Chapter 411: Commerce and Religion, Silhouette of the Capital in the Lake
The sky is approaching dusk, the waves reflect the red sun, and the city in the lake shines in the glow, like a magnificent painting of the main god. The expansion of the Great Temple Pyramid is about to be completed, and the 60- to 70-meter-high tower is becoming more majestic, like the throne of the gods in the human world.
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Gilliam wore a simple robe and a dark cloak, and walked all the way to the palace with a few guards. Although he was already a "snake" and the most important king's adviser in the alliance, he still lived a simple life.
, low-key style.
Having been engaged in intelligence work for many years, he has long been accustomed to minimizing his personal presence at all times. At this moment, he was walking in the bustling streets of the capital, stepping on the shadows of dusk, as if walking in an empty wilderness. No one noticed his existence.
, and no one recognized his identity.
The general intelligence officer walked through the prosperous market, silently sizing up the merchants, observing each other's clothes, expressions and movements. The New Year celebrations in mid-January had long ended, and the tribute envoys from all countries had returned, but the people from all over the world had
Merchants still stayed in the capital.
With the growth of the Mexican Union, wealth from all over the world gathered. The great nobles had enough financial resources to squander, which gave rise to prosperous commerce. The Union itself produced a large amount of obsidian, gold and silver, salt, grain, cotton cloth and spices.
Tribes from all directions presented furs, tobacco, feathers, shells, rouge, jade, gold and silver ornaments as tribute.
Copper materials from the Western Kingdom and the Wetamo Mountains are monopolized by the central alliance and given priority to military production. Only businessmen with official backgrounds can trade in small quantities and make huge profits. Fireworks in the craftsman camp are going on day and night, and a large amount of copper materials
The tin material was forged into sharp copper spears, armor-piercing copper arrows, and strong bronze cloth armor.
With the popularity of bronze weapons, the control of obsidian has gradually been relaxed. The obsidian produced by the alliance has become a valuable commodity that merchants from various countries will definitely purchase. In order to meet the demand for blood sacrifice, all the ministries in the world fight every day. Even the distant Sasha
The Potecs also conquered the Mayan tribe in the eastern rainforest every year. In the world of Central America, obsidian, which can be used as a weapon and has religious significance, is the same hard currency as cocoa beans.
"Why are there so many gems in the Western Lake Kingdom?"
The chief intelligence officer cast a scrutinizing gaze at Prepecha's gem shop.
In just a few moments, a huge gem trade was completed. A Mayan merchant with a slender head took out tens of thousands of kilograms of grain and hundreds of rolls of cloth, and exchanged two bamboo baskets for various gems. The merchants on both sides
He was smiling brightly, and the tax collector who was witnessing the incident was also happy.
The number of gems produced by the Kingdom in the Lake is so large and the quality is so stable that the price of gems in the entire world has dropped by several percent. Now, the only ones who can purchase gems in large quantities are the Mayan merchants who control coastal trade.
The general intelligence officer knew that Mayan merchants purchased large quantities of high-quality Prepecha gemstones and did not sell them locally, but transported them eastward to the coast. They took Mayan galleys out to sea and traded with countless island tribes in the sea.
Prepecha Gem purchases cheap tobacco, spices, cotton and grain, and can even earn up to ten times the profit!
At this moment, Prepecha's gems may have spread to the end of the world, becoming the third most expensive hard currency after cocoa and obsidian.
"Many secret guards have been exploring the kingdom for several years, but they have not found any traces of gem mines. Instead, all clues point to the special trade bureau of the Kingdom's Divine Apocalypse."
The chief intelligence officer looked at the gem shop and was silent. He already had a shocking guess in his mind. However, in the current political situation of the kingdom, it was meaningless to express this guess.
Prepecha's gem shops are mostly run by the official merchants of the Lake Kingdom, and they steadily sell large amounts of gems in the alliance states in exchange for daily supplies needed by the kingdom, especially food and cloth. Then, these daily supplies will be sold in the north of the capital.
Get on the ship at the port and be transported to the west by the Kingdom Navy.
The Alliance was founded on farming and war, and the control of military supplies, food and cloth has always been very strict. After the reform of the Islamic law, the outflow of war preparation materials was strictly prohibited. But the Kingdom of the Lake is different after all. It has an extremely close relationship with the Alliance and has always been given special treatment. Xiu
His Highness Lot entrusted the foreign countries with enfeoffment, and the king and the high priest took great care of them, providing various supports year after year.
In fact, without the continuous blood transfusions from the Mexican Alliance, the Lake Kingdom would not have been able to restore production order so quickly, let alone continuously launch troops to fight foreign wars.
