[Comprehensive History] Clothes are all over the world

In the third year of Jianwen, 1395 A.D., His Royal Highness the crown prince, who had been crowned for one year, completed another launching ceremony of the new ship with ease, and then watched his relatives leave happily with a calm face.

He is already very calm.

As the saying goes, when one's heart hurts, one gets used to it, and this is the case with Mubai.

Yan Wang Zhu Di's voyage to the sea seems to have opened the door to a new world for the vassal kings of Ming Dynasty. The boring vassal kings turned into groundhogs one after another, standing at the entrance of the cave and screaming full of hope. Voice.

Not only do they write letters to harass their big brother every few days, but they also attack their big brother mentally around the central idea of ​​"the land is so boring, we want to go out and play".

They also started a variety of operations in the feudal land - if there are rivers in the feudal land, go to float on the river, if there are lakes, swim on the lake, if there are no rivers and lakes, then draw an inland landscape in the palace The lake, which is rafting on it every day, is euphemistically called "adapting to life on the sea and avoiding seasickness". I use my actual actions to show my firm desire to go to sea.

As long as these people put out a little bit of their current energy to deal with their neighbors in the north, the retired Emperor Hongwu can now run horses on the pastures in the north.

Although Mu Bai wanted to complain about these unreliable uncles every three to five days, he felt in his heart...they really couldn't be blamed for thinking so.

If it's useful to make such a fuss, Mu Xiaobai also wants to do it once.

Because Yan Wang Zhu Di, who personally used his own experience to set an example for brothers and nephews, has gained so much envy!

Zhu Di is the vassal king, and the performance of the new ship is still uncertain. To be on the safe side, the original voyage is the same as in the past, walking around the continental shelf around Daming.

Someone must have noticed that the route mentioned just now uses the word "originally scheduled".

The reason why this word appears is that there are variables. After all, there is no GPS navigation and positioning in this era, and there is no radio satellite remote control. The moment the ship leaves the land, it is completely free. The ship entering the sea is like a dragon entering the abyss , where it will go after that is not up to the people on the mainland to decide.

Therefore, even before the ship set off, the eldest brother Zhu Biao dragged his younger brother and exhorted him thousands of times, but in the end the ship encountered "force majeure" and the ship deviated from its course.Since November, the continental wind from the north has blown across the vast Chinese territory and East Asian waters. For sailing ships that use wind as their main driving force, this is the best opportunity to go south. The warm, humid air mass will push the ship north, so this is also the original return date.

Departing in November and returning in March next year, this time seems to be very tight, but in fact, relying on the dual effects of monsoons and ocean currents, it only takes two months to reach Liujiagang at the mouth of the Yangtze River from the Strait of Malacca in later generations , so this time is already very abundant, including the time to meet the foreign rulers after disembarking.

But it wasn't until May that no news of the return of any ships from the Ming Dynasty was received anywhere along the coast of the Ming Dynasty, and everyone realized that something was wrong.

Except for a small number of civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty who had turned on the jiwai mode, most of them were watching their noses, noses, noses, noses, noses, noses, noses, noses, noses, noses, noses, noses, noses, noses, noses, noses, noses, noses, noses, noses, noses, and hearts, and no one went to the dark-faced Zhu Biao to be unhappy.

Hmm... How to say, it's not too surprising, after all, it's the one on the boat.

Yan Wang Zhu Di, from the moment he stepped onto the battlefield when he was young, his combat style was very bold. Every general in the court who had fought with this Highness had suffered.

As we all know, leading the leader's son to fight is the hardest job. Although Emperor Hongwu kept saying to his courtiers that you just treat him as a small soldier and don't have to worry too much, who would dare to really do this?Everyone knew that the purpose of the emperor sending his son to the battlefield was either to make military achievements, or to cultivate his growth so that he could hold the military power in the future. No matter which one, the first prerequisite was to survive.

Therefore, His Royal Highness King Yan, who has the courage to challenge the unknown, and the delicate thoughts and plans hidden under this recklessness, and dares to implement it, has become a headache for many generals, and this headache has now been transferred to His Highness. Big Brother.

The generals looked at Zhu Biao who was listening to the report with his forehead covered, and smiled tacitly.

In the report, His Royal Highness King Yan went all the way south along the winter ocean current, and completely cut off the news after receiving supplies in the west of Ryukyu Island.According to the news from Ryukyu Island, the condition of the whole ship was very good at that time. They even divided the area on the ship for growing vegetables. The supplies on the ship should be relatively sufficient, so they only bought supplies when purchasing Some live livestock were raised on the boat, and neither food nor drinking water was purchased.

