In mid-March, the gentle spring breeze traveled south, traveled hundreds of miles across the long river, and came to the edge of the endless lake. The blue Pacific Ocean stretched as far as the eye could see, with sparkling waves and rising and falling tides day and night, which made people feel heartbroken.
"What a vast sea! What a man's romance!"
Shulot rode a canoe and stayed at the edge of the sea, looking at the ocean and sighing. He also had an ideal of exploring the blue sea, but he was destined to be hopeless in this life.
Hundreds of canoes docked at the mouth of the Tarsus River. Two thousand elite Guards immediately landed and launched a garrison of more than ten miles. When the king stepped onto the west bank of the Tarsus River, he saw at a glance that he was wearing leather armor.
, a gray earthy Puap with a slightly chubby face.
The scouts arrived first, and Huitu Puap was stationed at the mouth of the river and had been waiting for a long time. As soon as they saw him, he fell to the ground in excitement and saluted the king.
"God bless you! Your Majesty, your loyal general, Huitu Puap greets you! Even on the edge of the endless lake, I am always ready to dedicate my life to the kingdom!"
Shulot smiled faintly, looking at the dust nobles who were exiled and guarding the border, without saying a word.
"Your Highness, General Huitu has made great contributions to the discovery of the sacred stone this time. He is devout in his beliefs and has no fear of evil gods. Although his martial arts and fighting ability are average, he has a rare fierceness and courage!"
The black wolf Toltec took a step forward and said a few good words for Huitu.
Shulot then nodded slightly and waved his hand.
"Puap, get up! You have only been guarding the kingdom's borders for a few months, and you have already made great achievements. You are indeed worthy of use!"
Hearing the comment of "good for one use", Huitu Puupun burst into tears with excitement. He had been blowing the sea breeze on the seaside for four months, surrounded by sand and trees all day long, and could not see any prosperity.
The sight. Apart from eating seafood in different ways every day and instructing the villagers to work, he had hopelessly gained weight. He bowed respectfully again.
"Your Majesty, as the Lord God testifies, I am willing to live for your will and die for your will!"
Then, the king took a look around the kingdom's camp by the sea. The camp had begun to take shape and some wood had been accumulated. Under the supervision of the Prepecha warriors, hundreds of Tekos villagers used the distributed bronze axes to cut down the nearby woods.
Shulot nodded with satisfaction. Then, after having a delicious seafood meal in Trout Village, he couldn't wait to lead the imperial guards and headed west. Everyone stepped on the spring grass and smelled the wild flowers.
The delicate fragrance leads to Tekos Sacred Mountain, ten miles west of Trout Village.
To the north of the Sacred Mountain is the remnant of the Sierra Madre del Sur. Compared with other peaks, the Sacred Mountain is not towering, but has sparse forests and rare birds and animals.
Shulot carefully patrolled the sacred mountain. He saw a lot of black spots left by lightning strikes, and his face showed joy. He walked around the entire mountain, looking up from the bottom in circles. Whenever he saw the exposed reddish-brown rocks,
, or a large piece of dark blue mountain rock, he took out the magnet and felt the corresponding magnetic force on the rock.
"Leave five people, bring the prepared bronze pickaxes, and dig into the mountain here! Dig out the soil and stop when you encounter hard rocks. Pick a rock, record the distance, and report to me!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
Every time he climbed ten meters high, Shulot left five guards behind and asked them to dig out the soil on the surface of the mountain and extract rock samples. The more he patrolled, the more joyful his face became. Until he climbed the sacred mountain
By looking at the top of the mountain, he could be sure that under this low sacred mountain was a small magnetite! An iron mine that he had been searching for for a long time and could change the times!
"The Lord God bless! God bless the kingdom!"
Shulot stood high on the mountain, with a solemn expression, praying to the sun in the middle of the sky.
Although he does not know the quality of this iron mine or the specific reserves, iron ore is iron ore. No matter how small the iron ore is, there are millions of tons of grade, which is enough for the early mining and use of the kingdom. Iron smelting technology
Explore and finally get on the right track!
At this moment, the call of the Iron Age, like the sound of the Pacific Ocean tide, had truly appeared in his ears.
