Chapter 421 New-Style Water Battle, Sacrificial Ceremony, and Noble Banquet

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

In the school grounds of the Hekou Fortress, three squatting tiger cannons were arranged in a row, fiercely bombarding the grass target in front of them! A large plume of white smoke rose from the muzzle, and countless stone pellets were scattered forward. Within fifty meters, all the leather armor covered by the grass target was broken through, and within twenty meters, even the solid ship plank was penetrated!

Seeing the power of the Tiger Crouching Cannon's bombardment, the monkey Kuruka was surprised and speechless, and the crocodile Ospie was shocked and speechless. Only the black wolf Toltec had been seen before, and his expression remained unchanged.

"how?"

Shulot asked confidently with a smile.

"Great! I have always heard that the kingdom is blessed by the gods and a new copper beast appears. It turns out that it is such a powerful weapon!"

Monkey Kuruka was lost for a moment, then a smile broke out on his face.

"Your Highness, with this kind of weapon, no one in the world can resist us!"

"Ha ha!"

Shulot laughed loudly and looked at Crocodile Ospie again.

"Your Majesty, God Bless the Kingdom!"

Crocodile Osipai lowered his head slightly and sighed from the bottom of his heart.

"Within twenty meters, even the heaviest giant shield cannot defend against the bombardment of the copper beast. From now on, there will be no more unparalleled warriors in the world!"

Shulot nodded slightly. With the development of firearms, individual bravery will inevitably be eliminated, and the scale of war will become larger and more complex, eventually becoming a sophisticated discipline. Whether it was land or water warfare, the king smiled and asked in a deep voice.

"Ospai, the Rain God Crouching Tiger Cannon weighs about a hundred kilograms and is only half a meter long. Its range is usually within a hundred meters, and the closer it is, the more powerful it is. I intend to place the Tiger Crouching Cannon on the Navy's ship. You What do you think?"

Crocodile Ospie pursed his lips and was silent in thought. After a while, he asked.

"Your Majesty, can I take a closer look?"

"Can."

Shulot nodded in agreement. He waved his hand.

The Russian Pai walked around the Tiger Crouching Cannon, carefully looked at the size and shape of the cannon, and even touched it with his hands. Then, he asked the gunner who was operating it. The firing frequency was about three to four rounds per quarter of an hour, and the firing angle could be adjusted manually. Finally, he noticed the copper claws fixed on the ground and the marks of the cannon body hitting the soil after the artillery bombardment. He thought for a moment and returned respectfully.

"Your Majesty, this kind of bronze beast tiger squat cannon can be placed on the newly launched Crocodile God galley! Each ship can have two guns at the bow and stern."

Osipei bowed and answered cautiously.

"When two navies meet, the boats usually test back and forth, and the big boats gradually approach. Within a hundred meters, the boats of both sides begin to accelerate and charge at each other. The water is choppy, and the shooting is usually inaccurate. Only one shot can be fired before the battle. This shot can be placed within twenty meters, and the Tiger Crouching Cannon at the bow or stern is fired, instantly destroying the enemy ship's shield and leveling a large ship! Morale is important in the follow-up battle. As long as one ship is destroyed, the rest of the enemy troops will also be destroyed. It would be scary. Then the ships collided and started fighting. The gunners continued to reload, and maybe there was a chance to fire again."

After hearing what Osipai said, Shulot nodded slowly.

Even a small cannon with a squatting tiger has a heavy recoil force. The hull of a catamaran canoe is not strong enough and the space is very limited, so it can only be used on a keel-supported paddle boat. The galley warship can carry 80 people, and has two small cannons at the front and rear, which is relatively suitable.

The Condor Cannon weighs 500 kilograms and is 1.2 meters long. It can barely be placed on a galley warship. However, the current enemies of the Kingdom Navy do not have large ships, and the battles are mainly fights. The power of the Crouching Tiger Cannon that fires shotguns is enough. Wait until later to fight the expedition ships of Western colonists, and then consider building larger ships and installing heavier artillery.

Shulot pondered for a long time and agreed with a smile.

"Ospai, you are right! I will leave you eight squatting cannons and more than ten gunners, and I will take the rest to the alliance. You first move them onto the two galley warships, Qinjia Practice and become familiar with the Tiger Crouching Cannon technique! You will be unable to do without this weapon in future water battles!”

"I obey your will, Your Majesty!"

Crocodile Osipi looked serious and knelt down to salute. In addition to the Guards Corps, his navy will be the first kingdom army to be equipped with the Crouching Tiger Cannon, which shows the king's trust.

Hearing this, Monkey Kuruka's eyes moved. he asked cautiously.

"Your Highness, do you want to bring these powerful artillery pieces to the Alliance as a gift to King Avit?"

"Yep."

Shulot smiled calmly.

"The high priest sent a special letter to remind him that King Avit is very concerned about this new weapon. I really should report something back to the alliance."

