Time is a long road, life is like a long journey. Always walking in a trance, listening to the passage of time, watching the years go by, I don’t know when it will reach the end, and what has passed never looks back.

Husock didn't look back either. He covered the stars and the moon, traveled day and night, and took a few dozen guards. It took only two days to come to the Leman River. He climbed the hill by the river and looked out. At this time, the sun is setting again, and the estuary fortress is towering in the sunset. And the Leman River went westward, with shimmering waves rising and falling on the water, like the dazzling frieze of the Mother Earth.

"It's a gift from the gods! What connects the alliance is a big river!"

Huosoke quietly looked at the long river that would flash, and every day in the past flashed before his eyes. Vaguely, he seemed to hear the hearty laughter from more than ten years ago, and saw the baby carefully held up with both hands. So, for the first time, he looked back and looked deeply towards the south. After a while, there was only a slight sigh.

"It flows all the way, from the capital to here... What a big river!"

Xiusok sighed for a moment, and the warrior's perseverance came to his mind again. He opened his mouth and was about to call Oloshi's name, then paused. After a few breaths, he commanded left and right in a deep voice.

"Send messengers to communicate the fortress. Quickly prepare to sail and return to the east early tomorrow morning!"

The sun rises and the sun rises, the long night is silent and silent, only thoughts flow. On the second day, twenty large boats, carrying six or seven hundred warriors, headed eastward against the current and proceeded slowly. The road is very long, with hills rolling on both sides, and streams converging from the mountains. It was not until a large area of ​​harvested farmland was revealed to everyone that it entered the border of the western city-states of the alliance.

Huosoke stayed here for two days, drinking with the nobles who had been friends with the family for generations, and exchanged some latest information at the same time.

During the Western Expedition, the western city-state army plundered a lot, and the feasts of the two days were also extremely luxurious. The main hall is lit with incense, the food is full of spices, and even the mead is added with rare herbs. In comparison, the young kings do their own thing and practice thrift, and the upstarts in the kingdoms in the lake are much simpler.

During the banquet, Husok ate a piece of roasted venison and drank a sip of mead. He tasted it carefully and sighed.

"Good wine! This wine is full of layers and has a lot of aftertaste... When it was brewed, it was made with fruit, flowers and herbs?"

"Haha, the deputy marshal is not only brave, but also very knowledgeable!"

Tepetel laughed. He was sitting on the throne, the host of tonight's hospitality, the glorious nobleman who held the power of Trokhambang, the patriarch of the mountain family. His name means "peak". Tepetel got up with a smile, approached with a glass of wine, then stretched out his thick arm and put it on Husock's shoulder kindly.

"Haha, deputy marshal, the mountain family and the holy city have been friends from generation to generation, and they have been in love for decades! Since we are the same generation, I will call you brother... brother, this west expedition, our western The city-state has used all its strength. Even my direct son was killed on the battlefield!"

"Blessed by the Lord God! The warriors who died in the battle of the gods must have ascended to the kingdom of God and enjoy the beauty and peace forever!"

"Yeah, God bless you! Come on, little Izel, don't hurry up and make a toast to your uncle!"

Tepetel shouted loudly. He called out to his concubine like a servant.

Iszel's eyes flashed, then disappeared. He stepped forward respectfully, smiled and toasted his father and "uncle". The three finished drinking. Tepetel waved his hand at will to let the concubine step back, and continued to lower his voice and talk to Huosoke.

"Brother, the holy city is divided into the land in the lake, but how many people are envious! What's even more enviable is that Qin Congcan and the capital in the lake are a full seven hundred miles away, no matter what Wang Ling is. , but you can't get there!"

"Huh? The latest Wang Ling..."

Xiusok's expression moved, thoughtful.

"Yeah, the latest king order!... The priests collect the wealth of the villages and towns, but they pay more tribute to the royal family, and we use less money. However, the royal family dispatches officials to intervene in the core city-states and divide the villages and towns public land. The reduction of nobles and private soldiers, and the incorporation of directly subordinate samurai... This kind of thing destroys the alliance's tradition of autonomy!"

Tepetel's eyes flashed. He observed Husok's expression and whispered indignantly.

"The light of the sun **** brings warmth! Only the cold light of the goddess of the moon can bring such a chill... The nobles fought for the **** on the battlefield and bleed their blood. In the end, the war was won, but there were villains in the capital. Blinded the king's eyes... Brother, now the holy city is separated from the other, but the most powerful prince! The high priest is in charge, and the nobles are all convinced. As everyone expects, when you go to the capital this time, everyone agrees With you, to be fair to the king..."

"what!..."

Husok's expression changed. Although he is not keen on politics, he also understands the essence of the king's reform, and he is more aware of the sensitive status of the Holy City family. He patted Tepetel on the shoulder and said with a quiet smile.