In fact, in later generations of Mexico, this iron mine was the Mina Las Truchas iron mine. There are only a few exposed veins in the sacred mountains on the ground, and its real vein layer is distributed twenty meters below the surface.
to 100 meters. Its surface reserves are about 11 million tons, with an average quality of 37%, making it a small iron-poor ore that can barely be mined.
This vein is a hydrothermal vein formed by the mutual extrusion of the Pacific and American plates. It contains a large amount of irregularly shaped magnetite. The main underground vein is about seven kilometers long and two kilometers wide. There are also deeper deposits.
For other vein layers, the mining cost is too high and obviously exceeds the mining capacity of the times.
"God bless you! God bless your majesty!"
When Huitu Puap saw the king praying, he quickly approached carefully and praised him loudly. Hearing his cry, the guards also prayed loudly to bless the king.
After a while, Shulot finished praying. He glanced at Puap with a smile, and his serious eyes softened.
"Huitu, you have indeed made a great contribution!"
The king said with a smile.
"What reward do you want?"
"Ah?! Your Majesty, I would like to return to the Gyeonggi Army, lead your warriors again, and go into battle to kill the enemy!"
"oh?"
Hearing this, Shulot smiled and shook his head.
"No! You have just been dismissed and cannot lead the army again."
"Uh...I am willing to obey your Majesty's arrangements!"
Huitu's eyes flashed, thinking of the old militiaman's words, he fell to the ground and expressed his submission to the king.
"Um."
Shulot pondered for a while before speaking.
"This sacred mountain is a mine, similar to the mine in Qingambat. I intend to set up a mining area supervisor here, under the Department of Industry and Mines, to be responsible for mining."
"Is the Holy Mountain a mine? Mining in the Holy Mountain?"
Hearing this, Hei Lang opened his eyes wide in surprise. Until now, he was still in awe of the mountain god in the sacred mountain and worried that the mountain god would rain down thunder.
"Exactly. The name of this mineral is iron. Iron is a gift from the Mother Goddess of the Earth, which attracts the thunder and lightning of the main god. The so-called Tekos Mountain God does not exist, but the Tekos people do not know the power of the main god, and attach it to
Above the false gods..."
Shulot looked solemn and explained the "theological" principles in a serious manner. The manpower for mining iron ore must be recruited from nearby villages. Everyone's fear must be dispelled first before resistance can be eliminated and the iron ore can be developed as soon as possible. With this kind of
Thoughts, he continued to talk in a deep voice.
"Everything in the world is stipulated by the Lord God and follows certain natural laws. You cannot do what you want. A large amount of iron ore will attract each other with thunder and lightning. This is because there is the essence of the earth in the iron, and the essence of the sky is in the thunder. The earth
Being in harmony with the sky is a predetermined law of nature... Therefore, when mining iron ore here, you need to avoid thunderstorms, but there is no problem in the dry season! Of course, everyone must pray to the Lord God regularly! I will also send the Lord God
The priest is here."
Bertard took out a pen and paper and quickly wrote down His Highness's narration. His Highness often talked about some laws of nature, which in his opinion were the most ideal principles like the Holy Scriptures. These ideal precepts must be compiled into a book.
Put it in Shenwei University for future generations to learn from.
"Praise to Your Highness! Your Highness is wise and divine!"
After listening for a moment, Hei Lang suddenly realized. He had no doubt about His Highness's words, and he spoke bitterly at this moment.
"Damn Priests of Tekos, how dare you threaten me with lies! Next time I meet the priests of the evil god, I will kill them!"
"Haha! From today on, this mountain will not be called Sacred Mountain, but Black Rock Mountain! Black Rock Mountain Iron Mine!"
Shulot smiled and returned to the topic again.
"Puapu, you have two places to go now."
"Ah? Your Majesty?"
Huitu raised his head in surprise and uneasiness.
The king paused and looked into Huitu's eyes.
"One is to stay at the mouth of the river and manage the Black Rock Mountain Iron Mine for me. The scale of mining here will gradually increase, and the number of warriors stationed here will also increase. In a few years, there will be another mining area, Black Rock City."
"...Uh, a miner leader?"
Hearing this, Huitu Puap was greatly disappointed.
The world has been at war for thousands of years, and both the Mexica Alliance and the Kingdom of the Lake respect force. In the traditional concept of the kingdom's warriors, no matter how many miners they manage, no warrior battalion commander has status. The former is just an ordinary person.
