Aztec Eternals

Ancient fir trees stood tall and erect, their thick branches intertwined and extending, a gloomy curtain drawn down from the sky, enveloping the forgotten Resting Place. Weathered bones hung from the treetops, rotten ropes connecting the Solon tree pillars, empty eye sockets gazing down from above, all emitting a mournful, rustling lament of the dead.

Among the many corpses of the Jurchen tribes, only one wearing a dark red Han Chinese garment finally fell into the dust after hanging on the tree for two generations. At this moment, he lay on the damp mossy soil, his hands maintaining a clasped posture, his eye sockets empty, deeply gazing at the people who came to collect his body. Alas, in this forgotten land, the visitors were not the Ming Dynasty soldiers he had longed for, but his own clan and descendants, already barbarized in this vast forest!

In this incomparably vast and deep Northeast forest, the light of civilization always appeared like a flash in the pan, having long since disappeared into the distance with the snowflakes. The cold darkness enveloped thousands of miles, following the trajectory of the light's departure, step by step moving towards a more cruel and frigid future.

For thousands of years, the boundary between hunting and farming, the division between barbarism and civilization, seemed to have never changed. It only occasionally fluctuated up and down, like the tides that rise and fall over hundreds of years, warming the Bohai region enough to produce rice, and then covering Hainan Island with thousands of miles of snow. And in this rise and fall, the fate of the living beings in the vast expanse in between was like billions of grains of dust, desperately struggling in the relentless torrent, until finally submerged.

"Old Sir... The glory of the sun and moon, now no more!..."

Ha'er Man chieftain Ali sighed with tears in his eyes. He gazed at the deceased Deputy Commander of the Military Commission, who also came from the eternal realm of the dead, giving him a gaze that pierced through the years. The two stood and lay, looking at each other for a long time, separated by the forty years of two generations' deaths, and the fading Heilongjiang of thousands of miles. Until a gust of cold wind blew, and a long, mournful wail emanated from the treetops, Zuwaluo sighed and patted Ali's shoulder in consolation.

"May the chief god guide his soul! Ali, don't be dazed... Right now, there are two Wei-so copper seals. What exactly was this Wuxiong's Mafa grandfather's identity? Was he from the Do'er Bihe Wei, or the Tulu Ting Shan Wei?"

"Like now, the Liaodong Garrison Command's Deputy Commander is subordinate to the central court, responsible for the court's standing army, and is a big figure below only a few people and above millions in Liaodong! Even if the names sound the same, only one rank apart, the officials of the central government and the local government, the officials inside and outside the pass, cannot be compared at all! That is a difference like clouds and mud, and also a difference in whether one can reach the emperor's ears..."

Ha'er Man chieftain Ali's eyes were weathered, recounting these complex political structures within the empire, which made Zuwaluo frown and ponder.

Of course, even a "third-rank" military officer with some exaggeration is still a "third-rank", an undoubtedly high-ranking officer in the Ming army. If Wuxiong's Mafa grandfather could successfully lead the tribe of the Do'er Bihe Wei south to submit, the imperial court would, in any case, allocate a piece of land from Liaodong to his tribe. Just like in the past fifty years, the imperial court has allocated land around Jilin and east of Kuandian to settle the Haixi and Jianzhou tribes who have submitted.

"Ha? You said my Mafa grandfather moved from the Haizi in the eastern valley to this riverside forest? What happened in between? Why didn't he run to the warmer south, but instead ran to this remote mountain village? What about the original tribe in this mountain village, that Tulu Ting?..."

"Chief God! Wuxiong, you are the chieftain of the Do'er tribe, the grandson of your grandfather! You don't know anything, but you come to ask us? What the hell do we know!... Who knows what happened in between? Two such big tribes, and in the end, only a hundred or so people were left, and you, this silly chieftain!..."

Maha Aguda cursed and muttered, raising his hand and giving Wuxiong another knock on the head. Then, he squatted on the ground, reached out and touched the bones on the ground, muttering to himself.

