On the sea at night, there is a cool breeze and the sky is full of stars.
On the sea a few miles away from Colombo Port, on the deck of a wooden ship drifting with the current, Zhang Yanling was drinking and talking with the generals.
Zhang Yanling boarded a captured pirate wooden boat early in the morning and went fishing. He said it was fishing, but in fact it was to let Catherine relax.
Catherine couldn't smell the smell in the bay. Even though the body had been disposed of and the sea breeze had washed away the smell, she still couldn't help vomiting. As a last resort, Zhang Yanling had to accompany her to the sea to get some fresh air and change her mind.
Therefore, after the negotiation, Zhang Yin and others waited in the harbor for Zhang Yanling to come back and report. As a result, they did not wait until Zhang Yanling came back. Zhang Yin and others took a boat out of the harbor to find Zhang Yanling. When they saw Zhang Yanling, Zhang Yanling was wearing a bamboo hat.
I was fishing under the sunset with my fishing rod in hand. All kinds of sea fish were jumping around in the wooden barrel next to me, which was very lively.
Originally, Zhang Yanling planned to go back after dark, but since everyone is here, she might as well talk about things here and stay one more night.
Catherine has been in a good mood today and has been able to eat. Maybe she should stay here to let her regain her mood.
After listening to everyone report on the negotiation process, Zhang Yanling smiled and nodded, still very satisfied with the outcome of the negotiation.
The strategy of this negotiation was to speak loudly and intimidate with force, and then make some small concessions, and then an agreement would be reached quickly. Everything was as Zhang Yanling expected, and the treaty negotiations went smoothly.
"Very good. We will notify them tomorrow and we will draft the text according to the agreed treaty and find a date to sign the treaty with them. Tell the people of Ceylon to elect a candidate for the king. This treaty must be signed with their king." Zhang Yanling laughed.
road.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The Duke of Guo approved it, and everything was settled.
"My lord, I don't know who they will elect as their leader." Zhang Yin said with a smile.
Zhang Yanling said: "Prince Kled must be reluctant to do so. This guy is very cunning and seems to be able to unite the people of Ceylon. Others may not be able to fight him. I think, let's give him a favor and you can tell him in private tomorrow.
He just said that I support him as the leader of the country. I have the special power of the Ming Emperor to canonize him as the leader of the country on behalf of the Ming Emperor. I am pushing the boat forward, and it will be easier for us to deal with him later."
Chen Shi raised his finger and praised: "The Duke of Guo's skill is extremely wonderful."
Zhang Yin and others also laughed.
"My lord, this guy wants us to help them rob some relics from the Jialuo Empire. It's really out of the blue. This old guy has evil intentions. I feel like he is inciting us to fight against the Jialuo Kingdom. How can we do this?
I can't agree." Zhang Yin said.
Zhang Yanling laughed and said: "The old guy is indeed a bit fanciful, but what he said is right. If we want long-term peace and stability here, relying on massacre and force is not the answer after all. We still have to reconcile with the Ceylonese people. If we can really get it.
Whatever Buddha's tooth or relic they cherish, maybe this hatred can really be resolved. If the heart is not resolved, it will be difficult to find peace in the end."
"No, is it possible that the Duke went to war with the Garo Kingdom for them? To snatch their relics? Wouldn't that mean he would become an enemy of the Garo Kingdom again? The Garo Empire is much stronger than the Ceylon Kingdom. Isn't this right?
Isn't it worth the loss?" Chen Shiyi said in astonishment.
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "It's not necessary to start a war. There are many ways. You can discuss it with them. I believe that as long as the conditions are right, nothing can't be negotiated. Maybe someone else gave us a favor, who knows. In short,
You can give it a try.”
Zhang Yin smacked his lips and said, "I'm afraid your thoughts are too simple. Buddhist sacred objects such as Buddha's tooth relics are extremely valuable. In the eyes of Buddhists, they are the supreme and priceless things. This
I'm afraid it will be difficult to handle this matter."
Zhang Yanling waved her hand and said with a smile: "Didn't you agree? Then what are you worried about? If you become the best, then it will be fine if you don't. I just said this. The people of Ceylon are not worthy of us fighting for them. South Asia Continent
, are our future important suppliers of resources, goods, spices and land, and we must treat our relationship with them carefully."
Everyone nodded, and naturally the Ceylonese people would not lead this matter. The Duke obviously had his own plans.
Seeing that it was getting late and learning that the Duke did not intend to return to Hong Kong, Zhang Yin and others stood up and left.
However, Zhang Yanling said that he would let them have dinner before leaving. He said that in order to celebrate the success of today's negotiation, he would hold a barbecue party for them, and also said that he would drink some wine to celebrate. Everyone agreed, and naturally they were 100 percent willing.
So Zhang Yanling took matters into his own hands and set up a posture on the deck. There were a lot of fresh sea fish and some live shrimps caught by others, and Zhang Yanling said that he would grill them and eat them.
Chen Shiyi felt that the fish and shrimp were very fishy and might not be delicious when grilled. However, Zhang Yanling laughed at him because he had never seen the world and vowed that he would praise it loudly later.
Zhang Yanling took a knife to kill fish and clean it, and the generals wanted to help. These people were usually very dexterous with swords in their hands, but they were clumsy when dealing with fish and shrimps, which made them full of jokes. In the end, Zhang Yanling couldn't stand it anymore and ordered them to
Just drink tea and watch, don't make any trouble.
Although Zhang Yin and others felt sorry, they could only sit aside and watch Zhang Luo while Zhang Yanling was busy. Fortunately, with Catherine's help, they were able to finish it quickly.
