Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 756 - 412: The King and His Confidant

Chapter 756: Chapter 412: The King and His Confidant

The sunset faded away, and the King’s palace lit up with unceasing fire torches, while the divine curtains fluttered in the night breeze. Guided by the Royal guard, Gillim headed towards the magnificent hall. In just a moment, he heard the light flute music, mingling with a bird-like singing.

The Chief Intelligence Officer frowned slightly, looking at the guiding guard. The guard hesitated, then spoke in a low voice after a slight pause.

"His Majesty is in a poor mood and has had some refreshing honey wine, watching the Vastec beauties’ song and dance for a while."

The Vastec people dislike lavish attire and excel in song and dance; they always present some beautiful songstresses and dancers each year in lieu of monetary and grain tribute. And at the banquets of the Great Nobility in the Capital City, Vastec beauties are also highly sought after.

Gillim nodded silently, thoughtful. He walked solemnly into the great hall, ignoring the graceful dancing girls, and strode up to the King. Next, he bowed solemnly, kneeling deeply on the ground, without uttering a word.

"Hmm? Gillim, you’re here?"

King Aweit leaned on his throne, his face showing pleasure, yet his eyes remained clear. He lifted an exquisite silver cup, took a sip of the sweet honey wine, and smiled at his most trusted female serpent.

"Come, take a cup, and drink with me to the last drop!"

Gillim’s expression was solemn, and he bowed once more, still without reply.

King Aweit’s brow furrowed. He glanced indifferently at the Chief Intelligence Officer and waved his hand in a calm manner.

"Everyone, leave!"

The music and dancing came to an abrupt halt. The dancers, singers, and musicians all bowed and then swiftly exited the hall. Soon, only rows of candles and the two men remained in the great hall.

"Your Majesty, today is not a sacred festival. Why are you drinking in the solemn great hall?"

Gillim raised his head and asked in a deep voice.

"...I am in high spirits today, so I called upon the newly presented Vastec beauties to enjoy themselves for a bit. What is it, my loyal advisor, would you even counsel me on this?"

King Aweit’s expression turned cold as he glanced at the kneeling Intelligence Officer, resembling an awakened Jaguar.

"Your Majesty, you are displeased."

Gillim replied solemnly. Then, he bowed respectfully and inquired.

"Could it be because of the Elders’ decree? His Highness Xiulote has come of age, and Princess Alisa also awaits eagerly. Moreover, the Kingdom’s grand strategy requires it..."

"Ding-dong!"

The sound of metal clashing rang out suddenly. King Aweit, in a sudden outburst of anger, threw down his silver cup and shouted loudly.

"Silence!"

Gillim closed his mouth and once again knelt to bow.

After a good while, the King’s face regained its calmness. He spoke indifferently.

"Have the envoys to the various states set off?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"What about those to the Kingdom of the Lake?"

"They set off a month ago."

"Is everything ready in the Capital City?"

"It is ready. It will be a grand celebration for the entire city."

"Have all the Royal Family’s close relatives been invited?"

"Everyone has been invited. Even the Elders will make an appearance..."

King Aweit inquired meticulously for a good while, until there were no more issues to be found. Finally, he sighed resignedly.

"Enough, let’s wait for Xiulote to come! After the grand event, we shall offer a blood sacrifice. Once the celebration is over, we will make preparations to conquer the Tlaxcala!"

"Yes, Your Majesty. May the Chief Divine protect the Alliance, and may the Ancestors grant you a great mandate! You are the Royal Eagle and the Sun of Summer; you are destined to rule in every direction, uniting the entire world!"

Gillim bowed once more, a smile on his face. He chanted in a deep voice, with immense confidence.

King Aweit straightened up and nodded solemnly. He lowered his gaze and asked seriously.

"Gillim, about the rumors of the Divine Beast to the south of the Kingdom of the Lake, what have you found?"

"Your Majesty, the merchants’ tales of the Divine Beast are not credible. I have received reports from the scouts and interrogated the nobility from the south of Apachigan... The so-called Thunderbolt Divine Beast is likely a new weapon from the Kingdom of the Lake, a bronze-forged cannon! It comes in two sizes: the larger copper cannons can shoot one to two miles, destroying wooden fortresses, suitable for sieges. The smaller copper cannons fire a hundred paces, piercing samurai shields, fitting for field battles..."

"Hmm, if these two types of cannons truly possess such power, they are indeed vital weaponry for a military state!"

King Aweit nodded. He pondered for a moment, then calmly asked,

"In this year’s tribute from the Kingdom of the Lake, are there any bronze cannons?"

"...There are none."

"Hehe, what a stingy child."

King Aweit shook his head with a chuckle, a glint of shrewdness in his eyes.

"When His Highness Xiulote arrives, I will have a good talk with him."

"As you command, Your Majesty."

Gillim bowed his head in respect. After a moment of contemplation, his expression unchanged, he asked in a grave tone,

"Your Majesty, the royal guards recently captured several Prepetcha nobles who attempted to assassinate His Highness Xiulote. How should they be dealt with?"