"Great Spirit witness! Let me see how he died! Corpses don't lie..."

"Hmm... The head is intact! There are no obvious wounds on the body, and the clothes are neatly worn, could he have died of illness? Looking at the teeth, the age is estimated to be not too old, about the same as you, Ali! Chieftains can usually eat their fill, and their bodies are generally good... Then it might be a skin injury, and the wound festered and died. This is one of the most common ways to die!..."

"Aguda! Is it possible that he ate the wrong mushrooms and died of poisoning?"

"Zu! Why do you always think about eating mushrooms? They are all tribes of the old forest, who would eat this stomach-deceiving thing for no reason? Unless they are very hungry and there is really no way... It is possible to die from eating raw Maha fish, the stomach swelling, and spitting out worms. My uncle died like this..."

"Ezhen! I think, could it be that grandfather ate too much crunchy food and ruined his stomach, and then died from diarrhea? Several old men in the tribe in their thirties died like this..."

"...Don't say it, it's really possible! We Maha tribe, also have people who died like this. Diarrhea is also a very common way to die..."

The three squatted on the ground, examining the weathered and dried bones, while chatting about the various ways tribes in the forest die, there was a kind of open-mindedness that took life and death lightly and was fearless. And the final result of the discussion was that Wuduweng's grandfather either died from a festering wound, or died from eating randomly out of hunger. That is, died from lack of medicine and lack of food, just like those injured beasts in the forest.

Yes, the Jurchen tribes, having lost the order of civilization and food production, even if the individuals and tribes were fierce, inevitably headed towards such a barbaric demise. Unless, they could obtain "supplies" from the frontier of civilization! Whether it was through tribute and rewards of trade, or through fighting and plundering of war, or a combination of both, like vines parasitic on Solon pillars...

"May the chief god protect! Ancestral Priest, Chieftain Aguda... I have thought about it carefully. With these two Wei-so copper seals, our previous idea of rebuilding the three Wei, including next year's tribute plan... will have room for improvement! Hmm, a lot of room for improvement, to obtain official recognition from the Ming Dynasty, and even open up an official path!"

Under the Solon tree of life, the mature Jurchen Ali sat cross-legged in front of the bones of his predecessor. He picked up the two copper seals of the Wei-so, and before he could open his mouth, Wuduweng shouted.

"You guy, this is my Mafa grandfather's good stuff! It was agreed before, two bags of white mud, one bag of pickled fish meat?"

"Wuxiong, don't worry. Give us the copper seal, and the food will be given to you when we return!"

"Hmm... No, no way!..."

"? You want to go back on your word?..."

Wuduweng's eyes rolled around, revealing a bear-like, silly cunning. He bared his teeth, stretched out two fingers, and stared fiercely at Ali, shouting.

"These are two copper seals! Two! What you promised me before... must be doubled!..."

"..."

Ali looked at the two Wei-so copper seals in his hand, was silent for a moment, and nodded.

"Okay! Doubled! Give you four bags of potatoes, two bags of pickled fish!..."

"Ah? You agreed just like that?... Then I still want... Uh!"

Wuduweng's head ached, and he was hit hard again. Maha Aguda slapped him, shut the silly guy up, and then looked at Ali.

"Brother Ali, you are the oldest, and you are also the most knowledgeable and understand the most among us... You continue to speak!..."

"Cough!"

Zuwaluo touched his nose, coughed lightly, and also looked at Ali with concern. Ali pondered for a while, then continued the topic he mentioned a few days ago, and opened his mouth seriously.

