MTL - Prodigal Son of the Ming Dynasty-v2 Chapter 1770 world war

  Chapter 1770 World War

  I heard that it was from Venice, and everyone in the dormitory cheered up.

  The royal barber backed away.

  The priest also stopped singing in a low voice.

  The knights stood solemnly.

  Only His Royal Highness the King still looked dazed.

  Everyone waited with bated breath.

  His Royal Highness the King shook his head slowly, and he stretched out his hand slowly with an air of gossamer.

  The knight stepped forward, knelt down on one knee, kissed the back of the king's hand, and then handed a letter to the king.

  The king tried hard to cheer himself up.

   Years of treatment had exhausted all his energy. He lowered his head, barely read the letter written in Latin, but his face gradually returned to blood.

   After he coughed, he said, "Gum?"

"what?"

  A knight stepped forward, showing a strange look.

   “North African gum arabic…”

   "Your Highness, what you said is..."

His Royal Highness tried his best to raise his spirits and said: "In...in Venice, there are merchants buying a large amount of gum arabic, and the price is getting higher and higher. At first it was a Persian Chamber of Commerce, and the members of the Chamber of Commerce noticed something strange, so they invited a woman. Taking the opportunity to extract a valuable piece of news from him..."

Then, His Royal Highness fell into a cough again. His face was flushed with blush at first, and then he said: "I heard that this kind of gum is very popular in Daming. Daming does not produce this product, and even some The merchant tried every means to buy it. The members of the chamber of commerce have already captured this merchant, and after torture, the inside story they learned is even more astonishing..."

  The knights listened, all of them looked worried.

  This gum is called gum arabic because... it is a specialty of North Africa, and this tree has not survived in other places.

   But such gum is of little value.

   But who would have thought that this thing would be favored by so many rich people in the affluent Ming Dynasty.

   "Your Highness... we must strictly prohibit this news."

   "Impossible." The King of Spain shook his head, his slightly confused eyes showed greed: "This news will spread all over the world sooner or later, even... I suspect that the news has already leaked."

   "Then Your Highness...North Africa has always been in the hands of the Ottomans. They control the production areas of the gum. By then, relying on the gum, they will continue to earn a lot of gold and silver coins from Ming Dynasty?"

   His Royal Highness the King of Spain sighed.

  I don't know if it's because of the pain caused by the disease, or the worry about the current situation.

   You know, once this happens, it means that the Ottomans have dug out a huge gold mine.

  According to the merchant's description, this kind of gum is in short supply in Daming.

  Whoever controls the origin of gum can bring huge gold and silver to his treasury.

   And just... now the Spanish treasury is not enough.

  As for the Ottomans, they are even more serious problems for the Spaniards.

   After all, the Habsburg family of the king of Spain not only controlled Spain, but also controlled the Holy Roman Empire, Austria, and part of Hungary.

  The Ottomans have been sharpening their knives. On the one hand, they competed with the Habsburg family for sea dominance in the Mediterranean Sea. On the other hand, in Austria, they are also trying to cross here and go deep into the entire Western world.

  Compared to Daming, which is thousands of miles away, or even Northern Province, which is still stubbornly fighting, Ottoman...is the real serious problem.

  As for North Africa, it is a barren land. Although the Spaniards occasionally have frictions with the Ottomans in North Africa, it is obvious...that piece of barren land is not worth the Spanish.

  But now... when people realize that North Africa has become a huge gold mine, relying on the control of North Africa, it can bring balance to trade, and even bring huge benefits continuously...

The King of Spain was very energetic. He thought for a long time, and said: "We need to confirm this news. Send people and try our best to bring gum to Ming Dynasty. We need to find out clearly. We don't need to bring too much gum. You have to carry a few kilos, the sooner the better."

   "If this is the case, I'm afraid we will need the help of our friends in Venice." An old knight said thoughtfully.

  The Venetians are the best at doing business. Not only do they have contact with the Spaniards, in fact, they have always been close to the Ottomans.

  After all...the Ottomans controlled the commercial roads, and even many routes in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the cities along the coast, were mostly in the hands of Ottomans.

It is extremely difficult for the Spaniards to cross the Ottoman territory, but it is not too difficult for a Venetian, especially a Venetian who usually has a close relationship with Ottoman dignitaries. .

  His Royal Highness the King of Spain nodded. This matter is very urgent. What he is worried about is...the Ottomans are also aware of this and will strengthen the navy and coastal defense forces in North Africa.

