Chapter 164: The King and His Ministers Get Along

The heavy rain poured down, washing the blood-stained leather armor, wiping the damaged boat, and then falling into the ruthless river, knocking circles of light red ripples.

The sky and the earth were dim for a while. The low sky made the birds hide, and the forest was silent. Only a strong red falcon soared in the heavy rain, flapping its powerful wings, enjoying the vast sky alone. It bypassed the fighting two-legged beasts and flew to the wooden fort on the north bank, patrolling its territory. When it flapped its wings again and controlled the long wind under its body, the fighting on the river had subsided and the sound of rain was inaudible.

Hundreds of small Mexica boats came in a hurry, surrounding the prince in the center, standing solemnly in the slow drizzle, waiting silently.

Xuluot stood at the bow, with a bloody bandage on his left arm, watching the Tarasco fleet going away. His eyes were restrained and bright red, and the boiling killing intent was stirring in his chest, filled with the determination to avenge his guards. The young commander looked around at the number of small boats, looked at Bertard, who was covered in blood, and then stared at the large group of enemies in the southwest. The desire to fight and the rationality of reality were fighting fiercely in his mind, like the river water hit by wind and rain.

After a while, the wind and rain gradually subsided. Xiu Luote raised his head, looked at the flying red falcon, looked up to the sky and roared heroically, and then suddenly raised his hand and shot an arrow.

The war arrow "swoosh!" cut through the sky, like a streaking lightning, piercing through the dark clouds, and suddenly came. The red falcon was circling proudly, startled by the long roar, and its movements were slightly stagnant. Then, the war arrow flew into the air, crossed its gray-red wings, and wiped off a piece of slender feathers. The red falcon let out a painful cry, "Ki!". Then, it quickly spread its wings, abandoned the territory it had occupied for many years, and fled away from this group of dangerous beasts to the southwest of Lake Kuichao.

Xiuluot looked at the raptor flying away. This arrow was just a hair's breadth away, and he missed the title of Eagle Shooter. After a moment, he looked at the warriors waiting for instructions and suddenly laughed out loud.

"The red falcon fled to the southwest, which is the will of the Lord God! The Tarasco people will lose their fortress, and they are as panicked as birds abandoning their homes! It's great, it's great, killing twenty warriors in this battle, this is what a warrior should do! Bertard, you killed forty Tarasco warriors, right?!"

Xiuluot laughed heartily. He looked at the warrior leader with blood soaked through his armor, and recalled the fight a moment ago.

Bertard was stunned. He wanted to explain that there were more than a dozen plain-clothed oarsmen among the enemies he shot and killed, and this battle also took advantage of the shooting advantage of the pursuit. Then, the warrior leader met the eyes of the young commander, thought for a moment, and a sudden realization appeared on his calm face.

"Your Highness, that's right! He killed forty warriors in a row and still has some strength left! In front of the powerful Mexica Eagle, the Tarasco people are just hares waiting to be slaughtered, bowing their heads and dying, vulnerable to a single blow!"

Hearing this, the young commander laughed. He looked around at the smiling warriors, then looked at the loyal warrior leader again and announced loudly.

"Bertard, you are the Holy Eagle Kuotli under the throne of the Sun God, the first warrior among tens of thousands of troops! In this battle, the God of War has blessed you, allowing you to have divine power when fighting against the believers of foreign gods! From now on, you are the 'Holy Eagle Warrior Leader' chosen by God in the army, a noble status like a descendant of God!"

Hearing the words of His Highness, the calm warrior leader was shocked. His chest was surging, and thousands of emotions surged into his heart, and he was overwhelmed with emotions. He knew what these words meant. If His Highness's award is recognized by everyone, with the blessing of God's choice, he will no longer need to care about his civilian origin and will be qualified to command the noble army.

He has practiced martial arts for thirty years and fought on the battlefield for twenty years. His childhood ideal is now!

Bertard's mind turned rapidly, and he was impressed by His Highness's clever choice of opportunity. Then, he knelt on one knee and bowed his head deeply.

Xiuluot laughed again. He swept his clear eyes over all the warriors present, looking at their faces, either reverence, surprise, thinking, or envy. The young commander remained calm and took note of it secretly. Then, he looked at the fading clouds and slowly raised his longbow.

"In the name of the Lord Huitzilopochtli! I, the descendant of the gods of the Mexica, the fourth-level chief priest of the high priest group, and the first heir of the king, Xiuluot, on behalf of the Lord God, reward the most pious warrior of the gods, Bertard of Tenotictlan, and give him the title of 'Sacred Eagle Warrior Chief'! From now on, he will be the most courageous holy eagle under the Lord God's throne, fighting to death for the glory of the Lord God!"

Accompanied by the shouting of the young priest, the drizzle gradually stopped. The first ray of sunlight broke through the layers of clouds and mist, and sprinkled from the dim sky, like the manifestation of the sun god, attracting the warriors to exclaim together.

Xiuluot looked at the bright sky and nodded secretly. The timing was just right. Then, he raised the longbow above his head and let the sunlight fall on the longbow, like the blessing of the Lord God. The young priest shouted the name of God three times, and then solemnly gave the longbow to the kneeling warrior chief.

