Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 554 - 270: Alliance Priesthood, The Separation of the Priest’s Divine Authority!

The Black Wolf’s Royal Banner fluttered in the mountain passes, with messengers heading out to the mining areas to report. Wherever the King set foot, the simple Main Copper Mine seemed to transform into a temporary palace, continuously gathering the commanding power of the fief.

Xiulote was in high spirits, lingering in the mining camp. He supervised the expansion of the mining area, choosing suitable locations for workshop towns, while guiding the improvements in the coke smelting process.

"Very good, the second batch of coke smelting has a coking rate of forty-five percent. It seems that the preliminary treatment of coal is of paramount importance."

In front of several new kilns, Xiulote inspected the latest production results. Upon receiving the new data, his face revealed a purely sincere smile, like that of a young, devoted craftsman. However, the King soon regained his authority, issuing decrees to the trusted aides crowding around him.

"The new workshop town should be situated by the river, centrally located amidst various mining sites… yes, right here!"

Xiulote’s finger pressed decisively onto a wooden map, affirming his words.

"From here to the Lake Capital City is ninety li, including thirty li of mountain roads. This thirty-li stretch must have an easy dirt path for pushing small, single-wheel carts… yes, we can lay down the coal slag from mined-out areas to prevent the growth of grass and weeds!"

"Your Highness, what shall we call this town?"

Faced with such a question, the King looked around. Dark clouds rolled across the sky, plumes of black smoke rose from between the mountains, and thousands of miners carried ore as they walked. Observing this somber tableau, a thought struck him.

"Hmm, let’s name it Blackstone City!"

Following that, Xiulote’s expression grew serious as he turned to look at the mining area’s management personnel. Under the current circumstances, the heavy responsibility of the industrial district could only be entrusted to this military-to-civilian officer.

"Necali, I entrust the mining area to you! I will allocate an additional two thousand surrendered troops and four hundred Samurai to your command. The surrendered troops will mine coal in the mountains, while the Samurai will garrison strategic fortifications. This way, you will have a full thousand-Samurai regiment under your command, managing five thousand miners!"

Overjoyed, Necali prostrated in gratitude. His Highness had only been here for a month, and he had been promoted twice, bypassing many years of struggle, with a bright future now readily within reach.

"Your Highness, I will definitely manage the mining area well, making the miners as docile as turkeys, bowing their heads and ears!"

Xiulote held Necali’s hair, pondered for a while, and then gave detailed instructions.

"While focusing on production, also establish a promotion system among the miners. Reward mining leaders who are close to the Alliance and work hard! Consider absorbing miners as Militia and promoting surrendered soldiers as officers. Moreover, arrange for undercover informants among the miners and surrendered troops, communicate thoroughly with the Priests, and make sure to keep them under control!…"

Then, the King laid his hand on Necali’s shoulder, speaking earnestly.

"Necali, as for yourself, you must take the time and effort to study diligently, to grasp the production in the industrial-mining area, and to become an insider here as soon as possible!… As I’ve said before, your responsibilities are heavy, and your future is bright. Do not disappoint me!"

"Your Highness, the wings will follow the eagle’s will. I will heed all your commands!"

Necali answered loudly, prostrating once again. The King then slowly nodded in approval.

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In the following days, Xiulote revised the plans, once again increasing the number of villages designated to support the industrial-mining zone and sent trusted aides specifically to oversee the transfer of food here. With the construction of the new blast furnaces completed, a portion of the miners began to mine coal.

Several small coal mines were established. Mining coal was much easier than copper, and collapses were an issue only in deeper areas. Soon, Necali reported a satisfying figure: the coal mines’ output was more than two hundred catties per miner per day. Since it did not require smelting, the proportion of mining laborers was about fifty percent of the coal mine’s workers. With effective management, a thousand workers could maintain a production of at least ten thousand catties per day.

At this time in the Celestial Empire, the production of deep coal pits in Shanxi was only over three hundred catties per day. And the improvement in large-scale mining technology would have to wait until the modern industrial revolution. Then, rock mining could employ explosives, iron tracks and coal cars to improve efficiency, and water pumps and ventilators in place of human labor in the mines, transforming the old coal pits into modern coal mines.

Upon hearing Necali’s report, Xiulote smiled. Harvesting the same caloric value of timber would require far more labor than coal mining. In places with coal, an Empire’s future industrial centers could be established! The King, bubbling with enthusiasm, continued to participate in refining the third batch of coke until a Messenger from the Capital City arrived hurriedly.

"Your Highness, the Priesthood from the Alliance has already arrived at the Qinchongcan Capital! Accompanying them are the craftsmen from the Lake Capital City, as well as the families of the Mexica samurai."

Upon hearing this, Xiulote was invigorated. The support from the Alliance had finally arrived!

The banner of Black Wolf moved once again. Escorted by two thousand samurai, the King’s formidable presence was felt as he returned to the capital a hundred miles to the northeast. A few days later, the grand blue stone walls of the capital city came into the King’s view, and outside the city gates waited the welcoming officials of the kingdom, the legion commanders, and the newly arrived Alliance Priests!

Xiulote scanned the crowd at the city gates, pondering slightly. Even though everyone had changed into Mexica attire, there were still three distinct groups that could be identified.

In accordance with their rank, the Priesthood from the Alliance stood at the front. A large number of Chief God Priests wore Feather Crowns and Ceremonial Dress, and leading them were two Fourth Level High Priests.

