The February wind blows across Lake Texcoco, bringing a slight chill. The winter sunshine is clear and dry, and it makes people feel warm.
Early in the morning, Shulot took more than a hundred guards on a navy boat to inspect the production of saltpeter and gunpowder. Dozens of boats cut through the rising sun on the lake, and in less than two quarters of an hour, they arrived at Tianhuo Island in the East Lake.
The boat had already reported in advance, and Esco, the saltwater manager, had led everyone to wait at the simple port in advance. As soon as the fleet docked, the warrior captain Bertard waved an order. More than a hundred warriors immediately boarded the port, quickly checked the surrounding situation, and then relaxed their vigilance and maintained tight security.
Shulot shook his head. More than two weeks ago, the Nobility Law was just promulgated, and there was a lot of discussion. Soon, the royal family and the priesthood dispatched thousands of warriors, captured more than a dozen of Tlacopan's hereditary nobles, and sentenced them to sacrifice. Facing the thunderous pressure, the nobles of all sizes around the lake area were once again shocked into silence.
Subsequently, in accordance with the new noble law, village priests immediately intervened in the management of the nobles' fiefdoms and participated in the collection of New Year's tribute. These tributes were twice as much as in previous years and were continuously shipped from around the lake area, replenishing the alliance's increasingly tight treasury. But beneath the calm surface of the capital, there are turbulent undercurrents everywhere.
Shulot's guarding warriors then doubled, and the boat changed from a fast boat to a stable large boat. The warrior commander became increasingly vigilant and guarded His Highness day and night. It wasn't until the warriors completed their inspection that Shulot was able to go ashore.
Most of February has passed, and it has been almost a month since he last came here.
Shulot looked around. Outside the island was a patrolling navy, and beside the lake was a simple port. Lines of green smoke rose from the outside of the island, which was a bonfire for boiling saltpeter. The salt workers in short clothes were busy around the saltpeter and the bonfire. A little further away was the hut where they rested. In the center of the island, there are already a dozen large wooden houses and dozens of small thatched huts. At the large wooden house, you can vaguely see female workers in long clothes, carrying various clay pots as they hurried back and forth.
Between the outside and the center of the island, there are simple fences, erected wooden frames, and flying flags of the gods. Mexica warriors patrolled inside and outside the fence, sternly urging supervision.
Shulot nodded in greeting and lifted Esco, who was kneeling to salute. He smiled slightly and approved.
"I haven't seen you for a few days, but this place is quite orderly and prosperous. How much saltpeter is there in the inventory now? How many kilograms is the daily production?"
Based on the memory of his previous life, the boy roughly revised the system of weights and measures. Now, inside and outside the Divine Enlightenment Hall, weight is measured in kilograms, length is measured in meters, and time is measured in quarters and hours. Of course, these basic units cannot be measured accurately, but they are sufficient for now.
Hearing His Highness's inquiry, Esco looked terrified. He lowered his head deeply and knelt on the ground again.
"Your Highness, the number of salt workers has now increased to more than 100 people. The production of saltpetre has been improved. The current output is slightly more than one hundred catties per day, and the consumption of saltpeter is slightly less than two thousand catties... As for the inventory, the existing saltpeter It’s about less than a thousand kilograms…”
Hearing this, Shulot frowned slightly and spoke in a stern tone.
"Esco, it has been in production for 20 or 30 days, why is there only a thousand catties of soil salt in stock?"
The manager touched his head to the ground and replied in a low voice.
"Your Highness, this is my fault. About ten days ago, salt workers came in and out of the warehouse. Somehow, the accumulated saltpeter suddenly burned violently. The flames rose and expanded, exploding the entire wooden house and sending large pieces of wood flying. Tens of meters out. The salt worker died on the spot, with his body scattered everywhere. Several salt workers around him were also killed and injured...
Your Highness, I have beheaded all the salt workers in that group, hung their heads on wooden frames, and urged the salt workers to step up production day and night. Now the island has been divided into two layers: the inner and outer layers. The outer layer is for nitrate soil filtering, and hundreds of salt workers sleep next to the nitrate pond. Half of the inner layer is for soil and saltpeter storage, and the other half is for trial production of gunpowder. The warehouse is managed by dedicated personnel and no idlers are allowed in..."
Shulot looked serious. He stared at the kneeling Holy City warrior for a while, then raised his head and looked inside and outside the island. The salt workers and female workers were working in an orderly manner, with dozens of heads hanging on wooden frames between the inside and outside. The warriors patrolled back and forth, but there was no slack in sight.
After a long moment of silence, Shulot finally spoke calmly.
