Remember [New] in a second! Late May is the busiest time of spring. Zuvaro led the returning merchant fleet and finally sailed into Lake Atoyak and moored at Zicao Port in the south of Zicao City. After the Southern Shipbuilding Department occupies the side of the port, hundreds of shipwrights are repairing ships inside and outside the Shipbuilding Department, while a larger number of civilians are carrying large logs and boards under the command of the shipwrights.

"Praise the Lord God! After four or five months, we finally returned to the port of departure!"

Zuwaro boarded the pier and watched the busy scene of the shipyard for a while, with surprise on his face.

"One palm, two palms... There are actually ten longships with a load of dozens of tons that are being built at the same time? Hey, the two copper beasts placed in front of and behind the built longship are the tiger squats of the Rain God. gun?"

There were people coming and going on the pier, each running their own way, but no one answered Zuwaro's questions. 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 after burning the wasteland, as if smelling 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 towards the port, where a convoy returning from transporting grain upstream was escorting hundreds of Totonak prisoners ashore under the reprimand of the Prepecha warriors.

And several newly built long galleys, not only loaded with tiger squatting guns, but also loaded with several short and thick bronze heavy guns with extremely wide muzzles, under the personal guidance of the Mexica priests, they traveled against the current to the east. go.

"Ah! With such a thick muzzle, how many stone bullets do you have to fire?! Priest Mickey, where are you going to transport it? To the battlefield of the Eastern Expedition?"

Soon, Mickey, the second-level god-inspired priest who came to receive him, hurried over from the shipyard. Zuwaro went 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 bullets fired, and the greater the power of the artillery. And the stubby new copper cannons on the long boats can fit a stone bullet the size of a human head into the muzzle. The power of that bombardment...

"Priest Zuwaro, that is a bronze mortar that was newly built last month and is going to be delivered to His Majesty's army! The mortar's muzzle is seven or eight inches long and can fire stone bullets weighing 30 jin. Wait until these heavy artillery arrive , the last two fortresses of the Tlaxcalans are about to fall!"

The priest Mickey smiled and explained a few words proudly. Then, with a solemn expression, he looked at the merchant fleet behind Zuvaro and asked in a deep voice.

"Lord God bless! This time going north, have all the struvite and bituminous coal requested by God's revelation have been brought back?"

"Bless the Lord God! The fleet brought back 30 tons of guano stone. I tasted it, and it was salty, astringent and bitter, which fit the description of the Kingdom Exploration Team and Your Majesty."

"Only thirty tons?"

Hearing this number, the divine priest Mickey frowned slightly. The area of ​​the farmland is so vast, no matter how one mu of land has to be sprinkled with forty to fifty catties. Thirty tons of struvite may sound like a lot, but it is actually only enough to cover more than 1,000 mu of land.

"Time is running out, we are short of manpower, and we have only mined so much. The load of the fleet is also very limited... In fact, the best way is to leave some manpower on the guano islands and build settlements for quarrying Let the masons mine for three or four months, just in time for the large fleet to go back and forth and transport them away at one time."

"Well, it makes sense! We can sign together and submit this proposal to Director Talaya of the Divine Inspiration Institute."

The god-inspired priest Mickey pondered for a moment, then smiled. Hearing that Mickey was going to propose with him, Zuvaro raised his brows, thought for a while, and then nodded.

"Mickey, my friend, do you want to go out to sea too? The sea is rough and you will be attacked, but you have to risk your life!"

"Well. Going to sea to explore and trade is extremely risky, but it is a shortcut to climbing! Zuvaro, according to the director, this batch of guano stones will be ground as soon as possible and scattered into hundreds of acres of selected fields. After the autumn harvest this year, if there is a significant increase in production, then your credit for going to sea this time will be enough for you to upgrade to a level!"

Zuvaro smiled and nodded lightly. Mickey is right, leading the 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 drew up an ambitious plan to subdue them. The Hueljo people share the same language and culture with the kingdom, and they are quite good at war. If this subjugation plan can be implemented, as a bridge for communication between Huiqiaoer's various ministries, he will really rise to the top! And in order to gain enough support, he had to return to the capital in the lake in person, and report to Director Talaya, who was in charge of the Divine Revelation Institute, in person.

"Um?"

The god-inspired priest Mickey approached the fleet and swept across the covered straw baskets on the boat, faintly shining golden light. He narrowed his eyes, pursed his lips, looked deeply at the nervous sailors, and said nothing.

When the fleet goes to sea, 70% of the gold, silver, copper and stone brought back must be handed over according to regulations, and the fleet will keep 30%. But in actual implementation, it is difficult to manage strictly. Both the captain and the sailors have a lot of room for manipulation 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 around for a while, frowned, and asked in a deep voice.

