"Two thousand people went to search for spices with Peng Yue and Fan Kuai. Half of the remaining people stayed behind and the other half went with me to find water!"
Just after landing, finding water is the most important thing.
Only when you find the water source can you find spices with peace of mind!
Otherwise, even finding the spices will be in vain!
"yes!"
The soldiers shouted in unison and disembarked one after another according to the arrangement.
The natives happily held old clothes and bronze vessels and led the navy officers.
After walking for more than two hours, I came to a mountain peak and pointed to the valley below.
"Lao Fan, Lao Fan, look, what's down there? Is it spices?"
Peng Yue excitedly slapped Fan Kuai beside him.
"Oh my God! Spice! Really spice!"
Fan Kuai was no less shocked than him, he couldn't believe his eyes.
"Hoho! It's all spices, spices all over the mountains and plains!"
After the navy officers reacted, they rushed directly into the valley.
The natives looked at each other, and happily groped for the clothes and bronzes in their hands, unable to put them down.
In their eyes, those spices are not rare, they are everywhere in the mountains.
On the contrary, these clothes and bronze vessels are rare items. After all, these things cannot grow on trees!
"General Fan, General Peng, there are so many spices, we may have to deal with them now when we go back!"
Looking at the countless spices in the valley, the naval officers were very excited.
In their eyes, these are not spices at all, they are all gold.
The fruit on the tree is full of gold!
"It's far away. His Royal Highness once said that each ship can carry a million pounds. We have thirty ships. The ones in the valley alone are not enough!"
Peng Yue quickly picked the spices around him and said.
Although there are a lot of spices here, it is still far from the goal of filling thirty ships!
But he believes that there are definitely not only spices in this valley, but there must be spices in many other places!
"After we finish picking all the spices in these places, we can take some rags to the natives and ask them to take us to other places to pick them!"
"Yes! Let's go back and draw a map and mark the locations of the spices on the island. It will be much more convenient when we come back next year! Haha!"
The wild laughter of Peng Yue and Fan Kuai echoed in the valley, making the natives even more confused.
They are just ordinary trees. Are you so happy?
"General Peng, should we send a signal to General Xin and others?"
A naval officer reminded.
This was what they had agreed upon before.
"Ouch! Look at my memory! I was so happy that I actually forgot about this!"
Peng Yue slapped his forehead, put away all the spices in his hands, and began to send signals to Xin Sheng.
Coincidentally, Xin Sheng, who was leading a group of people looking for water, happened to be near this place and arrived in less than an hour.
Seeing the spices all over the mountains and plains, Xin Sheng and his soldiers were extremely excited and worked tirelessly picking them all day long. It was not until dark that they reluctantly left!
But this state only lasted for a few days before he became numb.
When I go to pick spices again, I don’t have the same passion as before, it’s more like a routine!
And they found that they were not only found in this valley, but also in many surrounding valleys. There were so many varieties that it was impossible to pick them all!
Then Wang Li rolled his eyes and came up with another idea.
"General Xin, it's too slow for us to pick it like this. How about hiring those natives to help?"
"Let them help? How is this possible? It would be great if they can take us to find spices, and can they also help us pick spices?"
Xin Sheng laughed directly, not taking his words seriously at all.
"What I said is true. Since we can let them lead us to find spices, as long as we give them some worthless things, they should be willing to help us pick spices!"
"Um?"
Xin Sheng's eyes suddenly lit up, "It seems to make sense! But... what should I give them?"
"Lao Fan and I found these natives in a cave last time. There was nothing else in the cave except some burnt ashes. It is estimated that their life is very simple. As long as we give them some soldiers' Old clothes, quilts, beans, salt and the like should be fine!”
Peng Yue sat on the chair, pondered for a moment and said.
"Yes! Beans can be soaked and turned into bean sprouts. I guess these natives have never eaten them. They must be very strange! There is also salt. When His Royal Highness first arrived in Xianyang, even we thought it was very precious when we saw it. If we give it to the natives, People, they must be as if they have found a treasure!"
Fan Kuai also nodded his head in agreement.
If the guess is correct, these natives should only pick up the naturally formed salt crystals on the beach to eat, and have no purification technology at all.
As for the navy, if they master the purification technology, even if they take out all the salt on the ship, there will be absolutely no problem!
Thinking of this, Fan Kuai, Peng Yue and others immediately went to find the natives. After a meal of gestures, they gave them a small plate of salt.
Looking at the white salt, the natives blinked, very puzzled.
He dipped a little of it into his mouth with his dark fingers and understood immediately.
Everyone showed shocked expressions, and finally nodded wildly.
After picking for a day, many natives came again, all making noises and dancing and gesticulating.
Later, Peng Yue and others realized that it was the natives who had spread the news, and these natives were willing to help them pick spices in exchange for salt and clothes!
The navy was naturally very happy.
With someone helping with the work, they can fill up the boat faster and return to Xianyang!
The natives work very hard, and they even bring a few natives here from time to time!
So every day, most of the soldiers went to pick spices with the natives, and some of them were left to boil sea salt and distribute it to the natives!
In this way, the efficiency is indeed much faster.
After picking in one valley, we went to another valley under the leadership of the natives.
There are also spices all over the mountains and plains, and the soldiers picking them are numb!
"If you pick so many spices, you will definitely be able to sell them for a good price when you return to Xianyang!"
The cabin was gradually filled, Xin Sheng said with a smile on his face.
"Of course, spices nowadays are more precious than gold!"
Fan Kuai said matter-of-factly.
"Not necessarily...!"
Cao Shen shook his head, looked at the warehouse full of spices, and continued: "I remember His Highness the Crown Prince once said that the price is related to the relationship between supply and demand!"
"Supply and demand? What does that mean?"
A group of elders scratched their heads, very puzzled.
"In the past, the price of spices was more expensive than gold. That was because we didn't have ocean-going ships and couldn't pick spices. There were very few in circulation on the market, so the prices were high! But now that we have steamships, after this wave of sales, we can still buy more spices. If you go back and continue picking, you will have a continuous supply of spices, which will naturally become less precious and the price will also drop!"
These were all overheard by Cao Shen.
I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now it’s wrapped in spices and it fits perfectly!
"So, aren't our efforts in vain?"
After this explanation, the soldiers were immediately discouraged.
After picking the spices for so many days, even when I sleep, I dream about the spices, just waiting to take them back and make a great contribution.
Unexpectedly, if you pick too many, they will become worthless!
Then pick some yarn?
"No, no, it's not in vain. Although the price of spices will drop, it won't drop too low. After all, it's very difficult to pick it once, and it won't be as bad as the streets!"
Cao Shen quickly explained.
This thing is not like table salt. It can be produced as long as there is sea and salt mines!
If you want to pick spices, you must at least have a boat and people, and you have to take risks. The price is low, but not too low!
"Good guy! You're out of breath when you talk! Can you finish it in one sentence next time? This scared me, I thought all my previous efforts were in vain!"
Fan Kuai kept patting his chest and rolled his eyes at Cao Shen.
"Don't worry, brothers. When we return to Xianyang, I will tell His Majesty your hard work on the island and let His Majesty reward you generously!"
Xin Sheng waved his hand to cheer up the navy officers.
"Thank you, General Xin!"
The navy quickly saluted, extremely happy.
