Aztec Eternals

The spring breeze of March blows all over the world, and the huge army marches forward. The wilderness in the north is already covered with green grass, and the curling smoke rises from the villages in Mintun, and the world is full of vitality.

Shulot stayed in the Hekou Fortress for more than half a month, and immediately sent a large number of scouts to the north. Afterwards, he summoned the priests from various villages and listened carefully to the details of the cultivation and the progress of the mission in each village. Then, in front of many priests, the king appointed the monkey Kuluka as the chief speaker of Hekou County, that is, the military and political chief.

The 1st Long Spear Corps obeyed the king's order and immediately defended the Hekou Fortress. They will be arranged to be stationed in farmland for a long time, and at the same time be responsible for the transfer of grain for Wang Jun's northward journey. The Mintun in Hekou County was established earlier, and last year's autumn harvest was pretty good. A batch of food and grass has been saved in the fortress, enough to supply the 6,000 soldiers of the Janissaries to the Ottopan City-State Council. Shulot would not entrust the vital supply of food and grass to the Otomi people who were always short of food.

Afterwards, the king did not stop, and inspected the estuary docks around the fortress. He summoned many craftsmen to explore the construction plan of new ships.

The Estuary Dock is actually located on the shore of Lake Queteo, south of the fortress. It is located in an inner lake, with a small area and simple facilities, but it has accumulated a lot of logs that can be used to build large canoes. The kingdom's big canoe can carry 40 people, and it needs a fir or oak wood at least fifteen meters high and two to three meters in diameter as the hull. These logs have been dried in the shade for many years, and they are all the property accumulated by the Tarasco Kingdom over the past few decades. Now they are cheap and sealed off in the lake.

Called by the king, the inherited shipbuilders of the Hekou Fortress and the master carpenters of the capital who came with the army all gathered in the open-air dock to listen to the king's wishes.

The noon sun is just warm. There are many warriors in the dock, and the guards are strict. Xiulot looked around and examined the many senior master craftsmen standing at the front for a while. The master craftsmen were all dressed in Prepecha costumes, and all of them lowered their eyebrows and looked down, showing full respect. The king nodded slightly and spoke solemnly.

"The Lord God blesses you! Today, all the master craftsmen are called here for a major event related to the gods, the alliance, and the people!"

"The Feathered Serpent God stepped on a snake boat to the great lake in the east, and made a promise of revenge. He left the Feathered Serpent God's race on the Eastern Snake Island, and colluded with the white-skinned alien race outside the lake. These alien races may come from the distant East Lake in big boats at any time, bringing boundless wars, diseases and disasters. For this reason, the main god issued a divine decree, and the alliance decided to go east to find traces of the descendants of the Feathered Serpent God, and build a canopy in the East Lake A big ship sailing in the middle!"

Hearing this, the Prepecha masters present looked at each other in blank dismay. A low voice of conversation soon resounded in the dock.

The myth of the Feathered Serpent God going east has been circulated for hundreds of thousands of years, and everyone in the world has heard of it. What feathered serpent descendants, what white-skinned aliens, what building big ships, and exploring in distant lakes. The master craftsmen of Preepecha actually didn't think so. It's just that since the construction of a large ship is related to the supreme decree, it is a major event that can destroy the family at any time. They had to be careful and use their minds and strength.

After a while, an old man with a vicissitudes of life stood up. The old man's clothes are eye-catching, with tree patterns on his robes, and a sandalwood necklace around his neck. His movements are capable, his expression is respectful and confident, and he represents many master craftsmen, saluting the king above him.

"Your Majesty, when it comes to shipbuilding technology in the world, the Mayans in the far east are the number one, and the Prepecha people in our lake are the second! In fact, as long as the copper supply is sufficient, we have already been able to connect the big wood with the ship. planks, and make a boat several times the size of a canoe, and sail in the great lake!"

Hearing this, Xiulot was refreshed. He looked at the old man in charge and asked.

"What is the master's name?"

"Your Majesty, I am Pukuta, the 'Carpenter in the Lake', the chief shipwright of the Estuary Fortress! My family has passed down the boat-building crafts of the people of the lake for generations. Many of the large canoes of the Royal Navy come from me and my apprentices hands!"

Xiuluo nodded. Pukuta means "the forest of the forest, the carpenter of the lake". In this era, senior craftsmen still maintain the characteristics of tribal inheritance. Relying on the important technology that they exclusively master, they always have a certain influence in the local area and even in the kingdom. Their status is often comparable to military nobles, and they can also command ordinary craftsmen in the industry.

"Good! When the army went north, they specially brought two thousand catties of copper material, which was specially used for shipbuilding!"

