The fleet of the Tang dynasty only stayed in Zhancheng for a little more than a day before continuing south. Their next destination, the Mendu Kingdom, was not far from Zhancheng. It only took them a few hours to arrive.
This time, Ang Lee did not make a big fuss. He only sent ten armored artillery vehicles and a thousand Vanguard Battalions to land and sent one of his subordinates to negotiate with the King of the Mendu Kingdom.
The Mendu Kingdom was very small, with less than a thousand soldiers. For such a small kingdom, he only needed to scare it a little. He was not afraid that it would refuse. Moreover, Ang Lee did not have many requirements for the Mendu Kingdom. He only needed to follow the requirements of the Tang dynasty, reduce the tariffs on the Tang dynasty caravans, be ready to cooperate with the Tang dynasty navy to deal with possible pirates, respect the rights and interests of the merchants of the Tang dynasty, and not punish the merchants of the Tang dynasty under the laws of the country.
The situation went better than Ang Lee had expected. When the King of the Mendu Kingdom saw the Tang dynasty's army and countless large ships on the sea, he was immediately frightened. He did not dare to negotiate and directly agreed unconditionally. He even sent a large number of delicacies from the palace to show his respect to Ang Lee and the others.
There were no decent delicacies in the Mendu Kingdom. At most, they only had local specialties. For example, the local jackfruit was very delicious and tasted very good. It was much more delicious than the jackfruit produced in Yazhou of the Tang dynasty.
This was due to the difference in climate. The same product in different locations could produce slightly different foods. For example, oranges in Huainan were called oranges, but in Huaibei, they were called oranges. This was due to the difference in climate. In addition, the soil, air, sunshine time, frequency of rain, and the interference of other animals and plants could all affect the production and taste of the product.
"Big Brother, it's already evening. Do you want to continue sailing or stay here for the night?"
Li Feiyu asked.
Ang Lee thought for a moment and replied, "Let's go to the shore and rest! The Guda Kingdom in the south isn't that far away. We'll set off early tomorrow morning and arrive at noon. There's no rush. Besides, it's not safe to sail at night. Send the order to dock and rest. "
More than a hundred large ships approached the shore one after another. There was a large port here, which was usually used to receive merchant ships. Therefore, the draft was not bad. After accommodating more than a hundred large ships of the Tang dynasty, there was still space.
Staying on the ship all the time was not comfortable enough. Ang Lee set up his main tent at a suitable place on the shore and built a pavilion outside the tent. There was a rocking chair in the pavilion and a tea table next to it. On the tea table, there was the best jackfruit used by the royal family of the Mendu Kingdom and a few fresh fruits that could only be found in the tropics.
Ang Lee had also eaten jackfruit in his previous life. He knew that jackfruit was a tropical fruit and one of the heaviest fruits in the world. The normal weight of a single fruit was ten to forty kilograms. The heaviest one was close to sixty kilograms, which was heavier than many thin adults.
Its pulp could be eaten directly or processed into canned fruit, preserved fruit, and juice. Its seeds were rich in starch and could be boiled and eaten. Its sap and leaves could be used as medicine to reduce swelling and detoxify. Its pulp could quench thirst, clear milk, and nourish the body. The jackfruit trees were neat and had a large crown and dense shade. It was a beautiful shade tree and street tree. It could also be planted on both sides of the road. It was a large jackfruit tree that was over a hundred years old. Its wood was golden and hard. It could be used to make furniture and yellow dye.
The shape of the jackfruit was somewhat similar to the pineapples that grew on the ground, so it could also be called a big tree jackfruit. It belonged to the Moraceae family and was a special plant in tropical Asia. It was widely cultivated in tropical and humid areas. The height of the tree could reach fifteen to twenty meters. Its leaves were large and hard, and its flowers were male and female.
The green unripe jackfruit could be eaten as a vegetable, while the brown ripe fruit could be eaten directly as a fruit. The taste was sweet and sour. The length of the seed was about three centimeters, and it could also be boiled.
Jackfruit was a flowering plant. In other words, its flowers bloomed on a thick trunk. It looked a little strange with fruit hanging on the thick trunk. It was very difficult to see this kind of situation in the temperate zone.
This plant liked the sun. The more sunlight there was, the better. Moreover, it grew extremely fast and liked the fertile soil behind it. It should avoid accumulating water, or else it might drown.