In addition to material support such as food, cloth, and tin mines, King Avit even generously issued a decree allowing the Kingdom of the Lake to send manpower to recruit poor Mexican farmers and city residents in the densely populated Texcoco Lake area.
The high priest also ordered the village priests in various places to cooperate in the settlement of lake areas in the west and complete a certain quota of migration every year.
Thinking of this, Gilliam lowered his eyes slightly. According to the information he had, more than 10,000 people migrated from the Texcoco Lake area to the Western Kingdom last year alone. The number of people who migrated from the holy city of Teotihuacan
At most, there were almost two thousand people.
"The king trusts His Highness more than his own children..."
The chief intelligence officer thought for a moment and smiled helplessly. Then, he looked at the fat tax collector holding an abacus in the market. As the alliance strictly prohibits smuggling, prohibits local governments from setting up private cards to collect taxes, protects the safety of merchants, and regulates commodity prices,
Unification of weights and measures... After a series of commercial law reforms were implemented, commercial taxes in the Texcoco Lake District increased rapidly. Now, the commercial taxes collected by the alliance every year are enough to support two legions of 8,000 people.
The position of tax collector is controlled by the priesthood and the royal family, and has now become a famous "fat vacancy" in the alliance. After the children of various noble families obtain this position, they will become visibly fatter.
"The position of tax collector can be used to appease the great nobles who are dissatisfied with centralization of power. Most of the children of the great nobles who hold this position will gradually wear away and lose their fighting spirit like obsidian weapons..."
Gilliam smiled slightly, catching the fat tax collector's attention.
The tax collector watched carefully for a moment, then suddenly his whole body trembled and his face turned pale. The other person turned out to be the "Snake Girl" who had executed the most nobles in the alliance in the entire world! According to rumors among the nobles, the Snake Girl not only held the power of supervision in her hands
The inspection warriors also control the secret detective warriors. Not long ago, several of the alliance's tax collectors were mercilessly executed for accepting bribes and acquiescing to the arms trade of foreign merchants.
Thinking of this, the tax collector immediately bowed his waist and walked towards this side in small steps. Gillim glanced at it lightly, waved his hand, and left silently again.
The chief intelligence officer continued to move forward, passing by the community's shrine. The sound of singing in the evening came from the shrine, and the scent of rosin praying to God filled the air. Outside the shrine, hundreds of people knelt on the ground.
Under the guidance of the priest, pray devoutly in the direction of the big temple.
"Praise the Lord God! He gives us food, He protects our souls... He protects us in the dark night and promises a better tomorrow!..."
Seeing this scene, Gillim frowned slightly and quickened his pace. Although he was well versed in theology, he did not have much reverence for the gods.
Over the years, the religious reform has deepened, and the glory of the Lord God has been rooted in the hearts of the people in the Lake District. Throughout the lake capital, the belief in multiple gods has been transformed into the supreme God. The image of the Lord God is gradually changing and becoming more abstract.
From the cruel and bloody hummingbird war god, he transformed into the majestic and benevolent almighty god.
Gillim can feel that with the strengthening of monotheistic belief, the perfection of teaching theory, the complexity of prayer rituals, and the perfection of the afterlife...religion's control over people's hearts is becoming more and more powerful, and the power of priests is rapidly expanding.
The influence is also increasing day by day. From all the countries outside the Texcoco Lake area, there are devout believers who come from hundreds of miles away to visit regularly.
"The prayers of the priests are getting louder and louder, and their words are getting stronger and stronger, and they are gradually suppressing the great nobles from all over the Lake District. This is not a bad thing for the centralization of the royal family. But the high priest's lofty status, His Highness Shulot's Lake
The Middle Kingdom, the two combined... Once the immortal sun leaves, how will the king maintain his balance and sit firmly on the throne?"
Thinking of this, the Chief Intelligence Officer became very worried. The powerful divine power in the hands of the high priest was a hidden danger to the alliance that worried him far more than the kingdom in the lake seven hundred miles away. The elder had already listened to the call of the Lord God and stayed.
The time on earth will not last long. Without Him to suppress everything, once the great nobles who are dissatisfied with the centralized power collude with the divine power, I am afraid...
Gillim raised his head. The large temple, more than 60 meters high, cast a huge shadow, covering the central temple area and the tiny mortals. Under the large temple, more than a thousand believers from all over the world were flowing.
With tears, we fell down under the majestic shadows, prayed to this shocking spectacle, and sang praises to the glory of the Lord God!
The chief intelligence officer stared in silence for a moment, then shook his head inconspicuously. Then, he turned around and headed towards King Avite's palace.
There, King Avit, who had gone through blood and fire and controlled power and strategy, sat on the throne and had been waiting for a long time. The king's eyes were as calm and deep as Lake Texcoco, and looked to the east like the burning red sun.
