I heard that from Venice, the people in the bedroom were all cheered up.

The Royal Barber stepped back.

The priest also stopped singing in a low voice.

The knights stood in awe.

Only His Highness the King still looked confused.

Everyone was waiting with breath.

His Highness the King then slowly shook his head, and he slowly stretched out his hand as if he was so angry.

The knight stepped forward, knelt on one knee, kissed the back of the king's hand, and handed a letter to the king.

The king tried hard to cheer himself up.

Years of treatment have consumed all his strength. After he lowered his head and barely read the letters written in Latin, his face gradually regained blood.

After he coughed, he said, "Gum?"

"What?"

A knight stepped forward and showed a strange look.

“Gum Arabic in North Africa…”

"Your Highness, what you are talking about..."

His Highness the King tried hard to lift his spirits: "In... in Venice, merchants purchased a large number of Arabic gums, and the prices were getting more and more expensive. At first it was a Persian Chamber of Commerce. The people of the Chamber of Commerce noticed something strange, so they hired a woman and took the opportunity to get a valuable news from him..."

Then, His Highness the King fell into a cough again, and his face was first dyed with a blush. Then he said: "I heard that this kind of gum was very popular in the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty did not produce this thing. Some merchants even tried every means to buy it for a fortune. The people from the Chamber of Commerce had already taken down the merchant. After the questioning, the inside story learned was even more amazing..."

After hearing this, the knights all looked worried.

The reason why this gum is called gum arabic is because... this is a specialty of North Africa, and this tree has not survived elsewhere.

But such gum is of no value.

But I never thought that this thing was favored by so many rich people in the prosperous Ming Dynasty.

"Your Highness...we must strictly prohibit this news."

"Impossible." The Spanish king shook his head, and his slightly chaotic eyes showed a look of greed: "This news will sooner or later spread throughout the world, and even... I suspect that the news has leaked now."

"Then your Highness... North Africa has always been in the hands of the Ottomans. They have controlled the place of production of gum, and then they can rely on gum and continuously earn a large amount of gold and silver coins from the Ming Dynasty?"

His Highness the King of Spain sighed.

I don’t know if it was the pain caused to him by the disease or the concerns about the current situation.

You know, once this is the case, it means that the Ottomans dug a huge gold mine.

According to the merchant's description, such gums were in short supply in the Ming Dynasty.

Whoever controls the origin of gum can bring huge gold and silver to its treasury.

And Chacha...The Spanish treasury is insufficient now.

As for the Ottomans, they were even more of the Spanish people’s confidants.

After all, the Habsburg family where the Spanish king was located not only controlled Spain, but also controlled the Holy Roman Empire, Austria, including part of Hungary.

The Ottomans have been sharpening their knives. On the one hand, they competed for sea control with the Habsburg family in the Mediterranean, and on the other hand, in Austria, they are also trying to cross here and penetrate into the entire Western world.

Compared with the Ming Dynasty, which was thousands of miles away, and even the northern province that was still resisting stubbornly, the Ottomans... are the real big troubles in their hearts.

As for North Africa, it was originally a barren land. Although the Spaniards occasionally had friction with the Ottomans in North Africa, it was obvious that... that barren land was not worthy of the Spanish's fight.

But now... when people realize that North Africa has become a huge gold mine, and with its control over North Africa, it can bring balance to trade and even bring huge returns continuously...

The Spanish king was so aggressive that he thought for a long time and said, "We need to confirm this news. Send personnel to try their best to bring gum to Mingguo. We must find out clearly. There is no need to bring too much gum. Just carry a few kilograms, the faster the better."

"If this is the case, I'm afraid we need the help of our friends in Venice." An old knight said thoughtfully.

These Venetians were best at doing business. Not only did they have connections with the Spanish, but in fact, they were always close to the Ottomans.

After all... the Ottomans controlled the business roads, and even many routes in the Mediterranean and cities along the coast were mostly in the hands of the Ottomans.

It is extremely difficult for the Spanish to travel through the Ottoman territory, but it is not too difficult for a Venetian, especially a Venetian who is usually close to the Ottoman dignitaries.

His Highness the King of Spain nodded. This matter was very urgent. What he was worried about was that... the Ottomans also noticed this and would strengthen the North African navy and coastal defense forces.

