Chapter 252: Inheritance Slate, Level 2, Level 3

The rapid showers gradually subsided, and the earth became deep and quiet, except for the flowing streams that merged into the large lake. The clouds in the sky slowly dispersed, and the sun shone through the gaps in the clouds, falling into the stone hall through the light-transmitting holes. The clear light shines on the vicissitudes of stone slabs, lighting up the stories of the lost kingdom in the hearts of the kings.

Shulot stared at the dusty stone slab, silent and speechless. There is no sound of wind in the ancient stone temple, only the breath of a few people, but it determines the path of dozens or even millions of people.

The knowledgeable elder observed the pensive young king with a glint in his eyes. A few steps later, the warrior commander was observing him silently. After a while, until Shulot made a gesture to continue, Jatiri moved to the back hall.

"Your Highness, this fifth stone tablet is also a set of two paintings. It was personally drawn by the royal sage more than a hundred years ago. It tells the story of the early governance system of the kingdom. To put it simply, it is two-level and three-level. !”

"The so-called duality is the center of the governance of the two royal families. It gradually evolved from the two ancient religious holy places in the Lake District in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Religion is a tool to control people's hearts and will also give the ruler the cloak of sacred authority. Tower The royal family of Lascaux has done a lot in this regard. If you have the patience, there will be a dedicated slate to tell about it. ”

Shulot nodded affirmatively and saluted respectfully.

"The words of a sage are like rain and dew during a long drought, which are of great benefit to me. I am willing to treat you with the courtesy of a teacher, and please take the trouble to teach me everything you have!"

"It is an honor for me that Your Highness is willing to listen, and it is also a blessing for all people."

Jatiri turned slightly to avoid the king's salute, and returned the courtesy of a courtier.

"Your Highness's wisdom is divine. I am an old turtle in the lake who dares not to teach me. I only wish to devote the rest of my life to repay the pond that raised me. If I can touch the sacred tree with my own hands, it will be the highest honor!"

After hearing the sage's words, Shulot thought for a moment and understood. The governance of the feudal state was inseparable from the support of Prepecha elites. Compared with generals who command legions, bureaucrats who can manage national affairs are even rarer and more valuable! He solemnly held Jatiri's arm and affirmed clearly.

"The major events of the feudal country involve all the people and tribes, and cannot be separated from the help of the sage. The same will be true for the major events of the world in the future. Sage, I want to establish a central government, establish counties and counties, eliminate the autonomy of the aristocracy, and take charge of the large and small government affairs of the feudal country. You can be the chief minister, participate in national affairs, be responsible for formulating national laws, compiling epic books, and be in charge of the education of all people!"

Hearing the position of Chief Minister of State Affairs, Jatiri's eyes flashed with surprise at first, and then turned into a twinkling smile. He took a step back, bowed respectfully to the ground again, and paid homage.

"Your Highness, the river turtle crawled out of the mud pond to look up at the sun in the sky and illuminate the pattern of the tortoise shell. Your Highness is a born king. I am willing to attach my wings to your Highness and fly high with you!

His Highness aspires to unite all tribes in the world and unite all the people in the mountains and rivers. What the old minister wants is for you to sort out what you have learned throughout your life, so that a unified doctrine can spread throughout the world! I will do my best to live up to your trust! "

"I learned from the royal officials. My ambition to depose hundreds of sages has never been weaker than mine!"

Shulot's thoughts were spinning, he smiled and said something difficult to understand. At this point, their status as king and minister was officially determined. The knowledgeable elder jumped into the core decision-making circle of the feudal country.

Not far away, the warrior commander's usually calm face showed deep envy for the first time. He did not envy Jatiri the official position he had been awarded, but he envied him for his profound knowledge and wisdom, his ability to truly understand the complex affairs of government, and his ideological resonance with His Majesty the Divine Enlightenment.

The young king accepted Jatiri's bow calmly, and then held up the healthy sage.

"Chief, please continue."

Jatiri nodded and walked back to the fifth stone slab generously.

The first pattern on the stone slab is two rows of Yakata pyramids, surrounded by worshipers. There are five pyramids in the first row, and the height decreases from the center to both sides. They look very familiar. They are the House of Wind in the royal capital. There are three large pyramids in the second row, with a separate smaller tower on each side.

"Your Majesty, the duality of the governance of the Kingdom of Tarasco, the two ancient religious holy places, are the capital of Qin Congcan, which is located slightly north of the lake area, and the city of Ivacchio, which is slightly to the south! The first king's capital was in Qin Congcan was chosen not only because it was located on a high ground and could withstand floods, but also because of its influence in the minds of the people in the lake.