"You will be punished with twenty lashes, and you will be punished with meritorious deeds. Speed up production and don't do it again!"
Hearing this, Esco breathed a sigh of relief. He kowtowed vigorously and then stood up, took off his shirt, took a whip dipped in water, and whipped himself on the chest and back without hesitation, making a dull and powerful sound. Soon, blood seeped out from the warrior's front and back, dripping onto the ground, turning his feet red.
After twenty lashes were drawn, Shulot gestured slightly. The warrior commander immediately stepped forward, applied the prepared wound medicine to Esco, and wrapped it in steamed cotton cloth.
Esco's face twitched, and he gritted his teeth and reluctantly thanked him. Then, he only paused for a moment before leading His Highness to explore the island. After a while, everyone arrived at the largest saltpeter making point.
Moreno, the leader of the salt workers, knelt respectfully in front of the bonfire. On the bonfire was a clay pot for cooking saltpeter, and waves of pungent smell came from the fire. At this time, he lowered his head slightly, his face was much thinner, and the ferocity in his expression was deeply hidden, like a docile domestic dog.
And with his head lowered, the leader of the salt workers glanced at the bloody Esco from time to time, feeling relieved in his heart but also subconsciously fearful.
Xiulote glanced at Moreno and ordered in a deep voice.
"What improvements have you made? Tell me in detail!"
"Dear Your Highness, I have discovered that these nitrate soils can actually be poured with nitrate repeatedly. Just put a bird egg in the salt water after the nitrate has been poured, and you will know whether it has been poured out. In fact, we used to use a similar method for boiling salt, but we recently tried it. Only then did I realize it was possible..."
Moreno spoke respectfully and quietly. He secretly glanced at the terrifying warrior captain again, and his heart trembled.
"Dear Your Highness, I also discovered that in addition to adding plant ash when boiling saltpeter, you can also add small pieces of pumpkin, and the purity will increase. It seems that adding bird eggs will also work..."
Having said this, the leader of the salt workers was slightly ashamed. In fact, he originally just wanted to secretly cook some eggs while working...
Shulot thought for a moment and nodded slightly. These methods, he had a vague feeling of familiarity, should be feasible. Repeatedly drench the saltwater, and judge the salt content in the saltwater by the degree of suspension of the eggs. Porous media such as pumpkin and radish can absorb particulate impurities in salt water and improve the purification effect.
After a moment, Shulot smiled.
"Moreno, you have done well, what reward do you want?"
The leader of the salt workers once again secretly looked at His Highness's face and felt that the other person was in a good mood, so he anxiously tried to propose.
"Your Highness, I haven't been home for a month. I wonder if my brothers and I can go home and have a look... In fact, I am more familiar with the trade routes in the south than making salt..."
Shulot smiled slightly, nodded, and interrupted.
"Okay! Moreno, for your meritorious service, you will be promoted to a senior craftsman and will be rewarded with gold and silver cloth! Summarize your experience in making saltpeter, and I will send an aide over to record it in a book and also mark it with your name. I We will send people directly to move you and your relatives of the salt workers to the community of Shenqishuo. You don’t need to go home to visit your relatives, they will come to see you!
Next, a batch of toilet soil will be delivered. I have a new request. You must try different methods to extract qualified soil nitrate from these soils. This is crucial! From now on, you can settle down here, study hard and work hard, God Qi will not treat you badly! "
After saying that, Shulot looked seriously at the leader of the salt workers.
Moreno looked around at the warriors around him, then at Esco, who was covered in blood, and slowly and feebly lay on the ground. His heart still yearns for the vast world in the south, but his people will be imprisoned on the island for a long time.
"Your Highness, following your will...can you build me a wooden house here?..."
Shulot smiled and nodded, then turned around and headed towards the island.
After passing through the wooden fence dividing the inside and outside, the young man raised his head slightly, glanced at the head on display, and then continued forward. Under Esco's guidance, he first checked the inventory of saltpeter, then tested the purity of the saltpeter, and nodded slightly. Although he was not sure whether the purity was sufficient for the production of black powder, it was indeed slightly better than before.
Next, Shulot came to the newly built gunpowder workshop. There are several warehouses here, which store dark charcoal, bright yellow sulfur, snow-white earth saltpeter, and a small amount of newly made gunpowder. The young man looked around and saw a group of female workers who had been waiting for a long time and knelt down together to salute.
Shulot nodded slightly and smiled.
Nowadays, these female workers are responsible for the configuration and management of gunpowder, and they also manage the storage of soil salt. These female workers are all potters from the capital. They have been making pottery for many years, and they are patient, meticulous and deft in their hands. They needed to mix clay in proportions, so they were equally good at mixing gunpowder. The production of gunpowder is a delicate job that requires craftsmen to be meticulous and precise, so these potters are the most suitable.
