The vast hall fell into a brief silence. Bonfires flickered inside, shining on the two kings and casting the deepest shadows. The shadows swayed, but the men made no sound. Avet raised his clay cup and drank his tea in quiet sips. Xolotl gazed at the divine statue, silently reciting scripture.
Only after the cup was drained did King Avet set it down and speak calmly.
"The legions of the four northern states suffered grievous casualties in the Eastern Expedition. They have also handed over one thousand elite Fire Warriors, which is already their limit. They cannot be worn down any further. Once I return to the capital, the warriors of these four-state legions will disband and return to their own states. Of course, the more than ten thousand militiamen remaining in the four-state legions can all be given to you, to garrison camps or transport grain and fodder."
The Eastern Expedition had been declared over, and the City-State Warriors of the four northern states were about to go home. They had been forced to assault cities, had suffered casualties too terrible to bear, and had long been full of resentment. They could not be pressed any harder, or they truly would rebel. As for the conscripted militiamen, they could still be made to suffer a little longer.
In the world of Mesoamerica, militiamen's ability to endure was far beyond that of the Celestial Empire, roughly on par with India or Ancient Egypt. When one dug into the reasons, on one hand, they devoutly believed in the gods, feared the divinity of the god-descendants, obeyed the guidance of the priests, and sought peace after death. On the other hand, they lacked meat, lacked training, and had neither bows and crossbows nor copper weapons. Before warriors trained for many years, the