The wind in February blew across Lake Texcoco, bringing a bit of chill. The winter sun was clear and dry, and it warmed people a little.
Early in the morning, Shulot took more than a hundred guards on a navy boat to inspect the production of saltpeter and gunpowder. Dozens of boats cut through the rising sun on the lake, and in less than two quarters of an hour,
We arrived at Tianhuo Island in the Oriental Salt Lake.
The boat had reported in advance, and Esco, the salt steward, had already led everyone to wait at the simple port. As soon as the fleet docked, the warrior captain Bertard waved an order. More than a hundred warriors immediately boarded the port and quickly checked the surrounding area.
situation, then the vigilance dispersed and the security was tight.
Xiulote shook his head. More than two weeks ago, the Nobility Law had just been promulgated, and there was a lot of discussion. Soon, the royal family and the priesthood dispatched thousands of warriors, arrested more than a dozen hereditary nobles of Tlacopan, and directly sentenced them to death.
Sacrifice. Facing the thunderous pressure, the nobles of all sizes around the lake area were once again frightened and forced to silence.
Subsequently, on the nobles' fiefdoms, in accordance with the new noble law, village priests began to intervene in management and participate in the collection of New Year's tribute. These tributes were twice as much as in previous years and were continuously transported from around the lake area to replenish the alliance.
The treasury is becoming increasingly tense. Under the calm surface of the capital, there are turbulent undercurrents everywhere.
Shulot's guarding warriors doubled accordingly, and the boat changed from a fast boat to a stable large one. The warrior captain became more vigilant and guarded His Highness day and night. At this time, until the warriors completed the inspection, the repairman
Lott was able to go ashore.
Most of February has passed, and it has been almost a month since he last came here.
Shulot looked around. Outside the island was the patrolling navy, and beside the lake was a simple port. A stream of green smoke rose from the outside of the island, which was a bonfire for boiling saltpeter. The salt workers in short clothes were working with the saltpeter pond.
People are working hard by the campfire, and a little way away is a resting hut. In the center of the island, there are already a dozen large wooden houses and dozens of small thatched houses. In the large wooden houses, female workers in long clothes can be vaguely seen, coming and going.
In a hurry, I was holding various clay pots.
Between the outside and the center of the island is a simple fence, dozens of erected wooden frames, and several flying flags of gods. Mexica warriors patrolled inside and outside the fence, supervising and urging them sternly.
Xiulote nodded in greeting and lifted Esco, who was kneeling to salute. He smiled slightly and praised.
"I haven't seen you for a few days, but this place is quite orderly and prosperous. How much soil salt is there in the inventory now? How many kilograms is the daily output?"
Based on the memory of his previous life, the young man roughly revised the system of weights and measures. Now inside and outside the Temple of God, weight is measured in kilograms, length is measured in meters, and time is measured in quarters and hours. Of course, these basic units cannot be measured accurately, but they are sufficient for the present.
.
Hearing His Highness's inquiry, Esco looked horrified. He lowered his head deeply and knelt on the ground again.
"Your Highness, the number of salt workers has now increased to more than 100 people. The production of soil saltpeter has been improved. The current output is slightly more than 100 kilograms of saltpeter per day, and the consumption of saltpeter is slightly less than 2,000 kilograms of soil... As for the inventory, the existing soil saltpeter
It’s about less than a thousand kilograms…”
Hearing this, Shulot frowned slightly and spoke sternly.
"Esco, it has been in production for 20 or 30 days, why is there only a thousand catties of soil salt in stock?"
The manager touched his head to the ground and replied in a low voice.
"Your Highness, this is my fault. About ten days ago, salt workers came in and out of the warehouse. Somehow, the accumulated saltpeter suddenly burned violently. The flames rose and expanded, exploding the entire wooden house and sending large pieces of wood flying.
Tens of meters out. The salt worker died on the spot, and his body was scattered everywhere. Several salt workers around him were also killed and injured...
Your Highness, I have beheaded all the salt workers in that group, hung their heads on wooden frames, and urged the salt workers day and night to step up production. Now the island has been divided into two layers, the inner and outer layers. The outer layer is filtered with saltpeter, and hundreds of salts are collected.
The worker sleeps next to the saltpeter tank. Half of the inner layer is for soil and saltpeter storage, and the other half is for the trial production of gunpowder. The warehouse is managed by dedicated personnel, and no one else is allowed to enter..."
Shulot looked serious. He stared at the kneeling Holy City warriors for a while, then raised his head and looked inside and outside the island. The salt workers and female workers were in an orderly manner, and dozens of heads were hung on the wooden frames between the inside and outside. The warriors
They were patrolling back and forth without any slack.
After a long silence, Shulot finally spoke calmly.
"You will be punished with twenty lashes, and you will be punished with meritorious deeds. Step up your production, and you will not do it again!"