"Blessing from the Lord! Bertard, you are already a warrior chosen by God, fighting for the Sun God!"

Shulot said.

"Dedicate everything to the Lord! Your Highness, I will protect the gods in my heart, let the sun rise to the center, and shine forever on the world!"

Bertard replied.

The sun fell, illuminating the faces of the two, outlining the smiles at the corners of their mouths. The second allegiance between the young king and the old warrior was on the boat on the Leman River.

After the oath, some ceremonies were skipped. Shulot stepped forward, raised the warrior leader's right hand holding the bow, and faced the many warriors and officers.

"My brave warriors, the Lord blesses the brave! The war of gods will win! The Mexica are destined to conquer the world!"

Encouraged by the young commander, the warriors present witnessed the miracle in their eyes, their morale was revived, and they cheered together. They once again shouted in unison towards the newly cleared sun.

"God's war, conquer! God's war, conquer!"

Xuluot smiled, listened to the warriors' passionate shouts, and nodded slightly.

He thought about the right person. How to spread Bertard's peerless achievements and the astrological phenomenon of the sun god in the army. After a while, he thought of Etalik, the chief of the temple guards and an experienced old warrior.

The sun enveloped the boat, forming a sacred halo. Xuluot nodded and whispered a few words. A dozen small boats were divided from the fleet and headed to the vicinity of the river mouth fortress to carefully search and rescue possible survivors. Then, the young commander raised his hand high and pointed to the northeast, and the warriors responded loudly. The fleet set off again and headed for the wooden fortress on the north bank.

Before leaving, Shulot took a last look at the direction of the estuary fortress and made up his mind secretly. He remembered the height of the bluestone wall, the width and shape of the water gate, and some ideas became clearer. Then, he recalled the round-faced nobleman who was chasing him on the Tarasco ship, and his anger rose again. The young warrior swung his war stick and made a silent oath.

Nearly a hundred small boats rushed all the way, leaving the battlefield of life and death behind, and sailed towards the commander's wooden fort camp. Bertard stood by His Highness, with a complicated expression and churning in his heart. He pondered for a long time, and still spoke softly.

"Your Highness, as you said. When warriors fight, blood splashes three feet and blood flows five steps. Although they are full of passion and have experienced the excitement of life and death, what is decided is only a few dozen people at a time and place. Even with the bravery of General Totek, he is powerless to save the situation.

And the battle between commanders is hundreds of miles away, looking at the world. One battle to capture a city, ten battles to destroy a country, and commanding thousands of troops to fight can be considered a heroic act.

As for the battle between kings, their eyes are fixed on thousands of miles, and their hearts encompass hundreds of years. One word and one action become the law of the country, and one plan and one plan lay the foundation for the general trend of the world. Like the earth that embraces everything, like the sun hanging high in the sky, this is your true destination!"

Hearing Bertard's admonition, Xiu Luote paused for a moment and carefully looked at the vicissitudes of the warrior chief's face. After a moment, he laughed heartily, grabbed the warrior chief's arm, and spoke kindly.

"Bertard, you have always been by my side, but you have made me look at you in a new light! Today, I was saved by you and finally knew your talent. I can entrust you with great things. I admire your bravery, but I love your wisdom even more!

The eagle needs full and powerful wings to fly high and achieve great things, and it must have eyes that can see everything clearly. Between you and me, it is the king and the minister, the wind, tiger, cloud and dragon!"

Bertard looked into the eyes of Xiuluot, as if he wanted to see through the heart of the young king. Although he did not understand the meaning of the last sentence, he could feel the sincerity and respect in the words. He was silent for a moment, knelt on his knees, and offered his hair again to complete the last step of the loyalty ceremony.

Xiuluot looked solemn. He took out the dagger he carried with him, held the hair of the warrior leader, gently cut off a bunch of hair, and threw it into the surging river.

"Bertard, I have heard your advice! I am now the commander of the army, and I will no longer be a brave man. The warrior Shulot has gone with the river!"

Speaking of this, Shulot swung the dagger fiercely, cut off half of his hair, and threw it into the mighty Leman River. The turbulent river went westward, taking away the symbol of the young warrior, and heading to the endless Pacific Ocean. It will also return to its distant homeland one day.

Then, the young commander raised his right hand and swore to the sky loudly in front of the westward river.

"Bertard, I swear in the name of my ancestors! One day, if I become the king, you will be the marshal! The water of the Leman River is endless, and the friendship between the monarch and the minister will never end. In this life, we will be loyal to each other and never let each other down!"

Hearing this, Bertard stood there in a daze, and his eyes were actually a little wet. He suddenly remembered the way Totek died, so he reached out and took the king's dagger. Then, the warrior leader slowly cut off his black hair on the river, deeply cut his cheeks, and then calmly handed the blood dagger back, always in silence.

This is the tradition of the Mexica people. Cut off your hair to show your loyalty, cut your face to swear an oath, and serve the God King, that's all!

Well, it seems that my classical Chinese skills are still there, I can write about Chinese history in the future.