C278 Opium and foreign countries

Opium (Opium Arabic), also known as opiate, is from opium poppy plant capsule, containing more than 20 alkaloids, can be divided into phenanthrene and isoquinoline.

The former are morphine (about 10%) and cocaine, while the latter are papaverine.

Opium is black or brown because of its different origin; it has ammonia or old urine taste, bitter taste and strong smell. The raw opium can be boiled and fermented to produce refined opium, brown or golden in color. It gives off a sweet smell when smoked.

Obviously, what Xiao Wen was facing now was opium that had yet to be boiled and fermented.

Opium is a primary drug that is either black or brown in its origin. It has a strong odor of ammonia or stale urine. Generally, boiled and fermented, it becomes a ripe opium for human consumption, and is made into a lump or pie, which is brown or golden in color and has a sweet smell when inhaled.

Poppy, a symbolic plant of power regarded by archaeologists as transcendent, was discovered by accident during the Neolithic epoch when people roamed among the mountains on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean.

The cultivation of opium poppy began in Asia Minor and took a long time to spread throughout the ancient world. Opium from poppy plants is also more than 6,000 years old.

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of the seeds and fruits of the opium poppy in the Neolithic villages excavated in Switzerland in 4000 B.C.

By 3400 B.C., the crop had been grown in large areas in the two rivers of the Iraqi territory and was known as the Pleasant Plant.

At least in 2160 BC, opium became a veterinary and gynaecological drug.

In the excavated tomb of ancient Egypt in 1500 BC, the "Tibbs Opium" has become an advanced brand.

As early as 300 B.C., ancient Greece used opium as a popular beverage.

In the Bible and Homer's Odyssey, opium is described as a "worry-free drug," and God uses it.

At least in the second century BC, the famous Greek doctor Gallon recorded diseases that could be cured by opium: headache, dizziness, deafness, epilepsy, stroke, amblyopia, bronchitis, asthma, cough, hemoptysis, abdominal pain, jaundice, spleenosis, kidney stones, urinary problems, fever, edema, leprosy, menstrual irregularities, depression, anti-toxin, and insect bites.

Opium spread to China in 139 BC, when Zhang Qian was sent to the Western Regions. In the Three Kingdoms, the famous doctor Hua Tuo used marijuana and opium as anesthetic.

Two years after Tang Qianfeng (667 AD), opium imports were recorded, and the Arabian opium of the Tang dynasty was known as "Aphrodite".

In the "Kaibao Ben Grass", published in the Northern Song Dynasty, opium was designated as poppy millet, and the latter "millet" was removed by capsule.

It could be said that this thing was a very ancient drug.

In fact, Xiao Wen didn't have too much prejudice against opium. In this era where medical standards were very low, even though Xiao Wen himself didn't want to be contaminated with opium, if someone else used opium for medical purposes, he wouldn't say anything either.

After all, this was not someone's fault, but the fault of this world with poor productivity. It would be too much for Xiao Wen to criticize those doctors who used opium as a drug from a moral vantage point and from a God's perspective.

In fact, the main use is in medicine, even in the twenty-first century drugs are still used.

For example, Opium powder, Opium tablet, Compound Platycodon grandiflorum powder, Tonsilla powder, Amorphophallus tablet, etc., mainly used for relieving cough, relieving diarrhea and so on.

The number of imports per year is to be filled in by the Customs and the import tax is to be paid before the Customs agrees to import.

Generally speaking, opium is imported half-cooked. The main medical uses are anesthesia and staining.

But in about the 1600s, the Dutch brought North American Indian pipes and tobacco into China through Taiwan, where smokers began to appear.

It was so widespread that the rulers of China panicked, and Emperor Chong Zhen ordered a ban on smoking. Because opium had once been mixed with tobacco for consumption, unexpectedly, tobacco was banned, leading to the spread of pure opium.

It was not until the mid-18th century that Huang Yupu, an official of the Qing dynasty, first documented the process of opium consumption by Taiwanese people. He asserted that there was no way to get rid of an opium addict except by killing him or her.

Xiao Wen didn't reject anything that could make people happy. After all, before he crossed over, he had bought quite a few top-notch goods imported from the border of Yunnan — catnip, for his master to drink.

But as someone who grew up under the red flag, Xiao Wen was very wary of things that were addictive and dangerous.

After all, he was infected with cats, mechanical keyboards, and kitchen utensils before he teleported. Even after teleporting, it was difficult to stop him.

Xiao Wen would rather die than touch opium.

Therefore, facing the pressure of the orders, he chose to retaliate!

Xiao Wen knew that this order was nothing more than a piece of cake. He did not dare to offend any of the nobles.

Thus, Xiao Wen was quite at ease and didn't protect Sun Shangxiang and Yang Xiu. Instead, he directly launched an attack, intending to get rid of these people's leaders first, which was a grand command.

However, the plan was good and the reality was cruel.

Just as Xiao Wen was about to hit the order, a saber light flashed and blocked Xiao Wen's sword.

Weng! *

Xiao Wen looked at the sword in his hand. Even after the previous clash, this sword was still trembling due to the lack of strength.

His hand was numb.

"You're very strong!" The big fellow looked at Xiao Wen and suddenly said.

However, Xiao Wen could tell from this big guy's accent that he was a foreigner.

At this point, he looked and saw that the man was blond and had high eyes and a nose bridge. He was obviously a Nordic.

"I didn't expect to meet a foreigner here!" Xiao Wen coldly laughed, as if he was trying to stall for time and find a flaw.

Behind the burly man, the large order seemed to be showing off as he explained, "It should be said that I can only have foreigners here. If it was his own country, or even the people of the four kingdoms in the Qin, Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties, I would still have problems. Only a barbarian from the Far West like you would not bother about it. "

"That's true! In everyone's eyes, this kind of person was nothing more than an animal. "Of course it's not that eye-catching." Xiao Wen said.

This is a big country scenario. Before the humiliating Opium War of the nineteenth century, China had always been the world's most prosperous civilization.

Three thousand years ago, together with ancient Greece, we enlightened the human mind.

Two thousand years ago, together with the Romans, we erected a magnificent spectacle.

A thousand years ago, we competed with the Arabs in wealth.

Even five hundred years ago, the bright sun and the moon were the beacons of civilization.

The Chinese citizens naturally had the right to be proud of them.

Looking at this guy, Xiao Wen continuously swung his sword to test him.

Although the other party was very strong, it was obvious that he was unfamiliar with his techniques. He was not a warrior who had undergone systematic training.

So he said tentatively, "Let me guess where you are from."

"Mamluk of Egypt?"

The Mamluk of Egypt came from the Mongol conquest. At that time, the Mongols left the Inner Mongolia Plateau and marched west, fighting their way into Hungary and Poland.

Since Poland was still two or three hundred years away from the famous Spears of God, the whole of eastern Europe became a Mongolian turf.

At this time, the Venetian merchants who had heard about the business opportunities led their fleets all the way to the Black Sea. They found the Mongols and bought a large number of prisoners of war from them for a low price before reselling them to Egypt.

The Egyptians used these prisoners as slaves.

Because these Caucasians were gifted in combat, they quickly accumulated a good reputation.

And this was the origin of Mamluk.

He didn't have enough combat skills, but his fighting strength was pretty good. Looking at this guy in front of him, Xiao Wen immediately thought of the Mamluks, who were born in the Caucasus and had the blood of the warrior nation flowing in their veins.