Chapter 698 Migration of the Snake Lake Tribe

"People of the hot land, wandering on the earth, like fallen leaves in the wind, falling to an unknown place. Quetzalcoatl, illuminate the bright road ahead, the long road of migration is covered with rocks and thorns."

The Papu priest told the horror of the north, the Chuchut chief made a decision, and the Snake Lake tribe began to migrate. This migration was so hasty, but there was not much hesitation, just like their ancestors. In the inherited epic, the ancestors of the tribe came from the extremely far north, all the way from the desolate Gobi. And now, it is another migration to the hot land in the south.

In fact, "Totonac" means "hot land". "Totonac people" are "people of the hot land".

Time is tight, and there are shouts and rushes everywhere. The young and strong men wear loincloths, bare their upper bodies, and carry baskets of food. The women wear covered robes, lower their heads, and carry cloth and pottery. The chief, Chuchut, personally commanded several strong men to carry the wooden sculptures that symbolized the tribal heritage.

As for the old people left behind by the tribe, they stayed in the soon-to-be-empty village, looking at the lush farmland, waiting for a short and unknown fate. They sat cross-legged on the earthen altar outside the village, beating ancient leather drums, singing the songs of the gods, and bidding farewell to those who would never return.

"The high sun god, guide the way south, toward his scorching light, looking for fertile land to plant corn. The old thunder god, control the endless East China Sea, remember to walk along the coast, there will be food and water. The new rain god, roll up the terrible hurricane, don't travel in his wrathful season, avoid the sweeping floods"

The old song echoed in the fields and reached the ears of the Papu priest, making him stop and look back.

In the traditional polytheistic beliefs of the Totonac people, in addition to the prosperous feathered serpent god, there are also the sun god who controls the sun crops, the old thunder god who controls the endless waters, and the new rain god who controls the hurricanes and rainstorms. Their Nahua beliefs have many similarities with the Mexica people on the plateau, but also have more unique gods.

"Chief Chuchute, you are carrying so many things and migrating so slowly."

Priest Papu frowned, looking at the quiet green jungle in the north across the low hut built with palm leaves and branches, worried.

"How can we outrun the Aztec army heading south?"

"Without food, we won't be able to survive until the autumn harvest. Without cotton cloth and pottery, we won't be able to get help from other tribes. And without the inherited wood carvings, how can I lead the tribe in the name of my ancestors?"

Hearing what Priest Papu said, Chief Chuchute shook his head with some disapproval in his eyes. Although he listened to Priest Papu's advice and decided to migrate with his entire tribe. But he still had a fluke in his heart, and didn't think the Aztec army would get here so quickly.

"What's more, there is the powerful Cēmpoalli, the Twenty Water City with more than 20,000 tribes, blocking our north!"

"The powerful Cēmpoalli, the Twenty Water City with two to three thousand warriors."

Hearing this, the face of the Papu priest froze, and some hesitation arose in his heart. In the Nahua language, "Cēmpoal" means "twenty". "Cēmpoalli" means "the land of twenty waters", a rich city-state with many canals and lakes, Twenty Water City.

Twenty Water City is located sixty or seventy miles south of the ancient city of Quetzalcoatl. It is a truly ancient city-state. It was established at the end of the Olmec era and the early Teotihuacan era, and has a history of more than 1,500 years. It is said that when the kings of Teotihuacan went east to conquer Maya, they left a record board in Twenty Water City, sacrificed six hundred captives with blood, and sacrificed to the old gods.

This ancient city is located inland of the coastal plain, close to the Actopan River, and more than ten miles away from the coastline. When Priest Papu went south, he hurriedly paddled a small boat to escape, and did not see the situation of Ershui City.

"When guarding the ancient city of Quetzalcoatl, Ershui City sent out more than 700 warriors, but they were completely defeated by the Aztecs and suffered heavy casualties. Ershui City, like many coastal city-states, has no city walls."

Priest Papu was worried and looked at the chief Chuchute.

"Chuchute, you haven't seen the might of the Aztec army. In front of the thundering bronze beasts and burning rockets, the Ershui City tribe may not be able to resist for a few days!"

"Priest Papu, the Ershui City tribe is a large tribe of 20,000 people! Even if hundreds of soldiers were killed, they can still pull out 3,000 to 4,000 militiamen. Although this city-state has no city walls, it has many temples like small fortresses. Those temples are located on the top of the pyramids more than ten meters high. They are all built with bricks and stones, and then glued with mortar made from snails and shells. They are extremely strong! Even if you try your best and stab with stone spears, you can't hurt the stone temple at all. The stone temple is not afraid of fire, not to mention that it is raining now."

Chuchute raised the corner of his mouth, recalling what he had seen and heard, and firmly believed in the solidity of Ershui City. Such a powerful city-state, at the very least, can resist for several days.

"We will go along the river, through the jungle, to Jinwan City in just two or three days. Counting the days you travel south, the Ershui City tribe will not be unable to survive for three or four days, right?"

"Yes, indeed! If it is three or four days, the Ershui City tribe should be able to survive."

Priest Papu thought for a while and nodded reluctantly. He stopped urging them and just watched the migration of the Snake Lake tribe quietly. A trace of worry lingered in his heart, but he could not distinguish it clearly.

