Chapter 230 Night Talks and Vows, Fiefdoms and Promises!

The bonfire was bright, the night breeze was warm, and the welcome dinner was simple but grand. The simple one is the food of the banquet, the grand one is the etiquette of the warrior.

Avitt sat in the main seat in the middle, and Shulot sat in the secondary seat nearby. The generals of the two armies came forward one after another, toasted to the king and His Highness, and then presented spring flowers and the most precious trophies. Avitt looked at the generals with a smile, and talked cordially with them one by one. From time to time, he praised the commanders of each department for their achievements, and then asked about the casualties of the troops. Shulot remained quiet, nodding to the generals while thinking about the follow-up plan.

After the generals finished their round of toasts and the situation of the Northern Army was almost understood, Avitt stood up from the main seat with a smile, raised his glass boldly and said to the generals.

"Very good! In this Western Expedition, the Northern Army took the lead in breaking through the border fortress of the Kingdom of Tarasco, defeated several Tarasco legions, and even captured the King of Tarasco alive! The coach is good at fighting, the warriors are effective, and they can attack without fail. Ke, invincible, the Northern Army has become famous all over the world!"

Then, King Avit patted Shulot on the shoulder and praised him kindly.

"Xulot, you have given me many surprises! You are the youngest marshal in the alliance, the most adept at fighting, and the greatest contributor to the Western Expedition. This cup is dedicated to you! Come, fill up this cup with me, generals. Let’s drink together!”

"Your Highness!"

After hearing the king's words, all the generals from the north and the south raised their glasses and drank to the full in greeting. Shulot quickly stood up to drink, poured another glass, and responded to Avitt. After the two drank, Avitt waved his hand and said to the generals with a smile.

"The prey is right next to you, so the jaguar can't take a nap! That's it for today's banquet. Let's all go back to camp, prepare our troops, and be fully prepared for the siege!"

"Yes, follow your will!"

"Yes. Shulot, you stay!"

The generals bowed and dispersed, and the tent quickly became quiet. Avitt took off the complicated royal robes, took off the gorgeous long crown, only put on a set of comfortable plain robes, and breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he put away his smile, stroked the magic staff in his hand, and thought about it for a while before asking seriously.

"Where is Suangua?"

"He's in the back camp."

"Take me to see it!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Shulot bowed his head and saluted, then turned around and led the way. The two walked in tandem, under the new moon at the beginning of the month. The moonlight was faint, the stars twinkled, and there were singing songs of prayer in the camp. The song sounded from afar, and it seemed to be a hymn about the alternation of the four solar eras. The two kings walked quietly, listening to simple songs, and no one spoke.

"This is it."

Shulot walked to a tent, and dozens of guarding warriors saluted together. Avitt waved his hand, opened the tent door first, and strode in.

There is still an ordinary straw bed inside the partial tent. Su Angua's complexion looked much better than last time. He lay quietly on the bed with a strange smile on his face.

"Ah, greetings to you, High King."

The old priest quickly bowed and saluted.

"Hahaha!. Suangua! Suangua!"

Seeing King Tarasco on the grass bed, Avitt laughed heartily, almost to tears. Amidst the wanton laughter, memories of the past came to mind one after another: the high spirits during the first Western Expedition four years ago, the hardship and exhaustion during the fierce battle in the mountains, the pain and unwillingness when the Chinese army was defeated, and the bronze ax guards. The fear and confusion during the pursuit, the torture and suffering after losing the right to inherit. Until today, it feels like revenge!

"ha!"

Avitt laughed and walked forward, pulling up Suangua's hair and looking at the other person's face. This was the first time he had seen the king of Tarasco up close. Although, he had imagined today's scene countless times. The king laughed and looked at it wildly, as if looking at a precious treasure, with joy from the heart; while the other king was always sleeping, with a smile on his lips, as if he did not want to wake up in the cruel world. .

Avitt laughed again for a while before gradually calming down. Then he looked at the old priest and asked sternly.

"How is he doing?"

"Ah, dear king! The sacrifice is safe and in good health. He woke up once in the afternoon and cursed His Highness angrily for a while. Since he arrived outside the capital, his mood has been unstable, so I gave him some more knife water. "Dear King, do you need me to wake him up?"

"good!"

Avitt nodded eagerly. The old priest then took out a jar of medicine, grabbed Suangua's chin, and tried to forcefully pour the medicine. However, Suan Gua kept pressing her lips tightly and did not speak. Sweat began to form on the old priest's forehead. He secretly glanced at the expressionless king, his heart became cold, his hands became ruthless, and he immediately strangled the king's neck.

