Aztec Eternals

The rapid showers gradually subsided, and the land became deep and quiet, only the flowing stream flowed into the Great Lake. The clouds in the sky slowly dispersed, and the sunlight sprinkled from the gaps in the clouds, and fell into the stone hall through the light-transmitting holes. The clear light shines on the vicissitudes of the stone slab, and in the heart of the king, it lights up the story of the lost kingdom.

Shulot stared at the dusty slate, silent. There is no sound of wind in the ancient stone palace, only the breathing of a few people, but it decides the path of tens or even millions of people.

The knowledgeable elder observed the pensive young king with a glint in his eyes. After a few steps, the warrior chief was observing him silently. After a while, Jadiri walked towards the apse until Shulot made a gesture to continue.

"Your Highness, this fifth slate is also a set of two paintings. It was drawn by the sages of the royal family more than a hundred years ago, and it tells about the early governance system of the Kingdom. In simple terms, it is a dual-level three-level !"

"The so-called duality refers to the center of the two royal families' governance, which gradually evolved from the two ancient religious holy places in the lake area in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Religion is a tool to control people's hearts, and it will also put a cloak of divine authority on the ruler. Tower The royal family of Lascaux has done a lot in this regard. If you are patient, there will be a special slate later."

Shulot nodded affirmatively, saluted respectfully and said.

"The words of a sage are like rain and dew during a long drought, and they are of great benefit to me. I would like to treat you with the etiquette of a teacher, and please spare no effort to teach me everything!"

"Your Highness is willing to listen, it is the honor of this old man, and it is also the blessing of all people."

Jadiri turned slightly to avoid the king's salute, and then returned to the courtier's salute.

"Your Highness is inspired by wisdom. I am an old tortoise in the lake who dare not be my teacher. I wish to spend the rest of my life to repay the pond that raised me. If I can touch the sacred tree with my own hands, it will be the highest honor!"

Hearing the words of the sage, Xiu Luote thought for a while and understood. The governance of the feudal country is inseparable from the support of the Prepeca elites. Compared with generals who command legions, bureaucrats who can govern state affairs are rarer and more precious! He held Jadiri's arm solemnly, and clearly affirmed.

"The great affairs of the feudal state involve the various ministries of the people, and cannot do without the help of the sages. The same will be true for the major events of the world in the future. Sage, I want to establish a central government, establish counties and counties, abolish the autonomy of the nobility, and take charge of the government affairs of the feudal state. And You can be the chief minister of state affairs, participate in state affairs, be responsible for formulating national laws, compiling epic books, and taking charge of the education of the people!"

Hearing the position of Chief Minister of State Affairs, Jadiri's eyes first flashed a trace of surprise, and then turned into a shimmering smile. He took a step back, respectfully fell to the ground again, and paid respects.

"Your Highness, the river turtle crawled out of the mud pond to look up at the sun in the sky and illuminate the pattern on the turtle shell. Your Highness is a born king, and I wish to attach your wings to fly high with you!

His Highness aims to unify all the tribes in the world, to unify the mountains, rivers and all peoples. What the old minister wants is to sort out what he has learned in his life for you, so that a unified theory can be practiced in the world! I will do my best to live up to your trust! "

"Learn from the king's official. The ambition to depose a hundred sages has never been weaker than mine!"

Shulot's thoughts turned, he groaned and smiled, and said something difficult to understand. So far, the status of the two monarchs and ministers has been officially determined. The knowledgeable elder leapt into the core decision-making circle of Fengguo.

Not far away, for the first time, the warrior commander showed deep envy on his usually quiet face. He was not envious of Jadiri's conferred official position, but envied him for his profound knowledge and wisdom, his ability to truly understand the complicated politics, and to resonate with His Highness who was inspired by God.

The young king accepted Jadiri's salute calmly, and then held up the healthy sage.

"Chairman, please continue."

Jadiri nodded, and walked back to the fifth stone slab generously.

The first pattern on the slate is two rows of Yaqata pyramids, surrounded by worshiping people. There are five pyramids in the first row, the heights of which decrease from the center to the sides. They look very familiar. They are the House of Winds in the capital. The second row has three large pyramids flanked by separate smaller ones.

"Your Majesty, the duality of the Tarasco Kingdom's governance, the two ancient religious holy places are the capital of Chin Cong Chan, which is located slightly north of the lake area, and the city of Ivazio, which is slightly south! Qin Congcan not only considers that it is located on a high ground and can withstand floods, but also values ​​its influence in the minds of the people in the lake.

Your Majesty, just like the magnificent lake capital of the Mexica Alliance, can be divided into the political center, the main city of Tenochtitlan, and the commercial center, the northern city of Tlatelolco. The political center of the Kingdom of Tarasco was in the magnificent city of Chinconcan, and the commercial center was in the prosperous city of Ivacio.

