Chapter 228: Post-War Ceremony, Soldiers Surround the Capital!

The brilliant morning sun rose to the sky, and the feast of Dadan ended. In the vast camp, the curling smoke spread into the sky, and the priests' songs floated in the distance. Soon, under the leadership of the war priests, tens of thousands of warriors began to line up and pray in a low voice. They looked towards the red sun in the east, praising the light radiated by the sun god; they sang the victory bestowed by the god of war, and looked forward to the grand ceremony after the war!

In this wild Warring States period, the low level of productivity restricted the atmosphere of enjoyment. It is difficult for people to get drunk with light water and wine, and the function of food is mostly etiquette and filling the stomach. Whether civilians or warriors, they all have a hard life, strict hierarchy, light life and heavy death, and devout belief in gods. The militaristic society of the alliance requires militiamen to continue farming and fighting; while for the noble warriors, they are required to be abstinent, fight, sacrifice, and worship gods. Therefore, in the entire alliance, the truly fascinating public activities are the various religious rituals.

"The most important affairs of a country are war and sacrifice. The same is true for the alliance!"

Under the rising sun, Xiu Luote, wearing a black wolf priest's robe, a slender priest's feather crown, holding a jeweled priest's staff, sat high on the three-meter altar. Even though he hadn't slept all night, he was still in high spirits, with bright light in his eyes. Under the guidance of his grandfather, the young priest clearly understood that religious rituals controlled the hearts of the people and were the foundation of his long-term existence. No matter how great his military achievements were, religious power could not be delegated to others, and important rituals of the legion must be presided over by him personally.

Thinking of this, Xiu Luote raised his head and raised an obsidian lens in front of his eyes. He observed the position of the sun for a while, and solemnly ordered the low-level priests under the altar.

"The sun rises, the gods rise, and the holy fire is lit!"

The blazing holy fire was immediately lit, and the warm heat wave was transmitted in the wind. A handful of spices were thrown into the fire, burning with a rich fragrance, just like the breath of the gods.

"The earth shakes, the warriors dance, and the priests sing!"

The temple warriors danced a passionate war dance, and the priests sang ancient ballads. The earth was shaking, and the white clouds were floating, all the way to the ancient distance.

"Bury the dead, their bodies will return to the embrace of the earth, giving birth to prosperous fields!"

A huge earth pit had been dug at the border of the camp, and thousands of warriors surrounded the earth pit and put the bodies of the dead in it. A distant elegy floated in the camp, accompanied by whispered messages and blessings.

Xuluot watched for a moment, his expression heavy. The Tarasco King's army was extremely tenacious, and this decisive battle was also extremely tragic. Both sides fought to the last moment. The total force of the Mexica Alliance was about 18,000, and the casualties reached an astonishing 5,000 people. Due to the cruelty of the battle, the proportion of deaths was particularly high. At this moment, there were more than 3,000 bodies buried, and half of the remaining 2,000 wounded were seriously injured.

If you count carefully, the 3,000 religious legions on the right wing fought to the death with the enemy, and were directly broken through by the Bronze Axe Guards. They were the unit with the heaviest casualties, with almost half of them lost. The 3,000 Holy City Legions on the left wing were slightly better, but they also suffered nearly 1,000 casualties. The 6,000 spear legions in the center army suffered a lot of arrow shooting, and were attacked by the Bronze Axe Guards once, with more than 1,500 casualties. Fortunately, with the blocking of paper armor and rattan shields, most of the arrow injuries were not serious, and most of the wounded in the center army could recover. The 3,000 shooting troops in the rear army also suffered more than 600 casualties, one-third of which were the personal troops that Shulot valued.

In Yoku's final assault, more than 60 of the 500 Jaguar warriors were killed. More than 60 military nobles went to the Kingdom of God! In the eyes of the nobles of the alliance, this was the most significant loss in this battle. In comparison, the 2,000 longbow militias of the Black Wolf suffered 700 to 800 casualties in order to block the reinforcements from the capital, but the commanders did not take it seriously at all.

At this point, Xiuluot's face was solemn, and he sighed softly in his heart.

"The Bronze Axe Guards are really tough, and the Tarasco King's Army is the first strong army destroyed in my hands!"

