In the past, some European and American countries captured whales in large quantities just to obtain whale oil. After removing the oil, they throw away any remaining whale carcasses. It was not until ocean-going ships became larger that they began to utilize whale meat, baleen, bones, tendons, etc.
Whale meat is mainly eaten by Nordic countries such as Norway and Denmark, as well as island countries such as Japan. Whiskers are mainly used as women's underwear. In the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean", the heroine was strangled by tight underwear. However, this technology only made greater progress in the mid-18th century. They inserted strips of whalebone, wood chips, and metal sheets into the center of the front of women's underwear, and then bent the whalebone according to the body curve in advance, embedded it in the body of the clothing, and placed it on the chest. There is also a curved baleen embedded horizontally on the upper edge of the clothes. The baleen on the back seems to be straight, forcing the shoulder blades to be pressed, making the back appear flat. The seams of the fabric are also very clever. It is said that the age of the corset can be judged from the number of embedded baleen and the treatment of the seams.
If the above are used as waste, the real impact on modern whaling activities is the particularity of whale oil. As a mechanical oil, whale oil is of very high quality. Most of this rare biological oil is used in rockets. Engine and metal industries, it is also a very good lubricant, rolling oil, and surfactant. Even though whales are so rare, the latter two uses are still in use today.
It can be said that the use of whales in modern society has basically reached its highest level. Of course, our use of all living creatures has reached a peak, but because whales have been over-exploited, they have become scarce. Facing the whale composed of countless hills, Huang Xuan felt excited and frustrated at the same time.
Spitsbergen is located in the Arctic Circle. Historically, from the beginning of the current era, Svalbard was the center of the entire Arctic whaling. The Netherlands, England, France, Spain, and Portugal were the former maritime powers and weak powers. Countries have once touched this area, and Arctic whales are on the verge of extinction after being hunted for more than a century.
The Japanese in the 1st century had already shifted their hunting position to Antarctica, so the problem arose. Bergen mainly hunted Arctic whales and a small number of other whales. However, in Huang Xuan's era, the total number of Arctic whales known to scientists may have been There are not as many as Green Bay at the moment. How to sell the Arctic Whale has become the biggest problem.
Mr. Governor didn't know what Huang Xuan was thinking, but he was obviously very interested in Huang Xuan's proposal. With the technology and consumption power of the 17th century, there were far more whale bodies thrown away than could be used. The two men smiled and said: "How should I call you? Mr. Ollila's messenger, or Mr. Nokia Company?"
"You can call me Huang Xuan, my father is Dutch." Huang Xuan said embarrassedly to his father and continued: "If you want, you can call me Philips, or Unilever, that's fine. "
Regarding his weird name, Wei Lu slightly pursed his lips and read obediently: "So Mr. Philips, what price do you want to exchange for our whales, or in other words, how much grain do you want to exchange for?"
The surrounding sailors are still working hard, but the officials of the East India Company have gathered around them. Most of them have little status in Europe. They were born in the lower class. Naturally, it is difficult to see yellow people, let alone A yellow man who speaks fluent Dutch.
Huang Xuan secretly retracted his hands into his sleeves. When he took them out again, they were already full of wheat. He opened his hands, stretched them in the air, and said, "Mr. Governor, what price do you think we should pay for such wheat?"
Wei Luwei didn't look at the grain in Huang Xuan's hand, but just smiled: "It depends on the price you are prepared to buy the whale at."
The group of people laughed again. It must be said that the habits of Europeans in this era are really vulgar and disgusting.
Huang Xuan put away the wheat with a smile, ignoring the ridicule of the people around him. He had encountered this situation countless times since he was a child. For example, his annoying cousins often like to gather together and laugh at others, but once the ridicule is ignored , these people will feel uncomfortable.
The big-nosed Dutchman was obviously not feeling well. He raised his head and said, "This is Mr. Philips, whose father is Dutch. This archipelago belongs to the Dutch. You should let your father do the talking."
Huang Xuan was about to answer, when someone said in less than standard Dutch: "Really?"
But it was a European from outside the circle. He had his shiny hair combed and his clothes were tied around his waist so that the sea breeze could not blow them. Compared with the gentlemen of the Dutch East India Company around him, his clothes were obviously quite different.
Wei Lu closed one eye slightly, then looked at the big orange beside him, who shook his head.
The European who interrupted consciously took a step forward, stood in front of everyone, and said, "When did this archipelago belong to the Dutch?"
This time, he spoke in Spanish.
In the 16th century, Spain was a superpower. It was precisely because of its oppression that the Netherlands rose up. Therefore, even if most Dutch people did not speak Spanish, they would always know it when they heard it. Just like many Chinese people today do not know English. , but when some people speak English, they still know how to call "Yankee" or "banana".
To the Dutch, the Spaniards were extremely hateful. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Dutch, who had not yet established world hegemony, had just started their career as sea coachmen, and the Spaniards were naturally resentful of their former little brother being their big brother. So when it was discovered that the person who interrupted was a Spanish guy, the Dutch's nose turned red.
Huang Xuan took a step back and was not prepared to get involved in the fight between the two. Moreover, according to Lorraine, Svalbard was originally discovered and named by the Dutch. According to the logic of this era, it naturally belongs to the Dutch. .
However, the newly joined Spaniard was obviously not as interested in fighting as he was in Huang Xuan. He adjusted his hat gracefully and turned to Huang Xuan: "Mr. Philips, please forgive me for my recklessness just now, and I apologize for overhearing your conversation."
Huang Xuan shrugged and said, "It doesn't matter." Just let it be unintentional, Europeans are all prudes.
"Do you mind if I take a look at the wheat you brought?"
"Of course not." Huang Xuan poured half of the wheat into the opponent's hand.
"Very plump wheat grains. In Europe, 1,000 pounds would be worth 50 silver coins." The Spaniard handed the wheat grains to Huang Xuan with a smile and said, "My name is Juan, do you mind if I join this deal?"
"Of course not." In fact, Huang Xuan was very welcoming. He turned his eyes to Juan and said, "Do you want to trade with me in reals?" Reals are Spanish silver coins, which are still considered hard currency.
"Florin is fine too." Juan smiled and glanced at Wei Luwei.
In front of the banknotes, Wei Luwei also forgot about the hatred between his country and his family. He pushed the big orange beside him and said, "Did Sir Philip bring wheat?"
"Six boats, and rice, sir."
Lorraine faithfully translated Huang Xuan's words, and this sentence completely ignited the enthusiasm of the big noses.
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