests, warriors, or even envoys from foreign countries, all showed sincere awe and bowed to the ground like fallen corn stalks!

The two regiment leaders were immediately awed. Holding spears in their hands, they all bowed their heads and knelt on one knee. There is only one possibility for this kind of performance of surrender regardless of inside or outside! Soon, hundreds of priests shouted a prayer of praise in unison. The sound of praise and prayer rolled down from a high place, deeply shaking people's hearts.

"Praise be to the lord! The great Sivacovatel, the immortal sun of the Mexica, the incarnation of the sublime lord, the supreme elder, descended to the world!"