March 12, Ryukyu, Naha Port.

Ashin, Zhang Sanfeng, and two Ming students walked off the "Long March" together.

Since the start of Liu Bei's plan, the number of ships running to Ryukyu and Shimazu has become two, and the number of ships has also changed to once a month.

The reduction in capacity is due to the temporary decline in the importance of copper, which Yan Zheng did not expect.

Who would have thought that by exchanging money, they could get enough copper to make money. It can only be said that there are too many bad coins in the Ming Dynasty.

And this voyage, in addition to trade, there is also a foreign visit. This matter had already been decided before Yan Zheng's inspection.

This was the first time since the founding of the People's Republic of China that we had dealt with other countries as a country.

In order to show solemnity, Ashin and Zhang Sanfeng were specially dispatched, and two good students were also brought with them.

There were a total of twenty-three envoys, all dressed in indigo tunics, and they also brought the state gift that Yan Zheng gave to the king of the Ryukyus.

Ashin strode forward, and as he walked, he admonished: "This is the first time since the founding of the People's Republic of China that we have dealt with the Ryukyus in the name of the country, and we must remember that we must follow the provisions of the foreign regulations and not damage the sovereignty and majesty of the country!" ”

Zhang Sanfeng straightened out his tunic and said with a tall posture: "Don't worry, I know it in my heart!" ”

Two Ming students, one named Zhang Sheng and the other Zhao Chenglin, followed behind without speaking, they had other tasks.

After walking out of the trestle bridge, several people wearing Ryukyu official uniforms immediately greeted them, and one of them arched his hand and said: "Your envoy, Lord Zheng has already informed me that my king will be summoned in a few days, and I ask your envoy to rest here for two days first!" ”

Ashin also bowed: "Then trouble Your Excellency!" ”

Saying that, they were led by the Ryukyu officials to an attic.

After repeating a few polite words and explaining the surroundings to them, the officials withdrew.

Ashin tidied up in the house for a while, and after confirming that these officials were far away, he found Zhang Sanfeng.

The two leaned against the window and pulled out a defense map.

"Did you draw this last time?"

"Nope! This side of the block from the trestle bridge, and then through this side, it seems that there are a few soldiers, but not many! ”

Ashin frowned and looked at it, brushed and added the situation of the neighborhood here, and divided this place into the third district.

"There are some mistakes in the picture I drew last time!" Zhang Sanfeng thought about it and said.

"Then do you estimate how many Ryukyu soldiers there are in this Naha Port?" Ashin asked.

Zhang Sanfeng sneered and said: "I'm afraid there is not a battalion, and you also see the appearance of their soldiers, the equipment is not good, and the spirit is not good!" ”

"We can't underestimate the enemy, we can only anticipate the enemy's leniency when we do reconnaissance!" Ashin interrupted.

"We have to go out and walk around, don't they restrict us from moving around? Find a chance to feel the situation again! Zhang Sanfeng said.

Ashin nodded: "What about the work of the two students?" Can it be expanded now? ”

Zhang Sanfeng thought and said, "Let's wait!" Gotta find a chance. ”

The two of them corrected some of the drawings in this way, and this time they were both messengers and spies.

In addition to figuring out the route of the Ryukyus and the strength of the Ryukyus army, they also needed to find out the state of the Ryukyu brown sugar industry.

A place with mines, sugar, and Han people, and a very important strategic location, this is Yan Zheng's comment on Ryukyu.

……

The next day, Ashin and Zhang Sanfeng took a dozen guards to the streets.

They carried a few hundred taels of silver, as well as some Dongqin copper coins, and walked leisurely through the streets and alleys.

The Ryukyuan people expressed disdain and curiosity about their unique outfits and hair accessories.

As he walked, Ashin stopped in front of a rice shop, and when he entered, he asked, "How do you sell this rice?" ”

"Nine dollars a pound!" The guy looked at some of these strange guests.

Ashin turned back to Zhang Sanfeng and said, "The price of rice in this Ryukyus is really expensive!" ”

The guy smiled and said: "There is not much rice produced here, so it is naturally expensive, so the Tang people can eat rice all the time!" ”

Ashin took out dozens of dollars and said, "Did you use millet?" Get me a pound of grain! ”

The man hurriedly thanked him, and after a short time, he weighed a pound of uncooked rice and gave it to Ashin.