"Assassinate?"

King Aweit squinted his eyes, looking at Gillim dangerously for a moment.

"Gillim, did the Alliance’s royal guards partake in this matter?"

"Your Majesty, I swear by the Chief Divine! The royal guards were only gathering intelligence in the Kingdom of the Lake; they were not involved!"

Gillim declared, his fist clenched in an oath. And he spoke the truth, the Alliance’s royal guards had plans laid out for much later and had no intention of attacking His Highness at this time.

"It was His Highness Xiulote’s harsh policies of reducing fiefdoms and changing appointments in the south that stirred the rebellion and assassination by the old nobility."

"Hmm. Gillim, remember your duty. Do not fail my trust..."

King Aweit watched Gillim for a moment, ultimately choosing to trust him. He implicitly permitted the Chief Intelligence Officer to station many royal guards in the Kingdom of the Lake, because such clandestine monitoring by the Alliance also existed in the territories of the Great Nobility in various states. In fact, the Alliance’s annual expenditure on both internal and external intelligence was nearly equivalent to the expenditure of an entire legion.

"Reducing fiefdoms and changing appointments? Not bad, not bad at all. This is exactly what the central royal family has always wanted to do, yet has not been able to achieve!"

"What should be done with these captured assassins, Your Majesty?"

"Local nobility conspire in rebellion, attempt to assassinate the Alliance’s Prince, their crime cannot be forgiven. Execute them all, and erect their heads in front of the Great Temple, as a warning to all states!"

"I will follow Your will, Your Majesty."

Gillim bowed solemnly, thereby sealing the fate of Guramo and his compatriots with those unemotional words! In the eyes of the supreme monarch, they were merely dust-like ants, their lives as insignificant as drifting duckweed!

"Gillim, my confidant, rise and come forward!"

King Aweit beckoned. He then took a scroll of paper map from behind the throne and unfolded it on a small table—it was a topographic map of the Tlaxcala Valley.

"Are the fifty thousand direct samurai already re-equipped?"

"Your Majesty, the re-equipment with bronze weapons is complete! Ordinary samurai now use bronze long spears instead of obsidian clubs. As for the experienced samurai accustomed to the use of war clubs, the craftsman camp has improved the clubs by replacing the obsidian edges with bronze blades. Additionally, samurai of the third level or above have been additionally equipped with bronze axes..."

Gillim respectfully bowed his head, reporting the latest military intelligence.

"One thousand from the Jaguar Warrior Brigade, one thousand from the Eagle Warrior Battalion, have all been equipped with bronze Cloth Heavy Armor. Eight thousand from the Royal Legion are equipped with bronze Cloth Medium Armor, with the majority already outfitted, and the process will be completed within two months."

"Excellent! Ten thousand elite armored warriors, eight thousand longbowmen, a hundred wooden cannons. And how could our enemies in the East, Tlaxcala, possibly withstand this?"

King Aweit laughed heartily, his smile filled with a cruel killing intent, as well as boundless confidence.

With the deepening of centralized power, the reassignment of Great Nobility territories, the central royal family now exercised direct control over the entire Texcoco Lake District, overseeing a population of 1.6 million people and fifty thousand standing samurai. Outside the Lake District, an additional 1.5 million people from traditional Mexica states were also gradually falling under central royal family control.

Sustained by a populace of more than three million, the central royal family had accumulated fifty thousand elite direct samurai over three years, with vassal samurai exceeding fifty thousand. Among the direct samurai were ten thousand armored troops, eight thousand longbowmen, and several hundred cannon operators. Moreover, over a hundred wooden cannons had been constructed, with approximately one hundred thousand jin of gunpowder stockpiled.

The Mexica were a nation founded on farming and warfare, devout in their faith, and admiring martial prowess, engaging in fifty years of incessant battles. If the nascent Kingdom of the Lake was a rapidly developing new military machine, then the traditional Mexica Alliance was an even stronger old military machine. Although there were many obstacles and hindrances within the Alliance, once mobilized, there was no force in the world that could stop it!

Gillim tilted his head up slightly, gazing at the confident and proud King Aweit.

"Your Majesty is only in his mid-thirties, at the prime age for strength and energy, capable of ruling the nation for another twenty or thirty years. After subjugating the Tlaxcalans, it will be time to attack the Mistecs to the south, the Totonacs to the east, and then the Zapotecs further south! In time, once the world is pacified, royal succession assured, and the young prince grown..."

The candlelight in the grand hall flickered brightly, reflecting the thoughts and emotions of the two men. The monarch looked proudly in all directions, like an eagle spreading its wings, intent on conquering all and swallowing the world! And the Chief Intelligence Officer stood respectfully by, secretly considering the future of the Alliance, plotting the legacy of the family and the nation.

Kings are born in blood and fire; confidants hide in schemes and shadows. Standing opposite each other, they were like a mural of alternating light and shadow, silently etched into the great hall, deciding the fate of the entire world.