The king said loudly. Hearing the amount of two thousand catties of copper material, the master craftsmen all took a deep breath. The value of two thousand catties of copper material at this time is roughly equivalent to two thousand catties of gold sand!

"Pukuta, you said that you can build a big boat that is several times the size of a canoe, and it can pass through the big lake. Do you have any real objects or blueprints?"

Hearing the king's question, Pukuta hesitated a little, then took out a treasured leather scroll from his bosom, and handed it to the king carefully.

Xiulot touched the material of the roll, and it turned out to be a roll of fig bark. This kind of bark roll is similar to the bark paper used by the Mayans. After initial papermaking treatments such as soaking, steaming, and drying, it is quite strong and durable. It's just that the raw materials are relatively scarce and the manufacturing cost is very high.

The king opened the leather scroll and looked carefully, and soon let out a light sigh.

"Huh! Polynesian-like double-hull canoes? And New Guinea-like multi-hull canoes? Well, this design idea is very similar to the chain link of the Chibi water battle."

Shulot moved his eyes and saw two side-by-side canoes drawn on the top of the scroll. The two boats are connected in parallel by wooden beams, on which boards are laid to carry goods or people. Each of the tail ends of the two boats is equipped with a tail rotor, which is used to control the direction of the boat.

Underneath the scroll, there are many side-by-side canoes drawn. Similarly, the canoes are connected in parallel with wooden beams and fixed into one body. On the outside of the multi-hull canoe, there are also simple horizontal rows that are extended and connected. Floating horizontally in the water can further increase the buoyancy and improve the transport carrying capacity of the ship. Of course, the speed of the ship will be reduced accordingly.

"Your Majesty, the wind canoe above moves quickly, and it is designed for water warfare and marching. The wooden plank between the two boats can carry multiple warriors, and can also provide a shooting platform for archers! And the snake canoe below The load is heavy, and it is designed for the transportation of people and materials. People can be carried on the row, or goods that are not afraid of getting wet! Of course, in order to firmly connect the boats, expensive copper nails and copper chains are required. But The advantage is that you don’t need real big wood, but you can build a usable big boat.”

Pukuta raised his head, his eyes were piercing, he looked up at the king, his words were full of confidence.

Xiulot nodded slowly, showing admiration on his face. This double or multi-body connection, or even the way of installing outriggers, can not only increase the carrying weight, but also greatly improve the stability and wind and wave resistance of the canoe. The improved canoe will have basic ocean-going sailing capabilities, which is the pinnacle of canoe development under existing technology.

Austronesian tribes relied on this type of canoe to sail continuously and conquer the entire Pacific Rim islands. They traveled from Yizhou to Luzon, from the Indonesian islands to New Zealand, from the New Guinea islands to Fiji, Tonga, Honolulu, until Easter Island, and even one branch went west from Sumatra, drifted across the entire Indian Ocean, and finally Lay down roots in Madagascar!

After thinking for a while, the king made pertinent suggestions with reference to the Polynesian design.

"Pukuta, very nice design! For this kind of catamaran canoe, you can erect two adjustable cotton sails on the head and the connecting beam in the middle! In this way, you can sail with the help of wind"

Xiulot took out the pen and paper and drew a simple schematic diagram. Pukuta was surprised to hear such professional advice. He carefully looked at the improved diagram, thought for a while, and then nodded sincerely.

"Your Majesty is right!"

Shulot smiled in satisfaction, and patted Pukuta on the shoulder.

"Pukuta, the water is the hometown of fish and the habitat of water snakes. From this drawing, I know that you are not a short-sighted river fish, but a water snake that can roam and hunt! Since the big The craftsmen have such exploration ability and enough experience in metal riveting, then I can rest assured to entrust the important task to you!"

As the king spoke, he took out three blueprints from his pocket. He waved to the master craftsmen around him, and several of the most senior shipbuilders came forward and watched with Pukuta.

Pukuta looked carefully, and saw that the first painting was a large flat longboat with a slender hull, a shallow waterline, and a low freeboard.

The size marked on the boat is about 18 meters long and 3 meters wide. The longship is divided into upper and lower sides by the deck. On both sides of the bottom layer under the deck, a row of densely packed oars protrudes, and there is a tail rotor for adjusting the direction at the tail. In the middle and the head of the deck, two sails, one large and one small, are erected. The central sail has a larger area and is the main sail; the head sail has a smaller area and is the auxiliary sail. On the head of the longship, there was also a flashing and sharp metal ram.

"This kind of ship is a galley! Below the deck is the oarsman, and above the deck is used to carry soldiers and supplies!"

