Bab 23: Chapter 22 Knocking
The team transporting the captives swaggered past the west gate of Xilotepec City, then circled half around the city from the south gate, finally heading to the camp of the direct legion outside the east gate.
Along the way, the cheers of the Mexico City-State warriors startled the entire Xilotepec City. Xiulote saw many priests in feather crowns and capes and elegantly dressed nobility climb onto the city walls, hastily observing the captives among the Mexica troops.
Casal had the flags of the Otapan City-State reinforcements thrown at each city gate, then had the nobles captured from the Otomi people shout from below the walls, recounting the failure of the reinforcements.
The noise of the defending army on the city walls grew restless, and the number of guards on the walls increased. Xiulote could clearly feel that the morale of Xilotepec City was rapidly decreasing after the hope for reinforcements was lost.
As Casal displayed the prisoners of war while proceeding slowly, he had already sent messengers to inform the king of the victorious return. Arriving at the east gate camp in full regalia, amidst light rain, he did not meet the king's eagerly welcoming envoy; even more absent was the highly anticipated welcome of the king himself.
In that moment, Xiulote saw a flash of anger pass over Casal's face. The Mexica military nobility accompanying him also seemed somewhat dissatisfied.
The king disregards the warriors, thus the hearts of the warriors waver. Xiulote thought.
Casal handed over the captives and then dissolved the expeditionary legion. After a great battle, the warriors needed to repair their damaged leather armor and replace the obsidian shards on their war clubs. Afterwards, Xiulote followed the group of officers led by Casal into the king's great tent.
The king was sitting on a high platform, wearing an official obsidian feather crown, draped in a gold-embroidered sun garment, with a carmine cape behind him, carefully pondering an ancient wood tablet in his hands. Xiulote couldn't see the drawings on the tablet, but such tablets were usually used to record mythological stories.
Next to the king was a man dressed in military attire, with a stern countenance and cropped hair—the supreme commander Totec.
Totec swept a similarly stern gaze over them, and the officers all bowed their heads, paying their respects to the king and the supreme commander on the platform. Xiulote followed suit in the greeting, avoiding eye contact with Totec.
Tizoc raised his head, put down the wood tablet, and looked at the returning officers, nodding with satisfaction.
"This battle was well fought. Many prisoners were captured," Tizoc said without inquiring about the details of the battle and casualties, but instead turned to Totec and said, "Arrange for the prisoners to be sent back to the capital as soon as possible, and hand them over to the Chief Priest of the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan."
Then, Tizoc added a few words to the officers, acknowledging everyone's fearless fight under divine protection. Then he shifted the conversation, asking, "Now let's determine the order of merit for this ambush."
Upon hearing this, Casal was about to step forward to reply but was stopped by Tizoc with a gentle wave of his hand. Then Tizoc beckoned slightly towards Xiulote.
"Come, Xiulote, you speak. Those watching from the sidelines always have a clearer view."
"Me?" Xiulote expressed surprise, then felt an immense pressure as all the officers in front of him turned to look at him. Casal and Balda watched him menacingly, Aweit smiled naturally, and Totec's gaze was as sharp as a knife. Then there was the king's expressionless face.
After a moment's thought, recalling the conversation with Aweit from the day before, Xiulote stammered his reply, "The greatest merit lies in Casal's decisive attack, followed by Balda's support. I was only watching the battle from the mountaintop; I did not make any significant contributions."
Casal and Balda showed satisfied smiles on their faces, and Aweit blinked rapidly to express approval. Tizoc first raised his eyebrows slightly, seemingly surprised, and only after hearing the end did he chuckle, "The last sentence is unnecessary; everyone knows you were only there to watch."
After speaking, the generals laughed heartily, and the atmosphere became harmonious again. Tizoc then asked Casal, "Casal, do you have anything to say?"
Casal stood proudly and declared, "Blessed by the Sun God, we won this battle because I led the Jaguar warriors in a decisive assault that instantly crushed the Otomi warrior troop. Of course, Balda's assault was also strong and effective; the Otomi fell like turkeys, unable to resist. Finally, there was Aweit's steadfast defense, which drew the enemy's front-line attention, providing conditions for our assault."
Balda also patted his robust chest vigorously in agreement.
"Good," Tizoc looked at Aweit, who still smiled as usual, and said, "Then, according to this order, rewards of Chinampa, feathered garments, cotton cloth, and slaves will be given to the three commanders. The Jaguar warriors will also receive their rewards. Common warriors are promoted."
The details of the rewards were then discussed.
Afterward, Tizoc looked at Aweit's face and said with a smile, "My dear brother, your steadfastness in this battle has been meritorious. And for over a month now, you have done well in teaching Xiulote. What additional reward would you like? Would you like to continue with intelligence and guard duties?"
Aweit's expression turned serious as he sincerely advised, "The work of intelligence and guards concerns the safety of the Sun God's descendants, traditionally determined by the king himself. Whomever you use reflects your will, unrelated to gains or losses, so how can it be considered a reward? In this battle, I merely stood on the hilltop; in the end, I didn't achieve much. As for Xiulote, I am not his teacher; I simply treat him as a friend and junior, sharing with him some life experiences."
