Chapter 103: Follow-up News: Commoners, Nobles and Priests
The wind in December brings an awe-inspiring chill, and the capital city in December is a cold blood color.
Since the new king Avitsotl came to the throne, the situation in the alliance has changed drastically, and too many shocking news have come one after another. It is like the God of War once again ascended the Snake Mountain and cut the gods into dust. Even now, the capital city has been lifted from the blockade, but people's hearts can't calm down for a long time.
.
For the civilians in the lake capital, the most shocking news was that on the night when the new king ascended the throne, Prince Texcoco poisoned the chief priest with the intention of treason. Immediately, the royal warriors were dispatched to put down the rebellion and suppress the special forces.
Nobles of the city-state of Skoko.
The priests of the community explained: The chief priest sacrificed the defeated King Uncle Troll, and then returned the head to Prince Texcoco. The prince had a grudge, so he poisoned the chief priest in cocoa, and then rebelled against the alliance.
, to destroy the beautiful capital city in the lake. The immortal elder understood all this and came forward in time to save the alliance from the crisis. Then, the elder kindly and majesticly sacrificed the rebels, so that they could wash away their guilt and obtain
God's forgiveness.
According to rumors, the chief priest took a strange potion from the city-state of Texcoco, laughed wildly and danced all night long, with thoughts and poems pouring out, and then died with a smile on his face. This method of death was full of beauty and poetry, which made many capital cities
The residents yearn for it, and they are indeed the Texcoco royal family whose poetry has been passed down!
Even though there are turbulent undercurrents in the upper echelons of the alliance, the world of civilians remains calm and life must continue normally.
The quiet meditation in the Snake House made Shulot think a lot. The past events appeared in front of his eyes one by one, and disappeared one by one with the wind. When he found some free time these days, he asked the old carpenter Kuaud to lead the way to Kusola's house.
Visit. That was the first samurai who died for himself.
Kusola's home is a little far away, in a remote community west of the capital. The walls are made of mud and stone, and the roof is made of wooden beams and branches, with baked mud tiles on the outside. The houses here are all family units.
There are eight or nine neatly arranged houses inside and outside. Then dozens of people live together, and the food, clothing, housing, transportation and work are all allocated by the family elders.
Only by staying together can common people's families support one or two warriors who can support the family.
Accompanied respectfully by the family elders, Shulot entered Kusola's house. His house was not big, and a woman in simple clothes was taking care of a one or two-year-old boy. The child giggled and pushed his hand.
wooden wheelbarrow.
Yes, the Mayans invented the wheel hundreds of years ago and made it into a small toy. The city-state of Mexica has small unicycles, balanced two-wheeled vehicles, and astronomical tricycles. In the center
They are sold in squares. However, cars can never get out of the toys and become real practical tools.
The most important reason is the wheel. The wheel must be made of hardwood to ensure wear resistance. At the same time, it cannot be a round wooden board, it must be a hollow ring with spokes. Wear resistance and sophistication mean complicated processing processes, and in
In the Stone Age, the cost of processing a wheel was extremely high, and it even required the loss of many sets of stone tools. These tools also required a lot of labor to make.
Even if it is processed and formed, another problem will be encountered, which is the lack of metal to reinforce the wheel. If you look at medieval wheels, you will find that there are a large number of metal nails fixed on the inside and outside of the wheel ring to ensure that the wheel is stable and will not fall apart. If there is no reinforcement,
Nails are purely used to connect the wheels. Once the wheels bear gravity, the delicate structure is easily damaged. Once damaged, it means repeating the high-cost manufacturing process.
Another reason is livestock. For large livestock that have not been domesticated, even if high-cost vehicles are built, it will not improve the efficiency of movement. Outside the city, there are mountains and forests everywhere. Without iron tools to build long roads, carts can only
Not much more efficient than walking.
In the final analysis, the lack of metal tools limited the development of Mesoamerican civilization, locking society in a long era, waiting hard for the "thrilling jump" in technological progress. And now, it is the eve of the jump.
Looking at the simple woman and the boy playing with the unicycle, Shulot had mixed feelings. He thought of the umbilical cord buried by Kusola, and also thought of the residual wine in the hands of the young warrior when he died. There was always a softness in the young man's heart, this softness.
Let him stand silently for a long time.
The family elder quickly asked the woman to take the boy to salute, but Shulot waved his hand slightly to stop him. He took another look at the simple walls and various exquisite wooden furniture in the house, then turned around and left silently, no longer disturbing the woman and the family.
The life of a boy. He waited until he was out of the house before ordering his followers.
"Provide Kusola's family according to the standards of an elite warrior. When Kunawa grows up, find him the best samurai teacher. Well, that child will be called Kunawa."