Shulot smiled lightly. This is the ancient ship shape that he roughly recalled based on his film and television works. It was formed in the ancient Greek period, that is, the Galley with a long history, a galley. Galleys rely on both wind power and human power, and the manufacturing technology is relatively simple. It has been used from the tenth century BC to the fifteenth century. It was a warship in the early Mediterranean naval battles, and now it is mostly used as an offshore trading vessel.

"The upper one is a simple single row galley, that is, the rowers on both sides line up in a horizontal row. The lower one is a double row galley. It means that the sides of the ship are built with radians. Arranging two rows of rowers of different heights can increase the number of rowers and increase the rowing speed! By analogy, there are faster triremes."

Having said that, the king paused, his expression became serious.

"Pukuta, these gods of the ship owner gave me divine inspiration. I can only draw a general appearance and point out one direction! As for the specific hull design and the connection of various parts, you have to explore and realize it yourself. For this Do you have the confidence to build a galley?"

In the dock, a group of master craftsmen discussed quietly in Prepecha for a while, and Pukuta was still asked to reply as a representative.

"Your Majesty, the Mayans have similar paddle boats. Although they are not as complicated as this blueprint, the basic principles are still similar. We Prepecha people have experience in splicing hulls. As long as there are enough copper and wood materials, you can After a year or so of exploration, it shouldn't be a big problem to produce a qualified sample ship!"

Pukuta is radiant, and although he is a little cautious in his speech, he is still full of confidence.

Xiulot nodded approvingly, making no effort to hide his joy.

Shipbuilding is a difficult job that requires a lot of technical exploration and practice, and it is definitely not something that one or two people can easily speed up. Even though he, as a traverser, knew the shape and general structure of the ship, it would be extremely difficult for the craftsmen to make it without sufficient technical accumulation. Pukuta was able to promise to trial-produce the galley within a year, which was enough to make him overjoyed.

Immediately, the king unfolded the second volume of blueprints, and once again looked expectantly at the masters present.

The second volume of drawings shows sand boats common in the Chinese dynasty, and flat-bottomed tank boats used in large rivers or near seas, which were roughly formed in the Tang and Song Dynasties. It has a square nose and square tail, a spacious deck and a low freeboard. The most notable feature is multiple masts and multiple sails, wide and flat. Because of the multi-sail design, the speed of the boat is faster. There is also a raised and lowered steering rudder at the stern. More importantly, the sand ship adopts the flat keel pioneered by China, which is wide and thick, can carry wind and waves, and pass unimpeded in the sea!

Xiulot couldn't remember the complete structure of the sandship. He just drew the five masts of "three fronts and two rears" according to the fragments of the water town in the south of the Yangtze River in his memory, then drew the rudder at the stern of the sand ship, and finally marked the flat keel of the hull.

The marked size of the sand ship is 20 meters long, 4 meters wide, and 1.5 meters high, that is, the total volume is about 120 cubic meters, and the effective capacity should be 50-60 cubic meters, which is about 500-600 stones in the Ming Dynasty. This kind of sand boat usually only needs seven or eight people to operate freely, and it is the most classic Chinese sailing style. Different sails can take advantage of the wind in all directions, and the cost performance of transportation is extremely high, and the carrying capacity has far exceeded the needs of the alliance and the kingdom.

Pukuta stared wide-eyed, watching the ship map of "Shen Qi" carefully. He scanned every corner of the ship map and saw many blurred labels and large gaps in the connecting parts, so he couldn't help frowning.

"Your Majesty, is there a more detailed diagram of the interior of this ship map?"

Shulot was slightly embarrassed, and shook his head calmly.

"Shenqi is always fleeting, just like the unpredictable Shenyi. This kind of sand ship is mainly used for transportation. It can sail in large lakes and resist strong wind and waves. The most notable ones are the rudder at the stern to control the direction, and the keel shaped by the hull. .”

"Rudder? Keel?"

Pukuta chewed on these two unfamiliar words, his eyes full of exploration.

"Your Majesty, please explain in detail."

Xiulot thought about it carefully, recalled the principles learned in physics textbooks, and then explained aloud.

"The role of the rudder is actually similar to the paddle that controls the direction of the stern of a canoe. It contains the rudder blade in the water, which is the stern rotor that steers the direction. Then there is the rudder stock that transmits power, and the rudder that is manipulated by a person at the stern. Horizontal rudder. When a sand ship is going to turn left, turn the rudder to the left, and drive the tail rotor to the right, and then the water will hit the hull to the left.”

