Li Zhi nodded, "I'll talk to him about this matter alone!" In addition, this time the business does not accept gold coins, gold and silver can be used, and barter is also allowed. I will ask Mr. Hisham to arrange for you a treasurer who is proficient in accounting, and other collectible crafts and gems are not impossible, but resolutely do not pepper! ”

Pepper has been used as currency for a long time in Western countries, that is, pepper can be used directly as money, for example, if you eat in a restaurant and don't bring money, give the boss a few peppers, and the boss will never beat you.

This is not a contrived statement, as pepper was one of the most valuable commodities of the time, and the value of pepper was once equal to that of gold.

Therefore, spices once became a means for Europeans to show off their wealth, and there was nothing more to prove their identity and wealth than pepper, and the family had a lot of pepper and a lot of money, and they could despise those poor sour goods who pretended to have a lot of pepper at will.

In those days, there was no refrigeration technology and certain hygienic conditions, food was easily spoiled, and the role of spices was mainly to disguise the smell of spoiled food.

The use of pepper, which was appetizing and effective in masking the flavor and making the food delicious, soon became a favorite in Europe.

As a result, there were Arab merchants who took advantage of the Europeans' ignorance of the origin of pepper to make up fantasy stories and control the pepper business, thus making pepper a luxury in Europe.

In addition, during the Tang Dynasty, plague and the Black Death were prevalent in Europe, and people were struggling to make a living, and people believed that black pepper had the miraculous effect of curing the plague and the Black Death, which greatly deepened the demand for pepper in Europe.

In the French proverb, to describe a person as rich is to say that he is a "pepper bag"; In the English proverb, to describe an insignificant person is to say that he has "no pepper", which is the "pepper contempt chain" common in Europe and has lasted for many years.

The history of pepper began in Tianzhu, where the gods of Tianzhu sent a decree to bless mankind with a healthy and comfortable body and mind, so that pepper could come and grow in this fertile land.

Datang is not short of this kind of thing, Li Zhi will not be stupid to exchange it for a few things, that is, European barbarians will be so short of knowledge.

Sada and the two naturally knew the truth, and Rahman said: "Bastiang rushed to Tianzhu to purchase pepper!" Mr. Li, before we set off at the port of Banikia, did we also bring some pepper to sell to Europe? ”

Li Zhi smiled, "We will not be involved in this matter, and the breaking of the rules will have an impact on the initial product laying." But wouldn't it be a good deal for us to bring some with us as bribes to the officials over there? ”

The two of them showed a hint of embarrassment, people were still more or less simple at that time, and the word "bribery" had not appeared for many years.

Besides, they are still hot-blooded people who are used to big fish and meat, and they are really not suitable for such a grandiose twist and turn for a while.

"It's more of a joke to say that it's a bribe, and it can also be understood as a courtesy exchange with the Tang Dynasty etiquette. It's not that you want to sprinkle that pepper out, but only for some official purchasers, as a gift from friends! ”

This explanation made the two of them suddenly, and at this time, they already had an unconditional convincing understanding of Li Zhi.

Send them back, and ask them to take time to hold a few meetings with the crew as soon as possible, and the first thing to emphasize is the problem of the mentality of the conversion to businessmen.

The rest of the voyage passed quietly in the relatively monotonous day after day.

The route of Shengjing Shipping is to the port of Banikia, and there are many international ports passing through on the way.

The fleet sailed from Canton and south to Tuen Mun Port at the mouth of the Pearl River, then across the Qizhou Ocean near the northeastern corner of Hainan Island and through the waters of southeastern Vietnam.

Then through the Singapore Straits to Suman

On the island of Tala, head southeast to Java, west out of the Strait of Malacca, and then from the Indian West Sea to the ports of Obola and Basquia in the Persian Gulf.

Therefore, the port of Basquia, under the control of Hisham, was only the first port in the Arab Empire.

The whole route was 14,000 kilometers long, which was the longest route in the world at that time, so there were Mahdi and other royal families, and it was the first time to sail across the ocean, and the purpose was still very simple.

It is impossible to stop when encountering a large port like when Hangzhou entered the sea, and it will be after the first voyage, unless there are materials that need to be replenished in time, there will be no stop.

That's it, when we approached the Persian Gulf, it was also a month later.

Already a large number of merchant ships from Basra, Slavic, Omani, Indian cities, the islands of Gabga, Cham and other kingdoms can already be seen here, laden with their own goods.

At that time, the Tang ships were well-known at home and abroad for their high technical content and good safety performance, and the tall ones had two or three floors, and they were equipped with deep-water detection equipment, which was a behemoth that would only be heard of in rumors.

Although Shengjing No. 1 and No. 2 are gifts from the Western Regions, because they have to take members of the royal family, in order to show their national strength, they will of course try their best to build something magnificent, and in terms of appearance, they are not far from the largest ships in the Tang Dynasty.

As for the Shengjing Zero, the original two-story deck has been transformed into a three-story deck, and there is no trace of the previous smuggling ship, even if it is slightly inferior to the previous two, but in fact, it is far beyond in terms of function.

Not to mention other concealed modifications, just the installation of sailing windmills, the travel speed is more than 30% faster, and it is very simple to travel thousands of miles a day.

If you don't follow each other all the way and take care of each other, otherwise the day of arrival will be a few days in the morning.

