In his previous life, Zhao Bing learned ship design. Of course, he had a dream of traveling around the world by boat, but it did not come true. He could only enjoy the process of trial sailing or guaranteeing the new ship after delivery. The farthest journey was to reach Southeast Asia, which was not as far as the current route. So he told Ying Jieyan that he wanted to sail around the world was not all lies. Of course, he had to complete the travel around the world first and discover the "New World". That would be a great achievement to go down in history and rewrite the history of world navigation.

However, this wish can only be buried in my heart, but Zhao Bing did not give up. Instead, he has been collecting hydrological materials, trying to obtain the route map of the maritime merchants, and sorting and supplementing it based on his memories of his past lives, hoping to draw the most detailed and complete navigation map in the world at present. However, he also knew that the sea and land have changed greatly for thousands of years, and the terrain and landforms have changed with each passing day, and it is difficult to complete without seeing it with your own eyes.

Although Zhao Bing cannot take a look at it in person, his years of hard work can finally come in handy. He knew that if he wanted to make the most profit, he had to control the origin of the goods. However, at this time, many secrets of the path to spices were in the hands of those Arab merchants, and this was also the capital for them to make a fortune. Naturally, they were treated as the highest secret and would not reveal a trace to outsiders, so that these spices came from were unknown.

The "History of Navigation" learned in Zhao Bing's previous life records a passage by Persian geographer Ibn Hurdazbih, saying that in the Middle Ages, the spice trade was mainly controlled by merchants from *** and Gujarat, and European merchants could only trade within Europe. Hurdazbih also said that spices were brought to Europe by Jewish merchants. According to other information, it was written that in the late Melovin dynasty and the early Caroling dynasty, the spice trade in Western Europe was also monopolized by the Jews.

It is precisely because spices often go to Europe after being transferred from many sources, and the main trade terminal is Alexandria in Egypt. Therefore, in the impression of Europeans, spices are very expensive natural commodities. It is possible that the merchants in Alexandria do not know the source of spices, so there are many fantasy rumors about the environmental conditions for planting spices and the risks of harvesting and transporting spices. It is also these rumors intertwined with myths, romances and treasures that constitute the golden country of spices that were everywhere in the minds of Europeans in the pre-Columbian era.

Because spices have such legendary colors, European aristocrats have developed the habit of living without spices since the Roman Empire, which is like taking drugs, and even regards spices as a symbol of high-quality life, and they have to bleed up no matter how much they cost! Therefore, spices at bargain prices in the East have become gold prices in the West, and have become luxury necessities in Europe. The price difference between the East and the West is as high as 10,000 times!

In ancient times, it was precisely because of the imported spices that Arab merchants occupied an important position in trade due to their source. Many people made great fortunes because of their prosperous business, and some even made great achievements. Pu Shougen, who was destroyed by Zhao Bing, made a family with spices as their main business for generations, thus becoming rich and became a giant merchant with great hands and eyes in the Song Dynasty.

So whoever finds spices will get rich overnight. Not only the greedy merchants, but also the country launched a sailing campaign to bypass the Middle East and go straight to the spice production place, especially in medieval Europe. The desire for spices directly gave birth to a great geographical discovery. When Zhao Bing learned that when Columbus discovered the New World, the Spanish royal family was disappointed that they only found gold but did not find spices. When the Magellan expedition brought back the first ship of more than 20 tons of spices for the first time, the whole of Europe was shocked, and no one suspected that Portugal would become the most prosperous country in the world from then on.

Since Zhao Bing wants to intervene in the business of incense medicine, he naturally needs to understand the varieties and sources. Of course, he doesn't need to go to the market to check it in person, but can be found from the account book of the Maritime Bureau. In this era, the prosperity of sea routes has started all the commodities and technology exchanges in Eurasia. The ocean is well connected, and the technology and markets, raw materials and commodities, living customs and religious beliefs, ideas and art have been exchanged and influenced each other. From Japan, Goryeo in Northeast Asia, to Southeast Asia and the coast of India, and even ports in the Persian Gulf and East Africa, an active Maritime Silk Road trade network has been formed.

