Shulot looked at the sky, the eagle soared, and there were many prospects for the lofty future. Turning the vision into reality requires effective planning and down-to-earth progress.
Thinking of this, he waved to Esco and asked again about the production capacity of soil saltpeter on Tianhuo Island, which was actually the production capacity of gunpowder.
There are continuous volcanic mountains to the east and west of the Alliance, among which there are many natural sulfur mines. The Catpetl volcano located in the Eastern Mountains is the most active. It borders the Tlaxcala people and is rich in sulfur and obsidian. Relying on the collection of mountain people, the Alliance does not lack sulfur.
Not long ago, Shulot personally designed the charcoal clay kiln. According to the report from the leader of the charcoal workers, Koskachi, after the construction of the first batch of earthen kilns, the latest charcoal production rate has reached 35%, and will soon reach 40%.
Therefore, for the Mexican Union, the only constraint on mass production of gunpowder was soil saltpeter.
Shulot looked at Esco who was becoming more and more respectful and asked in a deep voice.
"Esco, how is the progress of the nitrate hoarding now?"
Esko replied with a smile, confident at this point.
"Your Highness, now I have mobilized hundreds of salt workers and thousands of people, and the saltpeter collected every day is piled up like a mountain. The daily consumption of saltpeter is only two to three thousand kilograms. At this consumption rate, it is enough to last for several months. It can even be used until the end of the year.”
Shulot thought for a moment and shook his head slightly.
"Esco, you still have to hurry up and collect! In March, it will become difficult to collect nitrate soil, and the nitrate content in the soil will drop significantly. And once it starts to rain, there will be no hope in the saline-alkali land. Remember to dispatch Manpower, go explore the caves in the mountains and forests and look for places where bats gather. There should be a lot of saltpeter there too!"
Esco bowed his head and accepted the order. Shulot made calculations in his mind again, shook his head and sighed.
Currently, the island's soil salt production is only over 100 kilograms per day and over 3,000 kilograms per month. When mixed into standard gunpowder, the monthly output is four thousand catties, and the annual output is tens of thousands of catties. Ten rockets require at least one kilogram of gunpowder, one shot of caltrops requires three to four kilograms, and one shot of wooden cannon costs close to ten kilograms. The alliance's three-month gunpowder output could only produce 30,000 vertical rockets, 800 rounds of caltrops, and 300 to 500 rounds of wooden cannons.
This number sounds like a lot, but in fact it is only enough for a large-scale battle. If it is a siege, the gunpowder consumed will be doubled. This does not include losses, losses, and misfires. Generally speaking, the non-combat losses of gunpowder will be more than 20 to 30%.
Shulot recalled history and reality. In this era of the rise of gunpowder weapons, the Ming Dynasty should have the highest gunpowder output, with an annual output of at least several million kilograms, followed by the Ottomans, also with an annual output of one million kilograms. As for the emerging Spain, the annual output of gunpowder is only about 100,000 kilograms, but the production capacity is growing rapidly.
There were six gunpowder factory bureaus established in the capital of the Ming Dynasty, especially the Wang Gong Factory, which was the most famous and left unsolved cases in later generations. "Every five days, the three major battalions of the Beijing camp received a total of more than 3,000 kilograms of gunpowder." Wang Gong Factory's daily output of gunpowder is at least 600 kilograms, with thirty to fifty craftsmen and dozens of civilian workers. Its production efficiency is obviously far higher than that of the Alliance.
The Ottoman Empire was also building a large number of gunpowder workshops to meet the huge war consumption. As early as the Battle of Castle in 1453, in more than a month, the besieging party's ordinary artillery consumed 50,000 to 60,000 kilograms of gunpowder and fired about 5,000 shells. The terrifying Urban cannon requires hundreds of kilograms of gunpowder per cannon, can shoot 500 kilograms of shells a mile away, and takes several hours to load, requiring dozens of people to load the shells together.
One year later, in 1484, Fernando of the Kingdom of Spain would establish royal arms factories in Seville and Cordoba. Later, in the siege of Malaga in 1487, dozens of artillery were used to bombard the castle for several months. Soon, Spain would become the largest producer of gunpowder in Catholic Europe. As the Spanish "Grand Square" matures, it will also have the largest number of musketeers.
"Esco, the current daily output of soil salt salt is only more than 100 jins, which is really too low! I will mobilize a group of salt workers for you. In one month, the daily output will be more than 200 jins!"
Xuelote gave a serious order and once again requested that the output be doubled.
Esco's face turned bitter. He lowered his head, thought for a moment, and replied candidly.