In the past hundred years, with the development of copper mines in the south, the city of Ivacio, with its open terrain and excellent location, has become the center of the world's copper trade. The royal family stationed a large number of court nobles there, and strongly controlled the trade in and out of Ivacio. The strong control of obsidian, copperware, cotton armor, grain and salt is another effective way to restrict local nobles.

Your Majesty, the city of Ivacio was severely damaged during the Western Expedition, but it is worth rebuilding the kingdom! "

Shulot stared at it for a moment, then nodded slightly. He led an army to capture the city of Ivacio, which had no walls, and had an impression of several pyramids there. It was just that the war was imminent and the march was in a hurry. He just searched for a group of craftsmen and miners with all his strength, and did not investigate and understand the city in depth.

"The chief said very well. The city of Ivacio has both religious and economic importance. In this case, I will rebuild Ivacio, rebuild the pyramid as the main temple, expand the commercial square, and then control the trade of the kingdom! "

The knowledgeable elder smiled, moved his finger, and pointed to the second picture.

The second picture is more complicated, with several well-dressed adults drawn. They are arranged in steps like a pyramid, divided into three levels. At the top is the king wearing the eagle crown. He is extremely tall and eye-catching, holding a scepter and a spear, occupying one-third of the entire picture scroll.

"The so-called three levels are the hierarchy of the Kingdom of Tarasco. Similar to the Mexica Alliance, it can be roughly divided into kings, nobles and warriors, not including ordinary civilians. The top level at the top is naturally the tower. King of Lasko, ruler of the land of the lake, head of the royal family, Kasongqi."

"In the Prepecha language, King Kasongchi is also known as Kamacha Kupeni, that is, the ruler, the person who divides, and the person who manages others. He has the power to govern the people of the kingdom, regardless of the other party. Is it a nobleman, a warrior or a commoner. He is still qualified to judge the status of everyone!"

Hearing this, Shulot's eyes lit up.

In the meaning of this appellation, the concept of a dictatorial king has already appeared, similar to the real "king" in the Chinese philosophy. However, in the same Nahua language family, in the Mexica language, the king "Grand Tratoani" only has the concept of a big talker. He has the highest discourse power, but he does not have absolute power to dispose of the subordinates. From this point of view, the degree of centralization of the Kingdom of Tarasco is indeed higher than that of the Alliance. And the Prepecha people's obedience to centralization will also be higher than that of all ethnic groups in the alliance.

"Chief, I'm quite interested in these political Prepecha language, can you tell me a little bit more about its meaning?"

Jatiri was startled, nodded and smiled.

"The old minister will say a few more words. Your Majesty, the central government you just mentioned is called Kamacha Kupecha in the Prepecha language. It means that those powerful people who have power unite Rise up, order ordinary civilians, and then humbly establish friendship with friendly strong men, and severely conquer and deal with hostile strong men.

And the authority of the government is called Chechesikua. It refers to the feeling of fear, and this fear can be retained over time, repeatedly causing fear.

Ordinary nobles are also called Ureguadani, that is, those who speak first and have the right to speak. Ordinary civilians are called Harbin Tata, that is, the possessed, the dominated."

The young king calmed down and carefully savored the ideas and ethnic characters contained in these daily words.

The reason why language and characters are important is because the cognitive concepts contained in them can subtly influence the user's concept in a subtle way. Throughout the history of the world, ethnic groups with similar languages ​​and characters tend to be consistent in certain characteristics. In modern times, the first step after the awakening of a nation is often to create or strengthen its own language.

"The government is the strong united to dominate the common people, united or hostile to other strong ones. Authority is the fear of violence. The nobles are the talkers, and the common people are the ruled."

Xiulot frowned slightly and whispered to himself.

"These concepts are similar to the Mexica language. In this way, in the traditional Nahua language cognition, there is no requirement of benevolence and trust for the ruler. The country's ruling order is maintained by violence, and the common people have almost no power. , the whole society was in a typical period of slavery."

"It seems that when you are free, you still have to recall the ideas of the pre-Qin philosophers in the period of similar productivity, especially the rule of law of Legalism and the benevolence of Confucianism. Then call priests and scholars to make appropriate revisions and processing, combined The actual social situation is introduced into the relatively barbaric culture of the feudal country. Confucianism, law and bones, and kings and tyrants with mixed functions are the core of the vast Celestial Dynasty's stable rule."

Thousands of thoughts flashed through the mind of the young king. For him now, governance is still a constant exploration and practice. All he can rely on is the stories that have appeared in history and the trajectory of future development. He will refer to it while groping until he walks out of the unique path of the American Celestial Dynasty!

