Chapter 142 Prelude

Shulot looked at the sky, the eagle soared, and there were many prospects for the lofty future. To turn 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 of Tianhuo Island's soil salt, which is actually the production capacity of gunpowder.

There are continuous volcanic mountains in the east and west of the alliance, among which there are many natural sulfur mines. The most active volcano is Popocatepetl in the Eastern Mountains, where it borders the Tlaxcalans, and is rich in sulfur and obsidian. Relying on the collection of the mountain people, the alliance does not lack sulfur.

Not long ago, Xiulot personally designed a charcoal kiln. According to the report from the leader of the charcoal workers, Koskaci, after the first batch of earthen kilns were built, the latest charcoal production rate has reached 35% and will soon reach 40%.

Therefore, for the Mexica Union, the only constraint on the mass production of gunpowder was soil nitration.

Shulot looked at the more respectful Esco and asked in a deep voice.

"Esco, how is the stockpiling of nitrate going?"

Esco replied with a smile, and he was full of confidence on this point.

"Your Highness, now I have mobilized hundreds of salt workers and thousands of civilians, and the nitrate collected every day is piled up like a mountain. Now the daily consumption of nitrate is only two to three thousand catties. According to this consumption rate, it is enough to last for several months. For a long time, it can even be used until the end of the year.”

Shulot thought for a moment, then shook his head slightly.

"Esco, you still have to hurry up and collect! Waiting until March, the collection of nitrate soil will become difficult, and the content of nitrate in the soil will be greatly reduced. 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 mountain forest and find the places where bats gather. There should be a lot of nitrate there too!"

Esco bowed his head and accepted. Xiulot calculated in his mind again, shaking his head with emotion.

Now the output of soil salt on the island is only more than 100 catties per day, and more than 3,000 catties per month. Deployed into standard gunpowder, the monthly output is four thousand catties, and the annual output is tens of thousands of catties. And ten vertical rockets need at least one catty of gunpowder, one round of pottery caltrops needs three to four catties, and one round of wooden cannons is even closer to ten catties. The three-month gunpowder output of the alliance can only produce 30,000 vertical rockets, 800 rounds of pottery caltrops, and 300 to 500 rounds of wooden cannons.

This number sounds like a lot, but it is actually only enough to consume a large-scale battle. If it is a siege battle, the gunpowder consumed will be doubled. Losses, losses, and misfires are not counted here. Generally speaking, the non-combat loss of gunpowder will also be more than two to three percent.

Xiulot recalls history and reality. In this era of the rise of gunpowder weapons, Daming should have the highest gunpowder output, with an annual output of at least several million catties, followed by Ottoman, with an annual output of millions of catties. As for the emerging Spain, the annual output of gunpowder is only about tens of thousands of catties, but the production capacity is growing rapidly.

The emperor of the Ming Dynasty established six gunpowder factories, especially the Wang Gong factory, which 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 catties of gunpowder." The Wang Gong factory produces at least 600 catties of gunpowder per day, has 30 to 50 craftsmen, and dozens of civilian husbands, and its production efficiency is obviously far higher than that of the alliance.

The Ottoman Empire also built a large number of gunpowder workshops to meet the huge war consumption. As early as the Battle of Junbao in 1453, within more than a month, the ordinary artillery of the siege side consumed 50,000 to 60,000 catties of gunpowder and fired about 5,000 shells. And the terrible Urban Cannon requires hundreds of catties of gunpowder per cannon, which can shoot 500 kilograms of shells to a distance of 1 mile, and it takes several hours to reload, requiring dozens of people to reload together.

A year later, in 1484, Fernando of the Kingdom of Spain would set up the Kingdom Ordnance Factory in Seville and Córdoba. During the siege of Malaga in 1487, dozens of cannons were used to bombard the castle for several months. Soon, Spain will become the country that produces the most gunpowder in Catholic Europe. And as the Spanish "Great Phalanx" matures, it will also have the largest number of musketeers.

"Esco, the current daily output of salt salt is only over 100 catties, which is really too low! I'll send another group of salt workers to you. After one month, the daily output will be more than 200 catties!"

Xiulot gave a serious order and asked to double the output again.

Esco's face turned bitter. He lowered his head, thought for a moment, and replied frankly.

