Riding the whistling northeast wind, after a whole half a month of sailing, when the barren gray peaks rose from the sea in the northwest, Chu Shaosun finally saw the land again, which made him feel relieved.Ships docked at the port of a small state called "Haramau" in present-day Oman to replenish food and fresh water, and desert herders with white or gray turbans wrapped around their heads came to sell goods such as camel milk and goats."
It's easier for the fleet to get around."
Chen Tang smiled, but asked the translator to order King Haramau, who had received a share of the benefits from the ocean trade, to prepare enough food for five thousand people to eat for a month!
This time you can buy it for twice the price you used to.Leaving the country of Haramau, the fleet continued westward along the coastline into the waters of present-day Yemen, known as the "Sheba State", and when they could see a yellow-green coastline in the southwest, the ships turned to the north, and in front of them was a narrow bay like a flare.I heard that the hussar general named this place the Gulf of Aden, near the strait there is a small port of Sheba, called "Muha", there is no big wharf here, but there is thick sand under the anchorage, and the anchorage here is very stable.Chen Tang said that this was the last stop before leaving for Egypt, and that he would need to dock for a day or two to replenish food and fresh water while waiting for the arrival of the next fleet.Chu Shaosun was curious about this exotic harbor, so he landed in a small boat with Chen Tang and others.However, the locals were dressed similarly to the Haramau nation, but with darker skin, and some sturdy Kunlun slaves who were as black as charcoal carried things at the docks, which were said to have been captured by the Sheba people from the mainland on the other side of the strait."
Shebanai is an ancient kingdom that straddles both sides of the strait."
Chen Tang has a lot of plans, every time he crosses the mountains and rivers of the city, he often goes to the record to look at the record, and when he gossips with Chu Shaosun, he always unconsciously chats about the military: "Mr.
Chu has seen elephant soldiers in poison?"
”Chu Shaosun bowed his head, and Chen Tang said: "This elephant soldier is a type of army alongside foot, cavalry, and chariot in the countries of the western part of the sea, and it is indispensable. ”Chu Shaosun interrupted him and said in surprise: "But I heard that the great state where Ptolemaic Egypt is located already produces ivory, how can there be no elephants?"
”"Not all elephants can be domesticated for war, and the land near Ptolemaic Egypt, though there are steppe elephants, are manic and must not be ridden."
Chen Tang has studied this, and counted them to Chu Shaosun one by one: "The body poison elephant is the most docile, the body shape is also suitable, and the number is also large, which is an excellent choice." ”"The second is the Haixi elephant and the North African elephant, which is huge and the most courageous, but the number is scarce, and now those lands have been occupied by the Great Qin State.""
Again, the forest elephant, which dwells in the woodland, is the smallest in size, and the ivory sold in Sheba comes from the forest elephant.Ptolemaic Egypt originally opened this route to obtain the elephant of the south. ”At this time, the boat docked, and Chen Tangzi took the translator to go to the nobles of Sheba to discuss the purchase of grain, but asked the doctor on the Lelang, named "Li Jialan", to take Chu Shaosun to walk around the port casually.Chu Shaosun thought that Sheba was also a land of deserts, rocks and scorpions, barren and barren, but there was no port with a dazzling array of goods, in addition to ivory and tortoiseshell, there were many spices.Li Jialan, a native of Huiji County, heard that when he was in his hometown, he was framed for indiscriminate use of medicine because he failed to cure the illness of a marquis's wife, and his reputation was ruined.He had traveled to and from sea many times with the fleet, and was very familiar with Sheba, and even spoke the local language, and walked around the stalls with Chu Shaosun, picking and choosing.Li Jialan is not interested in shriveled cinnamon: "The body poison cinnamon is unparalleled in the world, and in Sheba, the two medicinal materials worth buying are myrrh and frankincense!"
”This person is rarely heard of in the Central Plains, and seeing that Chu Shaosun looked confused, Li Jialan also picked up these two spices for him to smell.The thick and fragrant smell is myrrh, which is made of myrrh tree resin, and the raw myrrh is scarlet like blood, and the fried is charred black."
It has the effect of invigorating blood and relieving pain, reducing swelling and building muscles, especially for toothache, isn't it painful sir?
I bought this thing to make an ointment, put it on my teeth, and it will be effective in three days!
”So Chu Shaosun was stupid and obedient and bought two taels of myrrh, which actually took out the half of the silk he brought ashore, and his teeth hurt even more."
Sir, don't feel distressed, compared to frankincense, this myrrh is cheap, myrrh is sold by weight, but frankincense is sold by the grain!"
Li Jialan took Chu Shaosun to find a place to sell frankincense, and there was indeed only a small jar, which was translucent milky white, yellow lumps or granules, which looked like sun-dried fish gelatin.There were also a few fierce Kunlun slaves beside Sheba, who sold frankincense, and watched vigilantly at everyone who came to ask for the price."
Desert pearls, white gold.Li Jialan pointed to frankincense and introduced, and Chu Shaosun did smell a clear and elegant aroma, which was unforgettable.This thing is also resin, and it is extremely rare to grow in the desert."
But the Egyptians preferred it."
