Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1583 - 1122: Drinking by the Night Sea, the State of the Kingdom of the Lake
"Praise the Chief Divine! High Priest Miki, this is the Feather Crown, Ceremonial Dress, and Scepter bestowed upon you by His Majesty... Congratulations! From today onwards, you are the Kingdom's Fourth Level Grand Priest, in charge of all parishes on the Western Sea Coast and the Far North Coast... You are also the first priest to graduate from Divine Power University to rise to the Fourth Level of Grand Priest!…"
"Praise the Chief Divine! Praise His Majesty! And thank you, High Priest Chimere... I will do my utmost to spread the glory of the Chief Divine, strive to expand into the Northern Continent, and further open up trade routes with the Western Sea Tribe for His Majesty!…"
The Ocean-Blocking Sea Ship docked on the coast, its heavy anchor already lowered. Twelve Kingdom Priests rushed from the longship to witness this humble inauguration together.
Scholar Mikki donned the heavy, tall Feather Crown, dressed in dark, beast-patterned ceremonial attire, and held a short turquoise scepter in his hand. This set of Chief Priest regalia made his weathered face bloom like a plum blossom in the winter snow, making him look much younger. His joyful and excited smile wasn't ostentatious but carried a sense of pride and an inexplicable confidence.
Seeing the change in Miki's demeanor, High Priest Chimere smiled knowingly. This is the power of authority, like a spring breeze that makes barren trees sprout, renewing a person from top to bottom. From the Kingdom to the Alliance, at His Majesty's side, he had seen it many times.
"The Chief Divine blesses us! High Priest Zuwaro ventured bravely across the waves for the Chief Divine's glory on the Western Sea... The Kingdom's expansion into the Northern Continent is entrusted entirely to you, esteemed High Priest Miki!… The support fleet I brought this time is also at your disposal!"
"Praise the Chief Divine! Esteemed High Priest Chimere, you led the third support fleet northwards to Whale Harbor... was the journey smooth?…"
"The journey was indeed filled with challenges that cannot be fully recounted in a brief time…"
High Priest Chimere looked up, gazed at the setting sun in the west and the shimmering golden red on the sea. He pondered, then smiled and said.
"The Chief Divine guided us to meet here… High Priest Miki, on my ship, we have tequila brought from the Kingdom's departure... Shall we light a bonfire on the shore, drink wine and eat meat, and have a good long talk through the night?"
"Great! High Priest Chimere, we happen to have two jars of the Western Sea Tribe's rice wine on board, rich and mellow, quite different in taste from the Kingdom's wine, please give it a try!…"
The golden sun sank into the blood-red sea, and the night drifted in from the horizon. The remaining sun in the west faced the round moon in the east, the northern Miki opposite to the southern Chimere. In front of them, on the bonfire, the roasted whale meat smeared with whale oil, fragrant rice wine along with tequila, plus a pot of stewed fish soup, made for an excellent dinner on the Northern Continent.
"High Priest Miki, that's roughly the situation... In March this year, I set sail with twelve Kingdom longships, over eight hundred samurai sailors, from Trout Town. Accompanying us were nearly three hundred twin-hulled war canoes, carrying over a thousand exiled Cloud Serpent Tribe members and more than a thousand Vanguard Warriors of Great Chief Apal…"
"Three thousand naval forces headed north majestically, stopping along the way, the various Colima Tribes along the coast were very friendly, respectfully providing supplies. By mid-April, the fleet arrived at the area near Three Rivers City where the Northern Ticos Tribes resided. We enlisted the accompanying Cloud Serpent Tribe, and with the support of the three thousand Vanguard Warriors of Divine Monkey Great Chief, we launched a surprise attack and captured Three Rivers City… For those few days of brutal fighting, five thousand Tecos warriors' corpses floated everywhere, turning the whole Lerma River blood red! Tens of thousands of Tecos Tribes knelt and surrendered, swearing a blood oath, their cut hair burning into black smoke…"
"What?! Great Chief Apal and Great Chief Divine Monkey launched an attack simultaneously? The Kingdom has already captured Three Rivers City at the mouth of the Lerma River!?…"
Upon hearing this, Scholar Miki looked surprised. Three Rivers City is located at the mouth of the Lerma River, on the fertile plains where three rivers converge. It's over a thousand miles away from the mouth of the Tarsas River where Trout Town is located. This key Western Sea City-State is the largest city-state of the Northern Tecos Tribes, surrounded by at least fifty to sixty thousand Tecos Tribe members!
And now, with this key city falling into the Kingdom's hands, it means the Kingdom's sea port on the Western Sea has extended over a thousand more miles northward! The route to the Northern Continent, too, has been linked, with no major tribes standing in the way…
"Exactly! Great Chief Apal and Great Chief Divine Monkey, following His Majesty's decree, joined forces to campaign against the Northern Tecos Tribes… The two chiefs have agreed to designate the coastline from the Lerma River estuary to Zongshi Town as part of Great Lake County. The coastline from Zongshi Town southwards is to be considered part of Apa County. The boundary of Apa County extends another 150 miles north from the Colima Volcano, taking all the mountainous areas south of the Chapala Great Lake… The dividing line of the two counties roughly follows from Zongshi Town - Colima Volcano - Southern Great Lake Mountains, splitting the Tecos Tribes along the Colima Tribes' border…"
"Huh? Using the Colima Tribes as a boundary to divide county government jurisdiction?… For such a major matter, have the two Legion Commanders reported back to His Majesty for a decision?…"
"Yes, it has naturally been reported back to His Majesty. But, High Priest Miki, you have been exploring outside for three years, and might not be clear about the situation of the Alliance and the Kingdom…"
At this, High Priest Chimere let out a bitter smile, his expression somewhat serious.
