1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 320 New Rome

In the distant new world, the sun shines on the earth, the corn in the farmland thrives, and the city under the hills is noisy and busy.

This is the southern plateau of Mexico. Although it is located at a low latitude and in the tropics, the altitude of more than 2,000 meters makes it immune to the extreme high temperatures in Africa at the same latitude. The four seasons are distinct. Even in the hottest summer, the average temperature generally remains at around 20 degrees. There is sufficient water and heat, making it suitable for farming.

It is precisely because of Mexico's high altitude that the residents living here broke the "tropical curse" and gave birth to a prosperous civilization. They are extremely developed in farming. Although there are no large livestock, they also rely on the research on corn to feed a population of more than 15 million. In the th century, this number was quite terrifying.

The Aztec civilization was also a great and prosperous civilization. From the perspective of civilization development, they were not backward, but they started too late. When the first spark of ancient civilization was born in the Old World, the ancestors of the Aztecs had just crossed the Bering Strait and arrived in the American continent. They arrived in Mexico, the chosen land, even later, and lost at the starting line.

However, it is undeniable that from the northern desert to the southern rainforest, from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, the Aztecs did leave their mark on this land and wrote their own legend. The capital Tenochtitlan had a population of up to 250,000. If we leave out a few new urban areas, it even exceeded the mother of all cities, Constantinople. Only the Eastern Dragon could surpass them in this respect.

However, there is no mercy between civilizations. No matter how many reasons they have, they cannot make up for their technological gap. No matter how full the corn is, it cannot compare to the muskets and cannons of the Old World. When the sailing ships from the Old World appeared on the coast, their fate was already doomed, and their history was about to come to an abrupt end at a certain point in time.

Starting from 1445, the Eastern Roman Empire began to explore the unknown distance under the leadership of the emperor, and continued to create brilliance in nearly three decades. The wealth from afar greatly nourished the broken body of the Eastern Empire, enabling it to leap from a sick man of the Balkans to the overlord of the Near East, with peaceful seas and rivers, and a rich and powerful country.

In 1467, the Eastern Roman Empire's West Indian Exploration Fleet landed in South America and officially planted the double-headed eagle flag on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. In the following five years, the fleet continued to sail, explored most of the Caribbean Islands, and built the first and only forward base of the Saint Constantine Colony, the Port of Havana, on the island of Cuba.

In 1471, the emperor's treasury was in continuous deficit due to the costly Great Turkish War. The emperor, who did not like to exploit his subjects, turned his attention to the Mexican continent, which was separated from the island of Cuba by a sea, and tried to plunder wealth from the Aztec countries to meet the needs of the war and to satisfy the high standard of living of all his subjects.

In September 1471, the Aztec expedition led by Columbus landed in the southwestern part of the Yucatan Peninsula, tamed several small city-states there, and then went north along the coast to capture the eastern border of the Aztec Empire. They successfully contacted the Tlaxcala Republic, the Aztec's biggest resistance group, and preached the theory of annihilation. They used a series of means and eventually converted the Tlaxcala city-state to Orthodoxy and made them pledge allegiance to the emperor.

In the following months, the Aztec expeditionary force continued to expand westward, still using the old method, combining hardness and softness, using smallpox to cause panic, forcing several other city-states in the East Valley Alliance to join the coalition, and directly pointed the spearhead at the Three Cities Alliance headed by Tenochtitlan.

The emperor's decree gave the "soft faction" in the Aztec expeditionary force the upper hand, and religious forces headed by Archbishop Valens began to dominate diplomacy. Under his instructions, Tlaxcala began to contact the Tarasco Kingdom in the northwest, the Zaquira Kingdom in the southeast, the Mixtec Kingdom in the south and other indigenous forces, hoping that they would convert to Christianity and resist the evil Aztec invaders.

Upon learning of the emergency on the border, the current emperor of the Aztec Empire, Axayacartel, hastily ended the war against the Kingdom of Tarasco and returned to the Fairy Stone City of Tenochtitlan to discuss sending troops.

Axayacatl came from a prominent family. He was the grandson of Ixcoatl, the founding emperor of the Aztecs, and the grandson of the previous emperor Montezuma I. He showed extraordinary military talent when he was young and was keen on violence and war.

However, Asia Cartel's talent for domestic affairs and diplomatic skills were far inferior to those of his two predecessors. He was overly harsh in treating his subordinates, which made many of his blood relatives, including his two younger brothers, extremely dissatisfied.

In addition to his two younger brothers, Asiacatl also had considerable conflicts with his brother-in-law, Moquiestli, the lord of Tlatelolco. The former believed that the latter's people had insulted him, so he summoned them to execute them and threatened to attack his city.

