The Niger River, the third largest river in Africa, is like a full bow, full of strength and tension, cutting through the southern edge of the Sahara Desert and finally flowing into the Atlantic Ocean near the equator.

It connects West and North Africa and is the most important source of water for the Sahara region of West Africa, as well as the fountain of life.

And less than seven miles from the Niger River is a city called Timbuktu, which, if the Niger is like a longbow, is the arrow that sticks out on the back of the bow, pointing to the vast northern Saharan hinterland.

It was a center of trade and culture, a must for camel caravans in ancient West and North Africa, and a center for the spread of *** culture to Africa.

And the one who rules here, replacing the famous Mali Empire, is the Songhai Empire, which inherited the hegemony of the Mali Empire and is the hegemon of the whole of West Africa.

On this day, Timbuktu, which is the economic and cultural center, suddenly came more than a hundred white people.

"Hey! Look, Wilson, is this the economic center of the Songhai Empire? Sure enough, it's very lively! A young man with rough skin and as thin as an ordinary monkey pointed to the crowded Timbuktu and said happily.

His face was black and red in the scorching sun, like a baboon from the rainforest, anxious and dry.

"Yes! This legendary city of gold, where the gold flows every day, is the annual income of the richest royal family! ”

The man named Wilson was a middle-aged man with a thin white hat, and his whole body was also dizzy from the sun, as if he was about to fall down at any moment.

"You see, the decorations they wear are all made of gold, which shows that gold here is very cheap, and there is a lot of it!"

Wilson steadied his swaying body, looking at the gates in and out, and the glittering gold decorations, the smile on his face was extraordinarily bright, like seeing a naked beauty, obscene and profound.

Tidy up his appearance, take another look at his goods, as the leader of this time, Wilson calmly gave the order:

"Let's go, it took us half a month to swim against the current, and bribed the greedy river chief with a lot of wealth to get here, everyone must be calm! Act according to the established strategy! ”

As soon as the words fell, everyone tidied up their appearance, led the camel, carried the goods, and walked to the city gate full of energy, confident and unrestrained.

Among the passers-by were robed Arabs, graceful scholars, veiled girls, and hurried merchants.

And like all commercial cities, at all the gates, there are always a few guards checking the goods, and collecting the city fee.

Wilson didn't mind queuing up or something, but the camels in front of him were peaking one after another, and the smell was particularly unpleasant.

Wilson didn't care about any of this if time had passed by a few years, but since His Majesty's New Life movement, bathrooms have sprung up in the city.

In every 100 households, there is a bathroom, and you only need a small penny to take a hot bath.

At this time, facing such a strong taste, Wilson naturally couldn't bear it.

Moreover, in line, the group of pedestrians with black complexions cast strange glances one after another, and they also discussed in a whisper.

Wilson and others were accustomed to this, and they had faced it since they came to the Gulf of Guinea and went up the Niger River.

"Chirri~" The doorman glanced at it obliquely, and then said cracklingly.

"Twenty-eight small silver coins!" The invited interpreter then said.

Wilson endured the heartache, took out the silver coin, and then came to this prosperous city under the gaze of everyone.

As soon as you enter the city, the crowd comes and goes, bustling, although the whole city is yellow and rough.

However, everything in the city seems so orderly, clean and hygienic, the difference with London is that the customs are different.

If it weren't for this, they would still be unbelievable that stupid and lazy-looking blacks should have such a large and prosperous city and build civilization.

Like monkeys watching, Wilson and the others squeezed a way out of the crowd and headed for the city's busiest market under the guidance of an interpreter.

The camel carried a large number of goods, and together with more than 100 people, formed a long procession, and under the surprised eyes of everyone, they came to the most prosperous market - Xicheng.

It was a wide open space, and all the merchants sat on the ground, let the camels form a circle, and began to shout and sell their things.

From time to time, there would be well-dressed merchants, with servants and bags with large quantities of gold, rudely buying what appeared to be goods.

In this way, Wilson and others were overjoyed, and they immediately put out a large number of their textiles, and increased the cost price tenfold, shouting.

But, strangely, the cloth from England was apparently seen by people who came to see it, and, even when asked the price, shook their heads and chose to leave.

Wilson, who was puzzled, used money to inquire, and then it suddenly dawned on him.

Timbuktu is home to one of the largest sewing mills in West Africa and is the largest wholesale market for fabrics.

In this way, Wilson and others hurriedly reduced the price of cheap textiles by two-thirds, and then sold them easily.

Although cheap textiles were also lucrative and made some money, they were not the main business of Wilson and others.

On the ground, precious Italian silk was soon laid out, as well as precious salt.

In this way, a large number of merchants with their servants and camels came to watch, and after being surprised by the white faces of Wilson and the others, they glanced at their sharp waist knives again, and then began to talk about the price.

"Salt, for every ten humps, you need a hump-sized amount of gold!"

Wilson pointed to the snow-white salt and asked the interpreter to talk about the price.

"And this silk, which is smooth and beautiful, needs to be as heavy as a camel's gold to be bought."

As soon as these words came out, the scene was in an uproar, and then Wilson was frightened by the chirping and selling sound.

In less than ten minutes, all the salt and silk were sold out, and the faces of the merchants were still full of regret.

And what did Wilson gain? Almost a thousand pounds of gold, about a hundred thousand pounds of gold, a figure they had never seen in their lives.

It is not in vain that they went bankrupt and came here without fear of hardships and dangers, and the harvest and the effort are really proportional.

"This city of gold should belong to England!" Looking at the loess city in front of him, Wilson suddenly thought of this.

To satisfy his wealth, he needed a noble status.

However, looking at the hungry wolf-like pedestrians around him, he knew that at this moment, protecting his wealth was the most important thing.

I don't know how many times I said it, the writer's assistant is getting more and more rubbish, sending it out, and it's stuck! I'm going to have to send it again