A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1007 Sunset on Dongsha
"Seagull,"

On the deck, Takesaburo looked at the seagulls flying in the sky and shouted excitedly. While sailing on the sea, I haven’t seen any birds for a long time.

"We've arrived at the waterfall." Huaiyu glanced at the seagull and said to his son.

"Luoji? Have you arrived in Luzon?"

"Luzon is still early. Luoji is also called Shixing Shitang, Nan'aoqi and other names. Because it is east of the Wanshan Islands at the mouth of the Pearl River, it is called Dongsha.

When we go to Luzon, we have to pass through Dongsha.

During the Han and Jin Dynasties, Lingnan fishermen came to Dongsha to fish, collect corals, and catch sea turtles, so the Jin people called Dongsha Coral Island. "

It is 600 miles away from the Pearl River Estuary and 1,600 miles away from Luzon Port.

"How many days has it been since our ship left Hong Kong Port, and it is only 600 miles away from the Pearl River Estuary?" Wu Chengzhi was surprised.

"Well, there are more boats this time, so the speed is slower."

Wu Chengzhi couldn't sit still. He looked at Dongsha curiously on the deck.

There is now a Muzha City built on the island.
There are people from the Wu family stationed there,
They also sent experienced pilots to row out to guide and enter from the southern channel.

Take a fishing rod.

Sailing on the sea,

Although this island occupies only about 3,000 acres of land, it is still very large from a close distance. From a distance, it looks like a bright pearl in the deep blue sea.

"The northern channel is shallow and narrow, while the southern channel is wide. We have many large ships in our fleet, so we need to be more careful. It is the time of high tide. Although the water channel is wider, many reefs are also submerged under the water, making it even more dangerous."

This island is only three and a half square feet in size.

The fleet is waiting in line to be led into the port,

The lagoon of Dongsha Island, that is, its inland sea, is as big as Pingkangfang.

The boatman guessed that there would be a storm by looking at the clouds, and suggested taking shelter at Dongsha Island to rest.

First let out the boat and go pilot it,
Dongsha Island, also known as Dongsha Atoll, is formed by the accumulation of coral-based biological debris. There are two gaps on both sides, forming a north-south waterway.

Soon, there were more and more seagulls,
Those seagulls seemed to welcome the arrival of the fleet, hovering over the fleet, and soon the Dongsha Islands appeared ahead.

There are three coral atolls in Dongsha, the largest of which is Dongsha Island, which is more than 100 miles away from the South and North Guard Reefs.

The islands and reefs on each route and waterway will also be specially marked. Unless the safe waterway is mastered, few dare to mess around.

The land area is about 2,600 acres, and the total area of ​​Pingkangfang, the busiest and most prosperous area in Chang'an, is 750 acres, while Tangmu is more than 900 acres, close to 1,000 acres.

The fleet lowers its sails,

Dongsha Island is not big. It is shaped like a horseshoe and a crescent moon. It is about five miles long from east to west and more than one mile wide. It is not as good as some larger cities.

Although it is good to see islands in the sea,
But there are reefs for more than ten miles around Dongsha, which are dangerous.

The underwater reefs are dotted all over the place, and the water conditions are dangerous. If you are not careful, you will run aground on a rock. Even if the ship has watertight compartments, running aground on the rocks is still the most feared thing when sailing on the ocean.

Wu Huaiyu is not in a hurry. At the moment, he is on the South China Sea Black Stone. His identity is a businessman going to Luzon Port. He has paid the ship charter to the Black Stone to transport goods to Luzon.

The crew is actually most afraid of these islands and reefs, and they generally don't dare to approach them unless they are particularly necessary.

The island has lush vegetation and coconut trees everywhere.

In the past, only some fishermen came here, but they were far away from the trade routes. Since the Wu family passed through Luzon, it has become a hub for shipping routes. This route can be used from Hong Kong to Luzon, or from Hong Kong to Liuqiu.

The fishery resources here are also very rich, and it is an important fishing ground in the South China Sea. It is rich in turtles, cuttlefish, sea cucumbers, sharks, and shellfish. The specialty is seaweed, which is an effective medicine for repelling roundworms.

About an hour later,

Wu Huaiyu closed the pole and the catch was not bad, including two red tuna, both weighing more than fifteen kilograms, and a few kilograms of yellowfin tuna. He also caught a lot of eastern star spot, skinned fish, green tuna, and even two sharks. ····
This is simply a golden fishing ground with very rich resources. After fishing for more than an hour, I actually got a lot of harvest.

The fleet all entered the inner lake and anchored.
The people on the boat can finally set foot on land again,
Looking at the coconut trees swaying in the wind and the large number of seagulls living on the island,
There is also the not-so-large Muzha City, and the fields outside the city that have been reclaimed by the island residents, where watermelons, peanuts, sweet potatoes, corn and other fruits and vegetables are planted.