Your Majesty, just as the magnificent lake capital of the Mexica Union can be divided into the political center, the main city of Tenochtitlan, and the commercial center, the northern city of Tlatelolco. The political center of the Kingdom of Tarasco is the magnificent city of Qinconcan, and the commercial center is the prosperous city of Ivacchio.

In the past hundred years, with the development of copper mines in the south, the city of Ivacchio, with its open terrain and excellent location, has become the center of the world's copper trade. The royal family has a large number of court nobles stationed there, and they strongly control the trade in and out of Ivacio. The strong control of obsidian, copperware, cotton armor, grain and salt is another effective way to restrict local nobles.

Your Majesty, the city of Ivacchio was severely damaged during the Western Expedition, but it is worthy of rebuilding the kingdom! "

Shulot watched for a moment and nodded slightly. He led his army to capture the walled city of Ivacchio, and was impressed by several pyramids there. However, the war was about to begin and the march was in a hurry. He only tried his best to recruit a group of craftsmen and miners, without in-depth inspection and understanding of the city.

"The chief said it well. Ivachio has an important position in both religion and economy. In this case, I will rebuild Ivachio, transform the pyramid into a temple of the main god, expand the trade square, and then control the closed-off trade!"

The knowledgeable elder smiled slightly, moved his finger, and pointed to the second picture.

The second picture is more complicated, with several adults in exquisite clothes. They are arranged in steps like a pyramid, divided into three levels. At the top is the king wearing the crown of the condor. He is extremely tall and eye-catching, holding a staff and a spear, occupying one-third of the entire picture.

"The so-called three levels are the hierarchy of the Kingdom of Tarasco. Similar to the Mexica Alliance, it can be roughly divided into kings, nobles and warriors, and does not include ordinary civilians. The top one at the top is naturally the King of Tarasco, the ruler of the land in the lake, the clan leader of the royal family, Kasonchi."

"In the Purépecha language, King Kasonchi is also called Camacha Kupeni, which means the ruler, the person who groups, and the person who manages others. He has the power to manage all the people in the kingdom, whether they are nobles, warriors or civilians. He is also qualified to make decisions on the status of everyone!"

Hearing this, Xiu Luote's eyes lit up.

The concept of a dictatorial monarch has already appeared in the meaning of this title, which is similar to the real "king" in the Chinese concept. And in the same Nahua language family, in the Mexica language, the king "Grand Tlatoani" only has the concept of a big boss. He has the highest voice, but does not have absolute disposal rights over the subordinates. In this way, the degree of centralization of the Kingdom of Tarasco is indeed higher than that of the Alliance. The Purépecha people's obedience to centralization will be higher than that of the other tribes in the alliance.

"Chief, I am quite interested in these Purépecha languages ​​for governing. Can you tell me more about their deep meaning?"

Jatiri was stunned for a moment, then nodded and smiled.

"Then I will say a few more words. Your Majesty, the central government you just mentioned is called Camacha Kupecha in Purépecha. It means that those powerful people with power unite to command ordinary civilians, then humbly establish friendship with friendly powerful people, and severely conquer and deal with hostile powerful people.

And the authority of the government is called Chechexiqua. It refers to the feeling of fear, and this fear can be retained over time and repeatedly cause fear.

Ordinary nobles are also called Ureguadani, that is, those who speak first and have the right to speak. Ordinary civilians are called Hapintata, that is, those who are owned and dominated."

The young king calmed down and savored the ideas and ethnic characteristics contained in these daily words.

The reason why language and writing are important is that the cognitive concepts contained in them can subtly influence the user's ideas from a subtle perspective. Throughout the history of the world, ethnic groups with similar languages ​​and writing tend to be consistent in certain characteristics. In modern times, the first step after a nation awakens is often to create or strengthen its own writing.

"The government is the strong who unite to dominate the common people, unite or be hostile to other strong people. Authority is the fear of violence. The nobles are the ones who make decisions, and the common people are the ones who are dominated."

Xuluot frowned slightly and whispered to himself.

"These concepts are similar to Mexica. So, in the traditional Nahua language cognition, there is no requirement for benevolence and faith for the ruler. The ruling order of the country is maintained by violence, civilians have almost no power, and the whole society is in a typical slavery period."

"It seems that when I have free time, I still have to recall the concepts of the pre-Qin philosophers in the Celestial Empire during the similar period of productivity, especially the rule of law of the Legalists and the benevolence of the Confucians. Then summon the priests and scholars to make appropriate modifications and processing, and introduce them into the relatively wild culture of the feudal state in combination with the actual social situation. The core of the vast Celestial Empire's ability to stabilize its rule is the combination of Confucianism and law, and the use of kings and hegemons."

