The priestly order's palace complex was divided into two levels. The guards on the lower level wore beast helts and yellow robes, adorned with the attire of jaguars and eagles. Assistant priests wore solid-colored capes or shawls, carrying wooden boards painted with images as they moved about.
The three of them ascended the granite staircase to the second level of the palace complex, passing by an exceptionally tall palace. Xiulote faintly heard intense arguing coming from inside the palace; the words "war" and "Otomi people" could be discerned.
At the palace entrance fluttered a large, multicolored curtain. At the center of the curtain sat the imposing Sun God, War God, and xica Guardian God Huitzilopochtli, the Chief Divine of the xica Alliance. Dark green long feathers covered the lower half of the Chief Divine's body, radiating outwards like the sun.
Next to the curtain of the palace entrance stood two guards wearing wolf heads and black robes.
One of them gave Acap a questioning look; in response, Acap pointed to Olosh and Xiulote, then gestured to the right. The guard nodded and gave Xiulote a "ferocious" smile through the gap in the wolf's mouth. Xiulote rolled his eyes, while the preoccupied Olosh seed lost in thought.
Acap then led them off to the right. Xiulote asked in a low voice, "What are the High Priests discussing in the Chief Divine's Temple?"
"You'll know in a mont," Acap replied with a smile, not answering the question directly but appearing to suddenly beco thoughtful himself.
After a while, they arrived at a side hall. There was also a huge curtain at the entrance of the side hall, depicting a deity with its arms raised high and a head resembling that of both man and dog, gazing into the sky. With a bright red tongue, deep black feathers, and headdress, it seed ready to leap off the vibrant red Throne of the Gods at any mont.
This was the god of thunder and death, the Night Star that escorts the sun—Xiulotel, also the twin brother of the Feathered Serpent Divine.
The guards of the side hall were much more enthusiastic, "Little Xiulote, back already? How was the hunt? Did you get bloody? Did you capture any prisoners?"
Xiulote nodded and shook his head, following Acap silently.
Entering the side hall, they were t with a low stone table holding a wooden board. A burly man in his thirties sat cross-legged on the floor, draped in a painted red robe, with a dark green feather crown on his head and silver arm bands. Holding a wooden pen with bristles made of resilient hair, he dipped it in black paint and began etching two patterns on the board — one of writing and one of painting.
Xiulote stepped forward and saw that the square pattern in the front depicted a shield and a club, while the pattern behind was a white cloth wrapping a corpse. He had learned of these glyphs before and knew they ant "war" and "death."
The man looked up, showing a distinct and resolute face. He had deep-set eyebrows, a prominent nose, and an air of self-assurance. His eyes were bright and keen, first landing on Xiulote, stretching into a smile, then acknowledging Acap with a nod. Lastly, he looked at Olosh and let out a laugh.
"Welco back, my warrior! And welco, my son! You've returned just in ti," the man stood up, revealing his large, muscular build, then spread his arms in a welcoming gesture. "The war is about to begin!"
"Good news, Head Warrior Xiuxoke! When? And against whom?" asked an excited and surprised Olosh, returning the gesture.
"A few days ago, a ssenger ca from Tenochtitlan bringing orders from the newly appointed Tratuoani: The King commands us to start mobilizing, for the coronation war will begin next month, aiming to subjugate the Otomi people to the northwest for refusing to pay tribute to the Alliance."
Xiuxoke and Olosh clashed forearms and then he inquired, "How did the capturing go this ti?"
"I took Xiulote and the new recruits for a spin around the people of the Vastec to the north, grabbing several dozen Canine Descendants. The Vastec were quite compliant, and their food supplies were ample. It seems the northeast won't pose any significant problems for now."
Olosh pondered for a mont before adding, "Xiulote's strength and martial arts are comndable; he took down a would-be warrior this ti. Just too many questions, he wants to know everything."
"Speaking of which, Olosh frowned in distress, 'So of the numbers and principles, how can a warrior like answer these?'"
"Haha, it seems this youngster has made quite so progress if he can stump my top Head Warrior," Xiuxoke laughed as he patted Xiulote's head, hmm, that hurt a bit.
"Is the City-State preparing to send out troops? How many?"
"Of course, as the King's kin, the City-State will definitely dispatch troops in support. The specific number of troops has been discussed by the Elder Priests all morning. The High Priest should have the information when he returns later. However, the King has already announced that Tenochtitlan will mobilize three elite Xiquipilli units, which is a force of eight thousand n. Texcoco and Tlacopan will each mobilize one elite unit, and the villages subordinate to the three cities will mobilize five commoner units."
"So all together, the capital and the other two cities will mobilize ten eight-thousand-man units, which is eighty thousand n?" Xiulote took a sharp breath, eighty thousand warriors?
"Heh, Xiulote is quite good at math," Olosh was also sowhat surprised, "Mobilizing an army of a hundred thousand n to gnaw at the Otomi's mountain city in the north as the rainy season approaches? That wouldn't be a wise choice."
"Indeed," Xiuxoke stopped smiling and slowly nodded, "The City-States to the south like Tzalko should be able to mobilize at least two units, Xochipeople and Cuauhnavac one each, the two nearby units from Weyoplhethlan to the north will be conscripted, and to the west, Tepanecapan, Tollocan, and Tzalko will muster at least four units. To the east, to guard against the Tlaxcala people, no troops can move. All in all, it should be twenty eight-thousand-man units."
"The frontal battlefield is definitely not sothing to worry about. Even if all the City-States of the Otomi send reinforcents, they'll barely make up ten units, and their combat power can't compare to our elite warrior units," Olosh confidently patted his chest.
"But twenty units would require at least a hundred thousand laborers. And during the wet rainy season, the daily consumption of food is incalculable. The northern Otomi villages have always been poor, so there's not much food to seize. Once the Otomi people hide in their City-States and hold out, if the war drags on, we'll be in trouble."
"Those are my worries too," Xiuxoke unconsciously pinched Xiulote's cheek, hmm, still painful.
"However, the northeast Vastec provides a large tribute every year, so there's no reason or benefit to attack them. The tripartite alliance of City-States to the south has been deferential over the years, and they're interconnected—if you throw a stone, it's sure to cause ripples in the pond.
"The Tarasco to the west are very strong in battle; we even suffered a defeat at their hands two years ago. The Tlaxcala to the east goes without saying; to fight them, we would need to mobilize completely, and not everyone is prepared for that. The King, after calculating, probably has no other choice but to pick the northern Otomi."
"In the end, it's still about bullying the weak and fearing the strong," Olosh muttered dissatisfiedly, "How can the King lack the heart of a warrior?"
Olosh paused, then lowered his voice, "The new King's authority has not yet been established. Fighting our enemies the Tlaxcala or the formidable Tarasco, even if we are defeated, no one would complain. But fighting the weak and cunning Otomi, if we gain no advantage at all, it won't matter if we're victorious—if the victory is too slight, it will cause dissatisfaction among the people."
Xiuxoke nodded in agreent, smiling, "Olosh, your talent is more than enough to lead an elite warrior unit as its commander."
"Too bad our City-State doesn't have eight thousand warriors for to lead," Olosh laughed heartily.
"There will be in the future, I promise!" The two looked at each other and laughed heartily at the sa ti.
Xiulote was listening so intently that he hadn't noticed when Acap had left the hall, but now he saw him walking in from outside.
Acap entered with a smile and spoke softly, "Commander, the High Priest has finished the eting and is on his way here."
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