Mainland China is a huge supply base for silk, porcelain, tea, etc. These products that are popular among foreign merchants are gathered at various ports on the coastline through carriages, horses, boats, hand-picked and shoulder-loaded, and then loaded onto large ships to transport them overseas. At the same time, the products from foreign vassals are also imported into China, mainly including coriander, cumin, pepper, clove, sandalwood, cardamom, agarwood and other spices, as well as pearls, cat eyes, amber, betel nuts, and kapok cloth from the big food. They are generally traded through exchange of goods or gold and silver.

It can be seen that the main items imported from the outside world are spices, but the country has always been ignorant of its origin. It even once thought that pepper was produced in the Western Regions and moved from Shu to the mainland. In terms of spice varieties, Zhao Bing first realized that the spice trade was two-way. The West needed spices from the East, and the East also needed spices from the West. As a result of hundreds of years later, he certainly knew that spices native to the West were limited to coriander, cumin, saffron, etc.

The spices that the West desires are also the spice with the largest trade volume since the Middle Ages until now - black pepper, which was only produced on the coast of Malabar, India at that time. In addition, the same varieties include white pepper and green pepper, which are widely used in cooking and can also be used to make tonics, stimulants, and even insecticides and aphrodisiacs. Cloves were only produced in the Moluca Islands at that time, and at this time they were regarded as chewing gum by Chinese people; nutmeg is native to the Moluca Islands, just like cloves.

At that time, cinnamon was only produced in western and southwestern Sri Lanka. What is easy to be confused with cinnamon is the lentil cinnamon native to China, but the quality is not as good as cinnamon. It can not only be used for seasoning, but also for makeup, medical care, ointment, fragrance, etc. Only ginger is native to China and India. It can be seen that spices are mainly produced in the tropical regions of South Asia and Southeast Asia. Since the Arab Empire and the later Ottoman Empire were stuck in the middle one after another, they completely monopolized the spice trade...

Zhao Bing opened the map and made him a little strange that ancient China had had contacts with those countries in Southeast Asia, and even the maritime channel on his voyage to the West also passed through these countries, but he did not find huge business opportunities just under his nose. As he learned in his previous life, China is a country with a typical monsoon climate, and the wind direction along the coast is mainly manifested as monsoon characteristics.

Every year when the northeast winds in winter, the current flows from northeast to southwest with the wind; when the southwest winds in summer, the current flows from north to south. The Japanese Sea has warm currents and cold currents from both north and south. After eroding the coast of the Russian coastal province, it goes south along the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. When encountering the Tsushima Sea current from the southwest, part of it turns eastward, while most of it forms a submerged current to move south, arrive on Jeju Island and then cross and float up, becoming the source of the cold current in China.

On the other hand, the warm current from the south travels north along the Ryukyu Islands through the Taiwan Strait, crosses the Korean Strait, forming the Tsushima Sea current, flowing northeast along the west coast of the Japanese archipelago, until the Tsushima Sea and the Sogo Strait are divided into tributaries gradually weakening. Therefore, due to the Riman Sea current and Tsushima Sea current, there is a circulation of roughly left along the surrounding land. In addition, in the near-shore waters of China, a flushing water-like coastal current is formed by mixing rivers and seawater, making the routes along the East China Sea different from the seasons.

In summer, during the prevalence of the southwest monsoon, the water along the Zhejiang coast moves northward and converges with the Yangtze River water and Qiantang River flushing water outside the estuary of the Yangtze River, forming a powerful flushing water current, directing to the northeast to connect with the Tsuma warm current, and part of it flows into the Tsuma warm current into the Sea of ​​Japan. In winter, the flow of the Yangtze River greatly decreases, and the coastal current along the East China Sea also weakens. Under the northerly monsoon, the Yangtze River flushing water converges with the Qiantang River flushing water, goes south along the Zhejiang-Fu Island coast, and passes through the Taiwan Strait and goes directly into the South China Sea.

The ancestors used the changes of monsoons and ocean currents to go out to sea for trade, and their routes were consistent with the sea areas where the trade winds passed. In this way, the countries that had traded with China reached more than fifty countries, including: Chameng, Zhenla, Sanfoqi, Mendu Kingdom, Guza, Longyamen, Luoyue Kingdom, Srivova, Heling Kingdom, Gulu Kingdom, Gulu Kingdom, Sheng Deng Kingdom, Polu Kingdom, Lion Kingdom, Southern India, Brahmin Kingdom, Xindu River, Tirolu He Kingdom, Dashi, Daqin, Persia, Baida, Majia, Yilu, Gulin, Shilan, Denglimei, Zhongli, Pulilu, Egentuo Kingdom, Skariye, Mulanpi and other countries.