"His Majesty has already conquered the Seaside Lands of the Totonac Tribes, forming a Seaside Alliance of millions of tribes… Meanwhile, King Aweit of the Mexica Alliance urgently called His Majesty back… His Majesty made the decision to return to the Lake Capital City… By now, His Majesty should have already returned to the Lake Capital City for some time…"
"Before leaving, His Majesty appointed the various Kingdom Legion Commanders as 'Great Chiefs', allowing them full military and political authority with independent decision-making in campaigns… whether it's Great Chief Apal or Great Chief Divine Monkey, both possess the authority to divide county government jurisdiction and campaign against tribes!…"
"What!… His Majesty empowered the Legion Commanders and went to the Alliance Capital City as a hostage?!… How… how could this happen?… His Majesty, His Majesty has lost his mind!…"
Upon hearing such astounding news, Scholar Mikki was so shocked that he couldn't even hold the jug of wine in his hand. Having experienced so much in life, he already had a deep understanding of the game of power. And within these two short sentences, the hidden power struggle was enough to shake his spirit and keep him awake all night...
"His Majesty is not confused, just too soft-hearted... He cannot bear to see the world in rivers of blood, unwilling to start a cruel civil war and slaughter; thus, he delegated power and chose to temporarily concede... Alas!..."
The two priests of the kingdom sat across from each other in silence. The warm summer night breeze blew gently, but their serious expressions were as solemn and chilling as in late autumn.
Scholar Mikki sipped from his cup, drinking a shot of tequila from his highland homeland. The bitter liquor, tinged with a salty taste, lingered in his mouth as if the bitterness seeped into his heart.
Chimere the High Priest raised a clay jug and drank a cup of rice wine from the distant Western Sea. This aromatic rice wine from afar was much more intoxicating than the plain rice wine of his homeland.
"Whew! Such strong wine, yet how was it brewed? If His Majesty, trapped in the Lake Capital City, could taste the rice wine from the Western Sea, he would probably be delighted, wouldn't he?..."
"Honorable High Priest Chimere, His Majesty has gone to the Lake Capital City for the sake of the world..."
After a moment of silence, Scholar Mikki, full of worry, looked into Chimere's eyes and asked in a low voice.
"So, who is in charge of the kingdom now? And what about the exploration and expansion plans for the Northern Continent?..."
"Haha! Mikki, you and I both hail from Divine Power University, and now we're on the same boat... Why not call each other by name, it feels more intimate..."
"Alright! Chimere..."
"May the Chief Divine protect us! Before I set sail, the kingdom's center is managed by Chief Minister Jatili overseeing state and religious affairs, Divine Revelation Director Talaya handling military workshops, and Capital Army Commander Olosh in charge of capital military affairs... As for the provinces, each legion commander governs a county, independently excising justice..."
High Priest Chimere smiled and leisurely told of the kingdom's state.
"According to His Majesty's will, the kingdom established four Military Governors at Zicao, Great Lake, Apa, and Qingqiu, respectively commanding campaigns against the Eastern Central Cloud Tribes, Northwestern Tecos Tribes, Southwestern Tecos Tribes, and the Wilderness Tribes... The four Military Governors have expanded their legions and summoned troops, already embarking on a path of expansion..."
"And the Great Lake Military Governor, great chieftain Kuluka, is the most skilled in battle, having already descended the Chapala Great Lake, leveraging the speed advantage of the naval forces to take the entire Lerma Long River! Feather Prince narrowly escaped, continuing to lead thousands of tribesmen into the mountains where the northwest meets the wilderness... Now, the Northern Ticos tribes are trapped on both shores of the Long River, unable to aid each other, eventually meeting their demise one by one!"
"Mikki, by the time you return to the kingdom, perhaps you will encounter the crusader great chieftain Divine Monkey near the estuary of the Lerma River; it would be best to meet him once! In the future, the exploration and expansion of the Northern Land will likely need the support of the great chieftain Divine Monkey..."
"Hmm..."
Scholar Mikki sniffed the air as if he could smell the intense scent of blood. He quietly drank a few gulps of his homeland's rice wine, reminiscing about the Kingdom of the Lake, which stood on agriculture and warfare, and sighed softly.
"Chimere, I understand... His Majesty went to the Capital City, and the manpower allocation of each county naturally has to rely on the governing great chiefs... The exploration and development of the Northern Continent, to receive the full support of each county as before, will inevitably not be as easy!"
"Indeed, Mikki, that is precisely what I wanted to say... His Majesty has always spared no expense on Northern exploration, gathering massive resources, dispatching numerous priests, and selecting the most devout samurai... Such vast investment has yielded little return, apart from the discovered guano rock, rendering almost everything a loss-making venture..."
"The influential nobility of each county actually have some grievances, only complying with the authority of His Majesty's Divine Revelation... Now, with His Majesty going to the Lake Capital City, the kingdom's support for Northern colonization will undoubtedly decline gradually... If there's no adequate return, it may even..."
High Priest Chimere paused, gently shaking his head. But soon, he smiled again, inquiring expectantly. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
"Fortunately, with the Chief Divine's protection! High Priest Zuwaro finally reached the Divine Revelation's Western Sea Continent and even encountered the Western Sea Tribe... Once this route is opened, it will benefit the kingdom greatly, giving Northern colonization a real foothold, capable of bringing back substantial returns! Moreover, for the priests of the seafaring branch at Divine Power University, the future seems more secure and expansive..."
"Praise the Chief Divine! Mikki, you returned with a sea ship from the Western Sea Tribe... Just how vast is the Divine Revelation's Western Sea Continent? How many tribes are there? And what does it look like? Does it resemble His Majesty's prophecy?"