The kingdom’s legion commanders stood in the middle. With weapons and shields in hand and dressed in vibrant war clothes, they subtly divided into Mexica officers and Prepetcha officers, and they also kept their distance according to their noble or commoner origins.

Last were the numerable kingdom officials. Most were newly submitted Prepetcha who had surrendered; their demeanor was restrained, their heads slightly bowed. Only Jatili, dressed in the Chief Minister’s regal garments, stood steadfastly at the forefront.

Xiulote took a moment to muse. These three groups represented the power distribution within the Fiefdom, as well as the political structure of the land.

There was no need to mention the legion commanders. They held the kingdom’s military power and were close to the line of the loyal Marshal King, having been through countless battles. Soon, with the progress of reforms, the kingdom’s troops would also divide into three parts: the tens of thousands of Militia stationed in villages and towns, the tens of thousands of surrendered troops being transformed through agricultural reforms, and the over ten thousand samurai assigned to the land.

The surrendered Army and the samurai would be reorganized respectively into ordinary standing forces and elite mobile forces to participate in constant external conflicts. Having inherited and maintained a large number of legions from the Tarasco Kingdom, the kingdom’s military-civilian ratio was completely unbalanced. Constant expansionary warfare was both inevitable and the only choice!

The Chief God Priests held the greatest religious power and also participated in the kingdom’s administration. They regulated the astronomical calendar, performed prayer ceremonies, dispatched priests to implement Alliance doctrines, and managed community affairs in towns and villages. Among the populace, regular confessions were being promoted, with priests of different ranks saving the souls of nobility and commoners alike. There were also military priests within the legions to soothe the minds of samurai and Militia.

As the supreme leader of the Fiefdom’s theocracy, Xiulote knew well the depth of this class’s influence. The priests’ foothold in the hearts of the people was linked to the kingdom’s stability, and their rapidly expanding power was inseparable from his long-term support and personally planned reforms.

In dealing with this powerful clerical class, Xiulote had already laid the groundwork by dividing the priests into different branches. Each branch was relatively independent and prohibited from interbranch promotions. Divine authority centralized power at the hub, controlled by the highest Divine King himself, while maintaining separation within the priesthood.

Among the priests, one branch was responsible for astronomy, doctrine, and ceremonies— the Scripture Priests. They held a revered status, did not engage in politics, and were akin to the Grand Historian in the Western Zhou bureaucratic system.

Another branch took charge of mythological epics and the recording of significant historical events—the History Priest. They were tasked with narrating the "truth" of history to the masses, integrating different cultural elements, uniting the hearts of various ethnic groups, comparable to the Grand Historian in the Western Zhou bureaucratic system.

Another branch centered around the Capital City, participating in central administration and managing community affairs in villages and towns, spreading faith, and holding confessions—the Preaching Priests. They were involved in governance, impacting far-flung areas and tribes, and represented the true bureaucratic face of theocracy, akin to the Ministry Officials in the Western Zhou bureaucratic system. Among them, the Village Priests were the governing tentacles of the kingdom’s core in the localities, symbols of royal and divine authority stationed in distant lands.

Another branch comprised the War Priests who were directly subordinate to the Royal Family, wielding weapons, and entering the grassroots of the military. They were responsible for comforting and controlling the military spirit and symbolized the extension of royal and divine authority within the army. They also presided over large-scale sacrificial rites before and after wars, guiding spirits in funerals, and boosting the legion’s morale.

The last branch belonged to the Divine Revelation Place, overseeing practical technological inventions and basic scientific research—the Divine Revelation Priests. They primarily came from young priests trained in schools and were supplemented by experienced craftsmen and older workers. Xiulote planned to settle down and write two popular science textbooks using semi-mythical language, detailing basic natural laws. Then, these textbooks would be distributed to schools and Divine Revelation Places, gradually cultivating seeds of new thought.

Inspired by the mature bureaucratic system of the Celestial Empire, Xiulote relied on the current era to diversify the priesthood into relatively independent Scripture Priests, History Priests, Preaching Priests, War Priests, and Divine Revelation Priests, while leaving room for future reforms. These five branches of the priesthood would each assume part of the government’s functions, controlling all aspects of the nation, building a centralised and powerful theocratic state!

Reflecting upon this, the King’s gaze shifted towards the last group of kingdom officials. Among these Prepetcha elites were the Village Elders who held cultural heritage, the Trinitarian Divine Priests who recently converted to the Chief Divine, the Chieftains who actually governed villages, the leaders responsible for forestry and fisheries, the nobles’ sons handling trade and statistics, as well as the prominent Masters in various crafts industries—the kingdom’s ruling body’s most populous core.

In Xiulote’s plan, these elites came from different groups, participating in all aspects of the kingdom as organizers and producers. They were akin to the Officials and Village Elders in traditional Celestial Empire society. The bureaucratic system of theocracy would be open to them, incorporating the most outstanding part, just like how Jatili, serving as Chief Minister and also appointed as the Fourth Level High Priest overseeing the History Priest, demonstrated.

"Establishing a bureaucratic system of theocracy is a pressing need of reality, but it’s also essential to incorporate different sources of ’sand’, to establish different branches and factions. There must always be room left for future reformers..."

With an indifferent smile, the political system of the kingdom passed through the King’s mind, a plan contemplated over countless days and nights, fully considering the realities of the era.

Afterward, he nodded slightly and walked majestically down the already decided path. Ahead, the two High Priests from the Alliance Priesthood had long been waiting with bowed bodies. He also saw a face he hadn’t seen in a long time, self-satisfied and "innocently" smiling.