Chapter 45

< Chapter 45. Victory Ceremony. >

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“Woo-hoo!”

Countless imperial citizens lined up around the central road of the capital.

They all shouted with great cheers and exclamations of joy.

The rhythmic sound of drums coming from afar heightened the explosive atmosphere.

“It’s truly magnificent.”

“You said it.”

Deep Lake’s eyes were glazed with awe.

Kim Ki-woo and Deep Lake were looking down at this spectacle from the upper floor of the administrative building.

At that moment.

Vroom!

With a huge roar,

Clack! Clack! Clack!

The imperial soldiers who marched in sync with each other came into Kim Ki-woo’s sight.

The imperial army’s march was very imposing.

Kim Ki-woo took in the impressive sight of the imperial army with a deep smile.

‘Finally, we have destroyed the Aztecs.’

Before the imperial army returned, they had already heard the news of the fall of Tenochtitlan.

But it felt very different to hear the information and to witness the victory ceremony like this.

‘Of course, it will take longer to clean up the mess.’

Most of the imperial army was still in Mesoamerica. And they would probably have to stay there for quite a long time.

Those who arrived here first were all conscripts, and they were the workers of the empire who would return to their jobs as soon as the victory ceremony was over.

The current situation in Mesoamerica was very chaotic.

The Aztec Empire, which had been so powerful, collapsed in an instant.

At the same time, the neighboring forces that had accumulated hatred for them trampled on the Aztecs thoroughly.

The problem was after that madness subsided.

Apart from the territories of the tribes that paid tribute to the Aztec Empire, there were quite a lot of direct territories, including the Triple Alliance.

Now, there was no Aztec Empire.

That is, those regions became ownerless and common in an instant.

Then, the forces that participated in the alliance and the tribes around the Aztecs began to covet that land.

Even those who did not participate in this war were looking for opportunities to get a small piece of land or some of the Aztec’s property.

‘We can’t let them take it away from us.’

One of the main reasons why Kim Ki-woo destroyed the Aztecs was their disgusting human sacrifice problem.

But he did not put so much effort into it just for that.

Rather, he wanted to gradually incorporate Mesoamerica into the sphere of influence of the Wakan Tanka Empire.

To do that, he needed to have direct territories of the Wakan Tanka Empire in that area, just like in Panama.

‘It will be hard to manage the area where the Aztec Empire was.’

The best place for direct territory was near Mexico Bay.

That was where it was easy to travel back and forth with the mainland by boat.

The problem was that the mainstay of the alliance was tribes that lived near Mexico Bay.

He could not forcibly take their land away from them.

Then he had to negotiate with them.

Kim Ki-woo planned to give them the land of the Aztec Empire.

Instead, he would make their area a direct territory.

Therefore, until he finished this deal, he needed to firmly occupy the Aztec area by himself.

After all, they were the ones who started and contributed most to this war.

While Kim Ki-woo was thinking about that,

“Halt!”

Thud!

Finally, the imperial soldiers who returned from war completed their assembly in the square.

They naturally lined up facing Kim Ki-woo, who was standing on the upper floor of the administrative building.

Then, as emperor of Wakan Tanka Empire, he had to praise and honor his soldiers who had suffered on battlefield.

Kim Ki-woo cleared his throat and shouted loudly,

“Sons of empire! I am very happy that you have returned healthy and strong like this!”

As Kim Ki-woo began his speech, the square became silent as a mouse.

“Thanks to you, we have uprooted Aztecs who have been doing terrible things until now! And we have saved countless lives that would have been sacrificed innocently! If we do not call you heroes, then who can we call heroes?

The blood and sweat you shed were not in vain! Your footsteps will be remembered for a long time, and all imperial citizens will praise you!

You are the stars of this victory ceremony! Before you return to your jobs, I hope you enjoy this ceremony!”

“Woo-hoo!”

“Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As Kim Ki-woo’s impassioned speech ended, a huge cheer and a cry of warriors shook the square.

***

Kim Ki-woo’s speech was only the beginning of the victory ceremony.

He bestowed plenty of wine and meat to the returning imperial soldiers, and invited those who had made special contributions to the palace.

In the palace, the key figures of each department, Kim Ki-woo, and Deep Lake gathered.

“Military Minister.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you!”

Kim Ki-woo pinned a medal on the chest of Military Minister Strong Bow.

Then, Strong Bow’s eyes turned red with emotion.

He was happy to receive the first-class military merit medal, but he was more moved by the fact that he was the first one to receive such a medal.

“I heard you are stepping down from your position as Military Minister. You have done a great job all this time.”

“No, Your Majesty. The time I spent with you was like a dream to me. It was an honor to serve you.”

“Haha. I appreciate your kind words.”

His voice was filled with sincerity and regret.

Kim Ki-woo patted the Military Minister’s shoulder and then awarded medals to the other recipients in turn.

