Late May is the busiest time in spring. Zuwaro led the returning merchant fleet and finally sailed into Lake Atoyak and anchored at the Purple Grass Port south of Purple Grass City. The Southern Shipbuilding Company occupies the back side of the port. Hundreds of shipwrights are repairing ships inside and outside the shipbuilding company, while a larger number of civilians are carrying large logs and planks under the command of the shipbuilders.
"Praise the Lord God! After four or five months, we finally returned to the port of departure!"
Zuvarro boarded the pier and looked at the busy scene of the shipyard from a distance, with surprise on his face.
"One palm, two palms... There are actually ten long ships carrying dozens of tons, being built at the same time? Hey, the two bronze beasts placed in front and back of the long ship are the rain god's crouching tigers gun?"
People were coming and going on the pier, and no one answered Zuvalo's question. But there is no doubt that the kingdom's southern shipyards are frantically building longships for expeditions regardless of cost.
Zuvalo sniffed his nose, smelling the smoke after burning the wasteland, as if he smelled the scent of fanatical war. He looked at the fields in the distance. Serfs from Tlaxcala, thousands of them, were busy in the vast farmland. He looked towards the port, where a transport fleet returning from transporting grain from upstream was escorting hundreds of Totonac prisoners of war ashore under the scolding of the Prepecha warriors.
Several newly built galley boats were not only loaded with squatting tiger cannons, but also several short, stout, and extremely wide bronze heavy cannons. Under the personal guidance of the Mexica priests, they headed eastward against the current. go.
"Ah! With such a thick muzzle, how many stone bullets will be fired?! Priest Mickey, where will this be transported? To the battlefield of the Eastern Expedition?"
Soon, Mickey, the second-level divine priest who came to pick him up, hurriedly came from the shipyard. Zuvalo stepped forward and couldn't help but ask. As a priest who graduated from Shenwei University, he understood a simple truth, that is, the thicker the muzzle, the larger the stone projectiles fired, and the greater the power of the artillery. The new stubby copper cannons on the long ships could fit a stone bullet as big as a human head into the muzzle. The power of the bombardment...
"Priest Zuvarro, that is the bronze mortar that was newly made last month and will be sent to His Majesty's army! The muzzle of the mortar is seven or eight inches long and can fire 30 kilograms of stone bullets. Wait until these heavy cannons arrive , the last two fortresses of the Tlaxcalans are about to fall!"
Divine Priest Mickey smiled and explained a few words proudly. Then, he looked solemnly, looked at the merchant fleet behind Zuvalo, and asked in a deep voice.
"God bless you! This time when you went north, did you bring back all the struvite and bituminous coal requested by God?"
"God bless you! The fleet brought back thirty tons of struvite. I have tasted it, and it is salty, astringent, and bitter. It matches the description of the kingdom exploration team and His Majesty."
"Only thirty tons?"
Hearing this amount, Divine Priest Mickey frowned slightly. The farmland is so vast that one acre of land must be spread with forty or fifty kilograms. Thirty tons of struvite sounds like a lot, but it is actually only enough for application on more than a thousand acres of land.
"Time is tight, we are short of manpower, and have only mined so much. The fleet's carrying capacity is also very limited... In fact, the best way is to leave some manpower on the Struvite Islands to establish quarrying settlements . Let the stoneworkers mine it for three or four months, and a large fleet of ships will come and go and transport it away at once."
"Well, that makes sense! We can sign together and submit this proposal to Director Talaya of the Institute of Divine Inspiration."
Mickey, the divine priest, pondered for a moment and smiled. When he heard that Mickey wanted to make a proposal with him, Zuvalo raised his brows, thought for a while, and then nodded.
"Mickey, my friend, do you also want to go out to sea? The sea is very windy and rough, and you will be attacked, but you have to risk your life!"
"Yes. Going out to sea for exploration and trade is extremely risky, but it is a shortcut to climb! Zuvalo, according to the director, these struvite stones will be ground up as soon as possible and scattered on hundreds of acres of selected fields. After this year’s autumn harvest, if there is a significant increase in production, then your contribution to the sea this time will be enough for you to level up!”
Zuvalo smiled and nodded calmly. Mickey is right, leading a fleet to sea is indeed a shortcut to climbing.
In fact, he also reached a trade agreement with the Torpan tribe of the Huichol people and formulated an ambitious plan to conquer. The Huiljo people share the same language and culture as the kingdom, and they are quite good at fighting. If this subjugation plan can be implemented, as a bridge of communication between Huichol's ministries, he will truly rise to the top! In order to gain enough support, he had to return to the lake capital in person and report back face to face to Director Talaya who was in charge of the Divine Inspiration Institute.
"Um?"
Mickey, the divine priest, approached the fleet and scanned the covered straw baskets on the ship, which vaguely shone with golden light. He narrowed his eyes, pursed his lips, looked deeply at the somewhat nervous sailors, and said nothing.
According to regulations, 70% of the gold, silver, copper and stone brought back by the fleet when it went to sea was to be handed over, and the fleet kept 30%. But in actual implementation, it is difficult to manage strictly. Captains and sailors have a lot of room to operate to obtain excess profits. And it is said that in order to encourage going to sea, His Majesty also acquiesced in the existence of these secret operations.
