Lady of the Lord From the East - Chapter 189

The lord and his wife, who have been away from the territory for a long time, finally came back after being promoted. This is big news.

And I heard that there are future imperial monarchs like the crown prince. Just to see what the crown prince looks like has attracted the attention of many curious people.

Almost as soon as their ships arrived at the dock, the news had already spread throughout the territory, and there were not a few people watching the excitement, and there were a large number of onlookers wherever they went.

Fortunately, their natural reverence for the nobles made them afraid to approach them easily, that is, they glanced at the carriage with the lion emblem of the Williams family driving past the road, and then turned around to find others to brag about. .

So when Felix and the others returned to the castle on the front foot, the post of the visitor on the back foot was sent.

The first thing that arrived was Dolores’s post about the caravan leader from the neighboring country who came from the mountain.

Wei Wei still knows a little bit about the country on the other side of the mountain. After all, she came from there, so she knew it from the very beginning.

This neighboring country is a small country called Soria. Its land area is probably less than the total area of ​​the several counties that Felix got after he was promoted. Moreover, the national strength is also very weak, so all along, relying on the mountains to protect its own It’s all Soria.

Although there are two different areas separated by mountains, there is almost no intersection between Sardinson and the neighboring country of Soria. On the one hand, it is because the mountains block the communication between the two places. Another county has not stopped along the coast that stretches to Melk Town, but continues to the outer Xincheng to a huge bay. If this bay is Wei Wei’s original world map, it will be the upper north of the modern Balkan Peninsula, and the extension of Mei. The part of the sea area of ​​Erke Town is the territory of Greece, and now in the Middle Ages in this parallel time and space, this peninsula has not been named the Balkan Peninsula, but this area does belong to Greece, just because there are more sides of the peninsula. A mountain range that is difficult for humans to cross from the land, and the original Sardinson sea area is full of reefs and is not suitable for ships, so in the past, let alone Soria, which was next to Greece, leaning on the Black Sea, but not with the Mediterranean Sea. The neighboring small country, Greece, has never communicated with Sardinson County.

In the past, Greek merchants used ships to go to the capital to do business, and they seldom stopped in Princia, not to mention a region like Sardinson that didn’t even have a wharf, and Soria, which leaned on the Black Sea. The communication between the country and Prady takes the inland line. Because they need to bypass the mountains, their route into Prady is further north in Sardinson, that is, the territory of Count Garcia, and they never reach it. Here comes Sardinson.

Of course, since the development of Sardinson County, there has been an endless stream of caravans from coastal countries, and merchants from Greece have gradually increased. It is the olive oil they bring, which almost supports the consumption of oil in Sardinson, and feta cheese made with goat’s milk is also very popular here.

But the Sorians came for the first time.

And this has a lot to do with Soria’s economic industry.

Soria is a landlocked country, but they rely on the Black Sea, an inland sea. The domestic forest area accounts for one-third of the country’s land. Agricultural production is similar to that of Sardinson before, and animal husbandry is not developed. The national economy is mainly based on Fishing is the main business, so what the Sorians sell in Prady is basically their seafood, which is very popular in the inland areas – after all, it is influenced by the church at this time, and the fasting days of the year are too much They can only eat fish when they can’t eat meat. Although the sea area of ​​Sardinson is not suitable for large ships, there are still small fishing industries. In addition, there are several rivers and lakes in Sardinson County. Whether it is freshwater fish or marine fish, it is completely self-sufficient and does not need seafood sent from the Black Sea, so the Sorians will not come to them to do business.

So Felix was surprised to hear that Soria’s caravan had deliberately crossed the dangerous mountains to do business in the territory to meet him.

The mountain road is difficult to travel, and it is such a tall mountain range that the road is even more difficult to walk. The only route that is easier to pass is around Sardinson Castle, where Felix used to go when he sent people to investigate Wei Wei, But it was easy for passers-by to walk, and it was a little dangerous to ride a horse, and don’t even think about the carriage, so if you want to transport goods, it is very unsuitable.

In addition, the road is in the forest and mountains, and there are no human activities at all, so there are many large wild animals, not to mention wild boars that are always infested in groups, wolves, bears, and even leopards often Haunted here, and if you are extremely lucky, it is said that lions may also be found around this mountain range.

Of course, the news of lions is only heard, and there are no people who have actually seen them, but Wei Wei thinks it is not impossible, after all, most of the mountain range is located in Greece, and the long-extinct European lions (also known as European lions) lived in Greece. Known as the Greek lion), this type of lion was historically extinct long ago due to over-hunting, but given that the existence of mountains is insurmountable for humans, it is possible that a small number of lions have evolved the ability to survive in them It is still unknown if it is still alive.