Seeing all this, Avitt's expression gradually solidified. He watched the old priest strangle Su'angua's neck. His face was purple, but he still didn't open his mouth, as if he would rather suffocate to death.

"Stop! Stop, stand down!"

Avitt ordered coldly.

"He is the noble divine king after all!"

Hearing this, the old priest Nono let go of his hand and stepped aside.

Avitt stepped forward. This time, he just leaned down and stared at the other person's face.

"Su'angua, Su'angua. My old friend, my old rival, you are indeed a qualified eagle! Because of you, I lost my throne! Because of you, I suffered the biggest setback in my life! .However, I finally stood up again and stood in front of you!

The eagle's eyes only see the distant mountains! Tisok is the first one, and you are the second one under my feet! After flying over the mountains, everything in the past is boring, and people are no longer interested in recalling it. After all, the world is vast, and the eagle is destined to conquer it! . But you will never have the chance to see it again! . "

At this point, Avit stretched out his hand and gently patted Suanggua's cheek. He stared at the sleeping face of his "old friend", and then his eyes flashed and revealed a faint smile.

"Xuluot, let's go! Next, we must capture Qincongcan City as soon as possible! "

Avit turned around and walked out of the tent without looking back. Xuluot thought for a moment, looked at the sleeping Suangua again, and followed Avit away.

The old priest bowed his head and saw the king and his highness off, and then he breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he cursed a few words in a low voice, raised his hand and slapped the sleeping Suangua twice, and went to mix the potion himself.

The tent was quiet again, and King Tarasco was still sleeping. But unknowingly, tears overflowed from the corners of his eyes.

The stars were still bright, but the camp began to become quiet. Avit stopped, found an empty flat ground, and sat cross-legged on the grass. He waved his hand, signaling the guards to disperse, and waved for Xuluot to sit next to him.

The two looked up at the night sky, and were silent again. After a long time, Avit smiled and said.

"Xuluot, do you remember the first time we looked at the stars? "

Xuluot thought for a while and asked hesitantly.

"That day there seemed to be no stars, and you asked me what is human heart?"

Avite was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"That was the second time! The first time you were drunk and told me a lot of your inner thoughts. What equality, what life, I always remember it very clearly!"

"Huh? . I don't remember. But it does sound like what I would say before!"

Xuluot thought for a long time, but his mind was blank, so he could only smile bitterly and shook his head.

"Haha, actually that time, I added some potion to the wine.Xuluot, my student, do you still believe these now?"

"Well, I used to believe it. Then I didn't believe it. Now I believe it a little bit again."

"Oh? Why do you believe it a little bit now?"

"Because I can change the world!"

Xuluot said with a confident smile.

Avite was silent for a while, and a sincere smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"It's fast! In just three years, you have grown to where you are today! When I see you, I feel that I am the best teacher in the world!"

"Haha, then I am also the best student in the world!"

The two kings laughed at the same time. The hearty laughter echoed in the night sky, as if to conquer the night sky.

"Okay, Xuluot, my child."

After a while, Avit stopped laughing. He turned his head, looked into the boy's eyes, and said seriously.

"The young eagle has grown up! It can't stay in its mother's nest. It needs to spread its wings and fly high, and it also needs its own territory and sky!"

Hearing the teacher's words, Xuluot seemed to understand. He was silent for a moment and nodded.

"The high priest must have told you about the plan of enfeoffment."

Xuluot nodded again.

Avit touched the boy's head and continued to speak calmly.

"Since we have reached the city of Qin Congcan, the two armies have successfully joined forces, the victory of the Western Expedition is almost certain, and enfeoffment is imminent. It's time to talk to you in person about this matter. "

"Gilliam gave me some advice. I agree with some, but I don't. I've been fighting outside for a year and have seen bloodshed. You've grown a lot, and I've changed a lot myself. Now it seems that many things in the world must not be hidden, but must be brought out and made clear!"

Hearing this, Xuluot was stunned. He had a premonition of something. The young man looked into Avit's eyes and listened carefully.

"Xuluot, my ambition is to conquer the world! You are my best helper. The enfeoffment is imminent, and it will be difficult to meet again in the future. There must be no rift between us!"

"You were born in a royal branch, and you also have a deep foundation. My youngest son is still young, and my favorite eldest daughter is your fiancée. Today, I have sworn to the gods in front of all the generals: You will be the heir of the alliance, and this will not change! You are also capable enough to take charge of the alliance and defend the world I am about to conquer! "

Xuluot looked into Avit's sincere eyes, and past memories came to his mind. He pursed his lips and nodded solemnly.

