Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1724 - 1231: Kingdom Factions and the Rise of the "Divided Empire

"Wise Chief Divine! As the County Magistrate of Great Lake, sitting on such a grand mantle under a not-so-large monkey's rear is truly unstable. So many chaotic tribes are only subdued by their fear of the spears of the Great Lake Legion and the sharp edge of the Kingdom of the Lake's army, thus forged together! Without the legion's suppression, within months, uprisings would occur all along the Great River, fracturing into pieces..."

"Chief Divine's Guidance! To make these newly conquered tribes loyal, at least two years of bountiful harvests are needed, allowing the newly settled tribal flag teams, garrisoned civilians, and militias to take root. It waits for the faith in the Chief Divine to genuinely enter people's hearts, the Kingdom Priests sent to various tribes to gain influence, having a base of devout tribespeople. It also demands that the kingdom's trade caravans traverse along the Great River, enabling all tribes to exchange goods and lead better lives..."

"Farming, proselytizing, and commerce—only when order is reestablished along the Great River, and all conquered tribes yearn for peaceful living, can there be a rough stability!..."

"Of course, there is another quicker path, which is to lead these newly surrendered tribes to war! To conquer more affluent tribes, plunder more riches, and in the expansion of war, to merge the warriors of all tribes!… Alas, after conquering the city-states of the Northern Tecos, there remains nowhere affluent left to conquer. Next, I can only farm…"

Ancient Sand Eye City has seen much hardship, even tracing back to the Teotihuacan Period. Yet, the city walls are only four or five meters high, and even the central mound Pyramid Temple is just over ten meters, falling far short of the Lake Stone City where the army has departed.

At this moment, the Grand Commissioner of the Great Lake, the Great Chief of the Divine Monkey, Kuluka, stands atop the city walls, his thoughts dancing like a monkey. He pays little attention to the town beneath his feet, instead repeatedly pondering the governance of such vast land. Ultimately, this six-hundred-li Great Lake County is unlike the two or three hundred li of Rivermouth County, being at least five times bigger in area, with tribes very scattered and assorted, a fertile land of countless beginnings.

The future potential of this territory is immense, but the current situation is perilous, relying entirely on force. Monkey Kuluka understands this clearly. He's someone who can calculate clearly and knows himself well, never doing things just on courage and impulse.

"If my Great Lake County were a person, it certainly wouldn't be considered handsome! My truly reliable head is the four thousand Mexica warriors originally from the Spear Legion. As for the other four thousand Tlaxcala warriors in the Great Lake Legion, they are the trustworthy left arm. While the six thousand Prepetcha militias recruited from Chapala Great Lake, they're the barely trustworthy right arm…"

Monkey Kuluka squints, gazing at the distant mountain forests, beginning to sketch a realistic image in his mind. From transferring from Rivermouth County to Great Lake County, the Spear Legion and Long Snake Legion were integrated, yet redivided into two Kingdom Legions. Therefore, the legion comprised half Mexica warriors and half Tlaxcala warriors.

Fortunately, the Spear Legion was initially formed by militia, without that kind of ancestral enmity with the Tlaxcala Alliance warriors, leading to a quick integration after the legion reorganization! And the Tlaxcalans' belief in the God of Death, Your Majesty, is reliable enough.

"Apart from these three considered reliable forces, my unreliable left leg is the seven thousand tribal soldiers of the Guamal Canine Descendants, and the even more unreliable right leg is nearly ten thousand surrendered Northern Tecos auxiliary forces… And supporting this head and limbs is a grossly stuffed belly housing two hundred thousand Great Lake Prepetcha people, twenty to thirty thousand Northern Tecos tribes, and fifty thousand Guamal Canine Descendants… Chief Divine! This image, this image, doesn't resemble a human but instead?…"

Thinking of this, Monkey Kuluka suddenly opens his eyes wide, the image of a land turtle with short limbs and a round belly surfaces in his mind. According to the turtle's slow habits, what he should do now is…

"Witness by Chief Divine! This time I am indeed stuffed, ought to go back and slowly organize, and tuck inside rather than move a lot. And the seat of the county government should still be in Central Lake Stone City at Tecititlan. That city-state, beside a tranquil lake, surrounded by fertile fields, a vast plain, is very suitable for cultivation and garrison expansion. And just not far to the west is the 'Eagle Mountain' Divine Mountain, holding a high place in the hearts of all tribes, capable of constructing a great temple to guide all tribes in worship…"

"Hmm… Finally, I can stop the annual campaigns, go back, cultivate the lands, gather the tribes' hearts. Since establishing in Rivermouth County, I've been fighting constantly for ten years! Every year setting out on campaigns after the autumn harvest, returning to cultivate before spring planting, it's truly exhausting… After so many years of battle, it's time to rest!…"

"Yet, within the Kingdom of the Lake, undercurrents surge, all parties nurture their intentions…"

The noon sun is bright, making it impossible to look directly. Monkey Kuluka stands silent for a moment, then lowers his head and retrieves two letters from his chest. Those letters seem to have been flipped and viewed many times, looking quite worn even though they arrived only a few days ago.

