"Crash!" A large bag of coins was poured into the bamboo basket.
This is not over yet, soon there will be the second bag, the third bag...
After the customs officer recorded the names of the merchants and departed from the port, he looked at them casually and asked the commander to select a batch of samples and melt them for testing. While he was waiting for the results to determine an exchange ratio.
In fact, the fineness of Dashi silver coins is relatively stable. Over the years, there have been no such bad coins mixed with a large amount of base metals, which is generally reassuring. However, the work that needs to be done still needs to be done, and we cannot be careless.
When the officials were carrying large baskets of silver coins, they could basically do it without any ripples in the ancient well. Without him, it would be numb.
Dealing with property every day may be exciting at first, but they are all in their thirties or forties, have families and businesses, know what can and cannot be taken, and have very good rules. Otherwise, Xuewozi, Liaodong, and the Western Regions
Rabbit Hole or Lishui Jungle, which one do you choose?
"Ali, are you not dead yet?" Ling Shi looked a little bored and asked with a smile as he looked at the big foodie Hu Shang sitting opposite him.
They are actually old acquaintances.
There were not many Hu merchants coming to the north, and Ali was a relatively well-known maritime merchant with some strength.
Around the time of Jianji, Ali purchased land and a house in Chishanpu and lived a semi-settled life for more than ten years.
In more than ten years, he has returned to Dashi three times, and this is the fourth time. He is really lucky.
"The omnipotent Creator protects me." Ali became an old fool as soon as he opened his mouth...
Ling Shi laughed loudly and said: "The Creator only protects you. There used to be a Musa who often came to do business. I heard that he was from your hometown. He hasn't appeared for a long time. Did he not get the protection of the Creator?"
"Musa..." Ali sighed and said, "He contracted the disease in the land under the wind and died within a month."
"What a pity." Ling Shi also sighed.
He even drank with Musa. The man was young, less than thirty. He inherited his uncle's property and devoted himself to running a boat. As a result, he died of illness rather than a shipwreck.
This also gave him some understanding of the so-called "land under the wind": it is not a good place.
"Speaking of which-" Ali pondered for a moment, then suddenly said: "When I went back this time, I heard some news about the mission."
"Envoy?" Ling Shi was a little confused and asked subconsciously.
"It's a mission, a mission sent by your country." Ali said.
Ling Shi was startled and immediately asked: "How is it?"
Unfortunately, it has been three years since the three ships left Guangzhou? Maybe even longer? There has been no news, and everyone thought they were dead. After all, sailing by sea is much faster and easier than traveling by land.
, provided there is no shipwreck.
Now - according to Ali, are they still alive?
"When I returned, I heard that they were buying a boat on Jishi Island," Ali said.
"Remember Shi Dao?" Ling Shi was stunned for a moment, then quickly came to his senses.
He immediately stood up, pulled out a book from a bookshelf, and after searching for a while, finally found it.
It turns out that this is an island located east of Siraf (south of Shiraz, Iran). Many merchant ships set sail from here, but it is not as prosperous as Siraf.
"Have they been to Baghdad?" Ling Shi asked.
"I don't know about that." Ali said: "I only heard that they originally had three ships, but they encountered a storm on the sea and lost one. Then they encountered pirates in the land under the wind and lost another ship.
.”
"Where is another ship? There are three of them in total." Ling Shi looked into Ali's eyes and asked eagerly.
"Unfortunately, it hit the rocks and sank when entering the port. We snatched a batch of goods and the loss of personnel was not big." Ali said. After speaking, he added: "I heard the news in Siraf, not necessarily
precise."
"Okay, very good!" Ling Shi laughed and said, "Let's go, follow me to the customs office."
He knew that the opportunity had come. God also wanted him to be rewarded for his meritorious service, haha!
******
Ping Haijun envoy Zhao Zongjie hurriedly arrived at the Customs Yamen.
"See Your Highness." He bowed and saluted.
The envoys of the three cities of Hebei, Huaihai and Huainan, King Shao Guancheng of Qi, inspected Chishanpu. After the news came round and round, they reported to him.
"Have you heard about it, general?" Shao Guancheng asked.
"I heard about it." Zhao Zongjie had an incredible look on his face.
All old sea dogs know what it means to encounter bad weather when going out to sea.
If you are lucky, only part of the ship will be lost, and the rest will be miserable. Ships leaking, masts broken, and canvas damaged are all commonplace, and many people abandoned the ship because of it. Even if it did not sink at the time and repairs at sea were inconvenient,
Some boats just can't leave.
If you are not lucky, it will disappear without a trace on the sea. Perhaps after a while, part of the ship's planks will be pushed ashore by the waves, making people guess what kind of disaster the ship encountered and what happened to the crew.
How he fought unyieldingly until the last moment - unfortunately, he failed in the end.
As for surviving and drifting to a desert island, I can only say that it is not impossible, but it is really too fantasy...