The knowledgeable elder observed Shulot's expression and paused for a while. It wasn't until the king signaled again that he smiled and opened his mouth.

"The second level of the kingdom is the various nobles and high priests. Your Majesty, please look at these characters with different costumes. Their order symbolizes different status, and the items in their hands represent different powers.

In the foreground is Ivac, a royal nobleman, holding a scepter in his hand. It usually represents the highest-ranking lords who are closest to the king's blood. Yes, the source of the city's name is that it was originally entrusted to the closest royal branch. When King Avit left, he took almost all the royal family and nobles with him.

Next, Karachapakacha, a powerful aristocrat, holds a weapon in his hand. It is similar to the vocabulary of the central government, which means local law enforcers. They control the samurai and militia in the local community and manage the order of the region. Although their titles are hereditary, they are interfered and influenced by the royal family. If the sons of the direct line cannot decide who is superior on their own, they will be handed over to the authoritative royal family for adjudication.

During this Western Expedition, none of the real power aristocrats in the north and the central lake area survived, and the real power aristocrats in the south were still largely intact. For them, it is up to the king to decide whether the Kingdom Central will absorb them, dispose of them, or choose to deal with them. But it is best after the autumn harvest. "

The knowledgeable elder didn't speak for the old nobles, but just offered suggestions indifferently. Xiuluo nodded, and he had his own plan in mind for the arrangement in the south.

"Further on, Kuangarecha, frontier military nobles, armed with weapons and shields, and wearing animal helmets. It originally referred to military chiefs in wartime, and later evolved into military nobles who fought in frontier areas from time to time. They were hereditary , the fiefdom is far away, the status is more independent, and the right of succession is rarely interfered by the center.

Of course, like Crocodile and Feather, those Nahua nobles who rested with the kingdom, their political status is almost the same as that of Ivac, and their independent power far exceeds.

During the Western Expedition, the military aristocrats were recruited by the kingdom on the spot to resist the front lines of the two legions of the alliance. They suffered the heaviest losses in the war, either dying on the battlefield or becoming captives. "

In Shulot's mind, a series of tragic war scenes emerged. He calmly and slowly nodded, expressing his understanding. Jatiri continued on. He moved his finger and pointed to an adult in priestly attire, who was holding a jeweled scepter in his hand.

"Petamuti, the high priest. In the early days of the kingdom, theocracy still had considerable influence. The high priests in various regions also controlled the tribes and warriors. They had their own inheritance system, and even had their own temple schools.

It's just that the Condor royal family has learned from the experience of the previous kingdom and deliberately suppressed the influence of the priests. The royal family ruled the world by force, directly occupied two religious holy places, and intervened in the selection of priests. After more than a hundred years, the priestly power, which was originally independent, gradually became a vassal of the royal power. After the Western Expedition, there were very few remaining high priests in the kingdom. "

Shulot's eyes flickered. The blue fire in the House of Wind Temple is really unforgettable. Deep down in his heart, he is actually more inclined to the secularization of religion. However, he stepped into the top ranks of the alliance as a black wolf priest, and his grandfather was the highest priest leader. His own background limited his choices, coupled with the will of the elders, finally led the reform of the alliance to the road of theocracy.

"In addition to these three, a new kind of noble has also been born in the kingdom since the middle period."

The knowledgeable elder looked at the Priest King of the Kingdom of the Lake, considered for a moment, and decided not to comment on the topic of priests. He moved his finger away from the high priest and came to the last grown-up. There is a drawing of a nobleman in a slightly newer costume, holding a drawing board in his hand.

"Achacha, the adviser nobles of the court. Most of them are descendants of the nobles with real power. They have the inheritance of knowledge, but they cannot obtain fiefdoms. The royal family absorbs them as bureaucrats, manages the towns and villages directly under the jurisdiction, and counts the city's trade tax They have no fiefs, and their income comes from the support of the royal family. These people are the pillars of the royal family’s centralized power, the real administrators of the kingdom. During the Western Expedition of the Alliance, these people survived more, but lost their original positions.”

Xiulot was thoughtful and didn't answer. Different from the civil service system of the Celestial Dynasty at this time, this was the embryonic form of the traditional aristocratic system.

The Kingdom of Tarasco has a higher degree of centralization and naturally needs more administrative bureaucrats. Unlike the Alliance, the kingdom does not have large-scale community schools, and the priest class is suppressed, so knowledge is more concentrated in the upper nobles who hold power. At the same time, the nobles of the kingdom have multiplied for several generations and have many descendants, so it is easy to select administrative talents from them.

