Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

The male birds chase and fly, then perch and rest on branches, building nests with the female birds and singing joyfully. Spring vitality burgeons, as the east wind blows warmly from the sea, even making the armor clothes hot. The sprawling camp unfolds outside Golden Bay City, where patrolling legion warriors alternately pass in squads. They carry copper spears and greatbows, bowing in the distance to greet the returning imperial guards. At the center of the imperial guard escort, there's the returning king, along with the ever-present guard commander.

"Family Head, the centralization of the alliance is being expedited! The latest news is that before this year's spring plowing, another batch of the great nobility from the traditional Seven States will migrate to Tlaxcala Land with their families, samurai, and parts of their populace for reallocation!"

"Hmm. Since the Eastern Expedition, the king's centralization reforms have never ceased, but have rather become more severe. Currently, the royal centralization range has expanded from the Texcoco Lake District to encompass the peripheral traditional Seven States. Eliminate each semi-independent vassal state, establish a directly governed administrative system, and extend the High Priesthood's reach into every village of the alliance... To implement this series of royal decrees, even with the king's profound prestige, it certainly is not an easy task!..."

"Indeed! Presently, five royal legions are stationed on the periphery of the Texcoco Lake District, intimidating states within the alliance. Meanwhile, the legions of each city-state are either deployed elsewhere or have suffered significant casualties, severely weakened... Even if the great nobility of each state are unwilling, they can only obey the king's decree, leave their inherited fiefs and tribes, abandon the towns and villages they control, and venture into the desolate Tlaxcala Land for development!"

"Ecatl, the Four States of Tlaxcala, especially around the southern Cholula Holy City and northern Tlaxcala Valley of the Four Snake City, have always been among the world's most prosperous areas! The Four States are crisscrossed by rivers, the lands have been cultivated for a long time, and agricultural conditions are excellent. The wealthy populace from the Mexican Valley migrating to these newly conquered lands, assimilating the native Tlaxcala people, is indeed the long-term method for governance!... In truth, our Kingdom of the Lake faces a similar situation, lacking population from the Mezica Main Body!"

"Family Head, the Prepecha tribes have followed your lead, winning one conquest after another! They also form the foundation of the kingdom and are your reliable core! The loyalty and obedience of the Prepecha warriors even surpass those of the Mexica warriors..."

"Indeed! With the Chief Divine as witness! I am the prince of the Mexica and the king of the Prepecha. I have always regarded the loyal Prepecha warriors as my most reliable force and have always granted them the most fair rewards. Even in the protection by my Imperial Guard Legion, they constitute over half of the numbers! However, their loyalty ultimately rests with me personally..."

At this point, Xiulote paused slightly and did not continue further. He knew that the Kingdom of the Lake was established just a decade ago; rather than being an "orderly inherited kingdom," it's more of a "tribal alliance of emerging military nobility." This military slave state he personally established absorbs valiant warriors from various tribes, focusing everything on agricultural warfare! And the thriving development of the kingdom depends entirely on continuous external warfare and plunder, equal military merit promotion and rewards!

"Just like the great chieftain's story... After unifying the tribes of the grasslands and ending internal disputes and fights, he had to carry on with yearly expeditions, continuously expanding outward, using newly conquered lands and populations to resolve internal distribution conflicts! Genghis Khan spent his entire life fighting wars because he wanted to consolidate the tribes of the grassland, forming a never-before-seen Mongolian nation; it couldn't be done without warfare! Moreover, the system established for warfare compelled the war machine to keep operating. All internal tribal conflicts can be resolved in victorious external wars, even absorbing captured enemies continuously to develop and grow! Once warfare and conquest cease, internal class and national conflicts will successively erupt, and the cycle of doom will be near..."

Thinking of this, Xiulote stretched out his hand, rubbing his throbbing forehead. He does not worry about the current war, yet he is always contemplating how to incorporate the seaside tribes situated thousands of miles away into the agricultural warfare system of the Kingdom of the Lake.

"Conquer the Six States, campaign against the Bai Yue in the south, attack the Xiongnu in the north... There are no outside states to conquer in the world anymore; internal conflicts cannot be mitigated, and without reforming the new system, hence the fall of the Second Qin..."

