This port city on Luzon Island where Liang Chuan settled down is always called by the same name: Sulu. Liang Chuan originally thought it would be called Manila or something, but he remembered that the capital of the Philippines was called this. There were too many historical titles. He had only learned the history of his own country, but he had not studied other people's histories carefully.
There are a lot of Han people in Sulu, mostly Hakkas from Qingyuan and Lingnan. Their local accent is even more cordial. Their clothes are no different from those in the Song Dynasty. There is no hierarchy in clothing here. Even if you wear yellow, Will not behead.
There are very few shops on the street. Unlike the West Street in Qingyuan, where every inch of land is valuable, the people here obviously have no business acumen. The goods flow so frequently, it’s like going to a market. It looks like a wholesale distribution center for goods. Liang Chuan I sighed in my heart, as long as I build a few houses, I can make a lot of money just from the rent collected from the store.
The most basic way for many dark-skinned locals to make money is to help ships carry cargo, and then to fish and sell seafood. The more advanced ones are to grow local spices, dry them in the sun, and wait for merchants from all over the world to buy them.
A blanket or cloth is spread on the street, with various goods placed on it, most of which are on display. If you want to see the goods, you can take them to the warehouse or a ship to see them. Ivory, gems, mahogany, medicinal materials, rare animals and plants, as well as hard currency spices, the whole street is like a street stall, crowded, people do business on the roadside, there is no long-term business method.
There are also a lot of goods shipped here from the Song Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom, such as silk and porcelain, as well as everyone’s favorite tea. Tea was an important way to supplement vitamins in ancient times. These three items were also the largest exports of the Song Dynasty. .
Xia Dehai said, some people call this a golden country, not because of the gold produced here, but because there are too many spices here. The demand for spices by outsiders like Dashi is too strong, and they can buy as much as they have. The same goes for us in the Song Dynasty. , basically as long as it is listed, it can be exchanged for money, which is comparable to gold, so it is also called the Golden Country.
Big eaters crave spices, mostly thyme, oregano, myrrh and frankincense. The demand for frankincense in the Song Dynasty was also extremely huge. The government even distinguished the grades of frankincense. High-end frankincense was only available to the royal family and was banned from the market.
Luzon produces plant spices, such as Sichuan peppercorns, pepper, nutmeg, fennel, star anise, cinnamon, etc. Most of these materials have extremely high edible and medicinal value. Many families in the Middle East add these to the wine they make. Materials, a bottle of wine can be transformed into a bottle of holy medicine that can cure all diseases. Their medical system is not as developed as traditional Chinese medicine. Whatever illness occurs, the holy medicine can be cured by drinking it. The holy medicine is also the life-saving medicine for their family.
The Song Dynasty regarded most of these spices as medicinal materials, and the demand was extremely strong.
As long as there is a sea ship and the capital is enough, a ship full of inexhaustible spices from Sulu on Luzon Island can be shipped back to the Song Dynasty. In exchange, there will be endless wealth. Of course, the capital will be large, and there are risks at sea. .
The Pu family and Hussein, who went to see Allah, had followed this path before, and through accumulation they became extremely rich men.
Liang Chuan looked at these spices. They were just like the plantain, licorice, honeysuckle and other common medicinal materials sold on Da Song Street. They couldn't let the Pu family keep this money for themselves. He also wanted a share of the pie. That bastard Pu Geng almost gave him the money. If he blows himself up and the debt is not counted, he will not have the face to hang around in Qingyuan in the future.
Xia Dehai met this talent himself but had no chance to use it. Everyone on this sea route was trying to sell his face. His business needed to expand, and he happened to have some money on hand. Wouldn't it be a good idea to do shipping business?
The shipbuilding company happens to have the best treasure ship in the world at Liang Zao. The price can be negotiated. Otherwise, we can use installment payments or raise funds. Anyway, we have all the tools, personnel, and trading partners. This business is perfect. .
The Pu family can make this money, why can't I make it myself?
The three of them were wandering on the street, and a burning smell of fire floated over. Liang Chuan sniffed and smelled it. Suddenly, as if he was struck by lightning, one person stopped in place and lost his soul. Ah Gou and Xia Dehai were frightened. One jump.
"What's wrong!"
Liang Chuan made a silent gesture and took a deep breath. He recalled this familiar taste in his mind. It was a sinful taste, but for those who were obsessed with it, it was a heavenly enjoyment. That misty feeling will make you want to die. It's unmistakable, it's the smell of tobacco!
tobacco! The two words floated through my mind, and then the endless banknotes flashed in my ears. It was like a money printing machine kept printing money. Damn it, no matter how valuable gold is, the amount of mining is only that, but tobacco can keep flowing. Continuously growing out of the ground, this thing is a real gold mine.
