1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 327 Conquering the Gods
The warm sun hangs in the sky, and the gentle breeze blows across the water. Surrounded by mountains, a large lake lies quietly in the valley with lush grass and water plants, like a mirror, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds.

This is an inland lake on the plateau. Although it is salt water, a large number of rivers flow down from the surrounding plateau mountains and flow into the lake, bringing vitality to the land around the lake.

The valley is dotted with towns and villages, and roads connect the settlements. Corn grows vigorously in the farmlands, hummingbirds are colorful beside the flowers, and turkeys near the villages show off their fan-shaped tail feathers.

This is the Luna Valley on the Mexican Plateau. The large lake in the center of the valley is Lake Texcoco. Surrounding the lake are a series of large cities with a population of over 100,000. There are countless villages outside the cities. The land is fertile, the population is dense, and the cities are rich.

This is the core area of ​​the entire Aztec Empire and the seat of the Three Cities Alliance. On the west bank of Lake Texcoco lies the pole city of Tlacopan, and on the east bank lies the hill city of Texcoco. In addition to these two large cities, there are also a large number of city-states scattered throughout this valley, including Kambara City, Shield City, Snake Palace City, Ant Hill City...

In the western part of Lake Texcoco, a great city stands on an artificial island, surrounded by water on all sides, with a path from the west leading directly to the land.

This is the fairy stone city of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire. Even though its history is short, it still records their glory.

Of course, in this prosperous valley, blood and darkness have always been going on. The Pyramid of the Sun God in Tenochtitlan is covered with bones piled up like a mountain. Every noble and warrior in the city is a cannibal. They plundered half of Mexico with powerful military force, and countless living people were buried by their own people.

The Aztecs established their country through military force and plundered through military force. In this lonely continent, they were number one and unstoppable.

However, when the more warlike Europeans crossed the ocean and landed in the New World, the more powerful military force shattered their prosperous vision, the more mature religion defeated their evil gods, and the more advanced technology turned them into ashes in despair.

In early 1473, the temperature had not yet risen and the rainy season had not yet arrived. The Aztec expeditionary force of the Eastern Roman Empire took this opportunity to gather heavy troops, including an armored cavalry squad, veteran shooters, armed sailors, Taino servants and more than East Valley allies, equipped with cannons, muskets, war horses, thousands of iron armor and iron swords, and started a holy war in the city of Tlaxcala, which was renamed New Athens, and marched westward with the flag of St. George's Cross. The operation was codenamed "Twilight of the Gods".

The Aztec Emperor Axayacatl was a violent ruler who advocated the use of force. He ignored the advice of others and the unstable mood in the country, assembled an army of 100,000 in Tenochtitlan and marched eastward, determined to drive the invaders out of his territory.

The two armies collided head-on in Pingdi Town southeast of Lake Texcoco. There were no extra words, no meaningless negotiations. Asiacatl was confident of his bravery and was unwilling to compromise. The Eastern Roman Empire was also determined to avenge the tragic death of the envoys and safeguard the dignity of the empire and the glory of a powerful country.

In the battle of Pingdi Town, Asiacartel demonstrated the qualities of a military emperor and brought the primitive military wisdom of the Aztec Empire to the extreme. He used a vast number of infantry teams to defeat the vanguard of the Eastern Roman vassal soldiers and made them flee in panic.

However, as an autocratic and domineering ruler and an emperor who had been at war for many years, he did not bow down like Montezuma II in history and did not allow the Europeans to enter Tenochtitlan. He was uncompromising and therefore missed the best opportunity to get to know each other and was unaware of the advanced technology from the Old World.

He had never seen war horses, iron armor, muskets or cannons.

When the sturdy and brave Jaguar warriors and Eagle warriors raised their obsidian chain swords and charged at the Eastern Roman army while shouting ancient slogans, they were met with the black muzzles of cannons and guns.

The roar of war machines shattered the Aztecs' dreams. The burning of gunpowder released energy that was beyond the reach of human flesh. The spewed out bullets easily penetrated their simple cotton armor. The deafening noise made them terrified, as if they heard the roar of Thor.

Immediately afterwards, a heavy cavalry unit covered in heavy iron armor began to charge. The majestic horses rushed down the hillside, and the cavalrymen raised their lances high, easily breaking through the already scattered Aztec army formation and crushing one line of defense after another.

Immediately afterwards, the armed sailors rushed forward. The Aztecs' obsidian chain swords could not break their defense, but their sharp swords could easily tear open their armor and cut off their heads.

The morale of the Eastern Roman side was greatly boosted. The native servants who had been fleeing in panic saw the hope of victory and began to return to the battlefield. They imitated the Romans and rushed forward shouting the slogan "Saint George".

The battle was over quickly. Faced with absolute military suppression, the Aztecs failed to create any miracles and suffered heavy casualties, with even more captured and missing. Emperor Axayacatl fled back to the capital with his remnants, with only more than 20,000 people left.

