Chapter 763: The resources of the Tang tribe (Part 2)

There are many types of non-edible plants, most of which are trees. Luo Chong looked through them and found that there are four types of pine trees. Two of them are the most impressive. One is the smelly pine that emits a foul smell all over the body, and the other is the water pine that grows in the water source. The remaining two do not have clear names.

The largest of these pine trees is forty or fifty meters tall, and the trunk diameter can reach more than one and a half meters. It is a very good material for building materials. In addition, if there are pine trees, pine soot ink for writing can be burned nearby, which can be regarded as solving a problem.

The rest that can be recognized are fir, willow, oak and mulberry. These are the tree species that the Han tribe also has, but the oak that is most suitable for making furniture is basically not available here, which is a pity, but it is good to have mulberry trees, so that the Han tribe can promote silkworm breeding and silk reeling here, so that silk can also be produced in the capital.

In addition, there are many tree species that the Han tribe has never seen. One of them is evergreen and has leaves like deer antlers. It is a tree species that the Han tribe has never seen in the north. That is the cypress. The leaves of this thing are very recognizable, just like the lines in the Songhua eggs. Its branches and leaves are also good for smoking bacon.

There is also a cattail fan tree. Luo Chong doesn't know what the original name of this thing is. He only knows that the leaves of this tree are specially used to make cattail fans. Luo Chong simply named it cattail fan.

There is also a fiber tree species used by the Tang tribe to make cloth, that is, the kapok tree. However, compared with the cotton of the Han tribe, cotton is obviously more suitable for planting.

The rest are palm trees, eucalyptus trees, osmanthus trees, toon trees, stinking toon trees, sycamore trees, and various bamboos and sisal. Among them, the osmanthus tree is more useful. The bark of the osmanthus tree can be used as a spice, that is, cinnamon bark, which is often used when stewing meat. Osmanthus can also brew osmanthus honey. Even the osmanthus itself can be picked and used as a filling for snacks, which has a relatively high edible value.

There is a Jiang family in the Han tribe who is good at beekeeping. We can mobilize some people to try this.

Of the two types of toon trees, the Chinese toon is also an edible tree species, the sycamore tree is more ornamental and can be used as a street tree, and the others are basically useless.

Several types of bamboo are also quite useful. They can be used to make tools and paper. Not to mention sisal, which is the best choice for making cables.

Among the other tree species, there are several high-quality wood species. After Luo Chong identified them, he found that there are four types: sandalwood, agarwood, nanmu, and light wood.

Sandalwood, agarwood, and nanmu are easy to identify. Their common characteristics are that they are extremely dense, the wood is very hard, they will sink in water, and they are corrosion-resistant; the difference is that the first two types of wood have special fragrances. Even if you don’t know the tree, it doesn’t matter. You can tell by smelling it.

The tree species that smells like the sandalwood burned in the temple must be sandalwood, because sandalwood is originally made of this wood. Luo Chong also determined the species of sandalwood based on the smell in his memory.

As for balsa wood, it is just the opposite of the previous three types. It has a very low density and is very light, but it is also relatively strong. A little girl can carry a large wet log that has just been cut down, which shows how light it is. These are one of the special woods used to make early biplanes or triplanes. They

were also found in the Han tribe before, but not as many as in the Tang tribe.

Of course, the above tree species are not enough to arouse Luo Chong's interest. What really surprised him was the discovery of large-scale rubber trees in the Tang tribe.

Seeing Luo Chong picking up the report on the rubber tree, Tang Yao immediately said, "This is not a good thing. Its fruit is poisonous. Eating just ten of them will cause a strong poisoning reaction. Many people in our tribe have died because of this in the past. Even now, greedy children often eat its fruit by mistake, because its fruit looks very similar to chestnuts, and when it is cut, white juice will flow out, which is sticky. After it dries, it will be like animal tendons and very elastic."

"What? You cut down this kind of tree?!"

Luo Chong jumped up on the spot in anger. Damn it, he actually cut down rubber trees, which is too wasteful. You know, it takes at least ten years for a rubber tree to grow to the point where it can be tapped.

