prosperous age

Chapter 991 1082 Goodbye Deng Zilong

The next morning, Li Jin woke up, washed up, left the guest room, found the manager Chen Zhenlong, and after discussing for a while, they took a few guards and headed towards the trading floor in the city.

Just like he said last night, he had a lot of things to do in Manila today.

Not only did they have to clear out all the goods brought here as quickly as possible, they also had to buy a house in the city so that they could recruit local people to work.

As for Lin Feng's news, Li Jin also found out clearly at the banquet last night. The barbarians have no intention of sending troops for the time being and are still training the local people.

According to Garcia, these locals were very stupid and their soldiers had a hard time training them.

Since the barbarians will not send troops to Daimao City in the short term, there is no need to rush to pass on the message to the South China Sea Navy.

So, for several days in a row, Li Jin and Chen Zhenlong were busy in Manila, bargaining and negotiating deals with the foreign merchants, and they used some of the money they earned to buy a two-story building they liked.

After all, it is in the city, and the houses protected by city walls are more expensive than those outside the city, even more expensive than houses near the docks.

After Chen Zhenlong's selection, several candidates for servants were also chosen.

Here, just after completing a deal, Chen Zhenlong whispered in Li Jin's ear: "Boss, I have selected a few people over there, do you want to go and take a look?"

Li Jin knew what Chen Zhenlong meant, and shook his head gently, saying, "I won't show up for this matter. If something goes wrong, we won't have room for maneuver.

If you do this yourself, even if the barbarians find out, I can still go and negotiate with Garcia.

If I were involved, it would be hard to say. "

"Yes, boss."

Chen Zhenlong also knew how powerful it was, so he nodded and agreed immediately, and then he went to talk to those candidates.

The purpose of the conversation was, naturally, to ask them if they could get any sweet potatoes or sweet potato vines, and he naturally would not say that he was going to take them away, but only said that he was going to plant some in the garden behind the house because the host loved to eat roasted sweet potatoes.

As long as they can plant it in the garden behind the house, they will naturally be able to take some away when the time comes.

It's this thing. It's a bit difficult to hide it on the boat.

It’s definitely impossible to bring them into the cabin, so how about making a hole in the mast and hiding the sweet potatoes?

Along the way, Chen Zhenlong was thinking about how to secretly take away the sweet potato seeds, and he soon entered Manila.

Wei Guangde didn't know that in Manila, thousands of miles away, someone was already racking his brains to find a solution to his plan.

In fact, Wei Guangde didn't know that the Spaniards attached so much importance to sweet potatoes and strictly blocked them from being exported to the Ming Dynasty.

In his original world, sweet potatoes were available everywhere in the country. You could just grab a handful of them and there was no need to put in any effort to get them.

Of course, although sweet potatoes have many advantages, they have not become the world's staple food for various reasons.

Well, what later generations called the world's six major staple foods were wheat, rice, corn, potatoes, sorghum and cassava.

Although there is only one letter difference between cassava and sweet potato, most Chinese people cannot distinguish between the two and only think of them as the same type of crop, but in fact they are two different crops.

Sweet potato is a perennial herbaceous vine native to South America and the Greater and Lesser Antilles. It was introduced to China for cultivation around the middle and late Ming Dynasty.

Cassava is a woody plant, which means it can grow as tall as a tree.

This plant is native to Brazil. One of the main reasons why it is called cassava is because its root tuber is cylindrical, looks very similar to sweet potato, and is also rich in starch.

The vitality of cassava is stronger than that of sweet potato. Although it is a woody plant, its roots are rich in starch and can be eaten. It is also known as the "king of starch". It is the main food source in tropical Africa and the staple food for nearly 600 million people in later generations, so it has become the world's staple food.

China once planted a large amount of cassava in the south, but now it is almost gone, and the reason is that cassava is poisonous.

Cassava comes from the famous "poison family" - Euphorbiaceae. Most plants in this family are poisonous. Among the poisonous plants included in the Chinese Plant Atlas Database, the whole plant of cassava is poisonous.

The toxic substances contained in the cassava plant are mainly linseed glycosides, which can produce a nerve agent, hydrocyanic acid, under the action of gastric acid. If people eat raw or undercooked cassava by mistake, it is easy to cause poisoning.

In later generations, unscrupulous businessmen took advantage of the high yield and low price of cassava starch to replace sweet potato starch in order to make profits. Not only sweet potato starch, but even the so-called "yam vermicelli" on the market is actually cassava vermicelli.

