The rising sun appears from the distant east, illuminating the bright and tortuous road ahead. Soon, thick smoke rose from the sight, and the noisy voices of people sounded again in the mining area.
Shulot stood on a high place, looking at the busy mining area, as if looking at the new shoots sprouting in the soil, imagining the appearance of the towering trees. After a long time, the king took a deep breath.
Even though he has a vision that spans the ages, he can write down the oracle's technology tree and draw up a grand blueprint for a hundred or even two hundred years. But at this moment, we still have to return to the reality of lack of scientific and technological theory and professional talents, and start from scratch with nothing.
The progress of science and technology requires foundations in all aspects. Education needs to cultivate talents every decade, technology needs decades of continuous accumulation of experience, and society needs a century of development to cultivate the soil for new changes. Everything will take a long time.
Shulot looked calm and looked at the fiery morning sun for a while. Then the personal guards were sent to summon Ezpin.
With the discovery of coal, the importance of the Chinganpat mining district increased again. For now, coal can replace wood for fire burning, and coke can replace charcoal for metallurgy, thereby further liberating manpower and improving metallurgical efficiency. Moreover, coal mining is much easier than copper mines, so it is worth arranging manpower immediately.
Taking this into consideration, Shulot decided to once again expand the number of miners and warriors, establish a mining town here, and add bronze and gunpowder workshops. Chingambat will be the first industrial zone in the Kingdom to be planned and developed. Under such a prospect, as the person in charge of the region, Necali, who was once an elite scout, although loyal and hardworking, is still slightly lacking in experience.
During these days of local coking, Ezpan personally participated in the production and performed very well. He has experience as a miner, has a deep understanding of the mining industry, is quick in thinking, and is very flexible in mythology and belief... In the heart of the king, this seems to be a more suitable candidate.
While Shulot was thinking, Ezpan came quickly with a smile on his face. He was still wearing the uniform of the commander of the Mexican Army, with the Sun Hummingbird's amulet hanging from his chest. He knelt down and saluted respectfully from a distance of four or five meters.
"Your Highness, your loyal guards salute the incarnation of the sun! The rising sun is born, just like your glory!"
Shulot smiled lightly on his face, but felt quite comfortable in his heart. He waved his hand, signaling the loyal guards to stand up.
"Ezpin, you have been very helpful in helping me refine the coke these past two days... What reward do you want?"
"Your Highness, these past two days, I have been filled with the joy of serving the gods! Being able to dedicate myself to you is the greatest reward!"
Ezpin bowed his head in greeting again. He has now been promoted to a hereditary noble and serves as the commander of the Tarasco Army, which controls thousands of people. With status and power at the same time, wealth and beauty are naturally indispensable. At this moment, in front of His Highness, there really is nothing to ask for.
"Yeah. Ezpin, what do you think of the mining area?"
"How's the mining area?"
Ezpin was slightly startled, as the unbearable memories of his youth flooded into his mind again. Soon, he calmed down his emotions, looked at His Highness's face, and answered carefully.
"Your Highness has given you divine guidance, and the mining area has been blessed by the gods. It will naturally contribute a steady stream of power to the prosperity of the kingdom!"
"very good!"
Shulot smiled and nodded, then said lightly.
"Ezpin, you have been in the mining area for many years and are very familiar with it. I attach great importance to this place and plan to expand the mining area... Do you want to be the general manager?"
The calm words were like thunder, suddenly exploding in Ezpin's heart. In an instant, he was so horrified that he suddenly fell to his knees, raised his left hand with only four fingers, and swore to the gods sincerely.
"Your Highness! The Lord God testifies that my loyalty to you has long been integrated into my blood! I am willing to hold a weapon and shed the last drop of blood for you. I am willing to hold a shield and defend your majesty with my life... Your Highness, I have no second thoughts. !”
Shulot's face was expressionless, with all kinds of thoughts rushing through his heart.
Although Ezpin was born as a miner, he seemed to dislike this place. Miners have always been regarded as the bottom of society, but samurai are the backbone of society. No matter how much the king values it, in people's minds, the general manager of a mining area is not a glamorous and noble position, but the powerful commander of the army is the pinnacle of society that everyone aspires to. Ezpan is now the commander of the feudal army and the first example among the Prepecha people to serve. If he were transferred out of the army to manage the industrial and mining areas, in the eyes of everyone, it would be no different from being derogatory.
What's more, the industrial zone determines the future of the kingdom! Under such a barbaric foundation, if you want to develop industry and mining, the person in charge must be willing to devote yourself to it wholeheartedly. He must have the strongest and most proactive execution ability! It was impossible for Shulot to hand over this position to someone who didn't value the industrial area.
