The Rise of the European Emperor

The problem of farming cattle is really a difficult problem to solve, especially the farming cattle in tropical and subtropical hot and humid regions. Marlin and the cattle on the Eastern European grasslands are useless. Because the climate is not suitable.

And the best tropical cattle are the zebu in India. But the problem is that India is also a farming country. Although it does not treat cattle as a strategic asset like Daming and is strictly controlled by the government, it is still a big problem to buy a large number of cattle in India. Because the Indians themselves have to cultivate the land...

Therefore, if you want tropical farm cattle, even if you have money, it may not be useful...

But Marin remembered that there seemed to be many Asian buffaloes in Southeast Asia. Although the breed may not be like the Indian zebu, it can also be used as a farm cattle.

In particular, Mindoro Island in the southwest of Luzon Island in the Philippines produces a kind of Mindoro buffalo native to the Philippines. But the problem is that a piece of information that Marin read in his previous life shows that malaria is prevalent on Mindoro Island, which is very unsuitable for human habitation. It was not until after 1900 that people moved to the island one after another because of the improvement of medical conditions. Around 1900, there were more than 10,000 wild Mindoro buffaloes on Mindoro Island.

The distance from Taipei to Manila is about 1,000 kilometers. Mindoro Island is not far southwest of Manila. It is an island about 144 kilometers long and 96 kilometers wide. At that time, as long as a large number of people are sent to Madden Island to sweep the island, tens of thousands of cattle can be captured.

As for the aggressiveness of the bulls in Mindoro buffaloes, this is easy to handle, as long as you hold a torch, it is enough to scare them off. Then, a group of people hold torches and drive the cattle into the dug traps.

The only problem is that you are prone to malaria when you land on Mindoro. But this may be scary to others, but it is not a problem here in Marin...

...

This time when buying herbal medicines in Daming, Marin bought hundreds of tons of Artemisia stinky. Although the content of artemisinin in Youyang Artemisia annua is less than 6/1000, there is still 23/1000.

Marin asked a blacksmith to build a distillation vessel, and at the same time sent people to Fuzhou to purchase a large amount of low-quality liquor, then shipped it back to Keelung, and personally went out to direct his staff to process it into alcohol. Then, it is used to extract artemisinin from hundreds of tons of Artemisia stinky.

After several days of busy work, Marin extracted about 600 kilograms of artemisinin from 300 tons of stinky Artemisia annua. Malaria patients only need to take 1 gram at a time, and it takes only a few grams to recover. 600 kg of artemisinin is too much to use up.

Marin brought back 400 kilograms and left the rest. When people are sent to the uninhabited island of Mindoro to capture wild Mindoro buffaloes, they can take this medicine with them so that no one will die of malaria.

Mindoro is only about a hundred kilometers long and wide.

And no savages. Also, Mindoro buffalo seem to like to live alone. As long as a large team is sent to encircle all sides, the small island can be searched in a blanket manner within a few days. Marin doesn't want to catch tens of thousands of buffaloes, as long as he catches five or six thousand buffaloes, it is enough. After all, if one ox plows 100 mu of land, it can cultivate 500,000 to 600,000 mu of land. Even if Mindoro buffaloes are small in size and the arable land is reduced to 50 mu per head, they can still cultivate 200,000 to 300,000 mu, which is definitely enough.

As for the disobedience of the bison? The bull was really disobedient, so he was castrated. With the addition of a bull nose ring, it can still be lowered. If you really can't keep it down, then kill and eat meat...

With the thousands of Mindoro buffalo captured from Mindoro Island, plus the farming cattle and southern horses purchased from Ming Dynasty, there is basically no shortage of farming cattle on the island. Moreover, Marin did not expect to fully develop Taiwan Island, but only used it as a springboard for exchanges and trade with Daming.

...

On this day, Marin is talking about the future arrangements with Kong Tai and Zhang Cai...

Marin took out the map of Taiwan Island that he drew in his memory, pointed to the map and said:

"In the early stage, we mainly focused on developing the Taipei Basin and Keelung. When this place stabilizes, we will send troops to occupy it first..." Marin pointed to the location of Tainan in later generations.

Marin didn't want to develop the Tainan Plain soon, but was afraid that he would be taken advantage of by the Portuguese or the Dutch if he didn't make a move or made a move late.

Although I am currently mainly developing the northern part of Taiwan Island, the vast plains along the southwest coast must not be cheap to others. Therefore, it is very necessary to set up a bridgehead along the coast of Tainan, plant a flag, and declare sovereignty, so as not to allow others to take advantage of the loopholes. Of course, if the population is sufficient, it is also possible to develop the Tainan Plain.

