Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 728 - 392: Execution and Purge

Chapter 728: Chapter 392: Execution and Purge

The Temple hall was filled with a deadly silence, the quiet that follows the crash of thunder. The King’s words echoed like rolling thunder in their ears, striking terror into their hearts.

Terrified to the core, Oorta’s back was slick with a sudden cold sweat. With a loud thud, he fell prostrate in the hall, banging his head on the floor.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty! ... I... I am innocent, I was deceived, I harbor no thoughts of rebellion! Your Majesty! ..."

Xiulote observed coldly, then turned to look at Huitu Puapu.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

Huitu Puapu banged his head on the floor three times, nearly breaking his forehead. His thoughts raced as he struggled to speak.

"Your Majesty! The Zicao clan leader deceived us, drugged us with hallucinogenic drinks, these... these were all drunken ramblings. I have long wanted to confess to Your Majesty, but fear... Chief Divine bear witness! I have no duplicity! If I harbor even the slightest thought of betraying Your Majesty, I must have my body decapitated, and my soul forever plummet into the Abyss! ..."

"Exactly! This was written under coercion when we were drunk... Your Majesty! We traveled night and day to the south, suppressing the Zicao Family and nearby nobility, without any disloyalty! The Zicao manor has been turned to ashes, and the surrounding nobility subdued... We are your loyal hounds, tearing apart all traitors!"

"Chief Divine bear witness! Your Majesty, our hearts are full of loyalty! You are our only sun!... Thud! Thud!"

The two continuously kowtowed, their words of defense becoming more frantic and terrified. The King listened expressionlessly for a moment, then asked coldly.

"These two secret letters, were they written by you?"

"Your Majesty, we were deceived and coerced when drunk..."

"Were they or not?!"

"Ah! Yes... but at that time..."

"Speak. Who is the Tarasco prince? Where is he?"

The hall instantly went silent. Puapu glanced at Oorta, and with a bitter expression, he spoke.

"We do not know..."

"You don’t know?"

"... Guramo showed us some Royal emblems, and claimed to possess a prince from a pretender dynasty. If the timing was right, something could be arranged... We were heavily drunk at the time, excitedly agreed without fully considering... Hence, we never inquired further..."

"Exactly, exactly! Your Majesty, you are the supreme sun, overshadowing the Kingdom, how could we dare oppose? In fact, the next day when we sobered up, we regretted it..."

"This assault on Zicao Manor, we also found no trace of any pretender prince, probably just fabricated lies..."

"Yes! Your Majesty, we... we were framed..."

Xiulote pondered silently. He knew that as long as he was alive, these two in front of him would never have the courage to rebel. And if he were not around, there wouldn’t be many among his generals who could stand the test... Among the two letters, what concerned him most was the so-called "Tarasco prince". Most of the princes of Tarasco had been executed, and only a few were at large...

"Your Majesty! We were framed! ..."

"Your Majesty! Spare us! ..."

The King shook his head, no longer contemplating. He looked toward the two men, their hair disheveled, their expressions miserable, and said indifferently.

"You two wrote treasonous secret letters, colluded with the southern nobility, committing a grave offense! Armored Personal Guards, drag them to the Sacrificial Stone for beheading sacrifices!"

"Ah! What! ..."

"Your Majesty! ..."

Several Armored Personal Guards immediately stepped forward, seized the wildly struggling men on either side, and dragged them to the two Sacrificial Stones. Their arms were then tied, and their heads forced onto the dark red stones, exposing their sunburnt necks.

Two guards raised the Bronze Great Axe high, aiming at the necks of the two hereditary noblemen, waiting for the King’s command. With just one command, the axes would fall, and the two would be instantly decapitated!

The gleaming Bronze Axe hung over their necks, the dark red Sacrificial Stone cushioned underneath, countless sacrifices had despairingly died here.

Smelling the pungent blood, Huitu Puapu’s defense finally broke. After struggling for so long, betraying his chief, old friends, and relatives, rising to become a distinguished member of the Great Nobility, was he now going to die silently here? At this thought, his face twisted in terror and he screamed, his voice filled with bitterness.

"Ahh! Your Majesty, please! Consider the cities I have conquered in the West! I am willing to die for you, to fight in the vanguard for you! Ah! ... Ah! ..."

"Whimper! Whimper! Whimper! I don’t want to die! Father, my family..."

Oorta had completely broken down by now. Tears and snot streamed down as he wept uncontrollably. His father had passed the family legacy to him before dying, he was only in his twenties, the sole heir to the family, and the people of the Chapala Lake Region had been executed... Was the Sky family, passed down for generations, going to perish here? How could he face his deceased father? ..."

Xiulote watched the two men expressionlessly, never giving the command for the sacrifice.

The axes did not fall. The two endured the agony of impending death, their sweat, tears, and snot flowing down their faces and necks, soaking the dark red stone. The spread blood stained their cheeks red like dead fish., their bodies still twitching.

"Your Majesty, please..."

"Whimper... whimper..."

After a while, the cries of the two became hoarse, the fear of death overwhelming their hearts, turning into a lifelong indelible shadow. Finally, Xiulote spoke coldly.

"Cut off their hair!"

"Rip!"

The sharp great axe fell precisely, skimming the scalp of the two men, shaving their hair off completely. Huitu Puapu felt as if his liver and gallbladder were splitting, closing his eyes in terror, waiting for the pain in his neck... He kept his eyes closed for a long time, tears silently rolling down, until he suddenly realized, his head was still on his neck.

"Ah?"

"Ah! Woo woo..."

Oorta screamed miserably, screeching again like a quail.