The civilian manager, the latter is the noble warrior leader.
"Your Majesty, what is the other place to go?"
"Another place to go..."
Seeing Huitu's expression, Shulot understood. He did not force himself, but smiled unexpectedly. He had previously exiled Huitu to the mouth of the sea, and a place had been prepared for him.
"You will lead the navy for me, starting from the seaport and exploring along the boundless lake. You will continue to search for new and fertile lands for the kingdom in the lake and conquer them!"
"Ah! Commander of the Southern Navy, conquer the land along the coast!"
Hearing this, Huitu Puap's heart skipped a beat. This touching choice made him feel much better than the miner's leader. Without hesitation, he gave another salute.
"Praise your Majesty! I am willing to lead the navy and die for the kingdom!"
"Ha ha!"
Shulot laughed. He said with a smile.
"Puap, this is a choice that requires courage. Don't regret it!"
“The Lord God has witnessed that I will never regret it!”
"Okay! The Lord God is witness!"
Xiuluo nodded and said no more. He looked to the side at the warrior commander who was smiling calmly.
"Bertard, we need a loyal mining supervisor here. He should be devout and familiar with the customs and language of the Tekos people... Do you have any recommendations?"
The warrior commander was silent, recalling the relevant personnel. The black wolf next to him suddenly spoke.
"Your Highness, I have a suitable candidate!..."
After a while, the personal guard Mavik was uneasy and was called in front of the king. Black Wolf smiled and patted Mavik on the shoulder and introduced him to the king.
"Your Highness, he is my personal guard Mavic. He is from Tekos and was born in the village of Trout not far away. He is a devout believer in the Lord God and has joined the royal army for many years. He also served in the Royal Guards as a vanguard.
Throwing, he participated in the battle of the Northern Conquest of the Dogs. Later, he came with me to the Guakili Army, and he was an important guide during the southwest sweep..."
"Oh? Tekos guards..."
Shulot looked carefully at Black Wolf's bodyguard. Mavik was in his early thirties, with a strong body, a calm expression, and a typical appearance of the Tekos people. Although he seemed a little nervous, he could still be seen as somewhat capable.
"Mavik, how many years have you been joining the Royal Army?"
"God bless you!"
Mavik subconsciously held the sun hummingbird talisman around his neck and managed to calm down.
"Your Majesty, I am a surrendered soldier who was captured when the North Army Corps captured the Huayamo Fortress. I have joined the royal army for four years!"
"Four years..."
Shulot was a little surprised. This qualification already surpassed that of many Prepecha warriors. Then, he asked Mavic for a while, examined a few Ari scriptures, and finally nodded with satisfaction.
"Very good! Mavik, are you willing to stay here, manage the mining area for me, and mine the ore in the mountain?"
"Ah? Stay here and manage the mining area?"
Mavik was stunned and asked subconsciously.
"Your Majesty, will Trout Village be under my control?"
"Of course! The villages around the mining area are all under your jurisdiction. You have to recruit at least a thousand Tekos miners to mine the iron ore in the mountains during the dry season! I will recruit experienced miners from the Qinganbat mining area and come here
I will assist you. The scale of subsequent mining will be expanded, and a furnace for smelting ore will be built nearby, and coke will be transported... Your work will be very heavy!"
"Ah, Your Majesty! Following your will, I am willing to do my best for you and manage the entire mining area!"
When he heard about the management of Trout Village, Mavic did not hesitate, bowed his head and knelt on the ground. It was so satisfying to be able to become the official of his hometown, to return to his hometown with honor, and to trample those who had been against him under his feet. What's more,
The trout and whitebait soup in my hometown are really nourishing!
"Very good! As witnessed by the Lord God, from today on, you are my warrior and the manager of the Black Rock Mountain Iron Mining Area!"
Shulot smiled and nodded. He solemnly stretched out his hand, shook Mavic's hair, and accepted Mavic's allegiance.
After a simple loyalty ceremony, the king gave Mavic instructions for a while. He had many plans for the mining and smelting of iron ore, but they had to be realized slowly.
Huitu looked at Mavik who was mentioned by the king, and suddenly felt a little envious in his heart. Then, he shook his head vigorously and told himself firmly.
