Some people may ask, if you just eat a pineapple, what surprises can happen?
It is said that since Beihai Town delivers supplies to Kinmen every three months, and due to limited shipping space, in addition to population, ammunition, food, medicine, engineering materials, etc., fruits and vegetables are even out of the question.
When Lu Qi and the others first came here, they ate bean sprouts every day to avoid scurvy. After the war with the Spaniards was over, the logistics opened up dozens of acres of vegetable land next to Lake Merced in the south, and vegetables were also planted in Lushui Town. It was an end to the life of either mung bean sprouts or soybean sprouts.
Considering the difficulty that Lu Qi and the others had in Kinmen, Zhao Xin made a special purchase of fruits at the farmer's market in San Francisco in another time and space before coming. For this purpose, he even rented a temporary warehouse to hide from others. Because it was already past October, the pineapple picking season in Latin America had just ended, and the CIF price was very cheap, so I bought dozens of boxes.
However, all the cooks in the base cafeteria looked at each other in disbelief at these golden, hairy, and scummy things, and had no idea what to do with them. They have been living in the north and have never seen tropical fruits.
When Lu Qi went to the cafeteria for dinner last night, the cook took the opportunity to ask him how to eat pineapple. Lu Qi asked about the quantity and learned that one person was definitely not enough. He thought of pineapple rice and told him how to make it.
When the cook heard this, he thought it was simple, just egg fried rice with pineapple! Ever since, after a morning of busy work, more than 300 pineapples were turned into fragrant pineapple fried rice.
Because the amount of food was so large, a lunch was also served for the Spanish delegation. In order to present the dish beautifully, the cook followed Lu Qi's instructions and served the fried rice in a hollowed-out pineapple.
Spaniards like to eat rice very much, but they often eat paella, and the rice is still raw. This is the first time I taste the fluffy and delicious Chinese fried rice.
Archbishop Peralta, who is a foodie in the mission, was very surprised by this and praised that the fruit can be paired with rice and eggs. It tastes really good.
After the clerk Juan de Arevalo took a bite of the fried rice, he showed a satisfied expression at first. But after taking two bites, he seemed to have thought of something. He took out his monocle from his coat pocket and put it on. , looking left and right at the bright yellow pineapple shell with green leaves on the table.
Archbishop Peralta saw his strange behavior and asked, "Juan, what's wrong with you?"
Arevalo said something that confused Peralta: "Your Excellency, this pineapple is very fresh."
"Yes, it tastes good. The beef stew and pheasant meat are also very good. To be honest, I really like the red wine they provide. It has a faint chocolate flavor. I don't know where it is brewed." This is the first time to eat Chinese food. The Archbishop was pleased with the lunch.
During the morning negotiations, Zhao Xin refused to give in and fought tit for tat. The Spaniards were all suffocating. So he just toasted a few glasses of wine with Lucci at the beginning of lunch, made some polite remarks, and then left. Although this was not in line with diplomatic etiquette, it made everyone in the Spanish mission feel a lot more relaxed, and they did not have so many worries about talking during the dinner.
Arevalo put away his glasses, tilted his head and thought for a moment. Suddenly he felt a little bloated in his lower abdomen, so he said sorry, got up and left the room. After asking another waiter outside the door, he walked towards the place of reincarnation of grains.
The Spanish mission's lunch place is in a container "private room" on the east side of the canteen of Kinmen Base. To go to the toilet, you must walk west through the door of the canteen. Lunch time was over at this time, and two Indian handymen were carrying kitchen waste to the carriage at the door. These items were usually transported to the vegetable fields on the other side of Lake Merced to be used as fertilizer.
Ten meters away from the carriage, Arevalo could already smell the strong smell of pineapples. When he got closer, he saw several large wicker baskets on the carriage filled with yellow pineapple peels and green leaves.
The man resisted the urge to urinate, took out a handkerchief and covered his nose, visually estimated the size of the wicker basket, and then began to mentally estimate how many pineapples the skins were peeled from. The result shocked him. It must have been at least several hundred pineapples.
Two Miwok Indians who were loading the truck noticed his actions, stopped what they were doing, and looked at him as if they were on guard against thieves. Arevalo knew that what he did was very inappropriate, and no one would be able to stare at the garbage, so he had no choice but to leave quickly.
A few minutes later, when Arevalo returned to the dining table, he immediately told everyone present what he had just discovered with a serious expression.
