The winter sun rises from the Long Lake in the East, shimmering on the vast lake and dyeing the white-stone city of Tenochtitlan gold. The cool breeze blowing from the plateau in the north lifts the brightly colored drapes of the gods in the houses, and also blows the gorgeous feathered corners of the pedestrians. When the morning light faded, hundreds of priests lit the sacred smoke of celebration at the same time, and a faint rosin incense was immediately diffused in the air.

Today is an auspicious day for the New Year's Day. The sky was only bright, and the capital city in the lake had woken up from its slumber. The noise of hundreds of thousands of people was deafening, and even the clouds in the sky were scattered! Soon, the morning prayers began in various community shrines, announcing the beginning of the ritual of worshipping the gods. The singing of the community priests was high-pitched and clear, accompanied by the desolate bone xun, the flying bamboo flute, and the heavy leather drum, and then turned into bursts of cheers!

The roaring sound wafted from the eighty communities of the capital to the lake in Texcoco. The waterfowl that migrated south also woke up from their slumber. They chirped loudly, spread their wings of various colors, and circled and danced in the sky of the Lake District!

With the help of his concubine, Xiusoke had already finished dressing up and was standing in his courtyard, looking up at the boundless blue sky. He had long been used to being in charge of the portal alone. After returning to the capital, he did not live in the high priest's palace, but only went to greet him regularly.

At this moment, he was wearing tight leather armor, a high-level battle suit with eagle feathers, and a gorgeous eagle helmet raised high, looking extremely mighty. After looking at it for a while, the determined warrior took out his longbow, aimed at the white wings flying above his head, and suddenly pulled the bowstring.

"Om..."

The half-opened bowstring squeaked heavily and made a low tremor, but there was no flying arrow. It turned out that this was just a vacancy.

"The white bird flies freely in the sky, and the longbow is collected alone in the house. The New Year's Day, the sacrificial ceremony, the sky is really good!"

Xiusoke murmured two small poems before shaking his head with a smile. He put the longbow behind his back, put the battle stick on his waist, touched the short dagger tied to his leg, and strode out the door.

As the deputy head of the Eagles Chapter, his duty today is to lead the legion to guard under the Great Temple, that is, stand fully armed for a day. For a determined samurai, such a duty is not difficult, not to mention there are festivals to watch.

When you walk out of the courtyard, you will be greeted by a tumultuous hustle and bustle. Tens of thousands of people gathered on both sides of the street, crowded into circles one after another. Both nobles and commoners wore the brightest and most colorful costumes, laughed, sang and danced, praised the glory of the Lord God, and celebrated the victory of the Western Expedition! This is the border between the nobility and the plebeians, and it is where the parade celebrating the gods is about to pass.

Soon, the procession was coming from the temple area. Hundreds of warriors were the first to clear the way. Under the singing and guidance of the high priest, two hundred civilians had their backs bent, shouldering a wide and gorgeous wooden altar, and marched forward slowly and steadily.

The cheers of the crowd suddenly became louder, and the praises were interlaced like drums! From time to time, nobles bowed their heads and stepped forward, and on the edge of the altar, placed fruits, flowers, gold ornaments, silver ornaments and gems that paid tribute to the gods. On the inside of the altar, there is a circle of cactus flowers symbolizing the sacred, followed by a circle of turquoise symbolizing immortality, and in the center stands the symbol of the supreme god: the golden sun with a diameter of more than one meter and a weight of more than one ton!

In Europe in this era, a ton of gold is a huge wealth that makes all kings coveted. But for the Mesoamerican civilization sitting on the gold and silver mines, a ton of gold is just a sacrificial vessel for the gods. Tenochtitlan, the capital of the lake, is the center of Mesoamerica and is home to the greatest wealth in the world! Not counting silver and precious stones, the reserves of gold alone amount to hundreds of tons, scattered in every nobleman's manor, courtyard and tomb!

Husok stopped and bowed his head to the third-level priest headed by him. The priest sat high on the shoulders of the eight people, with a solemn and majestic face, until he saw Xiusoke's face clearly, and then put on a happy smile.

