Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1780 - 1274: Cuban Technological Innovation: Arab Lateen Ship and the First Matchlock Gun
The dry wind rises from the arid season of the Iberian Peninsula, crossing the entire Atlantic Ocean, brewing under the Azores high pressure, and finally transforms into damp northeast trade winds, blowing mightily westward. And when the trade winds arrive in May at the hot Caribbean Islands, heavy moisture falls from the clouds, ushering in the rainy season on the Cuba Main Island.
"Whoosh... Splash!..."
The wind blows the spray, as the oars cut through the waves. Iron Bay Town of the Kingdom is already the busiest place on the thousands of miles of Cuba Main Island. Hundreds of canoes fish inside and outside the harbor, while more tribes paddle small boats from various parts of Cuba to trade. Even quite a few big canoes come from the distant Haiti Island, carrying full loads of tobacco, fruits, and cotton thread, to exchange for a few useful ironwares and a small bag of attractive glass beads.
"Everyone put more effort, get the sails up! Good! Great!..."
In the rudimentary shipbuilding site at the port, carpenter Antonio waves his arms, directing several apprentices to hoist a brand new triangular sail onto the new middle mast of the longship. Originally styled like a Viking longship, after this transformation, it turned into an Arab-style dual-purpose sailboat, now boasting three masts and sails both horizontal and vertical.
"Blessings from the Divine Son of Vizilopo! This modification should greatly enhance wind utilization efficiency, reducing the need for rowers during normal navigation, perhaps even doing away with rowers... Let's, go onboard and sea trial it..."
Soon, several Warriors of the Kingdom, holding spears and carrying bows, both protecting and monitoring, boarded with carpenter Antonio. Then, this originally forty-rower oar-sailed longship began to sail slowly, merely relying on wind power, increasingly gaining speed until it sailed out of the bay!...
"Damned! Antonio, that guy went to sea again! I talked to him before about stealing a ship to escape together... But not only did he refuse, he even threatened to report me!... Truly damned!..." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
On the outskirts of Iron Bay Town, "Dunghill" Alana squats on a hill, looking at the "Arab sailboat" sailing out of the harbor with eyes red from envy. His nose, also red, isn't due to any illness, but simply from being constantly exposed to the saltpeter field fumes, now he can't even perceive smells.
"Boohoo! This smell on me, I can't wash it away, nor clean myself anymore... Ah! If only I could return to the manor back home, resting under the oak tree, staying by the orchard, sipping self-brewed wine... Boohoo! Brother-in-law, brother-in-law! When will you come with the Kingdom's fleet to rescue me?!..."
Alana turns his gaze to the two-acre saltpeter fields beneath the hill, looking at the town's waste water brought in daily, unable to stop his tears. How could a son of a great manor lord in Castile have believed brother-in-law Columbus's words, boarded the Kingdom's exploratory ship, ended up in the depths of the ocean thousands, tens of thousands of miles away, and then got captured by fierce natives, ultimately becoming a "Dunghill" involved in saltpeter making?
Nobody can answer such philosophical questions. One's destiny depends not only on oneself but also on the course of history. The salty sea breeze blows past, making two acres of accumulated saltpeter fields begin to show a faint white color. To prevent erosion from the rainy season, several grass and bamboo shelters have been set up over the saltpeter fields.
At the moment, a dozen tribal apprentices are busy between the saltpeter fields, sweeping the white saltpeter soil, then piling up new layers, and continuing to pour waste water over the saltpeter. Although these fields don't produce much and require many laborers, their output is stable. As for the boiling process for saltpeter, it still awaits Alana's personal involvement. He indeed controls the boiling temperature best...
"Clang-clang! Clang-clang!..."
Iron forging smoke arises from the southern side of Iron Bay Town. The continuous sounds of forging echo non-stop from rows of blacksmith shops. If working with "Dunghill" Alana pouring waste is the most avoided task for all native apprentices, then working with "Iron Head" Carlo in blacksmithing is the most desirable task! Because the ironwares they smelt and forge are the hardest currency on the entire Cuba Main Island!
