Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

In the middle between Lake Ato and the Tarsas River's river mouth, the surging Tlaxcala River flows through a stretch of towering cliffs, and here the terrain is steep and rugged, a natural juncture for a large reservoir.

Xiulote gazed at this location, slowly picking up the pen. He first drew a red circle, then filled in the circle, softly murmuring a name that sounded incomprehensible to anyone.

"Infiernillo Dam, one of the largest dams in the world in later ages. A reservoir capacity of ten billion cubic units, generating power of over a thousand megawatts!... The end of the Tlaxcala River, such abundant water power, if harnessed, would yield such immense power!"

The king's finger gradually moved south, finally stopping at the position of Black Rock Mountain's iron ore. He had already issued orders to numerous priests and craftsmen in the Divine Revelation Place to research hydraulic machinery, combined with rewards! As long as they can produce qualified hydraulic machinery, he will generously bestow ranks, cash, land, agricultural slaves!

"Dragon Bone Water Wheel... tubular cart... water mortar... water mill... bellows water discharge... hydraulic forging press..."

Xiulote opened his portable "Divine Revelation Book," looking at the names of the hydraulic machines he had written by hand, with an expression of longing.

In this era, based on mature metallurgy technology, hydraulic machinery has gradually proliferated across Europe, especially hydraulic forging presses that can forge armor. If they can capture a few European blacksmiths, and seize a few mechanical scholars, overcoming the kingdom's material and technology bottleneck, a drastic breakthrough will be achieved! And by then, this surging river end will become the kingdom's powerful source of strength!

"Three more years... The prelude to the grand epoch, just three years left!..."

After a long time, Xiulote sighed quietly. He shook his head, patiently moving his finger, settling onto the western county road leading to the South from Flower Fruit City. It was a red route, the same western line the Black Wolf led the Dog Clan Army down to attack Apa City.

"From the starting point of Flower Fruit City, traveling 150 li of mountain road, all the way to under Apa City. This mountain road is not particularly narrow, allowing for a large army to pass through, but the terrain is undulating, quite steep. These 150 li are also the last section of county road that needs construction!"

The altitude of Apa City is around 350 meters. Its terrain is higher than Lake Ato, located upstream in the West. Flower Fruit City has an altitude of 1,700 meters. The altitude difference between the two ends of this 150-li mountain road is 1,300-1,400 meters. But the middle section of this county road would pass through the foot of the towering Tancitaro Volcano (Tancítaro), which peaks around 2,300 meters, making it quite difficult to traverse.

"Tancitaro Volcano, sulfur mines, and avocados... perhaps also volcanic ash."

Xiulote held the feather pen, heavily dotting a red spot at Tancitaro Volcano's location. This volcano is the tallest peak in the Mikentue area, with an altitude close to 4,000 meters. The overall terrain is very steep, and the mineral resources are quite abundant.

The reason the kingdom's county road has to pass the foot of the volcano was due to an irresistible main reason. The vicinity of this volcano is the kingdom's sulfur production site, which provides the raw materials for the kingdom's gunpowder. Another less crucial reason is that the soil surrounding the volcano is extremely fertile, with many avocado trees. Several mountain villages nearby are famous for avocado production.

As for the fertile land at the foot of the Tancitaro Volcano, it also signifies the presence of volcanic ash. If the volcanic ash required for cement can be found, the standard of construction for this county road section can locally be enhanced. At road sections prone to damage, they can be replaced with more solid, more waterproof cement concretion.

"Once this 150-li western county road is completed, the transportation between the Capital Region and Apa City will suddenly become tight-knit! The most significant meaning of this county road is to strengthen the kingdom's central governance over the Apa Plain. After all, it accommodates tens of thousands of Tekos immigrants and over a hundred thousand Tlaxcala immigrants. This totals more than 200,000 people, almost all belonging to various loyal tribes, requiring urgent assimilation and cohesion!"

Xiulote gazed at the vast Apa Plain, thoughts flashed through his mind. Cultivate good fields, establish villages, and allocate flag teams... Ezpan does well in Apa County. His loyalty has been tested through many tribulations, making Xiulote feel assured.

However, Xiulote understands that this loyalty only belongs to the king and Ezpan, not the kingdom. Once Ezpan passes away, or if an accident befalls Xiulote, Apa County is destined to rebel! To bolster the kingdom's control, constructing this second-level county road is imminent. Alongside, large-scale priest preaching, cultural assimilation, and compulsory intermarriage must be vigorously enforced!

