April in the tropics is the end of the dry season. The cloudy weather is gradually increasing, and there is a moist breath in the wind. As the top priority of the year, busy spring plowing is about to come.
Waves of messengers are running through the Lake Kingdom. They went all the way north, passing through the wilderness full of life, passing by the lake where fishing boats shuttled, and finally arrived at the river mouth fortress, where they sent reports from all over the kingdom to the king.
In the courtyard at the center of the fortress, Shulot sat cross-legged and read documents from various places.
Said to be a document, it actually looks a bit like an illustration with captions. The tough bark paper is painted with little figures in different movements. Some are holding weapons, some are holding farm tools, some are holding cotton cloth, some are holding corn, some are mining stones, some are smelting metals, and some are smelting metals. Praying. Next to the little figures, there are different counting symbols and native kana, and a few kanji marked with squares. Writing has been popularized in the kingdom for less than two years. Even the simplified native kana is only mastered by some priests, and even fewer people are familiar with Chinese characters.
Before writing became popular, the "Illustrated Book" was somewhat lengthy. Large volumes of documents were piled on the two desks in front of the king, one pile had been read and the other pile was waiting to be viewed.
The two book desks are made of short, flat solid wooden piers, with a hard texture and black-green background. The wood surface has a natural and unique texture, and the color changes with the wood grain. At a glance, the two solid book desks look like dark jade, thick and simple. In fact, because the wood was so hard, the kingdom's craftsmen polished it the same way they polished jade. This is the high-grade treasure wood that is priceless and unmarketable in later generations, the cherished Mexican ebony and black persimmon wood.
In this era, black persimmon wood was also a relatively valuable tree. Because of its peculiar fragrance, it has been given religious significance and is often planted near temples. The texture of black persimmon wood is varied and gradually dyed in dark colors, like the surface of satin or a naturally produced ink landscape painting.
Shulot liked the texture of this wood very much, so he asked the craftsmen to make some furniture that he remembered and placed it in the palace where he lived. These remind him of his distant homeland. He read the document for a while, then reached out and picked up a dark purple tea cup from the black persimmon wood table next to him.
The deep purple teacup is the latest creation from the official kiln in the capital city. In order to supply the royal family, craftsmen used heated coke to burn a kind of stoneware between pottery and porcelain. Although Hulot pointed out the direction, the craftsmanship of porcelain is still far away, and even the glazing technology is still being explored. Only occasionally some exquisite fine stoneware will be produced.
"The delicate stoneware without glaze is somewhat like the purple clay pottery from Yixing."
Shulot looked at the beautiful graininess on the surface of the teacup and the faint purple sheen, with a smile on his face. Under the guidance of divinely inspired priests, the kingdom's pottery craft is slowly progressing, as are other crafts. Then, he lowered his head and took a sip of the kingdom's specialty hibiscus tea. The sour taste immediately echoes in the mouth, with a touch of floral aroma, which makes people feel refreshed.
Hibiscus flower is FlordeJamaica, which is mainly produced in tropical Africa, but there are also native plants in America, especially the Jamaican variety is the most famous. In later generations of Mexico, this was a common popular drink, and dried hibiscus tea could be seen in any market. It also has a slightly refreshing effect, and the king uses it to relieve fatigue.
Two steps away, Bertard was also sitting cross-legged, with a bronze sword beside his legs. There was a table in front of him, and there were paper and pen seals on the table. The kingdom's political structure is rough and streamlined, and all important matters are decided by the king.
"Bertard, documents from all over the country have arrived one by one, reporting the number of Dingkou and spring plowing preparations. Only the report from Zicao County in the south is vague."
Shulot frowned, threw the wooden atlas in his hand, and threw it on the table. This album is still in the traditional style of the Alliance and the Kingdom. It is made of thick wooden boards with abstract pictures, and there are several ancient graphics and text on the side. There are no specific numbers or instructions at all. After a brief inspection, the king felt unhappy.
"Your Highness, Etalik, who is based in Kulamo City, wrote a letter saying that the great nobles in Zicao County are submissive on the surface, but in fact they are hindering the administration of the kingdom. The nobles, led by the honorary nobles Kulamo and Zotor, secretly unite .Under their obstruction, the spread of the Lord God's faith was extremely slow. The priests were unable to control the villages and were often attacked by bandits..."
Bertard looked calm and told the details of the south.
"Last year, when the army marched north, there were changes among the southern nobles, with frequent gatherings. In the name of the floods in Tulsas, they reduced the tribute after the autumn harvest. Fortunately, Ezpan's Second Lancer Corps was stationed in In the south of Gyeonggi Province, the southern nobles dare not make big moves."
"Gulamo from the Purple Grass family, Zotol from the Palm family...are they all honorable nobles who surrendered after the Western Expedition?"
Hearing this, Shulot asked in a deep voice, his eyes cold.
In the Nahua language, "zotol" means palm, and "gulamo" means comfrey ragwood. The southern town of Lithospermum is named after Kuramo, which shows the long history of these families.