Yes, these people not only grow vegetables on the boat, but also raise livestock. They really use the large load of the boat to release them, but they do have this cost.

The fishermen on Ryukyu Island were stunned when they saw the big boats. Even three years ago, Emperor Hongwu ordered the relocation of 36 surnames from Fujian to Ryukyu because of the high damage rate of the envoys from the Ryukyu Kingdom and the poor shipbuilding skills of his own ship. In order to impart advanced production culture and shipbuilding technology, it is clear that this short period of three years is not enough for the technology of the Ryukyu Kingdom to complete the Great Leap Forward.

So, when they saw the large building boat with five sails heading south, it is conceivable how surprised they were. This is no longer the gap between ships, but the distance between small wooden boats and aircraft carriers.

Because the big ship was going to dock at that time, in order to control the speed and direction, the five sails on the Taiping only opened two more flexible auxiliary sails, which looked a bit bare from a distance, but the so-called auxiliary sails were relative to the Taiping. To put it bluntly, for the people of Ryukyu, the size of the auxiliary sail can be regarded as astonishing.

After all, the purpose of the auxiliary sail is also to propel the boat forward. Even though its volume is reduced compared to the main sail due to the requirements of raw materials and flexible control, if it is placed on the ground, it is still the length of an ordinary fishing boat.

Only the auxiliary sails are already so powerful, one can imagine how majestic and mighty this Taiping will look when it unfurls all its sails.

When leaving Ryukyu Island, the Taiping also allowed the residents on the island to truly see the magnificent scene that can be called the sky and the sun.The five sails are full of wind. After special processing, the waterproof canvas is like a gentle hand, converting the northwest wind in winter into the driving force of the ship. The speed of the warship is completely incompatible with its size.

Because of the influence of the water waves when the big ship was sailing, the auxiliary ship sailing with the ship and the large food merchant ship that met halfway because of curiosity and wanted to approach it could not catch up with it. No one can catch the trace after that.

But in terms of direction... is that all the way to the south?

This is not a second.

The geographical environment of the South China Sea is quite complicated. As the three-way intersection of the Eurasian, Indian Ocean, and Pacific plates, this seemingly deep sea actually hides countless reefs raised by the compression of the plates.

Some of the larger reefs have become the archipelago of the South China Sea, while some that have not exposed the sea level are the killers of seagoing ships—atolls and submerged reefs.

In the era without sonar, these ghosts hidden on the seabed have caused countless merchant ships to perish here for thousands of years. Therefore, all navigators will be carefully warned by their predecessors when they take this route.

What's interesting is that, compared with the crisis in the north-south direction, the east-west waterway is very friendly.As long as you are careful on the foreshore when docking, avoid a few exaggerated thunder spots, you will have better luck during shipping, and you will not encounter extreme weather, and you will be able to return home safely.

Just when Big Brother was a little anxious because of the lack of news from his younger brother and nephew, the changing wind direction finally brought good news.

——The Taiping, which sailed for the first time, has returned.

To be precise, it is the return of the Pacific Ocean loaded with cloves, nutmeg, pepper and other spices.

Because the cargo was too heavy, the Taiping specially unloaded part of the cargo and went overland after entering Fujian, so the news could not be concealed.

In this era, spices were almost the same price as gold, and the whole world was fascinated by its fragrance. Countless western fleets came to the East for spices in addition to silk and porcelain.Countless botanists came to the East incognito to solve the mystery of oriental spices.

Who let the treacherous and cunning middlemen and big food merchants process all the spices every time in order to prevent the leakage of the spice seeds, so that they lose their biological activity and cannot be planted before trading.

Ming people are also very fascinated by spices. The Han people have a wide range of recipes, a lot of people and little land, and poor supplies, so of course they must make the best use of what they eat.

As long as it is edible, even the skin can be peeled off and eaten for you to see!

——The pork skin jelly is so delicious, it’s delicious.

Ahem, of course, the fishy smell of food is the one that most conflicts with food. Finding ways to remove the fishy smell and improve the flavor of food has been the pursuit of Chinese people from ancient times to the present.

Fortunately, this land has never let down everyone who lives here seriously. It is rich enough and vast enough to give people gifts that are enough to make the surrounding people drool with envy. More importantly, the people on this land It also uses the gift from the earth to the extreme.