Shulot gestured to excuse himself, and the female worker at the head stood up and looked up at the young man with full eyes. The young man looked carefully and saw that she had shining eyes, a delicate face, and delicate white hands, and she smiled gently at him.
Looking at the familiar face, Shulot was stunned for a moment. He pondered for a moment and immediately guessed something, turning his head to look at Bertard.
"Why is she here?"
The warrior commander raised his head awkwardly and looked at the clear sky, but could not find a single white cloud for him to hide in.
"Talaiya is one of the daughters of the hero mother Tanari. After meeting His Highness last time, she was admitted to the High Priest's Palace, and then sent out by the High Priest as the gunpowder manager here..."
Bertard spoke concisely, summarizing everything from beginning to end. In fact, His Highness held the other person's hand and looked at it affectionately for a long time. He then silently noted the potter girl's address and reported it to the high priest when he returned. On the one hand, he did this out of consideration for the young man's feelings, and on the other hand, he also had some selfish motives, wanting to surround the young man with some civilian girls. After all, Shulot's mother was also born as a commoner, and this will not be known in the future.
After hearing the reply from the warrior captain, the high priest frowned slightly, but still sent someone to ask for the name, and brought the potter girl Talaya into the palace as a maid temporarily. As a result, after waiting for several days, Shulot was busy inside and outside the whole day without mentioning the matter at all. It seemed that he had forgotten it. During the subsequent night conversation, although the high priest verbally persuaded the young man to relax and enjoy himself and hinted at the matter, he was very satisfied with the young man's reply and did not want him to be exposed to joyful singing prematurely.
With the operation of Skyfire Island, the gunpowder workshop lacked stewards, so Talea was sent out to manage the important gunpowder production on behalf of the high priest and His Highness. With this status and her mother's authority, she was able to command other older potters.
His thoughts started to change rapidly, and Shulot had an idea in a blink of an eye. He glared at the warrior commander fiercely, and then remembered the way Tanali, the brick kiln manager, looked at him two weeks ago, and the young man felt embarrassed.
After a while, Shulot regained his composure and smiled at Talea.
"Talaiya? Take out your newly configured gunpowder and demonstrate the burning effect. Be careful!"
The potter girl nodded, took another bold look, and turned back to the house. After a while, the female workers took out several clay pots, which contained dark black gunpowder. Later, one of the clay pots was placed on the testing platform, surrounded by the straw figures.
Shulot watched carefully. A female worker directly held a meter-long torch. The cotton cloth dipped in oil on the top burned brightly, and the clay pot close to the gunpowder was about to ignite. The young man was suddenly frightened and shouted repeatedly.
"Stop, stop!"
The female worker stopped in surprise, only to see His Highness step forward quickly, snatch the torch away, and throw it far away.
"How can gunpowder be ignited directly? You need to add a hemp rope to fuse it to keep it away from the explosion!"
The surrounding female workers looked at each other in confusion. After a moment, Talea, who had the highest status, spoke softly.
"Your Highness, this gunpowder only makes the fire burn violently, and there is no explosion."
Shulot was slightly startled. He asked everyone to stay away carefully, put a fuse on the clay pot, and lit it immediately.
After a while, the gunpowder in the clay pot was suddenly ignited, and a raging fire suddenly rose, bright and dazzling. The bright flame burned for dozens of breaths before slowly extinguishing, and the air was filled with smoke. When the smoke cleared, the young man observed carefully that the gunpowder had burned out and the pottery pot was undamaged.
Shulot stood still for a moment again. He turned his head and looked at the potter girl.
"Talaiya, what proportion of the formula did you use?"
"According to the instructions His Highness left in advance, it is one part saltpeter, two parts sulphur, and three parts charcoal. It is one part saltpeter, two parts sulfur, and three parts charcoal. Grind the charcoal into powder and carefully mix it with the sulfur and saltpeter. The next few jars of gunpowder are all Approximate ratio, slightly increase the amount of soil and saltpeter, which seems to have a better burning effect. But there is no explosion."
The potter girl replied in detail, looking at His Highness seriously.
Shulot was silent, there must be something wrong. Obviously, the mantra that he had heard before had a different meaning, and it was not the superficial weight relationship of one to two to three.
Thinking of this, the boy asked for pen and paper and sat cross-legged on the ground again. At critical moments, you still have to search for memories in your mind, deduce chemical formulas, and complete relative molecular weight calculations.