These include Zhen La, Sanfoqi, Lion Kingdom, Tianzhu and Brahmin Kingdom, which are rich in various spices. Some countries have tribute relations with the Song Dynasty and have accepted enthronement. Of course, the names and scopes of ancient and modern countries can only be judged based on the approximate location marked on the ancient navigation map. It should be modern Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Of course, Zhao Bing didn't know whether these countries still produced spices in modern times in his previous life, but he dared to conclude that there must be some. Because of the rise of Mongolia, the western expedition and the rise of Turkey, traditional land transportation was cut off by the Mongols, and the sea was gradually monopolized by Venice's spice trade through the route from the Mediterranean to Alexandria. Discovering a new route to break through the monopoly of Venice, this economic driving force has become an important root cause for the era of European geographical discovery.

After more than a hundred years of exploration, Portugal first discovered the southernmost route in Africa, and not only established many supply sites on the route in the process of finding the best southward current, but also found a new destination for spice merchants, namely the Southeast Asian countries collectively known as the Malay Islands, which are now Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Ports such as Malacca and Singapore have also flourished because of spice exports.

Later, the East India Empire in the Netherlands controlled the spice islands, and the spice trading system reached its peak. Until it accidentally discovered the West Indies, igniting the fuse of the century-old melee between European maritime powers for global market resources. In the end, France and Britain obtained the seeds of spices and successfully introduced them in their colonies Mauritius, Grenada and other places. Spices became ordinary commodities and were no longer priceless. At that time, the last mystery of the spice islands finally disappeared and no longer became the secret of maritime merchants...

"See Your Majesty!" Shangguan Hong rushed from Quanzhou to Lin'an without any rest and came to see him in a hurry.

"Master Shangguan has worked hard all the way, let's sit down!" Zhao Bing raised his hand to signal him to avoid politeness.

"See Zheng Dutong, the head of the manor!" Shangguan Hong did not dare to sit down, and said to Zheng Yong and Zhuang Shilin who were here. Although they were all acquaintances when they started their business, their positions were higher than theirs and they did not dare to be rude.

"Shangguan, sit here!" Zhuang Shilin smiled, stood up and returned the greeting, and pulled him to sit down beside him and said.

"Today I will be here, I will not do anything else. It is because the monsoon is about to rise and our merchant ships will go out to sea. One is for the Shangguan chief, and the other is that I have something to discuss with you." After the ceremony, Zhao Bing was right to the point.

"Your Majesty asks you all for your orders. Everyone dares to obey!" The three of them saluted.

"Don't be polite, everyone, this is in the temple again, there is no need to be so many polites, let's just be casual." Zhao Bing waved his hand to let everyone avoid the gifts, and then said to Wang Dedao, "Everyone has arrived, and I'm still hungry. Let's order the kitchen to serve the food!"

"Thank you Your Majesty to give you food. Now it has spread in the capital. It is said that since Your Majesty has been stationed in this Jiqing Temple, everyone who has tasted the vegetarian banquet here has praised it. I have benefited from it today." Zhuang Shilin rubbed his hands and said with a smile.

"Oh, I have been eating for more than twenty days, and the birds are fading out of my mouth. Even if I get a few dried fish, it's good to eat. If you like it, just open your stomach and eat it!" Zhao Bing said with a wry smile.

"Your Majesty has worked hard to keep a soul here, and you can't even eat a piece of meat!" Shangguan Hong said sympathetically. As the head of the procurement office, his main job is to purchase daily needs for the young emperor and collect rare items. Naturally, he knows that he is not happy without meat. This is the first time he has encountered no meat in more than 20 days in the past ten years, which shows how greedy he will be.

"I can still bear it without meat. Now I am anxious that my bag is empty!" Zhao Bing pointed at Zhuang Shilin and Shangguan Hong with a bitter face and said, "You two are my money bags. You should know that I have given you my wife this time. But the Queen Mother asked me to prepare for a wedding again, and now she can't even afford the bride price."
Chapter completed!