The Long River of Tarsus originates from the mountains of Tlaxcala and flows westward for more than a thousand miles, forming the wide Lake Atoyac in the south of the kingdom. In the local language, Atoyac (Atoyac)
The meaning is "big lake".
The Great Lake of Atoyak has hundreds of miles of waves and is so wide that you can't see the edge at a glance. Busy canoes travel on the lake, connecting the north and south of the lake, trading goods from all directions.
To the south of the great lake, there are endless undulating mountains and forests. Tecos tribes are scattered among them, and they call the land under their feet Sacatula. Going further east from Sacatura is the newly acquired mountainous land of Weitamo by the alliance.
On the north shore of the lake, there is a fertile plain rarely seen along the lake. The villages of Prepecha are rich and busy, with vast hectares of farmland, which together support a large city by the lake.
That is the commercial and trade center of the southern provinces, the seat of Lithospermum County, Kuramo City. With a population of more than 20,000, more than a dozen temples, and a huge trade market, the city is the most prosperous place within a radius of 200 miles.
To the east outside the city of Kuramo, there is an extremely vast manor. The place is full of beautiful trees and flowers, and it has obviously been carefully managed for a long time. Beautiful rag trees flourish outside the manor, and stately dahlias bloom in the manor.
Hundreds of warriors were stationed throughout the manor.
Entering the manor, the architectural style is quite gorgeous, with white stone and red rock as the base and gold, silver and jade as decoration, integrating many characteristics of the people in the clouds. Follow the garden path all the way deep, and at the deepest point, there is a solemn main hall.
.At this moment, a group of southern aristocrats, dressed in fine clothes, were sitting around, looking at each other in silence.
The main hall is built of bluestone, with a zenith on top, separated by light gauze, and the walls are painted with gods. It is quite spacious. Everyone in the hall is seated in an orderly manner. In the middle and at the top, two middle-aged nobles sit facing each other.
The noble on the left has a handsome appearance, a slender body, and a calm demeanor. The noble on the right has a fleshy face, a short and stocky body, and a fierce expression.
The heavy silence lasted for a long time, and the stocky noble couldn't bear it at first. He looked at the handsome noble and asked angrily.
"Three Gods witness! Lithospermum Clan Leader Gulamo, will you join me in raising troops?"
Gulamo pondered for a while, looked at the stocky noble, and answered calmly.
"Three Gods witness! Zotor, the leader of the Palm Clan, and tens of thousands of the king's legions are marching south. Now they raise their troops, but there is no chance of winning!"
"Bah! So what if there are tens of thousands of legions?"
Zotol took a hard "poof" with a cold voice.
"Gulamo! The ferocious bandits want your land and land, do you still want to open the door and hand over all the inheritance left by your ancestors?"
Hearing this, Gulamo's expression changed and he lowered his head and said nothing.
Palm patriarch Zotor waited for a while, but did not receive a reply. He simply stood up and shouted to the nobles in the palace.
"We are the nobles of the Kingdom of Tarasco! This land has been ours for generations! Our ancestors left the fiefdom to us, how can we hand it over for nothing!... Let us take up arms and fight the northern invaders to the end!
"
"The Palm Patriarch is right, let's fight with the northern barbarians!"
The atmosphere in the field became heavier. Several young nobles stood up and cheered loudly in agreement, while more nobles remained silent.
Seeing this, Gulamo sighed and spoke calmly.
"Zotor, the matter hasn't reached that point yet! The king asked us to go to Alto for an audience, and there will definitely be a decree. At that time, maybe we can talk... Even if we hand over 30 to 50% of the land, we can get the kingdom.
The promise is acceptable!"
"Yes, isn't this still undecided? Maybe the king just collects a tribute!"
"Indeed, the king has just returned from the northern expedition and has to rest for two years. Let's pay a tribute to buy peace."
"First go to see the king and listen to the kingdom's will..."
Only then did most of the nobles speak up, and mixed voices of approval rang out in the hall. The southern part of the kingdom had been at peace for a long time. The great nobles enjoyed the commercial interests of the Talsas River and were extremely wealthy. They survived the brutal Western Expedition.
I still feel lucky at this moment.
"Ha! You cowardly fools are still thinking of going to the audience! The king of the north is going south with tens of thousands of warriors. Is it just for an outing?!"
Zotor looked around at everyone and cursed with hatred.
"The warriors and militiamen in my territory have been mobilized long ago and can fight to the death with the Mexicans at any time! You haven't raised your troops yet. When the enemy comes to the door, what will you use to resist? Or are you going to be a clay pot?
The fish in it, obediently make it into soup?!"
Hearing this, Gulamo raised his brows and looked at Zotor.