"Qimboari. The Twenty Water City tribe was one of the first Totonac tribes to surrender to the Mexica Alliance and pay tribute. It was the "accounting place" of the Mexica Alliance, where envoys of the Alliance were stationed, and Mexica envoys were collecting taxes and tributes from the Totonac vassal tribes. There won't be any changes, right?"

Priest Papu pursed his lips, thought for a long time, and anger surged in his chest again.

"The western Totonac tribes have paid tribute to the Mexica Alliance for more than ten years! As a result, because of some crimes, they were conquered by the Lake Legion and slaughtered the descendants of gods and priests! From now on, the tiger and wolf hearts of the Aztecs will be known to all tribes in the world! The nobles of the Totonacs have no choice but to unite and fight to the death. The Mixtec and Zapotec tribes in the south will also establish a covenant."

The thoughts of the feathered serpent priest were complicated in the continuous drizzle, but they fell into the moist fertile soil and could not see the real stream. He sighed, stretched out his hand, and helped the chief Chuchute to work and direct the tribe to migrate.

The night enveloped the earth, and torches were lit outside the village. The tribe was busy for most of the day before they were done. The tribesmen finally rested in the village for a day, and the crying and shouting never stopped. On the morning of the second day, the tribe of more than 2,000 people set foot on the dirt road in the forest for migration. From morning to dusk, the people walked more than ten miles. At night, the tribe found a flat land by the river and lit a bonfire.

Soon, the desolate Totonac song sounded again by the river. This is a unique language. Although it has begun to blend with the Nahua language, it still retains the ups and downs and pauses of the distant plateau.

".The Sun God sat on a tall tree, watching the people of the hot land wandering on the barren land. He watched the Totonac people for a long time before generously commanding. 'You, the people of the hot land, can rest under the shade of the tree and avoid my most majestic light. But you must close your eyes, circle the tree, and dance a prayer dance for me.'"

"'Oh, the Supreme Sun God! Thank you!.' The ancestors bowed down and saluted the Sun God. They did not dare to step forward, not knowing how to dance around the tree with their eyes closed. They did not dare to retreat either. , dare not disobey the will of the gods. They thought, how can they have both? .”

“‘I’ll do it! ’ The wise hero chief stepped forward. He lowered his head, tied a long rope around his waist, jumped up, and tied the rope to the tree. The sun god looked down with a scorching gaze, but the chief closed his eyes and stood upside down from the tree. He closed his eyes, stood upside down, and used the rope to wrap around the tree, spinning and dancing in the air, like a brave and flexible mountain eagle! .”

The desolate and generous song, with unconcealed sorrow, sang outside the moonlight and the woods. The tribesmen listened to the ballad and ate the boiled dried pumpkin, with a gloomy and depressed look.

The Pap priest gnawed on the precious corn cake, and his eyebrows jumped when he heard it. This ancient ballad also tells the story of the migration of the ancestors of the Totonac. And along with the story, there is also a sacrificial custom of the Totonac people, which has been passed down to later generations. It is the "flying man dance in the air" like an eagle hunting.

"Chuchute! This song really scares me! The heroic chief's migration is tested by various gods, and he will die along the way. Go and tell the singers to stop, it will affect morale!"

Chief Chuchute raised his eyebrows, thought for a while, and whispered a few words to his guards. The guards left in a hurry, and after a while, the singing stopped, and the camp became dead silent.

Priest Papu frowned, looked around at the resting Snake Lake tribe, and sighed. He sat in front of the campfire, his mouth was blistered with anxiety, and spoke in a low voice.

"Chief Chuchute, we are walking too slowly! There are so many big and small baskets, and so many sundries, can't we leave some behind?"

"Priest Papu, the tribe hasn't migrated for many years. Today, we are hurrying and walking slowly. It's not that slow."

Chief Chuchute shook his head, helpless, and refused.

"All these things are necessary for the reconstruction of the tribe. If the Aztecs did not show up, I would force the tribe to migrate, leaving behind the fields and villages, and I would have used up all my prestige. If the tribesmen were to leave their property behind again, the warriors would stand up and oppose it!"

"If we wait until the Aztec army shows up, it will be too late!"

Hearing this, Priest Papu gritted his teeth, anger appeared on his face.

"Chuchute! By then, you as the chief and I as the priest will have only one way to go!"

".Papu, I believe what you said. I also want to go faster and avoid the brutal Aztecs."

Chuchute was silent for a moment before answering in a low voice.

"But the warriors don't think so. They think. Compared with the terrible and long migration, it may not be so bad to be under the hands of the Aztecs. Force them again"

"Hiss!"

Pap took a breath of cold air, his expression changing. After a long while, he slowly lowered his head.

"Well. What you said makes sense. Tomorrow I will hold a short prayer ceremony to let the Quetzalcoatl tell the truth about the Aztecs' collusion with demons."

The night gradually fell silent, the bonfire flickered, swaying the changing shadows until the dawn. The short prayer ceremony was held on the mudflats by the river.

The Pap priest put on the feather crown and danced to communicate with the gods in the awe of the crowd. However, before he could tell the new oracle. Several patrolling scouts came in a hurry, sweating all over. They brought back a messy noble of the descendants of gods and two terrible latest news.

"Yesterday, the 20,000-strong Ershui City tribe surrendered to the terrible Aztecs. No, the powerful Mexica Legion!"

"This morning, the scout team of the red-haired barbarians appeared in the mountains several miles to the north. They stared at the scout hunters behind them across the river for a long time! They must have discovered the migration of our tribe!"