This irritable monarch treated the Eastern Roman colonists very badly and left no room for maneuver. A few years ago, Columbus led an envoy to Tenochtitlan and met Asiacatl who was about to go to war. He presented the letter from Constantinople, but he tore it up directly and demanded that Columbus leave immediately and never set foot on his land again.

Later, some priests went to Aztec and, ignoring Columbus's warnings, tried to convert Axayacatl to Christianity using gentle methods.

When the priests arrived in Tenochtitlan, the emperor had just returned from withdrawing his troops and was preparing for a ceremony of human sacrifice. He was in a good mood and invited the priests to watch.

Bones piled up like mountains, blood dried up and solidified on the road, sticky and slippery. Aztec priests slowly cut open the chest with obsidian blunt knives, took out the hearts of living people, offered them to the gods, peeled off the skin, and the remaining flesh was distributed to nobles and warriors...

When Asiacartel asked the priest what he thought while gnawing on the man's thigh, the priest had already been so frightened that he closed his eyes tightly, trembled, and made the sign of the cross on his chest.

After a long while, the priest opened his eyes and looked at the cannibal with the determination to die.

"Repent!"

the priest shouted.

"You're all going to hell!"

The translator thought for a moment and expressed the priest's meaning in the gentlest words possible.

However, Asiacartel was still extremely angry. He stabbed the priest to death with a wooden spear on the spot, cut off his head, and asked the interpreter to take it back.

At this point, the brief peace talks between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Aztec Empire broke down. The miserable conditions of the Eastern Roman priests were reported back to the port of Havana. Even Bishop Valens, who had always advocated appeasement, was extremely angry and demanded that Columbus hang the false emperor on the gallows.

After the Eastern Roman Empire became powerful, it issued a special law on the protection of diplomatic envoys, stipulating a series of protection rights enjoyed by diplomatic envoys and backed by the most violent state machinery.

When dealing with small countries outside Europe, if the Eastern Roman envoys are arrogant and rude, or even insult the monarch, that is to be expected. You have to endure it and you can report it to Constantinople, but whether to punish them is up to the emperor.

However, no matter how far away you are, no matter how strong you are, as long as you dare to insult the envoys or even kill them, you will be faced with a bloody vendetta from Constantinople.

Kill one of our envoys and massacre an entire country. A powerful empire never needs to compromise with the dignity and lives of its own people.

As a result, this rebellious ruler has been put on the Eastern Roman Empire's kill list. The emperor is merciful and will not massacre ordinary people, but none of his immediate family members can escape.

A war is brewing.

Next to the huge city, a small river meanders down from the top of the mountain. A magnificent stone church sits on the flat ground halfway up the mountain. The Orthodox cross on the dome shines brightly under the sun.

This church was obviously transformed from a local building, and some of its structures have distinct Aztec features. It is not very large, but there are construction sites all around it, so it is obviously still under expansion.

The city at the foot of the mountain is the hot city of Tlaxcala, which was once the capital of the Tlaxcala Republic and is now the headquarters of the Aztec expeditionary force of the Eastern Roman Empire.

The church halfway up the mountain was originally a watchtower. It was donated to the Orthodox Church by several leaders of Tlaxcala and was transformed into the first church of the Orthodox Church on the Mexican Plateau.

Not long ago, the emperor's ships arrived in Cuba, bringing news of the Black Sea wedding. Prince Alexios and Princess Maria donated half of their wedding expenses to the Diocese of St. Constantine to build schools and churches.

As a result, the church was expanded again and officially named the Cathedral of Mary.

At the same time, the city of Tlaxcala was also undergoing massive construction. Bishop Valens was preparing to build the Alexius Seminary to provide literary and theological education for the "new Romans" in the city.

Now, the natives of the New World who had converted to Orthodoxy and intended to use Greek were all called Romans, which was one of the conditions for the emperor to provide them with protection.

If they were unwilling to convert and learn Greek, they were not Romans and the emperor had no reason to protect them.

Next to the church there is a holy white building, which is tightly sealed with stone walls. There is a long queue in front of the door. The natives are looking up anxiously, whispering to each other and making the sign of the cross awkwardly on their chests.

This is the "Sanctuary of Atonement" of the Church of Mary. The priests would lead the natives into a secret room where no light could penetrate, make a small cut on their shoulders, and apply fresh cowpox pus or scab powder dipped in a wooden stick soaked in strong liquor to the wound.

According to the priests' propaganda, when the natives leave the secret room and come back into the sunlight, their past sins will be cleansed and they will be reborn.

Plague had already broken out on several Aztec islands in the east. Most of those who were reborn survived, but those who refused to repent died in large numbers. They had no choice but to believe it.