"Your Highness."

The monkey Kuruka hesitated. He wanted to say something but felt it was not the right time. After a while, he silently knelt on the ground and bowed to the ground.

"Please be careful!"

Xiuluo nodded, stretched out his hand, and shook the monkey's hair. He looked at everyone present and smiled gently.

"It doesn't matter. As long as you are here, I will be as stable as a sacred mountain!"

Three thousand imperial guards stationed at the river mouth fortress for three days. Shulot summoned warriors, villagers and dog descendants within forty miles to hold a grand ceremony for the main god. Tens of thousands of people came from all directions and gathered outside the river mouth fortress. Then, the king, wearing heavy sacrificial robes, climbed to the watchtower at the top of the fortress and personally released the three-color fireworks!

Brilliant fireworks bloomed above the fortress, filling the cloudy sky with strange lights. Tens of thousands of people stared at it, in amazement and awe, watching the brilliant colors and listening to the roaring explosions. Then, in the eyes of everyone's horror, fear and disbelief, the huge "Heart of the God" slowly rose up, carrying the emblem of the Lord God, and flew into the high sky!

"Praise the Lord God! He sent down the sacred creation and gave the authority of the sky to the most pious priests!"

Xuluot chanted loudly, and dozens of priests recounted it loudly, and the sacred prayers echoed throughout the fortress.

"You must believe in our God! His power is infinite, controlling the sky, the earth and the sea! He gives us blessings, blessing spring plowing and autumn harvest! He governs the souls of all people, and promises devout believers that it is the destination of the soul and the beauty after death! At this moment, repent to the Supreme Lord God, repent of all your disloyalty. Praise the Lord God devoutly again, praise His mercy and glory! Praise the Lord God, Huitzilopochtli!"

"Praise the Lord God! Huitzilopochtli is the highest and the greatest, omnipotent!"

Under the leadership of the priests, tens of thousands of people at the estuary knelt on the ground and shouted together. Many Purépecha people burst into tears and repented to the miracle above their heads. At this moment, they completely abandoned the belief in the three gods and converted to the Lord God with infinite power.

Thousands of Guakili warriors prostrated themselves in awe, kowtowed repeatedly, and prayed loudly. The wilderness tribes have always revered the divine heaven and earth. Facing the flying gods, they finally broke through their defenses and planted the seeds of faith in the Lord God. These seeds will gradually grow up, like winding vines, firmly controlling people's hearts. With the nurturing of time, they will change from unruly tribal warriors to powerful divine warriors, just like the Otomi Legion of Xilotepec City.

Xiuluot stood solemnly on the fortress, looking down at the tens of thousands of people under his feet, with a heroic spirit in his heart. During the southern expedition, the rebellion in the city of Kuramo made him realize that the kingdom expanded too fast and there were hidden dangers in people's hearts. And the spread of the belief in the Lord God is far from enough! Therefore, he created these epoch-making creations to strengthen the power of the Lord God, and use unstoppable faith to unite the upper and lower, and to combine the various tribes in Central America!

"Grandfather, you will definitely like these creations!"

Xiuluot looked up at the sky and looked at the huge "Heart of the God" hot air balloon. The lifelike red heart swayed in the sky of one or two hundred meters, like a real beating heart of the god. Then, he recalled the fireworks just now, the strange light of three colors intertwined like a feathered serpent.

"Alyssa, you will like it too!"

The king smiled slightly. Then, his expression became more solemn, and he sang the final chapter solemnly.

"God has arrived!! He came from the sky to take the souls of the dead! He bestowed blessings on the warriors who died in the battle for God and the people of devout faith. Believers, pray devoutly!! All souls will fly to the high sky and go to the red kingdom of God! There is eternal beauty there, and it is also our future! "

In the king's chanting, tens of thousands of people knelt on the ground and worshiped devoutly. The low prayers gathered together, like a herd of wild buffaloes galloping in the wilderness, and like thunder rolling in the spring rain. This sound contains the beliefs of tens of thousands of people and contains infinite power, enough to reshape everything!

The long ceremony lasted until dusk. When the ceremony ended, most people's expressions changed significantly. The solemn group ceremony plus the creation of gods beyond understanding is the best way to spread faith.

At some point, the red "Heart of God" had disappeared from the sky. The "Heart of the Gods" was in the air for only one or two hours, and then it was successfully retrieved from the sky and landed in the fortress closely guarded by the guards. After improving the internal structure of the hot air balloon, the launch was very smooth this time, and there were no accidents.

Tens of thousands of people in Hekou County were reluctant to leave. They looked up at the sky above the fortress, and finally prayed on the ground for a while, and then left one after another under the guidance of the village priests. Thousands of Guakili warriors returned to the nearby military camp to receive the teachings of the war priests. Having just witnessed the power of the Lord God, it is a good opportunity to preach.

