The sunlight slanted gently to the west, falling into the Priest Grand Hall. The incense in the censer had burned out, and a High Priest was about to add more when the High Priest waved his hand to stop him. Although the scent of the divinities was comforting, inhaling too much was not beneficial.
"Judging by the ti, the capture within the city of Tlacopan must have already started."
The High Priest smiled calmly, stood up, and moved to the priests’ inner sanctum for so simple refreshnts.
Xiulote sat cross-legged in the grand hall, ticulously examining the Alliance’s census and agricultural statistics.
These numbers were collected by local village priests and estimated based on the customary tributes of various places, accumulating layer by layer. It was obvious that the accuracy of these numbers wouldn’t be high. Yet, in this era, they were important and scarce secrets, a foundation of governing the nation, and they reflected the central authority’s control over the local areas. Apart from the centralized Alliance and Kingdom, the other parts of the world probably didn’t even have such rough numbers.
"Bless the xica Alliance, reigning over all directions of the world... The Great Temple is the center of the world; its surrounding one hundred and eighty li form the Capital Region, directly governed by the Alliance, a fertile valley bestowed by the Chief Divine! The population of the Capital Region is over 1.5 million, with about 500,000 able-bodied adults; the Lake Region’s milpas amount to ten million acres, and the total area of the chinampas in the Lake Region amounts to fifteen thousand hectares..."
At this, Xiulote slightly started. The Great Temple’s surroundings stretched across one hundred and eighty li and were directly governed by the Capital Region? By this reckoning, the Holy City within a hundred li to the northeast of Lake Texcoco, his hotown Teotihuacan, was also included in the direct governance of the Alliance!... He lifted his head, wanting to ask his grandfather, only to realize that at so point, his grandfather had already disappeared.
"1.5 million people in the Capital Region! The agricultural level of the xica Valley in the Lake Texcoco Region truly surpasses that of all other regions!"
Xiulote inwardly marveled. Then, he silently began to calculate.
The Alliance used the smaller acre system, where one square kiloter was 2,500 small acres. Each hectare of chinampa could sustain twenty people, thus fifteen thousand hectares could sustain 300,000 people. If the remaining 1.2 million people were to farm the ten million acres of milpas, the average land allotted per person would be just over 8 small acres. Considering that at least half of the milpa fields required fallowing, each person’s actual farming area was rely 4 acres. In contrast, in the sparsely populated Kingdoms, each able-bodied adult was allotted 20 acres, with an effective cultivation of 8 acres.
"Thus, it appears that the xican Valley was indeed densely populated, and the population in the vicinity of the Capital Region was at its maximum! Around Lake Texcoco, all the farmable land had been cultivated, and even the hillsides were planted with sweet potatoes. River silt and manure were also applied on the chinampas, sustaining an astonishingly high yield... The Lake Capital City housed a vast urban population, relying on the supply from the farrs of the Capital Region. The crops of Arica were already highly productive, and without fertilizers and large livestock, this must be the limit of what the xican Valley could support!"
Xiulote pondered quietly, reflecting on the current state of the Alliance’s Capital Region and also recalling the once "future."
At the end of the 15th century, in the pre-Columbian era, the xican Valley around Lake Texcoco reached the pinnacle of its prosperity. When the Spanish colonizers arrived, they were astonished by the wealth and opulence of the area, having never seen such densely populated land rich in resources and abundant in gold and silver.
The sparsely populated colonizers, after conquering the Lake Capital City, out of fear of the large gatherings of xica people and for the sake of early rule, insanely destroyed the dikes of Lake Texcoco, causing salt water to backflow and eventually draining Lake Texcoco.
The abandoned chinampas in the lake and the milpas along the shores fell into desolation, permanently reducing the population capacity of the valley. By the mid-16th century, man-made famines and European diseases spread together, causing the population of the xican Valley to plunge nearly ninety percent! The once flourishing civilization was thoroughly destroyed by foreigners, leaving countless exposed bones unburied. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century, around 1920, that the population of the xican Valley barely recovered to its pre-Columbian peak.
"A change of dynasties signifies a nation’s demise; beastly rulers eating their people is the end of the world! When the Mongols moved south, they turned farmland into pastures and destroyed the irrigation channels along the rivers, a destruction akin to these events!"
With this thought, Xiulote slightly lowered his gaze, yet his expression turned even more resolute. After so many trials, he firmly believed in his heart: as long as he was present, he could change everything and rewrite the history of Central Arican civilization!
After a while, Xiulote cald his surging emotions and continued reading.
"Beyond the Capital Region, according to tribute estimates, the combined population of the western city-states is over 500,000, with about 220,000 people in the Tepanecapan region, and approximately 300,000 in the Tollocan region. The milpa acreage should be between 3 and 5 million acres; the exact figures for agricultural land are not known."
Seeing this, Xiulote’s brow raised, his mind pondering.
"The Tlalocan state actually has a population of 300,000! It seems that I have always underestimated the importance of the Mountain Family in the Tlalocan state..."
"The Alliance’s secret guards have long been in place in Tlalocan."
The High Priest was impassive after finishing lunch, and he approached Xiulote. Glancing at the docunts in Xiulote’s hands, he casually reminded him.
"Izel of the Mountain Family is connected with the Alliance’s secret guards, and this young man has great ambition. As for the Spring Rain Family who once defied you at the banquet, the High Priesthood has already dispatched the Temple Guards to administer punishnt."
"The Spring Rain Family, Clan Leader Shaopan..."
Xiulote startled slightly, as past mories surfaced. He began to inquire.
"How will the High Priesthood administer punishnt?"
"The entire tribe’s n are to be executed, and the servants and wonfolk are to be exiled to Xilotepec City."
The High Priest said blandly, his face unchanged.
"By now, Clan Leader Shaopan should have been beheaded. It’s a good opportunity to completely reclaim the power of the Priests of the Goddess of Spring and let the Chief Divine of Tlalocan take control of the city-state’s religious authority."
"...Yes."
Xiulote nodded slightly with lowered eyes. He pondered in his heart; his grandfather’s actions seed rather hasty... Suppressing his doubts, Xiulote turned back to his docunts.
"The southern city-states together account for 600,000 to 700,000 people. The southwest Razico state has 380,000 people, the southern Cuahuac state has 140,000, and the southeast Xochipeople state has 130,000. The Milpa amounts to 4 to 6 million acres, and the Chinampa roughly extends to thousands of hectares, the exact amount unclear..."
"Razico state is a major town in the southwest, with fertile land and a booming population. There are rivers and lakes scattered around, and Chinampa floating fields are also built there. Much of the Southern Army’s food during the westward campaign ca from nearby Razico state. As for the southeastern Xochipeople state, it borders the Alliance’s arch-enemy, Tlaxcala. Its hills roll, fortress is dense, the people are fierce, making it a militaristic city-state on the frontier. Over the past few years, the Alliance has been invaded by Tlaxcala several tis from the southeast, and the population has gradually declined..."
The High Priest smiled slightly and spoke again.
"Xiulote, my child. If you join the Southern Army, you will use Xochipeople state as a base to campaign east! I will issue a decree and write another letter, commanding the Chief Divine of Xochipeople to provide you with robust support!"
Upon hearing this, Xiulote nodded and smiled. He then looked at the next docunt.
"The northern city-states together have a population of 410,000. The northwest tztitlan has 80,000, the northern Weyoplhethlan 130,000, and the northeast Atotonilco 200,000..."
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