Everyone always feels a special sense of intimacy.

"I didn't expect that the fruits and vegetables on this island grow so well." A passenger sighed.

There are not many permanent people on the island. Every time a boat comes, everyone is very warm and welcomes it. Some people go to the vegetable field to pick fresh watermelons, cucumbers, honeydews, etc. to quench everyone's thirst. Some people go to pick beans, eggplants, sweet potato leaves, etc. for the evening. Cooking.

A resident on the island carrying a hoe said with a smile, "Our island is not big, and it is not suitable for growing rice, wheat and other grains, but it is good for growing fruits and vegetables, especially peanuts and watermelons."

Some of the passengers were puzzled by how barren the island looked.

"There are many seagulls on this island. There is a lot of bird droppings accumulated on the island. In some places, it is one or two feet thick. These bird droppings can be used to make fertilizer. The watermelons, peanuts, and corns grown produce very plump fruits. It’s fruitful.”

Under the setting sun,
Wu Huaiyu sat under the coconut tree, holding a watermelon and gnawing on it.
Sweet, sweet and sandy.

This watermelon from Luzon is really unique. It is a new variety, with thin skin and sweet taste.

Takesaburo brought a few coconuts and picked up a machete to chop them there. He planned to cook a meal for his father himself, including coconut chicken, steamed Eastern Star Spots, boiled squid, fried sweet potato leaves and stems, potatoes, eggplants and peppers. Three delicacies from all over the place, and a red sweet carp for soup.

Wu Huaiyu ate watermelon leisurely, not intending to help, nor letting others help.

Let the boy do it without worrying about wasting the ingredients. This boy is quite capable of doing it, so he will have to learn more when he comes out.

Anyway, when they were on the boat, Wu Huaiyu pretended to be a businessman and treated Sanlang as his follower, entrusting him with all kinds of chores.

Huaiyu also specially asked Shi Shouxin and Li Keyong to go shopping.
The island is not big,
But although the sparrow is small, it has all the internal organs.
Here there are not only the soldiers of the Wu family stationed on the island, but also the family members who follow them. There is a Muzha city and an inland water pier.

The cross streets in the city divide the small town into four parts.
There is a Taoist temple of the Longmen Sect, a Confucius Temple, a school, and a residential area. There are also two small fishing villages outside the city, with a fish processing plant, an island dung processing plant, and a ship repair yard.

There are even taverns and teahouses, although they are relatively small and their operations are complex. They sell wine and tea. Of course, they also provide meals and accommodation, and even have singing and dancing performances, as well as drinking and overnight services. It is six hundred miles away from the Pearl River Estuary.

It is completely an overseas territory of the Wu family, and it happens to be at the heart of the current Luzon route. With the vigorous development of the Wu family, it is indeed very lively here.

With such a good place, fishermen like to come here to fish, and they also come here to take shelter and rest when there is a strong wind.

There are high winds and swells outside the island, but after passing through the two gantry and entering the inner lake through the north and south waterways, it is very calm here. Even in hurricane weather, the inner lake is very stable.

After chopping for a long time, Wu Sanlang finally chopped a few coconuts, set up the pot and started cooking.

If you don’t understand, just ask, even ask while doing it,
Wu Huaiyu was a little impatient with this kid's question, so he had to roll up his sleeves and follow him. With Wu Huaiyu here, the speed was much faster.

Soon the fragrance spread,
Shi Shouxin and Li Keyong, who were put on leave by Wu Huaiyu, rushed back because of the smell.
"Didn't I give you a holiday? Why don't you go to Zhali Tavern to drink or listen to singing and dancing?" Huaiyu asked with a smile.

Shi Shouxin said, "The gate is not very big, so we can finish shopping in a while."

Li Keyong said, "Although the tavern and teahouse are quite lively, they are a bit smoky. The girls are a bit old, not very good-looking, and their singing and dancing are not interesting."

"You can't compare it with Pingkangfang in Chang'an. Even Youzhou can't compare with it. This is an island in the deep ocean. It can have such a fence, so many taverns, teahouses, and... A group of women who can sing, dance, drink and laugh are already pretty good.

Do you know how much the sailors like us lonely girls? "

The two of them laughed,

But I really don’t get used to that tavern.

Two people helped, but the dishes were almost ready.

Chef Wu Sanlang, guided by Wu Huaiyu,
Some of the dishes are quite decent.

After Shi Shouxin and Li Keyong tasted them, he repeatedly praised Sanlang for his talent.

The coconut chicken is very delicious, with fresh coconuts from the island, and the chickens are also free-range chickens raised by residents on the island. These chickens grew up eating seafood. The most indispensable thing here is fish.
There are fishing villages, fishermen and fish processing plants on the island.

After going out to sea to catch fish, most of the fish are made into various dry goods. Only a very small number of very valuable fish are returned to Guangzhou Port or Hong Kong Island Port for sale.