"When occupying Tainan, it is inevitable to contact the people from the Penghu Inspection Department, and then say hello to the people from the Penghu Water Village..." Marin continued to order.

But at this time, Zhang Cai interjected:

"My lord, the Penghu Inspection Department Hongwu abolished the sea ban in the seventeenth year..."

"Ah? Is that so?" Marin was a little embarrassed.

Ma Lin had read a lot of time-traveling articles in the late Ming Dynasty in his previous life, so he naturally had the Penghu Inspection Department in his impression, and he still remembered that Daming and the Dutch had a big fight here.

But in fact, the Penghu Inspection Department was re-established in 1563 (that is, the 42nd year of Jiajing). Its purpose is to help exterminate the Japanese pirates and monitor the southeast maritime trade. As for now, because the Japanese pirates have not become a serious problem like in the Jiajing period, the imperial court naturally did not restore the Penghu Inspection Department.

Zhang Cai used to be the Minister of the Ministry of Officials in the Ming Dynasty, and he was a minister-level boss. Naturally, what he said was not nonsense. Moreover, Zhang Cai also happened to know the inside story. So, Zhang Cai explained to Marin:

"In recent years, Hu Jian's local officials have also asked to restore the Penghu Inspection Department, but the court has rejected them. The main reason is that the land in the Penghu Islands is too barren and not suitable for growing food. If water villages are set up on the island, it is estimated that food will be needed. Transported overland..."

Marin nodded, he naturally knew the situation of the Penghu Islands.

As a post-80s generation, there are few who have not heard the nursery rhyme "Penghu Bay at Grandma's House". In the 1990s, that is, when Ma Lin was a child in his previous life, this song was almost popular all over the country, and became a favorite repertoire for music teachers to teach.

At that time, after listening to this song, Marin yearned for a better life in Penghu Bay. However, when I grew up, I checked Du Niang and found out that the Penghu Islands are really not a good place...

Here the wind is high and the waves are rough, and the land is very barren. Marin remembered that Du Niang said this-the land on the island is barren. The lack of water and the strong sea breeze are not conducive to the growth of crops. Only sweet potatoes and peanuts can be grown. In the mid-1980s, watermelon, cantaloupe and loofah were successfully planted, known as the "Three Melons of Penghu".

In other words, on the Penghu Islands, only sweet potatoes, peanuts, watermelons, cantaloupe and loofahs can be grown with limited crops and fruits.

However, in the Ming Dynasty, Daming did not have sweet potatoes and peanuts, and never thought of planting vines such as watermelon, cantaloupe, and loofah on the island (vines grow on the ground, and they are not afraid of being blown by the sea breeze. Lodging, the same is true for sweet potatoes, and peanuts also fall into the soil after flowering, so they are not afraid of sea breeze). Therefore, in the eyes of the Ming court, the Penghu Islands are a barren land that cannot grow food, and naturally they have no interest in development.

...

Marin didn't want to develop the Penghu Islands at first. After all, there is too much land available for development on Taiwan Island, so there is no need to develop the barren Penghu Islands. But when he remembered something, he immediately broke out in cold sweat, and made the decision to send troops to Penghu Island in an instant...

Why did Marin send troops to occupy the Penghu Islands? He was also forced to be helpless...

Previously, when dividing the territory with the Portuguese, the partition treaty signed clearly stated that Taiwan Island, the Ryukyu Islands and the Japanese Islands belong to Marin's "sphere of influence".

However, Marin missed the ownership of the Penghu Islands. Because, in Marin's impression, there should be the famous Penghu Water Village of the Penghu Inspection Department on the Penghu Islands. Therefore, he did not ask for the Penghu Islands to be included in his "sphere of influence".

In this way, when the ownership is not clear, the Portuguese are likely to take advantage of the loopholes to occupy the Penghu Islands. He might even learn from himself and use the Penghu Islands to submit to Ming Dynasty and ask himself to be the chieftain. Even if they are unsuccessful, they can still use the unmanaged Penghu Islands as a smuggling base to smuggle goods from Ming Dynasty...

Therefore, in order not to give the Portuguese the opportunity to take advantage of the loopholes, Marin must send troops in advance to seize the Penghu Islands. When the Portuguese came, Marin insisted that this was a small branch of Dongfan Island. In the case that they have already occupied the fact, the Portuguese are not easy to mess around. Unless, they want to tear their skins apart and start a full-scale war with Beihai...

Therefore, Marin told Zhang Cai:

"In addition to developing the Taipei Basin, you give priority to sending people to occupy and develop the Penghu Islands, and restore the Penghu Water Village on them! Since no one cares about the Penghu Islands, then I want it!"

...