"Praise the Lord God! Captain Xiusoke, the New Year's ceremony has begun. May the Lord God bless you!"

"Praise the Lord God! This priest, can I offer my blessings under the sun of the Lord God?"

"Of course! The blank area under the golden sun is reserved for nobles like you."

The third-level priest waved his hand, and the procession stopped. Husock sincerely thanked him. Then, he took a step forward, took out two pearls from Mikancho Lake District, carefully placed them under the golden sun, and then bowed his head and prayed silently.

"God bless! My father, may you be healthy...my son, may you spread your wings..."

After a while, Hussock ended his prayer and greeted the priest with a smile.

"This priest, thank you for your kindness, may I have the honor to know your name?"

"Haha, I am Aureli from the glorious priest family in the capital. My father Yazar is a colleague of the high priest, and he is also one of the twelve priests and elders..."

Hearing this, Xiusoke's eyes flashed. The root of the word "Aza" is related to war. This priest family should be an ancient heritage serving the **** of war, and it is deeply rooted in the capital.

"May the **** of war bless you! Priest Aureli, I'm going to the Great Temple to guard, and I'll leave you!"

"The **** of war blesses us! Captain Husok, the priests and elders have all taken their places in the main temple. The immortal elders should appear after the sun rises... You have to be a little faster!"

"Thank you for your reminder! Praise the Lord God!"

"Praise the Lord God!"

The two bowed their heads and said goodbye to each other, and the parade continued onward.

Xiusok walked like the wind and quickly came to the entrance of the temple area. Thousands of eagles have gathered here, all fully armed, waiting for the two commanders. He looked around, Stanley had not arrived yet, only the captains of the battalions greeted him.

With a gentle smile, Huosoke returned the salute one by one, then walked to the head of the team and stood still. The towering pyramid temple is in front of you, the priests have ignited the raging holy fire, and the blue offerings of the brigade have also been pushed out from the prison cells of the temples. He looked at the gradually brightening sky, looked at the endless offerings, and thought that his elderly father was preparing for sacrifices in the Great Temple, and sighed softly.

"The New Year's festival will last for three full days, and the high priest will personally perform the operation... Father's body..."

While thinking about it, the giant bear-like Stanley has appeared at the end of the street, and his eyebrows are full of flying expressions. He roared loudly to greet everyone, and then put an arm around Husok's shoulder.

"Haha, praise the Lord God! Xiusoke, my old friend, we meet again!"

"Praise the Lord! Greetings to you, Captain Stanley!"

"Haha, the sun is dazzling, the clouds are scattered, and the sacred festival is today! It's really a good day for flowers and blood, I've been looking forward to it for a long time!"

Stanley was in a high position at a young age, and he was full of unrestrained publicity. In the face of Husok, who has a similar identity, he is quite close.

"I watched the ball game on the road just now. There were a few wonderful shots. The opponent who hit the ball spattered with blood and fell to the ground with broken bones... Don't say it, the warriors of Tecos are barbarians in the mountains, and they play ball. But he is really brave, much stronger than the Tarasco warriors! I watched two games in a row, and the Tarasco team lost, and the whole team was sentenced to sacrifice. When they were brought to the altar, there were still people urinating. Pants! Haha!"

Hearing the wonderful game, Huosoke nodded with a smile. Immediately, he asked with some doubts.

"Stanley, isn't the Human Sacrificial Stadium in the Temple District? Where did you just watch it?"

"Oh, Huosoke, you have only been in the capital for two or three days, and many arrangements are unclear. The prisoners who returned from the west expedition and were escorted to the capital were four thousand Tecos warriors and four Tarasco warriors. Thousands, there are more than 2,000 noble men..."

"There are too many prisoners participating in the sacrifice! The priests and elders are distinguished, and they are only responsible for sacrificing the nobles of Tarasco. The remaining two warriors are all devoted to the field of sacrifice. The respected king is kind and generous, Four new stadiums have been added in the noble area and the civilian area, so that all the citizens of the capital can revel together!"

"Ah, what? For this big festival, a whole 10,000 people will be sacrificed?"

