Clear wind and bright moon, fierce sky and morning sun. Dawn and dusk traded places, and messengers came and went. For days on end, Xolotl stayed in the great camp outside the city, handling reports sent back from every side.
Only when twilight fell did he have time to enter the city, to look in on the weak Nashu as she recuperated, and his newborn yet sturdy son. Then, when the morning sun rose, he returned to the camp again and, with the assistance of the guard captain Ekat, continued handling vital military and political affairs.
"Family head, a report from the Institute of Divine Inspiration at Black Rock Mountain, on the kingdom's southern coast. The output of Black Rock Mountain's iron mines is rising steadily. The relatively cheap iron farming tools saved a great deal of manpower during this year's autumn harvest in the two southern counties. The two southern County Magistrates have both sent more than a thousand laborers to the mining district to cut timber and burn charcoal, and to dig out ore. And the output of iron farming tools has almost doubled!"
"Mm. Iron Plows for tilling, Iron Hoes for weeding, Iron Sickles for harvesting, and Iron Axes for logging, Iron Knives for chopping firewood. The spread of iron tools can raise the kingdom's most fundamental productive capacity! And the importance of popularizing iron tools must be placed at the very front, just like agriculture!"
Xolotl nodded and gave clear instructions. However, compared with copper mines and gold and silver mines, the kingdom's iron ore reserves were still far too small. He could not help thinking again of Cuba's vast iron belt, and Colima's deep iron ore belt, and asked in a deep voice.
"It has almost been a year. Has there still been no news