  He said with a deep face: "Use the fastest method, at all costs."

"not only…"

  It seems that because of this letter from afar, the King of Spain actually forgot about his illness. He said solemnly: "Let the fleet get ready..."

His gaze suddenly became a little more colorful, and he stared at the knight: "Perhaps... it will be useful... If the news is true, Spain will never allow this huge treasure to fall into the hands of a pagan Suleiman." hand."

   "Everything is as you wish." The knight saluted, and he understood what to do next.

  Next, it is necessary to formulate a detailed battle plan intensively.

  North Africa occupies a huge area. Although the land is barren and the population is not large, and it faces Spain across the sea, they want to take North Africa in one fell swoop... This means that a full-scale war is about to begin.

  Originally, Habsburg hoped to use the tall and strong walls of Austria as a battlefield with the Ottomans.

  But now... It is obvious that all forces must be contracted, and a war that concerns the fate of the kingdom must be planned.

   And the King of Spain obviously made up his mind.

  Of course... all of this still needs to wait for the result.

   The wait is long.

At least…

  This process took nearly two months.

  A young Venetian businessman arrived in Daming almost as fast as he could along the road.

  When he arrived at Yumen Pass.

  It was discovered that Yumen Pass gradually flourished because of the silk trade.

  Here... After years of trade, it has become a large-scale city!

  This Venetian, with his Ottoman guide, who knew some Chinese, when he took out the gum arabic that he carried with him, suddenly... he was surrounded by countless merchants.

  Businessmen are always the most sensitive. The passing caravans know what the capital needs.

  So... the Venetian merchant stayed in the inn for less than a day, and there was an endless stream of people coming to the door.

  These merchants saw the legendary gum arabic with their own eyes.

   Some of them have seen this thing with their own eyes.

  Of course... There are also people who only judge the authenticity based on the rumors in Jingli.

"how much do you have?"

   This Venetian can clearly see the greed in the other party's eyes.

after all…

  Purchasing gum has become an enduring topic in the capital, everyone is looking for it, but so far, the gums on the market are almost unheard of.

  People say that this thing is called jaundice.

  Some people even say that this thing is edible, but a blind medicine.

There are also rumors in private that the reason why many people buy this medicine is because the medical school has researched that it can prolong life, not only that... It can also strengthen the kidney and strengthen Qi. I heard that its efficacy far surpasses anything on the market. Drug.

  As soon as the news came out... the market became even crazier.

  The price of this thing is constantly rising, but the most desperate of all people find that this thing is just a legend.

   Now that the legendary thing finally appeared in front of him, how could he easily miss it?

  The Venetian merchant said: "I have ten catties on me."

   "Ten catties..." The expression on the face of the inquiring merchant changed from astonishment to surprise, and then he hurriedly asked, "I don't know how much you would like to bid?"

  The Merchant of Venice became vigilant.

  The other party asked the price without asking any further questions. Obviously, the other party had a strong interest in this item and wished to buy it immediately.

   It's just that this Venetian is also good at buying and selling, so he naturally knows that he should not easily reveal his reserve price.

  The merchant couldn't sit still anymore.

  After all...afraid...Who knows if someone else will be there first, he gritted his teeth and stretched out his hand: "One hundred taels, one hundred taels, I'll buy these ten catties of yellow bile, how about it?"

   One hundred taels... The Merchant of Venice was shocked.

  The merchant added: "Of course, I'm talking about gold. I know that you prefer gold. Of course, it's delivered in gold. I want it now."

  The Venetian's heart was even mentioned in his throat.

   You know, such a gum is everywhere in North Africa.

  The other party... wanted to buy it in one go, obviously... hoping to buy as many as possible.

  The price offered is even more jaw-dropping.

  The merchant looked anxious, seeing that the Venetian gradually calmed down and kept urging the transaction.

   But soon, more and more people began to visit the door.

  The Venetian has almost become everyone's focus.

  Even Osman's guide was reminding him in a low voice that he might be in danger, and it was best to sell the treasure in his hand as soon as possible, otherwise... no one can guarantee his safety.

  Money is important, but fate is naturally more important. The Venetians no longer dare to stay longer.

  His original plan was to go to the capital of Ming Dynasty, but now it seems that his goal has been achieved.

  So, the gum was sold for two hundred and fifty taels of gold that day.

   After getting the gold, he immediately returned to the same road, traveling all the way west day and night.

  (end of this chapter)