"This is a rubber tree?"

Something embarrassing is happening in Changsheng.

Chen Mu has been looking for rubber trees for a long time, and even this is not a secret in half the world, Shao Tingda is looking for rubber for him, Yang Tingxiang is looking for rubber for him, and even the Portuguese in Brazil are looking for rubber for him.

As a result, when Shao Tingda sent the rubber, Chen Mu finally knew why Shao Tingda sent the rubber, not others, because it was impossible for others to find it.

He couldn't clearly express the word 'rubber tree' to the Portuguese, Yang Tingxiang asked about the physical characteristics of rubber trees, but Chen Mu didn't know what rubber was, and finally had to say that it was something similar to eucommia gum.

Only briefly mentioned when I was drinking with Shao Tingda that it was probably a tree, that it could take gum from trees, and that it should be found in the forests on the edge of Peru and Chile.

Shao Tingda was so blind that he touched the elephant, and he really found it.

In fact, it can't be said that Shao Tingda found it, because after the tree species and raw rubber were sent by Shao Tingda, Chen Mu found that he had seen this tree, not only he had seen it, but Zou Bald had also seen it, and most people in Changsheng had seen it.

It's just that Chen Mu didn't know that there was a large area of rubber trees around the terraces where he held his martial arts exercises, which were planted by the Spaniards in their early years.

Even the Englishman Francis Bacon, who was always victorious, laughed when he saw the raw rubber, and said: "I didn't expect the handsome to be interested in this, I wore clothes and shoes made of this, this thing is useless." ”

What Chen Mu didn't know was that 50 years before he landed in Asia, there was a rubber craze centered in Spain.

Because the aborigines were the first to use rubber, the Aztecs had already used rubber before the Europeans came, and they made this into plates, pipes, and of course, most of all, raw rubber to make bouncy balls, to please the Aztec emperors.

The Spaniards exchanged Venetian glass beads for bouncy balls from the Indians...... No matter how Chen Mu thought about this, he felt very fucked.

When the Spaniards arrived, they were also very curious about this new thing, and they promoted the cultivation of more rubber trees, and the rubber smoked from burned coconut shells was used to make clothes and shoes, which became a novel and fashionable wear.

The rubber garment that Bacon wore as an envoy attaché in France came from Spain.

There is nowhere to find him when he steps on iron shoes, in fact, he sees rubber trees every day, but he has never seen anyone picking rubber.

So Chen Mu decided to find a Spaniard to ask for clarification, and he sent someone to find Almanza, the vice-governor of New Spain, from Mexico City.

Acosta was a better choice, as the monk was often more knowledgeable than others, not to mention his dedication to the study of how to convert the Indians, so he knew the natives very well.

But it's a pity that this expert took Duke Alva's downwind fleet to Madrid to report to Fei Lao Er about the situation in the New World and has not returned, so Chen Mu can only retreat and find the old governor of this land.

Chen Mu really didn't want to see Almansa, this old man was very aggrieved that he sent Yang Tingxiang to be the governor, but he came very neatly, seeing Chen Mu complaining endlessly, he couldn't strangle him to death because he heard that the head was too big, and he was very helpless.

Especially the tone, the most temperamental, full of non-standard Tianjin Wei language, as soon as you hear it, you know that you learned it from Yang Tingxiang.

Chen Mu remembered that Yang Tingxiang's personal soldier leader was a person from Tianjin.

Speaking of 'what do you think?', I'm afraid he can't figure out whether he is an official of the Ming court or a governor sent overseas by Spain.

In any case, there was an end to the complaints, and after Chen Mu promised him a part-time errand in the Oriental Military Mansion on the condition that he would not step down as the deputy governor of New Spain, the old governor stopped.

It's been a strange time in New Spain, and who knows what will happen in the future?

Most of the new Spain is controlled by Yang Tingxiang, and the grass on the wall is now looking forward to it, and most of the diehards have no ability, and they are considered to be in the New World.

The official position is not big or small, and the number of money is not too much, in case Chen Mu wants to go to the Madrid Palace one day, this is a guarantee for Almansa.

It's not that Almanza agrees with Ming Guoduo, it's just that he doesn't have a choice in New Spain, which is far from Madrid and closer to Chang Sheng.

"This thing isn't of much use."

As for rubber products, Almansa said: "When you go out to a party on a cold night, you can stand up when someone else's cloak is ready; Wearing rubber shoes to go out in the morning, walking for a while with the soles of the shoes gone, and the rubber hat sticks to the lady's hair on a hot day. ”

"Before I was sent here to be the governor, the weeping tree sap was indeed popular for a while, but then it was discovered that it had no other use than novelty."

Almantha shook his head and said: "In the future, there will be fewer weeping trees, in the past, there were weeping trees all over the mountains here, and then instead of letting the slaves take care of the weeping trees, it is better to let them go to the mines to dig for silver, and the weeping trees will be abandoned, and some plantations have been uprooted and replaced with corn and sugar cane, and now even the Indians don't care about this thing." ”

"Da Shuai ......" Just by this title, Chen Mu knew that Almansa and Yang Ting definitely didn't get along badly, they used to be called General Chen, but now his face was full of sincerity: "I know you're looking for this, but it's not of great use." ”

"Instead of bothering about this, it is better to bring more silk and porcelain from the Ming Empire, that shipment sells well in Europe, everyone is profitable, and of course, you are the one who makes the most money."

Earn the most?

Chen Mu: "I didn't!" You guys are misunderstood! ”

After knowing the way the Spaniards used rubber, Chen Mu was very happy.

Others don't have a way to turn rubber into a resource, he has! Who doesn't know the name of the vulcanized shoe, the name says how it is made.

It puts him in the mood to ramble with Almansa.

"You don't know that a piece of silk is sold here from Daming, and it goes through countless processes, and each process costs money, not to mention the freight of 30,000 miles across the sea, which is all included in the cost, and the cost of a silk horse sold here must be nine thousand."

Chen Mu pouted as he spoke: "What's more, this silk is not mine, and there is an inscription on the porcelain, which can give me some moisturizing pens." ”

Chen Ye's words really couldn't be true, the silk was not his, the whole transaction had nothing to do with him, he raised his hand to the sky very proudly and said, "This is hard for you to believe, right?" Officials and priests are working on trade, where can there be such a high wind and bright festival as Chen, yes, high wind and bright festival. ”

Isn't it a joke to say that he earns the most?

Who's still trading?

Joke!

It's not good for us to print money and exchange money and set up cards to collect taxes? Which is easy to go to in thankless local trade?

Almansa knew that Chen Mu would not tell him the true situation, not to mention that he did not plan to do business, Chen Mu listened to it, and if he didn't listen, he arched his hand and said: "Even if the marshal doesn't summon me, I am just about to come over, half a month ago, an English pirate attacked the east coast of Mexico City, and was repulsed by the defenders on land and went south." ”

"I'm afraid their target is Panama."

"Panama?"

Listening to Chen Mu's rhetorical question, Almansa saw a full of disbelief on Chen Mu's face from his wide-eyed eyes, and then saw Chen Mu smile even more inexplicably, from uncontrollable sneer to looking up and laughing.

"Where can't you go, go to Panama, it's not good to live?"