Chapter 691 Zicao Port, Return and Journey

Late May is the busiest time of spring. Zuvaro led the returning merchant fleet and finally sailed into Lake Atoyak and anchored at Zicao Port in the south of Zicao City. The Southern Shipbuilding Company occupied the side of the port. Hundreds of shipbuilders were repairing ships inside and outside the shipbuilding company, while more civilians were carrying large wood and planks under the command of the shipbuilders.

"Praise the Lord! After four or five months, we finally returned to the port where we set out!"

Zuvaro boarded the dock and looked at the busy scene of the shipyard from a distance for a while, with surprise on his face.

"One palm, two palms actually have ten long ships with a load of dozens of tons, being built at the same time? Hey, on that long ship, the two bronze beasts placed in front and behind are the tiger squatting cannons of the rain god?"

People came and went on the dock, each running around, and no one answered Zuvaro's question. But there is no doubt that the kingdom's southern shipyard is frantically building long ships for the expedition regardless of cost.

Zuvaro sniffed his nose, smelling the smoke from the burning wasteland, as if he smelled the fanatical breath of war. He looked at the fields in the distance, thousands of serfs from Tlaxcala were busy in the vast farmland. He looked at the port, a transport fleet returning from upstream with grain was escorting hundreds of Totonac prisoners ashore under the scolding of the Purépecha warriors.

And several newly built paddle-sailed longboats, not only loaded with tiger squat cannons, but also loaded with several short, sturdy, and extremely wide-mouthed bronze heavy cannons, under the personal guidance of the Mexica priests, went upstream to the east.

"Ah! Such a thick muzzle, how many stone bullets can be fired?! Priest Miki, where are they going to be transported? To the battlefield of the Eastern Expedition?"

Soon, Miki, the second-level divine priest who came to pick them up, hurried out of the shipyard. Zuvaro stepped forward and couldn't help asking. As a priest who graduated from Shenwei University, he understood a simple truth, that is, the thicker the muzzle, the larger the stone bullet fired, and the more powerful the artillery. The short and thick new copper cannon on the long ship can fit a stone bullet as big as a human head. The power of the bombardment.

"Priest Zuvaro, that is the bronze mortar that was newly made last month and will be sent to your majesty's army! The muzzle of the mortar is seven or eight inches long and can fire 30-jin stone bullets. When these heavy artillery arrives, the last two fortresses of the Tlaxcala people will fall!"

The divine priest Miki smiled and explained proudly. Then, he looked solemnly at the merchant fleet behind Zuvaro and asked in a deep voice.

"Lord God bless you! Have we brought back all the guano and bituminous coal that the Divine Revelation specifically requested during this trip northward?"

"Lord God bless you! The fleet brought back 30 tons of guano. I tasted it and it was salty, astringent and bitter, just as described by the Kingdom Exploration Team and Your Majesty."

"Only 30 tons?"

Hearing this number, the Divine Revelation priest Miki frowned slightly. The farmland is so vast that at least 40 to 50 kilograms must be spread on one acre of land. 30 tons of guano sounds like a lot, but in fact it is only enough for more than 1,000 acres of land.

"Time is tight, we are short of manpower, so we only mined so much. The fleet's carrying capacity is also limited. In fact, the best way is to leave some people on the Guano Islands and establish a settlement for quarrying. Let the stonemasons mine for three or four months, just in time for the large fleet to come and go and transport it all at once."

"Well, that makes sense! We can sign together and present this proposal to Director Talaya of the Divine Revelation."

Divine Revelation priest Miki pondered for a moment and smiled. Hearing that Mickey was going to propose with him, Zuvaro raised his eyebrows, thought for a while, and nodded.

"Mickey, my friend, do you also want to go to sea? The sea is windy and rough, and there will be attacks, but you have to risk your life!"

"Yes. Going to sea for exploration and trade, although it is very risky, is a shortcut to climb! Zuvaro, according to the director, this batch of guano will be ground as soon as possible and spread into the selected hundreds of acres of fields. After this autumn harvest, if there is a significant increase in production, then your contribution to this sea trip will be enough for you to be promoted to the next level!"

Zuvaro smiled and nodded lightly. Mickey was right. Leading the fleet to sea is indeed a shortcut to climb.

In fact, he also reached a trade agreement with the Tolpan tribe of the Huicho people and formulated an ambitious plan to conquer them. The Huicho people share the same language and culture with the kingdom, and are quite good at fighting. If this plan of conquest can be implemented, as a bridge for communication between the various tribes of Huiqiaoer, he will truly rise to the top! In order to obtain sufficient support, he must personally return to the capital in the lake and report to Director Talaya, who is in charge of the Divine Revelation Office.

"Hmm?"

The Divine Revelation Priest Miki approached the fleet and swept across the straw baskets covering the boats, which faintly flashed with golden light. He narrowed his eyes, pursed his lips, looked deeply at the sailors who were a little nervous, and said nothing.

The fleet went out to sea, and according to regulations, 70% of the gold, silver, copper and stone brought back were to be handed over, and the fleet retained 30%. But in actual implementation, it is difficult to manage strictly. The captain and the sailors have a lot of room for operation to obtain excess profits. And it is said that in order to encourage going out to sea, His Majesty also acquiesced to the existence of these secret operations.

Priest Miki glanced for a while, frowned, and asked in a deep voice.

"Zuwaro, are these the only ships of bituminous coal you brought back?"

Hearing this, the smile on Zuwaro's face froze. He lowered his head somewhat awkwardly 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 the good coal brought back from the north! They have His Majesty’s will, so I can’t stop them.”

"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 has extremely strong firepower and will be used in extremely important firings. There seems to be a problem that has been bothering them for a long time, which 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 unbearable."

"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 right. 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 wilderness are not sure about such a small appliance. 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 Talea 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 Talea 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. 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, For 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 sets out 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.