"This is the future Minister of Industry of the Empire..."
The king shook his head in his heart and stared at Ezpan silently for a moment before saying with a smile.
"Forget it... Ezpan, of course I know your loyalty. I feel relieved to entrust the legion to you! You have followed me for many years, and it's time to get married. There is still an unmarried Mo in the Holy City. My dear daughter, I have already said hello. Please prepare yourself to marry one of them as your main wife before the end of the year..."
Hearing this, Ezpan felt relieved. But soon, the king's plain words came again, making him sweat like rain and his limbs trembling.
"Ezpan, you know my ambition... As a loyal army commander of the alliance, you can accept bribes, but you can't get too close to the old nobles of Tarasco... Your future must be of great use. of!"
"Ah, Your Highness! I...I will go back right now, return the old nobles' belongings, and send away the beauties from the south..."
"Great! You need to have this awareness, but don't act on it."
Shulot watched for a moment and then gave instructions calmly.
Since taking over the capital in the lake, the old nobles of Tarasco have adopted the softest posture, trying hard to make friends with the upper echelons of the kingdom and looking for opportunities to integrate into the ruling class. Among them, the southern nobles who retained their land and wealth were the most generous and proactive.
As a surrendered general from Tarasco, Ezpin had a large number of troops and naturally became the target of the southern nobles' active efforts to win over. Fine clothes, treasures, spices and beauties are all to his liking. All of this was seen by the kingdom's intelligence officers, and some secret information came from the confessions of the priests who were deliberately guided.
Although Ezpin does not have any unfaithful intentions now, the king still wants to give him a little beating. This is both an immediate reprimand and a long-term love. And smart people can naturally understand the meaning as long as they think a little bit.
The king smiled flatly. He took a step forward, shook the other person's hair, and softened his tone slightly.
"Ezpin, my loyal guard, you are a smart man, keep an eye on your generals for me! As for the old nobles in the south... don't alert the enemy."
"Your Highness, follow your will!"
"Get down!"
Under the king's calm eyes, Ezpan walked back a dozen steps before turning around and leaving. As the sun rose into the sky, his body was soaked with sweat, but his heart felt like a big stone falling to the ground.
"The new sun rises into the sky, becoming more and more radiant, but it is also extremely hot!"
Ezpan looked at the sky above his head and sighed, then continued to lower his head and returned to the busy coking site. The second batch of coke from the mine is being smelted intensively.
The golden October passed with a bumper harvest, and the peaceful November came with the sunshine. The tribute from the autumn harvest has just been collected, and shipments usually begin in mid-November. This year's harvest is good, and the kingdom's farmers can finally take a breather. They enjoy the hard-won peace, security without war, and the satisfaction brought by abundant food.
In leisure time, religious rituals are the most important sustenance. The chanting of prayers continued to echo throughout the Lake District, and the belief in the Lord God began to take root.
In the Chinganbat mining area, the Black Wolf flag still flies high. The warriors, craftsmen, miners and food supported by the capital have arrived, and the expansion of the mining area began immediately. There are two thousand elite soldiers stationed in the main copper mining area, five hundred of whom are wearing bronze medium armor, which can promptly suppress rebellions of less than ten thousand people. A large number of scouts were also dispatched to monitor the movements of the army within fifty miles.
There is also a small interlude in this. At the edge of the copper mining area, the scattered scout team captured several Trapanic merchants who were spying on them.
According to custom, foreign businessmen with unknown origins who were caught in such a place were treated as foreign spies and beheaded on the spot. As a result, the leader of the businessmen shouted loudly that he had seen His Majesty! After some discussion, the scouts temporarily spared his life and escorted him to the center of the mining area to meet the supreme king.
"You said you've seen me?"
Shulot had no expression on his face as he stared at the pale, fat businessman in front of him. He felt vaguely familiar, but couldn't remember it for a while.
"Ah, yes, Your Highness... No, Your Majesty!"
The fat businessman looked nervous and was sweating profusely. He glanced at Ezpan who was guarding him with some fear, raised his left hand with only three fingers left, and answered cautiously.
"More than half a year ago, the city of Ivacchio in the east...I reported to you the news of Mexican reinforcements!"
"Um?"
Only then did Shulot remember. He glanced at Ezpin, who nodded affirmatively.
"Your Highness, this businessman is quite cunning..."
"Um."
Shulot had no expression on his face and looked at the businessman lying on the ground coldly.
"The kingdom has issued a decree banning Trapanic traders. Which force did you accept to appear here?"