"Your Highness, the production of soil saltpeter requires more than just experienced salt workers! It takes thousands of people to collect saltpeter soil, and boiling saltpeter requires a large amount of firewood and fodder. This also requires manpower to cut and collect, and also sends people to collect plant ash in the capital. ...If you want to double the output, you will have to recruit at least hundreds of thousands more people to provide enough tools and food."
After hearing this, Shulot thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
"I will allocate another group of civilian workers to you. Let the nitrate salt workers learn from each other and exchange experiences. They still have a lot of room for improvement. In addition, encourage exploration! If you find a way to increase production capacity, give rewards first, and then popularize it. Come on!"
Esco fell to the ground and accepted the order, gritting his teeth secretly and feeling cruel in his heart. From a distance, Moreno, the leader of the salt workers, shivered violently and looked confused.
At present, just maintaining this saltpeter and gunpowder workshop has actually occupied two to three thousand manpower, stationed hundreds of warriors, greatly reduced the output of the large salt field, and at the same time requires a continuous supply of food. The research, development and application of military technology will continue to consume national power. This cannot be solved by just one person.
Thinking of this, the young man sighed, developing productivity is the foundation of social progress. In this day and age, productivity is metal tools... the copper mines of Tarasco are a sure thing!
After inspecting Tianhuo Island, new orders were left. Then, Shulot looked at Talea again and waved. The potter girl lowered her head slightly and approached obediently like a deer.
Shulot looked at Talea's beautiful profile and remained silent. The continuous coincidences and contacts left some ripples in the young man's heart. But the ripples will calm down soon. In his heart, there is still only the girl in white who yearns for each other and has made a lifelong promise.
The young man thought of the dangers of gunpowder preparation, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke.
"Talaiya, there will be some danger here. Do you want to go back to the High Priest's Mansion with me?"
Hearing this, Talea raised her head, her eyes lit up, and then she saw His Highness's calm eyes. She slowly lowered her head again, letting her long hair flow freely.
"Your Highness, are things here important to you?"
Shulot was slightly startled. He looked into the dark eyes of the potter girl and was inexplicably touched.
"Yes, the production of gunpowder is important to the Alliance. But if you are not careful here, your life will be in danger."
Talea raised her head again and looked at His Highness silently. She recalled how excited she was when she first entered the palace, how alienated His Highness was after entering the palace, how majestic the high priest sent her, and how noble his fiancée was... The potter girl pursed her lips hard.
"Your Highness, I want to stay here and be responsible for the production of gunpowder for you!"
Shulot was slightly stunned, this answer was unexpected.
"You want to stay here?"
Talea nodded slightly and answered softly.
"Yes I do."
Shulot looked into Talea's eyes again, and there was a certain determination in those bright eyes, just like when she sold pottery bowls for an increase in price when they first met. This time, the potter girl really left a mark in his heart.
The young man lowered his eyes slightly, then quickly opened them again. He nodded calmly.
"Very good! Next, you have to experiment with different gunpowder formula ratios and study methods to purify sulfur. Most importantly, find steps to increase the power of gunpowder. Do it well, and the Alliance will not treat you badly!
Remember, there must be no open flames in the workshop, and try not to personally participate in the mixing. I will send a priestess to teach you how to read and write, and record important experimental results. Don’t lose any gunpowder in your inventory! "
Shulot looked serious and ordered sternly.
Hearing the cold voice, Talea nodded silently and pursed her lips again.
Shulot watched silently for a moment, then turned around, leaving behind a soft voice of concern and a figure worth relying on.
"Remember to be careful and take care of yourself~"
After saying that, the young man hurriedly left again and boarded the big boat he came from. The potter's girl's eyes shone slightly, and she stood on tiptoes again, folded her white hands and put them on her heart. Then, she looked at the direction His Highness was leaving, and a smile slowly appeared on her lips.
Bertard looked calm and watched this scene. Seeing the young man leaving in a hurry, he smiled slightly, nodded kindly to Talea, and followed with the warriors. Esco thought for a moment, then saluted Talea and bowed his head in greeting.
The sun was setting in the west, casting golden light. While sailing on Lake Texcoco, the lake light shone on my face, reflecting light and dark lights, and the long wind ruffled my clothes and disturbed my heart.
The big boat moved forward, and Shulot stood alone on the bow. He looked at the busy interlacing boats in front of him, sailing towards the long river and fields in the north, just like the intertwined traces of his mind. After a moment, he thought of the girl in white, a smile appeared on his lips, and his expression calmed down. After thinking for a moment, the young man finally had some doubts.