"Don't worry! Tepetel, we have known each other for many years. I will certainly have a good word for you in front of the king!"

"OK!"

Hearing this, the disappointment in Tepetel's eyes flashed. But in an instant, he laughed and raised his glass, shouting loudly.

"Blessed by the Lord God, you won't return tonight if you don't get drunk! Come on, let's have a cup of honorable Vice Marshal together again! I wish God's blessing and a smooth journey ahead!"

"I wish God's blessing, and the road ahead is smooth!..."

Everyone laughed and drank, and soon they all got a little drunk. Then, Tepetel beckoned, and a large number of graceful girls in short coats, holding flowers, came forward to dance. Songs and dances of the Qing Dynasty fall red in front of the flowers; the long night is long, and it is dawn before you realize it.

At noon the next day, Huosoke boarded the boat again, and there were two more maids with low eyebrows beside him.

"Hey! The High Priest is right. The sweeter the wine, the more you can't drink it! The level of my wine tasting is still a bit poor, and I haven't drank the herbs hidden in it..."

He glanced at the maids, sighed softly, and strode to the bow, waving to Izel who came to see him off. The boat continued to move forward and stayed for another day near the holy city. Most of the holy city warriors disembarked here and returned to their long-lost hometowns. The newly acquired maids were also taken away by the family samurai.

As the sun rises in the east, when the boat sails into the fertile Texcoco Lake area, the contiguous Qinampa floating fields appear in front of you. The tropics are still warm in winter, and the farmers are working **** the chinampa. From time to time, boats carrying manure and river mud stop to replenish the nutrients in the floating fields. Corn, kidney beans, peppers, cocoa, herbs, zucchini, tomatoes... all kinds of crops, all flourishing on the fertile floating fields at the same time, tell the story of an agricultural miracle that can be harvested up to 7 times a year.

Riding a boat floating in the fields, the fragrance of grass and flowers is everywhere. A day later, the magnificent capital city in the lake appeared in front of Husok.

He disembarked at the village on the north bank of the Long Bridge, where envoys from the royal family were already waiting. Under the guidance of the messenger, a group of one hundred people went south along the long embankment to the north city. Along the long embankment, the pines and cypresses transplanted in the previous year have already flourished and lush, and the bifurcated tree shadows are reflected on the lake, which is like the soul of an elves.

"The pine tree spirit in the water, Avit..."

Xiusok pondered in his heart. The victory of the military war has continuously promoted the reform of the alliance, and also concentrated the power of the royal family. Compared with two years ago, the capital city in the lake has been deeply imprinted with the traces of the king.

The long embankment connects the north and the south, and thousands of pedestrians pass through the manicured road. They praised the supremacy of the Lord God and the greatness of the king. Everyone walked through the big market in Beicheng, and the shouts of tens of thousands of people were like heavy rain in the monsoon season.

There are many new trade tax officers all over the market. They held pen and paper, and carried a new wooden abacus around their waists. Uniform weights and measures have become commonplace in the market. The big businessmen who came from afar looked submissive and bowed their heads to pay the taxes for trade. And important controlled materials, such as bronze utensils, battle sticks, cotton armor, bows and arrows, are uniformly sold by officially registered merchants. Every transaction needs to be recorded and regularly inspected by the government.

Huosoke glanced over, and many Tarasco-shaped utensils flowed into the market, obviously the spoils of the Western Expedition Corps. He nodded slightly and followed the messenger through the long canal and into the bustling main city. Although the New Year's celebration has not yet begun, the ecstasy after the victory has already filled the main city.

The ceremony to celebrate the victory started in advance in the shrine of the community, and the rich loot and rewards have been distributed in place. The priest's song echoed in the stone houses on both sides, and the air was filled with curling rosin. From time to time, warriors sang high-pitched battle songs and danced majestic battle dances. The community members gathered in a circle and praised the warriors who returned from the westward expedition.

Husok saw a young warrior. He was dressed in the battle uniform of a third-level warrior, and after dancing the battle dance, he entered the crowd and held the hand of a beautiful girl. Witnessed by the Lord God, the young warrior clenched his fists to his chest, boasting of his bravery on the battlefield, while talking about his admiration for the girl.

There was admiration in the girl's eyes. She turned her head to look not far away, a middle-aged man in fancy clothes, who was the father who was in charge of her marriage and the head of the family. The other party pondered for a while, then nodded slowly, and cheers erupted from the crowd. The samurai was immediately full of ecstasy, bowed down to the middle-aged man, and pulled the girl's hand hard. The two ran out of the crowd together and disappeared in a blink of an eye.

Husok smiled knowingly. He looked at the middle-aged man who was shaking his head and sighing. The other party's clothes are embroidered with family crests, which should be from a minor noble. After the victory of the Western Expedition, the warriors returned full of honor and trophies, and their social status improved again. This combination of excellent commoner warriors and daughters of minor nobles has become more and more common.