Hearing this, Esco breathed a sigh of relief. He kowtowed hard and stood up, took off his shirt, took a whip dipped in water, and whipped his chest and back without hesitation, making a dull and powerful sound.
Not long after, blood seeped out from the warrior's front and back bodies, dripping onto the ground and turning his feet red.
After twenty lashes were drawn, Shulot gave a slight signal. The warrior commander immediately stepped forward, applied the prepared wound medicine to Esco, and wrapped it in boiled cotton cloth.
Esco's face twitched, and he gritted his teeth and reluctantly thanked him. Then, he only paused for a moment before leading His Highness to explore the island. After a while, everyone arrived at the largest salt-making point.
Moreno, the leader of the salt workers, knelt respectfully in front of the bonfire. On the bonfire was a clay pot for boiling saltpeter. A burst of pungent smell came from the bonfire. At this time, he lowered his head slightly, his face was much thinner, and the fierceness in his expression was gone.
Hidden deeply, like a docile domestic dog.
With his head lowered, the leader of the salt workers glanced at the bloody Esco from time to time, feeling relieved in his heart but also subconsciously fearful.
Xiulote looked at Moreno seriously and gave instructions in a deep voice.
"Moreno, what improvements have you made? Tell me in detail!"
"Dear Your Highness, I have discovered that these nitrate soils can actually be repeatedly irrigated with nitrate. Just put a bird egg in the brine after nitrate is poured into it, and you will know whether it has been completely irrigated. In fact, we used to use a similar method for boiling salt, but we recently tried it.
Only then did I realize it was possible..."
Moreno answered respectfully and quietly. He secretly glanced at the terrifying warrior captain again, and his heart trembled.
"Dear Your Highness, I also discovered that in addition to adding plant ash when boiling saltpeter, you can also add small pieces of pumpkin, which will increase the purity. It seems that adding bird eggs will also work..."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Having said this, the leader of the salt workers was slightly ashamed. In fact, he just wanted to secretly cook some eggs after working...but
I made some unexpected discoveries.
Shulot thought for a moment and nodded slightly. He had a vague feeling of familiarity with these methods, which should be feasible. Repeatedly pour the salt water and judge the salt content in the salt water by the degree of suspension of the eggs. Porous media such as pumpkin and radish can
Adsorb particulate impurities in nitrate water to improve the purification effect.
After a moment, Shulot smiled.
"Moreno, you have done well, what reward do you want?"
The leader of the salt workers secretly looked at His Highness's face again and felt that he was in a good mood, so he made an uneasy suggestion.
"Your Highness, I haven't been home for a month. I wonder if my brothers and I can go home and have a look... In fact, I am more familiar with the trade routes in the south than making salt..."
Shulot smiled slightly, nodded, and interrupted.
"Okay! Moreno, for your meritorious service, you will be promoted to a senior craftsman and will be rewarded with gold and silver cloth! Summarize your experience in making saltpetre, and I will send an aide over to record it in a book and also mark it with your name. This
In two days, I will send people directly to move you and your relatives of the salt workers to the community of Shenqishu. You don’t need to go home to visit your relatives, they will come to see you!
Next, a batch of toilet soil will be delivered. I have a new request: you must test different methods and extract qualified soil nitrate from these soils. This is very important! From now on, you will be in
Just settle down here and study and work hard, God Qi will not treat you badly!"
After saying that, Shulot looked calmly at the leader of the salt workers.
Moreno looked around at the warriors around him, and then at Esco, who was covered in blood, slowly and feebly lying on the ground. His heart still yearned for the vast world in the south, but his people would be trapped for a long time.
Imprisoned on a palm-sized island.
"Your Highness, in compliance with your will...can you build me a wooden house here?..."
Shulot smiled and nodded, then turned around and headed towards the island.
Passing through the wooden fence dividing the inside and outside, the young man raised his head slightly, glanced at the heads on display, and then continued forward. Under Esco's guidance, he first checked the inventory of saltpeter, and then tested the saltpeter.
Purity, he nodded slightly. Although he was not sure whether the purity could meet the requirements for the production of black powder, it was indeed slightly better than before.
Next, Shulot came to the newly built gunpowder workshop. There were several warehouses here, which stored dark charcoal, bright yellow sulfur, snow-white saltpetre, and a small amount of newly made black powder. The boy looked around and saw a group of female workers.
After waiting for a long time, they knelt down and saluted together.
Shulot nodded slightly and smiled.
Nowadays, these female workers are responsible for the configuration and management of gunpowder, and they also manage the storage of clay saltpeter. These female workers are all potters from the capital. They have been making pottery for many years, and they are patient and meticulous and have dexterity in their hands. They need to prepare the clay in proportion, so
They are also good at preparing and mixing gunpowder. The production of gunpowder is a delicate job that requires craftsmen to be meticulous and precise, so these potters are the most suitable.
