Chapter 273 Father’s Long Journey, Meeting and Parting

The bright moon rises far away from the east, and the red sun slowly sets toward the west. The moon rises and sets, and the sky is half cold and half red. The dim light changes in the morning and dusk in the mountains, leaving an intoxicating scenery in my heart. This situation is like the journey of life, always reincarnated in encounters and separations again and again.

Shulot, dressed simply and lightly, stood at the boundary between the plains and hills, looking at the northern wilderness. Behind him is the sturdy Huayamo Fortress and the endless harvested farmland. It has been more than ten days since I traveled in early December. He traveled from east to north, inspecting the farms along the way and checking out the military camps in the lake area. He finally stopped here to wait for his father who was coming from the south.

The sky gradually dimmed, and a line of torches appeared in the north. The torches swayed between the hills and fields, like slowly drifting stars. Finally, a familiar figure was vaguely visible under the stars. Shulot could no longer suppress the excitement in his heart and strode forward.

The leading figure showed a big smile. He stretched out his arms and gave the young man a tight hug.

"Father, you have worked hard all the way!"

"Haha, Xiulote, my son. I haven't seen you for more than half a year, and you've grown taller again!"

Shusok let go of his hand, looked at his son's appearance carefully, then compared his height with his own, and laughed heartily.

"Olos, look at me, my body is as tall and straight as a green pine, and my appearance is as heroic as a golden eagle. It looks exactly like me when I was young!"

"Come on, when you were young, you were thick and strong. You looked like a cactus, but you weren't so handsome. Those delicate eyebrows do look a lot like his mother."

Orosh joked with Shusok with a smile. Then, he took a step forward and patted Shulott's shoulder affectionately.

"Teacher Orosh!"

Shulot was filled with joy and gave the other party a hug.

"How do you like this journey?"

"Farming is very good. The lake area is full of harvested farmland. No thieves were encountered on the road. The farmers stayed in the village honestly, full of joy of harvest. Wild deer were also foraging in the harvested fields. Yesterday I threw a spear I’ve hunted one, and I’ll roast a deer leg for you later, so you can have a taste of my craftsmanship!”

"Ah, my favorite roasted venison leg! OK, put more chili powder and vanilla leaves."

At this moment, the majesty and power of the king disappeared. In the rare warmth, he was finally able to easily take off his armor and become a cheerful young man again. Even though this time does not last long, like the rising and setting of the bright moon, it disappears like a night of ephemeral flowers among the bright stars. However, these memories can retain a rare softness and warmth in his increasingly hard and cold heart.

The group of people just talked and laughed and walked towards Huayamo Fortress together. The dinner was already prepared, the food was sumptuous and the atmosphere was relaxed. It wasn't until everyone drank a cup of hot cocoa and the smell of vanilla lingered in their noses that Shusok sighed with satisfaction and said seriously.

"Xulot, all things are constantly changing and reincarnating. When the jaguar grows up, he will become the king of the jungle. He will occupy the forest alone and face all challenges."

"Well, father? Do you want to go back to the Holy City?"

After hearing his father's words, Shulot was stunned. He looked into the other party's deep eyes, savoring the reluctance contained in them, and had a vague premonition.

"Yes, I will leave my son soon. You have become a brave warrior, an outstanding commander, and are still becoming a great king. You are surrounded by many people, and you have gained them. I feel relieved about your surrender.”

Shusoke smiled and shook the young king's hand. Then he nodded cordially to Bertard.

"Thank you for your protection!"

"it is my responsibility."

Bertard looked calm and bowed his head in return.

Shusok smiled and said no more. He continued to look at Shulot gently.

"The war in the east has ended. The king sent a decree asking me to return as soon as possible to participate in the sacrificial ceremony in mid-January."

"I have also received the letter and am about to send an envoy to deliver this year's tribute."

Shulot nodded. He was unable to go in person, so he planned to let the eagle warrior Barda lead the envoy to present the latest bronze armor, bronze daggers, exquisite bronzes, and some precious collections from the previous royal family.

