In the Whale Sea area, accompanied by the howling cold wind, three large ships were heading towards Vladivostok from east to west on the sea.
It is difficult for traditional sailboats to sail in such weather, but new large ships have no problems at all and can easily overcome harsh sea conditions and sail on the sea.
"Your Majesty, this Hokkaido fishing ground is considered one of the four largest fishing grounds in the world. The intersection of cold and warm ocean currents here brings a large amount of nutrients, creating this world-famous large fish farm."
"However, because this place is far away from the Ming Dynasty, the fishing industry has not been developed. That is to say, in the winter, fishing boats come here to hunt whales, catch pine leaf crabs and some seafood, and take advantage of the cold weather in winter to easily preserve freshness and transport them to Beijing.
Sales in Tianjin area.”
In one of the large ships, Liu Jin and Emperor Hongzhi were drinking tea leisurely and talking about the Whale Sea and Hokkaido fishing grounds.
Naturally, this place has nothing to do with us in later generations, because the land in the Waixing'an Mountains was ceded to Maozi, and even the outlet to the sea was gone. There was originally a place only a few dozen kilometers away from the outlet, but it was unfortunately lost in the end.
this land.
This is an extremely rich and fertile land.
The land in the Heilongjiang River Basin is very fertile, and a large number of fertile fields can be cultivated casually.
The forestry resources, mineral resources, and fishery resources in the Waixing'an Mountains are also extremely rich.
Of course, the most important thing is the estuary and many islands in the Whale Sea area. If these islands are in our hands, we can control a large area and sea area. The situation will be completely different. We don't need to be trapped in the chain of islands.
middle.
In addition, the fishery resources in this sea area are very rich, such as herring, saury, pine leaf crab, salmon and other resources. If they were in our hands, we would not need to import these things.
Of course, this will be a regret for future generations.
This vast area is now under the jurisdiction of Liaodong Province of the Ming Dynasty. Although the current degree of development is still limited, it is still an indispensable land for the Ming Empire, and its huge resources are gradually being developed.
Liu Jin naturally had to popularize the resources and importance of this land with Emperor Hongzhi. The Ming Dynasty owned this land and had such huge resources, so it naturally had to cherish it, but this fertile land must not be taken away.
Lost it.
"Whale, Matsuba Crab?"
Emperor Hongzhi looked at the map and became very interested when Liu Jin talked about the richness and fertility of this land.
At this moment, someone hurriedly walked in and said: "Your Majesty, I found a whaling ship hunting whales at sea."
"I said Cao Cao, Cao Cao is here. Let's go, let's go and have a look."
"I haven't seen a whale in a long time."
When Emperor Hongzhi heard this, he immediately became energetic. He quickly put on thick warm clothes and a mink coat and walked out on the deck.
Liu Jin also hurriedly followed out. Whaling is a good project not to be missed. Unexpectedly, he encountered it on the sea.
When I came to the deck, I took the telescope and looked forward. I saw several whaling ships chasing a group of whales in the sea not far away. The whales came to the surface to breathe from time to time, and huge water columns exposed them.
Their position attracted whaling ships to follow them.
The people aboard several whaling ships were also very busy. The whaling industry was an extremely developed industry in the Ming Dynasty. From Liu Jin's beginning to taking the lead in whaling to now, whales have become an extremely important part of the lives of the people of the Ming Dynasty.
Whales are full of treasures.
Needless to say, whale oil has many uses. It is first of all used as lighting for wealthy families. Even though it is expensive, it is still in short supply. Kerosene lamps are the choice for ordinary families. Large families like to use whale oil. They are smoke-free and Tasteless and very bright.
Whale skin is one of the best materials for making boots. It is sold well all over the Ming Dynasty and everyone likes to wear it.
Whale meat is comparable to beef. One whale can feed hundreds of cows and thousands of pigs. The meat quality is very good, the price is cheap and it is delicious. People in the Beijing and Tianjin areas love to eat whale meat.
Therefore, whales have always been the favorite of people in the Ming Dynasty, and the whaling industry is also very developed. However, whales in the Bohai Sea are rarely seen now. The Ming government is also considering banning whaling in the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea. This is to protect the number of whales in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea.
Whaling gradually moved to other places. The South China Sea, East China Sea and the Whale Sea naturally became the places where most whales were caught.
At this moment, the whaling ship was seen penetrating here, and the mechanically opened crossbow shot hard at a huge whale, piercing deeply into the whale's body. Suddenly the sea was dyed red with blood, and the whale began to flee desperately. struggle.
