The problem of supply was solved, but the Duke of Coimbra, Jorge. Morality. The asking price for Lencastree is not low. As soon as the other party opened his mouth, it was 40 gold coins per head, which was simply too expensive.

You know, in Europe, a strong bull is only about 20 gold coins. The asking price is 40 gold, which has doubled, and it is definitely a lion's mouth.

However, the Duke of Coimbra, Jorge. Morality. Lencastrean also has his reasons - the price of cattle is around 20 gold coins, but it also has to take into account the labor cost of his men.

Duke Jorge of Coimbra. Morality. Lencestre's men traveled thousands of miles from Portugal to West Africa, risking their dealings with the blacks and the high cost of long-distance transportation......

Cullen's scalp tingled when he heard this, but he said that he couldn't make the decision, so he wrote a letter to ask him to send him back to China quickly, asking Marin for advice. Marín saw the Duke of Coimbra, Jorge. Morality. Lencastre's reasoning, smiled, and replied:

"Although the cost of trade and transportation is high, the cost of getting cattle from black Africans is definitely not high. Perhaps, two or three gold coins of glass beads and other ordinary goods will be solved. Therefore, in the calculation, it must be far from the level of the asking price of 40 gold coins......"

It is clear that the Duke of Coimbra, Jorge. Morality. The reason for what Lencastrean said was based on the fact that he had bought it from the old black for 20 gold per cow. But Marin knew that with the virtues of these treacherous Portuguese merchants, they could get a 20 gold cow from the African blacks for a few gold coins worth of merchandise at most. Thus, the Duke of Coimbra, Jorge. Morality. Rencastel is not established.

Of course, Marin is actually messing around. Because, he deliberately ignored the Duke of Coimbra, Jorge. Morality. Channel problems in Lencastre.

In modern times, in the process of doing business, it is often the channel that is king. Whoever has a way will do better business. So, the Duke of Coimbra, Jorge. Morality. The fact that Lencastree was able to exchange African cattle from the hands of the old black in Africa is also equivalent to mastering a valuable channel. Marín deliberately ignored this, and the Duke of Coimbra, Jorge. Morality. Apparently Lencastel Ray wouldn't be aware of that either......

In the end, the two sides gave in, and Marin finally received a preferential price of 25 gold coins per African cow. However, due to cost considerations, in this era of high transportation costs, the Duke of Coimbra, Jorge. Morality. Lencestre said he wanted Marin to send his own ship to the island of São Tomé......

……

Marin has no objection to this. In fact, the Duke of Coimbra, Jorge. Morality. Rencastel has its own struggles. It is not difficult to transport African cattle from the Kingdom of Congo and Benin to the island of Sao Tome, which is not far from either country. The cattle can then be placed directly on the island of São Tomé and fed with grass and leaves. São Tomé is a tropical island with evergreen trees and a low cost of raising.

However, if it is loaded and transported thousands of kilometers away, the cost is high. After all, during transportation, it is necessary to stock up on board a large amount of freshwater river forage - the appetite of cattle is no joke......

The forage is good to prepare, but the fresh water is difficult. The Portuguese did not have Marin's technology to kill bottled water at high temperatures, and the fresh water spoiled and foul-smelled within a few days.

If these cows were allowed to drink stinky water during the voyage, many cattle would die of illness. And if a batch of cattle dies of illness, and then trade them with Marin, the Duke of Coimbra, Jorge. Morality. Lencastree suffered, and the death of a cow was a loss of 25 gold!

And letting Marlin transport it by himself can not only save a lot of transportation costs, but also ensure the survival rate of cattle and avoid large losses. As for the losses in the transportation of the cowboys, it is none of his business.

For this point, the Duke of Coimbra, Jorge. Morality. Lencastree also made it clear in his letter to Marin......

However, Marin didn't care about it. After all, Marin himself has the technology to store fresh water for a long time, and he has a large group of disciples at his disposal, the Mongolian doctor Mozhigen and Batel, who specialize in treating animals. As long as it is not a death from heat, some ordinary minor ailments, during the voyage, the disciples of Morrigan and Battle can completely solve it. Therefore, if Marlin had transported it himself, the loss of cattle would have been very small.

In addition, Marin also prepares a large amount of ginger from Grenada. Because, ginger slices have a good effect on seasickness and motion sickness. Even if there is a cow seasickness, let it have a little ginger slic, and it will be fine.

……

However, the question arises - what kind of ships are used to transport cattle?

Transporting cattle and transporting people can be different, people need less space, and even upper and lower bunks can be accepted. However, the cow needs a lot of space, and it is impossible to accept the space-saving method of bunk beds. Moreover, cattle need more food and fresh water than people during the voyage.

What's more, Niu Te doesn't know how to go to the toilet, and basically solves it directly on the spot......

……

In the past, when cattle were transported to the Americas, they were tied up on the deck. After all, it is convenient for workers to shovel cow dung into the sea. However, in that case, the number of cattle that a ship can carry is very small, usually only a dozen, and the deck is full.