"Your grandfather has sent the news in advance."

Shusoke reached out and gently touched his son's cheek.

"After the sacrificial ceremony, I will join the reorganized King's Army of the Alliance and become the deputy commander of the Eagle Legion. From then on, I will be stationed in the lake capital for a long time, accompanying the king."

"Ah! The deputy commander of the Eagle Chapter, accompanying the king?"

Shulot looked surprised. He pondered slightly and waved his hand heavily. The surrounding warriors retreated. The bonfire in the main hall flickered for a while, then stabilized, reflecting the four people left in the middle.

"Father, the Eagle Legion is the most noble Sun Guard, and they are all noble children of the capital. Only kings with outstanding prestige can effectively command them. Are you the only one who dispatches nobles?"

"King Avit does value you. But his ambitions are far-reaching, and they are not aimed at our lineage."

Shusoke smiled calmly, already anticipating what would happen next. After he enters the capital this time, his treatment should not be bad, but it will be difficult to get out. Shulot was granted a vast land in the lake, far away from the core of the alliance, and guarded the western ministries. As the boy's direct relative, staying with the king can be regarded as some kind of guarantee.

"The king conquered the country in the west and attacked the old enemies in the east. He has great prestige and his reputation has been spread throughout the world. With his prestige and military exploits, he can inherit the unfinished business of the great Montezuma. The Eagle Chapter is about to expand, and the core city-states The honor and hereditary nobility are strictly required to send important members to join.”

Shulot was silent for a moment and nodded slowly. When the king's authority is sufficient, he can recruit nobles and nobles to form a guard around him, thus strengthening his control over various ministries. Such measures are often accompanied by coordinated centralization measures. Thinking of this, the young king spoke in a deep voice.

"Father, the king intends to consolidate the alliance and centralize military power? What should you do if you go to the capital, the holy city of Teotihuacan?"

"Yes. According to your grandfather's news, the priesthood and the royal family will send representatives to the core states within two hundred miles of the capital. The alliance center will further weaken the number of private soldiers of all the great nobles in the Texcoco Lake area. And control some of the military power of the city-state, and also control important financial rights. "

Shusok smiled openly.

"As a condition for you to seal the land in the lake, I will take the initiative to set an example and return the control of the Holy City to the alliance center. And the sealed Tepopolo and Iskali will also hand over their lands together. .This initiative is supported by both the Elders and the High Priests, and is the key to further reform. Your grandfather said that the time is right!”

Shulot looked at his father's smile, and all the emotions in his heart turned into a gentle nod.

After the Western Expedition, the king's prestige rose to its peak and his authority was established in the hearts of the warriors. The legions of each state are depleted, and the powerful nobles have been transferred to other countries. The time is ripe for further centralization of power!

The power of the alliance is roughly divided into three parts: royal power, clan power and divine power. The current direction of reform is to combine royal power with divine power, suppress the power of scattered city-states and establish a powerful and sacred royal center. Among them, the elders coordinate the overall situation, the king makes specific progress, and the high priests reduce resistance in various places. Everything is proceeding according to the centralized plan.

"After receiving your grandfather's letter, I thought about it for a long time and summoned the battalion captain of the legion to discuss it. There are some changes in the subsequent arrangements."

Shusoke's expression became solemn. He stared at the calm young king and preached seriously.

"Nearly half of the Holy City Legion was lost during the Western Expedition. Even including the recovered wounded, there are only more than 2,200 warriors left. Most of them are the most loyal direct descendants of our group, and I do not want to treat them badly. . I am about to transfer to the royal capital, and there will be hundreds of people with me. The remaining warriors heard that you are dividing the fields and conferring titles according to military merit."

"Very good! Feel free to come, I won't treat them badly!"

Shulot smiled sincerely. The Kingdom in the Lake is vast and has a lot of room for expansion. He is in need of reliable direct samurai.

"Father, how many Holy City warriors are willing to stay here?"

"There are fifteen hundred warriors, more than fifty of whom are Jaguar warriors with civilian origins."

