Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 726 What a Big Mouse (Part [-])
On the hazy sea of ​​the South Pacific, stormy winds whipped up dark clouds, and waves lapped restlessly against the shore.The storm finally came, and the pouring rain fell, and the four galleons that sailed into the inland river shook with the surface of the river.The sails on the galleon have been lowered, and the crew inside have already gone ashore with dry food to shelter from the rain.They couldn't predict how terrible the storm in the South Pacific would be, and they dared not stay on board.

"There's a cave here!" A crew member found a cave that didn't look like a slippery slope before the storm came, and a group of people quickly hid in it.

"Be careful of the snakes and insects inside." Cheng Hong blew on a torch, and the faint light of the fire slightly illuminated the dark cave.

"Hey, there is firewood in here?"

Everyone found a pile of firewood deep in the cave. It looked like it had been there for a while, and the firewood was covered with spider webs.

They removed the cobwebs and used the firewood inside to start a fire.In this way, they can see the situation inside the cave clearly.

Cheng Hong led the crowd around piles of flames, drying clothes and some soaked dry food.

"When we were in Hoi An Port, the weather was already getting warmer. Why did the weather turn colder when we arrived in Oceania that the military leader said?" A sailor shrank back and tried to get closer to the fire.

"Didn't the military lord remind you that the climate in Oceania is opposite to ours in China? Where it's hot, it's cold here, and where it's cold, it's hot here. Didn't you ask to bring a few cotton coats before departure?" Cheng Hong said.

"I walked in a hurry just now, and I fell into the cabin." Said the sailor.

"I just knew that I have an extra overcoat here, you can wear it first." Another kind old sailor said.

"Look at this wall, there are murals?!"

A sailor reminded everyone, and everyone paid attention to the rock wall behind them.

Cheng Hong took out a burning firewood from the fire and checked the condition of the rock wall.

He saw petroglyphs painted with unknown dyes on the rock walls. The painting techniques on them were very clumsy, with only the simplest lines, as if drawn by an uncivilized savage.

"This should be the work of the savages who lived in this land. They used to live in this cave. No wonder we can find firewood here." Cheng Hong was relieved when he saw the rock painting.

The savages living in caves show that the technology of the aborigines on this continent is very backward.

"Here are the... stone knives they used?" Someone found a few smooth stones, picked them up and held them in their hands.

"Can't they smelt iron?" Cheng Hong was even more surprised. If the other party was still living in the Stone Age, wouldn't these people like himself exist like gods?

"It's not just iron, I don't even have copper, silver, or pottery." Another person found a pile of rough stone products, but there were no ceramics or metal products.

"No wonder the military lord forbade us to exchange muskets and ironware with them before departure. It turned out that they didn't have such things." Cheng Hong suddenly realized.

The technological level of this new continent is thousands of years behind their Kyushu Army, separated by the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Firearms Age!As long as the technology of this continent continues to be blocked, the local aborigines will be reduced to cheap labor.

"It's unbelievable that such a large landmass has not given birth to a powerful empire, and even the technology is so backward." Cheng Hong and others came from the Timor Sea and sailed thousands of miles. Naturally, they know that Oceania is the largest area, which may be second only to China.

"Maybe they are sparsely populated and isolated overseas. Without communication, there will be no progress." Someone speculated.

"Should we meet them sooner or later?" A sailor excitedly picked up his musket and gestured, "At that time, we can let them act as servants to reclaim farmland and pastures."

The storm lasted for almost three days before it ended, and everyone came out of the cave.The first thing they did was to check whether the sailboat was in good condition.

Fortunately, due to the terrain of the harbor and the resistance of the river to the storm, the four sailboats did not cause much damage except that one of the masts broke.

"You go to pick fruits, be careful not to pick poisonous fruits. And you, go hunting and replenish dry food. The rest of you will follow me to clean up the water and branches on the deck." Cheng Hong arranged the task.

In a short while, the debris on the four galleons was cleaned up, and the sailors were doing the final inspection and preparing to set sail.

In addition to tidying up the boats, Cheng Hong also asked people to bring in a huge stone, and engraved on it the words "The Chinese Expedition Team of X Years in Kyushu has come here, and this place will belong to Huaxia forever".

"Well, that's it." Standing in front of the boulder, Cheng Hong looked at this line of words with satisfaction, and declared his sovereignty first, no matter whether it was reasonable or not.

"Captain, we're back! Guess what we caught?" The hunting team came back, each carrying a strange prey on their shoulders.

"Such a big mouse?" Cheng Hong couldn't help being shocked when he saw the prey they captured, with auburn fur and a mouse-like shape.

"We were also very surprised when we saw this thing, and this thing ran up and down, and the speed was so fast. If there were no muskets, we might not be able to catch them." Said the hunting sailor.

"Hey, hey, can you eat the big rats you caught? If they are poisonous, we will all be poisoned to death." Someone joked.

"Isn't it okay to let the dog we brought try? I think this big rat eats grass, so it shouldn't have any toxins." The hunting sailor threw the one-meter-high rat on the ground.

The other sailors and crew members gathered around curiously and were very surprised.

"What a big mouse. I have never seen such a big mouse in our hometown. Could it be that all the animals on this continent are of this size?" said the sailor from the north.

"I don't know how such a big mouse tastes like. Is it better to steam and cook soup, or to grill it." The sailor from Guangdong licked his lips.

Some sailors also discovered the difference between big rats and ordinary rats: "They seem to have a bag in their stomachs."

After he reminded the other sailors, they also found out: "It's really like this!"

"Why don't we call this big rat a 'kangaroo'?" suggested a sailor.

"Then they are called kangaroos. Regardless of whether they are poisonous or not, put them in the cabin first and store them in salt sand. In case of insufficient food, it can be used as a reserve food when there is no other way." Cheng Hong said, "Fruit pickers When we got back, we continued our journey south."

After waiting for about half an hour, the four galleons left Sydney Cove and continued to drive south along the coastline.

(End of this chapter)