"Could it be from China..." Brother Diez was the first to speak, but before he finished speaking, he knew it was impossible.
Yes, China produces pineapples. As early as the late Ming Dynasty, it was brought to Taiwan for cultivation by the Dutch, and later took root in Xuwen, Guangdong and Hainan. It is grown locally to extract sugar, and the fiber from the leaves can also be used to spin linen and weave cloth.
But the problem is that the sea voyage distance from East Asia to North America is as high as 15,000 nautical miles. Even if the voyage from west to east can take advantage of the ocean currents, it only takes three months, but the shelf life of pineapples is only twenty days. By early morning in North America It's all rotten.
Arevalo continued: "Everyone, although pineapples are worth more than gold in Europe, for those of us who serve His Majesty the King in the North American colonies, it is just an ordinary tropical fruit. Just like me, every time I see a pineapple During the harvest season, I would ask my servant to buy one every day for me to taste when I get home. As far as I know, it only costs five pesos to buy a pineapple in the Central Market in Mexico City.”
Well, in later generations, pineapples are just ordinary fruits. Not to mention eating one or two pieces, as long as you are not afraid of getting angry, it is okay to buy a basket and hold it and chew it. But in Europe in the 18th century, it was anything but ordinary and completely surpassed the value of the fruit itself.
In 1496, Columbus, after completing his second voyage to the Americas, returned to Spain with pineapples produced in Guadeloupe. With their fresh aroma and sweet and juicy pulp, they quickly conquered the taste buds of Queen Isabella and became a well-deserved The "King of Fruits".
With the blessing of the royal family, pineapple's fame spread rapidly in Europe, and its value skyrocketed. However, since the preservation problem of long-distance transportation by sea cannot be solved, the transportation cost is huge. If Europeans want to eat a pineapple, it will be like eating a whole Italian Alba white truffle in later generations. Only the richest among the rich can afford it.
You should know that the shelf life of pineapples after picking is only twenty days at most. In the era when there was no ice to preserve freshness, if you wanted to transport a pineapple to Europe, you had to dig it out with the roots when it was still immature, transplant it into a flower pot, and take care of it carefully along the way. By the time you reach Europe, the pineapple is basically the same. Mature.
But how many pineapples in pots can fit in the cargo hold of a sailboat? In addition, plenty of fresh water and fertilizers were needed, as sea voyages from Central America to Europe were calculated on a monthly basis.
In the nearly three hundred years since the discovery of pineapples, in order to eat fresh and delicious pineapples, the monarchs and nobles of European countries have been worried and spent huge sums of money and manpower to cultivate pineapples in cold Europe. Even Peter the Great built a greenhouse in his summer palace garden and asked the court gardener to grow pineapples for him.
The problem is that the cost of pineapples grown in greenhouses is so high that even kings and wealthy nobles consider it a sin to eat them, so they can only be used as decorations at banquets. Along with this trend, "pineapple leasing companies" also emerged. A pineapple was rented for one-twentieth of the selling price until it rotted and turned black.
Compared with pineapple, which is a symbol of luxury in Europe, it is a common economic crop in Central America. It is grown in coastal areas from Guatemala to Colombia. In addition to eating it, pineapples also make wine.
"Juan, what do you want to express?" Archbishop Peralta was a little confused. As a ruler second only to the colonial governor, he has always had what he wants and what he wants. Who cares how much a pineapple sells for!
Arevalo knew that the archbishop did not understand what he meant. He first expressed his apology, and then expressed his judgment: "What I want to say is that the pineapple harvest in Guatemala only started last month, and it should have just been harvested now. The Chinese actually have a lot of fresh pineapples here, where do they get them?”
The archbishop's pupils suddenly dilated, with an expression of disbelief on his face, and he said, "You mean the Chinese have been to Guatemala? How is that possible! Neither the coastal castle nor the patrolling navy found it?"
In 1536, the Kingdom of Spain established the "Military District of Guatemala" in Central America. As an administrative region under the province of New Spain, its jurisdiction included the later Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, with its capital located in Guatemala City.
Arevalo looked at California Governor de Arrelaga and asked: "According to my observation, these pineapples should be no more than ten days old. Your Excellency, Governor, did you receive any Coast Watch before the mission left Monterey?" Or a report from a merchant ship of a vessel of unknown nationality?”