"Okay! The Jaguar warriors in the Holy City will be enfeoffed according to the specifications of military nobles, and each will be granted 800 acres of land!"

Shulot agreed readily. No matter where they are, Jaguar warriors are rare elites who have their own land and family. There are still more than 150 Jaguar warriors left in the Holy City Legion, and only one third chose to stay.

"Another fifty people will be promoted from the senior warriors, and a total of one hundred military nobles will be enfeoffed. Among the remaining warriors, four hundred senior warriors will be enfeoffed, each with 240 acres of land; one thousand third-level warriors will be enfeoffed with 100 acres of land each. . As for the second-level hereditary nobles, the three warrior battalion commanders were all promoted and each was granted 2,400 acres of land!"

The young king promised generously. This enfeoffment amounted to nearly 300,000 acres of land, and the shortage of slaves once again increased by 15,000. Then, he thought for a while and looked at the strong jaguar warrior Orosh.

"Teacher Orosh, where are you going?"

"Why!"

Orosh has always been generous, but at this moment he sighed rarely.

"I originally planned to go with your father. We have been brothers for more than 20 years! But your father insisted on persuading me to stay, but he was alone and not very good at martial arts. His ribs were broken and he lay flat For several months.”

Shusoke looked embarrassed and coughed quietly.

"Well, it's been several years since there was a peerless general like Tepac. In the fifty or sixty years since the alliance was established, this is the only one. Besides, I went to the capital this time, I guess, just to enjoy the blessings. I just want to go to the battlefield later. , it is difficult to encounter danger!

Orosh, what's the use of your martial arts skills staying with me? It's better to stay with Shulot, and I can feel relieved. Isn't this already agreed upon? .”

Orosh sighed again and nodded helplessly.

"Everything I said to you is right. It all depends on you!"

Shulot lowered his eyes slightly, feeling deeply moved.

What is a biological father? This is called biological father! During the Western Expedition, he was responsible for logistics, arranging food routes, and taking care of wounded soldiers. He kept everything under wraps and arranged everything properly; he led four thousand legions, experienced the most difficult battles along the way, and half of them died. Then he persuaded the remaining warriors to stay and entrusted them to the most trusted general; for the sake of his son's founding of the country, he was willing to hand over his rights and go to the lake capital to serve as idle hostages. This is a rare treatment for a biological son. !

Thinking of this, the king opened his eyes. He first held Olosh's arm and promised firmly.

"Teacher Orosh, the kingdom needs you. You will be the kingdom's second glorious noble!"

Then, Xiu Luote held his father's hands and asked sincerely.

"Father, do you have any other requests? I will listen to you."

Hearing this, Xiusoke's eyes lit up. He held his son's hand with his backhand and admonished him earnestly.

"Xiuluote, my son! You are my eldest son, and you have wisdom and are precocious. Well, you have three half-brothers and a sister. I know that you can't play with them since you were a child, and you rarely communicate with them and are not close. But you are a family after all!.

The great ancestor Montezuma and the elder are brothers. The elder assisted the ancestor for decades and helped the ancestor's son. Your brothers and sisters can also assist you in the future!. Well, your youngest brother is only five years old and will be raised by his mother at home. I will leave the other three to you. The eldest brother is like a father, you can punish them on my behalf!"

"Ah? Two teenage brothers and a sister under ten years old are all handed over to me?"

Xiuluote's face froze. After a moment, he looked at his father's expectant eyes and nodded heavily.

"Then leave it to me!"

The next topic began to become relaxed. Everyone chatted about family matters and talked about the arrangements for the northern estuary county.

"The population trade along the Leman River has been completed. After the Guamal dog descendants plundered the Chapala Lake area, a total of 20,000 young men and women and 10,000 children were traded. Most of them were Purépecha people, and some were Otomi people. There were 20,000 mountain tribes from the longbow militia, and they all migrated from the Holy City. I have arranged these 50,000 people in various settlements in the estuary county. There will be more than 2,000 families of the Holy City warriors in the future. You need to add at least 100 priests."