Hearing this number, Huosoke took a deep breath. Even though he had fought on the battlefield and was used to seeing mountains of corpses and seas of blood, he was very shocked. You must know that in an ordinary city-state, all the inhabitants add up to no more than ten thousand people.

"Haha, Huosoke, so your math is not as good as mine!"

Stanley laughed. In his eyes, the enemy's life is nothing but weeds on the roadside, and only the brave are worthy of admiration.

"Eight thousand warriors threw themselves into the field of sacrifice and played for three days. Half of the losers became sacrifices on the small pyramid, and half of the winners became slaves for the construction of the king's palace. Oh, and the wounded in the ball game, the elders sacrificed The nobles who sacrificed... This festival, probably just sacrificed a Hikipili, 8,000 people! Haha!"

Stanley smiled and patted Hursok on the shoulder. Then, his expression was solemn, his eyes bright, but he showed some rare wisdom.

"Xu Suoke, compared to the achievements of destroying the Tarasco Kingdom, what is this number? The Turks barbarians are rebellious, always resisting and fleeing, it is too troublesome to manage, it is better to send them to the stadium to please the people!

And those who were brought to the capital were all die-hard loyalists of the Tarasco Kingdom, high-ranking warriors and inheritance nobles who held power and wealth. We Mexicans destroyed their country, occupied their fiefs, killed their relatives, took away their wives and daughters, and divided their wealth. Do we still expect them to be grateful and surrender sincerely?

...haha, only low-level samurai and nobles are worth recruiting, because the Alliance can give them more! As for the others, whether they are senior warriors, god-born nobles, or the condor royal family, they are all sent to the altar and dedicated to the supreme god! "

Husock pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement. After a while, he looked at Stanley suspiciously, and looked at the other side's broad forehead and giant bear-like body.

"Stanley, who said that? It doesn't look like anything you can think of."

"Of course it's me!"

Under the scrutiny of Husok, Stanley shouted the first half of the sentence. Then, with a look of embarrassment, he paused and finished in a low voice.

"...Listen to the venerable King Avet."

Husock smiled lightly, with an expression he had known for a long time. Stanley blushed slightly, turned his head and growled.

"All eagle warriors, prepare their gear! Go to the temple area and guard around the great temple! The immortal elders are coming soon. If they encounter suspicious foreign envoys approaching, they will all be killed!"

"Roar!"

The thousand eagles roared like a beast, and went to the Great Temple in the Temple District to set up defenses according to the group. As the guards of the sun god, they are only responsible for the security of the great temple. In the temple area, 3,000 royal warriors and 1,000 jaguars have already been stationed. These five thousand most elite alliance warriors are enough to overwhelm everything!

As Xiusok went all the way, the majestic Great Temple became more and more tall. The 60-meter-high Twin Pyramid is like the Serpent Mountain of the Lord God in mythology, casting a large and magnificent shadow on the ground, which makes people unable to bear the reverence in their hearts. At the top of the Great Temple, more than a dozen small dots have high feather crests, wearing solemn high-level sacrificial clothes. They are like messengers of the gods, standing high above, overlooking the entire lake capital.

Xiusok narrowed his eyes and looked at the solemn and old figure at the head of the meeting. The figure was also projecting his gaze. After a while, the determined samurai lowered his head and looked away.

He scanned the field of human sacrifice, and the nobles were relaxed, eating desserts mixed with maple syrup and honey, drinking cocoa with added vanilla and pepper, and talking loudly about the wonderful game. From time to time, defeated teams are escorted to the surrounding small pyramids, and they roll down with cheers, adding a little red and sweetness to the temple area.

In this cruel era, everyone turns a blind eye to this level of bloodshed and is used to it. The nobles continued to chat and laugh loudly, enjoying the dried four seasons fruits, including sweet and sour cactus, pineapple, unicorn, mamie, custard apple, monstera, as well as delicious and extremely popular. of black persimmons.

Inwards of the stadium is the square of the Temple District. Soft dancers danced gracefully, dedicated musicians played the Divine Comedy, and solemn singers praised the gods. From time to time, inspired poets take to the platform to recite a new poem, in exchange for cheers or shaking their heads. Occasionally, a great aristocrat from the capital will come forward to show his style in front of everyone, revealing his knowledge and heroism.

