Ang Lee felt that as long as the former King of the Dragon's Tooth Gate and his large family could farm diligently and seriously, they would be able to support themselves. Eight hundred mu of land could support fifty people without a problem. If they were smart enough to plant some cash crops, their lives should be better than ordinary people. After all, Ang Lee had taken good care of them and gave them the best land.
However, the biggest problem was whether these fellows were willing to work hard or not. After all, they used to be royalty and were used to being served by others. If they were to pick up farm tools and work in the fields, it would be difficult for their small bodies to adapt. It would be normal for them to be tired and have backaches. Who knows, they might even fall sick from exhaustion.
The King was old. Even if he worked hard in the field, he would not be able to exert much strength. His children and grandchildren were all young people. As long as they worked hard and endured hardships, they could do good work seriously as long as they were willing to learn humbly.
The young princesses could also work. They were all good laborers. Farm work such as farming was not very difficult. They just had to work hard. If the daughters of ordinary people could do farm work, why couldn't they?
When they first started doing farm work, they would definitely be very uncomfortable because they had never done such heavy labor. They would feel uncomfortable all over. But as long as they spent a few months to adapt, they would be fine.
Doing farm work was a very physically exhausting sport. Although it was very hard and tiring, this sport was a sport that created food. It was very valuable. Moreover, physical labor would strengthen a person's physique, making them stronger and healthier.
In ancient times, many wise emperors had to personally farm their own land. Firstly, it was to set an example for the people of the world, to show that the emperor attached great importance to the field of agriculture, so that the common people could farm with peace of mind. Secondly, it was to pass time and cultivate one's character. Farming had always been a very good thing to cultivate one's character. Watching the green plants grow day by day, one's mood would also become very good.
In addition, the Emperor would have many people to help him farm. He did not really have much time to do it. Most of the dirty and tiring work was done by others. He only needed to stand in the field and occasionally use farm tools to loosen the soil or water the vegetables in a certain area. The rest of the time, the Emperor liked to stand in his own royal vegetable garden and admire his own vegetable garden. Watching the eunuchs and palace maids busy, this feeling was very comfortable.
And because the palace maids and eunuchs were the Emperor's private property, they worked hard to help the Emperor. Therefore, all the products on these lands were labeled as the Emperor's and were said to be planted by the Emperor himself. If he gave a jin of green vegetables to a minister, the minister would be grateful because the minister felt that these vegetables were planted by the Emperor himself. But in fact? Most of the palace maids and eunuchs were busy, and the Emperor only came over occasionally.
In any case, these vegetables did come from the Emperor's royal vegetable garden. This was enough of an honor and enough to make the ministers feel excited. In addition, the Emperor watched these vegetables grow every day. These vegetables were all stained with a noble aura. It was also to show the Emperor's importance to a certain minister by rewarding them.
Ang Lee still had important things to do at the moment. He was about to set off for the Indian Ocean in the near future. He really had no time to care too much about the Dragon Tooth Gate King. Anyway, the land had been rewarded to them and a lot of plant seeds were left for them. It was enough for them to start.
In addition, the nearby people also promised to teach the King's family to farm, and they would not charge any fees. They were very considerate of their original King. It was just not known if the King's family would be grateful to the nearby people.
"Big Brother, all the troops have been assembled. We can set off for the Indian Ocean at any time."
Li Feiyu said.
Ang Lee looked at the map in front of him and said, "We are about to set off for the Indian Ocean, but we already know the Straits of Malacca very well. We have also been to Rao Yue, so this time, when we set off for the Indian Ocean, I plan to take a detour. First, we will go east, through Srifoshi and Khaling, and then through the strait between the two countries, and then around the back of Sumatra. After passing through Polu and Shengdeng, we can enter the Indian Ocean. It will take a lot of time, but we can also enjoy a lot of scenery and understand the situation in Malacca that we did not know before. So, I decided to take this route."
Obviously, Ang Lee made this decision after careful consideration. Malacca was only one step away from the Indian Ocean. If they went west directly, they could enter the Indian Ocean in one or two days. If they went east and went around the Sunda Strait, it would take a lot of time at least. In addition, they would have to visit the countries along the way. It would probably take them at least half a month to enter the Indian Ocean. If they were seriously delayed, they might even be delayed for more than a month.
However, Ang Lee was very interested in the countries that they needed to pass through along the way, and was even more interested in the Sunda Strait. In the direction of the Tang dynasty to the Indian Ocean, the Straits of Malacca was undoubtedly the closest, and the next was the Sunda Strait. Although the Tang dynasty was fully capable of controlling the Straits of Malacca, they could not ignore the Sunda Strait as a backup resource. Moreover, the Sunda Strait was more passable than the Straits of Malacca. If they could build larger transport ships in the future, they could pass through the Sunda Strait if the Straits of Malacca were difficult to pass through.
Of course, it was difficult to build such a large ship in a short period of time. It was estimated that they would need at least a 500,000-ton cargo ship to pass through the Sunda Strait.
However, Ang Lee was right to go through the Sunda Strait. He could understand the situation of the countries along the way in more detail, and he could also eliminate the surrounding pirates. After all, there were many areas along the way that exceeded the scope of the Straits of Malacca. The pirates here were not attacked by the Tang dynasty's navy. Of course, because this place was relatively remote, the pirates' strength was also relatively weak. In terms of strength, they could not be compared with the pirates of the Black Wolf. The scale of the pirates was dozens or hundreds of people, and the scale of the pirates was not seen before.
"Yes, Big Brother. We will go whichever way you want us to go. The soldiers will listen to you, haha!"
Li Feiyu said with a smile and handed Ang Lee a plate of jackfruit.