But the harder he struggled, the faster he died. The huge ship was dragging him tightly, and the crossbows fired one after another.
In less than half an hour, this huge whale completely died and surfaced, and many crew members on the ship immediately cheered.
Several whaling ships caught satisfactory whales one after another. They pulled the whales to the side of the ship one by one and quickly started to get busy. The whale oil in the whale's head is the most precious oil, with the highest price and the best seller. This must be done. Install it first.
Other expensive and valuable whale products must be removed immediately to prevent the smell of blood from attracting sharks and the like to gnaw at them. In some cases, the whales are even discarded, and the parts of little value are simply thrown away.
"Lean closer~"
Emperor Hongzhi watched with great interest. This was the first time he saw whale hunting at sea.
It is incredible that such a huge whale can be captured just by relying on a crossbow.
Three large ships slowly approached several whaling ships, causing everyone on the whaling ships to look over.
Compared with the big ships, their whalers were very small, short and small.
"Where did the three big ships come from?"
Yang Genhe, the boss of several whaling ships, looked at the three large ships approaching and was very confused.
It is rare to see such a large ship on this side of the Whale Sea, let alone three at once.
Generally, if a large ship like this goes to the Golden Continent, it will take the central route directly, passing through Hawaii and crossing the Pacific Ocean, instead of coming to the Whale Sea.
The ships on this side of the Whale Sea all take the northern route. They only go this way in the summer and autumn, when the temperature is high and there is less floating ice. It is a safer season. The rest are also some whaling ships, fishing There are still a few merchant ships heading to Japan via Vladivostok.
"Fellow, where's the whale hunting?"
At this time, Emperor Hongzhi greeted Yang Genhe with a smile.
The voice sounds like a Beijing accent, from the Beijing-Tianjin area.
"Yes."
Yang Genhe quickly replied with a smile. He was from Tianjin and made a living by hunting whales. He used to make a living in the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea, but now he has moved to the Whale Sea.
"There are quite a lot of whales. It must be very hard for you guys in this winter."
Emperor Hongzhi asked with a smile.
"It's okay. There are more whales here than in the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea. But you can only catch whales in winter, but not in summer. The weather is hot and it's easy to stink."
Yang Genhe nodded and replied.
"Can you sell me some whale meat? I haven't eaten whale meat in a long time?"
Emperor Hongzhi nodded, thought for a while and said.
"What are you talking about buying? Since we are all fellow villagers, you can just let people cut it as much as you want."
"That won't work. You guys are working hard too. You're all hoping to make money by hunting whales in this winter. If you don't get paid, I won't let you go."
Emperor Hongzhi was easy-going and smiling, and he soon had a happy chat with Yang Genhe.
"Are these three big ships yours?"
"Yes, I do some small business to support my family."
"Hey, you are really generous. You can't buy these three big ships without a million taels of silver. This is still a small business."
"I'm going to make you laugh. This is my first time coming to the Whale Sea. I heard that there are many specialties in the Whale Sea."
"That's right, I'm not telling you, this whale sea is not ordinary. There are a lot of whales here, and they are quite big. There are also a lot of fish in the sea here, such as herring, salmon, saury and so on. It's a big black mass, so that
Sometimes the whole sea is black because there are so many fish."
"Also, in our Liaodong Province, you must not miss the furs, ginseng, deer antlers, and tiger bones. You must buy some here in Vladivostok, but be sure to grow snacks. Those people see that there are
Rich people, they just insist on shouting high prices."
"Okay, okay, I'll bring some with me when the time comes."
“I’ve heard about Vladivostok for a long time, and I’ve wanted to visit it for a long time.”
"There is not much to see in Vladivostok. It is far different from our Tianjin and Beijing. It is just a small fishing port with a few shipyards and not much else. It is now connected to the train. Otherwise,
, there are even fewer people in Vladivostok.”
"Yeah, how about the Matsuba crab this season? I heard it's very good."
"This season is no longer available. The best season for pine leaf crabs is in October. The pine leaf crabs at that time are fat, creamy, and very delicious. Now they are out of season."
"If you want to try something new, there are many other seafood varieties. It's a pity that I am a whaling ship. Otherwise, if there is something on the ship, I will give you some."
"Thank you very much."
"You're welcome. We Beijing and Tianjin gentlemen rarely meet fellow villagers when we go out. We should help each other."
"Yes, yes, that's right. We should help each other. We Ming people should help each other outside."
Emperor Hongzhi happily chatted with Yang Genhe, getting to know the lives of the people, and by the way, some situations around the whale sea.