Li Garland said: "The Egyptians died as if they were alive, and their king was called Pharaoh, and the pharaoh died, and the stone was used as the sealed soil, and the mountain tomb was raised on the flat ground, and the tomb was repaired under the tomb.In order to make the pharaoh immortal, he had to disembowel, remove his brain and internal organs, and smear all kinds of precious spices on the corpse like pickled salted fish, and this frankincense was the most indispensable. ”The Egyptians believed that frankincense was the closest smell to the gods and was a guide to extradite souls, but it was only produced in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula, and in the past it had to be transported by camel caravans across thousands of miles of desert, but now that the sea route has been opened, Sheba relies on the export of frankincense to obtain wealth, and it is indeed much more convenient to forcibly concentrate all the frankincense in the country.It was a dispensable thing for the Han Chinese, but for the Egyptians, it was a necessity.Even if they are not pharaohs, ordinary people dream of immortality after death, and the craftsmen who specialize in mummification in Egyptian temples are just that the poor cannot afford to use precious spices, and can only use bubble soda to embalm."
I've even seen tanuki and Jiao in the vicinity of the port temple made into dried corpses and sold to people to take home for burial.Mr.
Chu, when you get to Ptolemaic Egypt, do you want to buy a game or two?
”Still playing?
Li Jialan is a lover of strange things, and he talks about extremely terrifying exotic customs with great interest, which makes Chu Shaosun creepy, and he is both frightened and happy to hear this story, and he can make a note in his diary.They waited for two days in the port of Sheba before waiting for the next batch of ships, this fleet was also more than 10 ships, and when they crossed the ocean, they folded a merchant ship, but fortunately most of the sailors were rescued, and the large-wing warship named "Liaodong" was also fine.It was only at this time that Chu Shaosun knew that the reason why Chen Tang had to wait was because on the Liaodong, there was a hussar general sent to Ptolemaic Egypt to send gifts to the Queen of Egypt!
The name of the envoy of the Imperial Protectorate was "Wu Zaihan", who was in his twenties, and I heard that he was the son of Wu Zongnian, the Marquis of Guannei.Wu Zaihan's appearance is somewhat different from that of ordinary Han people, but he was the son of Wu Zongnian and Hu's wife when he was stranded in the right part of the Xiongnu.Wu Zongnian served as a subordinate of the country for several years, died five years ago, he and his eldest son inherited the title, this Wu in the Han Dynasty to poison the hussar general, but also the leader of the younger generation, several times ordered to send envoys to rest in peace, Egypt.Wu Zaihan invited Chu Shaosun to take the same boat with him on the next voyage, and he also had a talking companion."
Most of the people on the boat are southerners, and they don't understand official language, and even if there are one or two township parties, they can't talk about it."
Chu Shaosun couldn't wait for this, and when the ship pulled anchor, he asked Wu Zaihan: "Doctor Wu, isn't there a king in Ptolemaic Egypt?"
Why is there a queen again?
”Wu Zaihan said: "The countries of the western part of the strait have different systems and customs.There was a custom in Ptolemaic Egypt that was blood marriage. ”"AhhAfter the mummy, Chu Shaosun had a long insight: "Could it be that this Ptolemaic Egypt believes in Zoroastrianism?"
”Wu Zaihan waved his hand and said: "Otherwise, in the words of the hussar general, Sogdian Zoroastrianism is a great evil!"
The city lord of the five cities in the river actually married his own daughter!
”"And Ptolemaic Egypt can only be regarded as a petty evil."
He said: "I inquired on my last mission, that King Ptolemy had made his brother and sister intermarry his brother and sister, and now his king is called Tyolemy XIII, and his sister is married to Cleopatra VII, and husband and wife have ruled a kingdom together for two years.Therefore, she is called the queen, not the queen. ”Chu Shaosun still felt insufficient: "There are no two days in the sky, there are no two lords in the country, even if the two kings stand side by side, there is always a difference between the top and the bottom, so who is the master?"
”Wu Zaihan quipped with two fingers: "I am a man and a woman." ”Chu Shaosun broke the casserole and asked: "Then why did the general cross the Ptolemy king and let the doctor give gifts to the queen?"
”Could it be that it was the same ploy as the King of the Great Moon Clan and Guishuang back then?
In fact, as early as two years ago, Ren Hong heard that the new king of Egypt had ascended the throne and Cleopatra VII had become a co-ruler, so he spared no expense and sent Wu Zaihan to send gifts to the queen of Egypt.In addition to the exquisite silk silk, there are also newly burned porcelain from Yuzhang Kingdom, which was specially customized to get some patterns that the Egyptians loved, so that the Egyptian queen was very happy, and she also sent an envoy to the palace to meet Ren Hong. ”The queen was very grateful to the hussar general for the gift, and invited the general to Egypt, saying that she would personally take the general to visit the royal capital and climb the lighthouse. ”Wu Zaihan explained the reason slowly, and Chu Shaosun gave up, but he couldn't help his curiosity as a chronicler, and said in a low voice: "Dare to ask the doctor, how does the hussar general reply?"
”"This matter is not confidential, and I am not afraid to let Mr.
Chu know."
Wu Jaehan smiled meaningfully, paced to the side of the ship, and even glanced at the rear of the fleet, to the east, the larger fleet should have just set sail from the poison.The hussar general said."
Thank you for the Queen's invitation, he will come, definitely!"
PS: Ancient Egypt and India routes, refer to the Eritrean Voyage written in the first century AD.