No matter how expensive spices are, they will be tried in the pot at the end, and it just so happens that cloves, nutmeg, and pepper are all three spices that work wonders for meat, so they are on the market...especially the wild pepper The demand is very high.

But compared to Zhu Di's biggest gain this time, this boatload of spices is nothing at all.

Zhu Di found the real origin of these spices, and established a long-term and stable purchasing relationship with the local indigenous tribes. The achievement of the middleman earning the difference.

"The local islanders love our silk and silk cloth very much, and they have a great demand for porcelain, gold and tin wares." Zhu Di, who was tanned three degrees, stood in front of Fengtian Temple and reported his trip this time with high spirits. Achievement, "These spices are native plants on their island. Cloves are grown in the north, cardamom is grown in the center, and pepper is grown all over the island, and the output is very large."

"The local people are mostly uncivilized and relatively simple. Previously, the big cannibals traded with them with our fabrics at a price of about thirty to one." Bai responded calmly, and Zhu Di added, "Thirty spices, one cloth."

"What??" As he had expected, Wen and Wu of the Manchu Dynasty were furious when they heard this outrageous exchange rate.Zhu Biao has a good temper, and most of the courtiers in the court today have either been his husband or his peers, so the court style of the Jianwen Dynasty is very relaxed.

At least, it was absolutely impossible for the Manchu Dynasty to have a lot of civil and military discussions in the Hongwu Dynasty.

The people in the court hall were furious. The reason why they were so calm just now was because the price of spices at thirty to one was considered normal in Daming, and it could even be said to be more conscientious. .

Of course, the cloth here does not refer to extremely expensive silk fabrics, but the most widely circulated cloth in the market, but the price can already be called very expensive.

In the early days of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, when commerce and trade had not yet developed smoothly, sprinkling pepper at that time was the behavior of the rich, and it was the kind that could invite friends and friends to open the door to welcome guests to show off! !It is conceivable how precious it is in the hearts of everyone.

But now they know the original price of the spices...

These merchants exchanged [-] peppers for a piece of cloth, and then sold them at the price of [-] pieces of pepper for [-] pepper in Daming. Even if all kinds of losses were counted, this was a full [-] to [-] times the profit!

Seeing everyone's dazed expressions, even his elder brother was a little absent-minded, Zhu Di suddenly felt happy.Yes, that's it, that's what he felt when he heard the selling price of the locals.

Of course, the local people’s prices are actually relatively heavy wet goods, and the price must be watery, but I don’t need to tell everyone about this.

Zhu Di coughed twice, and after the court returned to calm, he said again: "The minister signed a contract with them at a price of ten to one, and they are willing to allocate [-]% of the goods to sell to us, but this is tantamount to offending the boss. Food merchants, so the main tribes on the island requested to join Daming to obtain blessings through affiliation."

Zhu Biao's smile at this time could not be stopped. It is of course a good thing to have one more vassal state, especially one more vassal state rich in spices. In terms of profit, these troubles are nothing.

He took the letter from the inspector of ceremonies and opened it, and read out the name of the other party: "Ma Lugu?"

"Yes, that's what the locals call themselves." Zhu Di also presented a memorandum, "I have another memorandum. The climate in Malugu is hot and there is no winter all year round. There is not much demand for protection from the cold. Rareness is more expensive, and after we lower the price this time, I think their demand for fabrics will not last long, so I thought that maybe some trading items could be changed, but I haven't thought of what to change for the time being."

Zhu Di's words are simply, in order to keep this long-term spice supplier, we can't just tie him with a rope.

But what can Daming export?That's too much.

The skills of craftsmen in Daming are also top-notch. All kinds of crafts and decorations can be sold, or some weapons that have been eliminated at the border can be exported. It is also a good idea to let the locals have some self-protection skills.

In addition, some people also proposed to export books, paper and some interesting books. After all, the entertainment industry is needed everywhere.They can also translate for you if needed.

But these are not hardcore enough. Although the early business will definitely be good, it is not irreplaceable.

In other words, if you don't find a way to transplant these spices to Daming's land for planting, and only rely on imports, then you will hand over your own initiative to other countries. Eating this food is a bad thing for most people in China. It is inseparable. In case of a bad supply and the supply is cut off, the people may complain.Still should find a corresponding goods...