The edible value of jackfruit was still very high. When it was ripe, every hundred grams of pulp contained twenty-five grams of carbohydrates, twenty-five milligrams of calcium, milligrams of phosphorus, and seven milligrams of iron. It could be said that it was extremely nutritious.
In addition, the sugar, protein, fat, minerals, and vitamins in jackfruit had a certain role in maintaining the normal physiological functions of the body. After taking jackfruit, it could strengthen the hydrolysis of fibrin in the body. It could dissolve the fibrin and blood clots that were blocked in the tissues and blood vessels, thus improving the local blood and body fluid circulation. It could cause inflammation and edema to be absorbed and subsided. It had a certain auxiliary treatment effect on cerebral thrombosis and other diseases caused by thrombosis.
The pineapple protein extracted from jackfruit could be used together with antibiotics and other drugs to promote the penetration and diffusion of drugs into the pathological tissues. It was suitable for treating various causes of inflammation, edema, and other diseases, such as bronchitis, bronchial asthma, acute pneumonia, pharyngitis, retinitis, mastitis, postpartum hyperemia, postpartum thrombophlebitis, arthritis, periarticular inflammation, cellulitis, and leg ulcers. In addition, using the juice of the jackfruit tree to directly apply to the local area could treat lymphangitis, hemorrhoids, and other diseases.
It was precisely because jackfruit was rich in nutrients that it was very popular. People in the tropics loved to eat jackfruit.
However, not everyone could eat pineapple. Some people who ate pineapple would have an allergic reaction, such as skin flushing, rash, itching, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and anaphylactic shock.
This is because jackfruit pulp contains jackfruit protease. Some people are allergic to this protease, but they only need to soak it in salt water to get rid of these proteases, thus avoiding food allergies.
One more thing to note is that jackfruit can not be eaten with honey, otherwise it will cause flatulence, and if it is serious, it will endanger life and cause irreversible serious consequences.
"Alang, this jackfruit is really hard to peel, it finally came out."
Yun 'er spent a lot of effort to peel off a jackfruit that weighed more than 30 Jin.
In fact, this hard work can be done by the kitchen, they are more professional, but this girl insisted on trying it herself, so she can't blame others.
"Look at what you can do, go and wash your hands."
Ang Lee said with a smile. For a big guy like jackfruit, it is very troublesome to completely peel off the inner pulp. In any case, it is much more difficult than peeling an orange.
Looking at the jackfruit peeled and placed in the bowl, Ang Lee picked one up and put it to his mouth. He was about to taste this delicious food when he suddenly remembered that this guy may cause allergies. If he is really allergic, wouldn't it be very troublesome?
"Beauty, go and get some light salt water. This thing needs to be soaked to taste good, and it can also prevent allergies."
Ang Lee asked.
Soon, a large bowl of light salt water was brought up.
Ang Lee soaked a piece of jackfruit pulp in the light salt water for a moment, then took it out and put it to his mouth. He immediately smelled a faint fragrance, which was much more fragrant than before.
He stuffed the jackfruit pulp into his mouth and chewed carefully. A fragrant and rich taste seeped into his heart and spleen, making him want to eat more.
"The taste is really delicious. You two have been busy for a long time, eat some too!"
Ang Lee said generously.
Ang Lee has always been very generous to these two personal maidservants. Of course, he would share the delicious food with them and make them happy, so that they can serve him more diligently.
Lying on a comfortable rocking chair, eating sweet jackfruit, looking at the beautiful night scene, and having two considerate maidservants massaging him, this feeling is too comfortable. In the whole army, only Ang Lee can enjoy this super high treatment.
After a night's rest, the army continued to move on to the next small country, which is Guda. This small country is the same as Mendu. It is a small country that can't be smaller. Except for the capital, there is almost no population, and the army is only about a thousand people. There are more people, so there is a certain market.
At noon, a large fleet arrived at the port of Guda, and a small number of soldiers and horses were sent to land by force and put forward the request of the Tang dynasty.
The king of Guda, after weighing the pros and cons, had to compromise under the huge military pressure of the Tang Dynasty army and sign the agreement honestly.