Hearing Aweit's advice, the Chief Commander Totec nodded in agreement.
Tizoc smiled and nodded noncommittally. Xiulote faintly sensed a hint of danger; he was now gaining a deeper understanding of politics.
In Central America, where there was no strict system of genealogical succession, sometimes it was brothers who inherited the throne, other times it was the offspring, and significant priests from the royal family also possessed the right to succession.
The human heart does not have a fixed bias and can easily compromise with the victors of political struggles. Every transfer of the throne was accompanied by a brutal storm of blood and violence.
Tizoc had recently ascended the throne, and his prestige was not yet fully established. One of his eyes was on the control of hearts through divine power, while the other closely watched all potential threats. Even his own brother, or even just a boy.
Xiulote was still trying hard to think when, unexpectedly, his eyes were already on him.
"Xiulote, what are you thinking," he asked, "do you want Aweit to continue teaching you?"
"Uh? Yes. Aweit is a good person and kind to me," Xiulote honestly replied.
"Oh. Since that's the case, then Aweit, you can continue to teach Xiulote."
Seeing Xiulote's naive reaction, Tizoc smiled faintly, then seemingly inadvertently asked, "Xiulote, I heard that after this battle, more than a hundred warriors have decided to follow you?"
Instant alarm bells went off in Xiulote's heart. He nodded, "Yes."
"And why do these warriors want to follow you?"
"It must be because I presided over the post-battle funerals and helped guide the spirits of those who died in battle. Some also believe that the victory in the battle had something to do with me."
"Hmm. Teotihuacan is the Tomb of the Gods, a bridge between life and death, and it's also your birthplace. So, Xiulote, tell me, can you really communicate between life and death, connect with the souls of the departed?" Tizoc's piercing gaze rested on Xiulote's face.
As a theologian, Tizoc should not doubt a priest's ability to communicate with the gods. Xiulote quickly weighed his options; if he answered "no," then the prior funeral would only be seen as a meaningless formality. That answer would undoubtedly be spread, and the newly gained support from the warriors would immediately dissipate.
If he answered "yes," he would likely face further questioning by the king and possibly increase the king's suspicion and apprehension. If this were to be linked to astronomy...
Xiulote glanced out of the corner of his eye at Totec, tall, stern, with shoulders broad and hair cropped, who also fixed a daunting gaze on him.
Since neither "yes" nor "no" was good, Xiulote could only respond helplessly, "I do not know."
"You do not know?" Tizoc's eyebrows knitted together, his tone one of surprise and seriousness.
"Yes. When the funerals were held, I could not directly see the Sun God or the realm of the dead, nor communicate with them," Xiulote said with a puzzled expression, then strived to recall the contents of supernatural stories he had read before.
"But I could feel a hazy white light, seemingly distant and boundless. It wasn't with my eyes, but with some consciousness beyond the senses, like dreaming when asleep. I could feel ethereal white light, smoke-like, rising from the bodies of the dead, then merging into the expanse of white light. Afterwards, the white light departed, flying far into the sky, and when I awoke, I could no longer see any trace of it."
"White light? White smoke?" Tizoc's brows deeply furrowed, "When did you see this white light?"
"During the ritual to summon the gods. It's just that I can't interact with the white light or smoke, maybe because I'm only an Assistant Priest, and my priestly abilities are far from sufficient," Xiulote replied with shame.
The theologian king fell into deep thought, gently tapping his fingers on his throne. Xiulote's words clearly disrupted some of his prior plans. The boy's seemingly genuine demeanor made him truly wonder about the existence of the white light and smoke.
Many commanders in the tent looked at Xiulote with surprise, but Aweit's smile became even more genuine.
Tizoc returned to his senses, and spoke as usual, "Xiulote, you still have much to learn about theology. Tengu Priests are also a type of Fifth Level Coyote Priests, belonging to the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan. Since you were given the Tengu Ritual Attire in Teotihuacan, you are now a Coyote Priest of Tenochtitlan."
"After this expedition is over, you will come back with me to Tenochtitlan. The Chief Priest Quetzal of the Great Temple there will be very happy to teach the heir of the Holy City Teotihuacan. Perhaps the High Priesthoods of the nation can unite into one under your leadership."
Upon hearing the mention of uniting the two High Priesthoods, many officers exclaimed in surprise, looking at Xiulote with envy. That was the pinnacle of divine authority, where two groups with the highest mythological interpretative power could merge.
Tizoc casually knocked Xiulote off balance and painted an enigmatic vision of the future. Then, without waiting for Xiulote to respond, the king waved his hand, signaling everyone to leave.
"When will the fledgling eagle be able to break free of its shackles and soar freely in the sky?" As he left the tent and looked at the endless sky, Xiulote yearned quietly.
Hadiah
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Power 
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