"Zotor, if you're not going to listen, what will the king say?"
"Listen to this! I came here today to fight with you cowards!"
Zotol's face turned red.
"There are a thousand Mexica garrison in the city of Curamo. I brought five hundred warriors here, and we all worked together to kill them all first and occupy the city of Curamo! Culamo, let me ask you one last time,
Are you going to do it or not?!"
"...Zotor, it's not the time yet."
Gulamo looked calm and refused.
"The city of Kuramo is full of our people, and we can capture it at any time. The key now is the tens of thousands of royal troops in the north... After all, we must first go to see the king and listen to his will."
"Ha ha!"
Zotol laughed angrily. He asked sarcastically.
"Gulamo, are you going to take your rose daughter, Medina, with you to see the king?"
Hearing this, Gulamo lowered his eyes and his voice turned cold.
"Zotor, after all, we are different from you. Your family is close to the southwest mountainous area and has close ties with the Tekos barbarians. If you really can't resist, you can still lead your tribe to escape into the mountains. But our place is completely invincible.
Everyone’s foundation is in the plain beside the lake.”
"Ah!"
Zotor sneered and stopped looking at Gulamo. He looked around at the other nobles and asked.
"What about you? You are not like Gulamo, who has a daughter made of roses!"
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! Most of the nobles still shook their heads in silence. The old noble Sitley persuaded in a low voice.
"Zotor, we all understand what you said. Everyone is also mobilizing, but in this situation... let's wait a little longer."
"Then just wait! A bunch of howler monkeys waiting to die!"
Zotol turned around and left. Before leaving, he kept sarcastic.
"No, you are worse than howler monkeys! Howler monkeys know how to scream twice before they die! You are ant eggs, just take them out and eat them raw!..."
"Hey, Zotol, where are you going?!"
The old nobleman Sitley shouted after him.
"I will return to my fiefdom and move my family's women and children into the southwest mountains! Our brave forest warriors will kill all the intruders in the rugged mountains and forests! ... No matter how many there are! Roar!"
Zotor roared one last time and walked out of the hall. Several nobles from the southwest also left with him.
The hall fell into a deathly silence. After a while, Gulamo rubbed his brow with his hand and forced a smile.
"Then let's do it! Everyone goes to see the king first, but don't stop mobilizing in the fief, and be prepared."
The big nobles responded in a low voice and said some meaningless clichés, then stood up and left. The old noble Sitley deliberately stayed at the end. When no one was around, he came to Gulamo and whispered.
Ask in a voice.
"Gulamo, there are many Prepecha nobles in the Northern King's Army... How are your contacts going? Can you persuade them to move?"
Hearing this, Gulamo instantly frowned and his pupils shrank. He reached out and touched the dagger at his waist and asked with a smile.
"Sitley, who did you hear the news from?"
"Ha! Gulamo, it's not your style to just sit back and die. I watched you grow up. Zotor is a roaring monkey. You are a poisonous snake that can kill you with one blow!"
The old Sitli smiled, looked at Gulamo's hand, and held down the long dagger at his waist.
"My fiefdom is just to the north of you. How could I not know about the envoy you sent... Besides, it's already this time. What is there to hide between the two of us? Is it possible that you still want to accomplish things alone?"
Hearing this, Gulamo slowly let go of his hand and smiled lightly.
"Sitley, you are an old crow, but your eyes are very bright... They all accepted the gifts, and some of them accepted them. But the current situation is unreliable..."
"That's true. The general trend is here. I couldn't do anything about it before. Nowadays, rural sages from the north often appear in tribal villages and communities everywhere. I'm afraid the leaders also have other thoughts."
Sitley shook his head and sighed softly.
"I really envy Zotor, who has deep mountains and old forests to explore; I also envy you, who has a beautiful daughter. But I, with my old bones, can't count on anything!"
After saying that, Old Crow Sitley turned around and staggered out. Gulamo silently watched the other person's back disappear, and after a long time, he murmured in response.
"Old crow, I envy you too. You have no choice, so you don't have to suffer like this."
Afterwards, the handsome Gulamo stood up and walked slowly in the empty hall, looking at the bright murals.
On the murals on the four walls of the hall, there are many naked dancing gods and many charming women. The style of these paintings is actually more Mayan, which is a kind of indulgence and splendor. The Lithospermum family has inherited this tradition in the prosperous land.
For more than two hundred years, it has long been different from its compatriots in the north. The family heads of the past generations lived a luxurious and luxurious life, and loved singing and dancing with beauties, which deeply imbued the customs of the southern city-states.
After a while, Gulamo finally looked at the surrounding guards and ordered in a deep voice.