Thousands of thoughts flashed through the mind of the young king. For him now, governance is still a kind of exploration and practice of continuous attempts. All he can rely on are the stories that have appeared in history and the trajectory of future development. He will refer to and explore until he walks out of the unique path of the Celestial Empire in America!

The knowledgeable elder observed Xiu Luote's expression and paused for a while. He smiled and spoke until the king signaled again.

"The second level of the kingdom is the various nobles and high priests. Your Majesty, please look at these people in different costumes. Their order symbolizes different status, and the items in their hands represent different powers.

The first one is Ivachi, a royal noble, holding a scepter in his hand. It usually represents the lords with the highest status and the closest blood relationship to the king. Yes, the origin of the name of Ivachio City is because it was originally granted to the closest royal branch. When King Avit left, he took almost all the royal nobles with him.

The next one is Karachapacacha, a powerful noble, holding a scepter in his hand. Holding weapons. It is similar to the word for central government, meaning local law enforcers. They control the warriors and militias in the local community and manage the order of the region. Although their titles are hereditary, they are interfered with and influenced by the royal family. If the legitimate sons cannot distinguish between the superior and the inferior on their own, they must be handed over to the authoritative royal family for judgment.

In this Western Expedition, only one in ten powerful nobles in the northern and central lake regions survived, while the powerful nobles in the south were still largely intact. For them, whether the central government of the kingdom should absorb or dispose of them, or deal with them according to their circumstances, is decided by the king. But it is best to do so after the autumn harvest. "

The knowledgeable elder did not speak for the old nobles, but only made suggestions calmly. Xiuluo nodded. He had a plan in mind for the arrangements in the south.

"Further back, Kuangaricha, a frontier military noble, holds weapons and shields, and wears an animal helmet. It originally referred to the military chief during wartime, and later evolved into a military nobleman who often fights in border areas. They are hereditary and not replaced. , the fiefdoms are far away, the status is more independent, and the inheritance rights are rarely interfered by the central government.

Of course, like Crocodile and Feather, the great Nahua nobles who are divorced from the kingdom, their political status is almost the same as that of Ivac, and their independent power far exceeds.

During the Western Expedition, military nobles were recruited by the kingdom on the spot to resist the front lines of the two armies of the alliance. They suffered the heaviest losses in the war, either dying on the battlefield or becoming prisoners. "

A series of tragic war scenes appeared in Xuelote's mind. He nodded slowly and calmly, expressing his understanding. Jatiri continued his story. He moved his finger and pointed at an adult in priestly attire, who held a gemstone scepter in his hand.

"Petamuti, high priest. In the early days of the kingdom, divine power still had considerable influence. High priests in various regions also controlled tribes and warriors. They had their own inheritance system and even their own temple schools.

It's just that the Condor Royal Family learned from the experience of previous kingdoms and deliberately suppressed the influence of the priests. The royal family conquered the world by force, directly occupied two religious holy places, and intervened in the selection of priests. Over more than a hundred years, the originally independent priestly power gradually became a vassal of the royal power. After the Western Expedition, there were almost very few high-ranking priests left in the kingdom. "

Shulot's eyes flashed. The blue fire in the House of Wind Temple is truly unforgettable. Deep down in his heart, he actually prefers the secularization of religion. However, he entered the upper echelon of the alliance as a black wolf priest, and his grandfather was the highest priest leader. His own origin limited his choices, and coupled with the will of the elders, he finally led the alliance's reform to the path of theocracy.

"In addition to these three, a new type of nobles has been born in the kingdom since the middle period."

The knowledgeable elder looked at the Priest King of the Lake Kingdom, considered for a moment, and decided not to comment further on the topic of priests. He removed his finger from the high priest and came to the last lord. There is a painting of a nobleman in fine clothes with slightly newer marks, holding a drawing board in his hand.

"Achacha, the advisory nobles of the palace. Most of them are concubine descendants of the powerful nobles. They have the inheritance of knowledge, but cannot obtain fiefs. The royal family absorbs them as political bureaucrats, managing the towns and villages directly under the jurisdiction, and calculating the city's trade taxes. They have no fiefdoms, and their income comes from the royal family. These people are the pillars of the royal family and the real administrators of the kingdom. During the alliance's Western Expedition, most of these people survived, but they only lost their original positions."

Shulot was silent in thought and did not answer. Different from the civil service system of the Celestial Dynasty at this time, this was the prototype of the traditional aristocratic system.

The higher degree of centralization in the Kingdom of Tarasco naturally required more administrative bureaucracy. Unlike the Alliance, the Kingdom did not have large-scale community schools, and the priesthood was suppressed, so knowledge was more concentrated among the upper-class nobles who held power. At the same time, the nobles of the kingdom have reproduced for several generations and have many heirs, making it easy to select administrative talents from them.