"No. Otherwise I will receive the report as soon as possible." De Arrillaga's tone was very sure.
Captain Bonavia, who had been silent until now, coughed twice. After everyone turned their attention to him, the man said: "From Ocos to San Jose, and even to La Libertad further south, all along the coast. There are pineapple-producing areas. According to previously obtained intelligence, when the Chinese landed at Kinmen, their large ships were still far away, so they sent out many small black speedboats. At that time, the defenders visually inspected that these black boats had no sails. There was no one rowing on it, but it was very fast and could hit the beach directly, as if the devil had cast a spell. So they could just find a place without defenders and land in the same way."
"My God!" Upon hearing this, the Archbishop, Brother Rasuen, and Brother Deez all crossed themselves on their foreheads and chests.
"Furthermore, the sailboat used by the Chinese is a new type of sailboat with a large length-to-width ratio. It has a large number of sails and a very low freeboard, almost as if it is sailing close to the water. It will not be less than 12 knots when going against the wind. , and the tailwind is more than 15 knots. With this speed, they can completely avoid our observation posts and patrol ships along the coast."
Although Captain Bonavia was defeated many times in front of Zhao Xin, this man was not a fool, he just met an opponent who was much higher than him.
After hearing this, the archbishop's expression became more solemn. He glanced at everyone present and said in a serious tone: "Gentlemen, the situation is far more serious than we thought!"
"I completely agree with your Excellency the Bishop!" Captain Bonavia said: "If Guatemala City receives a report from the coastal area and sends it to Mexico City, it will take at least two months. They put the pineapples up and it's a A silent hint."
Brother La Suen asked doubtfully: "What does it imply?"
Captain Bonavia snorted coldly: "They can attack any stronghold along the coast at will without us being prepared, and even if we can respond, it will be several months later. During this period, They will continue to play with the theory of blood relationship and use it as the legal basis for occupation. San Francisco has not been solved yet, how can we let them make holes along the coast of the province?"
Governor de Alila said in frustration: "Their artillery is too powerful, with fast firing rate and long range. With only two or three ships, it is difficult for us to gain maritime superiority. According to my estimation, if we want to recapture San Francisco , without an army of 10,000, it would be difficult.”
After hearing this analysis, everyone else fell silent, not knowing what to say.
"Okay." The archbishop pondered for a long time and finally made a decision: "I suggest that a prisoner exchange agreement be reached as soon as possible, and other issues will be put aside for the time being and left to be resolved later. We must go back and report to the Governor as soon as possible and recommend strengthening the defense of Guatemala's coastal areas. There must never be another San Francisco."
"Just give up like that? Your Excellency! You can't do that!" Brother Fermin de La Suen, who had been silent until now, became anxious, his tone full of pleading. As head of the Franciscan community in California, the cost of losing four dioceses was too great.
The archbishop sighed imperceptibly and comforted: "Fermin, believe in the Almighty God, everything will be decided by itself. Whether it is the king or the province, we will never let the Eastern pagans rampage in the kingdom's land! As long as it is Once the war in Europe and Haiti is resolved, we will be free to destroy them!"
At two o'clock in the afternoon, negotiations between Kinmen and the Spanish mission continued. The Spanish side immediately focused on the details of the prisoner handover. As for the issues mentioned in the morning such as territory, war compensation, and church restoration, Archbishop Peralta said that they would be discussed in the next negotiation.
Secretary Arevalo then said that half of the ransom could be paid first, and the rest would be sent by ship within two months, but this time Admiral Denava and other captured officers would be brought back first. He proposed that the Kinmen authorities immediately send people to go to the port with him to handle the handover procedures and count the money.
Of course Zhao Xin agreed, it was just giving money in exchange for people.
It's just that the Spaniard was so impatient, he and Lucci felt strange, thinking that they would change their temper after lunch? Is Chinese food so powerful?
Although Rucci arranged for someone to install a recording pen in a hidden part of the room in advance and recorded the delegation's conversation from beginning to end, there was no time to listen to it now; besides, the conversation was all in Spanish. It is quite difficult to translate it completely.
In addition, someone was secretly monitoring the mission's activities during lunch time. They only went to the toilet in between, so there was no unexpected behavior!
The two of them never imagined that their unintentional actions would cause so many twists and turns within the Spanish mission. However, they also understand that the result of such negotiations means that the state of war between the two parties has not ended, and the Spaniards will definitely make a comeback.
