The moon rises in the east and sets in the west, the night is the darkest, and the dawn will come soon. Priest Tomat continued the unfinished conversation with Chief Mozi, telling the information about the Maya in the northern lowlands with only a few words, and he didn't realize that it was dawn.

"The guardian clan of Kanur, the territory is in the westernmost part of the peninsula, more than a hundred miles from east to west, and more than two hundred miles from north to south. The north is dry, the south is hilly, and the population is mainly in the middle. And from north to south, along a line, a total of There are more than a dozen small Kanur city-states. These city-states are ruled by different chiefs of the clan, and all belong to the Presbyterian Church in Kapok City. Such a loose political system is doomed to be difficult for them to concentrate their efforts, and there is no one The chieftain or king who decides everything..."

Priest Tomat took out a pen and paper, and, between the bonfires along the coast, bowed his head to record and write down important assessments.

"This clan is not a whole. Perhaps, the scattered city-states within them can be treated separately. Moreover, they all come from the Mexican plateau and have the blood of the Nahua people. They also occupy the coastal area in the west of the peninsula and have good relations Necessary and possible!"

Chief Mozi looked curiously at the square or simple characters, as if he was looking at the mysterious priest symbols, and felt a little respect in his heart. The inheritance of the gods in the Puton tribe has dissipated, and the abstract writing is completely unrecognizable. They are the most isolated tribe among the Mayans, and they are also the barbarians who advocate the most force and are the easiest to assimilate.

"...Together, the Kanur family owns more than a dozen small towns and 10,000 Mayan warriors. According to estimates, there should be a population of 300,000. The exact number is still unclear, and further information needs to be collected."

Priest Tomat pondered for a while, and wrote down the last paragraph.

"It is also interesting that the Kanur clan also has a law code, which was established in Kapok City, called the Kalkini Code, that is, the Kapok Code. In their view, Kapok (yaaxche) is the center of the world, the place of birth, and the origin of life , the unity of the universe, and the way of communication between gods and people. The kapok tree gave the descendants of the gods the power to rule the people, and the rulers maintained the stability of towns and villages. Under the witness of the sacred kapok tree, they established the presbyterian Covenant law, through negotiation to determine clan affairs. And such a loose and peculiar system has been in operation for three or four hundred years, and it was like this in the Mayapan era."

Priest Tomat scratched his head and wrote another comment.

"The Council of Elders, the Kapok Law Code, negotiates decisions. This system seems to have originated from the Council of Presbyterians within the city-state, but has risen to the union of multiple city-states. I think this system is extremely stable, and the key to it is the Code. "

The Mayan merchant Tikalo was sitting beside him, peeking at the writings of the priest of Tomate from the corner of the bonfire. Seeing the last evaluation, he secretly smiled in his heart.

"What stable system, what key code? It's just that in the Kanur clan, there is no god-born leader like the ancestor Kokom who can unify everyone!"

Priest Tomat thought for a while, then looked at Chief Mozi, asked some details about the Xiwu family, and wrote again.

"The Xiwu family leads the Tuturxiu tribe, from the deserted central Maya. The meaning of their name is 'those who are full of virtue'. Therefore, they can be called the Xiwumeide clan."

Seeing the last sentence, Ticaro had a mocking smile on his face. Rebelling against the king, slaughtering the royal family, looting the capital, and attracting barbarian tribes to invade, what a 'virtuous' clan!

"Their history can be traced back to seven hundred years ago. The first capital established was Uxmal, and the current capital is Mani. They also occupy the capital of Mayapan. They have a supreme clan leader () , is in charge of the clan’s various city-states and armies. This clan, which has been passed down for a long time, is obviously more centralized, cohesive from top to bottom, and is the most powerful force in the northern part of the Yucatan Peninsula!”

"The Xiumede family is located inland, two hundred miles from east to west, and two hundred miles from north to south. These two hundred miles are the richest places in the lowland Maya. With the wealth of the territory, they established two legions, one in the east. Guard the Kapoor clan and suppress the Kanur guardian clan in the west. According to estimates, they should have about 15,000 warriors, directly or indirectly controlling a population of 400,000-500,000..."

Ticaro looked at it for a while, but remained silent. Priest Tomat lowered his head and wrote, not caring about the mood of translation. He thought for a while and wrote down the summary again.