Soon, Xiuluot's spirit was lifted again. He raised his head and looked around at the tens of thousands of Mexica Legions, which were loyal to him! Then, the young priest's eyes stayed on the prisoners in custody for a while, and he raised the staff in his hand and chanted again expressionlessly.

"Sacrifice the enemy, use their blood, and call for the coming of the sun god!"

Accompanied by the priest's shouting, the warriors' war dance became more and more fanatical. Fierce war drums sounded, and the senior warriors imitated the calls of jaguars and eagles, howling to the sky. A desperate commotion broke out in the prisoner camp not far away, and was quickly suppressed by the warriors of the alliance. Two thousand elite warriors dragged the same number of prisoners and walked to the huge earth pit.

Xiuluot raised his eyes slightly and continued to look at the distant sky. Including the reinforcements from the capital, the Tarasco people deployed 13,000 legions in this battle, of which 10,000 royal troops were absolutely elite. After the war, the Tarasco Guards were completely destroyed, only one in ten royal warriors survived, and the long spear militia was also killed and wounded. Under the all-night pursuit of the Mexica Legion, the last 10,000 Tarasco Legions perished. Only less than 2,000 defeated soldiers escaped, most of whom were reinforcements from the capital.

In the post-war inventory, about 7,000 enemy soldiers were killed, and about 4,000 royal troops were captured, most of them with injuries. Post-war sacrifice has always been a common practice of the alliance, and it is difficult for the seriously injured to escape the fate of death. Shulot only left 2,000 strong warriors and militia. The faint howling of the remaining 2,000 captives was drowned in the waves of shouting, and the dazzling bright red poured into the deep earth pit. Then the voice became weak, the bright red flowed away, the sacrifice turned cold, and the sun god descended to the earth!

"At noon, God descends, and the kingdom of God opens! God has arrived to pick up the souls of the deceased!"

Qingyue's shouts echoed under the sky, and the sky-shaking shouts rose accordingly. The warriors in the camp suddenly made a noise. They shouted their last blessings and bid farewell to the souls of those who died in the battle, rising to the red kingdom. After a long time, the shouts gradually fell silent.

Shulot once again raised the staff in his hand and sang his final farewell.

"God has left, taking with him the souls of the dead! The warriors who died for God have gone to the glorious kingdom of God, turned into beautiful flowers and plants, and will enjoy peace and joy forever! Praise the Lord God and call God's name three times!"

"Praise the Lord God Huitzilopochtli! Praise the Sun God Huitzilopochtli! Praise the God of War Huitzilopochtli!"

The shouts in the camp boiled to the extreme and turned into shocking and neat prayers. All the Mexica warriors fell to the ground at the same time. They pressed their faces deeply to the ground and offered the most devout salute to the Lord God! Soon, there was silence in the camp, leaving only the distant flute and the distant sound of wind.

Shulot closed his eyes slightly and chanted silently for three minutes before finally singing.

"The ceremony is completed! The Sun God returns to the sky, promising a good harvest this year; the God of War blesses us, and the Western Expedition will be victorious!"

The deafening cheers sounded again, and even the air became lively. The warriors got up from the ground with smiles on their faces. They greeted each other, clasped fists and crossed arms, looking forward to a good harvest in the fields, and even more eager to win the war. The samurai in charge of the funeral began to fill the pit with soil. Alliance warriors were buried in the main pit, and symbols of the sun and hummingbirds were carved on the soil. The dead of the kingdom were hastily buried in the surrounding auxiliary pits, and they lived with their enemies in life for a long time.

At the end of the ceremony, Shulot slowly walked down from the altar, sweating all over his back. The weather in April has become hot, but the solemn sacrificial attire does not allow for any carelessness. Accompanied by Bertard, he returned to the commander's tent, changed into comfortable single clothes, rested for a while, and then went to a partial tent in the rear camp again.

The tent is not big, but it is firmly guarded by more than a dozen warriors. Shulot opened the tent door and looked directly at the straw bed in the tent.

King Suangua of Tarasco was lying peacefully on the bed with his eyes closed tightly and a peaceful smile on his face. His injured right arm has been carefully bandaged, the arrowhead has been removed, and he has been replaced with a clean white robe. At this moment, it looks like a sleeping white deer. Next to Suangua, an old priest saluted respectfully, and the young priest nodded in return.

"How's the situation in Suangua?"

