Chapter 448 Three Reasons

The bluestone hall is simple and solemn, with the emblem of the main god hanging high and shining. Under the pure gold sun hummingbird, there are three people sitting solemnly opposite each other, and a simple hand-drawn map.

At this moment, the young king straightened his spine, lowered his finger, and pressed it on the east side of the map, at the lower reaches of the Tampen River, near the mouth of the Caribbean Sea. His face showed determination and perseverance, as if he was declaring the destined will of the Lord God.

"I want Cooksi Kapan, Otter City!"

"The capital of the Huastecs, Otter City?!"

Gillim suddenly changed color, his expression serious.

Otter City (today's Panuco) is located about 800 miles northeast of the capital city in the lake, at the lowermost reaches where the two branches of the Tampon River converge, and only 100 miles away from the endless lake in the east. It is the core hinterland where the Huastec tribes gather. It is a lowland plain, jungle and tidal flat with a hot climate. It is also the border of the world that has not been touched by the Mexican Union.

Even when the late king Montezuma conquered and forced the Huastec Alliance to surrender, he never really reached Otter City. According to legend, it is the realm ruled by the God of Storms. The climate is hot and rainy, and terrible storms sweep through, capable of destroying villages and leveling tall houses and trees. Similarly, at the height of the rainy season, floods will rise in the lower reaches of the Tampen River, flooding farmland and tidal flats along the river. Further east of Otter City, unknown evil lies beneath the coastal swamps. Legend has it that there are deep natural wells that continuously flow black water.

In the tropical world of Central America, the plateaus and valleys have a mild climate and moderate rainfall, making them a fertile land for prosperity. Tropical plains and lowlands often have too hot climate and too much rainfall along the coast. Both of them are either lush rainforests or flooded rivers, making them unsuitable for large-scale agricultural production and making it even more difficult to develop villages and towns.

The area around Otter City is both plain lowland and offshore coast, with both unpredictable hurricanes. From the perspective of the Mexicans who occupy the fertile valley, it can be described as a remote and impoverished frontier land!

Although there are not many Huastec tribes there, the degree of ruralization has always been very low. In order to prepare for hurricanes, the Huastec people did not build tall houses or temples, and most of them lived in shacks. Even the Otter City of Cuxcapán was not even half the size of Texcoco, let alone the great and glorious Tenochtitlan.

Gillim thought in his mind, and his face returned to calm in an instant. He bowed solemnly and bowed to exhort.

"Your Highness, the Vastek tribes have always been loyal vassals of the alliance. They pay tribute on time every year and are never in short supply. If there is no suitable reason, rashly attacking the vassals and seeking Otter City will damage the reputation of the alliance and alienate the vassal tribes. ! ”

Shulot listened calmly and nodded.

"Not long ago, King Avite had a long talk with me to clarify the arrangements for the Eastern Expedition. The alliance's Northern Route Army is personally led by the king and will allocate military grain tribute to various Huastec tribes. The demand for military grain for tens of thousands of warriors is extremely huge. If the Huastec people rebel because of this, they will be conquered by the Northern Route Army! "

Hearing this, Gilliam frowned slightly. The king had talked to him about this arrangement.

As the chief intelligence officer, he instinctively resists such methods that only increase variables, and will never underestimate any opponent. Although the Huastec people are weak, they still have hundreds of thousands of people and occupy the terrain advantage. The method of forcibly throwing stones into the calm water and causing splashes all over the sky was too rough.

Fortunately, he is still responsible for this work. He had collected intelligence and carefully calculated the Huastec people's grain reserves to ensure that the amount requested was just within the bottom line of the other party's acceptance and would not provoke a major rebellion.

"Your Highness, the Huastec tribes are facing the threat of the canines from the north. Tens of thousands of alliance troops have been dispatched. No matter how dissatisfied they are, they will not rebel at this time."

Gilliam shook his head slightly. Then, with a puzzled look on his face, he asked in a deep voice.