The Battle of Pindi was the first and last large-scale war between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Aztec Empire. Emperor Asiacatl paid the price for his stubbornness, resulting in a mess and panic among the people.

After the battle, the Eastern Roman Empire took advantage of the situation to subdue the frightened onlookers of the war, entered the town of Pingdi, and converted them to Orthodoxy through coercion and inducement, and renamed the town St. George.

When the news of the defeat reached the capital, Tenochtitlan fell into great panic. They had heard about the theory of annihilation and were skeptical about God, the "powerful god". The enemy's powerful force further confirmed this point of view. Many weak people were ready to exchange peace for conversion and surrender.

Asiacartel scolded them severely, declared that he would never surrender and would defend his beliefs to the end, and continued to send envoys to the surrounding towns, asking them to send troops to defend the king.

However, on the same day, Tlatelolco, the city-state closest to Tenochtitlan, rebelled under the leadership of its lord Moikistli, broke away from the Central Valley Alliance, converted to Orthodoxy, and pledged allegiance to the Eastern Roman Empire.

Then, military news arrived from afar, saying that the Tarasco Bronze Kingdom took advantage of this opportunity to launch a massive invasion, seeking revenge on the Three Cities Alliance for last year's humiliation.

The timing of the Eastern Roman Empire's arrival in Aztec was very delicate. This new country happened to be in a period of transition. When Montezuma I was alive, he took over a large amount of land around the valley, but also left countless hidden dangers. People's hearts were still floating, and hatred had not yet dissipated. Both Tarasco and Tlaxcala retained their impressive strength. The Aztecs were only the strongest, far from being able to cover the sky with one hand.

At this time in the original time and space, the Asia Cartel was fighting a civil war.

In the original time and space, when the Spaniards came here, the Aztecs had basically defeated all the surrounding opponents, and their internal conflicts had been washed away by time. It could be said that it was their most prosperous moment, but they not only encountered the legendary conqueror Cortes, but also the brainless Montezuma II.

When Tenochtitlan fell into despair, the Eastern Roman expeditionary force did not rush straight to the city in the lake, but marched northwest, captured the small hill city of Texcoco, renamed it New Smyrna, and began to build warships on the shores of Lake Texcoco in preparation for a decisive battle.

The small hill city of Texcoco was one of the three cities in the Central Valley. It was originally established by the Akhlwa people who moved south. It was an ally and competitor of Tenochtitlan. Although it was not as strong as the people of Tenochtitlan in military strength and martial spirit, its culture and art far surpassed the former. It created its own brilliance in many aspects such as astronomy, music and calendar. Their code was also used as the common code of the entire three-city alliance.

Texcoco's predecessor, Nysaúarcoyoté, was a wise ruler who loved culture and art, treated his subjects with compassion, revised and improved laws, and built an efficient political structure.

This wise ruler openly opposed human sacrifice and was disgusted by the barbarity and cruelty of Tenochtitlan. He publicly expressed his desire to free his people from sin, believing that blood and hearts were a defilement of the altar, and that only flowers and spices would truly please the gods.

In the last years of his life, he witnessed with his own eyes the brutal living sacrifices of surrounding tribes and the indiscriminate killings of Eastern Roman priests by Axayacatl. On his sickbed, he pessimistically stated that the prosperous Tenochtitlan was about to be destroyed, and he hoped that his son would be careful in his words and deeds and preserve a spark of civilization for Texcoco.

However, not long ago, this thinker passed away, and his son still obeyed the call of Tenochtitlan, sent troops to help, and was trampled to death in the war.

The army of the Eastern Roman Empire knocked on the gate of Texcoco. Archbishop Valens heard about the deeds of Nissauarcoyotl and praised him highly, believing that he possessed all the virtues of a Christian saint and was actually a very hidden Christian. He ordered all Christians not to disturb the people and choose to forgive. He also publicly deprived the church membership of several Tlaxcala soldiers who were obsessed with revenge.

Of course, the treasury still had to be opened, the rebels still had to be reduced to slavery, and the women of the nobility still had to be divided among the armed sailors. They came here at the risk of their lives, not to bring love and happiness to the locals.

In order to make Texcoco convert quickly, Archbishop Valens adopted some conciliatory policies. In addition to the conventional theory of annihilation, he also deliberately created an appearance of generosity and peace. He only collected those gold and silver ornaments with distinctive symbols of the old gods, distributed the cocoa beans and cotton cloaks of the Texcoco nobles to every citizen willing to convert, and exchanged gold and silver ornaments and books on the old gods for advanced textiles from the Eastern Roman Empire.

In more than a month, most of the already relatively weak people of Texcoco converted, the nobles and priests were executed, and their property was used to buy people's hearts.