"Your Highness, the production of nitrate requires more than experienced salt workers! Collecting nitrate requires thousands of people, and boiling nitrate requires a lot of firewood and fodder, which also requires manpower to cut and collect, and send people to collect plant ash from the capital. .If you want to double the output, at least hundreds or even thousands of people must be conscripted to provide enough tools and food.”

Hearing this, Shulot thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"I will send you another batch of civilian workers. Let the nitrate and 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 Voldemort took the lead. Enduring the pain from the wound, he gritted his teeth secretly, feeling ruthless in his heart. In the distance, Moreno, the leader of the salt workers, shivered suddenly with a dazed expression on his face.

At present, just maintaining this local nitrate and gunpowder workshop has actually occupied two to three thousand manpower, stationed hundreds of warriors, greatly reduced the output of the big saltworks, and at the same time needed a steady stream of food supplies. The research and development and application of military technology will continue to consume national power, which cannot be solved by just one person.

Thinking of this, the young man sighed quietly, the development of productive forces is the foundation of social progress. In this era, productivity is the metal tool Tarasco's copper mine is bound to win!

After inspecting Skyfire Island, he left a new order. Afterwards, Shulot looked at Talea again and waved. The potter girl lowered her head slightly and approached obediently like a fawn.

Shulot looked at Talea's beautiful side face and remained silent. The continuous coincidences and encounters left some ripples in the young man's heart. But the ripples will soon calm down, and in his heart lake, there are still only girls in white who yearn for each other and make a promise for life.

The boy thought of the danger of gunpowder blending, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke.

"Talaia, 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 lowered her head slowly again, letting her long hair flutter.

"Your Highness, is the matter here important to you?"

Shulot was slightly taken aback. He looked into the dim eyes of the potter girl, and was inexplicably touched.

"Yes, the production of gunpowder is very important to the Union. 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 thought of the joy she felt when she first entered the mansion, the estrangement of His Highness after entering the mansion, the majestic dispatch of the high priest, and the noble fiancée of His Highness. The potter girl pursed her lips hard.

"Your Highness, I want to stay here and be responsible for the production of gunpowder for you!"

Xiulot was stunned for a moment, the answer was unexpected.

"You want to stay here?"

Talea nodded slightly, and answered in a very soft voice.

"Yes I do."

Shulot looked into Talea's eyes again, and there was a kind of firmness in those bright eyes, just like the price increase when she sold pottery bowls when they first met. This time, the potter girl really left a mark in his heart.

The boy lowered his eyes slightly, and quickly opened them again. He nodded calmly.

"Very good! Next, you need to experiment with different proportions of gunpowder formulas, and research ways to purify sulfur. Most importantly, find the processing steps to increase the power of gunpowder. Do it well, and the Alliance will treat you well!

Remember, there must be no open flames in the workshop, and try not to participate in the deployment yourself. I will send priestesses to teach you how to read and write, and to record important experimental results. There must be no loss of gunpowder in stock! "

With a serious face, Xiulot 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 reliable back.

"Remember to be careful and take care of yourself~"

After finishing speaking, the young man walked hurriedly, left quickly again, and boarded the big boat when he came. The potter's girl's eyes brightened slightly, and she stood on tiptoe again, and folded her fair hands over her heart. Then, she looked at the direction in which His Highness was leaving, and a smile slowly appeared on the corner of her mouth.

Berthard looked calm and kept watching this scene. Seeing the young man leaving in a hurry, he smiled slightly, nodded friendly to Talea, and followed with the warriors. Esko thought for a moment, then bowed to Talea and bowed his head.

The sun slanted westward, shedding golden light. When sailing on Lake Texcoco, the lake light shines on the face, reflecting light and shade, and the long wind blows the clothes and disturbs the hearts of the people.

The big boat moved forward, and Xiulot stood alone at the bow. He looked at the busy and intertwined boats ahead, sailing to the long river and fields in the north, just like the intertwined hearts. After a while, he thought of the girl in white, with a smile on his lips and his face calmed down. After thinking for a moment, the boy finally had some doubts.

Shulot turned his head and looked at the loyal warrior commander.

"Bothard, the formula of gunpowder is the highest secret of the alliance. You must mobilize some of your followers to strengthen the security there again."

Bertard nodded silently, expressing his memory.

Xiulot thought for a while and asked directly.