"However, I have the Monotheism to consolidate hearts, the Divine Revelation Place to develop productivity, along with the vast expanses of the North and South American continents... There must be something different!..."

"The urgent issue now is how to govern the Totonac land... I led the army eastward to the seaside, distant by a thousand miles from the alliance and kingdom... It's impossible to stay too long in these far-reaching, broad seaside lands..."

Xiulote's mind whirled but showed no external emotion. He returned to the great tent, reviewing the newest report sent by the kingdom and also checking the preparations for spring plowing in each county.

"Monkey Kuluca massively raided for several months, capturing the Chapala Lake shoreline, seized two or three thousand young Prepecha, returning once again from the Chapala Lake Region! Feather Prince, leading five thousand warriors, is stationed at the front-line Chapala Royal City, not daring to venture out to battle. He has relocated tens of thousands of tribe populace to the ancient sacred city two hundred miles northwest. That city, known to be established during the Teotihuacan Period, has a history spanning a thousand years: Tecititlan..."

"Hmm? The ancient city of Tecititlan? Lake Stone City?"

Seeing this part, Xiulote was slightly startled. The name of the Lake Capital City is "The Land of Prickly Pears and Rocks by the Lake," Tenochtitlan. Meanwhile, the name Teuchitlán, similar to the Lake Capital City's, could also be called "Lake Stone City." Lake Stone City has extensive vertical shaft tombs, uncovering many ancient panels recording myths and epics from the Teotihuacan Period, also known to the Mexica Alliance.

"Ecatl, bring the map of the Chapala Lake Region!"

"Yes! Family Head!"

Soon, the guard commander unfolded the map, locating Lake Stone City's position. Tecititlan Lake Stone City, as the name implies, is situated on the north side of a small lake, surrounded by valleys formed by stone mountains. It is primarily located at the edge of the Western Madre Mountains, with the towering divine mountain "Quetzalpetl" (Cuauhtépetl), at a height of two and a half thousand meters, known as "Eagle Mountain" (Cuauh- Eagle tépetl- Mountain) not far to the west.

"The location of Lake Stone City is approximately six hundred miles from the ocean outlet on the Western Sea Coast, already nearing the territory of the Northern Ticos tribes! Damn! Feather Prince is again preparing to lead the tribe to escape west!... Ecatl, if I recall correctly, there ought to be a major city-state of the Northern Ticos in the southwest..."

"Yes, Family Head, one hundred miles southwest of Lake Stone City, south of Eagle Mountain Divine Mountain is the Ameca Valley! The Ameca City-State, with a tradition spanning two hundred years, is located here. Strictly speaking, the divine descendants of Ameca claim descent as Eagle Mountain Divine Eagles, long intermarrying with the Prepecha's Divine Eagle Royal Family. They possess both Tecos and Prepecha bloodlines yet don't consider themselves as mountain Tecos nor as lake Prepecha... Instead, they claim to be citizens of the Sun God Eagle, divine descendants descending from Eagle Mountain..."

Hearing such a familiar description, Xiulote's eyebrows lifted, and he immediately understood.

"Descendants descending from Eagle Mountain? So, their ancestors, like those of the Prepecha, Mexica, also settled from southern tribes descending from the wilderness? With a tradition of two hundred years, claiming divine eagle descent, this coincides closely with the period when Prepecha's early predecessors descended south, even possibly being of the same lineage..."

"Uh... It should be so! But, Family Head, let's not forget, our Mexica's ancestors... the elders have designated as the ancient sacred Toltec people..."

Hearing this, guard commander Ecatl hesitated briefly before cautiously reminding. Xiulote nodded, then pressed firmly on the map at the position of the Ameca Valley.

"Please request the kingdom's premier, Prepecha Sage Jatili, to write to the divine descendants of Ameca City! The Kingdom of the Lake hopes to make friendly alliances with them... Request them to deploy forces to obstruct Feather Prince's westward migration!...

"It is a request from fellow Prepecha Divine Eagles, full of hopeful goodwill. And if they do not respond, they should prepare to face the wrath of the Mexica Jaguars!"