Chapter 457: Going Out for a Wandering Trip

At the end of September, the wind was clear and the clouds dispersed, and the sun was shining brightly. The moist southeast wind gradually stopped, and the dry and cold air came from the northern plateau. The rainy season left and the dry season came. The fields were lush, the fragrance spread for thousands of miles, and the villagers were busy. Pumpkins were drying, beans were harvested, and corn was just ripe.

On the shore of Lake Texcoco, a royal team was traveling, winding along the harvest fields, heading to the Holy Mountain of Estella in the west. The villagers along the way all bowed to the ground and saluted, and the priests and village chiefs greeted from a distance, not daring to approach without permission.

Five hundred guards wore bronze helmets, leather armor, held bronze spears, and carried longbows. They held high the black wolf flag and also guarded the two noble God couples, Shulot and Alyssa, under the royal flag.

The two had been married for a month, exploring secrets every day and enjoying the stars every night. All the scenery worth seeing inside and outside the lake capital had been visited. The purpose of this trip is to pray at the holy mountain dozens of miles west of the capital, and to offer sacrifices at the Sun Temple on the top of the mountain. Then, they will vacation at the Alliance Holy Land under the holy mountain, visit the flowers and birds in the mountains, enjoy the geothermal hot springs, and rest for a week or two to put an end to the honeymoon.

Xiuluot was not wearing armor, but a loose short robe, walking in the fields in early autumn. He looked around, and everywhere was busy and happy before the harvest. A sincere smile appeared on the young man's face, and he thought of a sentence from an unknown source in his mind, and he chanted it in a low voice.

"If you go out and wander around, you don't know the poverty of the people, the land and the labor of the people, then you will be beaten."

"Huh? Xiuluot, what are you talking about?"

Alyssa was wearing a white robe, a pair of exquisite cloth shoes, and a silver ring for her hair. At first glance, the pure and beautiful girl was not wearing makeup, but she was as beautiful as a snow lotus. She heard her lover's whisper and blinked curiously.

"Haha, I mean, if you want to govern the alliance and manage the people well, you have to know the details of farming, the poverty of the village, the output of the land, and the hard work of the people! As the heir of the alliance, if you don't know these, you should be whipped."

Xuluot answered with a smile, but his expression was full of seriousness. He looked at the harvest scene in the field and thought about the foundation of the kingdom. The so-called farming and fighting, farming before the war, is the root of everything.

"Wu whip?"

Hearing this, Alyssa looked at her lover and her face turned red. She licked her lips and asked softly like a seductive little fox.

"Xuluot, who will whip you?"

"Of course it's me! As the chief priest, I have to regularly reflect on myself in front of the symbol of the Lord God."

Xuluot took it for granted and spoke loudly. After a moment, he was stunned and looked at the shy girl.

"Alyssa? You."

"Well, in mythology, the monkey god "Ozumatri" is the partner of the god of music and dance "Shuchipiri". But the monkey god is always passionate and lively, and it is difficult to restrain his desires. If he cheats outside, the goddess Shuchipiri will take out a moving snake whip, snap"

Alyssa blushed and whispered, and her voice gradually became inaudible.

Xuluot was a little unbelievable. He looked at the delicate girl and murmured.

"Punishment for cheating? Alyssa. You want to, uh, it's not that you don't..."

"Ah, let's not talk about this!"

The girl's neck turned red with shame, and she stamped her feet in annoyance. Then, she turned her head as if escaping and looked at the fields on both sides.

"Xuluot, look, the corn in the field is ripe. Why are these people sleeping by the field, but not harvesting the corn in the field?"

Hearing this, Xuluot smiled and looked at the vast farmland in all directions. The vast milpa was full of ripe corn. Tens of thousands of Mexican villagers went out to sleep in the fields. From time to time, villagers in the distance waved sticks, and some militiamen even shot stones to drive away birds and beasts that were eyeing the corn.

"Well, Alyssa, it's like this. Although the corn in the field is ripe, it is not fully ripe. Birds and beasts are attracted by the aroma of ripe corn. The villagers have to drive away the birds and beasts while waiting for the corn to ripen."

Xiu Luote pondered for a moment and explained in detail. Unlike other crops, corn is not easy to fall off after ripening. It will complete the after-ripening function on the plant and absorb the last nutrients of the plant, thereby increasing production. As long as it is harvested at night for one or two weeks, the yield can be increased by nearly one-tenth!

In this era of low yields, every bit of increased grain production is precious. Therefore, this is the hardest time before the autumn harvest. The villagers have to sleep by the field for a week or two, looking after the ripe grains, so that the fresh tender corn can be fully ripe and become sunken old corn.

Hearing this knowledge of farming, Naxiu's eyes flashed and she pursed her lips in silence. She looked at His Highness quietly, and seemed to recognize a new side of her master.

Bertard stood a few steps away, guarding the periphery. Hearing what Shulotte said, he smiled and praised.

"Your Highness is right! We have to wait a little longer to harvest more corn. It's about time until the milk line of the corn kernels disappears completely, the kernels become very hard, and the bracts dry, white and loose. At that time, the priests and elders in the village will urge the villagers to harvest day and night."

Alyssa blinked and nodded. She is good at planting flowers and herbs, and she is also very knowledgeable about farming.

"Shulotte, I understand! You told me that the vitality of crops comes from the sunshine of the Sun God, the rain and dew of the Wind and Rain God, and the nutrients of the Earth Mother Goddess. The longer the corn matures, the more naturally the harvest will be. And now there is plenty of sunshine and no rain, so there is no need to worry about mold!"

"Not bad!"

