Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

The military camp extended endlessly, and the sound of the Legion Warriors' training was soul-stirring, with the dirt of the training grounds trampled firm. The patrolling squads that came and went trod out navigable dirt roads. Meanwhile, the resilient weeds of early spring began to sprout along the paths walked by people.

The daughters of the Silver Raven Tribe were arranged to rest in Tree Snake City. They had never seen tens of thousands of Samurai, nor had they seen such a forest of Long Spears and Longbows, and for a moment, they were all shocked and fearful.

Only after the envoy of the Vastek people had left, did another envoy from the exploration fleet arrive, bringing a message from the fleet and two bamboo baskets containing earthen jars.

"Your Majesty, these are two new minerals discovered by Deputy Captain Puap in the vicinity of Crow City! The local Vastek people call them 'Black Mud,' 'Black Stone,' or 'Black Oil.' The Kingdom Fleet's damaged ships were patched using these black stones and oil. They are waterproof and leakproof, and the repaired ships are even better than before!"

After Puap was exiled to the sea, it was together with Black Wolf that he discovered the Divine Mountain iron ore, giving him a chance to be reinstated. Then, he participated in the Kingdom's exploration, bringing back various ores and guano rock with the veteran militia, for which he was rewarded.

In Puap's heart, "Your Majesty has a fondness for strange stones, especially those never seen before." He knew His Majesty's preferences and would search for peculiar stones and minerals wherever he went. This time, after the discovery in Crow City, he specially sent back these two jars of novel minerals through his Prepecha Warriors.

"Hmm? This smell..."

The guard took the two earthen jars, carefully inspected them, and then handed them to His Majesty. One jar contained a black, viscous oil, while the other was filled with oily stones. When the jars were opened, a familiar pungent smell hit him, bringing Xiulote back to memories.

"Is this?... Petroleum and asphalt? Not bad, Puap has been thoughtful!"

Xiulote raised an eyebrow and praised. He was somewhat surprised, but not entirely unexpected.

In later years, Mexico would be the seventh largest oil-producing country in the world. The oil along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and the oil fields at the US-Mexico Border are so abundant they seem to emerge directly from the ground. However, despite such abundant oil, refining and distilling crude oil seemed a far-off prospect.

"Oil... Oil! The 'black gold' coveted by later nations, holds little significance for the current Alliance. Crude oil's combustion efficiency is too low and the smoke too toxic to be used as fuel... at most, it might be tried for making incendiary war oils. But against gunpowder, it has no advantage."

Xiulote pondered briefly and whispered an instruction. The guard took away the jar of flammable crude oil. Then, his gaze returned to the other jar of asphalt.

"Natural asphalt. Oil and stone in equal measure."

Xiulote extended a finger, cautiously dabbed a bit of the natural asphalt oil, and assessed the adhesive's viscosity, nodding in satisfaction. Then, he picked up a small piece of asphalt stone, placed it in his hand, watching the hard, brittle, insoluble, and naturally toxic stone, a compelling notion began to form in his mind, almost bursting forth.

"... Are there many such black oils and stones around Crow City?"

"Your Majesty, around Crow City, several lower valleys produce such oils and stones. The Vastek craftsmen say that north and south of Crow City, along the coast extending hundreds of miles, many such valleys are scattered. The shipwrights from various tribes use this to repair ships."

The envoy bowed and reported back, and Xiulote nodded in contemplation. Beneath this stretch of coastline, there must be extremely rich oil reserves. Asphalt has always been the "twin brother" of oil, invariably found together.

"Natural asphalt is indeed natural road-building material! Asphalt oil can replace cement as a road surface adhesive, and asphalt stone can be crushed to replace the fine sand and gravel layer. More crucially, in the lush rainforest, only asphalt pavement can suppress plant growth and endure for a long time!"

Looking at the earthen jars before him, the brilliance in Xiulote's eyes grew ever brighter.

"Road construction!" This was a grand plan that has lingered in his mind for some time. What he hoped to build was not a simple dirt road, but rather sophistications akin to the roads of Rome and the Qin Chidao; an imperial artery connecting the North and South, linking each City-State!

However, Central America is tropically located, featuring both highland and lowland terrains. The richly endowed highland areas of the Alliance receive over 1000mm of annual rainfall, while the coastal lowland within the Alliance's suzerainty, receives over 2000! What's more, such heavy rainfall mostly concentrates in the summer wet season. With high temperatures and abundant rain, the highland shrubs and weeds can sprout surprisingly high within days. The lowland rainforests are more daunting still, with tree roots extending fast, causing unimaginable rapid destruction to dirt roads!

Thus, building roads in the tropical Central America demands suitable materials and comes at a very high cost.

"Referencing Rome's road construction process while simplifying according to the current technology levels, at least three layers are needed: two base layers and one road surface!"

Xiulote looked down at the ground beneath his feet, reminiscing about the long-conceived road construction plan, his chest surging with fervor.

"First, the soil surface must be excavated down to the hard soil layer. Given the current tools and labor, this depth is roughly over one meter. Then, the lowermost base layer is 20-30 centimeters thick of gravel, for leveling the surface and preventing water accumulation."

"The second base layer consists of over 60 centimeters of main filling composed of boulders, gravel, and clay. First, lay large boulders the size of pumpkins, then medium stones the size of human heads, followed by stones the size of eggs, and finish with fine debris and clay. Asphalt oil is applied in this step as a cement substitute or dried crushed asphalt stone as an alternative for small stone filling. As for the topmost road surface..."

Xiulote paused in thought, unable to decide immediately.

Romans had adequate manpower and production tools to cut massive stone slabs for seamless road surfaces. The Qin Dynasty also possessed enough technology and manpower to fry the soil, mix in salt and alkali, and firm it with countless laborers to create roads that continued into future generations. However, the current technology and productivity of the Alliance cannot compare to either.

"If the asphalt production is sufficient, then the highways of the Central American Empire should primarily be paved with asphalt gravel! For future convenience, they must be at least four meters wide to allow two horse carriages to run parallel, and drainage ditches should be dug on both sides."

Having thought to this point, Xiulote gazed toward the distant East. In the vast Caribbean Sea, there was a Great Island full of black wealth, providing later generations of the Celestial Empire with a massive quantity of asphalt for road construction. Then, he turned his gaze southwest, toward the mountainous areas of Colima, with its still active erupting volcanic clusters and volcanic ash left from tens of thousands of years of eruptions. That is the raw material for Roman cement.

"Colima... Kingdom Capital... Lake Capital City... Crow City..."

Xiulote murmured to himself, as an imperial artery spanning two thousand miles east to west was forming in his thoughts. It would require countless manpower, numerous shiploads of materials, years of time, and the ultimate authority to link the world together!