Shulot gestured to excuse himself, and the leading female worker stood up and looked up at the young man with full eyes. The young man looked carefully and saw that she had shining eyes, a delicate face, and delicate white hands, and she smiled gently at him.
Looking at the familiar face, Shulot was stunned for a moment. He thought for a moment, then immediately guessed something, and turned his head to look at Bertard.
"Why is she here?"
The warrior commander raised his head in embarrassment and looked at the clear sky, but could not find a single white cloud for him to hide in.
"Talaiya is one of the daughters of the hero mother Tanari. After meeting His Highness last time, she was admitted to the High Priest's Palace, and then sent out by the High Priest as the gunpowder manager here..."
Bertard spoke concisely and concisely, summarizing the matter from beginning to end and giving a general outline.
In fact, His Highness held the other person's hand and looked at it affectionately for a long time. He silently wrote down the potter's girl's address and went back to report it to the high priest. In doing so, he was considerate of the young man's feelings, and secondly, he
He also had some selfish motives and wanted to surround the boy with some civilian girls. After all, Shulot's mother was also from a civilian background, and what will happen in the future is still unknown.
After hearing the reply from the warrior chief, the high priest frowned slightly, but still sent someone to ask for the name, and brought the potter girl Talea into the house as a maid temporarily. As a result, after waiting for several days, Shulot was busy inside and outside the whole day without mentioning it at all.
This matter seemed to have been forgotten. Afterwards, the grandson and grandson had a night conversation. Although the high priest verbally persuaded the young man to relax and enjoy himself and hinted at the matter, he was very satisfied with the young man's reply in his heart and did not want him to be exposed to the joyful songs of the opposite sex too early.
With the operation of Skyfire Island, the gunpowder workshop lacked stewards, so Talea was dispatched to manage the important gunpowder production on behalf of the high priest and His Highness. With this status and the prestige of her mother, she is also able to command Nian
Long other potters.
His thoughts started to change, and Shulot thought about it in a blink of an eye. He glared at the warrior commander, and then remembered the way Tanali, the brick kiln manager, looked at him two weeks ago, and the young man felt embarrassed.
After a while, Shulot regained his composure and smiled at Talea.
"Talaiya? Take out your newly configured gunpowder and demonstrate the burning effect. Be careful!"
The potter girl nodded, took another bold look, and turned back to the house. After a while, the female workers took out several clay pots, which contained dark black gunpowder. Then, one of the pottery pots was placed on the testing platform.
, surrounded by tied up straw men.
Hulot watched carefully. A female worker was holding a meter-long torch, and the cotton cloth dipped in oil at the top was burning brightly. She was close to the clay pot of gunpowder and was about to light it. The boy was frightened and shouted repeatedly.
.
"Stop, stop!"
The female worker stopped in surprise, only to see His Highness step forward quickly, snatch the torch away, and throw it far away.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "How can gunpowder be ignited directly? You need to add a hemp rope to guide the fuse and stay away from the explosion!"
The surrounding female workers looked at each other in confusion. After a moment, Talaya, who had the highest status, spoke softly.
"Your Highness, this gunpowder only makes the fire burn violently, and there is no explosion."
Shulot was slightly startled. He asked everyone to stay away carefully, put a fuse on the clay pot, and lit it immediately.
After a while, the gunpowder in the clay pot was suddenly ignited, and a raging fire suddenly rose. The fire was dazzling and bright. After burning for dozens of breaths, the bright flame slowly extinguished, and the air was filled with smoke and dust.
The pungent smell of sulfur. When the smoke dissipated, the boy looked carefully and saw that the gunpowder had almost burned away, leaving some black residue, but the clay pot itself was undamaged.
Shulot stood still for a moment again. He turned his head and looked at the potter girl.
"Talaiya, what proportion of the formula did you use?"
"According to the instructions His Highness left in advance, it is one part saltpeter, two parts sulphur, and three parts charcoal. It is one part saltpeter, two parts sulfur, and three parts charcoal. Grind the charcoal into powder and carefully mix it with the sulfur and earth saltpeter. The following cans of gunpowder are all
It's an approximate ratio, slightly increase the amount of soil saltpeter. This seems to have a better burning effect, but there is no explosion."
The potter girl replied in detail and looked at His Highness seriously.
Shulot was silent for a moment, there must be something wrong somewhere. Obviously, the formula he had heard before had a different meaning, and it was not the weight relationship of one to two to three that appeared on the surface.
Thinking of this, the young man asked for paper and pen, and sat cross-legged on the ground again. At the critical moment, he still had to search for the memory in his mind, deduce chemical formulas, and complete the calculation of relative molecular weight.