Following Zhang Yanling's instructions, Catherine marinated the fresh fish and shrimp with French red wine, and then skewered them one by one with bamboo strips. After bringing the charcoal fire to red, Zhang Yanling began to bake.
Zhang Yanling knew how to cook things well. When traveling around in later generations, he often cooked and grilled meat by himself. Although he cannot be said to be a perfect craftsman, he could at least master some of the heat.
Moreover, this time, Zhang Yanling also had a secret weapon. It was cumin powder, a spice originating from the local area.
When grilled fish meets cumin, the atmosphere suddenly becomes right. The only drawback is that there is no beer, but wine can also be used to suit the occasion.
Smelling the smell of grilled fish, shrimp and cumin, Zhang Yin, Chen Shiyi and others' throats rolled, their mouths began to secrete saliva, and their greedy index fingers moved.
Zhang Yanling gave the grilled skewers to everyone to share, and everyone ate with mouthfuls full of praise and still had more to say.
"With your skills, Mr. Guo, even if you don't do it as a job, if you open a grilled fish and barbecue restaurant, you will definitely make a lot of money every day and have a bustling family. This taste is really amazing." Chen Shi praised.
Wang Hong said with a smile: "Brother Chen, what are you talking about? The Duke of Guo neglected doing important things and went to open a restaurant instead? Today you and I are blessed to have such delicious food. It is a blessing that we have cultivated. This is the only one."
Come back, I’m afraid I’ll never have this good fortune again.”
Chen Shi smiled and said, "If you eat this delicious meal, I would be willing to shorten my life by three days."
Zhang Yanling saw that they were eating happily and knew that they were flattering, but she was still happy in her heart. She smiled and said: "Looking at your fortune, this thing is not a rare thing. You can often eat it if you want it. Do you still need to trade your lifespan for it?"
"
Chen Shi laughed loudly, and the red shrimp he bit into was sizzling and oily, making a squeaking sound.
Zhang Yin ate a piece of grilled fish and praised: "Sir, how come our Daming Restaurant doesn't have this kind of cooking method? It tastes very delicious, but I have never had it in the capital."
Zhang Yanling handed a bunch of cooked shrimp skewers to Catherine. Catherine thanked her and took it. She took a delicate bite and closed her eyes to taste it, with a satisfied look on her face.
Zhang Yanling looked at her expression, smiled with satisfaction, turned to Zhang Yin and said: "My Ming Dynasty naturally has barbecues, but there are just a few. Ordinary people can't afford them. It's not that fish and shrimp meat are so valuable, but the value is
This seasoning, cumin powder, originates from the Western Regions and Persia. It is also grown in Ming Dynasty, but the yield is extremely low. Perhaps due to the water, soil and climate, the taste and yield are not satisfactory. Therefore, in the Central Plains, it comes from overseas.
Among the imported spices, cumin is one of the main seasoning spices. This thing is actually not very valuable in Persia and the Western Regions, but when it is shipped to our Central Plains, the price increases ten times. Most people are
I can’t afford it. Forget about barbecue, look how much I sprinkled on a skewer of fish and shrimp? If it were sprinkled like this in the Ming Dynasty, a skewer of grilled fish would not sell for more than a tael of silver? Even if there is this dish in a restaurant, you
Can you afford it?"
Zhang Yin suddenly said: "I see. After we open up trade routes, these things will be shipped to our country in large quantities in Ming Dynasty, and the price will naturally not be too high. In the future, the people of our country in Ming Dynasty may be able to have such a good taste."
Zhang Yanling nodded and said: "That's very true. How important is the circulation of commodities and the exchange of availability. Speaking of which, in fact, cumin was transported to our Central Plains by Hu merchants from the Western Regions hundreds of years ago. At that time, it was still Li Tang
time
.I have read a book written by a man from Fan. He traveled across the ocean to the country of the Tang Dynasty and wrote a travelogue, which recorded the situation of the import of cumin in the Tang Dynasty. In his book, he said that in the south
At the port, cumin is shipped in ship by ship.
Come and supply it as a seasoning to people all over the Tang Dynasty. It is expensive, but people flock to it. It is also said that some pharmacies use it to make medicine to treat yin and cold diseases. You see, in the Tang Dynasty, the people in the Central Plains could already eat this kind of food.
Seasoning with spices
Unfortunately, the Ming Dynasty has banned seas for hundreds of years, so we can no longer even eat cumin grilled fish and barbecue. This is the consequence of poor trade. Seclusion is to be out of touch with the world. From spices to science and technology, everything
We will fall behind."
All the generals nodded. What the Duke said was true. Things that could be eaten hundreds of years ago are now unaffordable. Shipping was smooth hundreds of years ago, but now it is necessary to open trade routes and pay a huge price. This is terrible.
It really doesn't make sense.
"Your Majesty, the book you are talking about was written by a Thai named Marco Polo?" Catherine asked with a smile.
Zhang Yanling said in surprise: "How do you know?"
Catherine said proudly: "I have this book in the Royal Academy of France, and I have read it. It was after reading this book that I became very interested in your Ming Dynasty and learned from your Ming Dynasty.
I recognize your Ming Dynasty calligraphy."
Zhang Yanling nodded and smiled, thinking: No wonder European countries are rising rapidly at this time, with an eclectic mix of scientific, technological, cultural, and talented people and knowledge, overseas colonization is in full swing, and they are in a period of rapid growth. This accumulation will soon change from quantitative to qualitative in a hundred years.
An important leap forward occurred. The East has since fallen behind the West.
Fortunately, I caught up with it. I must not miss it, absolutely not.