Of course, the traditional hierarchical order has been completely disintegrated in Mikancho's lake. With the rulers of Mexica as the core, a new order is being established, and a grander blueprint has been drawn.

The messenger's footsteps did not stop, and soon he arrived at the armory in the north of the city. The holy city warriors ascended to the temple, first prayed to the newly formed main statue, and then to the relegated Vulcan statue for blessings, and then dispersed here. A king's guard replaced the old messenger and continued to lead Husok to the temple and palace area in the core of the main city.

Although it is winter, the noble district along the way is still full of flowers, and there is a pleasant fragrance of flowers everywhere. Wreaths, jades, gold and silver, painted pottery have long been placed in front of the gates of various manors... The big nobles boasted about the luxury of their families, and even shells and corals by the sea. The military nobles placed the spoils of the Western Expedition, the weapons and armor of the Kingdom of Tarasco, and some captured noble banners.

In the square of the noble section, poets and musicians from various city-states are reciting high songs and playing bamboo flutes. Hearing the familiar name, Xiusoke paused and listened for a while, his face suddenly confused.

"The son I brought up with my own hands, although the young man is smart and good at fighting and martial arts, but he can't make a sound like thunder, his eyes are shining, and he can break a big tree with one punch..."

"The alliance advocates heroes and focuses on military merit! The Northern Army has received divine grace in the Western Expedition, and it has shined along the way. It is also common for the citizens of the capital to deify His Highness."

The king's bodyguard turned sideways and smiled faintly at Husok.

Hearing this, Xiusoke was stunned. He smiled and replied gently.

"The land in the lake also sings the prestige of the king. The supreme king is the true incarnation of the sun **** in the world..."

The two smiled and stopped talking at the same time. In a hurry, the towering Great Temple came into view.

The holy flames were ever-bright, and the priests' songs resounded loudly. Hundreds of temple warriors looked serious, stationed at the bottom of the Great Temple, guarding a large number of noble sacrifices, and also guarding the surrounding affiliated temples. Hundreds of civilians hunched over their waists, carrying sealed wooden barrels, and from time to time blue liquid dripped from the barrels.

"This is... the Mayan blue dye used to smear offerings at sacrifices... so much?"

Husock looked surprised. He looked at the king's guard, who nodded lightly. In an instant, a strong **** aura seemed to come from his nostrils, making the resolute warrior tremble in his heart. You must know that those who can go to the altar of the Great Temple must be nobles with sacred blood...

Walking silently, the two headed south again. The expansion of the Great Temple is continuing, and further south, an unusually wide building has been built, and the foundation is being built at this time.

Huosoke was familiar with the army, and after a brief estimate, he knew that there were at least 3,000 people working in the field. The king's guard seemed to have expected it long ago. He smiled and turned back and said in a deep voice.

"This is the new king's palace. The first phase of the project will be half the height and half the area of ​​the Great Temple..."

"Ah, what did the elder say..."

"The elders naturally agree. When building the foundation, not only will corn mortar and volcanic ash be reinforced, but also the blood of the Tarrasco gods... The main **** will step on the bones of the gods and ascend to the highest throne. !"

"The Lord God is supreme, praise the Lord God!"

Husok nodded and prayed sincerely. Since the elders have agreed, everything else is the last part.

Soon, the gorgeous administrative palace will arrive. The king's guard showed the jade talisman to the guarding royal guard, while Husok removed the battle stick on his back and the long dagger on his waist. Afterwards, the two walked along the path in the garden to the king's palace, which has been passed down for half a century.

A large number of nobles and officials were waiting in front of the palace~lightnovelpub.net~ There was actually some noise in the field. But the closer you got to the palace, the lower the voices of everyone, and in the end there was only a solemn silence.

Xiusok took a deep breath and followed the king's guard to the gate. When the door opened, he quickly looked up and walked forward.

The supreme king was expressionless and sat high on the throne that was getting higher and higher. He is wearing a royal suit embellished with gems, holding a divine scepter that has been passed down for centuries, his eyes are indifferent and calm, like the incarnation of a god. And in the shadow of the king, a silent intelligence officer cast his gaze.

"The Lord God is supreme! The glorious nobleman of Teotihuacan, Hussock, greets the incarnation of the sun god, the Grand Tratoani of the Alliance, the supreme king!"

Xiusok sank his heart and paid homage. The loud voice echoed in the empty stone hall, and then gradually faded away. The stone hall returned to silence, and even the dozens of warriors guarding it were as awe-inspiring as statues.

It seemed like half a century had passed before an icy voice floated down from a height, with awe-inspiring coldness.

"Housok, I heard that you were in Trocampon and had a good time with Tepetel?"