“ Ancestral Priest, Chief Aguda… The Southern court places very different levels of importance on each guardhouse, and the functional positioning of each guardhouse is also very different! You can actually see some of this from the official positions within these guardhouses!… ”

“ Right now, we have five guardhouse copper seals, representing the qualifications for five Jurchen guardhouses to offer tribute! The Haar Man Guard and Fuduo River Guard copper seals that I’ve brought out, the Manjing Guard copper seal in the Ancestral Priest’s hands, and the Tulu Pavilion Mountain Guard and Duoer Bi River Guard copper seals here… ”

“ Among them, the Manjing Guard is almost one with Nurgan, and its symbolic political significance is too great, so it cannot be easily taken out for tribute… The Haar Man Guard and Fuduo River Guard were originally the two identities I planned to use for tribute, with the Ancestral Priest impersonating the chief of the Fuduo River Guard… ”

“ And now, we have also obtained the copper seals of the Tulu Pavilion Mountain Guard and the Duoer Bi River Guard! These two guardhouses are located on the northern side of the Khingan Mountains, a layout established by Emperor Taizong in his management of the Khingan Mountains… Although the Tulu Pavilion Mountain Guard was established earlier, it is not considered important. The real key is the Duoer Bi River Guard! This guardhouse is sealed with the title of Associate Commander! It governs a very vast valley in the Khingan Mountains, possessing two haizi with abundant water and grass, which are one of the important routes for the various northern wild tribes to invade southward!… ”

Speaking up to this point, Ali paused, handing the Duoer Bi River Guard's copper seal in his hand to Maha Aguda. Maha Aguda's eyes flashed, looking at the very light but symbolically heavy copper seal in his hand, and said in a deep voice.

“ Brother Ali, are you suggesting that I take this copper seal, impersonate the chief of the Duoer Bi River Guard, which is the identity of Wu Xiong, and go south to offer tribute to the Great Ming?!… ”

“ Exactly! Offering tribute in the identity of the Duoer Bi River Guard, but not just offering tribute!… Chief Aguda, you are the bravest warrior I have ever seen in my life! Although Nurgan is good, it is not good to be exposed in the eyes of the court, it is not a place for you to use your strength. Although the Duoer Bi River Guard is chaotic, it is a truly good place, where you can show your skills. And this guardhouse copper seal is a title that Heaven and the Main God have sent to us!… ”

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“ Title?… ”

“ That's right! Chief Aguda, although the Great Ming has withdrawn from the lower reaches of the Great River, the titles they left behind are still extremely important, affecting the various Jurchen tribes around! A wild tribe without an identity, no matter how capable it is, cannot last long in the Blackwater Forest Sea… Because it cannot cooperate with the various tribes sealed by the Great Ming around it, and it is even more impossible to obtain support from the Great Ming, obtaining important military supplies from the south. Cough! At least that was the case before the Ancestral Priest appeared… ”

“ In fact, even now… Only by meeting the Great Men, obtaining the title of Great Ming, obtaining the identity of the Duoer Bi River Guard, and then seizing the position of Associate Commander… can the Maha Tribe be transformed into the court's loyal 'Duoer Tribe', gradually taking root in the Khingan Mountains valley! Only in this way can we, in the name of rebuilding the Duoer Bi River Guard, open up a better operational path from the Liaodong Garrison, and obtain craftsmen, military supplies, and food!… ”

“ Ah? ? ? ”

Hearing this, Maha Aguda looked blank, and Wu Duwen also looked blank. Only Zu Walo frowned and asked suspiciously.

“ God is my witness! Ali, are you saying… that letting Aguda impersonate the Duoer Bi River Guard is not just to go to offer tribute and ask for rewards… but also to seize some position, and in the name of some rebuilding, to obtain craftsmen and materials from the Great Ming?… ”

“ Exactly! ”

“ Then why is it rebuilding the Duoer Bi River Guard? Wouldn't it be better to directly request the rebuilding of your Haar Man Tribe?… ”

“ Alas, God! I also want to rebuild the Haar Man Guard… But the official positions of the two guardhouses are different, the locations are different, and the court's emphasis is also different. My Haar Man Guard is only an Assistant Regional Military Commissioner, while the Duoer Bi River Guard is an Associate Commander! In the court's ranking, the Duoer Bi River Guard has a very high status, far higher than the Haar Man Guard… ”

Ali sighed lightly, the map of the lower reaches of the Heilongjiang River appearing in his mind. After a few breaths, he spoke again.