Priest Mickey glanced for a while, frowned, and asked in a deep voice.
"Zuvarro, are these the only ships you brought back with bituminous coal?"
Hearing this, the smile on Zuvalo's face froze. He lowered his head in embarrassment and answered softly.
"On this voyage, I exchanged more than forty tons of bituminous coal with various ministries in the north. But when I stopped at Trout Town, I was discovered by the inspired priests of the Black Rock Mountain Iron Mine, and two-thirds of it was seized. They said the iron To smelt good iron that is tough and not brittle, and to forge sharp and hard magic weapons for Your Majesty, we must use good coal brought back from the north! They have Your Majesty’s will, so I can’t stop it..."
"Damn! These guys from the Military Industry Department dare to rob our Shipbuilding Department's goods!"
Divine Priest Mickey gritted his teeth and cursed a few times in a low voice, but there was nothing he could do. Among the various departments of Shenqi Institute, the Shipbuilding Department has great power and the priority of affairs is also high. However, the Military Industry Department directly supplies each legion and can cast weapons, armor and bronze cannons, and its influence has reached a higher level. Among the various departments, the only one that can compete with the Military Industry Department is the Special Trade Bureau, which has a small number of people but supports the entire kingdom's finances.
"Hey! The remaining bituminous coal has to be sent to the Special Trade Bureau. They also named the bituminous coal from the north, saying it is extremely powerful and will be used in extremely important firings. There seems to be a problem that has been bothering them for a long time, that is Counting on higher firepower to solve it..."
Upon hearing the Special Trade Bureau's request, Zuvalo nodded quickly.
"Okay! I will arrange for the sailors to unload the bituminous coal first. When our fleet goes to sea, we all rely on the gems in the lake provided by the Special Trade Bureau. Without these gems, the cost of overseas trade will be impossible to bear... .”
"In addition to the gems in the lake, the Special Trade Bureau will also provide a batch of gemstones in the lake next time we go to sea! Take a batch out and see what kind of prices the noble leaders from the northern coastal tribes will pay."
"The jewel in the lake? What is that?"
"Well, that's it... just say it's a small instrument made of gemstones. It contains the divinity of gemstones and can communicate with the gods!"
"Huh? The various tribes in the wasteland are not sure about such a gadget...but the noble leaders of the tribes in North and South Tekos will definitely like it!"
"Well, the great nobles of the alliance also like these gemstones in the lake. Only great nobles with a truly long heritage can have such taste and be able to put out commensurate value! Haha!"
At this point, the two divine priests looked at each other and laughed in unison. As priests involved in sailing, they had seen tons of gems in the lake, so naturally they had some unspoken guesses. After the laughter, Divine Priest Mickey looked solemn. He thought for a moment and then asked Zuvalo.
"Zuvarro, when you go north to the royal capital this time, will you meet Director Talaya in person and report back what you learned about the voyage?"
"Um?"
Zuvalo's eyes moved, and he felt a little wary.
"Praise the Lord God! I will indeed report back to Director Talaya about the specific circumstances of the voyage, and I will also write a report to His Majesty..."
"Witness the Lord God! I heard a piece of news. It may be your chance, but you have to take me with you..."
Mickey, the divine priest, gritted his teeth, looked into Zuvalo's surprised eyes, and gave a few words.
"His Majesty once had a plan to send an exploration fleet along the western coast to explore the southeast! This exploration route will pass through the coast of the Mixtecs, the valleys of the Zapotecs, and even the Mayans. The Southern Highlands!..."
"Now, the shipbuilding company's ten long ships can be built within a few months. The kingdom's exploration fleet has already gone to distant Cuba, and I don't know when it will return. At this time, if the shipbuilding company mentions this exploration again, According to our plan, the best candidate to serve as the new exploration captain is someone with experience in long-distance voyages..."
"Ah, explore the southeast! At this time, we are starting a new maritime exploration. Who else can lead the team besides me!"
Hearing this, Zuvalo's eyes suddenly brightened, and his face showed uncontrollable excitement. He clearly knows what a great achievement is behind this plan! Even if you don't contact the southern Maya, as long as you clearly explore the hinterland of the Mixtec and Zapotec people and collect enough intelligence for the next conquest, it will be an extremely prominent military achievement!
"Praise the Lord God! The fleet goes to sea and explores the southeast..."
"Zuvarro!"
Mickey, the divine priest, stretched out his hands and grabbed his old friend's wrist. He stared into the other person's excited eyes and repeated word for word.
"You have to take me with you! You need the full support of the shipbuilding company to make the exploration plan pass as much as possible!"
"...good!"
Zuvarro pursed his lips, remained silent for a moment, and nodded heavily.
"The Lord God witnesses! If the proposal is passed, we will board the longship together!"
"Witness the Lord God! I will convince all the priests in the Shipbuilding Department to fully support you!"
The two young divine priests looked at each other closely for a moment and laughed loudly again. They turned together and looked toward the southeast coast. Their eyes flashed with anticipation, like the waves on the sea.