To put it bluntly, Li Jin stayed in Manila for seven or eight days and finally got everything done. He then purchased the supplies needed for the return voyage and prepared to leave Manila and head north of Luzon Island to find the South China Sea Navy fleet to deliver the message.

"Boss, the two natives have found some sweet potato vines and said we can plant them directly."

After arranging for the crew to transport the supplies on board, Chen Zhenlong leaned over and whispered in Li Jin's ear.

"Have you figured out how to take the sweet potato vines away?"

Li Jin asked in a low voice.

"I plan to tie a few sections of sweet potato vines to the water-absorbing rope, smear mud on the outside and wait for it to dry.

I think the rope was dropped on the deck of the ship, and the barbarians would never have thought that we would leave something under their noses."

Chen Zhenlong said in a low voice.

"hiss"

When Li Jin heard Chen Zhenlong's idea, he was shocked at first, and then he found that the idea seemed very good.

Dark under the lamp.

"At first I was thinking about making a few holes in the planks to hide the sweet potatoes, but it seems your idea is better.

I don’t believe that the barbarians would be interested in the pile of ropes in front of them.”

Suddenly, Li Jin clapped his hands and laughed, "Just do it, tell someone to leave the sweet potato vines and wrap them in the rope."

By the time Chen Zhenlong left to prepare for his actions, Li Jin was already humming a folk tune from his hometown, lying comfortably on a sofa.

He is in a really good mood now. It seems that he has accomplished everything he wanted to do on this trip to Manila.

Not only did he find out the whereabouts of Lin Feng's pirate group, but he also learned about the barbarians' plans.

As for the current defense situation of Manila City, it has also improved a lot compared to before.

At the very least, judging from what Garcia said, the barbarian garrison in the city will not be less than three to five hundred people. They will no longer dare to leave only a few dozen people in the city and send the rest out to rob and capture people.

As for the city’s defense facilities, I’ve seen most of them after walking around for the past few days.

Thinking of this, Li Jin couldn't help but slap his head, secretly thinking that he forgot to ask the manager whether he had drawn a map of Manila.

Although he could explain it very well, he didn't have the ability to draw, but he could show it with gestures.

We still have to rely on the scholar Chen Zhenlong to do the drawing job well.

After two days of preparation, Chen Zhenlong came to report that all preparations for the return voyage had been completed.

Only then did Li Jin pack his luggage and come out of his newly bought house.

Although the house still looks a bit simple now, after all, he did not expect to buy a house in Manila this time, so he did not bring furniture from Ming Dynasty.

As for asking the locals in Manila to do it, it’s better not to think about it. Li Jinke doesn’t think highly of their craftsmanship.

Of course, the barbarians’ things are also good, such as this sofa, but they are too expensive.

Knowing that Li Jin had made a lot of money in Manila, the barbarians asked a lot of money from him, a Ming merchant. Many things that looked useful were extremely expensive. Even a businessman like Li Jin couldn't afford it, so he just bought a big bed and a sofa.

However, this thing made by the barbarians is really comfortable to use. It is softer than the wooden chairs of the Ming Dynasty, just like sitting on cotton.

As for selling foreign goods to the Ming Dynasty, although these things are good, the price offered by the foreigners is too high, and other people may not be willing to pay for them when they are shipped back.

Thinking of this, Li Jin suddenly thought about whether he should ask the craftsmen at home to come and see how this soft big bed and sofa were made.

The barbarians offered such a high price, they must have made a lot of money.

If our own craftsmen can learn how to make this kind of foreign furniture, can we go back to Ming Dynasty and make it and sell it?

Li Jin was still thinking about the feasibility of these ideas until they got on board.

"Garcia, have I checked my boat?"

On the deck, Li Jin saw Garcia standing there and several barbarians coming out of the cabin, obviously they had already been checked.

“Of course, we are old friends, and I have always had great trust in you, Li.

It's just my job, and if I don't let them do it, I would be derelict in my duty.

If they report this to the higher authorities, I might be severely punished.”

Garcia heard Li Jin's voice, turned around and watched him get on the boat, then walked over and hugged him before whispering to him.

Not long after, several barbarians on another boat nearby also got off the gangplank. One of them trotted over and whispered something in Garcia's ear.

