"Teacher, the kingdom can mobilize two and a half legions, about twenty thousand samurai!"
Xiulote had anticipated this and calmly replied.
Apart from the forces stationed in each county, the kingdom could dispatch two and a half legions for the expedition. The main force comprised seven thousand of the Imperial Guard Legion, eight thousand from the Guajili Legion, and then several thousand tribal warriors were pulled from the surrendered Tekos forces to assist. These tribal warriors, if left within the heartland of the kingdom, would be a hidden threat to public security. Yet once deployed to the front lines, under the pressure of tens of thousands of elite troops, they would serve as the best vanguard!
"Twenty thousand samurai...not bad, very good!"
Upon hearing this, Aweit’s eyes flashed, quite satisfied. The Kingdom of the Lake was still unstable, given its brief history. In his view, twenty thousand samurai indeed represented the limit for the kingdom’s military deploynt. That Xiulote could deploy so many elites to fight for the alliance sufficiently demonstrated his loyalty. Given this, he was ready to give his student a choice.
"Xiulote, would you like to join the Northern Route Army or the Southern Army? The Northern Route Army will march directly into Tlaxcala, be mindful of the support from the Totonac people. The Southern Army will attack Tepeyacak, be wary of disturbances from the Mistec and Zapotecs."
Xiulote furrowed his brows, deep in thought.
At this point, the xica Alliance already controlled two-fifths of the world. The remaining parts of the world were subtly forming an encirclent. Generally speaking, the Mistecs and Zapotecs from the south had more troops and were more troubleso. However, with the support of the waterways of the Tarsas River, the looted spoils of war could be continuously transported back to Zicao County in the south.
"Teacher, I’ll join the Southern Army!"
A mont later, Xiulote made his decision and replied loudly.
He believed that with the strong capabilities of the kingdom’s Imperial Guard Legion, they would not fear any field battle! This eastern campaign by the alliance, the land of the Tlaxcala people was clearly not related to the Kingdom of the Lake as a fief. If the campaign were successful, the Tlaxcala Valley would either be directly governed by the alliance or split up as the territory of a Prince, or perhaps both.
What the Kingdom of the Lake would gain were the looted spoils of war in the east campaign. Among them, the large number of captives, which could solidify the kingdom’s foundation, were most valuable. Only along the Tarsas River could the population gained from the war be transported thousands of miles back to Zicao County in the south.
As for the Mistec and Zapotec peoples, if they dared to send troops to attack, he would subdue every Mistec state along the river!
"Very good!"
Aweit nodded in satisfaction and exchanged a smile with Xiulote. In just a few words between them, the major military affairs of the alliance and the future course of the world were determined. The deploynt of the great army involved nurous tasks, which would be handled by specific advisors and generals afterward.
The conversation between teacher and student then beca much lighter. Aweit asked about the customs and territories of the north and south, while Xiulote also talked about the situations of the tribes in the northern wilderness, as well as the continuous mountains inhabited by the Tekos people in the west.
"So you’re saying, the northern wilderness extends endlessly, and even two thousand miles north, there are still tribes of Canine Descendants?"
Aweit was quite surprised. He widened his eyes, resembling a jaguar that had slled blood.
"Exactly! Teacher, according to a surrendered chieftain of the Guajili, to avoid the godly disaster of cold waves, they moved southwards from the northern wilderness, a thousand miles away, to reach the land of the Otomi people. And farther north, one or two thousand miles away from their once holand, there are still countless nomadic tribes. The tribes of the wilderness are like stars in the sky, and farther north, in the endless dominion ravaged by cold waves, there are thousands of miles of fertile land covered in thick grass and dense, dark forests. Nurous great rivers crisscross north and south, connecting everything along their paths..."
Xiulote described the vast North Arican continent, his eyes also gleaming.
"In the northern wilderness, there are vast deposits of gold and silver, exposed among the deserts and rocks. Farther north, there are huge open-pit mines of copper, coal, iron... and other tals. And to the northwest of our world, towering rocky mountain ranges stretch for thousands of miles. That place might be the origin of our xica people, the land of Aztlán... and thanks to the blocking by the rocky mountains, many places in the distant northwest won’t be affected by cold waves. There, the cultivable fertile land, rivers flowing down from the mountains, more prosperous tribes, and even city-states in the mountains..."