"Dear Chief Priest, all the wounds on his body have been carefully treated. I gave him powerful knife water last night, and he has been sleeping until now."

"Okay! Don't stop the priest's potion. If it's not enough, send people to the rear to recruit. Remember, he is the most sacred sacrifice. You must maintain his life and never let him commit suicide!"

Hearing this, the old priest nodded anxiously and replied respectfully.

"Please rest assured, Chief Priest! Use the psychedelic holy water and the anesthetic knife water alternately. He will never have the chance to commit suicide, and he will soon lose his conscious thoughts!"

"Well, okay. Now, wake him up!"

The old priest took out a jar of light yellow potion and fed it into Suangua's mouth. After a while, the young king coughed hard several times, shook his head in pain, and finally woke up from his deep sleep again.

"Yuku. Put on my armor."

Shulot stood quietly, staring at the pale king, without saying anything.

"Bring me honey water. Guard? Yuku!"

Suangua shouted out, his eyes suddenly opened wide, and he met Xuelote's eyes. His expression was first surprised, then confused, then confused, and finally turned into anger.

"Damn! You are"

"Commander of the North Mexica Road, Xiulote."

Hearing this, the young king's pupils contracted violently. He subconsciously touched his waist and felt a sharp pain in his right arm, but he felt nothing. He looked at the clothes on his body again and looked at the Mexica warriors on both sides. Suddenly his face turned pale and he lost all his strength.

Shulot shook his head slightly. Many of the priest's medicines act on the nerves. Although the effect is powerful, it will seriously affect the user's thinking and make the memory confused. The alliance's high-ranking priests and senior warriors will use potions carefully to avoid adverse effects.

"The gods have brought us together! Hello, Casonchi of the Prepecha, Condor of Tarasco! Salute of Mexica greets you!"

Hearing the familiar greeting, Suan Gua pursed her white lips tightly and lowered her head in silence. After a while, the pride of the royal family forced him to raise his head and replied in a low voice.

"Three Gods Witness! Hello, Commander of the Northern Route of Mexica. The King of Tarasco greets you!"

Shulot smiled and nodded. He smiled and studied the king's expression before speaking gently.

"Your Excellency Suangua, how do you feel physically? Do you have any discomfort? The Alliance advocates etiquette. If you have any requests, you can make them here!"

Hearing this, Suangua gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. After a while, he replied in a low voice.

"I'm fine. Your Highness, Mexica, if you have anything to say, just say it!"

Shulot pondered for a moment, he did have some ideas. The young priest smiled again and spoke.

"In that case, I will speak frankly. Your Excellency, you have been defeated, and the Kingdom of Tarasco no longer has an army. Although the royal capital Qin Congcan is a majestic city, it cannot withstand the attack of the alliance army. The war has come At the end of the day, enough lives have been lost. For the sake of the lives of the residents of the capital, and for the sake of this year's spring plowing, are you willing to come forward and surrender Qincongcan City?"

The young king was silent. He raised his head and looked at the white tent, as if he was sitting on the clouds. Shulot waited patiently for a long time before asking again.

"Sir, what do you think?"

“What will the Mexican Federation do with me?”

Su Angua looked at the young man and asked coldly.

Shulot lowered his eyes slightly and continued to speak gently.

"The Alliance will try its best to meet your requirements. You will be the most sacred guest of the Alliance until you go to the Kingdom of God with glory."

"Meet my request and go to the Kingdom of God with glory? Damn it, greedy hyena! Do you regard me as a sacrificial offering?! Cough, cough."

Su Angua thought for a moment and suddenly understood. He roared angrily, waved his arms, and then coughed violently.

The Mexican warriors on both sides immediately drew out their war clubs and took a step forward. Shulot waved his hand and told the warriors to retreat. Then, he looked at the king of Tarasco calmly, with a touch of pity in his eyes.

This look seems to have stinging power. Suangua coughed and turned his head, avoiding the boy's eyes. The young king continued to think for a long time before looking at Shulot again.

"If Qin Cong Can City surrenders, can the Tarasco royal family be saved?"

Hearing this, Shulot slowly shook his head.

The young king fell silent again. He thought carefully for a long time before looking at Shulot expectantly.

