After so deliberation, Xiulote chose a local noble recomnded by the Chief Jatili as the Director, Sulata. The King had t with him once, asked so practical questions about production and managent, and nodded in satisfaction.
In the Prepetcha language, "Sulata" ans cotton. As the na suggests, the title Sulata represents an ancient family that has been involved in cotton weaving for generations. Sulata was around forty years old, always cautious and ticulous. When the city fell, he hid among the group of craftsn he usually managed to evade the search of the xica legion. He had been kind and well-regarded by his family, so none of the craftsn betrayed him, and he luckily escaped the wrath of the war club.
The Military Production Bureau was responsible for the manufacture of military equipnt, including traditional war clubs, shields, bronze axes, copper spears, leather armor, as well as the newer longbows, heavy crossbows, bronze cloth armor, and the bronze cannons being manufactured.
The Director of the Military Production Bureau was Kushinji, a bowyer from the xica, while the Deputy Director was the local technician bureaucrat, Chalape. The old carpenter Kuode was highly valued within the Alliance, in charge of the center of craftsn, and naturally would not co to serve in the fief in the Lake Region. On the other hand, Kushinji refused to be subordinate to his old rival and ca to the Lake Region to set up his own establishnt. The King thus gladly accepted him and entrusted him with a significant role.
Under the Military Production Bureau, there were two other heavily invested manufacturing bureaus. One was the Bow and Crossbow Bureau, headed by the Prepetcha bowyer Kundili, and the other was the Bronze Bureau, led by the Master Caster Tilipi.
Tilipi was now busy day and night, living in the Bronze Workshop. As the deadline for the bronze cannons approached, his pressure increased, and he often erupted in rage at the craftsn. When Xiulote summoned the spies placed in the workshop and learned of the difficult progress of the cannon casting, he prepared to discreetly grant them so more ti. In the coming February, the King would go north to ally with the Otomi people, jointly confronting the southward raids of the Chichica Canine Descendants. It would be at least two or three months before he returned to the Capital City to oversee spring plowing.
Outside the Capital City, there were also the Construction Bureau, the Printing Bureau, and the Special Trade Goods Bureau.
The Construction Bureau had workshops for charcoal burning and brickmaking and supervised over a thousand laborers. The Director of the Construction Bureau was Koskachi, the head of the charcoal workers from the Alliance. This gravel-voiced foreman, actually sharp and astute, had not hesitated to follow the Priesthood here to join the independent prince. Xiulote admired him and needed trustworthy personnel, so he entrusted the construction responsibilities to him.
The Printing Bureau was in charge of both papermaking and printing workshops. The Director of the Printing Bureau was the young priest Xipak, who oversaw papermaking, and the Deputy Director was the xica jade craftsman Aquila, in charge of printing. Hmm, they were all old acquaintances of Xiulote. As long as they continued to follow the prince, no matter what their origins were, they would find a shortcut to career developnt!
At this mont, hundreds and thousands of religious texts and legal docunts were continually produced by the Printing Bureau, spreading the faith and will of the Alliance at a rate beyond the imagination of the rest of the world. Therefore, this departnt had actual propaganda capabilities.
Considering long-term planning, the King decided to list the Printing Bureau separately under his direct control. In the future, the Printing Bureau would keep rising in significance and expand its outreach to truly take on the responsibilities of propaganda and education.
The Special Trade Goods Bureau, or simply the Trade Bureau, was tasked with the manufacture of special trade goods. The Trade Bureau only had a rough frawork for now, managed by the head stonemason Losano, who owned a highly secretive glass workshop.
Losano had been making glass for three full years and, after obtaining the newly made charcoal, finally made an initial breakthrough: following the prince’s hint, he added lead ore and barite to the quartz sand and successfully produced slightly transparent lead glass!
Upon receiving the good news, Xiulote joyfully put aside his administrative work and hurried to the workshop at sunset. In the glow of the setting sun, glass beads of various sizes, in a shallow green hue, sparkled with a splendid glow, colorful and magnificent, clear and dazzling.
The King was taken aback for a mont, picking up the glass bead to examine it closely. This glass was completely different from what he had expected, with low transparency, light and brittle texture, and insufficient durability... but the color was very attractive, more akin to the ancient glassware from the early periods of the Celestial Empire.
"Losano, this glass... still falls short of my requirents," said the prince, frowning as he looked toward the stonemason leader, who was beaming with happiness.
Confronted with his prince’s gaze, Losano’s knees went weak, and he trembled all over.
He had spent these three years studying colorless glass, burning innurable stones, sands, and ores, making little progress and nearly burning out his hair. anwhile, the prince had been accumulating countless military achievents outside, with a divine might that seed almost mythological. Now, the prince before him exuded a majestic air without anger, no longer the young noble he had first t, but a sovereign ruler whose re gaze could make one tremble.
In a flurry of thoughts, the head stonemason clenched his teeth hard. He cautiously approached the King and whispered.
"Your Highness, I, Losano, think... these shallow green glass beads... resemble the precious eralds of the world..."
"Hmm?!"
Upon hearing this, Xiulote’s expression changed, his eyes flickered. After pondering a while, he thought of the Kingdom’s efforts to maintain a vast legion, the ever-great military expenses, and the rapidly depleting savings of the treasury... After a while, the King lowered his gaze and asked in a deep voice.
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