Of course, the time was still short, and the Texcoco people at that time had not yet realized the essence of Christianity. They simply regarded God as a more powerful god and added it to their belief system, without completely severing their ties with the old gods.

Valens was not worried. The old priests and old cultural books had been wiped out, and most of the learned nobles had died in hell. The original culture and beliefs were no longer systematic. As time went by, they would understand.

Outside the city of New Smyrna, in a church converted from a castle, Archbishop Valens flipped through the list of newly registered believers, with a growing smile on his face.

For a priest with ideals, seeing more and more believers in God is a kind of happiness in itself.

For a greedy and extravagant priest, an increasing number of believers is also a blessing, because the taxes they can collect will increase.

It is for this reason that the clergy class is, on the one hand, the vanguard tentacle of the colonists, and on the other hand, the protector of the new Christians. This is one of the reasons why Christianity was able to gain a huge advantage in the face of primitive religions.

Valens obviously belongs to the former. Born in North Africa, he believes in the universal values ​​of Christianity, does not like to solve problems through killing, has full confidence in the teachings of Jesus Christ, and believes that the Bible alone is enough to conquer the hearts of countless people.

After capturing Texcoco, Valens asked Columbus to rest for a while and urgently transferred cows, pigs and sheep from the rear to vaccinate the local people first, and burned and isolated the villages where the plague had already occurred.

Boom boom boom!
The wooden door opened and Columbus walked in.

At this time, Columbus seemed full of vigor and exuded a high-spirited temperament. Although he was still very young at the age of less than 30, he had already achieved achievements that ordinary people could hardly achieve. He successfully defeated the arrogant and domineering Aztec pseudo-king and was getting closer and closer to the wealth of Tenochtitlan.

During the conquest, Columbus strictly implemented the established policies given by the emperor. In the process, he became more and more respectful of the emperor, believing that the emperor must have talents far beyond ordinary people. Only then did he sort out all the problems, mention all the difficult and complicated problems, and make arrangements in advance.

"Archbishop, ten ships of the Atlantic Fleet have arrived at Veracruz on the east coast, bringing with them a lot of supplies and letters from the emperor."

Columbus handed Valens a short message.

"The gold and silver we sent back last time have arrived. The emperor praised us and called us the great pioneers of the Eastern Empire."

"The emperor asked us to make some temporary repairs, first sort out the cities and villages we have already occupied, and build all the ships before marching to Tenochtitlan and taking it down in one fell swoop. Don't let anyone who can write go."

"Okay, I understand."

Valens nodded and put the letter down.

"What is the medicine mentioned above?"

"The dried leaves of Artemisia annua, the bark of the cinchona tree, and the powder of cowpox scabs."

Columbus recalled.

"Although the scab powder is not as effective as fresh pus, it is better in quantity and can be prepared in the Canary Islands and shipped directly here without taking up space."

"Ah, very good."

Valens nodded.

"What are Artemisia annua and Cinchona bark used for? We don't have fever here."

"Our conquest and occupation of the entire New Rome is a long-term plan. We will inevitably go to the southern rainforest area, and it will be useful then."

Columbus raised his head.

"The emperor praised your idea. From now on, one tenth of the gold and silver handed over to the emperor will be used to purchase supplies from the Mediterranean to improve the lives of the converts here and to build education."

"If you ask me, why not just distribute one tenth of the gold and silver directly? Why go through so much trouble..."

Columbus curled his lips.

"They don't use gold and silver as currency. Gold and silver can't be exchanged for anything here. Have you forgotten?"

Valens snorted.

"Speaking of education, I think the natives here are very advanced in education, especially the former city-state of Texcoco, which has a complete education system. If we change the teachers and textbooks, I think the next generation will be able to speak Greek." "The land conditions here are far better than most places in the country. Perhaps only the Thracian Plain can barely compare. It can support a lot of people. I hope to gather them around the city for easier management and education."

"This is also the reason why I don't let you destroy the city. They are a mature civilization. If you destroy it, everything will be in chaos and you will have to invest in reconstruction. With so many people hiding in the countryside, it will be even more difficult to carry out religious baptism and ethnic assimilation."

"Why destroy it when you can inherit it directly?"

"You are right. From now on, all administrative matters of the New Roman Governorate will be yours!"

Valens' words did not ruin Columbus' good mood. He moved a chair and sat on it.

"There is one more thing. Your Majesty has decided to fundamentally change the living habits of the new Romans and introduce them to civilization, including all aspects of life. The first step is clothing."

Columbus took out a pack of cigarettes, thought about it, and put it back.

"Your Majesty has decided to sell all the surplus cheap clothing produced in Carthage and Constantinople to New Rome. The New Romans can exchange their labor for our currency, which they can then exchange for our goods."

"Your Majesty does not want them to continue to wear those strange hair accessories, hang human skulls around their necks, or wear clothes with local characteristics."