"Landing into your hands, my fate has been decided, but the bloodline of the Condor cannot be cut off in my hands. I can give you the city of Qincongcan, and I can also surrender the nobles of the south for you! I don't ask to save the entire The royal family, please leave a bloodline and entrust it to the remote southwest. Your Highness, I beg you, please have a kind heart like Quetzalcoatl to grant my reasonable request!"

This time, Shulot thought for a long time. Keeping the royal family is contrary to the instructions of the elders; entrusting the southwest is inconsistent with his own plan. Such a promise must be sworn to the gods. After careful consideration under the witness of the nobles and priests, he slowly shook his head.

"Your Excellency, please change your conditions!"

"I only have this condition! If the bloodline of the condor is cut off, everything in the kingdom will have no meaning! All the civilians in Qin Congcan will die, so what?! If the Mexica people cut off the royal family of the three gods, they will definitely Suffer the punishment of the three gods! All tribes in the world will unite to attack you, the cruel Aztecs!"

Suangua's words turned into a roar. He clenched his hands into fists, struggled to get up from the straw bed, and was about to rush towards Shulot. Shulot looked calm and took two steps back silently. The warrior captain Bertard next to him stepped forward at the same time, firmly restrained Suan Gua, and pinned him firmly on the straw bed. King Tarasco's eyes turned red as he recognized Bertard's identity and struggled again.

"It's you! The warrior who killed Yuku! Damn it, you Mexica Highness who sank into the abyss! I am the king of Tarasco. Give me back my kingdom, my legion, and my general!!"

Seeing King Tarasco falling into madness, Shulot shook his head helplessly. He made a gesture to the old priest, who took out a jar of light green potion again, then forcibly held Suangua's chin and poured it into his mouth skillfully. Within a dozen breaths, King Tarasco suddenly stopped, his whole body became weak, and he fell asleep quietly again.

"Forget it. Take care of him and I'll come back to see you in a few days."

Shulot gave a few instructions and turned to leave. Things are busy after the war. He still has to prepare his army and send troops to the capital as soon as possible!

The long wind swept across, blowing the pines and cypresses by the lake; the sunlight fell and turned into ripples on the lake surface. The legion's messengers ran across the fields of the Lake District, quickly spreading the news of the Alliance's decisive battle to all directions. In the spreading news, people's hearts are shaking, the world is changing, and the alliance is moving forward.

Prisoners were sent north and food was sent south. After the decisive battle, the Mexican Army only rested for two days, then surged to the northwest like a flood, arriving at the lakeside of Patzcuaro, eyeing the final city of Qinchongcan. Soon, the 5,000 South Road Advance Army, as the vanguard, first set up camp under Qin Congcan City, cut off the surrounding roads, and blocked the west and north lake shores. Then, more than 10,000 Northern troops arrived one after another and surrounded the capital on all sides!

The royal army was destroyed, the enemy army besieged the city, and the shocking news hit at the same time. The majestic capital of Tarasco was suddenly in panic, and the nobles and priests were full of panic. The sacrifices on the Yakata Pyramid continued all night long, and the sacrificial rituals also continued for a moment. The chief minister immediately brought all the descendants of the royal family into the palace, and then vigorously organized the army in the capital.

There are only more than 2,000 warriors in Qincongcan City now, including the defeated troops who fled back. Most of them are private soldiers of nobles and priests and divine guards, with only a quarter of them being loyal direct subordinates. There are nearly 20,000 militiamen in the city, nearly half of whom are Tekos tribesmen who are ready to make a move.

Faced with this situation, Zinzini showed unprecedented toughness. He dispersed his direct samurai, took control of the city's militia, and then suppressed the unstable nobles and tribesmen. But in just two days, hundreds of heads fell to the ground. Relying on the prestige of the chief, the defense of the capital was barely established. But beneath the calm surface of Lake Patzcuaro lie deep, invisible rapids.

Another day passed, and the flag of the Black Wolf appeared in the east of the city of Chincongchan. More than 400 Jaguar warriors and more than 2,000 shooting corps gathered together with the supreme Mexica commander and came to 300 steps outside the city wall.

Xiuluot stood under the towering city wall, looking at this magnificent city. At the end of April, after a full year of fighting, the Mexica Corps finally arrived at the city of Chincongchan and surrounded the capital of Tarasco! The kingdom of the Purpecha people was about to perish, and the massive westward expedition was about to come to an end!