Just two whales cannot alleviate the huge food pressure of the Sea Tribe. Even if most of the meat is given to the North and South branches, the North and South branches together have nearly 20,000 people, not to mention that there are so many people who depend on the Sea Tribe for survival.
Half a month later, Hai Rui came back. He was indeed a lucky guy, and he brought back another huge whale.
what does that mean?
"God damn it, that spirit boat is the best. It tracks quickly and accurately."
"You mean, Bing Yueshui went to track it down on his own?"
"It's not very good. Bing Yueshui left right after we killed this whale. I asked her to take me with her, but she thought I was a burden." Hai Rui looked depressed.
"Alright, she has a spirit boat, so she should be fine." Any whale species that can be hunted must not be fast enough, and certainly cannot outrun Bing Yueshui's spirit boat. "Where's Bing Yueyue? Where's Huoshi? Didn't you encounter their fleet?"
"We met them. Bing Yueyue said that she could find Bingyue water, so she continued to lead the fleet forward." If they hadn't met the Fire Stone fleet, the ship that was overturned by the whale could not be pulled back.
"What are you doing now?"
"God damn it, I have to go. Even though the sea is vast, there are many whales there. If I look carefully, I'm sure I'll find them."
"Why are you in such a hurry? Even if you're not tired, the sailors are too. Take two days to rest!" Ma Yue patted Hai Rui on the shoulder. This guy was really doing good for the Sea Tribe. Once he could make a contribution, of course he would be enthusiastic. "Let the water bugs replenish your fleet's ships and personnel. You are the spearhead of our Sea Tribe at sea. How can you do without sufficient equipment?"
"That's right!" Hai Rui loved to hear praise from the charlatan the most. "Huo Shi's idea is good. I can take fewer Marines with me and bring more fresh water and dry food."
The whale was being cut up, but there was no salt to preserve it. It didn't matter if it wasn't preserved, they could just eat it. Haifan City had a population of just over 20,000, and if they removed the bones and fat from a whale, they'd be lucky to get more than ten tons of meat left. That's only a little over a pound per person.
Let’s stop here. Transporting whale meat back and forth between the north and south branches wastes a lot of manpower and animal power.
A batch of salt had arrived from the Kirishima branch, so at least Haifan City had some salt for its daily fish soup. With over a dozen tons of extra whale meat, they'd need over a dozen fewer potatoes, which could be considered a partial reduction in food pressure.
Ma Yue's calculations are unscientific. Whales aren't actually fish, but mammals. While no one has calculated the time it takes for whale meat to be excreted, whale meat is chewier and takes much longer to be excreted than other fish. It's also more filling than potatoes and sweet potatoes, making it more filling.
Moreover, whale oil wasn't just for storing kerosene; it was also edible, even for making soup, because it was rich and filling. Compared to potatoes and sweet potatoes, whale meat certainly had more anti-starvation value. Why do poor people prefer fatty meat? Isn't it because it's rich and filling?
"You charlatan, the Taki tribe wants to exchange some fish oil with us." Shang Yin came.
"What do you mean?"
"The fish oil stored in previous years doesn't taste very good. This time, with so much new fish oil, it's just right to complete the updated reserves of kerosene." Shang Yin is not stupid. Fish oil, even if you put it in the cellar, will go bad in a year or two.
"Does the Taki tribe want that thing too?"
"Of course, even if it stinks, it can still be lit on fire."
"What? Are they going to start a war?" What if the stinky fish oil is not consumed quickly and becomes useless?
"I don't know, charlatan, they exchanged it for dried salted fish."
Huh? Dried salted fish? Do the Taki people drink too much salt? Isn't it said that the coastal waters of the East China Sea have a low salt content?
"Okay, as long as you don't attack us." The Sea Tribe consumes too much salt, and the salt gap is quite large. Of course, having dried salted fish is the best.
"I'll tell Chunwu later to keep an eye on the developments of the Taki tribe." Shang Yin said. This guy has become an outstanding senior leader of the Hai tribe.
"Well, just go and make the arrangements."
Whether the Taki tribe has salt or has a lot of salt is none of Ma Yue’s business. The Hai tribe has enough things to do.
The trade of this batch of fish oil and dried salted fish has somewhat alleviated the huge pressure of salt shortage on some sea tribes.
The latest news from Spring Fog: Xishuiwan on Donghai Island has also exchanged a large amount of kerosene from the Qinghai Tribe. Is this really the start of a war? Xishuiwan is jointly occupied by the three major tribes of the Guishan Peninsula. Perhaps they feel that with three tribes occupying just one Xishuiwan, they're at a disadvantage?
Are you targeting the Taki tribe again?
"Spirit, the caravan from the Taki tribe is here again, hoping we can trade for another batch of kerosene." Shang Yin, Chun Wu, Shuichong, the three priests, and Wu Qi all came together. Kerosene is not an ordinary material. At least, it is the most important strategic material for the navy at present.
"Are we rich in fish oil?" Ma Yue asked.
"We're not very wealthy at the moment. Three whales can yield about twenty tons of oil. If we don't count the oil consumption, it would be a bit tight for a naval battle."
How large could a naval battle be at that time? The sea tribe could only deploy a hundred sailing ships, and each ship had about thirty-five attacking marines. How many kilograms of kerosene could you throw with a double-ringed pottery sling? If each person threw a hundred kilograms of kerosene, that would be 175 tons of kerosene.
So, Ma Yue doesn't like fighting. This year, he got three whales, which yielded twenty tons of oil. In previous years, he'd traded salt or food for that. Maintaining a navy is expensive, and if a war breaks out, the costs will be even greater. In actual fighting, the Sea Tribe has suffered losses several times, and a shortage of kerosene is a major factor.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