"The future administrative bureaucrats of the feudal kingdom can absorb some noble heirs. But the main administrators should come from the current civilian priests, civilian military officers, and future civilian civil servants. The way up and down needs to be opened up!"

The young king stretched out his hand and pointed directly at the bottom of the three-level structure.

"Chief, this is the first person of the third level, holding a baton shield and wearing a bifurcated feather helmet. I have met many people on the battlefield. Needless to say, this must be a high-ranking warrior in the Lake District. As for the next few People, please explain in detail."

The wise elder nodded. The content of these drawing boards, he has already had a well-thought-out plan, and now he is preaching in detail.

"The second one, Angamecha, is the head of the village and the manager of the village. The villages in the kingdom are divided into three types. The villages near the border are mostly owned by the lord, and most of the villages in the Patzcuaro Lake area are directly subordinate. And in the mountains and forests In between, there are many subjugated tribes. The land is barren and the terrain is steep. Many tribes are half-cultivated and half-hunted. People can almost be counted as low-level aristocratic lords. In the remote southeastern mountainous Wetamobang, the villages there are even completely autonomous.

The kingdom used force as a threat, but only asked them to contribute once a year, offering food, wood, feathers and leather, and giving out chickens in time of war. At the same time, the royal family controlled the input and price of salt and cotton cloth, and collected taxes from them in a more moderate way. "

Shulot's eyes moved slightly, and he knew it in his heart.

The Mexica Confederation did the same with the tribes in the mountains. It's just that the alliance is martial, and the methods are often more severe. Toltec's longbow hunters were recruited from the mountains in this way. These hunters have now been promoted to first-class warriors and are still serving in the legion. Their tribe has a total of about 20,000 mountain tribesmen, who will gradually migrate from the holy city of Teotihuacan to the north of the dilapidated feudal country to fill the population of Hekou County.

"The third one is Kasikwale, a low-level priest. In villages, priests are often from families with a large population and high influence. They have the power to hold festival sacrifices and arrange marriage and funerals in the village community. The awe and respect of the common people. Their status is second only to the tribal leaders. In the Western Expedition of the Alliance, the priests at the lower level had little influence. In fact, many low-level priests are more flexible about their beliefs. With a little processing of identity, we can effectively absorb many priests at the grassroots level."

"Chief, the low-level priests of Prepeca can be absorbed. It's just that they have to go to the capital in the lake, worship the great temple of the main god, and then receive complete priest training!"

Hearing Jadiri's implication, Xiulot replied solemnly.

"In the tribal villages of Prepeca, the priests and the elders of the village are often one. I know that the chief, as a sage of the tribe, has a reputation and must have a great influence on the priests at the bottom. The matter of naturalized priests , Chief, please help me!

The alliance is willing to accommodate these low-level priests, and can also temporarily use the sun god Kulikaveri of Prepeca as an incarnation of the main god Vitzilopochtli. However, the alliance establishes the country with religion, and it is absolutely irreversible to implement the will of the Lord God! For the vast majority of commoners, the Alliance demands devout faith. "

The young king revealed a majestic gaze. He stared at the knowledgeable elder until he averted his gaze and bowed his head respectfully.

"Your Majesty, I know your will and will do my best to help."

"good!"

Facing Jadiri's surrender, Shulot nodded slightly, and then smiled gently.

"The future path of the alliance is the unity of theocracy and political power, and the king governs the world by the patriarchal law. The so-called patriarchal law is not only the law of the clan, but also the law of religion. As the highest fifth-level suzerain of the Archdiocese of Tarasco, I can grant the sage The identity of the fourth-level chief priest is convenient for the sage to act."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Hearing the reward from the priesthood, the elder Bo Zhi looked calm and saluted. Then, he caressed the last empty seat on the third level, and added leisurely.

"Your Majesty, in fact, this third level should also include newly emerged noble merchant tax officials and high-ranking craftsmen. They are new groups that gradually emerged with the development of the kingdom's trade. Since Your Majesty has strictly Control commerce and trade, bring many materials into the official camp; and send legions to control the craftsman camp as soon as you enter the capital. You must have a complete sacred tree in your heart, and there is no need for veterans to say more."

"At this point, the dual-level and three-level kingdom system has been roughly explained. I hope it will be helpful to the king's administration in the feudal kingdom. Next, please take two steps forward, and look at the last two An important slate!"

Note: Some Prepeca words mentioned in the article are transliterated, and the spelling is as follows.

cazonci cazonci camahchacuhpeni camachacuhpeni camachacuhpecha camachexequa chechexequa ureguandani ureguandani hapingata irecha irecha carachacapacha , quangariecha quangariecha, petámuti petámuti, achaecha achaecha, angámecha angámecha, kasikuare kasikuare.