Large cages were moved off the ship one by one, quickly attracting onlookers on the pier.
Even the coolies stopped working, put down their work, and pushed their way into the crowd.
The first to disembark were two kangaroos.
This thing is really difficult to feed. They like dry environments, but the cabin is hot and humid. Wang Chongdu caught 14 kangaroos and came back. They fell ill and died along the way, and only two of them were left, and they were also very listless.
They were unable to reproduce, and the two surviving ones were both males.
Perhaps because they have adapted to being watched, the kangaroos no longer panic when facing humans. They lie boredly in the big cage, and one of them is sleeping in a rather enchanting posture, with his legs crossed and his head resting on his arms like a noble lady.
"Hey, is this a rat spirit?"
"That one must be a female. She is lying in a cage and seducing men. She is afraid that she will turn into a beautiful woman at night."
"Where did you catch it?"
"Auspicious! Auspicious!"
"Our Ming Dynasty is not auspicious. If this was done in the previous dynasty and the two rat spirits were sacrificed to the faint emperor, I am afraid that I would be able to achieve meritorious service and become a marquis on the spot."
"What's in that box at the back? It sounds weird and scary."
"..."
The ones in the cage at the back were Tasmanian devils, more than twenty of them were caught, and only these three were left dead.
One male and two females.
It is estimated that there were too many people, which made the Tasmanian devil a little stressed, and suddenly it roared like a donkey. It was very strange, because the Tasmanian devil is very small, but the sound is like that of a giant animal.
Because of its terrifying cry, it is nicknamed the "Tasmanian Devil".
This thing later became extinct on the Australian mainland and only existed in Tasmania. However, the Ming Dynasty expedition encountered it in Melbourne and asked the local tribe to set traps with cloth and caught many of them.
If the Ming Dynasty immigrants went to Melbourne to farm, they would probably spontaneously protect Tasmanian devils. Because on farms where Tasmanian devils exist, the number of pests will decrease rapidly.
The Tasmanian devil's stress scream immediately elicits a response from another animal.
Several bird cages had just been lifted off the ship, and a lorikeet in one of the cages shouted: "Long live your Majesty, long live your Majesty!"
When the onlookers heard this, they immediately became happy.
There are also parrots native to China, and they can learn to speak human language, but they are different from this type of lorikeet.
The several lorikeets in the cage were brought back from Java and have been raised by the locals for a long time. Wang Chongdu taught them to say "Long live your Majesty" along the way. These guys learned very quickly and especially liked to interact with people.
In another bird cage, there is a cockatoo brought back from Australia. Although it looks good, it is not a good talker and its interactivity is much worse.
There was also a large cage with four dog-like animals lying inside.
Thylacine!
This species has become extinct in later generations, but now it is found everywhere in Australia.
"Give way, give way. These are exotic animals dedicated to His Majesty. Don't shock them."
The Royal Zoo in Kaifeng is in the southern suburbs and has been vacated.
The Royal Zoo in Luoyang is located in the eastern suburbs, next to the Royal Garden and the official racecourse. Tickets are open to the public for twenty days every month - if important members of the royal family move into the Dongxi Garden next to it, the Zoo will open it a few days in advance.
Closed for business.
Wang Chongdu had a set of exclusive code books, and he sent a secret message to the emperor in Hangzhou. At this moment, he sent someone to the eastern suburbs to inform him, and the person in charge of the zoo immediately came to help.
Seeing the exotic animals being picked up, the people who were busy making a living dispersed one after another, but there were still many good people who followed along.
They chased them to the entrance of the zoo and were stopped. The eunuch in charge said: "Ticket sales will be stopped this month. Don't scare these overseas wonders. We won't open them again until they get used to them."
Everyone was reluctant to leave and watched various animals enter.
There are not only elephants, tigers, rhinos, leopards and other animals inside, but also ostriches, lions and giraffes from Africa have been added in recent years.
Tickets to the zoo are selling very well, especially for out-of-towners coming to Beijing, and many are willing to pay to have a look.
A group of Australian animals were introduced, and the men brought by Wang Chongdu introduced them to the habits of various animals. In fact, not everyone knew much, but they had been raising them for at least several months, and more than half of them had been raised to death. Which animals like to eat what
I know.
"This... is a bit like the ostriches that came to Beijing a few years ago. They are actually taller than the ostriches." The breeder stared at several strange big birds.
Wang Chongdu smiled and said: "We don't know what they are called. The place where they lived before was neither dry nor wet, nor cold nor hot. They were only seen in grasslands and less dense forests."
The breeder said: "Then I understand how to raise them. The way to raise them is different from that of ostriches. Let's wait for the officials to give them names. The names of ostriches are also decided by the officials. By the way, what do these big birds eat?
"
Wang Chongdu said: "Fruits, insects, grain, and sometimes grass are eaten."
After some exchanges, Wang Chongdu left.
A few days later, he entered the palace to meet the saint.
Wang Chongdu thought he was going to Chui Gong Hall, but unexpectedly he went directly into the Imperial Garden, where the Queen and the Prince were drinking tea in the pavilion.
After the visit, Wang Chongdu presented tribute items.
"Long live your Majesty, long live your Majesty!"
Two lorikeets argue over each other.