Garcia kept smiling and after chatting with Li Jin for a few words, he said goodbye and got off the boat.

As the prosecutors left, the foreigners on the dock directed the local laborers to retract the gangway and untie the ropes on the dock.

Li Jin stood at the bow of the boat and waved goodbye to Garcia who was standing on the dock.

Gradually, the merchant ship left the dock and headed towards the western sea. The city of Manila behind it became smaller and smaller until it gradually disappeared from sight.

"Master, look over there."

Just when Li Jin was about to go back to the cabin to rest, Chen Zhenlong behind him suddenly shouted to him.

"what?"

Li Jin hesitated and looked in the direction of Chen Zhenlong's finger. More than a dozen large ships that were obviously Luzon-style, led by several Spanish patrol boats, passed by quickly.

On the boat, countless locals were rowing, paddling rhythmically and vigorously to the beat of the big drum on the bow.

"No wonder it's so fast."

Li Jin couldn't help but sigh.

Well, when people on a boat see other boats, speed is often the first thing they consider.

"It is indeed fast, but Boss, do you think this is the Spanish armed army preparing to attack Lin Feng?"

Reminded by Chen Zhenlong, Li Jin suddenly remembered.

Pointing to the direction the fleet was heading, Li Jin asked, "What's that place over there?"

"there."

Chen Zhenlong hesitated for a moment before saying, "It should be Yilugu Island. I seem to have heard that the barbarians built a water fort there and moored warships. Warships."

"That should be it."

Li Jin nodded, “It seems that the Yi people will take action against Lin Feng soon.

That Garcia actually told me that those natives were too stupid and needed training."

"Boss, it has been nearly half a year since Lin Feng attacked Manila. I guess these natives should have been trained for a few months and can be sent out to fight.

Besides, the real fighters should be those few hundred barbarians, they are the main force in the battle. "

Chen Zhenlong said again.

"No matter what, we should find the South China Sea Navy as soon as possible and tell them the situation here so that they can be prepared."

Li Jin said, and then went straight into the cabin.

Chen Zhenlong gave a few instructions to the crew and followed them into the cabin. After a while, a crew member brought some vines into the cabin.

Looking at the things on the table, Li Jin also reacted and asked, "Is this the sweet potato vine?"

"Yes, sir, this is the sweet potato vine."

As soon as Chen Zhenlong finished speaking, he heard Li Jin's hearty laughter.

"Great, I've always wanted to get rid of this thing, but I didn't expect that I would succeed this time.

If we had known this earlier, we should have done this earlier. Maybe the Ming Dynasty would have been able to eat sweet potatoes by now."

Yes, Li Jin had this idea a long time ago, but he was a businessman after all. He knew that the foreigners did not agree to introduce sweet potatoes to the Ming Dynasty. For the sake of his maritime business, he naturally would not take the initiative to offend them.

In Luzon, he still knew that he had to abide by the rules set by the barbarians, otherwise he would not be able to do business.

It is just like when the barbarians come to the Ming Dynasty, they have to follow the rules of the Ming Dynasty.

Two days later, two large Fu ships sailing toward the northeast collided with two navy warships.

After the first encounter, Li Jin was no longer a prince in his heart this time, and he took the initiative to move closer.

After contacting the navy, they learned that they had brought back important intelligence, so they naturally escorted the two merchant ships one in front and one behind as they headed north.

After another day, they finally reunited with the fleet led by Deng Zilong, but there were only eight of the original ten ships left.

The other two navy warships should be searching from another direction.

This time, the Fujian ship that Li Jin was on docked directly next to Deng Zilong's ship. He used the gangway to directly climb onto the opposite ship and soon saw Deng Zilong in the cabin.

"General Deng, I have accomplished your mission."

When they met, Li Jin bowed to Deng Zilong and said.

"Oh, have you completed all the tasks entrusted to you?"

Deng Zilong was delighted when he heard Li Jin's words. Although he didn't know what it was, he still asked.

Li Jin first turned around and waved to Chen Zhenlong, who immediately took out a city defense map of Manila from his arms.

Well, this is a floor plan drawn by Chen Zhenlong, and Li Jin just pointed out a few mistakes.

When he saw that it was the defense map of Manila City, the smile on Deng Zilong's face faded a little, but he still took it solemnly.

The change on Deng Zilong's face naturally caught Li Jin's attention, and he immediately said, "We have also found out where Lin Feng is."