As for many trash fish, they are almost always used to feed chickens, or even pigs and dogs. These trash fish are not valuable at all, and there is not even enough time to dry them.

These chickens mainly eat fish and shellfish, and then they find some grass seeds and insects to eat. Each one is quite fat. When stewed with coconut, the soup is delicious.

Even a novice like Takesaburo, everyone is full of praise for this coconut chicken. Sure enough, high-end ingredients often only require the simplest cooking method, a simple stew is enough, and no seasoning is needed.

Just like the boiled and steamed dishes, they are simple but still fresh, sweet and delicious.

Li Keyong, who has lived in Youzhou since childhood, is a member of the Mohe tribe, a fishing and hunting tribe in the Northeast. After moving to Youzhou, the tribe changed its focus to herding cattle and sheep. He grew up eating beef and mutton, drinking cow and goat milk, and even fish. There are so few, let alone seafood.

The seafood made by Chengzhi made him sigh with admiration. He felt that it was great that people on this island could eat seafood every day.

Hundreds of kilograms of sea fish are so alive and kicking, and they are sold very cheaply in Zhali taverns and restaurants.

"Things are scarce but valuable. The most indispensable thing here is fish, shrimp and shellfish. Fresh vegetables, fruits and vegetables are more difficult to find."

In the tavern on the island, the price of a plate of stir-fried sweet potato stems and leaves was the same as two plates of boiled shrimp, and the shrimps were quite big.

The more expensive ones are eggs, duck eggs, and bird eggs, and then there are chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits.

The most expensive ingredients are pork, beef and mutton.
One pound of pork is equivalent to dozens of pounds of fish, and beef and mutton are even more expensive.

Especially for the people on the island, the cost of raising pigs, cattle and sheep on the island is much more difficult than fishing. They are tired of eating fish every day, especially fish that lacks fat and does not taste good without oil. If you eat too much fish, you will really miss the fat and thin meat with a lot of oil.

"Have dinner been arranged for the passengers who got off the ship?" Huaiyu asked.

"Don't worry, foster father, we have already made arrangements and prepared a seafood feast for them," Shi Shouxin said with a smile. The most and least valuable thing on the island is fish, shrimp and shells. Even if there is no boat or net, the seaside can still eat it when the tide is low. Picked up a lot.

For the people on the island, it’s boring.

But for the passengers on the ship, many of them had seen the sea for the first time in their lives, and they had never even eaten seafood.

Even if it's some ordinary shrimps, crabs, shells and conches, some worthless fish, or even shark meat that no one looks at,
It is meat after all,
Many passengers' eyes widened when they saw that they could eat seafood tonight, including all kinds of fish, shrimps, shells, snails, crabs, etc., and their mouths were drooling.

Especially these few days at sea, it is not suitable to live in a cabin at sea. Not only is the accommodation not good, but it is easier to eat.

"Remember to ask people to pay more attention. Some people may be uncomfortable eating seafood and may develop rashes. If you find out, let them not worry, just take some medicine and they will be fine."

Wu Sanlang was also very satisfied with the meal he cooked, and ate a big meal, "Aye, this little Dongsha Island is so lively, how lively is Luzon Port?"

Wu Huaiyu held a bowl made of coconut shells and tasted the delicious red sweet fish soup. "You just came from Hong Kong. There are now more than 7,000 permanent residents in the city. There are also 13 fishing villages on the island. More than ten thousand people rose up,

Now in Luzon, our Wu family has successively built twenty pioneering strongholds. They have been established in harbors along the coast. Luzon Port is the largest of the twenty strongholds.
It also has the best harbor and is located at the mouth of a large river. Its conditions can be said to be comparable to those of Guangzhou City, and its Luzon Plain covers an area of ​​more than 100,000 hectares.

Nowadays, Port of Luzon has a permanent population of more than 5,000. Although it is not as good as Hong Kong or Lugang, its growth rate is extremely fast and it is still adjusting and expanding.
By the end of this year, the Han population in Port Luzon will exceed 10,000, and by the end of next year, it is expected to exceed 30,000. "

Luzon Port is now the leader of Luzon Island and the future center of the military family.

Its potential far exceeds Xiangdao and Ludao.

As for Dongsha Island, although it occupies the key point of the Luzon route, it is at best a transit supply station. After all, it only has about 3,000 acres of land, which is much smaller than Penghu Island.

"Aye, I can't wait to land in Luzon Port right away."

"Why are you so anxious? Luzon is yours now and will be yours in the future. You are still young and will have plenty of time in the future. I'm afraid you won't be able to bear the loneliness."

Although Luzon is good, it only has great potential. Today, Luzon cannot even compare with Hong Kong Island Port, let alone compare with Guangzhou and Chang'an.

"I like the sea, and I will definitely like Luzon." Wu Chengzhi said excitedly. In the eyes of the young man, the blue sky and the sea represent freedom.

(End of this chapter)