"Yeah, what's the matter, what's the use of this thing?" Seeing Luo Chong's big reaction, Tang Yao was shocked and asked aggrievedly.

"Of course it is useful. Do you know how much effort our Han tribe has put into finding this material? We still haven't found a suitable one. Each tree is a treasure and worth a fortune, don't you know?" Luo Chong said unhappily. Hearing that the Tang tribe had cut down the rubber tree, he felt as heartbroken as if he had cut his flesh.

Tang Ji, who had always been relatively calm, became very curious at this time. This was the second plant that Luo Chong had rated so highly after the sesame just now. And I heard that Luo Chong had always been good to Tang Yao, but I didn't expect that he would yell at her because of this tree! This made her even more curious.

"Han leader, what is the use of this tree?" Tang Ji asked directly.

"Of course it is useful, but it is not for eating, but for the white juice that flows out of it. Didn't Tang Yao say that its juice is very elastic after solidification? That's its value." Luo Chong explained.

Tang Ji still didn't understand. Even if it was elastic, what could it be used for? It was actually rated so highly.

Seeing that they all looked confused, Luo Chong reminded Tang Yao, "Do you remember the bicycle I gave you?"

Tang Yao nodded her head aggrievedly.

"The sap from this tree can be used to make bicycle tires." Luo Chong glared at her unhappily.

Tang Yao suddenly realized, "Oh, so bicycle tires are made of this, but that's not right. If the Han tribe doesn't have this kind of tree, then what are your tires made of?"

"It's the bark of the Eucommia tree. Eucommia also contains natural gum, but it's dry gum. First, the content is extremely low. Second, natural Eucommia gum has no elasticity. It is a very hard plastic material. It makes a bang when knocked. It must be vulcanized to be elastic. Third, the extraction method of Eucommia gum is very troublesome. It's not as convenient as this natural liquid latex.

Although I made bicycles and tricycles, I haven't promoted them. A big reason is that the rubber production of the Han tribe is too small, and the cost of tires cannot be suppressed. Now do you know the value of this rubber tree?"

Tang Yao nodded immediately, but Tang Ji and the other clan leaders beside him were confused.

What is he talking about? Why can't I understand it at all?

But it seems to mention cars. Is this elastic tree sap used to make cars? That really worked.

"Yaoyao, what is a bicycle?" Tang Ji ignored everyone else and asked her niece first.

"Well, it's a kind of car that doesn't need to be pulled by livestock or pushed by people. People can ride on it. There are two pedals underneath, and you can move forward by stepping on them. There are two wheels, and there are three wheels for transporting things. It's very convenient.

The Luohan leader gave me one, but it's still in Hanyang County. I didn't bring it back this time." At this point, she stuck out her tongue at Tang Ji.

Tang Ji didn't really want it, she was just curious, and Luo Chong just said that there weren't many even in the Han tribe, so you can imagine how precious this kind of car is, but she still continued to ask. "What is a tire?"

"The tire is the wheel of a bicycle, but that kind of wheel is not a hard wheel made of wood, but a hollow wheel made of, uh, this elastic glue, and it's inflated." Tang Yao continued to explain.

"Hollow! And inflated?!" Tang Ji couldn't help but be surprised again. Can a wheel be made like this? Can this thing be strong?

"Yeah, that's it." Tang Yao nodded her head again.

Luo Chong still sat there with a dark face, his heart ached and his liver ached.

How important is the value of rubber?

If the early industry is compared to a human body, then steel is the skeleton of the industry, fuel is the heart of the industry, and rubber is the muscle of the industry. These three are indispensable. Without any one of them, there is no industry at all.

The uses of rubber are self-evident. There are simply too many. The tires of various vehicles, airtight parts, shock-absorbing cushions, rubber inflatable boats, lifebuoys, balloons, condoms (crossed out), rubber for students, slippers, rain boots, elastic bands, rubber bands, chemical gloves, insulating gloves, medical gloves, infusion tubes, tourniquets, latex mattresses, pillow cores, wire insulation sheaths, etc., etc.

Even natural latex can be made into a sponge with excellent elasticity after foaming.

Although Luo Chong did not know the chemical materials and processes of foaming rubber to make sponges, it did not affect his distress.