Shulot turned his head and looked at the loyal warrior captain.
"Bertard, the formula of gunpowder is the alliance's top secret. You mobilize some of your followers to go there and strengthen the security there again."
Bertard nodded calmly, indicating that he would take note of it.
Shulot thought for a while and asked directly.
"Bertard, when I was drawing and calculating, why was Talaya carrying the ink for me? Shouldn't it have been you at the beginning?"
The warrior commander smiled awkwardly, his face calm.
"Your Highness, since the girl you like is present and she is from the palace, it is naturally more appropriate to leave this matter to her. Do you want me, a warrior with strong arms and legs, to accompany you?"
Shulot shook his head slightly and sighed. Although he is not particularly smart, he has a sharp mind and is good at reflecting after the fact.
"Bertard, you! I didn't have much affection for her originally, and the last contact was just by chance... But you took her back to your house, and today you let her stay with you. The gunpowder was successfully developed, and I was excited for a moment. ..”
The young man defended softly and seemed to be trying to convince himself.
Bertard interrupted just in time.
"Your Highness, now you have held my hand, hugged me, and pushed you to the ground. If you don't accept me as a concubine, is it possible that you can be betrothed to someone else? Montezuma I had hundreds of concubines and gave birth to hundreds of children. God-born warrior!"
Hearing this, Shulot sighed again, feeling inexplicably distressed. Then, he glared at the loyal warrior commander and shouted angrily.
"Bertard, stop talking. We are neither relatives nor friends, why are you so attentive? You talk so much that you are like an old matchmaker in the capital city of the lake!"
After saying that, Shulot turned his head and looked at the lake, his mood rising and falling slightly like the lake water. After a long time, he thought of the lovely Alyssa again and sighed in his heart.
Bertard smiled slightly and stood quietly behind the young man, his face changed again. His mind wandered far away, and he laughed silently to himself.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, although the princess is good, she was born in the clouds and is the highest divine descendant. You are the hope of our common people, how can you become as ruthless as the divine descendants? You have a commoner mother, and you have always regarded hierarchy. Yu Wuwu must be able to accept a wife from a commoner. And even a concubine can still have a future..."
Thinking of this, Bertard held his chest quietly, making sure that his loyalty to His Highness had never changed, so he smiled again.
Shulot was slightly absent-minded. His eyes followed the boat on the lake, coming and going at will. After a moment, the young man's eyes narrowed, and all the boats were heading north.
"Bertard, what day is it today? Why are all these boats heading north?"
The samurai commander looked at the lake, and small boats were noisily heading north together. On the boat there were richly dressed nobles, priests with robes and feather crowns, warriors discussing eagerly, and excited businessmen and farmers. Bertard thought for a moment and asked the warriors on the ship before finally getting the answer.
"Your Highness, today is the day when the Otomi captives arrive in the capital! They are accompanied by a group of priests and thousands of warriors, as well as dozens of large boats filled with property. The people of the capital have been waiting for a long time!"
Shulot thought for a moment and then remembered the dispatched group of Ugel priests. He nodded and asked the fleet to change direction.
The fleet moved forward quickly, paddling across the sparkling lake. The surrounding boats respectfully gave way, and on the right was the spectacular long embankment. After walking around most of the capital along the causeway, the navy fleet returning south appeared in front of the young man.
Thousands of samurai were dressed in fine attire. They stood on the boat, waving shields and clubs, and greeted the war cries of the people around them. On Qianzhou and the Causeway, tens of thousands of villagers responded with enthusiastic cheers. They waved their hands and their voices shook the world. They celebrated the legion's victory, welcomed the fleet's triumph, and looked forward to the upcoming festival!
As we sailed along the current, villagers kept coming by boat, cheering endlessly. In the center of the fleet controlled by the warriors, more than a thousand Otomi nobles were trembling with fear, as if they had entered the kingdom of alien gods and lost their souls and bodies.
At the forefront of the fleet returning to the south is a huge canoe with a several-meter-high altar built on it. The priest elder Ugel sat high on the altar. He was wearing a stone crown and long robes, and was slightly strong in stature. He waved majestically to all directions, enjoying the joy of being cheered by thousands of people!
Shulot watched everything in front of him calmly. "I resigned downstairs and went to the palace, and the chariot came to Qin." What will be waiting for these noble prisoners? After thinking for a moment, the young man shook his head and turned the boat towards the capital.
Two days later, the capital city in the lake burst into joy again, hundreds of thousands of people gathered and sang, and the New Year Festival officially began!
