"Chen Changshi, look, that's Lao Tieshan, when you see this mountain, you're in Liaodong."

The crew kindly reminded that the deck was shaking, and asked Chen Ping to go to the cabin, but Chen Ping, who was standing at the bow of the ship, shook his head, and only put on a hat and a coat to avoid wetting his whole body with seawater.

A day after leaving Salmon Island, their fleet burst out of a brief burst of rain, and as the clouds cleared, they saw land in the distance.

It is a neat and clear tip, black and brown steep cliff, like an unedged sword tip, lying between the sea and the sky, and also divides the sea into two halves - half of the sea is blue, half is yellow, here is the dividing line between Shaohai and Donghai (Yellow Sea), the two waves from both sides of the cape, converge here, quite like the wonder of Guanzhong "Jing Wei distinct".

But the sailors didn't bother to enjoy the view, and this is also the most dangerous and fast waterway. Chen Ping could even see the wreckage of some sunken ships washed up on the narrow white beach below the cliffs of Lao Tie Mountain, and they all died in the rapids and sharp reefs!

Fortunately, the captain of this flagship is experienced, carefully bypassing the rapids under the old iron mountain, on the mast of the big ship, the hard sail slightly adjusted the direction, leading more than a dozen grain ships with a deep draft behind him, under the impetus of the south wind, against the invisible current, swept over the coast of Liaodong, and continued to sail north.

After rounding the rapids of Lao Tie Mountain, it was already evening, and before nightfall, the fleet picked up speed and arrived at a wonderful bay with calm seas, where the beacon tower served as a beacon to guide the fleet to anchor......

This is one of the few cities in southern Liaoning, the Yu family, which was changed to "Lushun" by Heifu, because the journey of the ships passing through here was smooth sailing.

This is also Chen Ping's first stop in Liaodong.

"Chen Changshi, slow down."

In the eyes of the five hundred lords who were ordered to be stationed here, the county warden Shi was already a great official, and after he learned the news, he personally brought it to greet him, and he also wanted to help Chen Ping get off the boat, after all, he looked very weak.

Chen Ping refused, flexibly jumped off the boat, and stood on solid land.

"Don't look at me like I am."

Chen Ping didn't take a shelf, raised his wide sleeves, and smiled at the people who built the boat: "When I was young and invisible, I also took off my shirt, and on the river in my hometown, I helped people row boats and eat together. ”

This remark made all the soldiers laugh, don't look at Chen Ping as a scribe, but he spoke very down-to-earth, and the atmosphere was not so embarrassing.

The grain ships were not only to welcome Fusu, but also to bring supplies, food, vegetables, and clothing to the various ports along the way, so the garrison welcomed the fleet very much, and the five hundred lords of Lushun also enthusiastically gathered food and shared the fish and game they caught with Chen Ping.

The meal was a little crude, but after the meal, the five hundred lords lit torches and took Chen Ping to open the small warehouse.

As soon as the door was opened, a strong smell of fur came out, so that Chen Ping couldn't help but cover his mouth and nose.

The five hundred lords were accustomed to it, and picked up a hastily processed mink tail and said: "On the order of the county guard, while we are stationed in the local area, we also send people to collect the skins of the mink from the surrounding islands and squirrels, and ask the long history to take a look at them." ”

Chen Ping went in and took a turn, and saw that there were hundreds of mink tails and mink skins piled together in the warehouse, as well as bundles of beaver skins, as well as a few damaged fox skins, and even rare ferret skins.

"But these common local products, when they are transported to the Central Plains, the price can increase by a hundred times!" Chen Ping looked at it, and his eyes lit up.

Liaodong County Zhixiangping is thousands of miles away, there is no possibility of controlling the coast of southern Liaoning by land, Heifu crosses the sea to manage southern Liaoning, and turns this place into a county in Jiaodong, which is already a sure thing, Chen Ping, as a staff member, naturally has the responsibility to understand the situation here.

Through a few words in the classics, as well as what the merchants had seen, Chen Ping noticed a specialty of Liaodong:

"Mink!"

Chen Ping knows that mink fur and mink tail are in the Central Plains, which is a sign of status!

Officially, the military attache wore the "Wu Ben crown", Gong Ao, Cao Shen and others on their heads, this kind of crown is said to have been introduced from the Zhao State, with the cicada as the text and the mink tail as the ornament. Qin established the country with military merits, and the government and the opposition, how many military attaches are there, and how many mink tails are needed?

The main source of tribute for the mink tail is Liaodong, and even the more peripheral Korea, Fuyu, and Sushen in Liaodong.

In the folk, although it is clearly stipulated that businessmen are not allowed to wear silk embroidery, there is no rule that they are not allowed to wear fur! So whether you can afford to wear mink fur and fox fur has become a sign of wealth. In the past, when Su Qin was not born, his family was wealthy, and in order to show that he was not a poor man, he specially purchased a "sable fur" to travel around the world.

Right now, an ordinary mink coat is worth dozens of gold in Xianyang! The best sable fur is worth more than 100 gold!

Although mink is also common in the mountains and forests of the northern Central Plains, it is far less famous than Liaodong sable in terms of quantity and fur color.

