Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1419 - 974: The Old Fox’s Two Proposals: Holy City Ancestral Rite, Jungle Alliance
"With the Chief Divine’s witness, Papu, you have given me two proposals!... One is to rebuild the Olmec Eastern Holy City and hold the Olmec ancestral rites? The other is to, in the name of the Olmec ancestors, summon the leaders of the inland jungle tribes to become the common lord of all tribes, uniting the hearts of all peoples?"
"Indeed! Your Highness is truly wise! In just a few sentences, you hit the nail on the head, surpassing everything Papu has said!..."
"Haha! Papu, your first proposal is indeed not bad! As the legitimate inheritor of the Olmec ancestors, the Alliance shares the same root and ancestors with the Totonac tribes and the Zoque tribes. And after the destruction of the Feathered Serpent Ancient City and Hidden Serpent Holy City, the seaside Totonac tribes, the jungle Totonac tribes, the jungle Zoque tribes, and those loose and scattered small tribes... have completely lost their spiritual leader..."
The sunset cast a red glow, dyeing the blood-stained conversion ceremony, and also made the black Royal Banner shimmer with red light. Under the Royal Banner, Xiulote nodded with satisfaction and patted surrendered General Papu’s shoulder. At this moment, his eyes were filled with vast ambition, and his mouth uttered a firm declaration.
"Therefore, the first proposal, to rebuild the Olmec Eastern Holy City and hold the ancestral rites, is to let the seaside Totonac tribes, the jungle Totonac tribes, the jungle Zoque tribes know!..."
"We Mexicas are not only the conquerors of the seaside but were once their Highland brothers! The Supreme Main God, the seaside Priesthood, is to be their new spiritual leader! And the rebuilt Olmec Eastern Holy City is the source of all tribes’ ancestors, and also their true place of spiritual return!"
"Everything concerning faith, spirit, and ancestors must be told to them by the Kingdom, by me! Hence, I will personally host the grandest ceremony, to announce to all seaside and mountain forest tribes..."
"Yes! Yes! Your Highness, you truly have the wisdom of Divine Revelation! Announce the Divinity, honor the ancestors!... Praise the Chief Divine! I, Papu, like a blind fish, have survived in the marsh for thirty years, and today I finally see the true Divine Serpent! And thus I know, what it means to be born with the godly attribute of Divine Revelation, what it means to be destined to rule the mountains and seas!..."
"Haha! Papu, you really are interesting! Interesting!... Come on, well said, continue speaking!"
"Uh... Your Highness, actually, besides speeding up the integration of various tribes and uniting their hearts, establishing the Eastern Holy City and allying with the jungle tribes has more tangible benefits!... According to my foolish view, the army should conquer Hidden Serpent City and remove the spiritual leaders of the tribes as soon as possible. After conquering Hidden Serpent City, the attacks against the inland jungle tribes, especially the hundreds of thousands of Zoque tribes in the Southeast Jungle, cannot be rushed!..."
The red glow hung over the West Mountain, darkness emerged over the Eastern Sea. In front of all generals and His Highness, Papu was initially cautious and reluctant to speak. But under Xiulote’s stern order, he had to rack his brains and gradually became more eloquent.
"If the kingdom’s army goes deep into the jungle without waterway logistical support, in just two hundred miles, food will be exhausted. And the jungle’s terrain is treacherous and difficult to navigate, making it hard to capture all tribes at once... Ahem! Honored Black Wolf Leader, I’m not talking about you... With your bravery, no tribe can resist you. However, they can escape and migrate in the jungle, or even seek refuge with the southern Zapotecs or the Southeast Highland Maya. You surely can’t chase and kill them thousands of miles, sparing none... Uh! You can chase a thousand miles?... But as soon as your army returns, these tribes will migrate back, becoming a hidden threat once again... Uh! Ah!..."
"Black Wolf, in discussion, speak properly, don’t hit people! Papu speaks realistically, although it involves planning and killing on your front line, and will modify your plans against various states, if it’s right you should listen!... Come on, Papu, continue speaking!..."
"Cough! Cough!... Honored Death God, Honored Black Wolf General... Therefore, in my foolish opinion, instead of fighting each jungle tribe individually and forcing them to migrate and flee, it’s better to establish an Olmec Eastern Holy City and hold ancestral rites... While the tribes are submissive and shocked, ally with the jungle tribes to become the common lord of all tribes!... And after Your Highness establishes nominal rule, you can summon the tribes together to march east and conquer the Maya!"
"Hmm... Ally with the jungle tribes, to become the common lord of all tribes... this line of thought..."
Regarding this second proposal, Xiulote’s eyes flickered, actually a bit dismissive. What the surrendered General Papu stated was still about forming a City-State tribal alliance, becoming the Alliance Hierarch, but expanding the scope to include the whole thousand miles of seaside and jungle.
After the Kingdom destroyed the two Totonac Holy Lands and directly controlled the coastal tribes, relying on powerful military might, they allied with the inland jungle tribes, establishing a suzerainty rule. And by establishing a new Holy Land, promising autonomy as a condition, they secured the nominal submission of many looser jungle tribes. Yet if Xiulote had enough time and strength, he would naturally still want to thoroughly conquer the inland thousand miles of jungle tribes and clear them out!
But thinking of the current reality, the army’s eastern campaign against the seaside took a full three years to clear this thousand-mile coastline. To continue conquering the loose inland jungle tribes, some without even decent fortresses, who knows how many more years it would take! Yet the remaining time was already limited... Considering this, he slowly nodded.
"Hmm, with the Chief Divine’s protection! The current situation requires urgent access to the Maya Lands... For the inland jungle tribes, we’ll have to compromise a bit!..."
The sunset glow, the sky filled with red clouds, and the sea surface flickering with a blood-red light. The sacred conversion ceremony had long ended in the sunset, and it was soon mealtime. Xiulote stood up, gazed at the seaside’s sunset, and then waved his hand, smiling as he instructed the furious Black Wolf.
"My Black Wolf, go, restrain the samurai in each camp, arrange for the newly converted captives! Tonight, I will drink with you here on this small hill and watch the sunset and moon at the foot of the Divine Mountain!..."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Black Wolf stood up, nodded solemnly. Then he fiercely glanced at the "silver-tongued" and "strategically misguided" surrendered General Papu, then pressed his bronze longsword on his waist and strode away.
"Uh... Your Highness, you and your trusted generals drink together, should I leave first..."
"No need! Papu, you sit at the upper seat next to me."
Xiulote smiled, patting the seat beside him, causing sweat to appear instantly on Papu’s forehead.
"Ah! I... sit at the upper seat beside you? This... this..."
"No problem! Come, sit down!... Papu, establishing the Olmec Eastern Holy City, holding ancestral rites, allying with the jungle tribes to become the common lord... these two proposals align with the Mexica epic, speaking of the common source myth of the world, and also aid in reshaping the shared identity of the Jiao People’s descendants... really in line with my intentions!"
Xiulote reached out, pressing the trembling Papu beside him. Then, he turned solemn, looking Papu in the eye, seriously inquiring.
"But among these two proposals, the most critical point... Papu, where do you think the site for this Olmec Eastern Holy City would be best?!"
"Uh... Your Highness, please allow me to think carefully..."
"Good! No rush. Take your time thinking. If you give a good suggestion, I will personally pour you a drink!..."
"Ah! Ah, this... Your Highness, I can’t accept, really can’t accept!..."
Note: The jungle tribes here include the inland Totonac Tribe and Zoque Tribe. The map in the Easter egg Chapter will be carefully marked.
