Male birds chased each other in racing flight, then rested on the branches, building nests and singing joyfully with the females. Spring vitality burst forth; the east wind blew warm from the sea, making even armor grow hot. The sprawling camp spread outside Golden Bay City, and patrols of legion warriors moved back and forth in shifts. They carried copper spears and great bows on their backs, bowing from afar to salute the returning Imperial Guard. And at the center of the Imperial Guard's escort were the king returning from his journey, and the captain of the guards who never left his side.
"Patriarch, the Alliance's centralization is being pushed forward with increasing urgency! According to the latest news, before this year's spring plowing, another group of great nobles from the traditional Seven States will take their families, warriors, and some of their subjects and be transferred to settle in the land of Tlaxcala!"
"Mm. Since the Eastern Expedition began, the king's centralizing reforms have never slowed; instead, they've grown harsher and harsher. Right now, the scope of royal centralization has already expanded from the Lake Texcoco region to the traditional Seven States on the periphery. To strip away each semi-independent vassal state, establish an administrative system that can be directly governed, and then extend the feelers of the High Priest Council in the capital into every village of the Alliance... To carry out this whole series of decrees, even with the king's outstanding prestige, is by no means an easy task!"
"Yes! Right now, five Royal Legions are all stationed around the outer edge of the Lake Texcoco region, overawing the states of the Alliance. As for the legions of the various city-states, they're either campaigning abroad or have suffered heavy casualties, and all have been greatly weakened... Even