In late February, the wind is getting warmer and the birds are heading north. Black Wolf's King Banner moved again, traveling 40 miles north from Kanhe Village to Taotu Town.
In the local language, this is Tepalcatepec, the place where clay pots are produced. Taotu Town has a population of more than a thousand. It was originally the territory of a southern hereditary noble, but is now under the direct control of the kingdom. To the northwest of Taotu Town is the rippling Olive Lake. Kan River and Tao River originate from here at the same time, and then flow to the east and west respectively.
Shulot stayed in Clay Town for two days. He summoned the local potter leader and inspected some locally produced painted pottery with great interest.
In the semi-open sheds, there are piles of colorful pottery for daily use, including pots, pots, pots, jugs, bowls and cups. Most of the painted pottery is common red pottery, with some gray pottery mixed in. These potteries are simple in shape and rough in style. They cannot be compared with the gorgeous painted pottery in the royal capital, but they are better than the ones in sturdiness and durability.
"Well, how much does this clay pot cost?"
The guards were heavily guarded and formed a circle around the shack. Shulot picked up a red pottery pot with natural patterns and asked the chief potter in front of him gently.
"...Ah, Your Majesty, this clay pot is...given to you for free!"
The chief potter was cautious. He glanced at the armored warriors around him, then at the armored king, and stammered.
Hearing this, Shulot smiled. He looked at Bertard, and the warrior captain took out a bag of cocoa beans and handed it to the chief potter.
"enough?"
"Ah! Enough...enough. 60 cocoa beans for a clay pot, or a turkey in exchange. These are too much...too much."
Keep the change, please.
Hearing the price, Shulot nodded slightly. In the lake capital, a sturdy clay pot costs 100 cocoa beans, and a turkey costs 80 cocoa beans. They are both important possessions for ordinary civilians. As a production place for pottery, the price of pottery in Taotu Town is obviously much cheaper.
“There are so many pottery piled up here, who are you going to sell them to?”
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, our pottery is cheap and easy to use. We need it in the mountains in the west, in the mountains in the south, and in the villages in the east. When there is no war, some merchants... merchants come here. ..."
“What do mountain people trade for?”
"Most of them use...dried meat, skins, feathers, sometimes...grain, and some inferior black...obsidian."
"good."
Xiulote nodded. Clay Town is located at the Western Pass, with a good geographical location, and has spontaneous trade relations with the Tekos tribesmen. It is impossible to support so many potters by relying solely on local trade. This kind of mutually beneficial border trade can be further increased in the future.
"Bertard, let's go."
Shulot glanced at the pottery piled high in the shed and was about to turn around and leave.
The leader of the potters stood there dully, blinked, and stared at the big bag of cocoa beans in his hand. Seeing that the generous king was about to leave, he suddenly shouted, and even Zheba disappeared in an instant.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! We have a rare kind of white pottery here that cannot be bought anywhere else! You may be interested..."
"Huh? White pottery."
Under the vigilant protection of his personal guards, Shulot turned back and looked at the potter leader with interest.
"Take it out and let me see it. The price is not a problem. If it is really rare, I can buy two of them."
"Okay, okay."
The chief potter beamed. He carefully removed the outside of the pottery pile, groped inside for a while, and took out a small pottery bowl, a jade-like pottery cup, and a smooth pottery pot. These three pieces of pottery are completely different in style from the surrounding pottery. Not only are their workmanship much more exquisite, but their colors are also delicate and snow-white.
"Your Majesty, these three pieces of exquisite pottery rarely appear even in the royal capital. They were carefully fired by me. The pottery pot and pottery cup are both a tube of gold sand, while the pottery bowl is a half tube. If you buy them all, Just two tubes of gold sand will be enough!”
"Huh?...Bring it here and let me take a closer look."
"okay."
Shulot smiled and glanced at the potter leader, then took several pieces of white pottery. These white potteries are quite beautiful, with fine and beautiful checkered patterns on the surface, obviously the work of a master.
"White pottery, fine texture?"
Shulot was silent as an unusually familiar feeling came over his heart. After thinking for a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up and he asked the chief potter.
"When you fired these pieces of white pottery, did you use white clay?!"
"...ah!"
Hearing this, the expression of the potter leader changed. He hesitated in reply.
"Ah, this, clay, that..."
"Give him three tubes of gold sand, and I will take all three pieces of white pottery."
"As you command, Your Highness."
Bertard nodded, took out three tubes of gold sand from his arms, and handed them to the chief potter. Then, the warrior commander spoke coldly, reaching out to hold the bronze sword at his waist.
"Answer your Majesty's question, otherwise..."
"Yes Yes..."
The chief potter took the gold sand and put it away carefully. He glanced at the king's armored warriors with a frown, lowered his head and answered.
"Yes, it's your Majesty. At the bottom of the nearby hill, you can dig out a kind of rock as fine as white clouds. When ground, it becomes fine white clay..."
"Show it to me!"
Shulot realized something in his heart and became more and more convinced. After a while, the chief potter brought some clay.
The king took a quick look and found that it was as white as clouds, as fine as powder, and of high quality. A joyful smile appeared on his face.