"However, they also had troubles. During the process of overthrowing Mayapan, many battles broke out around the capital, which destroyed the canals around Mayapan and reduced food production. Then they fought with the Kanur clan in the west and the clan in the east. The Kapoor clan is hostile, and food consumption has always been very high. During the plunder of the Puton tribe, the grain obtained by the Xiwu territory was far less than that of the Kanur territory. This is proof. And the generals of the Xiwu clan even more Being cunning, it is much quicker and more flexible than the response of the Kanuer Presbyterian Church. Therefore, the Puton tribe prefers to plunder the territory of the Kanuer clan."

"Generally speaking, the Xiwu family is located inland and does not control the coastline. They have no direct stake in the kingdom's fleet. They are powerful, but they are facing enemies on both sides and food is in short supply. The situation is not very good. In addition to their With a consistent and flexible style of acting, it is unlikely that he will take the initiative to be hostile to the Kingdom's fleet. And for the fleet, there is no need to actively provoke the powerful Xiwu family..."

Seeing this, Ticaro turned his head and gritted his teeth.

Sure enough, as he expected, the Kingdom fleet's attitude towards the Xiwu family was destined to remain neutral. Neither Tomath, the main priest who is familiar with politics, nor Chivaco, the cautious captain, will take the initiative to attack the Xiwu family. And the cunning and forbearing Xiwu family will certainly not rashly hostile...

"Hehehe! Destiny, after all, it depends on human effort!..."

The morning sun cast a twilight, and the sky gradually brightened. Priest Tomat closed the book, looked east, and prayed silently.

"Praise the supreme Lord God! Please bless us! The fleet of the Kingdom will go all the way to the east, and will not entangle too much with the Mayan city-states. We will definitely arrive at Snake Island in the East China Sea and establish an outpost of the Kingdom!"

As the sun rises, light follows. The golden light cast into the eyes of the priest, like the majesty and promise of the Lord God.

After a while, Priest Tomat stood up and formally bid farewell to Chief Mozi. He hadn't slept all night, but he was still full of energy and his eyes were shining brightly.

"Goodbye, brother Moqi! The lord **** has witnessed that we will meet again! Please believe that the friendship in the kingdom will be like the rising sun in the east. It will flow continuously and bring you real light!"

"Okay! Praise the Lord God, praise the ancestors! Brother Moqi, bring a hundred tribal warriors, and go on the road early!"

Chief Mozi nodded solemnly. He glanced at the 20 pairs of leather armor, 100 copper axes, and 600 copper spears on the coast, and the corners of his mouth curled up in satisfaction. And one hundred tribal fighters have already been selected and handed over to the kingdom fleet. All of them have no family encumbrances, and from then on, they are members of the Tiger Tribe.

"We Puton people have a proverb, which is called climbing a high hill, and you will naturally see the way!"

Chief Mozi stretched out his fist and collided with Priest Tomat's palm again. At this moment, there was already a strong fighting spirit in his eyes.

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"The Lord God has witnessed that the Short Spear tribe will be going to war soon. Brother Moqi, I wish you a smooth journey to Snake Island! When we meet again, I look forward to more weapons and armor!"

"Okay! The lord **** blesses you, and you will be invincible after receiving the grace of the lord god!"

The red sun is rising, and its way is bright. The farewell in the morning was not sad at all, but full of hope. The kingdom's fleet unloaded a ship of weapons, loaded on a hundred Burton warriors, and replenished enough food and water. Then, the fleet set sail again, heading for Jinshe City, 160 miles to the north.

Sailing north in March, against the wind, there is no current to rely on. The fleet maintained their strength and did not slow down. It took more than three days to arrive at the "place of snakes and ticks", KaanPeech.

The location of this city-state is approximately near the city of Campeche in Mexico in later generations. When the fleet arrived here, the surrounding forests became dense again, turning into a hilly rainforest. Near the coast, there are many small lakes and lagoons.

"Crabs, oysters, turtles, prawns and storks...all stewed and grilled!"

Dee Dee was drooling as he counted the game around the lagoon. He didn't know it all, but there was the silver crow warrior Osprey who grew up by the sea, and he was also eager to try.

"Warriors on the seashore, how can they not eat delicious sea bass and hunt ferocious sharks? Although the sea is full of deserts, this area near the sea is really rich!"