"No, the leader of the miners is definitely not as good as the captain of the navy!"
The setting sun gradually set. Shulot stood on the top of the mountain and looked at the setting sun on the western sea. The setting sun was so magnificent that it was like the sea and sky, all covered with rays of light. The king looked at it in trance for a long time, and lowered his eyes slightly.
We arrived at the stone tablet where Black Wolf records his merits.
"Huh? This is..."
Shulot strode forward and read the crooked text carefully.
"The black wolf Toltec, the Fire Stove Hand Snake City, defeated the Tekos people, recorded their merits on the sacred mountain!...Huh? There are corresponding pictures below."
Shulot smiled and looked at it for a while, then shook his head and then nodded.
"Heilang, that's good! The drawing is great!"
"Haha! Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness!"
The black wolf held his head high and looked proud.
"But the writing is wrong."
Shulot's smile faded and he criticized seriously.
"Look at these two words! It means "fire", not "huozao". It means "break", not "毄波"... Go back to Trout Village later and ask the warrior chief to give you a pen and paper. Copy these two words a hundred times!"
"Ah! Your Highness!"
Black Wolf's eyes widened, and his proud smile suddenly fell.
"A hundred times..."
"Hmm. Give me a bronze carving knife!"
The king nodded and said with deep meaning.
"I will fill in the words that Black Wolf lacks with my own hands!"
The setting sun has set, and its last rays of light fall on the hard stone tablet, illuminating new carvings. The king and generals have left, with new hope, pursuing the glimmer of the new era.
In the next few days, Shulot stopped at Trout Village. Unexpectedly, the personal guard Mavik was very good at craftsmanship, and the village chief Maho was also good at making fires. The king said that the delicious fish soup was very suitable.
His taste.
The guards who were excavating in Black Rock Mountain successively reported back with samples. The iron ore began to be scattered sporadically from the mountainside of Black Rock Mountain, and gradually extended to the bottom of the mountain, forming more and more obvious veins. According to this trend, the real veins
It should be under Black Rock Mountain.
Hearing this, Xiulote frowned slightly. The veins of the Black Rock Mountain Iron Mine are still a bit deep, and mining is a bit difficult. If it were left in later generations, the hill could be blown up directly. But in this era, we can only use a lot of manpower, and slowly
excavated.
In late March, sporadic iron ore was mined and piled under the Black Rock Mountain. The Tekos villagers were also mobilized and began to build simple small furnaces. If time permits, the king even wants to stay here for a few more months to see with his own eyes
Watching the furnace being built, the first scattered iron ore began to be smelted.
However, at the end of March, the alliance's envoy finally arrived at the mouth of the Talsas River. He first came west along the Leman River from the capital in the lake, then landed in Hekou County, and went south to the capital of Qincongcan.
, he followed the traces of the king, heading south to Lithospermum City, west to Apa City, and finally got on a small boat and headed south for hundreds of miles to the mouth of the Talsas River.
"I traveled fifteen hundred miles and finally caught up with His Highness here!"
The messenger was so thin that he was almost out of shape from exhaustion. He took out three decrees from his arms and read them out one by one.
The first is the will of the elders.
"...Summon His Highness Lotto to the capital city in the lake to formally marry Princess Alyssa... After the wedding ceremony, prepare for the Eastern Expedition."
The second copy was the decree of King Avit, which simply repeated the elder's words and then added a sentence.
"...Come quickly and prepare for the ceremony. Alyssa's wedding must shine on all nations!"
The third copy is the decree of the chief priest, with another sentence added.
"...Bring the most precious gift and marry the princess!"
Then, the messenger took out two more private letters and gave them to Shulot.
The first letter was left by his father, Shusok, and contained some wedding arrangements. It also mentioned the Alliance's plan to conquer Tlaxcala after the autumn harvest.
The second letter is written in beautiful handwriting with a faint fragrance. On the front of the letter is a painting, a boy holds the hand of a girl, sitting side by side on the pyramid, looking at the stars in the sky. Below the painting, there are a few lines
Missing words.
After Hulot finished reading the text, his heart surged. Then, he turned over the back of the letter and saw a faint rouge red kiss mark.
Seeing this, Shulot's inner longing could no longer be suppressed. He stood on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, looked at the mountains in the northeast, and shouted in his heart.