Mu Bai raised his eyes to look at the thoughtful old father, then at the silent King Yan, and then at the many courtiers who couldn't explain what they said, he couldn't help but sighed softly.

It's definitely not that these people couldn't think of this, it's just that the export goods are a little sensitive and they don't want to mention it.

What is the equivalent of seasoning?Food, of course.

But grain reserves are strategic materials, which involve the most sensitive areas of the country, and the import problem is not that big. Today's shipping scale is far from allowing imports to affect local food prices, but exports... To put it bluntly, once the ship leaves , who knows whether the food that went out went to another country or to the warehouse of a powerful minister?

There is too much food in hand, so it shouldn't be too easy to rebel.At that time, regardless of the outcome of the courtier who caused trouble, the person who raised this point will be the first to be unlucky.

At this time, only he, the young crown prince, can come forward.

As the future emperor, he is the most suitable person here to make this suggestion. As the present prince, he has plenty of time to try and make mistakes.

Mu Bai dared to say that if he didn't stand up, this group of people would definitely pretend to be stupid to the end.

Forget it, let's hurry up, otherwise the meeting will be endless, and he still wants to ask his uncle about the situation in the south.

"I have an idea." The crown prince in leather uniform took a step sideways, walked to the center of the square under the eyes of everyone, and then bowed to Zhu Biao on the throne.

When Zhu Biao raised his hand to signal him to open his mouth, His Royal Highness, who has grown into a young man, said loudly: "I just heard from the emperor's uncle that the climate on that road was very hot in ancient times. May I ask the emperor whether the local food is mainly rice?" ?”

A flash of admiration flashed in Zhu Di's eyes, he raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and bowed in the direction of the young nephew: "Return to His Royal Highness, I really only see rice in Malugu."

Mu Bai nodded to express his understanding, "Since this is the case, it is impossible to grow wheat, millet, millet, and bean that grow in cold regions. There must be no local ones. I think that maybe these grains can be exchanged with the local people."

After all, who can say no to noodles and tofu?

Although it is unbelievable to say this, Daming is the one who makes the whole of East Asia and South Asia suitable for growing wheat and soybeans. In the eyes of people from various countries who exported grain in small batches in the Ming Dynasty, wheat flour noodles and tofu are rare noble foods in most places.

The reason for adding the attributive of wheat flour is because many places lack wheat flour but want noodles, so they found various strange materials and techniques to make "noodles" with local characteristics.But just like the traditional Chinese character for "noodles" is "麺", only noodles made of wheat flour are the white moonlight in everyone's eyes!

The surrounding East Asian countries are still like this, presumably the small island country in the south...should be no exception.

The author has something to say: Maluku is Maluku, an archipelago in the South China Sea. I wrote the name according to the geography in "Kun Yu Wan Guo Tu"!

This island is a famous island of spices, but it is also the unlucky one among the unlucky ones. Its story is probably like this. I have seen it, but I can't remember the specific development.

So if you are interested, you can search it, it is not fidelity.

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As mentioned in the article, the north-south course of the South China Sea was a big trouble for ships going in and out back then. In addition, there were profiteers controlling them. Even if they were so close back then, no one knew the origin of the spices until the Song Dynasty. They exchanged cheap goods from Malugu, then sold them to China and India, and then sold them all the way to Europe along the Silk Road. The prices have been skyrocketing all the way.

Of course, people in Malugu don’t think this is a low price. After all, Chinese silk fabrics are not produced locally at all, and the price itself is indeed high, and there are some transportation risks. Very pleasant. (As long as you don't know how much wool you have been plucked, sheep are happy)

What JUDY said in the article is a little exaggerated. The weight of dry and wet spices is much different, but the profit at that time was almost 10 times more.At that time in Europe, spices had always been controlled by Venetian merchants. Later, the Portuguese were unwilling to be controlled all the time, so they crossed the Cape of Good Hope, took a long way from Africa to South Asia, and then they quickly touched Malugu Island, and then After occupying the island, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, and N maritime powers all tried to occupy Malugu. Malugu started a long history of colonization. They were reduced from the masters of the island to slaves, and they had to take care of the spice trees day and night.

And because the victors felt that it was not safe to put the spices so far away, they all wanted to take the spices away, so they transplanted the local spice trees, and when they found out that Africa or India (I forgot!) could also grow them After the spices, in order to control the price, they cut down all the spice trees on Maluku Island.

So in the end, the island of spices turned into a slave island without spices.