Zhang Jinping was amused: "This parrot has beautiful feathers, which is different from the parrots of the Ming Dynasty."
Wang Chongdu hurriedly said: "Sage, this kind of parrot likes to play with people, and after being raised well, it will become a special family."
The two female officials took the parrot and sent it to the queen and the prince respectively.
Ju Ming asked: "They were also brought back from the unknown continent in the south?"
Wang Chongdu replied: "This kind of parrot is found in the unknown continent and Java Island, but has never been seen elsewhere. The two in front of me were bought from Java Island. The locals have tamed them. They were also brought back from the unknown continent.
I have a parrot, that kind of parrot is more beautiful, but it is a little difficult to speak human words."
"Tell me in detail how you discovered the New World in the South." Ju Ming said.
Wang Chongdu said: "I have always kept your majesty's instructions in mind. After getting familiar with sailing, I explored the Java area. In the first year, I sailed around Java Island. In the second year, I became familiar with the trade winds and currents there. In the third year, I chose the right time to go south with the wind.
.”
Ju Ming asked: "Smooth sailing?"
Wang Chongdu said: "It was smooth sailing when I went there, and smooth sailing when I came back. No country was found on that continent, but there were many black tribes who looked similar to those Kunlun slaves in Nanyang."
"What else was found?" Zhu Ming asked.
Wang Chongdu also offered opal and gold: "There are a lot of iron ore and copper mines there, and they are very easy to mine. But the mining belt is located in a desolate place. There is one iron mine where there is no grass growing, and there are not even black indigenous people there."
"The place where I first landed was barren of vegetation. It took a day and a half of sailing eastward for vegetation to appear. The northeasternmost part of the continent has a lot of rainfall (tropical rainforest climate), but the largest number of indigenous people is in the east and southeastern coast."
"I discovered gold in the southeast, and found a place to pan for gold along the river. I continued sailing westward in the south for two days and returned. The wind along the southern coast was particularly chaotic, mainly northwest and southwest, and occasionally
Southerly and easterly winds blowing.”
"The local indigenous people are quite simple, but there are also some who are more ferocious. Especially on the eastern coast, tribes attack each other. One tribe was motivated by wealth and wanted to kill people and get goods, but we defeated them with firecrackers and swords..."
While Wang Chongdu was talking, the emperor and empress were playing with gold and precious stones.
Ju Ming looked at the gold nugget.
Zhang Jinping was more interested in opal. After Wang Chongdu finished speaking, she smiled and asked: "Are there many such gems over there?"
Wang Chongdu replied: "It seems to be a lot. I exchanged more than 500 gems from four tribes."
"How much did you sell for?" Zhu Ming asked.
Wang Chongdu answered honestly: "In Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Yangzhou and Chuzhou, a total of ten were sold. The price ranged from two to three hundred guan per piece, to six or seven hundred guan per piece. They were all auctioned on the exchange.
"
Ju Ming said: "Eighty percent of the gems will be handed over to the royal family, and you will handle the remaining 20% yourself."
"According to the order!"
Wang Chongdu only took 20% but had no complaints. No matter how much he got this time, he would still hold it in his hands and sell it slowly.
This kind of gemstone is not rare in Australia. I will try to get some next time.
The emperor divided 80% of the gems, which was definitely not for sale, but as rewards to his concubines, children and meritorious officials. Such rewards were very beneficial to raising the price of gems, and Wang Chongdu had to thank the emperor for helping with advertising.
Wang Chongdu presented another map of Australia.
This map is a semi-finished product. It only shows the outline of the northern two-thirds of Australia and the outline of the eastern coast. It disappears when it reaches the southeast.
Moreover, the size and proportions are also somewhat distorted.
Wang Chongdu was allowed to get closer to speak. He pointed to the location of Melbourne: "This place has a mild climate and is very suitable for farming. It also has a natural harbor and gold was discovered there."
"What are your plans?" Zhu Ming asked.
Wang Chongdu said: "I am willing to expand territory for the Ming Dynasty overseas. In the first year, hundreds of people were attracted to go gold mining. In the second year, some gold diggers were brought back to their hometowns, and all the gold diggers were asked to write letters home and send them
Give back some of the gold they found."
"By then, it will definitely cause a sensation in the states and counties, and I will organize a fleet to transport more people there. Year after year, the gold diggers may gather tens of thousands. They will open up fields for farming, build small towns, shops, temples, etc.
I'm afraid there are not many women willing to go to sea, and the indigenous women are too ugly, so we can recruit Nanyang women for marriage. We can also recruit some Japanese women. As long as we give them enough money, the Japanese nobles will be happy to send women to sea."
Ju Ming nodded and approved Wang Chongdu's strategy, and then said: "I will not send any officials there within five years."
Wang Chongdu was overjoyed: "Your Majesty is merciful, and I will do my best!"
Let Wang Chongdu manage Melbourne for five years, which is enough for him to make a lot of money. This is a reward for ocean explorers.
With real benefits, more people will explore unknown waters.
Ju Ming said: "Let's call that continent Australia. You can name the places in Australia yourself. The place where gold was discovered can be called Jinshan. This name is attractive enough."
"Your Majesty is wise!" Wang Chongdu flattered him again.