"The priest group supported by the alliance has arrived in Qincongcan City, and some of the priests of Purépecha have also been trained. I will fill the gap in priests in the north as soon as possible."

Xiu Luote nodded affirmatively.

"Father, how many people do you think there are in Hekou County now, and how many of them are men?"

"According to estimates from local settlements, there are about 150,000 people, including about 30,000 men. There are only warriors from the Holy City Legion and militia from Prepecha in the north. There are Otomi and Dogs in the north, and remnants of Tarasco in the west. It would be best to send some more legions to garrison. Olosh is familiar with the situation in the north, and after I leave, I can leave Hekou County to him."

"Okay. I will soon reorganize the legions in various places and reallocate the garrisons."

Xuluot thought for a while and added.

"The capital is the most important. I trust Olosh the most, so I will stay in Qincongcan City and take charge of the military command of the core lake area of ​​Patzcuaro. I will give the Hekou County in the north to the monkey Kuluka, and let him lead half of the spear army. The holy city warriors will be enfeoffed in the north. As for Zicao County in the south, I have sent veteran Etalik to manage it and prepare for subsequent actions. He is experienced in dealing with things and is good at dealing with nobles. So when I lead the army south..." After listening, Xiusoke nodded in affirmation. "You have really thought it through! However, my son, you probably need to solve the problem in the north first. Before I came, the city of Ottopan sent an envoy. They said that the Chichimek dog tribe in the northeast is preparing to march south in a big way, and they hope that you can support a legion and go to the north to fight together. The old priest of Ottomi also sent a private message, saying that there are important matters related to the two tribes to discuss. Please take time to go to the north to have a talk with him."

"The dog tribe is going south to request support for the legion? The old priest has something important to discuss with me in person?"

Xuluot pondered for a moment and had some vague guesses.

"Okay, I will send another envoy to communicate a little!"

The four people talked all night, planning the future of the kingdom and discussing the situation of the alliance. From time to time, there were two warm greetings. Until the bright moon sank into the mountains in the west and the morning sun rose on the peaks in the east, everyone stopped talking.

Xusok lay down in his son's living room and soon fell asleep peacefully, snoring tiredly. Xiuluot listened to his father's snoring and accompanied him quietly. He carefully looked at his father's resolute face and remembered it deeply in his mind. Then, he reached out his hand and gently pulled out a conspicuous white hair. His father then turned over, hummed twice in confusion, and continued to fall asleep.

"Father is really tired after running all the way. I'd better go out." Xiuluot smiled and shook his head, then turned and went out silently. Behind him, at some point, Xiusuke turned around again and faced the direction his son left. After a long time, a soft sigh sounded in the stone house.

Parting is an eternal melody, and meeting is just a short song. When the sun was slightly setting in the west, Xiusuke took a dozen guards and prepared to return to the north.

"Father, I won't say anything else. Take care of yourself and be careful on the way!" Xiuluot held his father's arm tightly, and slowly let go after a long while. Then, he whispered two instructions to the back. The guards behind him held several sets of brand new bronze armor and handed them to the guards opposite.

"What a good armor!"

Xiusoke touched the solid bronze armor under the cloth and praised it. Then, he handed the armor to the guards and smiled gently.

"Don't worry, son! Your father has gone to the capital to enjoy his life and will not have the opportunity to go to the battlefield again. I will tell your grandfather about your greetings. And I will also bring your letter to Princess Alyssa. Well, don't worry, I won't peek on the way."

Xuluot nodded vigorously. He lowered his eyes slightly to hide the slight moisture in his eyes. Olosh walked forward and sighed.

"Hey, Xiusuke. After today's separation, I don't know when I can see you again. I don't have much to say. Just eat and drink well in the capital, sleep with a few more women, and give Xiusuke more brothers and sisters!"

". You too."

"Haha!"

"Haha!"

Xiusuke laughed, gave the two a strong hug, and turned away without looking back. Behind him, the warm sunset slowly fell, and the cold moon rose again. The road ahead is long and far, and it is all far away in time.