Of course, Wei Wei is just guessing like this. As for whether there is any, no one has really seen it anyway, but the danger of this mountain range is undeniable.

Therefore, when Wei Wei came from the other side of the mountain alone, Felix and others were amazed, and they felt that she was so lucky that she did not encounter any danger. Also brought a lot of goods to Sardinson to sell.

Probably because they know that sea fish is not rare here in Sardinson. The products brought by the Sorians this time are mainly livestock. I have to say that this is not a good or bad idea.

Not too bad refers to the fact that the Sardinians really need animal husbandry. With the improvement of the economic level of the colonists, their consumption level is also increasing rapidly. In the past, many colonists would face starvation in winter. Now it is the most Poor people can save a lot of food for the winter, and the demand for meat is getting higher and higher, and there is a meat sauce factory, so livestock is not worried about selling here, and the price is slightly higher than other areas. .

But I also said before that the mountain road is difficult. There are many wild animals in the mountains. With so many animals, it is not only difficult to walk on the road, but also easy to be attacked by wild animals. It is also a good time for them to choose. They are crowded, and under normal circumstances, no beasts will attack them, but if there is a change in winter or spring and summer when there is not much food, those beasts will never let such a large prey group go.

After all, there are quite a few wolves in the mountains, and they are not necessarily afraid of human armies, let alone ordinary businessmen.

But since everyone had already come, they were a little curious and naturally chose to meet.

Before the meeting, Felix and Wei Wei also learned more about the Soria caravan from Butler Patton.

The leader of the Soria caravan was a nobleman, known as Baron Stoichkov, who was said to have his domain on the other side of the mountains, and was a true neighbor to Sardinson, and This time, the Soria caravan was organized by him.

“In addition to bringing a lot of cattle and sheep, the baron also brought a lot of roses and some wine, which sell well in Sardinson, and I heard that he has a lot of rare goods, but The baron did not sell those things, it seems that he intends to show them to you.”

Butler Patton heard a lot of news. The news that Baron Stoichkov brought a lot of rare items was actually revealed by the baron himself. He probably brought it here because he heard that Wei Wei likes all kinds of novel species. of.

This made Wei Wei interested. After comparing Soria’s geographical location and thinking of a certain country in the same location, she felt that she could look forward to what the other party brought.

Stoichkov is a strong man, he should be in his thirties or forties. Although it is only separated by a mountain range, his facial features are obviously different from those of the Prady people. His complexion is relatively darker and his hair is darker. He is wearing Soria’s traditional clothing, mainly black and white, but with a lot of red embroidery on it, which looks bright in color, and wears a black triangular hat similar to a knitted hat like an upside-down bucket. Well, a simulated rose is also decorated on the side of the hat, which is a little joyful to match with the sturdy Lord Baron.

However, Baron Stoichkov obviously didn’t think there was anything special about it. He greeted Felix and Wei Wei with a respectful look, then sat down and went straight to the topic.

Baron Stoichkov led the team to Sardinson this time. Although it was only separated by a mountain range, because of the existence of the mountain range, Sardinson can be said to be in good weather, while Stoy is next door. The territory of Baron Chikov is different. His territory has many mountains and is affected by the climate. This year, the rain is too much, resulting in a large reduction in the production of the fields in the territory. The territory of Baron Stoichkov Not relying on the Black Sea, the main source of food is the output from the farmland, and now that the production of the fields is reduced, the food in the winter is obviously not enough to eat, so that the Baron Stoichkov, who is very responsible for the territorial people I was very worried. Originally, he planned to buy food from other counties to maintain the food needs of the residents this winter, but this time it was not only his territory that was affected by the disaster. The output of the surrounding areas was also not good. They had to buy food themselves. , naturally impossible to sell to Baron Stoichkov.

Therefore, the price of food in Soria has risen rapidly this year. Baron Stoichkov is just a little baron who is not very wealthy and can’t afford it. Dinson bought food.

“Since you’re here to buy food, you should have already bought it, right? Then why haven’t you gone back?” Wei Wei was very curious.

The most important thing Satinson lacks now is food. Since Baron Stoichkov has sold all the cattle, sheep and other commodities he brought, he should have exchanged enough food to take back, and because the food is inconvenient For transportation, it is impossible to travel through the mountains. He would either take a boat or take a detour from the north of Sardinson for his return journey. It would take a lot of time in the middle, but the baron stayed here and waited for them, which was really intriguing.

After all, their return was only recently decided, and the baron heard that he had been staying in Sardinson for 20 days, and seemed to be determined to wait for them to return.