Following the king's words, Ezpan pulled out the obsidian dagger, pushed the businessman to the ground, and then grabbed the other's right hand.
"Ah, ah! Your Majesty, I have not been assigned by any force...Ah, don't cut it, don't cut it! I tell you! The kingdom prohibits the trade of copper ore. I came to the mining area to see if I can get it from the previous route. Sell some copper ore to the west!"
"Um?"
Schlott waved his hand, and Ezpin stopped. The sharp obsidian blade has pressed against the merchant's little finger, and a faint line of blood seeped out from the tip of the blade, accompanied by the merchant's low howl of fear.
"To the west? You mean the mountains of Colima?"
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty! The tribes of Colima are close to the Trapanic tribe, and there are often trade exchanges between the tribes... I once took a boat to the west of the Colima Mountains..."
"Huh?...Colima...boat?"
Shulot moved slightly and asked majestically.
"Businessman, have you sailed on the Great Lakes of the West?"
"Yes, Your Majesty... I set out from Sihuatlan and went northwest along the lakeshore. After passing the mouth of the Balsas River, and continuing three to four hundred miles further, we reached the Colima Mountains."
"The mouth of the Balsas River, three to four hundred miles of sea route..."
Shulot's expression changed. Zicao County in the south is right on the Balsas River, about two hundred miles south to the mouth of the river. This route is surprisingly appropriate! It is more convenient and easier than the mountain road in the southwest, and it saves the conquest of Chapala than the waterway in the northwest... The king nodded slowly and decided the fate of the merchant.
"Businessman, what's your name?"
"Ah, Your Majesty, my Mexica name is Trali, 'earth of the earth'... I come from the Trapanic tribe of Cihuatlán. My father is the leader of the plains village, and I am the second son of the family. ..."
Hearing the king's question, Trali breathed a sigh of relief. No one would care about the name of a dead person. He explained clearly.
"Tralee, I give you a chance to serve the great alliance and the sacred royal family."
The king spoke calmly. Trali's eyes suddenly lit up. The Kingdom of Tarasco had perished, and its old support had collapsed. A businessman cannot be without powerful people behind him, and being able to directly serve the king of the alliance is the dream of an ordinary businessman like him. He just has to worry about being eaten dry... No, in this situation, he would have been bitten by a beast a long time ago.
"Ah, Your Majesty! Witness the Supreme Lord God, I am willing to die for you!"
Trali shouted at the top of his lungs, even squeezing tears from his eyes.
Shulot looked unmoved. The businessman's oath is meaningless. Only interests and threats can be effectively controlled. He looked at the scout captain who was escorting the merchant.
"Where are his companions?"
The scout captain was startled, then lowered his head and answered respectfully.
"Your Highness, everything has been sent to the Kingdom of God as usual."
"Well, then return him and his companion's belongings together."
"As you command, Your Highness!"
Shulot looked at Trali. Hearing the words of the scout captain, the merchant's face did not show any sadness, but a hint of joy, just like he did before in Ivacchio City.
"Well, very good, this is a natural leader. Colima, Trapanik... maybe there will be unexpected gains."
Shulot thought calmly, and then ordered in a deep voice.
"Trali, I will return all your belongings to you, and I will even give you a hundred catties of copper!"
"Ah, thank you for your generosity! I will definitely do it for you..."
Trali's eyes flickered and he bowed to the ground in a hurry.
"I have an order for you!"
The king interrupted the merchant with a majesty that could not be disobeyed.
"You are going to the Colima Mountains in the west by water to trade with the local noble chiefs. I will send a few Mexica warriors to accompany you! You must not hide anything about the waterway signs and tribal conditions along the way!"
"Ah, Your Majesty, this, this..."
Tralee looked horrified. This kind of espionage mission would be a dead end if caught by any force.
"As long as you complete this task, you will be able to gain a foothold in the alliance, become one of the merchants allowed by the royal family, and be able to legally trade some materials controlled by the alliance. Even in the near future, with the support of the alliance, you will have the opportunity to return to Hometown, become a powerful feudal noble!"
Trali's heartbeat quickened instantly. Then, a cold and majestic voice came from above the head again.
"If you cannot complete this mission...even if you escape to the horizon, the alliance's scout team will send you where you should go!"
"Ah, Your Majesty! I am willing to die for you!"
Xiuluo nodded, and the other party finally made the right choice. He left his last words and turned to leave.
"Ezpan, I will leave everything to you!"
"Do your will, my most high sun!"
Ezpin bowed his head respectfully. It wasn't until the king's figure disappeared from sight that he raised his head and looked at Trali, who looked frightened. The times are moving forward, and everyone needs to make a choice, including himself.