"Exactly, they are both great frontier nobles who were enfeoffed in the early days of the Kingdom of Tarasco. The two families have been passed down for more than two hundred years and are deeply rooted in Zicao County in the south. They are married to many nobles."
Bertard took out a volume of atlas and started to read it.
"Your Highness, after last year's autumn harvest, the tribute paid to the kingdom by Zicho County, which has a population of more than 200,000, was only a quarter of that of Gyeonggi. The great nobles only paid some symbolic tribute. It is said that in Tarasco This was how they were during the Kingdom Age. They paid no tribute or benefaction, they controlled the small towns and land, and only provided some military service."
"Well, I understand."
Shulot lowered his eyes, nodded, and said no more. The aristocratic power in the south has always been kept in his mind, but the Northern Expedition happened suddenly and lasted for nearly a year, which delayed his previous plans.
Hibiscus tea was drunk and replenished, and all the paperwork was reviewed. The king unfolded a newly made map of the kingdom and patiently marked the reports from various places on the map one by one.
It has been two years since the Kingdom of Lake was established, and the situation in each county has been sorted out.
After settling 60,000 dog descendants, Hekou County in the north now has a population of about 210,000, all under the firm control of the preaching priests. The aristocratic power in this land was most completely purged, so the vast majority of the population was organized into households and incorporated into the kingdom's settlement system. Peasants would pay 30% of the tax every year and obey the dispatch of corvees.
The belief in the Lord God spread rapidly in Hekou County, and compost and new agricultural tools began to become popular. Last year's autumn harvest output increased by 20%, with the output per acre of Milpa increasing to nearly 100 kilograms of corn and beans, and 200-250 kilograms of pumpkins. Calculated in this way, only 3 acres of land can support approximately one person. Based on the current land output, if the kingdom reduces the tax from 30% to 25%, each household can raise one more child.
Shulot thought for a while and marked Hekou County as "Kou 210,000, Ding 50,000, directly under the Kingdom, a major grain county, Leman River Shipyard".
Next is Gyeonggi in the Patzcuaro Lake District, with a population of about 280,000. With the participation of Sage Jatiri in politics, more and more Prepecha elites joined the rule of the kingdom and managed all aspects of the capital. As a prerequisite for the participation of Prepecha elites in politics, the belief in the main god has completely covered the upper echelons of the kingdom.
A large number of military camps were placed in the Gyeonggi area, where the best craftsmen from various kingdoms were gathered together. The copper and coal mines in Qinganbat in the southwest were vigorously exploited, and the first university of the kingdom was established.
The royal capital, Qin Cong Can City, was the political and religious center, as well as a workshop and cultural center. The city of Ivacio in the south of Gyeonggi Province is an important commercial center and the largest trading center for copper mines and gemstones in the world. It can be said that the output of Gyeonggi almost supplies the entire kingdom's standing legions and provides the best bronze equipment.
Shulot drew a few circles, and then marked "Kou 280,000, Ding 70,000, directly under the kingdom, copper mines, coal mines, bronzes, gems, workshops, markets, universities."
Later, Zicao County in the south had a vast area, abundant rainfall, and reserves of copper and silver, but it was the weakest place in the kingdom's rule. The southern boundary of Zicao County is the Tulsas River. The forks of the river irrigate the land along the way. The agricultural conditions are favorable, and the fishery and mining resources are also rich, but they have not been developed. The county seat of Cullamo, along the Talsas River, is an important trade center in the world, with frequent exchanges with various ministries in the south.
Xuelot recalled the data estimated by Etalik and wrote, "200,000 mouths, 40,000 dings, aristocratic autonomy, unknown details. Foreign trade center, outlet to the sea."
The west side of the Talsas River leads to the outlet that flows into the Pacific Ocean. It is only more than three hundred miles away from Kuramo City in Lithospermum County and is the closest route to the ocean. Thinking of this, many exploration plans flashed in his mind, as well as a person who flashed past. After a moment, the king raised his head slightly and turned his gaze to the north.
The three Otomi states in the north have already been marked. The Otopen state has a population of 200,000 and a population of 30,000. The nobility is autonomous and the ancestral land of the mountain city. The Guamare state has a population of 140,000 and a population of 20,000. The aristocracy is autonomous. The northernmost state of Parmus has "a population of 80,000 and a population of 15,000. It is a semi-autonomous, wilderness outpost."
Although these data are only estimates, they can show the kingdom's ability to control the local area. After all, if the subordinate Otomi forces are also included in the Lake Kingdom, then the newly born kingdom already has a population of more than 1.1 million, more than 200,000 strong men, 500 miles from east to west, and nearly a thousand miles from north to south!
The king's heart is burning with blazing ambition. His expression changed, and he couldn't help but reach out and touch the eastern lake capital, Tenochtitlan, which has the largest population, the most fertile valleys, and the most powerful alliance in the world.
Then, his hand gradually moved westward, caressing the area of Lake Chapala, which has the same fertile land. It is the "River of Stones" and "Valley of the Fortress" in later generations, and the location of the Guadalajara metropolitan area. . Finally, the king finally put pen to paper and drew a heavy red circle on Kuramo City.
“After the autumn harvest, I’ll come here for a visit!”