In front of the door of the Sanctuary of the Atonement, a priest closed his eyes devoutly, and three attendants stood beside him, one holding a holy water jar and two holding wooden boxes, which contained a wooden cross and gold and silver ornaments with distinctive cultural characteristics.

Whenever a native came here, they would take off their gold and silver ornaments, put them into a box, then take the wooden cross from the servant with many thanks, and immediately wear it on their chest like a treasure.

The priests would sprinkle holy water on them and perform the simplest baptism.

"The things of false gods bring disaster to the world. Those who possess them are stained with sin and will suffer natural disasters."

The priest chanted slowly.

"Accept baptism, serve the Lord with all your heart, and the Lord will grant you love and happiness."

"Amen."

"Amen!"

The natives shouted one after another and threw what they believed to be false divine objects into the box.

Of course, these priests also have principles. Rich and poor are all brothers, and everyone is equal before God.

Some rich people came here with boxes of gold and silver, seeking blessings. The priests did not give them any other blessings except registering their names in the donation book and giving them silver crosses.

Some poor people brought wooden carvings and stone statues and put them into the wooden box. The priests accepted them all and allowed them to receive the holy grace as well.

These gold and silver were just additions. What the emperor wanted was more Orthodox Christians and fewer remnants of indigenous culture.

At a construction site next to the church, Columbus looked at the long queue, lit a cigar, and exhaled a puff of smoke.

"This is a church, no smoking!"

Beside him, Bishop Valens frowned.

"Not yet, your Excellency."

Columbus exhaled smoke with a smile and nodded at the construction site behind him.

"Don't worry, this place is so rich, your church will become bigger and bigger."

Bishop Valens snorted and looked at the long line of natives.

"A few days ago, I went to the countryside to inspect and promoted bone meal fertilizer to them."

"Well, how's it going?"

Columbus listened absentmindedly.

"It's great. The land here is very fertile. After using our new fertilizer, the harvest this time is beyond imagination. Many people think it is a blessing from God."

"We brought them high-yield pigs and sheep, clothes and tools, and they were all very happy. This is something that the false gods could not bring them."

A smile appeared on Valens' face, but then he fell silent again.

"However, on the way, I met a false god priest."

Valens said.

"Hmm? Still alive?"

Columbus's eyes immediately became sharp.

"Dead, stoned to death by the new converts."

"They thought the priests had brought disaster upon them, and would bring upon them plague and famine."

Valens showed no emotion.

“Before the priest died, I saw him as a young man and tried to persuade him to convert to our Lord.” “But he said, when we came, we had the cross in our hands, and they had gold.”

"Now, they have the cross and we have the gold."

Valens sighed.

"Sometimes when I think about it, what he said makes sense."

"By doing this, we are actually violating—"

"What's the reason? Heresy. Such people must be put to death, their primitive religion must be destroyed, and all papers recording history must be confiscated."

Columbus interrupted the bishop.

"They are lucky to be loyal to the Empire. We saved their lives!"

"Fortunately, most of the natives are stupid. If we kill all the intellectuals and replace religion, language and culture, this civilization will be gone, and this kind of thinking will no longer exist."

Columbus smiled.

"The emperor also issued the New World Development Decree, which allocated half of the minor criminals originally exiled to New Thrace to the New World, and allowed adult males to participate in the development of the New World."

"Only men can bring women and children. The emperor wants them to marry indigenous women. In this way, in one or two generations, there will be a lot of mixed-race Romans."

Columbus chuckled, he knew the quality of those pioneers. It was unlikely for them to get married and live a stable life. Even the humblest beggar in Constantinople could become a big landowner immediately after coming here. He would be rich and powerful and would have many illegitimate children.

"I want them to uphold the teachings of the Lord."

Valens said, frowning.

"I will restrain them."

"You are the bishop, you have the final say."

Columbus looked at Valens.

"Aren't you promoting the use of fertilizers, raising pigs and sheep, and growing cash crops? Just do it. God will save them from starvation, and they will be grateful."

"There are also schools. Once we conquer Tenochtitlan, His Majesty will allocate funds to build a large number of Sunday schools to teach Greek. I guess you will lead this project."

"As a servant of the Lord, this is what we should do."

Valens said stiffly.

"I am also planning to build several church hospitals. I need manpower. You have to support me."

"No problem! Now that they have full confidence in us, they will probably rush to do it."

Columbus agreed immediately.

"Tenochtitlan brought a message that the shameless beastly false king is really a fool. He is so brave that he challenges us to a decisive battle."

"Then fight, I will bless you."

When talking about the Aztec emperor, Valens' eyes also showed a look of disgust.

"Are you sure?"

"Almost. The Emperor's fleet has arrived again, this time with a hundred Varangian guardsmen, fully armored in chain mail, and proficient in muskets and axes."