Under Goldsmith Carlo's guidance, all iron smelting furnaces in Iron Bay have been upgraded to new "Cell Furnace" models. And with the new furnaces, incorporating Europe's iron smelting experience, the quality and efficiency of iron smelting have nearly doubled, truly astonishing everyone!
With genuine crafting skills, one receives great rewards and utilization from the Kingdom. Goldsmith Carlo quickly received an exclusive forge and made a complete set of European iron forging tools. Then, relying on his "unparalleled" blacksmithing skills, he became the de facto mentor to numerous Kingdom blacksmiths, a "Ironsmith Master" to be learned from and emulated.
He seized every moment, day and night, forging a sailors' curved knife of fine steel, presenting it to the Warrior Camp Chief Huitu Puapu. And this "Divine weapon" crafted of low-grade steel amazed the Warriors of the Kingdom, each one eyeing it enviously.
From then on, Kingdom warriors seeking Carlo to craft "Divine Weapons" came in droves. His status escalated dramatically, not only did he marry two tribal wives, he also accepted a dozen apprentices, becoming the most successful of all surrendering captives, a true "superior man".
"Oh Almighty of Vizilopo! Who would have thought that I, Carlo, could become the 'Ironsmith Master' of a Native Kingdom! The esteemed Archbishop of Cipangu told me this position is tantamount to the Kingdom's nobility... Ahaha! My ancestors buried in the soil witnessed, that even our family of iron-crafting generations has produced a noble! Truly, ancestors' blessing..."
"Praise the Chief Divine! How could being an ordinary blacksmith in the Kingdom of Castile compare to staying as nobility in a Native Kingdom?... Ahaha! Once I establish the noble family, I'll use 'Iron Anvil' as the emblem of nobility, and 'Herrero' as the new noble surname!"...
Thinking of this, Goldsmith Carlo's face blossoms into a radiant smile. Sometimes, he even feels grateful to Columbus for bringing them to this island and for being captured by the Native Kingdom, completely altering his destiny.
"Clang-clang!..."
The sound of hammering on the iron anvil persists. The newly accepted native apprentices sweat profusely, forging the simplest spearheads and farming tools. Goldsmith Carlo merely checks their work briefly, occasionally demonstrating guidance. By the way, since his marriage, he has diligently studied foreign languages, the Cuba tribal language is especially well-spoken, allowing him to smoothly communicate with the apprentices.
"Look carefully! This is how to use the bellows! Pay attention to the color of the iron, estimate the temperature and this kind of red color is about right! Forge quickly, precisely, fiercely, turn the iron rod in one direction to produce texture!"...
After guiding the apprentices on forging, Goldsmith Carlo stands upright, heading to his station. The Cipangu Archbishop once asked him if he knows how to make "water-driven, hammering things", he hesitated, understanding that this means "Hydraulic Forging Hammer". Yet, such advanced things popular in Shenluo and Northern Italy's realms, how would he, an ordinary Iberian blacksmith, know them?...
Next, the Cipangu Archbishop asked if he knows how to make "fire-powder-loading, shooting things". This time, he was somewhat troubled but still respectfully nodded. Isn't it just making the barrels for matchlock guns, he knows how to do it, although it's extremely labor-intensive, time-consuming, and unprofitable. Often it's a military supply task imposed by the Kingdom of Castile, forcing blacksmiths to do...
"Clang-clang!"
Goldsmith Carlo takes a deep breath, draws out the hardest gold tube, and retrieves the repeatedly forged, even twisted twice threaded malleable iron rod. Next, it's the most labor-intensive task, forging the iron rod onto the gold tube section by section, tightly wrapping it by rotating. After thousands upon thousands of hammer strikes, the circles of iron rods will become a durable thousand-forged iron, thoroughly merging together, ultimately forming the barrel of the matchlock gun!...
"Clang-clang! Clang-clang..."
In Iron Bay Town on the Cuba Peninsula, amidst the sounds of hammering in the blacksmith shops, the Kingdom's first matchlock gun, also the first homemade matchlock gun on the North American continent, is slowly taking shape~