Precipitation from the rainforest forms raging rivers that also bring nutrients from the soil. The seaweed that grows along the coast of this area will naturally attract a large number of fish and shrimp. Although the mountain bird of the Yorem tribe didn't know the reason, he could clearly see that the seaside here was richer than that of the northern tribes.

"City! A small city!"

Shanniao squinted his eyes and was the first to discover the trace of Jinshe City. He waved the flag and shouted loudly, and everyone heard his reputation.

"Huh? This city is bigger than Grassland City, and it uses a lot of stones."

The old militiaman Chihuaco looked at it for a while, pondering in his heart. The Jinshe City here is controlled by the Jinshe Clan and is familiar with the merchant group of Tikalo.

"Old man Qi? Shall we stop for supplies?"

Putting on a bronze armor and holding a bronze spear, Puap looked warily at the city-state by the sea. There are two small rivers around the city-state, and there are also canoes for trade. But in general, compared with the trade node Red Lake Town, it is far worse.

"Well, let me see..."

The old militiaman rubbed his chin and looked at Tikalo, the Mayan merchant. Ticaro had a smile on his face, vaguely looking forward to it. Seeing this, the old militiaman made a decision.

"There is enough water on the boat, so we won't disembark for supplies! Well, let Priest Tomat row a small boat to meet the local god-born nobles, send two bags of gems, and then tell me about that prophecy. Tonight, or tomorrow at the most In the morning, let's go!"

Then, the old militiaman patted Tikalo on the shoulder, kindly caring.

"Tikalo, you have been frightened and tired in the Short Spear Tribe, take a good rest these few days... Let your translator go with Priest Tomat!"

"...listen to you, Captain Chivaco."

Ti Carlo pursed his lips, remained silent for a few breaths, and responded with a smile. All the way north, he was getting closer and closer to his hometown, and the old militiaman Chihuaco became more and more vigilant. No matter where he goes, there will be two Prepecha warriors by his side for personal protection.

"What a vigilant old turtle!...What should we do next?"

The Mayan merchant looked at the city-state by the sea, without any emotion or anxiety on his face. He watched Priest Tomat holding a stack of scriptures, wearing several sun amulets, and escorting several warriors as he boarded the boat with enthusiasm.

The boat rowed to the shore, and a group of people went ashore and entered the city. Then, Priest Tomat said something to the Mayan warriors guarding the city, and some people left in a hurry. Two quarters of an hour later, several god-born nobles with the faces of gods hurried over, led Priest Tomat into the palace, and completely disappeared from everyone's sight.

Seven long ships docked by the sea, attracting the attention of many people outside this remote town. Soon, more than a dozen canoes tentatively approached under the guard of the kingdom's warriors. When he got close, he heard the shouts of the Mayans on the boat, and a smile appeared on Tikalo's face.

"Respected Captain Chihuaco, the Mayan villagers rowing the boat are from the coast. They want to sell some local products to the boat."

"What, local products?"

"Yes! Most of them are fruits, dried fruits, vegetables, fish and shrimp, and sometimes shells, dried fish, cinnabar, and unknown beautiful stones."

Chivaco frowned slightly, looked at the simple and expectant villagers on the boat, and looked at Tikalo, a Mayan businessman with a gentle smile beside him, and asked suspiciously.

"Why would they take the initiative to approach and sell us?"

"Because, our fleet is very rich at first glance. And they are forced by the annual tribute to work hard to earn some wealth."

Ticaro touched the divine bald head and spoke with emotion.

"Captain Qi, the Mayan tribes in the north are extremely populated. The land belongs to the gods, nobles, and priests blessed by the gods, and every village has to pay extremely high tribute. The villagers have limited land and have always had a tradition of heavy commerce. As for the villagers along the coast, many of them have no land, and they just farm for the nobles in exchange for some food at the mouth of the lake. Therefore, selling some local products that cannot be sold at a price to the foreign fleet may be The only way for them to make ends meet."

Seeing that Chihuaco's eyes were still suspicious, Tikalo smiled and pointed at the necks of the villagers.

"Look, what are the amulets they wear around their necks?"

"Um?"

Chivako squinted his eyes and watched from a distance for a while, with surprise on his face. He stretched out his hand to grab the merle, and let the other party watch it carefully for a while.