Baron Stoichkov “The food has been sent back, I just want to know if there is any chance to cooperate with the Duke.”

At first, Baron Stoichkov really only heard that Sardinson had a lot of food, so he ventured over the mountains to buy food, and he had inquired beforehand that Sardinson had a great demand for flowers, and Sori Ya’s roses are also famous in other countries, and because of the reduction in field production this year, the price of roses has also dropped a lot, so he deliberately bought a large number of roses in China, and then together with a group of livestock raised by himself in the territory. Along with various other things he thought might be of interest.

And when he arrived here, he realized that the prosperity here is not inferior to that of the king of Soria. After discovering this, Baron Stoichkov immediately wanted to fight with Sardin. Sen’s thoughts on business dealings.

His territory can be said to be very close to Sardinson. If you take that mountain road, you can reach Sardinson in just two days, and he has traveled that road once, so he knows that if he is willing to spend money to find someone to build the road, he can still get there. To build a mountain road for the convoy to travel, although it costs a lot of money and material resources, as long as the road is cleared, Baron Stoichkov believes that his territory will prosper in the future and become an inland transit for other surrounding areas. It is not impossible to stand. After all, there is a shining golden nest on the other side of the mountain, which is enough to attract many businessmen to pass through his territory. When there are caravans, it is difficult for the territory to prosper.

However, Baron Stoichkov himself can’t afford the money for the road construction, so if he wants to build the road, he must first develop himself and earn enough money, and after thinking about it, he can become rich in a short period of time. The only chance is to cooperate with Felix.

So those novel items that he originally wanted to bring to other businessmen to see if they were interested were left behind by him, ready to show Wei Wei to see if she was interested.

After Baron Stoichkov bluntly explained his purpose, he opened the things he brought to Wei Wei.

He only brought some samples for this interview, so these things were only packed in a box. After the box was opened, he put the samples out in the same way.

Soria is an agricultural country dominated by fishing. The local farming techniques were common in the Middle Ages, but Soria is also famous for many things, such as roses and wine. Their winemaking technology has always been very good. Baron Ichikov has a vineyard of his own. Although the output is not large, this time he also brought dozens of barrels of wine to sell and exchanged a lot of grain.

He thought the roses and grapes from his territory should also be attractive, so he put these two in the sample, and the textile industry in Soria is also good, so he also put cloth in it, and also some Prady Many of the plants that he did not have were collected in other areas of Soria on purpose, including herbs and fruits and vegetables, all of which were very useful locally.

And Wei Wei did find a little surprise inside.

She picked up a dried plant and smelled it. The special fragrance made her more sure that it was a plant she knew.

She asked with interest, “Where did this come from?”

Baron Stoichkov thought for a while, and then he remembered what it was. “I bought it from a doctor. I heard that it is a good herbal medicine that can be used to treat toothaches.”

Oral problems have always been a big problem in the Middle Ages. Before Wei Wei made toothpaste and toothbrushes, even nobles rarely cleaned their mouths, so toothache was a serious problem for them.

The plant Wei Wei recognized also had an analgesic effect, but of course its main function was not this.

This plant, although many people may not know it as it is, definitely know it, and even often see it after processing.

This is tobacco.

The origin of tobacco is said to be in South America, and it was only spread to Europe around the 15th century, but according to the historical records of China, tobacco leaves were planted in the Han Dynasty, so there is also a saying that tobacco originated in China.

But no matter which way it is said, there should be no tobacco in Europe at this time, but this is a parallel time and space, and the historical trend is different. It does not seem impossible that there is tobacco in Soria. Maybe these tobacco It was brought by the Great Mongolia when it fought in Europe, and of course it may have been brought by the Persian merchants who were running around.

It’s true that Soria has tobacco anyway.

Although cigarettes are harmful to health, in fact, tobacco has a wide range of medicinal uses. It can not only make insecticides, but also be used as anesthesia, sweating, sedative and emetic.

And tobacco has preventive and therapeutic effects on many diseases, and can be used to treat a variety of erosive ulcers, including lupus and syphilis.

Even tobacco has a certain anti-epidemic effect on cholera and rats. There are historical records that in 1665, the plague was rampant in London, England, and many people were killed by the plague. While those smokers frequently visited the homes of patients with infectious diseases, or participated in the funerals of the deceased many times, they were safe and sound; during a cholera epidemic in Germany in the 18th century, only eight of the five thousand cigar workers in a cigarette factory suffered from the disease. Before the First World War, a Frenchman investigated the preventive effect of military smoking on infectious meningitis and found that 94 of the healthy soldiers were smokers, and 75 of the soldiers who had the disease were non-smokers or non-smokers. Occasional smokers.