However, this time it was different, Marin urgently needed a large number of cattle to replenish Cuba, so the number of cattle shipped at one time must be quite a lot. After all, although Sao Tome to Cuba is much closer than India to Cuba, it takes several months to go back and forth. Therefore, it is also necessary for a ship to decorate more cattle at a time.

……

So, the problem before Marin was that there was an urgent need for a ship that could carry a large number of cattle and horses......

This kind of boat needs to make a lot of fences like a stable. For each partition, the ventilation requirements must be good. Moreover, it is convenient for excrement shovelers to shovel cow dung. Otherwise, cow dung is fermented in a small space, which is easy to breed germs.

Some people may say, I have seen the boats that transported live cattle in Australia in later generations, didn't they put a herd of cattle in a large space?

However, if you look closely, you will find that the live cattle transported in Australia in later generations, those cattle, are hornless......

Hornless cows are not dangerous, and they are nothing when put together. But if it's a horned ox...... Cattle wrestle with each other, and there will inevitably be deaths and injuries......

(PS: There is no problem with good-tempered sheep, just put the sheep in the cabin, pay attention to ventilation and clean the sheep manure frequently.) ）

Perhaps, on land, these cows are not very good at fighting. However, during the voyage, I have not seen the land for a long time, so if I start a bull temper...... Even if you have a friendship fight, it is easy to get killed......

In addition, the shipping of this era was very different from that of later generations. Later generations of diesel-powered steamers sailed very steadily. The cow is on the boat and does not feel much turbulence.

However, in this era, sailing ships use the power of the wind, but they are inevitably blown away by strong winds. In such an environment, the cows will collide with each other, because it is more likely that the discomfort will lead to emotional out-of-control. Besides, they all have horns on their heads, and if they accidentally touch their companions, they will get a lot of blood holes......

And the principle of animal transportation is that bulls and stallions are generally not locked together, otherwise, it is easy to fight and worry about their lives. Of course, in special seasons such as spring, stallions and mares, or bulls and cows cannot be kept together. Otherwise, when you reach your destination, you will find that the bull or stallion has lost its kidneys......

In short, in the face of these uncertainties, it is best to have a separate compartment for each cow (and possibly a horse) that resembles a stable. In this way, not only can you avoid the same sex cattle and horses from beating each other, but also let the cattle and horses have a support side to avoid falling when the sailboat is blown away by the strong wind.

Also, the cattle in the ship should never be tied up, especially the cattle with copper nose rings. Because, in the process of shipping, the sailboat shakes a lot from side to side, and the cattle are easy to fall. If the copper ring on the nose happens to be tied when you fall, it is easy to tear the nasal bone apart, resulting in serious injuries to the cow. Therefore, it is safest to keep them in a stable fence-like space.

……

Unlike people, cows are sensitive to the swaying of a sailboat. Therefore, it is better to have a wider hull, so that the left and right shaking amplitude is also smaller, just like the diesel-powered ships of later generations, the hull is generally wider......

After thinking about it, Marin suddenly realized that those karak sailboats were actually more suitable for transporting cattle and horses than his new ones......

This is because the Karak sailboat is relatively wide, usually with a length-to-width ratio of around 3 to 1. This aspect ratio makes the Karak sailboat more stable during the voyage. Although the speed is slower, cattle and horses are more adaptable.

In addition, the layout of the building of the Karak sailboat is more suitable for transporting cattle and horses. Carrak galleons generally have a higher stern, so Marlin can fit their cattle and horses into two or three storey stern rooms. Moreover, windows can be opened on each floor of the stern to allow the cattle and horses to breathe fresh air. When shoveling, you can also throw cow dung directly into the sea through the side window.

As for the lower deck, the cattle and horses may not be adapted, and the side windows cannot be opened for no reason, otherwise the cabin will be flooded. Therefore, it is more appropriate to place cattle and horses on the top deck and in the stern. As for the lower deck, the aggrieved crew lived. In addition, a large amount of forage and fresh water for cattle and horses during the voyage can be stored. You know, the amount of food and water that cows and horses eat and drink is much larger than that of people, and there are several people at a time......

So, Marin ordered to send people to Spain and Portugal to buy a batch of large carrac galleons. After the purchase, side windows were opened on each floor of the stern, and a number of small partitions were built inside the stern to facilitate the loading of cattle and horses. There are also several balustrades on the top deck, and canopies are installed to protect them from the elements......

In this way, Marin will also be able to quickly obtain a large number of ships suitable for transporting cattle and horses......

Although, Marin could have ordered someone to design a wide-body boat that was more suitable for transporting cattle and horses. However, it can take several months to build a ship, and it can take two or three months at the earliest. By the time Marin had built a number of boats specifically for transporting cattle and horses, the daylilies were cold......

Therefore, it is the most economical and fast way to buy a ready-made Karak sailboat and then convert it......

Of course, Marin also ordered shipbuilders to start designing a large wide-body ship specifically for the transport of cattle and horses. After all, in the future, the transportation requirements for the army and the war horses are also very high.

However, there is a medium-sized cattle carrier converted from a Karak sailboat, and this kind of professional large cattle and horse carrier is not in a hurry to get it out immediately......