Ang Lee picked up a piece of jackfruit and ate a few mouthfuls. He praised, "This jackfruit tastes very good. It's very delicious. I wonder what's good in Ha Ling."
"You will know when we get there. Big Brother, when are we leaving?"
Li Feiyu asked straightforwardly.
Ang Lee said, "Because of the change in the route, the soldiers have to be more prepared. We will leave early in the morning the day after tomorrow. We will go to Shili Foshi first. We have met the king boy before."
"Oh, where have we met? Why can't I remember?"
Li Feiyu said.
Ang Lee looked at Fei Yu and said, "Why is your memory so bad? We were there when he met His Majesty at the Daming Palace in Chang 'an."
"That's not right! Only Big Brother can enter the Daming Palace. I definitely didn't see him at that time. "
Li Feiyu said.
Ang Lee was stunned for a moment and said, "Maybe that's how it is! Actually, I can't remember it myself. But the king of Shili Foshi has been to Chang 'an. It can't be wrong. "
"Well, let's go to Shili Foshi first. Let's see what good food we can get."
Li Feiyu said with a smile.
Srivijaya was really a treasure. They were located in the southeastern part of Sumatra. The easternmost part was the famous Sunda Strait, and across the Sunda Strait was another large country, Khaling.
As a tropical rainforest country, Shili Foshi was very rich in resources. Coal and gold deposits had been discovered. They were all large mineral veins.
In addition, there were many volcanoes in Shili Foshi. The minerals from the volcanoes made the land fertile. The scenery of the mountains was beautiful and charming. Many green trees grew tall and big.
Strong rivers washed the sand downstream, forming a vast plain. On such a plain, agriculture was very suitable for development.
Ang Lee knew very well that Shili Foshi's resources were not limited to this. There was at least one oil resource buried under the ground. As long as it was mined, a large amount of resources could be obtained.
In the forest of Shili Foshi, there were many economic plants. There were thick mahogany trees that could be made into furniture. There were also many coconut trees that could be used to make drinks. There were also many palm trees that could be used to extract oil.
The abundance of plants inevitably led to the large-scale reproduction of animals. In the vast forest of Shili Foshi, there were many animals. The more valuable ones were the red-haired gorilla, the unique tiger, the rhinoceros, and so on.
These strange animals were once offered as tributes by the royal family of Shili Foshi to the imperial court of the Tang dynasty. Therefore, there were red-haired gorillas and Sumatran tigers in Chang 'an during the Tang dynasty.
However, because it was extremely precious, when Li An was in Chang 'an City, he could only stand outside the iron cage and watch them carefully. He could not get close to them, and it was impossible for him to have a Sumatran tiger skin.
The emperor of the Tang dynasty had received a few very beautiful Sumatran tiger pelts. However, the old man was not willing to give them to others. He had always kept them for his own use. Even his closest son was no exception. Naturally, Ang Lee could not get them.
This time, Ang Lee wanted to get some tiger pelts from Shili Foshi. If he was lucky, it would be a good choice for him to hunt a tiger himself.
The order to set off was quickly given. The soldiers began to prepare. However, when they heard that they had to take a detour to the Indian Ocean, many of them were a little reluctant. However, they were all soldiers and had no right to choose. The only thing they could do was to obey orders.
More than a day of preparation was enough. On the morning of the third day, the soldiers who needed to set off were all ready and waiting to set off immediately.
Ang Lee stood on the deck of the ship and looked at the new county magistrates of the Tang dynasty leisurely. These county magistrates were all talents of the Tang dynasty. Because of their low birth status, they were not assigned to a rich county. Instead, they were sent overseas. Although it was a little unfair, it was not bad for them. At least, they were already the leaders of the county and had a good salary. If they did well, they might be promoted in the future. Moreover, as a county magistrate overseas, the mountain was high and the emperor was far away, so they had more freedom and felt like a local tyrant.
"Assistant Minister Li, we can set off now."
His subordinate ran over to report.
Ang Lee nodded and said, "Let's go. We'll set off immediately."
All the ships weighed their anchors one by one and began to sail to the east. The goal of the first stage was Shilifoshi. They would not stop at all to avoid wasting time.
After the ship set off, the people on the shore waved to Ang Lee to express their respect. Ang Lee also symbolically waved to these people.
As the ship went farther and farther away from the shore, the crowd became smaller and smaller. It was so small that it could not be seen with the naked eye. In the end, even with binoculars, they could not be seen. After all, the earth was round and the sea had a slope. After a certain slope, naturally, people in the distance could not be seen.
Ang Lee picked up the watering can and began to take care of the crops he planted. Although he was on a ship, the deck area of the ship was very large. He could use wooden flower pots to plant crops. Chili, mung beans, soybeans, cabbage, cucumbers, cress, onions, and garlic. There were more than ten kinds of crops. Half of the entire deck area was occupied by these plants. It was very comfortable to be in such an environment.
In the boundless sea, there could be nothing except for the green of life. It should be known that not seeing green plants for a long time would cause mental torture and even reduce one's physical fitness.
In the future, many of the officers and soldiers guarding the reefs loved a pot of green plants the most because green plants could bring hope to people.
However, it was very difficult to grow green plants on the sea because green plants needed fresh water. In the sea, only seawater resources were sufficient. There was no fresh water at all. They could only rely on the fresh water on the ship to grow green plants.
In addition, when the seawater evaporated, there would be a large amount of salt in the air. These salt would adhere to the surface of the plants, causing them to die of dehydration.
It was said that on a small reef in Hua Xia, the soldiers spent a lot of effort to grow any plants. The reason was that the climate of the sea was too bad. It was really not suitable for the growth of green plants.
However, after many efforts, a wildflower called the sunflower survived in the harsh sea environment. It also multiplied on a large scale and was affectionately called the reef flower by the soldiers.
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