The journey was not unimpeded, and the voyage was undoubtedly fraught with danger, and in this age without a compass, it was all dependent on an experienced captain observing the stars in the sky to determine the course, and in the event of a storm, it was even more dangerous.

That kind of ship fluctuates violently with the waves in the sea, and the taste of a person in it is not pleasant, even if a cultivator has the ability to hold it firmly, he can feel the momentum of the earth shaking the mountains.

Sometimes, at the place of the thunder, a round sun-like thing, emitting a dazzling blue light, fell from the sky to the sea, the kind of terrifying horror that Li Zhiwang also felt when he went up, and he also felt terrible.

At the moment when the rumbling thunder dispersed into a thunderbolt, one could not help but be thrilled, and the dark clouds cracked and shot like golden arrows of lightning from the dense clouds to the sea, no different from tearing open the canopy of heaven and pouring down.

Fortunately, there are not many such opportunities, most of the time it is cloudy, drizzling, and the mood is more gloomy than panicked.

In the port of Obola, the fleet was briefly stopped because a large number of officials were waiting in the harbor.

This is due to the fact that there are small speedboats on the Shengjing No. 1, which are put down after entering the Persian Gulf, explored the way first, and went ashore to report.

The arrival of these officials was the wedding of Princess Afifa, who accompanied her to Mascus, and before the arrival of Li Yixing, which had been regarded by the entire empire as a priority in the near future, in addition to war.

They were all made up of local officials and tribal chiefs, and Li Zhi and Afifa arrived at the port of Basquia after a period of exhaustion.

The port was the only hub connecting the Persian Gulf with inland waterways, and as a result, it became the center of religious, academic, cultural and trade in the Arab Empire.

In less than 50 years since the opening of the port, the city of Brin has become the second largest city and the largest port city.

However, the typical tropical desert climate is controlled by the subtropical high all year round, with prevailing downdrafts and scarce precipitation, and the temperature here is extremely high, with the highest daily temperature

The temperature exceeded the highest temperature ever recorded in Guangzhou.

Especially when the first-class ship docked, Li Zhi and other Tang people felt as if they were roasting in a fire.

It was madly hot, and even though it was only halfway through the morning, not long after the sun came out, the ground was already on fire.

Although it has been reminded that compared to the equatorial region with the most direct sunlight, the world's hot pole appears here in the tropical desert climate, and those who have just arrived here can't help but whisper their complaints.

Fortunately, Qingqi and the others returned to the Chaoyuan Secret Realm after entering the Persian Gulf, and they didn't have to endure such a scorching heat.

The impact on Li Zhi will not be too great, the true yuan will flow all over the body, and it will block most of the heat waves, but King Ming and the others will suffer, but there are Zuo San and Feng Si on both sides, and they will desperately fan him as if they are flattering.

There was a sound of music coming through the hot wind, and Li Zhi had already seen it when he was on the boat, and there were people in costume coming out of a large courtyard on the port wharf, dancing on the open lawn at the entrance of the courtyard, and the notes in the wind were from the instruments in their hands.

This is a welcome ceremony organized by the local government, and those people under the costumes do not show much unbearable heat, which is very surprising to the people of Datang, in their opinion, this temperature is no longer suitable for human survival.

Looking further down the street, you can see that the local residents are wearing wide Arabic robes, walking in the scorching heat, and they also look calm and relaxed.

Mahdi, who was next to King Ming, explained with a smile: "The robes worn by the Arabs have the effect of sun protection and heat protection, whether white or other colors, while absorbing external heat, the inside forms a ventilation pipe, and the air circulates from the bottom up, like a chimney, so that the human body will feel cool." Lord Ming, do you want to buy you a few sets of Kufiye? ”

Qufiyah is the most traditional and standard dress of the Arabs, the style of the Arab robe is very simple, the most popular is the pullover, stand-up collar, no waist or belt, straight down to the waist and then fattened, the hem is slightly skirt-shaped, so as to facilitate action.

The robe is cylindrical in shape, without slits, and is generally ankle-length, with open pockets on the left side of the upper body or dark pockets on both sides of the waist.

King Ming smiled and showed off the wide bloomers he had changed into earlier, "Fortunately, I have been prepared, Kufiye, I really want to try it, but I have an identity, and it is not suitable for Arab clothes, right?" ”

He is the special envoy sent by the Tang Dynasty this time, representing the entire Eastern Tang Dynasty, no matter how hot it is, he can't leave the Datang Manners.

The same is true of the officials behind him, all of whom have changed into gauze robes early.

Only Li Zhi is still wearing a cyan robe, and there is even a lining or something, even in the harsh winter weather, he is still dressed like this.

All the way off the boat, almost everyone was staring at him, wondering how good Princess Afeifa's man who did not hesitate to marry the Tang Dynasty would be.

It seems that after careful inquiry in advance, the officials he met also called him Mr. Li.

Naturally, some people will wonder how Li Zhi, who is so young, has the confidence to be called so by countless elders.

But if you hear this with your own ears that Mahdi and other princes are like this, even a fool knows that there must be a reason for it.

Hisham is the emperor of the soil here, and even without the Abdul royal family and the Afifa reasons, Li Yi and his party can enjoy the most honorable gifts.

Perhaps due to the scorching heat, the welcoming ceremony ended quickly, and hundreds of carriages swept all the way to a golden palace.

Unlike other places, just the huge manor-like courtyard is full of green, which is rarely seen in desert countries. (https:)

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