It was already the third day of October, and it had been exactly twenty days since the fleet set sail from Chengshan Port.

For European sailors who were accustomed to long-distance voyages, twenty days was nothing. As long as they had enough rum and sheep, they could even go two months without docking.

But the Ming sailors were in trouble. They had just emerged from a state of isolation and it was the first time in their lives that they had been drifting on the sea for such a long time. Moreover, they were in a highly concentrated combat state. The accumulated fatigue and tension had reached a very high level.

So Zhao Hao discussed with Wang Rulong and asked the soldiers to take turns to rest on Iwo Jima and wait for the second and third squadrons to join them.

As soon as the order to rest was given, cheers echoed across the sea.

"It seems that no matter how strict the military discipline is, it can't change people's love of laziness and hatred of work." Wang Rulong said somewhat dissatisfiedly. In his opinion, these low-intensity battles were not enough to warm up.

"Hahaha, this is a real person." Zhao Hao couldn't help but laugh: "Always treat your soldiers as human beings, not cold killing machines."

"Let's go to the island and take a look." As he said this, his eyes fell on the crater with white eyes emitting from it.

Iwo Jima was formed by volcanic eruptions. To be more precise, it is a crater. The huge mountain is actually hidden below the sea level. It was the magma that continuously erupted that continuously piled up the crater, gradually forming this peculiar island.

There is actually a nice harbor on the island called Nagahamaura, and there is a pier, but the water in the bay is yellow, which is dyed by the sulfur contained in the sand and gravel.

A pungent smell of rotten eggs wafted through the air, and everyone covered their noses, but Master Zhao seemed somewhat intoxicated.

"Ahem, this is the smell! Ahem..." He opened his arms excitedly, as if he wanted to embrace the island in his arms.

There is an inexhaustible supply of natural sulfur here!

Natural sulfur mainly comes from volcanic eruptions, but there are fewer volcanoes in China, and most of them are in a long-term dormant state, so natural sulfur mines are scarce and were mined out before the Tang Dynasty. This is not comparable to Japan, where volcanic earthquakes are commonplace, erupting all day long, blowing all the underground stocks to the surface, and as a result, there are all kinds of minerals, but not much of anything, so it is called "a country with the most mineral resources".

Of course, there are exceptions, such as gold, silver and sulfur, which are quite considerable, and most importantly, easy to mine. Therefore, since the Song Dynasty, most of China's sulfur has been imported from Japan. In the tribute trade between the Qing Dynasty and Japan, sulfur is also one of the few commodities that Japan can show off.

After the tributary trade was cut off, without natural sulfur from Japan, the Ming Dynasty had to rely on calcining pyrite or sulfides in coal mines to produce sulfur. Not only was the efficiency low, but the pollution was also very serious.

It has been nearly a year since the pyrite was discovered on Xishan Island, but Mr. Zhao still hasn't made up his mind whether to use it to make sulfur and sulfuric acid, because making these things in a primitive workshop would cause too much pollution.

Although it is also possible to pollute first and then control, it is better not to pollute. Taihu Lake is the heart of Jiangnan. He has already built three cement plants, a glass plant, and five blast furnaces for smelting copper and iron on Xishan Island. If a sulfur plant is built, the green waters and green mountains of Taihu Lake will be lost.

But sulfur is too important. It is the cornerstone of black powder and the chemical industry, and it must be handled as soon as possible. So Mr. Zhao set his sights on this place. In his memory, the Japanese have been collecting sulfur from this island since the Kamakura Shogunate era, and this place is closest to Chongming, so it is more convenient to transport.

It is also the southern gateway to the three islands of Japan. Building a police station here will allow for both mining and guarding the waterway!

~~

On the ancient dock on Iwo Jima, the lord of Tanegashima Island, Tanegashima Tokiyao, had been waiting with his retainers for a long time.

Master Zhao had no time to pay attention to the seeds crawling on the ground, because after his feet touched the ground, he felt dizzy and even wanted to vomit.

"It's because you've been on the boat for too long. Suddenly, you're not used to the time when you stop shaking." Sister Ma quickly took his hand and helped him massage the Zhongzhu point in the depression between the 4th and 5th metacarpal bones.

"Then why don't you faint?"

For some reason, Sister Ma's expression dimmed for a rare moment, and then she smiled and said, "People's physiques are different."

"Your vestibule is well developed." Young Master Zhao didn't know where he had touched Sister Ma's pain point. It was not convenient to ask in detail with so many people around, so he quickly made a joke and held her soft hand to comfort her.

Sister Ma's pretty face turned red, and she quickly pulled her hand back and became his secretary again.

"Get up." Zhao Haofang said to the Japanese who were kneeling on the ground.

"Thank you, sir." It was no surprise that Shiyao from Tanegashima could speak Chinese. After all, Ryukyu merchants had been trading on Tanegashima for hundreds of years, and Ryukyu people all spoke Chinese.

