Poor them, they just don't have a good place to go out and wander, the Incas have no market, no shops, no currency, no need to buy anything.

The production, storage and distribution of all their goods were completely controlled by the king of the Inca Empire, as well as the imperial power he represented.

Taxes for the Inca commoners were also paid in kind, usually crops, pottery, precious metals, dyes, textiles, etc.

Each locality submits taxes to the state-owned warehouses every year, from which they receive distributions of food, tools, and clothing.

In return, Inca civilians could rely on the state's ration of sufficient food to protect them from starvation and receive state supplies in times of illness and in old age.

This kind of collective rationing system reminded Heiwa of a certain country in later generations, where food, clothing, and housing were all provided by the state, and education and medical care were also free.

Manchester City is just a little bigger, and before you know it, another five days have passed, and they have turned all the corners of the city. Not only did Huang Shangshu sit still, but Gao Huaiyu was also bored.

"Uncle, do you say that this King Atahuaba doesn't like the gifts we gave? There was no reaction at all! ”

Huang Shangshu is anxious, as the secretary of the Lifan Academy, if he does not exchange the national letters of the two countries for a day, it will not be regarded as a successful establishment of diplomatic relations, and his work will not be completed.

"Lord Shangshu, don't worry, it's difficult for us to communicate now, even if King Atahuaba wants to talk to us, it's not right, hurry up and let the young men learn the language!"

Heiwa feels that he has arrived in South America, his most important destination, what is he still impatient?

Although Gao Huaiyu was impatient, he was very familiar with current affairs: "There are only twenty of us, and there are thousands of soldiers that can be seen in Manchester City, don't underestimate other people's wooden sticks and Dumi knives, two fists are hard to beat with four hands!" ”

"Well, what Uncle Gao and Mr. Gao said is reasonable, and they can't quarrel at will. Looking at the people of this Inca Empire, it is not difficult to deal with. In other words, everything else is okay, but the people here eat mush, and the old man is really not used to eating it! ”

Where did Huang Shangshu think that Heiwa was about to burst into tears from the first meal to this mush: Potato, potato, I finally found you.

Heiwa endured Peng Bai's thoughts, tried his best, and wanted to find the words, but he was sent to Huang Shangshu in front of him, and he said to Huang Shangshu in a mysterious tone:

"Don't think about whether you are used to it or not, you have to think about it, we have never seen these mushes before, let alone eaten them. I guess that this must be a local feature, and what can be made into mushy must be food crops.

Whether this thing is good or not, whether the yield is high or not, is the key! To put it bluntly, when there is no food, how much can it be worth? This can be used as food, we have to bring it back to Daxia! ”

The more Gao Huaiyu listened, the more reasonable it became, and finally sat up straight and looked at Heiwa with burning eyes.

Huang Shangshu was stunned, he thought that he had known some Zhongqinbo for most of the past six months, but he didn't expect that Zhongqinbo was even more far-sighted than he thought.

"This, this, we can also plant it in Daxia? This place is more than 108,000 miles away from our Great Xia! Huang Shangshu, who has no experience in farming, also made difficulties.

"Our land in Daxia is so vast, we can always find a suitable place to grow these grains, a variety of grains, one more guarantee, this locust, can make us afraid!"

"Uncle, I thank you on behalf of the people of Great Xia, a few of us, either thinking about the exchange of national credentials, or thinking about making gold and silver. The old man thinks that what you said is better than what we are thinking! ”

"This is what I have been hungry for, and whenever I go to a place, the first thing I think of is these foods!"

"Uncle, there are not many people who are convinced by my Gao Huaiyu, you are the first. Lord Shangshu, let's listen to the uncle's command in the future, no matter what the uncle thinks is useful, let's just take it away! ”

In fact, it's no wonder that Huang Shangshu dislikes these, and the potatoes are boiled to a pulp.

The Incas liked to cut fresh potatoes into pieces and boil them in a clay pot until they were thinly chopped, preferably into a paste. Some don't even put salt, no oil and no salt, and it is really not delicious for people who have just eaten this food.

The clay pot was their main utensils for cooking paste, and the firing process of pottery was very mature in the Inca Empire.

The residence where the twenty of them live now should be in the sphere of influence of the palace, which is somewhat similar to the post house in Great Xia, and two meals a day are provided by the chef of the post house.

The Incas ate two meals a day, one in the early morning and the other in the evening, sitting on the floor without a table.

For ordinary civilians, their diet is mainly vegetarian, and root foods such as potatoes are needed for their two meals.

Meat such as alpacas, ducks, guinea pigs, and deer are all very valuable and can only be eaten by entertaining guests. And this group of people who came from Great Xia was obviously considered to be a column of distinguished guests.