"They all had to cut their hair and dress like us, and they were not allowed to put feathers in their hair."

Columbus said.

"You can say this is God's request. Your Majesty will give you ten years. After ten years, no one is allowed to be like today."

"Keep your hair but lose your head, keep your head but lose your hair!"

"Is this necessary? Jesus will not hinder the free development of local culture..."

Valens frowned.

"Well, then you'd better paint an aboriginal Jesus on the wall of the church."

Columbus was clearly somewhat disdainful of Valens' universal ideas.

"We will do whatever the emperor says. He will never make mistakes!"

"Ok."

Valens was silent for a moment.

"Another thing, the missionary team I sent to the north discovered a vein of minerals. Some of them were from the Constanta seminary, and they had studied these things. They found some gold."

"Gold? Where is the gold?"

Columbus' eyes lit up.

"We are still exploring. It is a gold and silver mine. The most abundant substance is actually silver, and there is only a little gold."

Valens was somewhat disgusted by Columbus's appearance and turned his head away.

Frugality is a Christian virtue, and Valens always demanded this of himself, even though he was well aware that the Eastern Roman Empire was now constantly devouring gold and silver from the East and the West, using it as a catalyst for the development of a capitalist commodity economy.

Wherever there is gold, there are Roman footprints.

"Silver is fine too. The East Indies produce gold but not silver, while the West Indies produce more silver, which can be used as a supplement to the monetary system."

Columbus pondered.

"I believe there must be many gold and silver veins in this area, most of which the Aztecs failed to discover. I will ask your majesty to send an exploration team to systematically explore this rich land for minerals."

"Tenochtitlan hasn't been conquered yet. Don't let your previous victory go to your head."

Valens warned.

"I won't, because I haven't thought about it at all. His Majesty has already made very clear arrangements on how to fight, and all the strategic matters are in place."

Columbus smiled.

"As for tactics, forgive me for being blunt, in terms of tactics alone, I may not be as good as that Aztec false king, but no matter how powerful the tactics are, they cannot compare to our advanced technology."

"Under the absolute technological crush, they have no other choice but to perish!"

Columbus looked at Valens.

"The ship is ready, and everyone loves you. Would you like to come with us and bless us when the battle begins?"

"Your Majesty requires us to end the war as soon as possible and never give them the time and opportunity to learn and grow in the war."

"Okay, let's go now."

Valens stood up and walked towards the lake with Columbus.

A simple pier was built by the lake, and there was a construction site on the shore, where the servants piled the chopped wood and the craftsmen used the wood to build boats.

Technical items that could not be produced locally were brought over from the Old World early on, including sails, stiff ropes, iron hooks and gum.

On the lake, more than a dozen small paddle boats were docked side by side. The armed sailors were extremely excited as it was their first time sailing on the plateau.

Columbus dismounted and gazed at the ships with great pride. The largest ship even had his name engraved on it.

Odysseus.

"I'm not an army general, and I'm not very good at land warfare, but on the water, even with only these small boats, the primitive sampans of Tenochtitlan will never be my opponent."

Columbus looked at Valens.

“Well, I still believe this.”

Valens nodded slightly.

"When are you going to set sail and land?"

"Now."

Columbus said.

"Just a few days ago, two ships went to the west for reconnaissance. The people of Tenochtitlan were afraid and dug up their dikes. Although they succeeded in destroying a ship, they also lost their last trump card."

"Our navy and army will advance simultaneously, exerting pressure on Tenochtitlan from two directions, forcing them to lose sight of one and neglect the other."

"George has already led his vassal army westward, so we have to speed up."

After Columbus finished speaking, he asked his adjutant to send out flag signals to call back the ships wandering on the lake.

The sailors came to the shore and stood in line.

Columbus inspected his sailors in the chilly spring breeze.

"Everyone, there is no need to explain why I have gathered you together today."

Columbus spoke up.

"I am neither a marshal nor a general. I am just a brave captain and a fearless explorer. I am not good at making passionate speeches before the battle."

"In that case, let's make it short!"

Columbus drew his naval cutlass.

"For our future, for our emperor, and for our gods, we are about to launch a final attack on Tenochtitlan, completely wipe this ugly regime off the map, and drive those beasts that devour their own flesh and blood into hell!"

“God will watch over us, God will help us, God will witness our greatness, witness our glory!”

"The kingdom of the false gods is just ahead. These evil gods cannot stop us, just as the ancient gods could not stop the brave Odysseus!"

Columbus took a few quick steps, jumped steadily onto the deck of the Odysseus, and faced the sailors.

"Conquer the gods, board the ship, and set off!"

On April 1473, 4, the Aztec expeditionary force of the Eastern Roman Empire ended several months of rest and set out from New Smyrna, splitting into two groups and heading straight for Tenochtitlan.

(End of this chapter)