Chapter 761 Iron Progress, Strategy in the Colima Mountains
The breeze is bright and the moon is bright, the sky is bright and the sun is rising. Day and night alternate, messengers come and go. For several days, Shulot stayed in the camp outside the city, processing the letters sent back by all parties.
Only when dusk fell did he have time to go to the city to see the frail Naxiu who was about to be raised, and his newborn but healthy son. Then, when the sun rose, he returned to the camp and continued to handle important military and political affairs with the assistance of the chief of the guard, Eckart.
"Patriarch, a report from the Divine Enlightenment Institute of Heiyan Mountain on the southern coast of the Kingdom. The iron ore output of Heiyan Mountain is steadily increasing. Relatively cheap iron farm tools have saved a lot of manpower in the autumn harvest of the two southern counties this year. County Yin sent thousands of laborers to the mining area to cut wood, burn charcoal, and dig ore. The output of iron farm tools has almost doubled!"
"Well. Iron plows for plowing, iron hoe weeding, iron sickle for harvesting, iron axes for cutting wood, and iron knives for chopping firewood. The promotion of iron tools can improve the most fundamental production capacity of the kingdom! The importance of popularizing iron tools is the same as that of agriculture. Put it on top!"
Xiuluo nodded and gave clear instructions. However, compared with copper mines and gold and silver mines, the kingdom's iron ore reserves are still too small. He couldn't help but think of the giant iron ore belt in Cuba, and the deep iron ore belt in Colima, and asked in a deep voice.
"It's been almost a year, and there's no news from the kingdom's exploration fleet?"
"Reporting to the Patriarch, there is no latest news. The last information that General Black Wolf obtained from the Totonak captives was that half a year ago, the exploration fleet left Hidden Snake City and headed east to Maya. However, due to the coastal war , the Mayan trade route was temporarily interrupted, and there is no further Mayan information."
"That's it! Cuba's explorer is blessed!"
Hearing this, Shulot lowered his eyes and prayed sincerely. Then, he stroked his chin and asked in a deep voice.
"What about the Colima Mountains? How did the Colima Chief respond to the kingdom's various requests?"
"The Great Chief of Colima promised to mobilize a thousand tribesmen to excavate the volcanic ash near the Colima Volcano for the construction of the kingdom. As compensation, the kingdom will give him a copper spear and ax for a thousand-man battalion! .”
"As for the search for iron ore, the exploration team on the tribal territory, the hinterland of the Colima Mountains, will be further opened to them. As long as the exploration team does not enter the tribe's most important sacred mountains and hot springs, then other land boundaries will be allowed to go ! Finally, he has a sincere request!"
"Huh? What request?"
"He requested that if the alliance really found the hard 'ironstone mine' that the ancestors used to forge magic weapons. Then, he doesn't want property or gems, as long as the kingdom is in the Colima Mountains, a nearby smelting and forging place will be opened ! He can provide strong warriors, labor and guards, and the iron tools produced will be shared by the Lake Kingdom and the Colima tribe!"
"The division of ironware? What proportion?"
"He said it's 50-50, but it depends on the meaning of the messenger. We can talk about the specifics!"
"Ha! Joint development, cooperation and win-win cooperation, Great Chief Colima, what a character! This request to borrow a chicken to lay an egg is really irresistible to the Kingdom at this time!"
Hearing such a request, Xiulot was a little surprised and sighed with emotion. He shook his head. He really didn't expect that Chief Colima, who stayed in the mountains, would have such insight!
If the kingdom finds iron ore, the best solution is to mine and smelt it nearby. The development of iron ore requires a large number of miners, blacksmiths and fuel. Given the relatively closed terrain of the Colima Mountains, it is indeed inseparable from the support of local tribes.
The meaning of this request is that the kingdom will provide technology and craftsmen, and the Kolima tribe will provide labor and resources to obtain the fastest development speed!
And through this method, the Colima tribe and the Kingdom of the Lake are also more deeply bound together. The closer the relationship between the two sides, the greater the common interests, and the less likely a war will occur.
As for completely flattening the Colima Mountains, conquering the Nantex tribes, rebuilding a stable order, and then mining the iron ore kingdom, the spread is too large at the moment, and it will not be able to concentrate in a short time. This series of steps will take at least several years to delay. At this time, what Shulot lacked the most was time.
"Eckart, Emar, chief of Colima, is over fifty?"