"As expected, it's dolomite, kaolin...excellent clay for ceramics! It's also a suitable rubber filler."
Shulot pondered for a moment, looked at the uneasy leader of the potters, and asked in a deep voice.
"May I have your name?"
"Ah! My...my name is Erlo."
Unknowingly, Elo, the leader of the potters, stuttered again.
"Very good! Potter Elo, you have been recruited by the kingdom!"
Shulot smiled kindly, but Elo shuddered.
"Bring the pottery tools and several bags of clay. Along with the imperial guards, go to the Divine Enlightenment Office in the royal capital to report!"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, Your Majesty!..."
"Bertard, let's go."
Xuellot smiled, leaving the two warriors behind, and left with Bertard. Kaolin clay is actually produced around Taotu Town. Then the trial production of porcelain is a little more interesting.
"Your Highness, where are you going now?"
"Go to the Olive Lake in the northwest. I heard that there are strange fragrant trees standing there, rich in resin and frankincense."
"As you command, Your Highness."
Bertard called the local guide, gave a few instructions, and the guide took everyone off.
Olive Lake is six or seven miles northwest of Taotu Town. After walking for two quarters of an hour, everyone saw a vast green lake with water birds playing on the lake. There are various lush tropical trees around the lake, as well as a small village of Prepecha.
The farmland outside the village is very small, but there are many trees. Dozens of villagers were busy in the woods. When they saw the large group of warriors coming, they all fled into the village in fear.
Hulot ordered the guards to stop and let Bertard and several Prepecha warriors go to appease the elders of the village.
Two-quarters of an hour later, Bertard took two samples and led the elderly village chief to quietly report back to the king.
"Your Highness, there are indeed trees that produce frankincense by the Olive Lake. This jar is from the frankincense oil collected by the villagers. The 'resin' that is abundant refers to the tears of the weeping tree, which is the rubber used in the kingdom."
The rubber tree is not uncommon in Mexico and is known as the "cauuchu, the weeping tree." Rubber is also widely used: rubber balls are standard equipment in human sacrifice courts, and rubber cloth is used as an ancient raincoat.
Following the king's guidance, Shenqisu had mastered the vulcanization technique of fumigating raw rubber with sulfur, produced the first batch of vulcanized rubber, and used it on wooden wheels. When the Guards Corps went south, the wheels of the Sun Condor gun carriage were wrapped with vulcanized rubber to reduce the bumps and wear of the frame. However, even if Xiulote improved the method of tapping rubber, the current output of rubber is still too small.
"Oh? It turns out to be wild agarwood and rubber trees."
Shulot first took the sesame oil and sniffed it. This is a later Mexican agarwood, mainly taken from local olive trees, sometimes with berries added, and widely used in religious ceremonies.
"It smells quite different from the agarwood from China. Well, it's gentle and delicate, sweet and soft, more like rosewood."
The king thought for a moment. This kind of sesame oil is a good religious product and an excellent trade product. Nobles and priests will be in demand. Then, he looked at the local rubber, which had solidified into rubber sheets and looked pretty good in color.
Xiulote stood there and briefly chatted with the local village chief. It is near Olive Lake, so it is called Olive Village. He did not station himself in a simple lakeside village, but led his bodyguard and walked around Olive Lake for half a day.
There are many fragrant trees beside the lake, and there is a faint fragrance in the air. The king was walking by the lake, feeling relaxed and happy. He smiled broadly and sang softly.
“Going to the lake in spring, seeing the scenery in early spring and listening to the chirping of birds, is a rare leisure experience!”
"The scenery by the lake is indeed excellent. But... Your Highness, it is not safe here."
Bertard was meticulous and followed closely behind the king. He smiled quietly and warned tactfully. This place is on the edge of the western mountainous area. For the safety of the king, there are hundreds of scouts scattered into the mountains and six to seven hundred warriors on guard along the lake.
"Well. It's time to go back."
Hearing the warning from the warrior commander, Shulot nodded.
"After looking at it for a long time, the area around Olive Lake is very suitable for planting olive trees and rubber trees. Well, the area around Taotu Town produces dolomitic soil, agarwood and rubber, which is worthy of vigorous development!"
"Exactly, if fully exploited, these specialties are in-demand trade commodities in the world. However, this place has not yet been taken over by preaching priests, and the number of households is not sufficient. It will take some time to prosper."
"Well, then record it and save it for the future."
Shulot stood by the lake and took one last look at the rippling blue water. He wanted to go boating on the lake and sleep soundly in the fragrant forest. But when the king occupies a high position and is the most important person in the world, it is difficult for him to act arbitrarily.
"Bertard, let's go."
"Your Highness, where are you going?"
"Return to Apa Military City. The messenger brought news about Black Wolf, and I have asked him to come from Kuramo City. This time, I have to give him a good scolding!"
Hearing this, Bertard tilted his head slightly, looked at the faint smile on the corner of the king's mouth, and understood.
"I obey your will, my king!"
By the Olive Lake, the king stopped, and his western tour ended here. On the second day, three thousand imperial guards surrounded the king's banner and left Taotu Town, detoured to the north of the Apa Plain, and returned to the Apa Military City.