"I will make him a Jaguar warrior, a true military noble." Shulot said to himself.
For the nobles and warriors in the capital city of the lake, the most frightening news was the grand ceremony that lasted for three days after the rebellion. Thousands of noble bloodline returned to the Kingdom of God, and the Texcoco royal family was completely exterminated.
Many big nobles were purged, while hundreds of small nobles and hundreds of noble warriors were still imprisoned.
The upper echelons of power in the Texcoco city-state were wiped out from then on. The noble name of the elder was shrouded in bloody terror.
Of course, facing the large amounts of land and properties left by the princes and nobles, as well as the thousands of vassal warriors, the nobles in the capital were also jealous. The nobles secretly gathered together to discuss whether there was an opportunity to obtain the rich fiefdom on the east bank of the lake and succeed Tesco.
The position of City Lord has been passed down from generation to generation.
The aspirations of ordinary warriors are much smaller. They hope to be loyal to the royal family, dedicate their own force, and be awarded a highly productive chinampa. From then on, they can support many children and establish their own family.
Only a thoughtful person would pay attention to the low-key behavior of Prince Totoki of Tlacopan. Totoki handed over the jurisdiction of six thousand direct warriors, and also handed over a large area of Chinampa on the west coast of the lake. Then he abandoned his original wife,
He married the chief priest's grand-niece, who was only fourteen years old, and crossed the bridge to the west the next day.
When he came, he was cheered in front and behind, with great momentum; when he left, the breeze was gentle and quiet.
Kepana bid farewell to her cousin on the long white bridge. The two put flowers on each other, hugged each other and cried, remembering their kind and kind grandfather, and hating Prince Texcoco, who had a human face and an animal heart. Akap was by her side, watching tenderly.
With his newlywed wife, Shulot had just regained his freedom, so they joined in the fun together.
Prince Totoki is about thirty years old, with a round face, a smile, and a chubby appearance. He looks very kind. He is completely inconsistent with the samurai beauty respected in this era. He does not look like a king that everyone admires, but looks like a wealthy businessman.
When he saw Shulot, he enthusiastically held the young man's arm, greeted him loudly, and even asked someone to bring him a long crown of feathers, a costume of precious stones, and crocodile skin shoes. Then he commented with excitement about the delicious food and exquisiteness.
food, jewelry of gold, silver and jade, and singers from various Mexican tribes.
Shulot silently looked at Prince Totoki for a long time. He thought to himself that he should still be able to see this face for many years.
After bidding farewell to her cousin, Kepana touched the dagger hidden in her chest nostalgically. It was a gift given to her by her grandfather before her wedding, as well as a bottle of light yellow potion. Thinking of her grandfather's last instructions, she sighed softly.
"My beloved grandfather, Akap, has been very kind to me, and the king you are worried about has not harmed the family. I should never use your medicine."
If she had married the king, would her grandfather also have given her a dagger and potion? There was no answer to this question, and Kepana didn't want to know. It was fine as it was now. She smiled with relief, and then happily hugged Akap.
Akapu, wearing a black high priest's uniform, also smiled and held his wife tightly.
He had changed his attire and became the youngest priest elder in the group of twelve. Although there were many objections from the chief priests, with the identity of Kepana and the support of King Avit, he still convinced everyone and succeeded.
Inherited part of Kechar's power.
For the priests of the capital city in the lake, the most noteworthy news is the merger of the chief priests and the high priests. The twelve-member central priests and elders have become the only and highest theocratic center of the alliance, and high priest Shuter serves as the church leader.
Leader of the group. At the call of the leader, the upper echelons of the high priests came in a hurry from the Holy City.
The first thing the priests and elders did when they met was to clarify the fifth level of priesthood.
Everyone quickly reached a consensus that the priests and elders of the two major priest groups are equivalent to the chief priests, and the priests and elders of other city-states are divided into chief priests and accept the direct management of the chief priests. The fifth-level coyote priest is the chief priest, and the fourth and third levels are the chief priests.
There are city priests, and the second and first levels are village and community priests. The five-level structure is clearly defined, with promotion levels and strict order.
Obviously, considering the area of the eleven states of Mexica, the priesthood level setting for the priests is too high. But in the early stage of the reform, it is the time to appease the priests in various places. Once the overall situation is determined, there will be many opportunities to slowly clear things up in the future.
Next, are the fundamental classics and religious laws that the elders are most concerned about.
Since the elders granted Shulot the important position of participating in the compilation of classics, he was able to go a step further and be promoted to chief priest. Now, his most important daily job is to go to the priest temple and teach the priests and elders the writing.
Participate in discussions about new doctrine.
Chinese characters are the main carrier of Mexica's new writing. In the process of combining it with Nahuatl, the first problem is pronunciation. Most Chinese characters adopt the pronunciation method, that is, the shape and meaning of the Chinese characters, and the pronunciation of Nahuatl.