The Ping Navy encountered a storm and only lost one ship. It was already very lucky. The ship probably did not control well and did not sail in the direction of the huge waves. As a result, it rolled over and capsized - whether the control was good or not, it might be normal.
If you don't see it, you will die at the critical moment. This is a very important indicator for seagoing ships.
"How many pirates are there in the land below the wind?" Shao Guancheng asked.
"I've heard a lot." Zhao Zongjie said, "If your Highness wants to know, you can send someone to Guangzhou to ask. They know more about it."
Shao Guancheng nodded.
The main berths of the Ping Navy are in the north. It is normal for Zhao Zongjie not to know the south. In fact, he probably doesn't know the Guangzhou side very well either. He has a dark eye on the outside world. After all, your ships don't go there often.
A sea area.
For some things, just reading books such as travel notes is useless. You have to conduct on-the-spot investigation.
"The storm on the sea is dangerous, and it is not easy for some people to survive." Shao Guancheng sighed: "I hope they can buy a ship and return home as soon as possible. By the way, where did they get the money to buy a ship?"
"Perhaps there is still a batch of cargo on the ship that ran aground and sank in Silaf Port." Zhao Zongjie said: "If we snatch a batch back, we can slowly sell them and buy a small ship. It shouldn't be difficult. That's it.
I don’t know if the giant cannibal is willing to sell it, or if many people will survive.”
After hearing this, Shao Guancheng nodded again: "It's been four years. I guess they have been to Baghdad, but I don't know if they have achieved any results. Most of the big cannibals will not sell the ship so happily, and may even have detained them for a period of time, otherwise
Why is this so?"
"What His Highness said is absolutely true." Zhao Zongjie said: "On the way back, walk slowly along the shore and see your luck. If you can buy a batch of goods from Dashi and sell them along the way, you should be able to make back the cost.
.”
It is impossible for ships to sail without docking at the port. Especially when sailing near the coast, they often need to go ashore to buy water. This is also a period of high conflict, and they often encounter attacks by natives. After all, not everyone operates with integrity.
Naturally, it costs money to go ashore for purchasing, and sometimes you have to buy expensive food. When setting sail from Siraf Port, if you buy some frankincense, ambergris, pearls, colored glaze, rhinoceros horn, ivory, coral and other goods that are relatively cheap locally,
It can cover the expenses along the way.
"If we can return home smoothly, everyone will be rich and noble." Shao Guancheng smiled on his face.
Although he is in charge of the Municipal Shipping Department, he really doesn't like to go out to sea by boat. He is afraid of such a short distance between Yuzhou Island and Haizhou, let alone sailing in the real sea. As for leaving the offshore comfort
It is unthinkable to sail deep into the ocean or even complete the great feat of crossing the ocean - offshore sailing and deep-sea sailing are not on the same level of difficulty at all.
"Inform the saint as soon as possible. You can handle this matter." Shao Guancheng said.
He is a commercial envoy, and theoretically he should not be involved in the affairs of the peaceful navy. There is no need for him to fight for some credit, as wealth and honor are enough.
"General, I will send someone right now." Zhao Zongjie bowed and said.
******
Shao Shude had almost arrived in Puzhou when he received the news. It was early May.
On the other side of Puzhou is Weibo.
Shao Shude stood on the river embankment and looked up.
There shouldn't be anyone in the Weibo states who still have objections, right?
A large town with a population of three million during the Huangchao Rebellion, it has gone through countless wars and was subsequently forced to immigrate. Its population has long been less than two million, and it is still declining slowly.
In the early days, there was unrest due to forced immigration. In the past ten years, the unrest has almost disappeared.
Shao Shude thinks this is not a bad thing...
The Silver Spear Army will never appear again.
This new army, which was formed for the second time after the main force of Wei Bo was destroyed, dared to fight and fight hard on the battlefield. When defeated, it was able to close its formation and repel the chasing enemy cavalry. Then it regrouped and was able to rise from the foot of the mountain that day.
Attack the top of the mountain and turn defeat into victory.
A group of new recruits are incredible!
Although it is a bit regretful, if it disappears, then it will disappear. Troops like the Silver Spear Army can certainly be devastated on the battlefield, but their stamina is too great to bear.
From now on, the Weibo states will rely on their superior geographical conditions to develop agriculture and commerce.
During the Northern Dynasties, this was a first-class wealthy land with great potential. After focusing on farming and doing business, Weibo, an evil place, was "corrected".
"Your Majesty, the Chishan Puping navy has come to report." Wang Yanfan hurried over and said with a low eyebrow.
Shao Shude took it and took a look. Even at his age, he was already calm, but he still breathed heavily for a while.
"Very good." The general put the report away, smiled, and said, "This is my first overseas mission, so my luck is not too bad."
After four years, I finally heard some news.
Although I don’t know what they have done in the past four years, I hope they can return home safely and complete their mission.
I don’t know if they went to the Red Sea in the west, as I told them before setting off...