He said with a deep face: "You must use the fastest method and do whatever you want."

“It’s not just that…”

It seemed that because of this letter from afar, the Spanish king actually forgot his illness. He said seriously: "Prepare the fleet..."

His eyes suddenly became more colorful, and he stared at the knight: "Maybe...it will be useful...If the news is true, Spain will never allow this huge treasure to fall into the hands of Suleiman, a pagan."

"Everything is as you wish." The Knight saluted, and he understood what to do next.

Next, we need to make a detailed combat plan in full swing.

North Africa covers a huge area. Although the land is barren and the population is not large, and it is across the sea from Spain, I want to take North Africa in one fell swoop... This means that a full-scale war is about to begin.

Originally, Habsburg hoped to use the tall and strong city walls of Austria to serve as a battlefield with the Ottomans.

But now... it is obvious that all power must be reduced and a war that concerns the fate of the kingdom.

The Spanish king obviously made up his mind.

Of course... all this needs to be achieved.

The waiting is long.

At least……

This process took nearly two months.

A young Venetian merchant arrived at the Ming Dynasty almost at a rapid speed along the land route.

When he arrived at Yumen Pass.

Then I discovered that Yumen Pass gradually became prosperous due to the trade in silk.

Here... After years of trading, it has become a city of quite large size!

The Venetian, with his Ottoman guide, who knew some Chinese language. When he took out the gum arabic he carried with him, he was immediately surrounded by countless merchants.

Merchants are always the most sensitive. What is needed in the capital, the caravans passing by are almost literally all the right knowledge.

So... the Venetian merchant stayed in the inn for less than a day, and there were endless people coming to the door.

These merchants saw the legendary gum arabic with their own eyes.

Some of them have seen this thing with their own eyes.

Of course... some people just identify the authenticity based on rumors in Beijing.

"How many do you have?"

This Venetian could clearly see the greed in the other person's eyes.

after all……

Purchasing gum has become a long-lasting topic in the capital. Everyone is buying it, but so far, the gum that appears on the market is almost unheard of.

People say that this thing is called yellow gill.

Some people even say that this thing is something that can be eaten and is a medicine.

There are also people who privately circulated that the reason why many people bought this medicine is crazy because medical school has found that this medicine can prolong life, not only that... it can also nourish the kidneys and strengthen qi. I heard that its efficacy is far superior to all the drugs on the market.

As soon as the news came out... the market became even more crazy.

The price of this thing is rising constantly, which makes everyone the most desperate, but finds that this thing is just a legend.

Now that the legendary thing finally appeared in front of you, how could you be willing to miss it easily?

The Venetian merchant said, "I have ten kilograms on my body."

"Ten jin..." The expression on the face of the merchant who asked, went from being surprised to see, and then asked in a hurry: "I don't know how much I want to bid?"

The Venetian merchants became alert.

The other party didn't ask too much, so he asked for the price directly. Obviously, the other party had a strong interest in this and wanted to buy the item immediately.

However, this Venetian is also good at buying and selling, so he naturally knows that he should not easily disclose his reserve price.

This merchant really couldn't sit still.

After all... I was scared... Who knew if anyone else would take the lead? He gritted his teeth and stretched out his hand: "One hundred taels, one hundred taels, I bought this ten kilograms of yellow gill, how about it?"

One hundred taels...The Venetian merchant was shocked.

The merchant added: "Of course, I'm talking about gold. I know you like gold more, of course, it's done with gold. I want it now."

The Venetian hearts were even raised in his throat.

You know, such a gum is everywhere in North Africa.

And the other party... wanted to buy it in one breath, obviously... hoped that the more you bought, the better.

The price offered is even more shocking.

The merchant looked anxious and saw that the Venetians gradually calmed down and kept urging transactions.

But soon, more and more people began to visit.

And the Venetians have almost become the focus of everyone.

So much so that even Ottoman's guide whispered to him that he might be in danger and it would be better to sell the treasures in his hand as soon as possible, otherwise... no one can guarantee his safety.

Money is important, but life is naturally more important. The Venetians no longer dare to stay.

His original plan was to go to the capital of the Ming Dynasty, but now it seems that his goal has been achieved.

So, the gums were sold for 250 taels of gold that day.
Chapter completed!