"Avit, you can trust me at any time, and I will never betray you!"

Hearing this, Avit raised his head and laughed. He hugged the boy's shoulders affectionately and said gently.

"From the day you saved me from Totec, I made a vow to my ancestors: For the rest of my life, as long as you don't betray me, I will make you a beautiful jade that will be passed down through the world! The status of ancestors is higher than that of gods. In my heart, Alyssa and you are the only two people I can completely trust!"

Speaking of this, Avit reached into his arms and took out a roll of delicate cotton cloth and a green sachet.

"Here, this is the letter Alyssa sent to you, and this small sachet. Don't open it now, and read it after you go back. Alas, my daughter has grown up, and her thoughts can't be kept. In her heart, you are probably more important than me. She has never written me such a long letter before."

Xuluot carefully put the letter and sachet into his arms and kept them close to his body. In them, there was also his long-awaited thoughts.

Avite sighed, looked at the stars in the sky, and said with a smile.

"Let's continue talking about the division. After conquering the Kingdom of Tarasco, I plan to divide the land in the lake into three parts."

Xuluot stood up and listened carefully to Avite's arrangements.

"First, your fiefdom. To the north, it extends to the long Leman River; to the east, it extends to the mountains of Apatzingambang; to the south, it extends to the broad Talzas River. The prosperous Patzcuaro Lake District, the important copper mines in the southern part of the lake district, the majestic Chinconcan City, and the rich Ivachio City. I'll give you all these places! As long as you can effectively control the situation, most of the kingdom will be your fiefdom!"

"Xuluot, my student, I should be able to live for a long time! It will take a long time for you to return to the capital. With such a long time, you have to have a chance to start a war. Therefore, I will not set the western boundary of the fiefdom. This time, the western expedition will stop at Chinconcan City, and the next focus will be on the Tlaxcala people. The Chapala Lake District further west, the Colima Mountains in the southwest, the Guamar Dogs in the northwest, and even the distant Northern Tekos people, will be left for you to conquer slowly!"

Hearing such frank words, Xiuluot's forehead was slightly sweaty, and his heart was full of emotion. He didn't know what to say, so he could only bow and salute.

"Your Majesty. Avit. I."

"Don't worry! As a king, you must make the necessary arrangements, and avoid being instigated by others to do stupid things and embarrass me."

Avit smiled heartily and patted Xiuluot on the shoulder again.

"Next is the honorable noble Tepopolo. He handed over the nominal fief of Tlatelolco City and asked to move to a foreign country. His fiefdom is on both sides of the Leman River. A circle of wooden forts on the north bank, Acambarobang on the south bank, and the river mouth fortress on the west are all allocated to his family. These places are densely forested and sparsely populated. They are all fortresses and fortresses. The land is also very barren. It is a military territory mainly for defense. He will not pose any threat to you."

Hearing this, Xiuluot was stunned. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know how to start.

"Finally, there is Iskali, who is of royal origin. His fiefdom is in Apatchingang. This fiefdom is even smaller, and is also mainly for defense. It is a group of fully militarized fortresses. In addition, he is also responsible for supervising the new royal territory, Wetamo State in the south of the Tarsus River, where there are many copper mountains. The copper mine south of Ivachio City is given to you, and this copper mine must be directly under the royal family!"

Xuluot recalled the map of the land in the lake in his mind, and his arrangement for Avit became clearer. The northern border of Acambaro State has a solid fortress defense line, and the southern border of Apatchingang State has a more rugged terrain. This division is actually along the offensive route of the northern and southern armies, separating the barrier points of the Tarasco Kingdom in the north and south as separate military territories, and then handing over the most essential hinterland of the kingdom to himself.

In this way, the Texcoco Lake area, the core of the alliance, will maintain a geographical advantage of being high above. Even if the Patzcuaro Lake area becomes prosperous and powerful again, or even rebels independently, it will hardly threaten the security of the core of the alliance.

After thinking about this, Xiuluot was speechless again.

"Avite, this plan. Was it designed by Gilliam?"

"Yes, it was the second plan of the intelligence officer. What, Xiuluot, are you dissatisfied?"

Avite's gentle eyes suddenly became sharp. He stared into Xiuluot's eyes and said with a faint smile.

"Xiuluot, my student. I have tried my best to give you the most! According to the intelligence officer's first plan, the Kingdom of Tarasco will be divided into dozens of fragmented small cities, and the nobles in various places will check and balance each other. My student, what else do you want?"