These all prove that tobacco has a good preventive effect on these infectious diseases.

Wei Wei originally feared that the Black Death, which swept across Europe in the 14th century, claimed the lives of 25 million Europeans and caused the entire European population to plummet by one-third, was a type of plague.

And tobacco has a certain defensive effect on the plague, so if she can promote tobacco in Europe, doesn’t it mean that if the Black Death really comes, she can also make many people take precautions in advance?

You must know that the Black Death broke out in 1347, almost 70 years ago. Wei Wei might not be alive at that time, so if the Black Death really broke out, she would not be able to save people. Before that, she had to take as many precautions as she could. Although she was not a Virgin, in the face of a world-destroying disaster, she still hoped to reduce casualties as much as possible.

Wei Wei, who saw tobacco, thought about a lot of things in an instant, but not much time passed. In just a few seconds, she had made the decision to promote tobacco, even if cigarettes are harmful to health, and she herself is not. People who like to smoke, but compared with the Black Death and other epidemics, the harm of cigarettes itself is really small and can no longer be small.

And tobacco will become popular sooner or later, she just moved the time forward by two hundred years – not to mention that China has the habit of smoking dry tobacco now, and her scourge can’t go there.

After making this decision in her mind, Wei Wei immediately asked Baron Stoichkov, “Is there a lot of this kind of plants on your side? Is there any artificial planting?”

Wei Wei’s knowledge of medicine and her good medical skills are now famous all over the country, and it has even spread to other countries. The anecdote that Soria rescued King Prady was also spread, so Stoichkov The baron felt that Wei Wei would be interested in herbal medicine, so he went to the doctor and bought a lot of their unique local herbal medicine, and now it really comes in handy.

Seeing that she was interested, Baron Stoichkov, who had been prepared, immediately recalled the information about this herb, and replied, “Only doctors in our place will plant some specially for treatment, but if you need, I can Organize farmers to plant a lot!”

He didn’t say that he sold the seeds to Sardinson, nor did Wei Wei mention that tobacco is a thermophilic plant and is more sensitive to temperature. Although Sardinson is located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, because of the ribbon-like territorial landform, only Melk The area around the town has a completely Mediterranean climate, the other two towns and around Sardinson Castle get colder in winter and are not suitable for growing tobacco, and their land is not enough for growing new species, much less. Tobacco was grown on a large scale.

Since Soria can have tobacco, it must be very suitable for this plant, and the people there also have a certain planting foundation. If they are willing to cooperate with Sardinson and sign a tobacco trade, then Sardinson There are a lot of things saved here.

But now, Baron Stoichkov is obviously willing. Since he has all requested cooperation, how could Wei Wei miss this opportunity.

“I do need this plant, the more the merrier, and if you have a lot of good quality tobacco, we at Sardinson would be happy to work with you.”

tobacco? baron stoichkov listen to this

It is not the same as their local name, and immediately decided to use this name to call this plant in the future.

“Of course, as long as you have this demand, I can organize people to carry out large-scale planting immediately after I go back.”

Soria’s winter is also very warm. If it weren’t for this flood, they would not have enough food, but enough food and wealth are two different things, and this climate means that they can try to grow tobacco even in winter. .

Baron Stoichkov had already decided to consult the doctor immediately after returning home. It would be better to invite someone back to his territory to teach the serfs how to farm.

But the premise is that the cooperation contract is signed first, and only after getting the contract and the deposit can he dare to try to grow this plant without any worries.

As for the contract, of course, Felix talked to him. Because tobacco was a commodity that was not available before, they had different ideas about the price. Fortunately, they finally negotiated a price that both parties could accept.

In addition, Felix signed a wine purchase contract with Baron Stoichkov, and he drank the wine brought by the baron, which was very different in taste from the wine made by Prady himself, but the taste was very Yes, and the price offered by the baron is lower than the price offered by other merchants. Felix, who also likes to drink, will naturally not miss it. He ordered a large batch to bring with him next time. He plans to keep it with his subordinates. share together.

And Wei Wei, after checking the samples brought by other barons, picked some interesting ones, hoping that he can bring a batch when he comes next time.

The baron who got the contract immediately decided to return to the territory immediately, and then bought a batch of goods and sent them to Sardinson, so as to make another profit before winter began.

Anyway, he had no goods to bring, so he could hire a mercenary to take him back down the mountain road and **** the goods over. Although the commission was a little expensive, it was nothing compared to the money he was about to earn.