“ The Haar Man Guard is far away in the northeasternmost downstream area, and its location is insignificant. Even if it is lost, there are still the Fushan Guard and the Hushi Gate Guard supporting it, blocking the path of the wild people southward… But the Duoer Bi River Guard is different, it is the key to locking the Khingan Mountains! If the wild people go south from here and cross the Khingan Mountains, they can run everywhere. If they go straight south, the fallen Gelin Guard is the Hushi Gate Guard. They can also go southwest, along the Gulu River, until they suddenly appear in the hinterland of the Haisi Jurchens, and even come into contact with the Mongolian Doyan Three Guards… ”

“ The fierce wild Jurchens go south year after year, wandering around looting, and the Haisi Jurchen guards are all overwhelmed, forced to gradually move south! They all hope that there will be some foolish guardhouse tribe that can stand in front and block this main road for the wild people to go south! Therefore, rebuilding the Duoer Bi River Guard will not only be valued more by the court, but will also definitely receive the support of the various Haisi tribes! ”

“ God! Are you saying that the Haar Man Guard is equivalent to a hereditary noble, while the Duoer Bi River Guard is a glorious noble? Moreover, it is a key stronghold guarding the mountains, and can obtain the support of the large Haisi tribes to the south?… ”

Zu Walo pondered, trying to use his political level to speculate on the situation in the south, and immediately noticed something was wrong.

“ Ali! Didn't you say before that the Great Ming in the south had long abandoned the northern lands 'outside the pass'? They are unwilling to support the guardhouses that are defending in the north, and are unwilling to maintain them for a long time, which is why you have fallen one after another… For example, this Duoer Bi River Guard, which has disappeared for so many years, hasn't the court done anything about it? Right now, for a tribe that hasn't been cared for for so many years, for some suddenly emerging descendants of the Associate Commander, are they really willing to take out good things to support the rebuilding of this guardhouse?… ”

“ Ancestral Priest, you asked a very important question! Well, these are actually two questions! Title and practical benefits… First of all, we have this official seal, and also the official uniform of this Associate Commander, and even helmets and armor. This title of ours is absolutely genuine! Therefore, the court will definitely recognize the title of the Duoer Bi River Guard. The court also hopes to rebuild the Duoer Bi River Guard, and let a guardhouse tribe with a title and offering tribute stand at the forefront of the Khingan Mountains valley… ”

Ali nodded approvingly, pondered for a few breaths, and then gave a deafening reply again.

“ Secondly, the court will not take out real gold and silver, and the Great Men of Liaodong are even more unlikely to take out real gold and silver! At most, they will move a finger… The ones who take out real gold and silver must be us! Us!… ”

“ What? Are you saying that the Great Ming court in the south wants us to contribute, not only to fight in armor, but also to pay out of our own pockets to send gifts to the nobles, and in the end get nothing? ”

“ No! It's not bribing the meritorious nobles, but bribing the garrison eunuchs and military officers. It's not paying out of our own pockets and getting nothing, but feeding the Great Men first, before we can get the court's things, good things! . ”

Ali gestured with his hands, trying to describe the internal political rules and operations of the Great Ming. To Zu Walo, listening to such "profound" things was ten times more complicated than the politics of the kingdom!

“ God is my witness! We must first present the title of the Duoer Bi River Guard, then take out real gold and silver to feed the Great Men of Liaodong, and finally bring our own warriors to fight in the front… only then can we get the Great Men to move a pen, approve a clause, leak a finger, and reward the good things of the court in the treasury!… ”

“ In other words, a loyal guardhouse title, bribed real gold and silver, and the military value of subjugation… all three must be present in order to obtain an official document from the Liaodong government to restore the guardhouse, opening up a legitimate official path! And this legitimate official path is priceless. ”

“ Because, once the legitimate official path is opened up, then through relying on this channel, to carry out illegal private transactions, even the buying and selling of craftsmen and households, the reselling of military supplies… then it will be too much easier, and too much, too much can be obtained!… ”