They were all touched by receiving a medal from Kim Ki-woo himself.

Of course, they did not know much about the medal yet, but they knew that it was a recognition of their contribution in this war by Kim Ki-woo himself.

‘I hope the medal system will be established soon.’

The medals he awarded now were just the beginning.

He would create various types of medals besides the military merit medal.

Humans like to get a sign that they are superior to others. It was human nature.

In this regard, medals were nothing less than the greatest honor.

He would also provide material support to those who received medals regularly, but more importantly, their achievements would be recorded in the imperial history forever.

‘It’s not for nothing that people strive to get things like Nobel Prizes.’

Kim Ki-woo hoped that these medals would play that role.

Then they would work harder to get medals in each field.

After the medal ceremony was over, a simple banquet began among the imperial leaders.

“Ah. I’m really disappointed. You are still so young and healthy, but you are already leaving your position as Military Minister.”

“Haha. I’m not a Military Minister anymore in two days. Please call me by my name from now on.”

“Hmm… That sounds awkward.”

The star of the banquet was Strong Bow, of course.

Several ministers gathered around him and chatted with him.

Even the ministers who had clashed with him over various issues laughed and congratulated him on his future.

‘Hmm… Is it time for a generational change?’

He felt bitter.

Kim Ki-woo checked the faces of the ministers again.

Except for one person, Straight Tree, they were all old men who had aged considerably.

It was inevitable.

They were the ones who had led the Creek tribe since Kim Ki-woo first set foot in their territory.

Twenty years had passed since then.

Now, those who were middle-aged at that time had all become old men.

That meant that not only the Military Minister, but most of the ministers were also eligible to retire from their positions.

‘I don’t feel good about it.’

He felt bitter thinking that the people who had built the foundation of Wakan Tanka with him would soon leave him.

But Kim Ki-woo soon shook his head and erased his thoughts.

He was destined to witness such generational changes many times in the future.

That was the sorrow of having a different and longer lifespan than others.

***

The festival continued after the victory ceremony ended.

But Kim Ki-woo could not enjoy it.

He had a meeting with the alliance leaders after awarding medals.

There were three types of people who came by boat to the capital this time.

The imperial army, alliance leaders,

And…

‘The emperor and high nobles of Aztecs came too.’

They were destined to be executed in front of imperial citizens.

The moment their blood flowed, this expedition would be declared over.

“I greet Your Majesty, Emperor of Great Empire.”

Their conversation was translated in real time by an interpreter.

Kim Ki-woo lightly accepted their greetings.

“Welcome to Great Start, heart of empire. Well, what do you think after seeing empire?”

“It was amazing. We finally understood how Wakan Tanka Empire could have such power after coming here. We pay our respects to Your Majesty for building such a huge and splendid empire.”

“Haha. I appreciate your compliments.”

A few more pleasantries followed after that.

But Kim Ki-woo did not call them to capital just for pleasantries.

“You know why I called you here?”

“Yes. We know it is about territory issue.”

“You have heard well. Then you must have thought about it enough. Can you tell me your thoughts?”

“Hmm…”

They looked at each other and exchanged glances.

They had obviously discussed this among themselves to some extent.

A man who seemed to be the representative spoke slowly.

“We understand Your Majesty’s intention. But we have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Surely, it was thanks to the excellent imperial army that we could easily defeat Aztecs. But the war is over now. Is there any reason for the imperial army to stay in our area?”

This meant that they felt uncomfortable with the imperial army stationed right under their noses.

They had witnessed the overwhelming power of the imperial army. They even saw them use incredible weapons like bombs.

They knew they would not last long if the imperial army attacked their forces.

They were bound to be anxious.

But Kim Ki-woo had no intention of listening to their demands.

“Haha. That’s very disappointing to hear. We are comrades who fought against Aztecs together. Surely you don’t distrust our empire?”

“It’s not that, but…”

“I promise you. As long as you don’t betray our empire, the imperial army will not harass you. And if anyone tries to harm you unjustly, our empire will step in and punish them.”

It was a lie.

The standard of betrayal was vague.

That meant that he could attack them if they showed any sign of resistance.

The latter offer was the same.

The standard of injustice was also vague.

It meant that he could intervene in any incident according to his judgment.

They understood the meaning behind Kim Ki-woo’s words.

Their faces darkened in an instant.

They realized that it was hard to persuade him.

“Looks like you need some time to discuss. Talk it over among yourselves and let me know your decision.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

With that, the first meeting between Kim Ki-woo and the alliance leaders ended.

‘They will have to accept it eventually.’

Kim Ki-woo thought as he watched the alliance leaders turn away.

In the end, this world was survival of the fittest.

He had already shown his power to the natives of Mesoamerica, including the alliance.

There had to be some gap in strength to resist, but the imperial army’s power surpassed that level.

In the end, all they could choose was to secure a better land than now.

< Victory Ceremony. > End