I won’t say much about the uses of sponges. Just think about why the sofa is so soft and elastic.

It can be said that rubber products are closely related to human life. Modern people will not be able to survive without rubber.

Thinking of this, Luo Chong felt a pain in his liver again. He turned to Tang Yao and asked, "How many rubber trees did you cut down in your Tang tribe?"

"Well, almost all the ones near the settlement were cut down. The fruit is poisonous, and we are afraid that the children will eat it by mistake." Tang Yao said with her head down , not daring to look at Luo Chong.

"Chief Han, don't blame Tang Yao for this matter. It was me who made the decision to cut down this kind of tree. If the Han tribe needs it, we will not cut it down in the future." Tang Ji also hurriedly pleaded for her niece.

"Alas!" Luo Chong sighed. What's the use of blaming them? This is fate. It's a pity that he didn't know there were rubber trees here.

"Yes, we need it very much. If you agree, our Han tribe will use currency to purchase all the rubber in your Tang tribe. As for the methods of collection and processing, we still need to experiment before we can decide. Rubber is also a new material for our Han tribe, and we still need a lot of time to explore.

In addition, we also want to purchase a batch of rubber tree saplings and seeds. I will let the county governor Lin Shu handle this."

Having said that, Luo Chong turned his head and looked at the big tree and arranged, "When you come back, find a piece of land in Takuhai County that is convenient for transportation and not suitable for farming and living. When the time comes, you can open it into a rubber plantation and purchase rubber saplings according to the area of ​​the land and transplant them there. The more the better. Even if you can't use it now, you must insist on it. Keep planting trees every year. Remember, the future strength of the Han tribe depends on the output of rubber."

Hearing Luo Chong's serious words, the tree took a deep breath and nodded seriously, "Don't worry, chief, I'll remember it."

After all the resources were identified, both the Han tribe and the Tang tribe were very happy. Luo Chong was happy because he found a lot of new food and materials, and the Tang tribe was happy because they had a lot more income. Especially when they heard that Luo Chong had to spend money to buy saplings, the chiefs even wanted to cut down all the trees in the territory and sell them to the Han tribe.

"Han chief, what about the development of these resources?" Seeing that Luo Chong had finished reading all the lists of products, Tang Ji immediately asked.

"As for food crops, we can promote them together. Let the Han tribe try planting first to accumulate experience and find methods, and then we can promote them together.

As for materials, we need a lot of wood, which you also need. In addition, I plan to build a new shipyard here in Takumi County, and I will definitely need a lot of wood at that time.

As for rubber, you can sell some saplings and seeds, as well as latex liquid. I can't give you the processing method, because I don't know it now, and it still needs a lot of experiments to make it play its true value. Just don't cut it down in the future. You must know that if you cut down one tree now, you will earn less than a herd of cattle."

Luo Chong warned them.

"I understand. It's about the amount of currency. I believe my clan leaders also know the importance of this tree." Tang Ji nodded to show that she understood, and then turned around and scanned the clan leaders on her side, meaning to warn them.

But these clan leaders are certainly not stupid. Those who can be clan leaders are all smart people. It concerns the interests of their own tribes. How can they destroy it casually? It is estimated that after returning, they will serve these rubber trees more closely than their own parents.

As for the steel smelting of the Tang tribe, Luo Chong does not plan to intervene now. First, there are already many things to do now, and it is not realistic to do steel smelting. Second, Luo Chong is preparing to upgrade the technology of the basic industry. The metallurgical industry is naturally the top priority. This can be done after the Tang tribe is completely incorporated into the Han tribe, and then the upgraded technology can be used for development and construction.

Otherwise, after it is done now, it will have to be modified again, which is labor-intensive, time-consuming and material-intensive. Third, the Tang tribe is not yet under the jurisdiction of the Han tribe. Luo Chong does not want them to be too powerful, and the output of steel is one of the means to restrict them.

After saying this, the only thing left for this meeting is the division of counties and prefectures in the Tang tribe. When talking about this topic, the clan leaders immediately pointed to the map and chattered about it. They had to come because of this.

(End of this chapter)