.For some special Chinese characters whose corresponding concepts cannot be found in existing languages, phonetic pronunciation is adopted, that is, the pronunciation, shape and meaning of the Chinese characters are completely used.
In addition to training and reading, there is the kana system that has just begun to develop. That is, borrowing the shapes of Chinese characters to give localized meanings and even localized pronunciations. Combined with the characteristics of Mexica graphics, extremely simplified hiragana can be developed.
To allow samurai and civilians without cultural foundation to quickly master simplified writing. The phonetic notation of Hiragana is similar to the pinyin of Nahuatl.
Of course, for high-level priests, mastering complete Chinese characters is a symbol of identity and status. They are also smart enough to learn and master Chinese characters, and even draw inferences from one example.
At this time, Shulot was wearing a black priest's uniform and sitting in the lower center of the priest's temple. Next to him was a pile of wooden boards with inscriptions. Opposite him was his grandfather with a majestic face and a divine crown on his head, surrounded by people.
There is a circle of priests and elders of the same age. The feather crowns are slender, sandalwood is lingering, and turquoise is wrapped around the four walls like vines. On the outside are priests of all levels who listen respectfully.
The high priest smiled slightly and motioned for Shulot to speak.
After thinking about it for a long time, Shulot decided to start with the Thousand-Character Essay that he had memorized in the past. This book was an enlightening book, and it was quite meaningful. After finishing the one-thousand-character essay, the general writing system was revealed.
So the young man straightened his back, pointed to the top wooden board, and said solemnly:
"The sky and the earth are dark and yellow, and the universe is vast. The sky is black and the earth is yellow. The vast universe is infinitely large and infinitely far away."
Here, the words "Heaven, Earth, Xuanhuang, and Great Desolate" are both the pronunciation of Nahuatl sounds. However, the young man carefully considered that the concept of the universe is not clear in this era, so he still used the pronunciation of Chinese characters.
The priests and elders thought about the meaning of this sentence. With their abilities, it was not difficult to learn these Chinese characters.
An old priest and elder spoke thoughtfully. He admired slightly.
"This sentence seems to have a deep meaning."
Shulot was refreshed and looked expectantly at the wise men of these times.
"Ilhuicatl is the sky, and it is also the beautiful kingdom of God. Tlalli is the earth, farmland, and the underground of the world. Tliltic is black, and it is the human figure, and it also means the dead. Coztic is yellow, and it is gold and brass, and it can also be the underground mineral deposits.
..."
Hearing this, another energetic priest and elder clapped his hands in laughter and spoke loudly.
"Yes! The profound meaning of this sentence is: those who obey the gods will ascend to heaven after death and enjoy infinite beauty. Those who disobey the gods will sink into the earth after death and solidify into gold and stone that will never be released. God's
Its power is infinite, covering endless lands, spanning generations of time, infinitely large and infinitely far away!"
Hearing this, all the elders praised him together. Priest Shulot is really young and promising, and he has learned a lot.
Immediately, a middle-aged elder looked at the high priest and made a respectful and serious proposal.
"What Priest Shulot said is excellent! This sentence is consistent with the basic scriptures. It is better to write it into the first chapter of the doctrine. The sky and the earth are black and yellow, and the universe is vast. Those who obey the gods will ascend to the kingdom of heaven and enjoy eternal peace. Those who disobey the gods will sink.
The abyss of the earth has turned into gold and stone, and will never be liberated. You must believe in my god Huitzilopochtli, whose power is infinite and controls all existence from the past to the future until the end!"
The high priest nodded with satisfaction and smiled happily. Everyone looked at Xiulote and saw that his expression remained calm and neither arrogant nor arrogant. The elders praised him again.
Listening to the praises of the elders, the young man's heart was racing and his face was dumbfounded.
When the text teaching and doctrine compilation started at the same time, the ensuing discussion entered a trajectory that the young man had never imagined.
"The sun and moon are full, and the stars and constellations are arranged."
"The sun, moon, stars, and the changes in these celestial phenomena are all due to the power of the Lord God. He gives us sunlight, uses the moon and stars to reveal the truth, and then teaches the truth to the priests."
"Yes, the Lord God brings light, and the priests listen to the will!" The energetic priests and elders shouted loudly.
"What Priest Shulot said is right, it deserves to be recorded in the doctrine." The middle-aged elder suggested again.
Hearing this, the high priest nodded with satisfaction again.
"Cold comes and summer comes, autumn harvests and winter stores."
"Autumn and winter? Is there any difference between these two words?" Ugel was a little confused.