What's more, the indigenous barbarians in Liaodong are simple and easy to coax, and a little cloth and iron from the Central Plains can be exchanged for a large bundle of mink skins......

This is an extremely lucrative business, and Chen Ping can imagine that the prospects of this industry are limitless.

Chen Ping came this time, in addition to supervising the transportation of grain and grass, he was also assigned by Heifu to conduct a field investigation to see what interests are available for operating overseas based in Jiaodong?

"It's not just a profit, it's a huge profit!"

It was only when he arrived at the first stop Lushun, but Chen Ping was already so determined.

The Yiren tribe near Lushun alone can exchange so much fur, if Jiaodong can establish a stronghold in southern Liaoning, how much can it get? Not to mention North Korea, Canghai and other places across the sea, which are also rich in this thing.

……

On the second day of the sixth lunar month, after leaving Lushun, the fleet advanced along the sparsely populated coast of southern Liaoning. Chen Ping saw that the shore in front of him was full of forests composed of pines and cypresses, and there were many verdant round ridges, many mounds with lush flowers, and many pointed peaks in the forest, and occasionally elk and roe deer jumping in the forest.

To the right of them is a series of small islands, where large groups of seals and "big fish" play in the sea, and the big fish of the sea are whales, which are so large that they can be seen spewing high columns of water from miles away.

Sure enough, as Xu Fu said, there is an ocean current here, which is quite like a boat sailing against the current, and the speed of the boat is not fast. While resting on an island called "Changshan Island", they saw white seabirds flying in the wind, and a large group of round spotted seals lying on the beach, which was a favorite delicacy of the crew.

The seals had not seen much of a person, and the heavily armed soldiers did not run as they walked by, but watched blankly, only to be impaled through their bodies with spears, and the red coast was stained with blood.

Chen Ping witnessed the process of the crew cleaning up the seals, this soft sea beast was full of meat, cut into strips, salted, and roasted on the fire, it was a delicacy, the captain invited Chen Ping to eat some, it felt like rabbit meat.

The thick fat of the seal is also wonderful, and if you refine it a little, you can actually use it directly to light it.

"The oil of the big fish in the sea is better." Someone said to Chen Ping that the whale is too large to catch, and its whale paste is more precious, and only the palace can afford it.

When they arrived in Xi'an, with what they had seen and heard along the way, Chen Ping also had a thorough understanding of Liaodong.

It is colder, worse than in Northland, and the winter is especially terrible, and it is impossible to endure it without a fur coat, and it is not suitable for living and farming, so it is sparsely populated.

But this bitter cold land is a paradise for animals, and there are three local products: the north is rich in East Huma; In the mountains and forests in the east and south, it is mink and fox; There are also large schools of fish, seals, and whales along the coast.

Chen Ping immediately thought about it: "The horses, cattle and sheep in the northeast of Liaoning can be transported to Jiaodong by sea to supplement the lack of livestock in Jiaodong." The mink and fox skins of the east and south can also be used as goods to enter the Central Plains by sea, which is very valuable. There are more fish, shrimp and sea beasts along the coast than in Jiaodong, if the fishermen drive big boats to catch them here, they can return with a full load, and they can also make the people of Jiaodong, everyone can eat fish......"

"Thinking about it this way, if Liaonan can be included in the rule of Jiaodong, and by the way, open up overseas benefits, this battle will not be in vain."

Chen Ping is a long history, and everything is calculated for Heifu and Jiaodong. The achievements of Heifu's two years of governance in Jiaodong have been spent on this battle, and it must not be after the battle, nothing can be gained!

He put pen to paper and said secretly: "I will definitely write down what I have seen and heard, and when I return to Jiaodong, I will ...... the lord of the Ming Dynasty."

But then, Chen Ping stopped the pen in his hand and shook his head helplessly: "But even if you benefit a lot, what's the use?" These interests will be taken away by the imperial court. The mink fur sent was only for the warmth of the prince's nobles, and the wealth created also went into the pockets of Shaofu, and then used in the mausoleum of Lishan, the palace in Guanzhong, and the endless desire. ”

It's very unwilling, it's like spending energy on sewing and mending, but making a wedding dress for someone.

"In the final analysis, no matter how well the lord and we do in Jiaodong, in the end, it's not just for the court to fill the holes?"

And can this hole be repaired? Heifu had just filled in the hole of the rebellion in the fields of Qidi, and the people immediately stabbed a big one in the north and the south. The cost of the Eastern Crusade must be borne by Jiaodong.

In Chen Ping's view, although Heifu is a capable official, it seems that he can turn stones into gold wherever he goes, but this is like holding firewood to fight a fire, the salary is not exhausted, and the fire is not extinguished!

Sometimes Chen Ping thinks, maybe letting that fire go out is the right choice?

"Big rat big rat, no food for me! Three-year-old girl, don't care about me! ”

Standing up and reciting the poem he had mentioned to Xiao He again, Chen Ping showed a hint of self-deprecating laughter.

"O lord, you have said that the people of the rulers are also in the balance. Qin officials are like raccoon slaves, catching rats for the people, and Qin officials are heavenly dogs, preventing harm for the world! ”

"But the biggest rat in the world, the biggest scourge to the people of Kyushu, isn't it the insatiable Qin Shi Huangdi!?"