"The first three county roads of the grand plan all connect the North and South. This last Apa Water System, however, stretches across the East and West!"

Xiulote's gaze lingered on Apa County, falling upon the crisscrossing Apa Water System. It is described as a "water system" because the Apa Plain has flat terrain, with a dense network of waterways. The rivers with abundant flow alone include Apa, Chatou River, Kan River, Bo River...

These rivers meander and intersect, spanning a radius of one hundred and fifty li, linking settlements like Apa City, Tepalcatepec, Kan River Village, and Bo River Village, forming a convenient waterway transportation network. Then, the Apa River runs a hundred li east from Apa City, merging into the Great Lake Ato.

"The Apa Water System, upstream in the West, has Olive Lake in Tepalcatepec and Pele Lake in Bo River Village; downstream in the East is the vast Great Lake Ato. From West to East, it stretches about two hundred and twenty li, with largely flat terrain and a drop of only a little over a hundred meters."

"The grand plan for managing the Apa Water System demands that it facilitate longship transport and mitigate flood risks during the rainy season! After this autumn's harvest, water levels in all the rivers will drop. In Apa County, each brigade and civilian farm must conscript able-bodied men for labor. Mobilizing tens of thousands of these men, they need to clear river channels, dig out river mud, and simultaneously construct small reservoirs and dikes! And the silt dug up from the riverbeds can be used to fertilize the fields..."

Xiulote gazed at both ends of the Apa Water System, contemplating for a long time, meticulously writing down the requirements for Ezpan. This Apa Water System is essentially an extension of the Tlaxcala Long River's downstream tributary in the West. In other words, the Tlaxcala River, this golden waterway, stretches two to three thousand li from East to West!

"No, it's even longer than that!"

The king pondered briefly, tracing a southward winding line upward from Tepalcatepec, until reaching the Chapala Lake Region.

"Besides the three north-south county roads and one east-west water system, there's another three hundred li long waterway, the Chatou River!"

Chatou River was personally named by Xiulote. As the name suggests, it is the long river from Lake Chapala to the Apa Plain's Tepalcatepec. Yes, the king's naming is concise and straightforward, just as willful!

The Chatou River isn't narrow and can accommodate a large army. This long river flows from the southern end of Lake Chapala, initially heading southeast for two hundred li, reaching Snake Bone Village in the northwest of Apa County. Then, it turns southwest, passing through Bo River Village, with a branch connecting to Pele Lake, and the main flow runs a hundred li, linking up to Olive Lake outside Tepalcatepec.

"Therefore, Lake Chapala is the upstream of the Apa Water System. And only by capturing the Chapala Lake Region can we establish a solid barrier for the developed Apa Plain."

Xiulote dropped the feather pen, drawing a heavy red circle on Lake Chapala. The strength of the Feather Prince has gradually weakened, leaving no strength for raids deep into the Apa Plain. However, for the kingdom to have complete rivers and mountains, it must capture the Chapala Lake Region to form a complete waterway path.

Thus, the North is the Lerma River -> Rivermouth City -> Chapala Lake Region, the South is the Tlaxcala River -> Zicao City -> Apa City -> Apa Water System, the center is Rivermouth City -> Patzcuaro Lake region -> Three southern paths, and the West is Chapala Lake Region -> Chatou River -> Apa Plain -> Tepalcatepec -> Apa Water System.

Four waterways and arterial roads form an irregular quadrilateral. Five hundred li from north to south, five hundred li from east to west, roughly 60,000 square kilometers. With such a complete road and water network, this 60,000 square kilometers area becomes the kingdom's central, directly governed heartland! From this base, following the waterway, extending in all directions, the territory that can be controlled will be several times greater!

Thinking of this, Xiulote's eyes sparkled, his heart surged, filled with the ambition to conquer all directions and annex the world!

"The kingdom's first grand plan will commence after the autumn harvest, mobilizing over ten thousand laborers and over a thousand samurai to start work simultaneously in each county! The most important part is constructing four segments totaling six hundred li of second-level county roads, dredging three segments totaling six to seven hundred li of river channels, completely connecting north to south!"

"Once the county roads are initially completed, the will of the capital city can reach the south. Then what follows is the attack on the Chapala Lake Region. After the Chapala Lake Region is captured, the second grand plan will extend this network of kingdom control roads once again!"