"The chief priest of the Wugel Sect, it was mentioned in the inheritance sacrifice plate of the chief priest group. Winter is a divine disaster in the far north, a terrible white cold that can destroy farmland and freeze people and poultry to death." The old elder explained.
"The profound meaning of this sentence is: the Lord God controls the changes in the temperature and warmth of the heaven and the earth. He grants rich harvests to those who obey, and sends divine disasters to those who disobey, causing the earth to fail to harvest and people and animals to die. And the priests will guide the agricultural production of believers,
Get a good harvest from God.”
"By the way, I also need to add to the teachings that those who die from divine disasters will also sink into the abyss." The middle-aged elder thought and added.
Shulot was at a loss again, and his grandfather smiled and patted his shoulder. "Continue."
"The remaining years will come, and Lu will adjust the Yang."
"Leap remainder? This seems to be something in the Mayan lunar calendar. It's not in our solar calendar."
A learned elder thought back.
"Then let's use the last bad day of the solar calendar instead. God will review the sins of the year on the last five bad days of each year. Let the believers come to the temple to repent and get rid of their mistakes during these five days." The old man
The elder pondered.
"Yes, the law is music. Music is loved by God. He uses music to mediate social disputes and divide classes. We need to formulate different music standards, and at the same time expand the temple's singing team to absorb outstanding civilians."
"Very good! The believers in the village community love music the most. You can write hymns to match the music to guide the believers' hearts..." the tall elder suggested loudly.
The Thousand-Character Text describes all aspects of life, and the priests and elders also extended their teachings to all aspects of society.
After listening to the praises of the elders, Shulot finished memorizing the thousand-character essay sluggishly and tiredly. In the end, he received a very high evaluation: "Excellent knowledge, not afraid of favors and disgrace. Devoted to gods, wisdom is revealed."
High Priest Shuter gently pinched the young man's face. Seeing the young man's tired expression, he asked him to go down and rest with concern.
Shulot then walked to the periphery, sat next to Akapu, and watched the elders in the center continue to argue about doctrine. As the youngest priest elder, Akapu had not spoken much just now. He just looked at the center with a smile,
A radiant young man.
Shulot looked at his friend whom he had known since childhood, touched his arm, and asked in a low voice.
"Why are the priests and elders so enthusiastic?"
Acap smiled warmly. He leaned close to the young man's ear and whispered in the same low voice.
"You were imprisoned by the elders for a week, but you were unscathed. After you came out, you compiled the classics. The chief priest was busy for a week, and finally died mysteriously, and the family was inherited by me. Then the priesthood merged, and the high priest became the leader. You said, priest
What would the elders think?"
Shulot suddenly realized it and laughed at himself slightly, this is a fox pretending to be a tiger's power!
After thinking for a moment, he sighed softly: "The ideas conveyed by words will always be interpreted by the people of the times according to the wishes of the times."
Throughout December, the priest's temple was the center of Shulot's activities. He got up early and came home late every day, teaching text, reciting different articles in his memory, and watching the basic classics slowly become thicker.
During this period, he did not forget to instruct the old carpenter Kuaud to continue to expand the manufacturing of longbows. The current production capacity has expanded rapidly, and dozens of longbows can be produced every day. Kuaud has now been promoted to the director of craftsmen in the capital, and has many subordinates.
There are thousands of craftsmen. He is also responsible for purchasing copper mines and copperware to make bronze tools and improve production efficiency.
In his daily free time, Shulot would return to Montezuma Palace to accompany his beloved elf, the beautiful and pure Alyssa.
"You are a lost flower that blooms in my lonely heart." The young man held the girl's hand and moved to kiss her cheek.
The girl smiled slyly and blocked the boy's attack with her fingers. She lowered her head and blew on the boy's ears.
"The flowers haven't bloomed yet. I haven't seen your heart clearly yet! You bad brother."
After saying that, the girl drifted away like a gust of wind.
The young man looked at the leaving figure and stood for a long time, feeling as if he was lost.
It wasn't until a slight cough came that Hulot saw Gillim standing next to him. He didn't know how long he had been standing here.
Gilliam was wearing a simple brown cloth robe and smiled slightly.
"The princess is still young, so there is no need for your Highness to rush."
Shulot's face turned red. After returning from a near-death encounter, his state of mind changed greatly. He always had a sense of urgency about the people and things he loved, and he was indeed a lot more impatient.
Then, Gilliam saluted solemnly.
"His Royal Highness has asked about the land situation in the capital several times. I have nothing to do tomorrow, so I can take His Highness to visit."
When Xiulote heard this, his face became solemn. Land is a major matter for the country. It must be considered on the spot and the current distribution status can be understood before the country's affairs can be agreed upon.
Thinking of this, he lowered his head, bowed deeply, and returned the courtesy respectfully.