"The future administrative bureaucrats of the feudal country can absorb some noble children. But the main administrators should come from the current civilian priests, civilian officers, and future civilian civil servants. The road up and down needs to be opened up!"

The young king stretched out his hand and pointed directly at the bottom of the three-level structure.

"Chief, the first person of the third level, holding a war stick, shield, and wearing a forked feather helmet, I have met many on the battlefield. Needless to say, this must be a high-ranking warrior in the Lake District. As for the following few Man, please tell me in detail."

The knowledgeable elder nodded. He already knew the contents of these boards and was preaching in detail at this moment.

"The second one is Angamecha, the village leader and the manager of the village. There are three types of villages in the kingdom. Most of the villages near the border are owned by the lords, and most of the villages in the Patzcuaro Lake District are directly owned by them. And in the mountains and forests There are many surrendered tribes among them. The land there is barren and the terrain is steep. Many tribes are half-cultivated and half-hunted, and the cost of tax collection is very high. Their village communities retain relatively high autonomy. People can almost be regarded as low-level noble lords, and in the remote southeastern mountainous Wetamo State, the village communities there are even completely autonomous.

The kingdom threatened them with force, but only required them to pay tribute once a year in terms of food, wood, feathers and leather, and to serve in times of war. At the same time, the royal family controlled the import and price of salt and cotton cloth, and collected taxes from them in a more gentle way. "

Shulot's eyes moved slightly, understanding in his heart.

The Mexican Confederation also dealt with the mountain tribes in this way. It's just that the alliance is martial, and its methods are often more severe. This is how the Toltec longbow hunters were recruited from the mountains. These hunters have now been promoted to first-level warriors and are still serving in the legion. Their tribe, which totals about 20,000 mountain tribesmen, will gradually migrate from the holy city of Teotihuacan to the north of the broken feudal state, filling the population of Hekou County.

"The third one, Kasicuare, is a low-level priest. In villages, priests often come from families with a large local population and high influence. They have the power to hold festivals and sacrifices and arrange marriages and funerals in the village community, and are subject to The awe and respect of the common people. Their status is second only to the tribal leaders. In fact, many low-level priests have little influence on the faith of the Sun God. With a little bit of identity management, we can effectively absorb many priests at the grassroots level."

"Chief, low-level Prepecha priests can be absorbed. But they have to go to the capital in the lake to worship the main god's large temple, and then receive complete priest training!"

After hearing the implication of Jatiri's words, Shulot replied solemnly.

"In the tribal communities of Prepecha, the priests and the village elders are often one and the same. I know that the chief, as a sage of the ethnic group, is famous and must have a great influence on the lower-level priests. The matter of naturalized priests , Chief, please help me!

The Alliance is willing to accommodate these low-level priests, and it can also temporarily use Curricaveri, the sun god of Prepecha, as an incarnation of the main god Huitzilopochtli. However, the alliance is based on religion, and the will of the main god cannot be reversed! For the vast majority of civilians, the Alliance requires devout faith. "

The young king showed a majestic look. He stared at the knowledgeable elder until the other person avoided his gaze and bowed his head respectfully.

"Your Majesty, I already know your will and will do my best to help you."

"good!"

Facing Jatiri's surrender, Shulot nodded slightly, and then smiled gently.

"The future path of the alliance is to integrate theocracy and political power. The king governs the world according to the patriarchal law. The so-called patriarchal law is not only the law of the clan, but also the law of religion. As the highest fifth-level patriarch of the Archdiocese of Tarasco, I can grant the sage The identity of the fourth-level chief priest will facilitate the sage’s actions.”

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing the priestly award, the knowledgeable elder looked calm and saluted. Then, he touched the last empty space on the third level and added leisurely.

"Your Majesty, in fact, this third level should also include the newly emerged aristocratic business tax officials and senior craftsmen with status. They are new groups that gradually emerged with the development of the kingdom's trade. Since the King has strictly controlled Control trade and incorporate many supplies into the official camp; and as soon as you enter the capital, send your legion to control the craftsman camp. You must have a complete sacred tree in your heart, and there is no need for me to say anything."

"At this point, the two-level and three-level kingdom system has been roughly explained. I hope it will be helpful to the king's administration in the feudal country. Next, please take two steps forward and look at these last two steps. An important slate!”

Note: Some Prepecha words mentioned in the article are transliterated, and the spellings are as follows.

cazonci, camahchacuhpeni, camachacuhpecha, chechexequa, ureguandani, hapingata, irecha, carachacapacha , quangariecha, petámuti, achaecha, angámecha, kasikuare.