The natives were simple, and although they were also greedy, under the threat of the whip and the saber, they soon regained their simple nature.
A piece of dried meat, plus a flatbread, and a little salted vegetable carried on the boat, made the natives, who had just been planning how to escape, completely submit.
Looking at them eating with great joy, even Shao Bowen didn't know what to say for a moment.
After all, Zhe Shijiu had just killed so many of them, and less than three hours had passed since then.
It was because Zhe Shijiu, while drinking, felt pity for them and casually threw his wine skin to one of the natives. After they were full, some of them came to Zhe Shijiu and chattered a lot, then directly pulled him to dance.
Fortunately, the guide reacted quickly, otherwise the drunk Zhe Shijiu would probably have drawn his saber and attacked by now.
As Shao Bowen imagined, these natives lived in a small mountain hollow, and along the indented part of the mountain, they had built a large number of dilapidated sheds.
At first, Zhe Shijiu's eyes were full of disdain, but as he looked, Zhe Shijiu felt that something was not right.
The sheds, with their strange and crooked shapes, were indeed ugly, but the problem was that the wooden poles they called doorposts looked far from ordinary!
"This is fucking golden nanmu! Damn it!"
After yanking off a door panel, Zhe Shijiu went mad.
You must know that even in the current Song Dynasty, the price of golden nanmu was almost equivalent to gold.
An inch of nanmu is an inch of gold, this is not a joke!
And here, such high-quality timber was actually just material for the natives to build sheds.
"How much copper money is this worth?"
After forcefully overturning a shed and looking at the scattered timber on the ground, Zhe Shijiu's breathing began to quicken.
Not only him, but even the soldiers he brought with him had their eyes reddened.
The reason they abandoned their homes and families to come here was only for a few hundred guan!
But now, they didn't have to do anything, as long as they carried a piece of wood back from here, it would be enough for their families to eat and drink well for a long time!
"What are they saying?"
Seeing the natives surrounding him, babbling incoherently, Zhe Shijiu looked impatiently at the guide beside him.
"They say you just overturned their houses, and you have to compensate them with another jar of wine..."
After the guide's mouth twitched, he still translated with a strange expression.
"Ask them where did these timbers come from?"
Just as Zhe Shijiu's face twitched wildly, Shao Bowen suddenly asked.
Hearing this, the guide quickly chattered with the natives.
"They say these timbers are all on the mountain behind, and they are everywhere!"
"Sir!"
Hearing the guide say this, Zhe Shijiu's eyes suddenly turned red. If all of this were transported back to the Song Dynasty, how much money would that be?
"Alright, alright, don't get excited. These trees won't run away anyway. We don't have time to cut trees now. Let's just go and take a look!"
Although he said this, looking at the scraps of golden nanmu that the natives used to start fires, Shao Bowen had the urge to strangle them to death at this moment.
What is called wasting heavenly resources, isn't this exactly it?
If the high officials of the Song Dynasty knew about this, they would probably hesitate to send troops to cut down all these natives and happily transport the timber back.
In their eyes, even the lives of these natives combined were probably not worth a piece of golden nanmu!
"You tell them, from today onwards, if they dare to cut this kind of wood again, I will skin them!"
After letting out a long sigh of turbid air, Zhe Shijiu grabbed the guide's collar and said fiercely.
"Yes!"
Seeing his red eyes and the bulging veins on his head, the terrified and trembling guide hurriedly responded.
Led by the natives, Zhe Shijiu and Shao Bowen finally saw with their own eyes the forest that could drive anyone crazy.
Golden nanmu, which was worth its weight in gold in the Song Dynasty, was now truly everywhere on the mountainside. Countless towering trees that required several people to embrace stood straight in front of everyone.
Even many large trees, due to their long age, had silently fallen to the ground after death. Countless birds and beasts nested in this forest, and everything appeared so harmonious.
"Before we set out, the lord told me that overseas was full of treasures, and now I truly believe it..."
Swallowing hard, Zhe Shijiu couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"Alright, pack up and prepare to go back. It's getting dark, and this is not a good place to spend the night!"
Looking at the dense jungle around, Shao Bowen finally let out a long sigh of turbid air.
"Sir, aren't we going to cut down a few trees to take back?"
Looking at these treasures right in front of him, Zhe Shijiu finally couldn't help but ask.
"Are you going to carry them back or am I? These things grow here and won't run away? Look at your caliber. Even if this thing is valuable, can you swim back across the sea carrying it?"
After giving them a scolding glance, Shao Bowen led the way back in the direction they came from.
Watching Shao Bowen's receding figure, although Zhe Shijiu felt a bit pained, he stomped his foot fiercely and then quickly chased after him.
Although it seemed that the natives had surrendered on the surface, who could guarantee that these guys wouldn't be up to any tricks in secret?
If something happened to Shao Bowen, he would really be unable to atone for his guilt even if he died ten thousand times.
"Starting tomorrow, let the brothers work with these natives to build some wooden houses on the island as temporary resting places for the brothers, and then start repairing the dock! From now on, this will be our transit point. Only brothers who have passed the test can go to Spice Island, and the merchants responsible for transportation are not allowed to take another step forward once they arrive here!"