"Captain, the talisman on their necks depicts a strange woman! That woman has a long rope around her neck, her eyes are tightly closed, and her exposed upper body is black..."

Mera scratched his head, his eyelids twitched, feeling very ominous.

"It's really weird! It's like drawing a hanged woman!"

"Yes! This is the hanged goddess, Ixtab, the goddess of suicide! She was hanged by herself with a rope around her neck. The blackness on her body symbolizes the rotting corpse. This This goddess is one of the few gods who belong to the common people, and she also gave the villagers a smooth way to enter the God Realm."

The Mayan merchant Tikalo spoke quietly, telling about the cruelty of reality.

"In the Mayan tribes, there are only a few ways to go to the beautiful gods after death. Among them, like the Mexica tribes, the warriors who died in battle, the women who died after giving birth, and the sacrifices made by sacrifices can all go straight to the gods. world...but other than that, there is a method that ranks first, is simpler, and is encouraged by the descendants of the gods. This method is often used by civilians who are struggling to make ends meet, old and poor!"

"What? You...you mean?..."

"That's right, it's suicide!"

Ticaro smiled faintly and nodded for sure.

"These civilians believe in Isitab, the goddess of suicide, and also wear the goddess' amulets. When they are over thirty, gradually unable to work, and their livelihoods become more difficult... On a certain auspicious day, they will choose a sacred The kapok tree. Then, they will go to the priest of the goddess of suicide, borrow the rope of divinity, and tie the rope to the tree...From then on, they will end themselves and go to the kingdom of God!"

"But sometimes, there are too many old people going to the Kingdom of God on an auspicious day, and they have to share a rope with many people. The person in front has just hung him, and the people behind can't wait to hold him down and replace him. If you are lucky Not good, I am not dead, I still have to ask someone to help me, hang me again..."

"hiss!"

Hearing this, the old militiaman Chihuaco took a few breaths. He turned his head again and looked at the amulets of the goddess of suicide on the necks of those civilians, his eyes gradually showing unbearable.

"This!... These civilians, haven't they thought about resisting the tribute imposed on them?"

"Haha! The revered descendants of the gods rule all the lands. They are the blood of the gods, and they have the faces of the gods! These obedient civilians abide by the traditional order, and they have been at the bottom for generations. It has been like this for thousands of years! They have long been used to thinking of themselves as butterflies that live in spring and die in autumn, while the descendants of gods and nobles are the kapoks that have lived for years. The butterflies will only surround the kapok, and even die on the tree, so how can they resist?"

Ticaro smiled and shook his head. In fact, before leaving the Mayan tribes and going to the Mexican plateau, he also thought that this kind of rule that the gods respect, the ordinary people are humble, and the upper and lower levels are stable is the will of the gods, and it is the natural law of the world.

"What's more, facing the direct management of various nobles and powerful family warriors, these commoners have no ability to resist!"

"...Why!"

The old militia Chihuaco was silent for a long time before he let out a long sigh. He lowered his eyes, turned around, waved his hand lightly, and left a request for Ti Kalo.

"Tikalo~lightnovelpub.net~ Let's change some! The native products of these villagers, the fleet... can be regarded as a need, and we can give some more goods."

"Listen to you, Captain!"

Ticaro bowed his head respectfully, and the corners of his mouth curled up again. Then, in an orderly manner, he used the local Mayan language to trade with the villagers.

The sun is getting darker, the sky and the earth are dark, and then the night is getting darker. Priest Tomat sent back an envoy, saying that he was warmly received by the other god's descendants and would spend the night in the palace to explain the teachings of the main god.

Seven longships anchored by the sea, and the villagers came and went, and returned, bringing even more small boats. Chivako looked out, feeling complicated and unspeakable. In the city in the distance, there are god-born nobles who are feasting and singing and dancing, while near the boat, there are poor villagers who are struggling to survive and longing to commit suicide. And this is the society of the lowland Maya, which has remained unchanged for thousands of years.

It wasn't until the morning of the second day that Priest Tomat returned with satisfaction during the sending of the descendants of the Jinshe God, that the Kingdom's fleet set sail again. The new journey started again, and the next target was the salt village nearly 300 miles away, which belonged to the guardian clan of Kanur.