Various poems describing the campaign of the Western Expedition were the most popular, and even the foreign envoys tried to listen to them.

Xiusok listened carefully, only to hear something like "His Royal Highness Shen Qi turned into a running black wolf, projecting lightning that exploded like thunder, so the fortress also collapsed", "The priests prayed that the Lord God would come, The tree turned into a roaring tree man, and threw unbreakable stones"...The resolute samurai smiled reassuringly.

Huosoke smiled and led the group of Eagle Warriors through the lively crowd. Soon, he came under the steps of the Great Temple. A group of temple warriors dressed in black wolves bowed their heads, greeted the two heads, and then respectfully handed over two erected spears. This specially-made spear is five meters long, with a large banner of the main **** in the middle, and each has a disheveled head at the top.

Xiusok sighed lightly, his expression instantly solemn. He took his spear and held it upright in both hands. Then the resolute warrior looked up, and above it was Tepetel's fresh head. He glanced at Stanley's spear again, but the head at the top was dry and blurred, just the same glaring rage.

"Who is that?"

Husock recognized it for a moment, making sure that he had never seen it before.

"Haha, this is Prince Tarasco, the commander of the South Road, the head of Cuyus!"

Stanley looked at the head, laughed heartily, and then felt a little emotional.

"This guy is a powerful person who can fight! He has kept the highest and most important fortress on the South Road and blocked us for almost a year! I personally led the team and charged several times, but they were all beaten back in disgrace. He was shot in the knee. After Suangua escaped, he also blocked us for more than a week. He is the best marshal in the Tarasco Kingdom!"

"South Road Commander Cuyus?"

Hearing this familiar name, Huosoke was a little surprised.

"Didn't he escape?"

"Haha, he escaped to the Mistecs. If the people in the clouds on the wall can be trusted, the domestic turkeys can fly up to the trees!"

Stanley looked at the Mistec envoy in the distance and smiled disdainfully. The nobles of the people in the cloud are modest, never make drastic movements, and even speak slowly. They were wearing gold and silver inlaid Chinese robes, with glittering hollow gold rings on their wrists and ankles, which made them very hard to beat.

"No, the people of the cloud have entertained Cueus for several months. As a result, when the news of the King's defeat of the Tlaxcala Legion came, he immediately turned his face and drugged him, stunned him, and then cut him off. He sent his head to the Alliance to admit his mistake and show his loyalty. Tsk tsk, look at the expression before his death with his eyes wide open, how unwilling he must be before his death!”

After listening to Stanley say a few more words, even Husok was a little emotional. He suddenly remembered a poem that his son had said, which was in line with the Mexican concept of destiny and the current scene, so he recited it in a low voice.

"When the God of Destiny is in the limelight, the divine sky and the earth will give you the power of victory together! And when the God of Destiny leaves, even the unworldly hero can only helplessly sigh and lose!"

"Huh? Husok, this poem is really good! Who said it? It doesn't look like you can come up with it."

Stanley exclaimed loudly~lightnovelpub.net~ and then looked at Husock suspiciously.

Xiusoke's old face suddenly turned red. But the son's poems, if you copy it, you will copy it, and you can still say bad things about Laozi.

"Of course it's me!"

The two of them held spears in their hands and turned their backs to the Great Pyramid Temple, and talked about it with a smile. The sun soon rose in the sky, and the sky was already bright.

Suddenly, a burst of wild cheers from the mountains and tsunamis suddenly sounded from the square in the temple area. For a moment, it was like a thunderous thunder, shaking the whole world! Everyone in front of them, no matter the nobles, priests, warriors, and even foreign envoys, all showed their sincere awe and bowed like a fallen cornstalk!

The two captains were immediately awestruck. They held spears, bowed their heads, and knelt down on one knee. There is only one possibility for this kind of performance of surrender of all people, both inside and outside! Soon, hundreds of priests shouted a prayer of praise in unison. The sound of praise rolled down from the heights, which was deeply shocking.

"Praise the Lord God! The great Siva Kovatel, the immortal sun of the Mexicas, the incarnation of the lofty Lord God, the supreme elder, has come to the world!"