Chapter 2202 - 1585: Xiulote, Sacrifice Them All!
"Yaa (Divine Mountain) guenda (Ancestor Spirit) guirá (Awaken). Binni (Those coming) becha (Approaching), xquidxi’ (Light) guibi (Devour). Gani (First) becha, goni (Fall) ti (to) naa (All Gods). Guenda (Ancestor Spirit) naa (All Gods), bido (Blood) lani (Return path)!"
"?? What is this sacrificial elder of Silver Peak City saying?"
"Ah! This, honorable Divine King... It’s in ancient Zapotec language, it’s disrespectful and offensive..."
"Chief Divine bears witness! I forgive you! Translate for me! Word by word, speak!"
"This?... Yes! Yes! Revered Divine King, he is saying..."
The alliance’s distant merchant knelt on the ground, raised his head, and cautiously glanced at the expression of the Divine King. Afterwards, he dared not resist and translated word for word.
"The Zapotec’s Divine Mountain Ancestor Spirit has awakened... The approaching enemy, the divine light will also disappear... The first conqueror of Oaxaca will fall, he will pay with his life before All Gods... The Divine Mountain and Ancestor Spirit await, blood is the path of death!"
"...!"
The royal banner flutters, and the distant Silver Mountain is stained with the blood of the setting sun. Divine King Avit stood under the banner, gazing at the pyramid temple that directly faces the mountain below. The thin red lines were flowing down the steps of the pyramid, heralding the retreat and death before All Gods. And the most honorable sacrificial elder of Silver Peak City, Silver Peak, wearing a Green Quetzal Feather Crown and encircled by a jade ring shaped like corn, stood in front of the highest Divine King. His face carved with divine runes was full of menace, raising his ten broken fingers, uttering the most venomous curse.
"The northern sun will set, Its light will extinguish! The Aztec monarch will die, die before All Gods! Ancestor spirits are waiting, our blood is the road and the curse!... Uh! Huh... Huh..."
Divine King Avit’s eyes were cold, and his right hand twisted forcefully! The bronze long dagger stabbed into the chest, grinding the heart of the elder priest to pulp. Afterwards, the Divine King pulled out the dagger, raised his foot, and kicked the dead divine descendant down the hill, leaving a long scar. The Divine King’s hand was stained with red, and his eyes burned with the flames of rage. The alliance’s translator immediately prostrated on the ground, buried his head deep into the blood-scented soil, daring not to breathe a single breath.
"..."
The hill was silent, Xiulote glanced at the awe-stricken generals and sighed inwardly, stepped forward to persuade.
"Respected Divine King! The Zapotec priest is stubborn and provokes the Chief Divine... Under the radiance of the Chief Divine, such laughable curses are nothing but the dying shriek of a mole... Please, Divine King, calm your anger!..."
"..."
Avit was silent for a moment, until the flame in his eyes turned into faint blood threads. Then he nodded slightly and said solemnly.
"This is the first captured Zapotec elder priest by the alliance... I ordered him captured alive, hoping to give him a chance to convert to the Chief Divine, to atone and serve for the alliance. Just like forgiving the Mixtec elder priest before, Yun Tian Andevi. But this fool dared to curse... Enough! These Zapotec priests are difficult to communicate with, and full of hostility towards the Chief Divine. Since they wish to die, let them die!"
Upon hearing these words, Xiulote furrowed his brow and sighed inwardly. Avit was right, although the Zapotec people are nominally also part of the Nava tribe, they are different from the departments that have already been conquered by the alliance. Especially their language, which is very different from the Nava Tribes!
Like the previously sent head of "Yaaxquidxi" from Silver Peak City, such Zapotec names completely do not conform to the naming characteristics of the Nava Tribes, instead, they are more like the Maya people in the eastern rainforest. However, with the Zapotecs Tribes having a tradition lasting nearly two thousand years, it is hard to say whether their well-preserved heritage, or that of the Mayan clans that have dispersed after the Great Migration, is older and deeper.
Since more than a thousand years ago during the Teotihuacan Period, the Oaxaca Valley has never been conquered by the empire on the Mexican Plateau. And the waves of south-bound Canine Descendants that formed the Nava Departments have never entered the Oaxaca Valley. This is equivalent to these Zapotec Tribes, nestled in this naturally protected solid valley, having escaped wave after wave of "barbarian" impacts, surviving from the Second Era all the way to the Fourth Era, until the Mexica legion arrived!
The Zapotec Tribes have never been fully Navafied. The divine descendant nobility among them are even still speaking the ancient Zapotec language from a thousand years ago. And although the commoners’ Zapotec language has integrated many elements of the Nava language, all of these come from long-term trade, matrimonial ties, and interaction with the Totonac, Mixtec Tribes.
The martial force of their nobility may be weak, but the rule of the Divine Descendants and Priests has deeply penetrated people’s hearts. The indelible marks of one generation after another of Divine Descendants remain unbreakable. If just one Divine Descendant escapes, they could easily rally the tribe long governed by their family!
In short, conquering the Zapotecs is like conquering the Maya—it does not lie in force, but in the hearts of people. Yet the Alliance lacks the puppet banners of the Mayapan Royalty, unable to cultivate a group of reliable loyalists among the Zapotec tribes, not even knowing where to start. Therefore, to eliminate future troubles for the Alliance, there is but one option...