Watching the reactions of the two men, Xiulote smiled indifferently.

"Drag them here."

The Armored Personal Guards dragged the two men over, and as soon as they let go, the two collapsed on the ground like mud. Huitu Puapu was in a pitiful state, his face ashen, but he felt a surge of relief in his heart.

"Your Majesty..."

"Woo woo..."

"Did you just say you wished to redeem your crimes and die for the Kingdom?"

Xiulote asked indifferently, his gaze calm yet piercing.

"Yes, yes! Your Majesty, I, Huitu Puapu, wish to redeem my crimes and devote myself to death for you!"

"Woo woo... I, Oorta, as well..."

Xiulote nodded. He had no intention of executing the two. Oorta, a native of the Chapala Lake Region, could still be useful in the subsequent campaigns. Huitu Puapu was a model of the surrendered army during the western campaigns; keeping him was better than executing him.

"Then I will spare your lives, granting you one last chance! But although the death penalty can be spared, punishment is inevitable!"

The King spoke softly.

"Bring someone, under the gaze of the Chief Divine, whip each person twenty times!"

Several trusted aides stepped forward, removed the two men’s armor, and pressed them down on the ground. Then, two Samurai swung the whips, lashing fiercely at the men’s backs without mercy.

"Smack! Smack! Smack!..."

"Ah! Ah! Ah!..."

Screams arose, the unrelenting whipping was extremely painful. After twenty lashes, Huitu Puapu was already covered in blood, while Oorta was nearly unconscious.

After the whipping, Xiulote watched the two men who could hardly move and issued a stern command, giving the final judgment.

"Oorta will hand over the Sky Warrior Camp, transfer to the Farming Army, and serve as a camp commander of a thousand men! Huitu Puapu will relinquish the Qinchongcan Warrior Camp, exiled to Pamus..."

Xiulote paused, a thought crossing his mind, and when he spoke again, his words shifted.

"Exiled to the end of the Tarsas River, the southwestern sea entrance, guarding the southernmost frontier of the Kingdom!"

Upon hearing this, Huitu Puapu felt his vision darken, as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss.

With the king popularizing the idea, the boundless Great Lake had been endowed with the concept of "sea," a perilous journey to a distant continent. The southwestern sea entrance of the Tarsas River was quite remote, over two hundred miles away from Kulamo City. That area had just a few nominally tributary Tekos Tribes, officially included in the Kingdom’s jurisdiction last year following explorations by Tlapanec merchants... This was truly exile to the wilderness.

"From this day onward, the Sky Warrior Camp will be renamed the Chapala Warrior Camp, the Qinchongcan Warrior Camp will be renamed the Patzcuaro Warrior Camp, and a thorough purge will be conducted!"

Xiulote ordered sternly, making the decision.

In the Kingdom’s five legions, the Imperial Guard Legion consisted of veteran Samurai from various departments, the First and Second Spear Legions were well-trained elite militia, the Guajili Legion had just subdued the Canine Descendants, only the Jingji Legion absorbed many from the surrendered nobility and Samurai of the Tarasco Kingdom.

In the early days of the Kingdom, these surrendered forces were used to appease the people, and it was not advisable to act hastily. But by this time, the kingdom had stabilized, and using the opportunity of the rebellion of the southern nobility, it was perfect to completely purge this legion! Thoroughly eliminating the influence of the Sky Family and other nobilities in the old private armies. The warriors of various legions who belonged to the Prepetcha, were all to be incorporated directly under the Kingdom.

In fact, the King had once considered completely breaking apart the four thousand Prepetcha warriors and integrating them into other forces. But in this era, local sentiment was an important source of fighting strength. Ordinary Samurai organized by their place of origin would fight more resolutely and bravely, so it was better to retain them.

"Yes, after the southern campaign is over, the Second Spear Legion will also undergo a slight reorganization."

The King contemplated for a moment, looking at the two hereditary nobles in the palace. Sky Oorta still had tear stains on his face, showing both the joy of a narrow escape from death and the sorrow of losing military power. Meanwhile, Huitu Puapu looked utterly despondent, lying on the ground motionless, seemingly resigned to his fate.

"Sky Oorta, Huitu Puapu, do you have any objections?"

"Woo woo... I will follow your will..."

"...Praise Your Majesty! Puapu is willing to obey, to die for you in the south!..."

Xiulote nodded again, observed the two men for a moment, then waved his hand.

"Go! Hand over the affairs of the camp promptly, then tend to your injuries properly."

Several personal guards immediately stepped forward, lifting the two men, who were unable to walk, down the Temple Pyramid. Then, five hundred Imperial Guard Warriors, along with them, proceeded to the military camp outside the city for the military handover. There, Camp Commander Olosh had already selected new successors for these two warrior camps.

The cold December wind swept through, as the Jingji Legion underwent purging on the spot. Any officer mentioned in the letters from the Zicao Family was sternly dismissed, sent to the wilderness of Pamus City a thousand miles away to be stationed. Most of these officers who could contact Guramo were from Tarasco nobility, conveniently being replaced by outstanding commoner warriors.

The King personally oversaw the situation, well-prepared, and the purge of the Jingji Legion progressed very quickly. Ten days later, the purge was essentially complete. Dozens of officers, over a hundred warriors, were about to be exiled a thousand miles away. Only then did the King, in the presence of the Chief Divine in the Great Temple, gather all the generals and burn all those secret letters, promising forgiveness for past actions!

The strong wind blew across the Great Temple, surging westward. Two hundred miles to the west, outside the city of Apachigan, after several days of entanglement, a crucial chase battle was nearing its end.