Xiuluot walked down from the fortress and came to the place where the hot air balloon landed. Dozens of divine priests were busy putting the hot air balloon away again.

"Qimeier, hot air balloon No. 2, how is the Heart of the Gods?"

"Dear patriarch, everything went well!"

Qimei smiled confidently and nodded respectfully.

"The launch time is not long, and there is no damage on the surface of the Heart of the Gods, and it can be launched again at any time."

"Very good!"

Xiuluot nodded with satisfaction.

"When we reach the capital of the lake and hold the grand ceremony, we will fly again!"

"At your service, the chief priest of divine revelation!"

Chimer bowed his head and saluted. Then, he looked at the eastern sky. The great capital of the lake was just five hundred miles away, waiting for the arrival of the miracle!

After the sacrificial ceremony, Shulot was about to set off again. On the second day, he said goodbye to the monkey Kuluka and the black wolf Toltec in turn, and instructed some follow-up arrangements. Afterwards, the king led three thousand guards and boarded the kingdom's navy. Under the escort of the crocodile Ospai, they went against the Leman River and headed for the capital of the lake.

Forty bronze cannons were placed on several paddle-sailed warships. The king personally took a large paddle-sailed warship to experience the sailing of the new warship. Surrounded by hundreds of canoes, the large paddle-sailed warship was like a turkey among hares, which was particularly eye-catching. Compared with canoes, paddle-sailed warships are more stable and comfortable, and their upstream speed is also faster.

The huge fleet sailed along the river for more than half a month. In mid-July, Xu Luote arrived at the western city-state of Trokan. He stayed for two days and had a banquet with the nobles who had been friends with his family for generations.

Compared with Xu Luote's Western Expedition a few years ago, the atmosphere of this banquet was quite heavy. The nobles of the western city-state praised "His Highness Xu Luote" and "Respected Prince", saluted and congratulated him in turn, toasted and prayed, and sent many precious gifts. However, Xu Luote could keenly perceive that the attitudes of most western nobles had become much more unfamiliar, and the respect they showed was also formal. Except for the young patriarch of the Mountain Family, Izel, an old acquaintance during the Western Expedition.

Everyone invited the singing girls and singers to drink and laugh at the banquet, and never mentioned any topic about the alliance. When the wine was half drunk, a hereditary noble drank a little too much and finally couldn't control himself. He threw the wine glass in his hand to the ground fiercely, and the pottery cup broke with a "bang". Then, he looked at Xu Luote and cursed.

"Damn you, Holy City Family! We helped you with our military and food supplies during the Western Expedition because of our friendship! But what did we get in return!"

"Xonpan! What nonsense are you talking about in front of His Highness!"

The scene was silent for a moment. Izel spoke first and shouted angrily.

"Even if you are a distinguished family of Spring Rain Priests, you cannot insult the Venerable!"

In Nahua language, Xonpan means the green color of the rainy season in late spring. This is a word with religious meaning, symbolizing the blessing of the goddess of spring. The family named after it is naturally a priest family with an ancient heritage and related to the gods.

Xuluot sank his face, lowered his eyes slightly, and said nothing.

He heard about the great event of his father killing the former patriarch of the Mountain Family in the western city-state when he returned to the east. This is definitely not his father's style of doing things. However, the rumor spread widely and was even compiled into a poem praising the loyalty of the warriors, which was sung all over the alliance. Grandfather and father never wrote to explain, and the story behind it is not difficult to guess.

He also knew about the Spring Rain Priest family. They have served the goddess of lakes and spring for generations, and have held the power of sacrifice in Trokan State for nearly half a century. However, with the deepening of religious reform, the main god gradually became the only one. In the past two years, the status of the goddess of spring has continued to decline. The chief priest group of the royal capital even sent a direct third-level chief priest to Trokan State, depriving the Spring Rain family of many privileges.

In other words, this is a traditional noble whose interests have been damaged in the reform.

"Izel! You, the king's wolfhound! Don't think that everyone doesn't know how your father, uh, uh!"

Shao Pan blushed and roared angrily. The nobles in the field finally couldn't sit still, and several people immediately stepped forward, covered his mouth and hands and feet, and dragged him away forcibly.

"Your Highness! Chunyu clan leader Shao Pan is drunk. I beg you not to punish him!"

"That's right! When he sobers up, we will blame him!"

"Please don't tell the honorable high priest! Although the Chunyu family is wrong, it is not a crime punishable by death!"

Several noble elders have been friends with the Holy City for generations, and they came forward to apologize to the king on behalf of Chunyu clan leader.

Xuluote frowned and suppressed the anger in his chest. After a long while, he nodded.

"Please sit down, elders, and let's continue drinking!"

After that, the king picked up the wine glass and drank the whole glass of tequila. He recalled what the noble elders had just said, and was suddenly startled.

"Don't tell the high priest? Not a crime punishable by death?"