Pukuta thought for a moment, and his years of experience in shipbuilding were confirmed by what he had seen and heard at the moment. He suddenly realized it and exclaimed loudly.

"Your Majesty is wise and enlightened! But this kind of rotation requires great force, and the rudder stock needs to be made of high-quality hardwood. Well, birch, red oak, and rosewood can all be used. As for the keel, what kind of bone is it?"

Shulot shook his head and laughed. he said with a smile.

"The keel is just a metaphor. It means a strong skeleton of a giant beast. It is actually a longitudinal structure that runs through the center line of the bottom of the ship from the beginning to the end. If a strong material, such as old wood, is used to penetrate the entire hull, it will It makes the boat very strong and stable in the wind and waves of the East Lake. As for the flat keel."

Having said that, Shulot paused for a moment. He only knows the basic concepts, but he doesn't understand the specific details of the keel. After a while, the king spoke in a little embarrassment.

"The flat keel is the keel that is spliced ​​together. As for the specific structure, you should try it out and explore it hard!"

Pukuta looked at the face of the king, and suddenly understood. He bowed his head in salute, and then discussed with the master craftsmen for a while before carefully replying.

"Your Majesty, this kind of sand ship is quite new. The style has never been seen before. It also has a rudder and some kind of keel. Everyone needs to think about it. If you are lucky, you may be able to build it in four or five years. If you are not lucky. Maybe ten years or more."

Hearing this, Xiu Luote's complexion changed. He stared at Pukuta sharply, like a majestic eagle. Pukuta saluted calmly and bowed his head deeply. The master craftsmen around also bowed their heads in salute.

After a long time, the king sighed slightly when he thought of the difficulty of exploring the shipbuilding industry, and finally made a decision.

"Pukuta, if this is the case, you should explore it! From today onwards, the Northern Shipbuilding Department will be established, which will be directly subordinate to the Shenqi Institute in the capital, and you will be the director! The copper materials in the south will be given priority to you. Start with the two-body shipbuilding department first. Start with a multi-body canoe, familiarize yourself with the craft of connecting ships, and upgrade the kingdom's water army. Then, you should hurry up and explore the production process of the galley. Within a year, I want to hear good news from you!"

"As for the more complex Sandship"

Shulot pondered for a moment, then generously promised.

"I don't limit your exploration time. As long as you can produce a qualified sample ship, the leader will be awarded the title of hereditary nobleman and a hereditary fief of 2,400 acres in Hekou County! The rest of the subordinate senior craftsmen can be promoted to military merit Nobles, reward gold, silver, feathers, and fields!"

Hearing such a generous reward, the craftsmen breathed heavily, and even their eyes shone brightly. Pukuta took two deep breaths and kept his composure. He looked intently at the last volume of album in the king's hand.

"Your Majesty, what is the picture of the ship in your last album, can you let me have a look?"

Hearing this, Xiulot lowered his eyes, his mind drifting away. He seemed to hear the sound of trumpets in order, followed by the roar of artillery fire. The towering sailing battleship opened its sails and slowly crossed the hull, revealing rows of neat gun barrels. The thunder erupted in an instant, destroying all enemies on the shore and at sea!

After pondering for a long time, the king shook his head. He put away the last ship map and said with a smile.

"This is a gift from the goddess of truth and justice, and it is far from the time to open it! I hope that in my lifetime, I can see it come and bring the alliance a vast truth. Pukuta, do it well! The kingdom's vast future , is in your hard-working hands!"

Hearing the king's high hopes, Pukuta knelt down and saluted, saying "dare not". Many shipwrights also knelt down on the ground, showing apprehension.

Shulot left a chart of the boat and slept at the dock that night. Then, he discussed with senior craftsmen for several days, and personally presided over the establishment of the Shipbuilding Department. It wasn't until the first catamaran canoe began to improve that he led his guards away.

March is coming to an end. There are swaying green reeds everywhere along the Leman River, as well as the singing of birds. The envoys of Ottopan had been waiting for a long time in the fortress at the mouth of the river, begging His Majesty to go north as soon as possible.

As stable as a mountain, Shulot first summoned the scouts who had returned from the north to understand the situation around Ottopan. Then, he summoned the monkey Kuluka one last time. Kuluka has preliminarily sorted out the government affairs of Hekou County and arranged the transportation of logistics and grass.

The king expressed his approval with satisfaction, and then led the 6,000 imperial guards, crossed the surging Leman River in a small boat of the navy, and headed north of Ottopan City again. A few days later, under the respectful and defensive eyes of the Otomi people along the way, the mighty Royal Guards of the Kingdom arrived under the impenetrable mountain city.