"Berthard, when I was drawing and calculating, why was Talea giving me the ink? Shouldn't it be you at the beginning?"

The samurai commander smiled awkwardly, his face calm.

"Your Highness, since the girl you like is present and she is from the mansion, it is more appropriate to leave this kind of matter to her. Do you want me to accompany you with a warrior with thick arms and legs?"

Shulot shook his head slightly and sighed. He wasn't particularly bright, but he had a keen mind and a knack for reflecting after the fact.

"Bothard, you! I didn't have much affection for her at first, and the last contact was just by chance. But you took her back to the mansion, and let her accompany you today. The gunpowder was successfully developed, and I was excited for a while."

The young man defended in a low voice, and seemed to be trying to convince himself.

Bertard interrupted just in time.

"Your Highness, you have held hands, embraced others, and pushed you to the ground. If you are not accepted as a concubine, is it possible that you can betrothed to others? Montezuma I had hundreds of concubines and gave birth to hundreds of concubines. God-born warrior!"

Hearing this, Xiulot sighed again, inexplicably distressed. Then, he glared at the loyal warrior commander, and shouted angrily.

"Bothard, don't talk about it. It's not relative, why are you so attentive? You're just like an old matchmaker in the capital of the lake!"

After finishing speaking, Shulot turned his head and looked at the lake, his mood fluctuated slightly like the lake water. After a long time, he thought of the lovely Alyssa again, feeling guilty and distressed.

Berthard smiled slightly, and just stood behind the young man peacefully, his face vicissitudes once again. His mind drifted away, silently laughing and talking to himself.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, although the princess is good, she was born from the clouds and is the supreme descendant of the gods. You are the hope of our common people, how can you become as ruthless as the descendants of the gods? You have a mother who was born as a commoner, and you have always regarded rank. Yu Wuwu must be able to accept a wife from a commoner background. And even if she is a concubine, she can still have a future."

Thinking of this, Bertard pressed his chest quietly, making sure that his loyalty to His Highness had never changed, so he smiled again.

Shulot looked out of the distance, his eyes followed the boats on the lake, coming and going at will. After a while, the boy's eyes were fixed, and all the boats were heading north.

"Bothard, what day is it today? Why are all these boats heading north?"

The samurai chief looked at the lake, and small boats were making noise and headed north together. On the small boats were richly dressed nobles, priests with robes and feather crowns, warriors who were eagerly discussing, and excited merchants and farmers. Berthard thought for a moment, then asked the warriors on board, and finally got the answer.

"Your Highness, today is the day when the Otomi captives arrive in the capital! They are accompanied by priests, thousands of warriors, and dozens of large boats full of belongings. The people of the capital have been waiting for a long time!"

Shulot thought for a while, and then thought of the Ugel Priests that had been sent out. He nodded and told the fleet to change direction.

The fleet moved forward at high speed, across the sparkling lake, the surrounding boats respectfully avoided, and on the right was the magnificent long embankment. After bypassing most of the capital city along the long embankment, the navy fleet returning from the south appeared in front of the boy's eyes.

Thousands of warriors are dressed up in costumes. They stood on the boat, waved their shields and long sticks, and saluted the people around them. On the thousand boats and the long embankment, tens of thousands of villagers enthusiastically cheered and responded. They waved their hands, and the sound shook the whole field. They celebrated the victory of the legion, welcomed the triumphant return of the fleet, and looked forward to the upcoming grand ceremony!

As the boat sailed along the river, villagers kept coming by boat, cheering continuously. In the middle of the fleet controlled by the warriors, more than a thousand Otomi nobles trembled and showed fear, as if they had entered the kingdom of alien gods and lost their souls and bodies.

At the forefront of the South Return Fleet is a huge canoe with a several-meter-high altar built on it. The priest and elder Ugel sat high on the altar. He was dressed in a stone crown and long robe, with a strong figure, majesticly waving his hands in all directions, enjoying the cheers of thousands of people!

Shulot calmly watched everything in front of him. "Resign from the downstairs hall, and the chariot comes from Qin." What will be waiting for these nobles to be captured? After thinking for a while, the young man shook his head, then turned the bow of the boat and headed for the capital.

Two days later, the capital city in the lake was jubilant again, hundreds of thousands of people gathered and sang, and the New Year's festival officially began!