"Main God as my witness! The Lake Chapala Region lies in the northwest of the world, six hundred li from the Royal Capital of Tzintzuntzan, and a full twelve hundred li from the Lake Capital! Once here, the influence of the Mexica Alliance will become negligible. No matter how the Divine King stretches out his arm, he cannot grasp Lake Chapala's mirror-bright waters... By contrast, Hezhong County is six hundred li from the Lake Capital, linked to the Alliance's west by the Lerma River, and has nearby Longlan Fortress as well. Envoys from the Lake Texcoco Region can easily come and go, contacting the Mexica Warriors in the county..."
Xolotl sat cross-legged before the low table, looking at this letter sent from Chapala City, which had traveled nearly two thousand li before arriving at Golden Bay City, and sank into long contemplation.
This letter had been urgently relayed by swift-running Dog-kin scouts, racing day and night, yet it had still taken more than a month to reach the coast. As for the final contents of the letter, he had read them over and over many times, long since memorizing them by heart, even able to recite them. Toward Monkey's request, he had initially neither approved nor refused, giving no reply, but over these days, his mind had gradually changed.
"The Lake Chapala Region has lush water and grass, fertile soil, and an especially vast area! Along the great lake alone, it stretches more than three hundred li east to west, and more than two hundred li north to south. Around the great lake, there are barren farmlands everywhere, ruins of villages, and many broken towns. It is said that in the Tarasco era twenty years ago, there were a full four hundred thousand tribespeople here! And the armies of the