Zhao Hao looked at the short, dark-skinned old man and couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Nearly thirty years ago, Wang Zhi, who was then a small sea merchant, was carrying three Portuguese people to Shuangyu Island for trade. On the way, they encountered strong winds and waves and deviated from the route, and ended up at Tanegashima.

It was this Tanegashima Shiyao who agreed to allow them to dock and repair their ships and to trade with them. That was the first time Japan came into contact with the Portuguese and the beginning of the Nanman trade.

Tanegashima Tokiyoshi spent a huge price of 2,000 taels of silver to buy the first two matchlock guns in Japan from the Portuguese. He gave one of them to his family's "blacksmith" Yaita Kiyosada to copy... Tanegashima has iron mines and blacksmiths who fled from Kyoto. It is the sword-making center of southern Kyushu.

But after months of reverse engineering, it still ended in failure.

A year later, unwilling to accept defeat, Yaita Kiyosada exchanged his beautiful daughter for the technology of making matchlock guns from the Portuguese who came again. Finally, he successfully made the so-called "No. 1 domestically made" Tanegashima iron cannon. It soon spread to every corner of Japan. Nowadays, if the Ming Dynasty does not have an iron cannon team of several hundred people, you are embarrassed to say hello to them!

This incident also reminded Zhao Hao again that he must pay attention to technical blockades. If something is developed without technical barriers, others may learn it if it is not done properly!

~~

"Did you build this dock?" Zhao Hao asked, looking around. He saw a small village surrounded by high walls next to the dock, and it was lush and green everywhere. This was not surprising, as volcanic ash was rich in nutrients and could make the land more fertile.

"No, but we have been using it for the past two hundred years." Tanegashima Tokiyoshi replied hurriedly: "The Shimazu family was ordered to manage the...'Eta' and 'Hitokin' who were exiled to southern Kyushu. As their retainers, we, the Tanegashima family, were helplessly passed on this task and sent people to the island every month to collect sulfur."

"So there is a four-legged village on the island?" Mr. Zhao asked in sudden realization after hearing these two words.

"Yes..." Shi Yao nodded with a look of disgust.

The so-called "Eta" and "non-human" are similar to the untouchables of the Joseon Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty. However, Japan's strict hierarchy and heavy discrimination against untouchables are incomparable. The untouchables of the Joseon Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty could at least interact with civilians and engage in relatively low-level service industries. Especially in the Ming Dynasty, where rituals and music have collapsed and refugees are everywhere, as long as you don't take the imperial examination, who cares where you come from and what your background is?

But in Japan, where the social class system is strict and people cannot move, the untouchables are considered "untouchables". They are exiled to isolated islands, where they work in the lowest occupations for generations, and cannot even farm. They can only eat beef and mutton to fill their stomachs... because they are responsible for the killing of animals such as slaughtering and leather making.

Apparently, the sulfur miners on the island were all untouchables. No wonder no crops were grown on such unfertile land.

"But don't worry, sir. This pier is absolutely forbidden for untouchables to set foot on." Fearing that Zhao Hao would be suspicious, Tanegashima Shiyao hurriedly explained: "The sulfur they cook every month can only be placed in the room in front. Our people will come to take away the sulfur regularly and put the next month's food and salt in the room, so the two sides cannot touch each other."

Zhao Hao smiled at Wang Rulong when he heard that. Wang Rulong knew that the young master had found another target to pursue.

"Let's build a walled bastion here." He pointed to the high rocks near the dock and gave the order as he walked inside. He was about to get off the pier.

"Master, we can't go any further." Shi Yao jumped up and screamed, "That's the ground that Huiduo has stepped on."

"It doesn't matter." Zhao Hao rolled his eyes, and the other soldiers laughed. In the eyes of the Ming people, these Japanese pirates were not as clean as the untouchables.

Wang Rulong and others escorted the young master down the pier and walked towards the Sijiao Village.

"My lord, what should we do?" Several retainers looked at their lord in confusion.

"Well, you guys stay here..." Shi Yao made a great decision, then gritted his teeth and took a step forward.

"My lord!" The retainers knelt down and cried, as if they were watching a hero who was willing to die bravely.

Shi Yao closed his eyes and stepped down, feeling that his whole body was unclean.

"I'm dirty." Shi Yao shed two lines of tears, but for the safety of his family and townspeople, he had no choice but to make a huge sacrifice.

"My lord, I'll accompany you!" A retainer got up and rushed down the pier.

"My lord, we are here too!" The others cursed this idiot inwardly and had no choice but to follow him into this forbidden place.

"Okay, let's do it together!" Shi Yao looked at his men with great emotion, only to see that they were all stunned.

Shi Yao looked back and almost fainted. That noble young man from the Celestial Empire actually walked into the Four-legged Village...

"Sir, please don't!" Shi Yao fainted immediately. If he had known this would happen, he would not have surrendered.

But it's too late to say anything now, they are no longer clean and can never go back...

Therefore, we need to vigorously promote the study of mind in Japan.