"Monkey, my old friend, Long River sends my greetings! Among several Kingdom Commissioners, many are in positions unworthy of their names, I value only you! Like certain four-clawed turkeys, pecking at grass seeds with heads perpetually lowered, with eyes not even the size of black beans…"

"No matter your decision, I am a loyal Qingqiu fox to His Highness! I will, like a hundred rivers converging into the sea, take many tribal wives, subduing the good fighting tribes of the wilderness. It's just that Qingqiu is narrow and barren, so I had to go east in full swing, seizing key Vastec areas, connecting with the Totonac Coast…"

"Light Snake, His Highness's beloved eldest daughter, wise from childhood, possessing divine reputation. The coast has millions of tribes, stretching thousands of li east to west, abundant in food. Should anything happen to His Highness, I would, like a monkey throwing stones from treetops, unite the coastal Long Snake, even the Red and White Double Crows, vigorously striking the Divine Eagle!…"

Having read this secret letter from Qingqiu, Monkey Kuluka shakes his head, gently sighing. Balamo, despite thoroughly integrating with the Canine Descendants and styling himself as a Canine Great Chief, harbors inward arrogance, regarded as paramount among the generals! Even with Legion Commander Olosh guarding the Capital Region, he considers him without significant battle merit, viewing him with little regard. If His Highness is absent, others find it difficult to subdue this unruly "fox wolf." As for the other letter…

"My respectable Kuluka Legion Commander, long time no see, I greatly miss you! Missing our joint engagement to capture Three Rivers City, and especially our seamless collaboration and conquest when establishing the Spear Legion… When we ventured westward killing, some frogs laying eggs didn't even know where on a Guamal Female Chief's belly they were messing around…"

"Back then, His Majesty was like the rising sun, elevating us from the lowest, stripping away the nobility bias, granting us control of a territory! I, Ezpan, shall never forget such deep gratitude! And now, with His Majesty away, the Divine King presses hard, leaving me anxious day and night, fearing for His Majesty's safety, and more for the kingdom's loss…"

"At the end of last year, I personally visited the Colima Mountain Region, glanced at the honorable Yanshan Prince. The prince is robust and healthy, utterly unafraid of people, even publicly pulling my hair… Yanshan Prince, no doubt His Highness's son, possessing volcanic divinity!… Moreover, it's not just me, not just the Chief of Colima, many new noble priests of the kingdom, especially commoner priests from Divine Power University, all think: This is a truly revered Kingdom Prince of the Lake!…"

"Sigh! His Highness luminous as the sun, far on an expedition, accompanying the scorching Divine King, leaving me distressed day and night. If Yanshan Prince grows up safely, he will be another rising sun from the volcano, giving everyone hope!…"

"Regarding the Capital Region, the old nobles of the Prepetcha probably harbor incorrect intentions… They seem to have vague ideas about the prince Shaokang, whose foundation is weak. The commanders of the Holy City faction are undecided, likely accepting any royal bloodline if it belongs to His Majesty… Everyone is uncertain about is Director Talaya of the Divine Revelation. Her power within the Divine Revelation Place is too strong! If His Majesty doesn't return, probably no one wants her to remain in that position any longer…"

"Chief Divine's Protection! May His Majesty return safely, may Yanshan Prince grow safely, and may we meet safely again!…"

Having read this long letter, Monkey Kuluka remains silent for a long time, his expression wistfully shaking his head. Ezpan, too, harbors ideas. He emerged from the surrendered army, having killed the old Prepetcha nobles too mercilessly to mix with the Capital City faction. His Apa County, close to Colima, tightly knit in trade and marriage, gradually entwines with it…

The mother clans of various princes, the resettled legion commanders, kingdom's new and old noble priests, overseas expansion and alliance internal conflicts… All sorts of previously hidden kingdom contradictions have surfaced with His Highness's departure. Monkey Kuluka knows this is just the beginning… Perhaps, another secret letter from the Capital Region is already on its way to him!

"His Highness says, a big tree wishes to be still, but the wind won't allow it! However, even though the sun has not set, the tree doesn't want to sway in the wind. It merely wishes to gaze at the sky, waiting for the sun's hope… Chief Divine's Blessing! I shall first become a land turtle, burrowing underground to avoid the wind!"