Hearing about such a vast world, Aweit suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with an eagling desire for conquest. After a while, he cald down and slowly sat back on his throne.
"Xiulote, my student. Hearing you speak like this, I really do want to take the legion and make a trip to the north... You just ntioned that the Tekos people of the west have land spanning thousands of miles?"
"Indeed! From the mouth of the Lerma River to the mouth of the Tarsas River, the Tekos people of the southern and northern parts are scattered over a land of more than a thousand miles. Their land is either along the endless Great Lake or along the valleys and river flows in the mountains, the terrain is highly dispersed and the terrain is quite perilous. Only by forging through the two great rivers of the world and conquering along the sea can the land of the Tekos people be brought under control!"
"Hmm, not bad!"
Aweit nodded slightly. He looked at Xiulote and said with a smile.
"Xiulote, my student. I endowed you with the western lands of the world, not realizing they were so vast! It seems there is much more that the Kingdom of the Lake can do in the future!"
Upon hearing this, Xiulote’s eyes sparkled, and he nodded respectfully. He pondered his teacher’s words, sensing the underlying ssage.
"The Kingdom of the Lake can only expand to the west..."
The two n chatted and laughed rrily, unaware of ti passing as they discussed the affairs of various tribes and matters of the realm, all contained within the bosoms of the kings and pondered in their minds.
"Xiulote, I heard that you have been rigorously reducing and changing the enfeoffnts in the south, cutting more than ninety percent of the Prepetcha nobility’s lands?"
A mont later, Aweit gripped the Divine Staff in his hand and asked another question of concern.
"Exactly! Teacher, these southern nobles are remnants of the Tarasco Kingdom, controlling eighty to ninety percent of the lands and people in the south. The tribute collected from the two hundred thousand people in the south yields less human resources than from forty to fifty thousand people in the capital region."
Xiulote nodded, his expression confident and resolute.
"After my northern campaign, I rested for a season before continuing south to reduce their fiefs. Tens of thousands of elite warriors pressed down like mountains; the old nobility had no chance to resist and had to obediently comply. Those unwilling to submit were completely annihilated, their lands seized, and their children exiled to the northern borders!"
"Good, very good! Excellent!"
Aweit was slightly moved, his words fluctuating with emotion.
"The local old nobility control too much land and population! The power of the central Royal Family must continue to be strengthened! Alas... alas!..."
Hearing this, Xiulote tensed inwardly. He pursed his lips cautiously and watched Aweit’s expression closely.
"Teacher, an alliance and a kingdom are ultimately different... There’s no need to rush at this mont. Otherwise, the nobility’s backlash could be truly dangerous..."
"Hmm."
Aweit’s expression remained the sa, noncommittal. He looked at Xiulote with a concerned expression and asked.
"Xiulote, my child, I heard you encountered a dangerous assassination attempt in the south?"
"Ah! Yes..."
Xiulote lowered his eyes and nodded in response.
"Teacher, the situation was quite dangerous then. The assassin hid frog poison in their fingernails, and I nearly brushed shoulders with the God of Death..."
"Hmm. I heard the details from the Intelligence Officer."
Aweit watched Xiulote calmly. After a long pause, he finally spoke softly.
"Xiulote, my child, the mastermind behind your assassination has been captured by the Alliance and is detained in the nearby Temple dungeon. They attempted to assassinate a prince of the Alliance; their cri is unforgivable. Keeping them alive now is just so that you can et them once more! Soon, they will be executed, and their heads displayed in front of the Great Temple, a warning to all states!"
"Ah! Guramo has been captured by the Alliance?"
Shock surged in Xiulote’s heart, and rising hatred turned into cold murderous intent.
"Chief Divine bless! Thank you, Teacher! I will make sure to et them!"
"Hmm."
Aweit nodded calmly, unbothered. For a king of the Alliance, the fate of a few noble assassins was but a minor matter. He ditated for a mont, then once more looked up at the ceiling’s mural and spoke solemnly.
"Xiulote, let’s conclude today’s discussion here. Alisa is waiting for you in the rose garden! She has been waiting for quite so ti now."
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