"The emperor attached great importance to this expedition and brought many kerosene and gunpowder cans to intimidate the enemy."

Columbus sneered.

"Thirty cannons, two hundred war horses, ten armored paladins, one hundred Varangian guards, five hundred armed sailors, fifteen hundred Taino servants, and tens of thousands of East Valley servants."

"I want to see what Tenochtitlan can use to resist!"

A cruel smile appeared on Columbus's lips.

"Jaguar Warrior? Eagle Warrior? Obsidian Chain Sword? Hehe..."

"I have sent people to find other converted city-states in the Eastern Valley. They will also bring people here."

Columbus pointed to the long line on the hillside and looked at Valens.

"These people are from Huejochingo. They are the last group from the East Valley. Once they have completed their baptism, we will immediately march to Tenochtitlan."

"In the meantime, you must follow the emperor's instructions and prepare more cows, pigs and sheep. The Three Cities Alliance has a large population. After we finish the baptism, we will blockade the city, release smallpox, and kill all the diehards."

"If it's not enough, write back and ask the emperor for more."

"That's enough. I'll get more people baptized."

Valens said.

"The emperor said that in addition to pus, scab powder can also be used. I have tried it. Although the effect is not as good as the former, it can still be used."

Valens pursed his lips.

"Can't you give me more time?"

"There is no time. You are in charge of diplomacy. You should know that this is the most vulnerable time for Tenochtitlan. We have established contact with the false king's brother-in-law. He has decided to convert to Christianity and stab us in the back."

Columbus said.

"If the time drags on, the false Aztec king will probably notice it."

"Oh, by the way, the emperor sent a letter, saying that this place is no longer allowed to be called Aztec. It must be called Tlaxcala instead."

Columbus said.

Due to political needs, the Eastern Roman Empire's records of Mexican civilization all used Tlaxcala, which was the first to surrender, as the narrative subject, striving to erase the existence of the Aztecs and portraying them as a barbaric regime from the north that occupied the land of the Tlaxcalans and sacrificed their people alive to the so-called gods.

It is true that they came from the north, it is true that they were foreign invaders, and of course it is also true that they occupied the land and performed human sacrifices. Things woven with a bunch of truths will be more convincing.

The Eastern Roman Empire was the messenger sent by God to save Tlaxcala, and would lead them to destroy the barbaric and cruel Aztecs and return to the embrace of the empire.

"Okay, it's not a big deal."

Valens nodded.

"Where are the leaders of Tlaxcala? Why haven't I seen them recently?"

"I only kept the most pious one. I used both soft and hard tactics to send the remaining two to Constantinople. They will be crowned as earls, supported by the emperor, and live until death in Constantinople."

Columbus laughed.

"There is one more thing. The emperor is going to wipe out the remnants of the old culture, starting with the East Valley. Human sacrifice is prohibited, the consumption of human body parts is prohibited, the Crown of Honor war is prohibited, all books are confiscated, all statues and cultural relics are shipped back to Constantinople, and place names must be changed!"

Columbus pulled a crumpled map from his pocket and handed it to Valens.

The map was very detailed, with the various city-states marked out and their new names attached.

"The city of Tlaxcala is renamed New Athens."

Columbus threw away his cigarette butt and took out another one.

"Willow City Wehochingo is renamed New Carthage."

"The Falls City of Cholula was renamed New Ephesus."

Zhiwu City, Liu City, and Waterfall City are the East Valley Alliance on the southern Mexican plateau. They are irreconcilable with the Central Valley Alliance composed of Xianshi City, Xiaoqiu City, and Gan City.

Decades ago, geological changes caused volcanic eruptions. Large amounts of smoke and dust obscured the sun, causing the temperature to drop and the amount of light to decrease. Almost at the same time as the Battle of Constantinople, the Mexican plateau fell into a severe famine. In order to relieve population pressure and for the sake of their myths, the then Aztec Emperor Montezuma I launched the bloody War of the Crown. Each time, thousands of people were sacrificed and eaten alive. The main victims were the East Valley Alliance.

The so-called myth is nothing but nonsense like there is something wrong with the sun and it needs human sacrifices to keep it running.

"The pole city of Tlacopan was renamed Neonicia."

"The little hill town of Texcoco was renamed New Smyrna."

Columbus continued.

"The Immortal Stone City of Tenochtitlan was renamed New Constantinople."

"As for this continent."

Columbus held his head high and looked around proudly.

“This is our new Rome!”

……

On October 1472, 10, the Aztec expeditionary force of the Eastern Roman Empire assembled in New Athens and began to march westward, heading towards Tenochtitlan.

(End of this chapter)