unclear

Chapter 971 Camphor
"Since the boundary markers have been set, they are the rules. If they are rules, they should be followed. If you don't follow the rules, you will suffer wherever you go. I have made the decision on today's matter. I will not punish you for now, and I will not punish you next time! Go back and comfort the villagers. There is no need to panic. With such good land, you can support a large family without having to resort to crooked means.

"Pingtou, you see the two village chiefs off, and then take the people into the mountains to see if the mountain people have really gone far away. If you run into them, leave two horses for them as compensation, and it's best not to cause any more conflict."

Hong Tao had been listening quietly the whole time, and did not blame anyone too much after the incident. He also asked the Flathead Brother to find a way to solve the problem for the villagers. His methods were very gentle, and his behavior was very much like that of a benevolent king.

"Your Majesty, is there something fishy going on here?"

But there was one person who did not think that the emperor was ordinary and gentle. As soon as the flat-headed brother sent the village chief away, Wang Chengen took the opportunity of delivering the kettle to come up to him and asked in a very low voice.

The emperor was so absorbed in listening that the ash on his cigar never fell off, which was a very abnormal manifestation. It was unclear what was abnormal, but there were only three options: the villagers, the mountain people, and Xiao Si. No matter who it was, as long as they quietly transferred the soldiers from the Warrior Battalion over, the emperor would not be in danger.

"Make a note... Little Liuqiu Island camphor tree oil! I should have thought of this a long time ago, but I forgot about it for so many years. This is really wrong!"

Wang Chengen was only half right. The emperor did have something on his mind, and it was indeed related to this place. But it was not about a person, but a thing, which sounded like it was related to the camphor tree.

That’s right, it’s camphor tree oil. To be more precise, it’s a kind of terpene organic compound that is rich in the trunk, branches and roots of the camphor tree. After distillation, condensation and crystallization, it will become a white waxy solid with a strong volatile and special aroma, called camphor!
In later generations, there is something called mothballs, commonly known as sanitary balls. They are often used to prevent insects and moths. But that thing is most likely chemically synthesized, has a pungent smell, and sinks in water. If someone's mothballs can float on the water, then congratulations, you have bought natural camphor, which is not only non-toxic but also refreshing.

If we have to talk about the specialty of Xiaoliuqiu Island, there is only one that qualifies as natural camphor. It is not that camphor is not produced in other places. As long as there are camphor trees, camphor can be extracted from the trunks, branches and roots.

However, there are many camphor trees on Xiaoliuqiu Island, especially in the mountainous areas, and the trees are very old. The yield and purity of camphor are closely related to the age of the trees. The older the trees are, the greater the amount of camphor extracted and the higher the purity. This is unique in the world.

Some people may ask, no matter how good camphor is or how much it has, what's the point? Even if a small sanitary ball is sold all over the world, it is worth only a few dollars!

It is true that mothballs are not worth much. But camphor is not only a traditional Chinese medicine that can prevent moths and insects, but also a very important chemical raw material, or an important war resource.

In the 19th century, Britain fought a war with the Qing Dynasty to obtain camphor from Xiaoliuqiu and signed the Camphor Treaty. Before World War I, Xiaoliuqiu exported several million kilograms of camphor products to Europe every year, accounting for about % of the world's share.

Why did Europeans need so much camphor? In addition to being a plasticizer for plastics, it was mainly used in the manufacture of smokeless gunpowder. Camphor can be used as a stabilizer for nitrocellulose, reducing its sensitivity and deflagration speed, making it more suitable for use as propellant, and greatly increasing the safety of transportation and storage.

The Royal Gunpowder Factory had already made nitrocellulose, but after years of research, it still had not found a suitable passivation material, resulting in it only being used in small batches in special environments.

Now Hong Tao finally remembered what material to use to passivate nitrocellulose. Once the extraction and purification process of camphor is figured out, smokeless gunpowder can be used on a large scale in the military. By the same principle, camphor can not only passivate nitrocellulose, but also passivate mercury fulminate and silver fulminate. In other words, in the near future, the safety of copper shell bullets will be greatly improved, and they can completely replace paper shell fixed bullets.

With copper-cased bullets with primers, the technology of muskets will be greatly improved. Percussion cap guns and needle guns will all be eliminated under the bolt-action mode. With the bolt-action mode, semi-automatic and automatic guns will not be far away.

Imagine that when armies around the world were still competing with each other with flintlock rifles, the Ming army was already equipped with machine guns. Was there any need to fight? To defeat the enemy without fighting is the greatest honor for a leader.

Who would have thought that the origin of this honor came from a very inconspicuous tree on a deserted island? How could such an important strategic resource be allowed to be cut down and extracted by the public and then used to make insect repellents and spices?

The nationalization of Xiaoliuqiu’s camphor resources must be put on the agenda. Even if they cannot be developed on a large scale in the near future, rules must be established first to protect them.

As for the excuses… there are ready-made ones right in front of us: protecting the indigenous people! It sounds so kind, what a benevolent king! If we want to develop in the future, we can be kind again, still protecting the indigenous people, asking them to cut down trees and give them away, and then exchange them for daily necessities.

The ancients were right, great good is great evil. Good and evil are often the same thing, but because everyone is in a different position, they see different manifestations.

With the extra big harvest, Hong Tao's interest immediately rose, and he insisted on going to Mosquito Harbor to inspect the people's conditions despite the opposition of the ministers. As a result, when he arrived at the place, he only took a tour of the nearest town and took the lead to board the ship and ran away.

There were just too many mosquitoes, even in winter, and the closer you got to the river mouth, the more there were. Not only were there more of them, but they were also very enthusiastic. When they smelled the scent of guests, they would rush up, and you couldn't swat them away with both hands.

Hong Tao was immune to all poisons, and the bites only caused slight itching, which could be ignored. But the ministers could not bear it, and if they were infected with malaria or something, even the cinchona tree would not be able to cure it.

After leaving Xiaoliuqiu Island, the fleet first stopped in Da Nang for a few days. Accompanied by the local garrison, it inspected nearby farms and plantations, and visited the two nearest towns before setting sail to the Port of Manila.

As the first overseas territory incorporated into the Ming Dynasty, the importance of the Luzon Special Zone is self-evident. However, most of the court officials had never been there in person, but only often saw it in reports.

This time, the emperor gave them an opportunity to go deep into the Luzon Special Region to understand the people's sentiments. He specially sent two teams of one hundred men to escort them out of Manila and spend two days in the plantation areas and major towns in the north to see the daily life and working conditions of the immigrants and local natives, and to find out any improprieties in the policies.

(End of this chapter)