Within a few days, Li An had dealt with the Ring Kingdom, the Mendu Kingdom, and the Kuda Kingdom. He was in a good mood. These small kingdoms were too easy to deal with. Of course, this was also because these small kingdoms were too weak. They couldn't withstand a single blow, and their kings weren't willing to take risks. Therefore, the progress was naturally very fast.
After dealing with Guda, the next step is to deal with a large number of pirate lairs near Malacca.
Near Malacca, there are small countries such as Dragon Tooth Gate, Rao Yue, Shili Foshi, Khaling, Luo Gu, Ge Guruo, Shengdeng, Po Lu, and other small countries.
So many small countries have coexisted for a long time but have not been unified because of the complicated terrain and outdated transportation. Each small country is only responsible for their own territory. They don't want to invade others, nor do they have the ability to invade others. Even if they spend a lot of resources to invade, it may lead to an uncontrollable outcome because of the inconvenient transportation between the two places.
Since ancient times, there was an old saying in Huaxia, "Yue country is far away, but the ruler knows the difficulty." It meant that one should know how difficult it would be to cross over a country and claim a distant land as one's own territory.
However, when the power of the pirates increased rapidly, this situation began to change slowly.
The many pirate gangs near Malacca were unified in name more than a hundred years ago. Now, most of the pirate gangs follow Black Wolf's lead, and Black Wolf is the largest group of pirates near Malacca.
These pirates originally developed very slowly. After all, although they could plunder passing merchant ships and ask for a toll when they were in a good mood, they also needed to eat and drink. The treasures they plundered and asked for were only enough for their own consumption. As such, their strength could only barely maintain itself.
However, recently, thanks to the sudden rise of the Tang Empire, maritime trade has increased many times. Even if they don't rob, just collecting protection fees is enough to let them live a life without worry.
The small countries along the way use legal means to collect heavy taxes to squeeze the merchants, and these pirates torture the merchants by collecting tolls and robbing. It can be seen how difficult the merchants' lives are.
The same ship may not necessarily stop at any small country, but they will definitely pass through the Strait of Malacca. So, the pirates in the Strait of Malacca get the most income. After getting a lot of money, they can't spend it all. So, they can use the money to recruit soldiers, buy horses, build ships, and weapons, so as to further enhance their strength and make themselves more powerful.
According to reliable sources, the powerful pirate leader Black Wolf has taken down the Dragon Tooth Gate Kingdom, which is trapped on an isolated island, and forced the beautiful daughter of the Dragon Tooth Gate Kingdom to be his wife.
Even the soldiers and yamen runners of the Dragon Tooth Gate Kingdom are Black Wolf's men, but their clothes are different from the pirates. This Black Wolf is very cunning. The underworld has a strong army, and the legal side also has a strong army. Their strength is not to be underestimated.
In addition, the nearby Rao Yue, Shilifoshi, and Haling Kingdom were all attacked by the Black Wolf Pirate Group for no reason, and the losses were great.
The King of Shilifoshi even sent people to the capital of the Tang Empire to sue the pirates of Malacca for going too far. He asked the Tang Empire to send troops to the south to attack the pirates near Malacca.
The small countries nearby also had their own armies, but why were they always bullied by pirates? Even the Dragon Tooth Gate Kingdom has actually been destroyed.
Of course, this is because there is a certain degree of corruption in these small countries. The higher-ups take advantage of the people, and the generals are promoted based on their status. Some are greedy and afraid of death, and the soldiers at the grassroots are poor. They do not enjoy the benefits of the country, and are not willing to work for the rich. Naturally, their fighting strength is not high enough.
The pirate group is a group of desperadoes, and almost all of them are ruthless characters. As long as they take down a village, they can rob as much as they want, and the young girls can easily carry it. Therefore, their fighting strength is naturally very high, and it is not a problem for them to defeat the surrounding countries.
Now, the core pirates of the Black Wolf Pirate Group are as high as 20,000, and the other affiliated pirates are nearly 10,000. In addition to the military strength of the Dragon Tooth Gate Kingdom, the Black Wolf has become the king of the entire Malacca Sea. If the Tang Empire does not interfere, in a few years, the small countries such as Rao Yue and Shilifoshi will be annexed by the Black Wolf. If a huge dark empire is formed in the Malacca Sea, it will be extremely unfavorable to the Tang Empire.
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