The cooks of the inn like to marinate the meat with spices, put it in a hot earthen stove made of stones, cover the earthen stove with grass and soil to keep it warm, and use the residual heat to roast the meat until cooked.

Heiwa also didn't like potatoes to be eaten in a mushy way, so he asked the cook at the inn to throw the whole washed potatoes with the skin in them when they roasted the meat, and they roasted and ate them.

Baked potatoes, whether they are eaten directly or dipped in salt, have their own dense texture and aroma. Everyone got used to eating and eating, and they thought that the potato tasted good.

Under the brainwashing of Zhong Qinbo, everyone looked at the fist-sized potatoes and imagined how many catties could grow in an acre when they brought it back.

Yuan Wenjie's translation burden on them is heavier, and they catch the crazy conversations of the people in the post house every day.

Soon after, they also met another staple of the Inca Empire, corn!

Different from potato paste, their usual practice is to add water to the corn kernels, take them to the stone mill and roll them into yellowish corn syrup.

Wrap the corn syrup in large leaves, bake it over low heat until it is fragrant, and then peel off the leaves, and it will be a golden tortilla.

Corn can not only be made into cakes, but also boiled into a paste after grinding into flour, which is better than potato paste.

This kind of somewhat sweet food is loved by everyone in the Great Xia Dynasty, and they are now opened up by Zhong Qinbo, and they want to bring it back to Great Xia when they eat something delicious.

So the twenty of them no longer wandered around the city, but ran every day to the village of Ailiu.

The lands of the empire Ailiu were divided into three forms: first, the "Inca fields", the harvest was owned by the Inca kings; 2. "Sun Field", the harvest belongs to the priest; 3. "Commune fields", the harvest is owned by the village members.

They came at a good time, autumn, the harvest season of the Incas.

Known locally as the "god of the harvest", the potato is considered a spiritual ingredient that the Incas loved more than other root grains such as sweet potatoes and cassava.

The harvest of grain and other goods was quickly stored in warehouses.

Thousands of these warehouses were built throughout the empire, neatly arranged, and built close to densely populated centers, large estates, and roadsides.

Officials of the empire used "koppin", a recording device made of ropes and knots, to carefully record their inventory.

The warehouse is a stone building with a single room, both round and rectangular, and the construction method is very uniform.

And they also know how to take advantage of the cool breeze at the top of the mountain to maximize the storage time of perishable goods.

There are also drains, gravel floors, and roofs that are ventilated to keep the interior as cool and dry as possible.

Potatoes and corn were the largest storage items in the Empire's warehouses. General cargo can be stored for two years, and freeze-dried food can even be stored for four years or more.

Fresh potatoes contain enough moisture and are difficult to store for a long time, so the Incas made concentrated freeze-dried potatoes for this purpose.

They take advantage of the temperature difference between day and night, repeatedly trampling on potatoes, precipitating large amounts of water and changing their texture, and they can be stored in warehouses for years or even decades.

When freeze-dried potatoes are cooked, they are dense and firm, toothy and chewy, as well as cereal-like and slightly acidic.

The Inca officials not only did not stop the Bactrian delegation from visiting the imperial warehouses, but also proudly showed them the wealth of the Inca warehouses and the ingenuity of these warehouse buildings.

In fact, King Atahuaba was not so indifferent to the gift given by Huang Shangshu. However, the Inca Empire had experienced several rounds of bloodbath by foreign invaders and was wary of strangers.

They are essentially a people who do not like to fight, and love farming.

As for the silk fabric, which is light and silky, King Atahuaba was eager to make it and immediately put it on.

The patterned porcelain is used for eating and drinking, which is really easy to use and beautiful. This is much lighter than their bronze, and the colored pottery is not as beautiful as this porcelain.

However, the most popular thing for King Atahuaba was the embroidered court screen with goshawk and steed figures.

Horses, he had heard that not only could they pull carts, but they could also ride them very fast, and that the great alpacas they had domesticated did not have such strength.

The big alpaca is the only means of transportation in the Inca Empire, the size of a deer, about one meter two high, and can carry about 100 catties. It is their main means of transport, its meat is edible, and its wool is used for weaving.

Moreover, these embroidery techniques were not made by the craftsmen of the Inca Empire. He watched it for so many days, and the more he looked at it, the more he liked it, and the two screens were moved into his dormitory, and his most beloved son asked for it several times, but he was not willing to give it.

After observing this group of people for half a month, when the boys were finally able to stumble and communicate with the Incas, King Atahuaba once again met with Zhong Qinbo, Huang Shangshu and Gao Zongbing.

Under the translation of several two knives, the Inca Empire and the Great Xia Kingdom from the East became friendly allies, exchanging letters with the seals of the emperor and the king of Atahuaba.