"Uncle, are you looking for me?" Shi Jinqing asked with a smile as soon as he arrived.
Han Du nodded and pointed at a few natives.
Shi Jinqing took one look and said in surprise: "These are Manrakans. Are we in Manga?"
"Where is Manlajia?" Han Du asked doubtfully.
Shi Jinqing explained: "Manlajia is a small country near Shuizhenla. Well, it's not right to call it a country. They don't even think of themselves as a country. They only think of themselves as a tribe, and the highest king is the chief."
It turned out to be a group of uncivilized barbarians, and Han Du immediately lost interest. He waved his hand and said to Shi Jinqing: "Do you understand what they say? If you do, tell them and say that we will make corrections here for a few days and then leave. Tell them not to disturb us, otherwise they will be killed without mercy!"
"Okay." Shi Jinqing nodded, turned around and talked to a few Manlajia people, and then Shi Jinqing signaled the Ming army to let go of them.
Several natives tentatively backed away, and when they saw that the Ming army had no intention of attacking them, they immediately turned around and ran away quickly.
Han Du originally didn't care about such an episode. However, a few days later, those natives left and returned. Not only that, they also brought with them some people who seemed to be of high status among them.
Han Du glanced doubtfully and asked Shi Jinqing to negotiate.
After a while, Shi Jinqing came back with a smile and said, "Uncle, their chief kindly invites us to go to their tribe. Shall we go?"
"What do you think?" Han Du asked.
Shi Jinqing looked back at the chief and said to Han Du: "Uncle, since we are here, if we are not in a hurry, why not go there?"
Han Du pondered for a moment and nodded, "Okay."
When Han Du and others came to the chief, they originally thought that the natives did not care about hygiene at all and would have a peculiar smell on their bodies. But as soon as Han Du got closer, he unexpectedly smelled a faint fragrance. The fragrance was thick, long, and extremely penetrating. Han Du could smell it easily even when he was standing ten feet away from several people.
With curiosity in his heart, Han Du became more polite with the chief and saluted him. With Shi Jinqing translating on the side, there was no obstacle to communication.
The chief warmly invited Han Du to his tribe, and Han Du went happily.
When they arrived at the place, Han Du found that it was not even a city at all, it could only be said to be a gathering place. The people here don't even have a decent house, only sheds built with wood.
The people here are so poor that they are so poor that they barely have any clothes on their bodies, and they don’t even have a hair on their body. They can be considered as poor as their buttocks. But these people are too rich. Every piece of wood used to build the shed is a treasure, and every broken door panel is made of red sandalwood. A native sat on the wooden pile. After he patted his butt and left, he discovered that the wooden pile was actually a huanghuali tree as thick as an arm.
Han Du's eyes widened and he swallowed secretly, like a mouse falling into a rice vat.
Now Han Du had no intention of eating or drinking at all, so he captured Shi Jinqing and traded various things with the chief.
This long knife can cut iron like clay. Holding it, you will be the brightest kid in the entire tribe.
What? You want to ask about the price of this long knife? This is a magical weapon, referred to as a divine weapon. Han Du stretched out a finger and asked Shi Jinqing to signal the chief to bring him a hundred pieces of wood in exchange.
One hundred logs? The chief suddenly grinned in shock, this price is cheap, too cheap. These logs can be picked up in the mountains and forests. As long as more manpower is sent, a hundred logs can't be done casually? Anyway, these timbers were dumped all over the mountain, everywhere.
With a domineering wave of the chief's dark palm, he bought hundreds of long knives. What should I do if I can’t transport so much wood? It doesn't matter. The chief said that Han Du can transport as much as he can, and he will make up for Han Du when he comes next time.
After buying a long knife, the chief took a fancy to Han Du's gorgeous clothes.
But Han Du's clothes were an earl's python robe, so naturally he couldn't give them to the chief. After explaining to him, the chief didn't pay attention. Everyone just looked at him with envy and then focused on the clothes of the soldiers next to him.
"Uncle, the chief still wants to trade with us." Shi Jinqing smiled and translated the chief's words.
Han Du happily waved his hand and said, "Okay, except for things that cannot be sold, he can have anything he wants. As long as he has enough wood, we will give him as much as he wants."
A green cloth garment costs ten pieces of wood, and a silk garment costs fifty pieces of wood. Not only these, but also exquisite tableware. Look, these bowls are all made of porcelain, as white as jade, with exquisite landscape patterns painted on them. Such bowls are sold for ten pieces of wood each. Isn’t it expensive at all?
With this opportunity to make a fortune, Han Du took out all the glasses he drank from and sold them. There are many glass cups in Ming Dynasty, but such wood is very rare in Ming Dynasty.
As soon as the crystal clear glass appeared, the chief was immediately shocked. Seeing his eyes dazed and kneeling towards the glass while mumbling something, you knew that he regarded the glass as a rare treasure in the world.
The chief immediately regarded Han Du as his best friend and closest brother, and warmly invited Han Du and others to his house.
As soon as Han Du entered the chief's house, he immediately saw a piece of gray-yellow rotten wood lying across the center of the house. The chief walked straight over and sat down on the rotten wood, obviously using it as a stool.
Han Du's face stiffened for a moment, and now he finally knew where the deep fragrance on the chief's body came from. What's special about this guy is that he uses the agarwood as a stool and rubs his butt against the agarwood all day long. It's strange that he has no fragrance on his body.
Shi Jinqing also recognized Chen Xiang, his face also stiffened, and he looked at Han Du.
Han Du said in a deep voice: "Ask him, where did this thing come from?"
Shi Jinqing nodded quickly, turned around and asked the chief about the origin of the agarwood. Shi Jinqing was smart enough not to tell the chief what it was. He just said that it smelled good and they were a little curious.
The chief had no doubts and told Shi Jinqing directly.
After hearing this, Shi Jinqing reported to Han Du: "He said he dug it from a place three times the sun rises from here. He liked the taste better at first, so he had to move it back so far with great effort."
The sun rose three times, that is, they had been gone for three days. At the speed of these people in the mountains and forests, the distance of three days should not be very far.
Han Du pondered for a moment and said, "Ask him where the specific location is. It's best to let him take us there."