"Xiulote, this battle has captured Silver Peak City, leaving no chance for the Divine Descendants to flee. The legion captured over three hundred Divine Descendant Nobility and Priests, and nearly ten thousand Zapotec tribesmen. Among them, the ratio of strong men is low, with more women and children—even if they remain here, it likely won’t cause major trouble. The city’s storage of food is plentiful enough to feed twenty thousand troops for a year!"
When speaking of the seized food supplies, Avit’s stern face finally showed a hint of a smile. The Oaxaca Valley is indeed wealthy, and Silver Peak City is truly a strategic town, having previously supplied the Allied Forces, with extremely abundant food storage. With these supplies, the Alliance’s logistics burden will be greatly eased. The twenty thousand royal troops can continue to advance and even deploy some City State Army to assist in garrisoning or serve as the vanguard for sieges...
"Witnessed by the Chief Divine! I had intended to spare some people, offering them the chance to convert to the Chief Divine... But now it seems better to sacrifice them all!"
Avit smiled faintly, his voice conveyed no levity, no anger, only a calm indifference to death. He looked at Xiulote, gesturing toward the once broad marketplace outside South City, and instructed.
"Right there, conduct the grand sacrificial rite of conversion! I must focus my energy on military affairs. You are the Prophet of the Alliance; the sacrificial rite for the three hundred Divine Descendants and the conversion of ten thousand tribesmen, I leave entirely in your hands!"
"We cannot afford to give the various Zapotec tribes more time to prepare! With this mountainous terrain everywhere, if the Zapotecs catch their breath, it would force the Alliance warriors to pay with their lives. Although the battle for Silver Peak City was decisive, it cost the lives of four to five hundred Alliance warriors, especially during the assault on the accursed Pyramid Temple... The army will only rest here for ten days! Ten days later, we shall launch another attack!"
"Indeed! Under the protection of the Chief Divine! Teacher, leave the sacrificial rite to me!"
Xiulote solemnly nodded, the warmth and thickness seemed to cover his hands once again. His gaze remained unwavering, slightly turning his face as he softly asked.
"Teacher, after capturing Silver Peak City, where is the army’s next target for advance? Is it Zaachila, the Ant Mound City on the ’South Wolf Back’ of Oaxaca, or Xaguixe, the Mountain God City on the ’East Limb’?"
Avit pondered for a moment, looking at the vast White Mountain and the broad valley, like a Divine Eagle surveying its hunting ground, selecting prey for its attack. He watched for a long time until he made a firmer decision and then spoke to Xiulote.
"The Zapotecs are extremely weak... Such an opportunity cannot be missed! Only the powerless make choices; I am the Divine King chosen by the heavens... I want it all!"
"The army will split into two routes! Send a legion towards the east, attacking Xaguixe, the Mountain God City, and Mi Te La, the Divine Tomb City at the farthest east! You and I will lead a legion with the Tonsured Guard to the south! First capture Zaachila, the Ant Mound City, then advance to Sunflower City, and Fengdou City. Finally, capture Frog Water City at the southern valley mouth, thoroughly connecting the Coastal Zapotecs and thus meeting the army advancing along the coast!"
"Then, we will continue eastward, conquering more distant Coastal Zapotecs until we reach the legendary Tehuantepec, where Divine Deer resides at Deer Mountain City!"
"Of course, before our troops head south, we must go to make offerings once at the Alban Mountain Pyramid, on the summit of Alban God Mountain fifteen li southwest! There, we shall erect the Chief Divine’s image and Divine Emblem on this ancient sacred sacrificial altar... Well, conduct the grand conversion rite quickly, then I shall personally ascend the Alban Great Pyramid to make offerings to the Chief Divine!"
Upon hearing this series of plans, Xiulote was somewhat surprised. Not to mention the distant Deer Mountain City six hundred li away, not mentioning Avit’s ambitious conquest goals... Even splitting the Alliance army into two routes means only ten thousand on each route. After capturing City-States and garrisoning along the road, won’t their forces only decrease as they continue, leaving only a few thousand in the end? He furrowed his brows, hesitantly advising.
"Teacher, Divine King... dividing the forces into two routes and still guarding newly captured city forts, the Oaxaca Valley has many city-states... I’m concerned our forces might not be enough..."
"No worry! Looking at the wealth of the Oaxaca Valley, capturing just two more city-states should sustain logistics for another ten thousand or twenty thousand men. The Royal Legion at the rear must hold crucial valley entrances and passages within Cloud, and even splits a force to advance along the coastline, making it difficult to dispatch more. I will send envoys to mobilize small-scale forces from the previously dispersed City-State armies! Give them three months, and each contributes a thousand or two thousand men, to come to the Oaxaca Valley for recruitment!"
"Oh, Chief Divine! Recalling City-State armies that have already been disbanded to send more troops? After three years of Southern Expedition, requisitioning food, men, and warriors, every city-state is burdened and full of grievances. Re-summoning them, even if only for a thousand or two thousand men, what would the Great Nobility’s attitude be?"
Xiulote pondered momentarily, then raised his head, seeing only Avit’s ambitious and far-seeing gaze, full of icy, unwavering determination. He remained silent until the Divine King looked his way again, then bowed respectfully, taking the obsidian dagger for the sacrificial rite down the hillside. At this moment, the sunset was blood-red, the pyramid was blood-red, and his hands were equally red, just like his grandfather before him.