Liang Chuan followed the direction of the smoke smell and found that in a dilapidated house, there were a large number of herbaceous plants with glandular hairs growing on the ground and thick rhizomes. The leaves were wide and rectangular, and the top of the plant was There are small cone-shaped light red flowers on it.
On the edge of the land, several dead plants were burning, and a wisp of white smoke floated into the air. The smell was emanating from these plants.
Although Liang Chuan didn't recognize these green broad-leafed plants, he had never seen pigs eating pork. The smell of cigarettes was definitely tobacco. In the past, when he was stressed at work, he would occasionally smoke two cigarettes. There is a lot of second-hand smoke, there is no mistaking it.
Liang Chuan's heart was beating violently and he looked around. There seemed to be someone in the room. He walked to the door and knocked on the door several times. The door creaked open.
The owner of the house had a slightly yellowish skin and did not look like an aborigine. In desperation, he asked in Chinese: "Are you the owner of this land?"
What is surprising is that this person also replied in fluent Chinese: "It's mine, why?" His attitude was neither salty nor warm, at least not enthusiastic.
It turns out he is also a Han Chinese! This attitude made Xia Dehai a little unhappy. He touched the knife on his waist and was pressed down by Liang Chuan.
Liang Chuan asked politely: "Excuse me, what kind of vegetables do you grow here?"
Naturally, Liang Chuan couldn't tell people straight to the point. Brother, I'm interested in the valuable tobacco in your land. You can give me a price. Anyone who hears this will be a lion and take the opportunity to take advantage of it if they are not mentally ill. . When bargaining in business, you have to pretend to be nonchalant, damage the other party's goods to the point of being worthless, and then buy them yourself!
The owner laughed out loud and said: "This thing is not delicious. I thought I could grow some food, but after planting for a year, I didn't produce even one grain. Damn it, the boat has been traveling for half a year, and I still have to fight with the boat." Brought back from far away places with nine lives."
Liang Chuan thought that it must have been brought from South America. It was indeed tobacco, but this guy just didn't know the goods. Now everyone is focusing on food, and other things are secondary.
I don’t blame the people at that time. The land was full of spices that were as good as gold. Who else would look for other crops with high economic value? I guess no one would be interested in anything other than food.
Liang Chuan chuckled and said, "Brother, let me tell you the truth. A few days ago, my wife pulled two leaves of your vegetable to cook at home. I vomited after taking one bite. She said that the dish tasted novel and she still had it today. Ask me to bring her here to ask for some more vegetable leaves, and preferably some seeds..."
The owner muttered, "What the hell, everyone has it. Some people think this thick-leafed plant that even pigs don't eat is delicious?"
"It's not impossible to give it to you... It's just that it's not easy for me to get such a thing..."
Liang Chuan motioned to Xia Dehai to take out a few coins. When the owner saw that there were only a dozen coins, he was so angry that he said, "You want to get rid of me for just these points? No selling!"
Liang Chuan also turned around and scolded him: "You greedy bitch, why do you think about food every day? See if they don't sell it now, I won't buy it for you, let's go, let's go!" After saying that, he pretended to be lustful. Take the attitude of ignoring.
The owner knew that this dish was some kind of useless wild plant that could not even be used as a spice. He left, immediately pulled Liang Chuan back and said, "Don't worry, you see your wife wants to eat you, you are so unkind, I'm not a fussy person, bring me the money, I'll give you the seeds!"
Xia Dehai looked at the man with disdain, handed him the money, and the three of them followed the man into the house.
The room was dark and filled with an unspeakable strong smell, which made people frown.
The owner dug on the ground for a long time and pulled out a bamboo basket with several bags inside. There was also a cane planted on the basket. Liang Chuan glanced at it and his heart almost jumped into his throat.
God was really treating me well. I found tobacco on my front feet, and as soon as I entered the house, I saw the treasure again. There was a sweet potato vine wrapped around the basket!
There is no need for Liang Chuan to explain what kind of crop sweet potatoes are. How many lives this thing saved during the famine years will not be written down in history. However, it is reasonable to say that this thing has changed the dietary structure of the Chinese people.
Liang Chuan took another look, and the surprise came too suddenly. He saw a few dried red peppers lying crookedly in the basket. They were a little shriveled. They must have been picked for a long time.
The owner was looking for tobacco seeds and turned a blind eye to the sweet potato vines and red peppers. He shoved them aside like garbage without even bothering to take a second look. .