"Yes, Patriarch! Imar, the chief of Colima, is a contemporary of your grandfather. Although he is relatively young, he must be in his fifties! He is old and strong, and has dozens of wives and concubines. There are four sons, and about the same number of daughters, who are all married to various tribes in the mountains. In the Kolima Mountains, the chief of Kolima can be said to be the same and has a profound influence!"
"Tsk tsk! More than 50 years old, more than 30 children!"
Hearing this, Xiu Luote had a relaxed expression, feeling a little envious in his heart. So many descendants means that a huge family can be divided and expanded to a wider land! Of course, many descendants also mean that the conflict of inheritance rights is almost unavoidable.
"If the chief of Colima dies early, the tribe will inevitably be in civil strife. At that time, the kingdom can take advantage of the situation and go south, completely conquer the tribes of Nantex, and bring them directly under the kingdom! It's just the current situation. He is in good health and has a deep foundation. He is not good for a while. Let’s do it. And if new iron mines are discovered and the Colima tribe and the Kingdom of the Lake jointly develop them, then I have to hope that the tribes in the mountainous area will be stable, and that he will live longer!"
There was no one around, only the head of the guard, Eckart. Xiulot smiled and said, but he didn't hide his thoughts. If possible, he really hoped that the rich Colima Mountains would be directly under the kingdom as soon as possible.
The head of the guard Eckart's expression moved, and he clearly heard His Highness's ambition. He pondered for a while, and reminded him softly.
"The head of the family, Elaine, the daughter of Chief Kolima, has been in Shenwei University for three or four years. She has almost learned the courses, and she is already twenty years old. She is an old girl."
"Patriarch, there is still a shortage of manpower for the job of guarding the clerk in the camp. It is better to transfer her to your side. And the chief of Colima has also mentioned it to the envoy of the kingdom in private. He wants to give the position of the tribal chief. , passed on to grandchildren”
"Huh? A hint from Chief Colima...his daughter, the maiden Elaine?"
Hearing this, Shulot raised his brows and fell silent. He recalled the wild young girl with pretty eyebrows, pursed lips, bare feet, and a wild body, and his heart moved a little. More than three years flowed through his heart like water. In these three years, he has experienced too much and changed too much. The price of kings.
"Well, then...then transfer her over!"
"Yes, Patriarch!"
The head of the guard, Eckart, bowed his head and saluted, his expression unchanged. He could see His Highness's hesitation, but as a family warrior of the Holy City family, he never had a king in his eyes, only the Holy City family! As for the powerful royal family, and the heirs of the powerful family, who else is His Royal Highness?
"Witness of the Lord God! Since Chief Colima has such a vision, then agree to him! As long as he provides enough labor and the condition of 50% of the iron, I will also agree to him!"
Xiulot thought for a while, and boldly agreed.
"Of course, such conditions are limited to the iron mines that he and the kingdom have developed together. As for those that have not been developed, we will discuss them later."
Hearing this, the head of the guard Eckart's eyes moved, expressing his understanding. However, he was still a little worried and asked softly.
"The owner, the prospecting team, have been looking for it for several months, but they haven't found any iron ore in the Colima Mountains?"
"The lord god has witnessed that I have been enlightened! Deep underground in the Colima Mountains, there must be a large iron ore belt beyond imagination!"
Speaking of divine revelation, Xiulot looked solemn and solemn. The head of the guard, Eckart, bowed his head respectfully, with respect from the heart in his eyes. He has witnessed too many divine revelations from His Highness, and he has long been convinced of it.
"It's just that this large Colima iron ore belt is too deep! With the current technology of the kingdom, there is no capacity for large-scale mining. However, the ore belts in the earth will always change in depth and continue to extend. The Colima Mountains On the surface, as long as you search carefully, you can always find small open-pit or shallow mines!"
After finishing speaking, Xiulot smiled confidently, with a well-thought-out plan.
"These small-scale iron mines are enough for now. Wait patiently! Now that the Colima Department has moved forward and released the hinterland forest to the kingdom, it won't take long for the prospecting team to make new discoveries." !"
"Yes, Patriarch!"
The head of the guard, Eckart, nodded without any doubts. He flipped through the documents again and read another important item.
"In addition, the Heiyanshan Shenqi Institute also requested you to allocate a batch of new granular gunpowder to assist in the mining in the mountains. The director of the Shenqi Institute, the director of the Gunpowder Department, Talea, has personally led the staff in the southern Zicao County In the open-pit copper mining area, we tried 'explosive mining'!"