"Zovaro, are these the only ships you brought back with the bituminous coal?"

Hearing this, the smile on Zuvaro's face stagnated. He lowered his head in embarrassment and answered softly.

"In this voyage, I exchanged more than 40 tons of bituminous coal in various parts of the north. It was only when I docked in Trout Town that I was discovered by the priests of the Black Rock Iron Mine, and two-thirds were deducted. They said the iron To smelt good iron that is tough and not brittle in the mine, and to forge sharp and hard weapons for His Majesty, you must use the good coal brought back from the north! They have His Majesty's will, and I couldn't stop them..."

"Damn! These guys from the Military Industry Department dare to rob our Shipbuilding Department's goods!"

The god-inspired priest Mickey gritted his teeth and cursed a few words in a low voice, but he was helpless. Among the divisions of the Divine Enlightenment Institute, the Shipbuilding Division has a lot of power and has a high priority of affairs. However, the Military Industry Department directly supplies each legion and can cast weapons, armor, and bronze cannons, and its influence has reached a new level. Among the various departments and bureaus, 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 that it is extremely powerful and will be used in the extremely important firing. It seems that there is a problem that has troubled them for a long time. Counting on higher firepower to solve..."

Hearing the request from the Special Trade Bureau, Zuvaro nodded quickly.

"Okay! I'll arrange 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 sea trade is impossible to see... .”

"In addition to the gems in the lake, next time you go to sea, the Special Trade Bureau will also provide a batch of gems in the lake! You take a batch out and see what prices the noble heads of various ministries along the northern coast will offer."

"The jewel in the lake? What's that?"

"Well, that's... You said it's a gadget made of gems, which contains the divinity of gems and can communicate with gods!"

"Ah? Such a small device, the wilderness is not sure...but the noble heads of the northern and southern Tekos ministries will definitely like it!"

"Well, the great nobles of the alliance also like these gemstones in the lake. Only the great nobles who have truly inherited a long history will have such a taste and be able to offer a commensurate value! Haha!"

Having said that, the two god-inspired priests looked at each other and laughed tacitly. As priests who participated in the voyage, they had seen tons of gemstones in the lake, so they naturally had a few unspeakable guesses. After the laughter, Mickey, the god-inspired priest, looked serious. He thought for a moment, then asked Zuwaro.

"Zuvalo, this time you go north to the capital, will you personally meet with the director of Talaya and report back on the experience of the voyage?"

"Um?"

Zuwaro's eyes moved, and his heart was a little wary.

"Praise the Lord God! I will indeed report to Director Talaya about the specific situation during the voyage, and I will also write a report to His Majesty..."

"Witness of the Lord God! I heard a piece of news, maybe it's your chance, but you have to bring me..."

The divine priest Mickey gritted his teeth, looked into Zuvalo's surprised eyes, and made a point.

"Your Majesty once had a plan to send an exploration fleet to explore the southeast along the western coast! This exploration route will pass through the coast of the Mixtecs, the valley of the Zapotecs, and even the Maya The Southern Highlands! . . . "

"Now, the ten longships of the Shipbuilding Department can be built within a few months. And the kingdom's exploration fleet has already gone to the distant Cuba, and I don't know when it will return. At this time, if the Shipbuilding Department brings up this exploration again According to the plan, the best candidate to be the captain of the new exploration is someone who has experience in long-distance voyages..."

"Ah, explore the southeast! At this time, start a new sea exploration, who else can lead the team besides me!"

Hearing this, Zuvalo's eyes suddenly brightened, and his face was filled with uncontrollable excitement~lightnovelpub.net~ He clearly knew what a great achievement was behind this plan! Even if you don't contact the southern Maya, as long as you explore the hinterland of the Mixtec and Zapotec people and collect enough information for the next expedition, that is an extremely outstanding military achievement!

"Praise the Lord God! The fleet goes out to sea and explores the southeast..."

"Zouaro!"

The god-inspired priest Mickey stretched out his hands and grabbed his old friend's wrist. He stared at the excited eyes of the other party, and repeated every word.

"You have to bring me! You need the full support of the Shipbuilding Department to make the exploration plan go through as much as possible!"

"...good!"

Zuwaro pursed his lips, remained silent for a moment, and nodded heavily.

"The Lord God is witness! If the proposal is approved, we will board the longship together!"

"Witness of the Lord God! I will convince all the priests in the Shipbuilding Department to fully support you!"

The two young god-inspired priests looked at each other closely for a moment, then laughed loudly again. Together they turned and looked towards the southeast coast. There was a look of anticipation in their eyes, like the waves on the sea.