After going out, Ashin grinded a handful of millet and said in a low voice: "The grain output here is definitely not as good as ours over there!" ”

Zhang Sanfeng nodded: "And the Tang people eat more rice, which shows that there should be a gap between the aborigines and the Tang people!" ”

The two silently noted down the discovery, and soon walked to a cloth village.

What made them laugh and cry was that there was Xia Bu produced in Dongqin in the store, and after inquiring about the price, they found that this store had earned at least 50% of the premium.

The two shook their heads and went out, and saw a company selling iron tools, and the result was the same, half of the farm tools and iron pots were made in Dongqin.

Ashin sighed: "If there are enough ships, I'm afraid that the daily life of the Ryukyus will have to be related to us!" ”

The more the two visited, the more they could see the gap between the Tang and the aborigines, and this gap was reflected in consumption.

What they don't know is that the shops that can be opened here are generally some power, and these shops are more like wholesale and reselling.

With the exception of rice shops, these shops cater to merchants from other places.

Ryukyu, a small place, has naturally been occupied by the Tang people who migrated from there.

Soon, the three of them came to a brown sugar shop, where there were several Ming businessmen who were talking.

Ashin could barely understand the three points, and they seemed to be discussing the situation of this year's brown sugar crushing season.

Through these words, Ashin heard that the business of brown sugar was related to businessmen in Fujian and Japan.

After they finished arguing, he stepped forward and said, "What is the price of brown sugar?" ”

"Two two seven dollars and one stone!" The shopkeeper said with a smile: "What the distinguished guest says is like the official language of the Ming Dynasty, but it is not like the Tang people, is your country also a vassal of the Ming Dynasty?" ”

Ashin shook his head and said, "I'm from Eastern Qin, so it's a ...... It's a member of Huaxia! ”

The corner of the shopkeeper's mouth showed contempt, thinking that the barbarians from there, even if they had short clothes and short hair, they dared to claim to be a member of Huaxia.

"Shopkeeper, this Ryukyu brown sugar has been selling well, right?" Ashin asked suddenly.

"Mmmm, sugar is a good thing to sell there!"

"But there are a lot of people in this business, right?"

"Yes, here alone, there are more than a dozen sugar sellers!"

"How much sugar can be produced in the Ryukyus?" Ashin wondered.

The shopkeeper had a good conversation, and he explained: "In this part of the Ryukyus, it is not good to grow rice, but it is not bad to grow sugarcane, and the people are stupid, so it is too difficult to farm, but it is only necessary to sell sugarcane." ”

Ashin was silent for a moment, and asked with a smile: "The shopkeeper, how much sugar can you provide this year?" ”

"What? How much do you want to buy? "The shopkeeper plays with the taste.

Ashin smiled, took out ten taels of silver and stuffed it to the shopkeeper: "My lord, let me inquire, if so...... If you have sugar here, you can sell it to us tightly, and the price is negotiable! ”

The shopkeeper played with the silver and said, "What I sell can cost tens of thousands of stones a year, and most of the people in Fujian buy it!" ”

Ashin estimated, nodded and said, "If I want a thousand stones, do you have the goods now?" ”

"Yes!" The shopkeeper was surprised: "You really want a thousand stones?" ”

Ashin said, "You can pay the deposit first!" ”

As he spoke, Ashin asked Zhang Sanfeng to take out two hundred taels of silver.

The corners of the shopkeeper's mouth moved, and his face changed: "This ...... Here, don't worry, give me a few days, and I'll get it for you! ”

Ashin smiled and said, "The shopkeeper, can you tell me what kind of situation is this Ryukyu candy?" It doesn't mean anything else, my lord just wants to know more! ”

Money can make ghosts grind, the shopkeeper made a cup of tea, and told Ashin about the process of producing brown sugar in the Ryukyus.

Who would have thought that a good spy would not spy on the military, but would understand all aspects of people's livelihood and industry.

Ashin and Zhang Sanfeng listened with their ears pricked up, and probably figured out the three key steps of this brown sugar production.

The first is to plant sugarcane, which is generally planted by the Tang people and invited by the local people to plant and harvest.

The harvested sugarcane must be handed over to the mill, and the farmers who grow the sugarcane cannot get the money to sell the sugar, they can only get the money from the sale of the sugarcane.

The last step is to sell the mill, and this process is also to make the Tang people on Ryukyu Island round.

After the visit, Ashin recorded today's experience and experience in a memorandum.

And Zhang Sanfeng sat on the side and drew the situation in the Naha port area on a map 1510.

Each area and street is marked with numbers, including that place with tall buildings, and they are all written one by one.

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