Shulot nodded with satisfaction, stretched out his hand, and pinched his lover's face gently. The group of people kept walking, walking through the continuous corn fields, and then came to the large cotton fields. The scenery in front of us also changed from endless yellow and green to a mixture of gray and bright green.

"Your Highness, this is the cotton field of the Alliance. Not far to the west is the towering Holy Mountain. Surrounded by not only steaming hot springs, but also extremely fertile land. Most of these lands belong to the nobles and warriors of the capital, and occupy the best water channels. , growing valuable cotton.”

After hearing what the warrior commander said, Shulot nodded slightly. He stopped and stared at the low cotton bushes, his eyes flashing with thought.

Cotton is a crop that consumes a lot of water and soil. In the Mexican Union, the more productive Mexican fine cotton is naturally grown.

Compared with the Indian rough cotton of the Old World, the growth period of Mexican fine cotton is ten days shorter, the yield is much higher, the quality of the cotton velvet is much better, and it is easier to weave into cloth. This was the coveted cash crop in the Old World, and it was also the key to the explosion of cotton production in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.

Cotton cloth is a popular trade item around the world. In the world of Central America, cotton cloth was the same currency as cocoa, and could be used directly as currency in various villages and towns.

The flag of the Black Wolf was flying, and the warriors surrounded him solemnly. Shulot paused for a moment, and the busy crowd in the cotton fields stopped and saluted the royal procession. Most of the people lay prone on the ground, practicing common courtesy. A few people knelt down on one knee, which turned out to be samurai etiquette.

Shulot looked at it from a distance for a while and asked in a deep voice.

"Bertard, have you ever picked cotton?"

"Picked, Your Highness."

The warrior commander replied calmly, with a look of reminiscence on his face.

"Cotton in the alliance is usually sown in April. If the land is not fertile enough, it will be planted sparsely. By the end of August, the first batch of cotton can be picked. Then every five to seven days, cotton will mature one after another. , generally it can be picked until the end of October, or even until the end of December. However, generally the quality of cotton gets worse the further you go.”

"Picking cotton is a real hard work, much harder than farming. Of course, the benefits of growing cotton are unmatched by farming. The great nobles of the alliance will use a large number of serfs to be responsible for the planting, picking and weaving of cotton, directly Get cotton cloth that can be used as currency. If the Dingkou is lush and fertile, the family of the civilian warrior will also grow some cotton. After all, corn is just food, and cotton is money. "

Shulot nodded slowly. The picking of cotton is extremely cumbersome, takes a long time, and consumes a lot of manpower. The triangular trade in the Atlantic was so popular in later generations, largely because the cotton fields, sugar cane fields, and tobacco fields in tropical America had endless demand for manpower.

"Bertard, how many kilograms of cotton can be harvested from one acre of cotton field in the Alliance in one season?"

Hearing this, Bertard thought carefully for a long time before giving an uncertain answer.

"In Chinampa, which is not very productive, one acre of cotton fields along the lake can produce about 20 kilograms of cotton in one season. It can probably make one or two pairs of strong cotton armor for the warriors at home."

"The yield per mu is 20 kilograms?"

Shulot raised his voice, somewhat surprised. He looked at the alliance's cotton fields again, with a smile on his face.

"The hinterland of the Union is really fertile, and cotton is so productive!"

Yes, in this era, a yield of 20 kilograms of cotton per mu is an absolutely high-yield figure. It will crush India in the Old World and the Ming Dynasty in this period. This should be attributed to the fine varieties of short-staple cotton in Mexico and the tropical climate with both rain and heat. The domestication of various crops by Mesoamerican ancestors has truly benefited the entire human civilization.

Bertard smiled quietly. He thought for a while and reminded him again.

"Your Highness, the Alliance is located on a plateau and attaches great importance to food production. It does not produce much cotton. Among all the tribes in the world, the ones that produce the most cotton are the Mistra and Zapotec in the southern rain forest, and the Eastern rain forest. Maya.”

"Yes. The Mayan merchant Tikallo also told me that the city-state of Tuturxiu in the north of the Yucatan Peninsula is a rich and prosperous country rich in cotton."

Shulot turned around and looked towards the distant east, lost in thought for a long time.

With current navigation technology, the safest navigation route to the Cuban Islands is along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, all the way to the Yucatan Peninsula in the south-east. After reaching the northern part of the Yucatan Peninsula, then turn east and travel three to four hundred miles by sea to reach it smoothly. This coastal route has long been in the hands of the Mayans, and the chance of getting lost is very small. However, in order to take this route, we must first gain a temporary foothold on the Yucatan Peninsula.

"Otter City, Tutur builds the eastern route to the city"

Alyssa tilted her head, her bright eyes flashing. She looked at her thinking lover as if she were reading an incomprehensible book, mysterious and fascinating.

"Xulot, what are you thinking about? Well, I can think about it with you."

"Haha! I was thinking."

Shulot came back to his senses and smiled slightly. He stretched out his hand, hugged the lovely person in front of him, and kissed her deeply.

"I'm thinking that at this time tomorrow, we can soak in the hot springs together and watch the sun set!"

"Yeah! There are so many people."

Alyssa exclaimed, blushing again on her face. She pursed her lips and hid in her lover's arms. Then, the girl spoke softly, her voice as thin as a mosquito.

"What about after the sun goes down?"

"After the sun sets, of course, watch the fish swimming in the water!"

"Ah? There are no fish in the hot spring."

"Yes. If you don't believe me, I'll take you to see it when the time comes."

"Bad monkey!"

"Haha!"

The young man's laughter spread far away, and the black wolf's flag moved again. The loyal warriors surrounded the king and queen and went to the sacred mountains in the west. There, there is the oldest temple of the sun, and the inherited holy fire that has never been extinguished, burning from the distant past to today and the future!