Xiuluot was silent for a while, gritted his teeth, and looked into Avite's eyes and said frankly.

"Avit, I want the estuary fortress! The expedition to the Chapala Lake area and the Guamal dogs requires the waterway of the Leman River. The estuary fortress is the best naval base and an excellent shipbuilding center! In addition, I have a distant idea: let the navy follow the Leman River all the way to the big lake in the west, and then go all the way north to the many small islands in the lake. There are countless natural fertilizers there. I can hand over part of the fiefdom in the lake area."

Avit did not speak. He stared at Xuluot's sincere eyes for a while and nodded slowly.

"Okay! You took down the estuary fortress, I'll give it to you! Since you want to build a ship, I'll give you another group of shipbuilders!"

Xuluot's face showed genuine joy. He thought about it and promised seriously.

"The copper technology of the Purépecha people is unique in the world. They not only have simple red copper skills, but also skilled bronze technology! The spearheads of the royal army's spears are all made of solid bronze, the battle axes of the Bronze Axe Guards are also bronze weapons, and Suangua even has a bulky bronze armor!

These bronze weapons have huge advantages. The reason why the Kingdom of Tarasco was able to concentrate power and become the only kingdom is that it relied on the central bronze technology. The city of Chincongcan has always strictly managed bronze technology and regarded it as the highest secret. The copperware for foreign trade is only softer red copper.

I captured a group of coppersmiths in the city of Ivachio and have a general understanding of bronze manufacturing. As long as you try for a period of time, you can figure out a large-scale copper smelting vertical furnace. After the capture of Chincongcan City, I will sort out these technologies as soon as possible and hand them over to you. As long as you can smelt bronze in large quantities, the alliance can effectively reform the mining industry, manufacture a large number of bronze farm tools and tools, and then build roads in the wild to connect the alliance into a kingdom!"

Avit listened quietly to Shulot's story. Although he didn't understand the craftsmanship of these metals, he could identify the excitement in the boy's words and analyze the new future. After a while, Avit replied with a smile.

"Haha, Shulot, you are the Highness of Shenqi. I will leave all these technological inventions to you!"

Then, Avit's expression became a little solemn.

"The Tlaxcalans in the east have mobilized 30,000 warriors and 30,000 militiamen, and have invaded the southeast of the alliance and captured half of the Huaztepec State. The Huastecs in the northeast are also unstable. Along the way, the enemies in the Apatchingam State have run out of food and surrendered, and the commander Quius is missing. There are more than 30,000 warriors and 20,000 militiamen left in the southern army. Most of them have returned to support, and the rest have come here with me. I will not stay in Chinconcan City for too long."

"30,000 warriors, 30,000 militiamen? The Tlaxcalans really invaded in large numbers?! Acap was on a diplomatic mission to the holy city of Cholula, is he okay now?"

Xuluot looked surprised. He has been fighting in the hinterland of Tarasco and doesn't know much about the news from afar.

"Ha, Acap is very popular among the elders in the religious city-state. With holy water, singing and dancing beauties, his life is much more comfortable than ours. As for the sworn enemy, the Tlaxcalans, I will personally lead the army to fight. We have to fight! Xiuluot, do you have any plans for attacking the mighty city of Qincongcan?"

"Well, I do have some plans for the siege. These days, some nobles in the city secretly sent messengers to contact me. They are willing to surrender collectively, on the condition that the alliance guarantees their fiefdoms."

At this point, Xiuluot's face showed a faint smile.

"Guarantee the fiefdom. Well, although the king is a proud eagle, sometimes he can be like a smart fox and flexibly deal with stupid turkeys."

Avit laughed.

Xiuluot also laughed. He squinted his eyes and laughed like a little fox.

"That's not necessary. I actually have another way. These days, the legion has been slowly building earthen platforms and paralyzing the defenders in the city, and they have almost contacted each other secretly. We have been waiting for your reinforcements to arrive so that we can suppress Qincongcan City in one go! Well, that's it."

"Oh? Very good! Since you have a plan, in addition to the nobles' war group, the 8,000 warriors in my hands will be temporarily handed over to you for deployment!"

"Ah, thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, teacher!"

Xuluot bowed to the ground and Avit accepted it calmly. The night was deep, and the stars were scattered on the earth. The two kings sat opposite each other. In a few words, they decided national affairs; in the laughter, they laughed and decided the rise and fall of the world. The night talk was long, the stars were shining, until dawn was approaching. The Purple Star disappeared from the north, the Taibai Star rose from the east, and a new day was coming!

Well, the author Jun carefully popped his head out and asked for votes.