Chapter 496 The Challenges of Life in Qiongzhou (I)
Erya wants to buy a boat that can be operated in Qiongzhou.
Qiongzhou is a place where supplies are extremely scarce and everything depends on sea transportation.
My mother said, and the Princess of Yan also mentioned, that prices in Qiongzhou are extremely high because everything has to cross the strait, which is risky and difficult to transport.
What if...what if her family could own a big ship like this?
No longer constrained by high freight rates and limited shipping times, supplies urgently needed in Qiongzhou can be freely transported.
Not only can it transport what it needs, but it can also undertake freight for other businesses, and even transport Qiongzhou's specialties, such as spices, betel nuts and even timber, back to the mainland for sale.
In Qiongzhou, where people are unfamiliar with the place, a ship capable of sea transportation will undoubtedly be a strong industrial guarantee and voice.
But after a brief moment of excitement, she quickly calmed down.
Firstly, she didn't have that much money, and secondly, she didn't know whether the business in Qiongzhou could be profitable.
But she still wanted it very much in her heart, because she vaguely felt that Xiao Yan would not be unknown in Qiongzhou.
We always have to do something on our own. Transportation, such a lifeline, should not be in the hands of others.
This is no longer just a matter of money.
Although five or six thousand taels is an astronomical figure for her now, it is a fair price.
A large warship costs tens of thousands of taels of silver.
The most important thing now is to work hard to make money.
Yun Ting’s support came quickly and accurately.
Not only did he send several precious manuscripts of ancient books on camphor purification and a book on southern products, but what was even more surprising was that he actually found a master craftsman named Chen in the capital.
Master Chen's ancestors had worked in government-run medicine workshops for generations, and he was well versed in the traditional preparation of camphor, borneol and other substances. However, he was old, and his skills had nowhere to be put to use due to the decline of government-run workshops.
Yun Ting didn't know what method he used, but he persuaded this old craftsman with a somewhat strange temper to travel thousands of miles south to Jiangxi.
In Ganzhou, two experienced local craftsmen were also invited through the introduction of Gu Chengyuan's personal attendant.
Although they are not specialized in camphor, they are well aware of the characteristics of local camphor wood and traditional steaming techniques.
In a spacious courtyard rented by the Ganjiang River, Erya devoted almost all her energy to the research and development of camphor.
The air was filled with the aroma of camphor wood, stronger and purer than that of the dock, mixed with water vapor, wood smoke and the smell of various experimental additives.
When Xiao Yan's family arrived in Leizhou after many hardships and looked at the Qiongzhou Strait in the distance, Erya was busy conducting experiments in her camphor workshop in Ganzhou.
Xiao Yan's old friends are all over the world.
The commander-in-chief of the Guangdong Provincial Military Commission specially dispatched an official ship for Xiao Yan's family to cross the strait.
However, Lu Qiniang and Xiao Yan discussed that if only they sat there, it would be too conspicuous.
It would be better to let everyone take this ship across the strait in batches. This way, if someone is embarrassed in the future, it can be said that it is for official business.
But in this case, you have to wait in line, and it will take at least eight or ten times to transport people and things over.
Xiao Yan naturally agreed.
The family stayed in Leizhou temporarily to let others pass through first.
Not long after Xiao Yan and his family settled down in their temporary residence in Leizhou, the doorman came to report that Lord Du Wei, the general of Leizhou, was here to visit.
General Du was not one of Xiao Yan's former subordinates, but like Yun Ting, he was an avid admirer of Xiao Yan.
He was a tall man with a booming voice. As soon as he entered, he clasped his fists and saluted, his posture extremely humble. "I am General Du Wei. I have long admired General Xiao's reputation. It is a great honor to meet you today. The general has worked hard on the journey. I have prepared a small gift as a token of my appreciation. I hope the general and his wife will not despise it."
The personal soldiers behind him carried in fruits, cloths, medicinal herbs and other things. It was obvious that he had inquired about the needs of the exile and the gifts were given with great care.
Although Xiao Yan was surprised, he still responded thoughtfully.
Lu Qiniang had a good impression of General Du and thought he was a real man. She took out some silver and asked San Ya to go out and order a banquet.
Fortunately, San Ya rode a horse and it took her a long time to find the restaurant.
Even in Leizhou, the area is vast and sparsely populated, with few shops.
In the house, General Du was talking to Xiao Yan. Outside, San Ya was scratching the mosquito bites on her arms and asked curiously, "Mom, why is it so warm in here?"
"It's like this all year round." Lu Qiniang laughed. "Now that I think about it, it saves clothes. You said those disaster victims, if they knew there was such a place, they would have headed south when they were hit by the disaster."
You won’t freeze to death or starve to death here.
It’s not like the famine in the north, when all the grass on the roadside was pulled out.
There is so much greenery here that blocks out the sun, and it is close to the sea, so you won’t starve to death.
Lu Qiniang is always optimistic and can easily see these benefits.
"But being sick is fatal." San Ya said.
"Maybe there's still a lack of medical care and medicine. I don't think this place is as scary as people say."
"We'll have to wait until we get to Qiongzhou and see what General Du and my father have to say!"
Lu Qiniang glared at her, but couldn't help but prick up her ears.
General Du was indeed talking to Xiao Yan about the difficulties in Qiongzhou.
The first is that exiles have no place to live and need to solve their housing problems themselves.
“The island is hot and humid with lots of rain, lush forests, and a lot of poisonous insects, snakes, and ants.
Ordinary thatched houses cannot last long, so people need to cut down trees and take stones to build sturdy wooden or bamboo houses. The roofs must be thick to protect against typhoons and heavy rains.
Logging, quarrying, and building houses are all hard labor, and there is a shortage of manpower on the island. I'm afraid I have to do it myself or spend a lot of money to hire someone to do it.
When we first arrived, the most important thing was to find a place with slightly higher ground, away from the swamps and miasma, to set up camp."
Lu Qiniang thought to herself that there was no need to hire anyone, she and Xiao Yan could do it themselves.
Maybe you can even make money from this!
If you have plenty of strength, you can have food wherever you go.
"Deep in Qiongzhou, there are many Li people living there, called 'Shengli'. They refuse to obey the king and form their own villages.
There are also some "Shu Li" living along the coast and in Han Chinese communities. They have more interactions with the Han Chinese, but there are also occasional frictions.
The Li people are tough and fierce in nature, and are extremely wary of the Han government.
Conflicts between the Han and Li people often occurred over water sources, fields, and forests.
The general's identity is sensitive, so he needs to act with caution.
If we can find an intermediary who is fluent in Li language and familiar with local customs to communicate on our behalf, we may be able to save a lot of trouble.
If not handled properly, at best the supplies might be looted, and at worst... there might be a risk to one's life.
The island's garrisons have limited manpower, making it difficult to penetrate deep into Lidong to suppress the rebellion. Most of the time, we can only rely on the officials and local wealthy families to deal with it on our own."
Lu Qiniang thought to herself, this is okay, they don’t cause trouble but they are not afraid of trouble either.
If Xiao Yan and San Ya were still bullied when they were around, then the others would have no chance of survival.
But by then everyone will probably have to stick together.
It doesn’t matter, Xiao Yan has the ability.
San Ya was ready to try, it turned out that there were people practicing in Qiongzhou!
She is so looking forward to it.
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