"Otter City is extremely far away. It is 800 miles away from the alliance's capital city in the lake, and at least 1,300 miles away from the capital of Qin Congcan in the west! Your Highness, even if you take it by force in such a remote and remote place, , and it’s difficult to manage it directly, so what’s the benefit?”

Hearing this, Shulot looked solemn. He was well prepared, and after thinking for a moment, he spoke calmly.

"Dear royal advisor, since you asked about this section, I will tell you the truth, and please tell it to the supreme king! I have three reasons for seeking Otter City."

"One is to consolidate the alliance in the north and resist the canine descendants from the south. Otter City is located at the lowermost reaches of the Tampen River. It is the place where the two branches of the western upper reaches and the southwest upper reaches of the Tampen River meet. Six or seven hundred miles west of Otter City Here, in the western upper reaches of the Tampen River, is the kingdom's outpost in the wilderness, Palms City. Palms City is isolated in the northern border, and communication is difficult and unstable. If there is a stronghold downstream, they can communicate with each other. Support and stabilize the alliance’s rule in northern Xinjiang!”

Hearing this, Gillim remained calm and nodded calmly. He knew the results of the Kingdom's Northern Expedition and also knew about the existence of Palms City. He would be happy to see the Kingdom of the Lake deploy its limited military power into the remote and desolate Northland to manage the Northern Territory for the Alliance.

"What His Highness said does make some sense."

Hearing this, Shulot smiled slightly. He looked deeply at the chief intelligence officer and continued to explain.

"The second benefit after occupying Otter City is that it can completely open up the northern waterway! Starting from the kingdom's river mouth fortress, go eastward along the Leman River for three to four hundred miles, and then reach the western states of the alliance. And continue eastward. Two hundred miles away is the Texcoco Lake area, the heart of the alliance, connecting the capital city in the lake. To the north of Lake Texcoco, turn northeast and go north along the tributary of the Tampon River for more than three hundred miles to Hilo. Tepeque City. Then continue down the river, crossing the steep Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains, and traveling for more than five hundred miles, you will arrive at Otter City, and the endless Oriental Lake is just a hundred miles east of Otter City! From the Middle Kingdom to the Huastek tribes, this is a smooth waterway that connects two large rivers and spans 1,500 miles!"

"Fifteen hundred miles of smooth waterway!"

Gillim's eyes moved, thoughtfully. The uppermost reaches of this waterway are controlled by the kingdom in the lake. The western city-states of the alliance in the middle reaches, the directly subordinate northern Texcoco Lake District, and the newly conquered city of Xilotepec are all under the control of the royal family. Even if Otter City, the farthest downstream, is occupied by His Highness, it will not pose any threat to the center of the royal family. Instead, it will further disperse the power of the kingdom.

The chief intelligence officer lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. He quickly determined that there should be no selfishness in Shulot's suggestion. Thinking of this, Gillim sighed secretly and showed approval.

"Your Highness, I really admire your loyalty to the Alliance! However, the tributaries of the Tampon River go down the river and pass through the steep Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains. The river there is extremely narrow, the drop is huge, and the water flow is extremely fast. Sailing there is probably quite risky!”

Hearing this, Shulot pursed his lips and nodded in admission.

"There is indeed a difficult waterway on the tributary of the Tampon River! The kingdom's newly built galleys have keel reinforcements that can withstand impacts to the greatest extent. And the most dangerous section can be pulled by trackers. Just cross the Oriental Madre As the mountains go down, there will be no obstacles in the journey ahead! ”

"I see!"

Gillim nodded solemnly, with a solemn expression.

"It seems that His Highness is indeed prepared. I wonder what the third reason is?"

"The third reason"

Hearing the inquiry, Shulot paused for a moment, his eyes darkening. He stood up and looked toward the rising sun in the east, silent. After a long while, he chanted in a low voice with a chanting tone.

"That is the guidance of the Lord God, to the endless lake. On the long and narrow Snake Island on the lake, where Quetzalcoatl left, the alien demons are about to come on a sail! They have long rude beards and white skin of death , filled with greed and evil, bringing terrible disease and destruction! The alliance must prepare in advance to guard against the arrival of alien evil spirits!"