Yuzhang came in a hurry, his face flushed with shame, and he entered the room with a bit of anger. Jinyang, who was practicing calligraphy, put down his pen, looked at Yuzhang in surprise and asked: "Sister Huang, are you provoking me? I have never seen this before.
You have been so angry, tell Sizi, and Sizi will help you vent your anger, are you the prince's brother?"
Yuzhang, who looked embarrassed, hesitated to speak.
Jinyang became even more curious: "It can't be the fourth brother, right? Then it's Sizi who made the emperor angry?"
"No, don't talk nonsense, it's Qin Huaidao." Yu Zhang said angrily, his face turned red to the ears.
"Just be angry when you're angry. Why are you blushing?" Jin Yang asked curiously.
"Yes, yes..." Yu Zhang was too embarrassed to say it, it was too embarrassing.
Jin Yang became even more curious. He came forward, pulled Yuzhang's sleeves, and asked coquettishly: "Sister Huang, what's wrong with you, brother Huai Dao? You're blushing. Isn't it him who bullied you?"
Then you have to tell your father and let him take responsibility."
"No, it's...hey!" Yuzhang thought that he couldn't hide the matter, and plucked up the courage to say: "That bastard, he...he actually said he didn't want to marry me, and also said he wanted to marry a few more, and spread his wings.
, he is simply a scoundrel.”
"Pfft——" Jinyang couldn't hold back and laughed.
"You are still laughing, he bullies me and looks down on me." Yu Zhang said depressedly.
"You are really... a fan of the authorities." Jin Yang didn't know what to say, so he asked: "If you were Brother Huai Dao, would you like to be the princess?"
Yuzhang is not young, he knows everything he should know, and he suddenly wakes up: "You mean, that bastard doesn't want to marry me, but he doesn't want to marry the princess, but I am the princess, according to the regulations of the court..."
"It's different. We seem to be rich and precious, but what's the reality? As a princess, my father has the final say on the wedding banquet. It's good that my father can ask for your opinion and marry you to the man you like. You can
Be content. Brother Huaidao is a versatile man in both civil and military affairs. It’s not like you don’t know about all the big things he has done recently. Who else in the whole dynasty can do it?" Jin Yang woke up angrily.
"But what does it mean that he refused to marry? He also said that he wanted to marry more, spread his ideas, and said it was Uncle Qin's wish. His father became so angry that he almost chopped off his head." Yu Zhang said depressedly.
Said, which woman doesn’t like to be cared for and sought after by others?
"Really refused?" Jin Yang asked.
When Yu Zhang heard this, he became a little nervous and his face turned redder: "In the end, it didn't happen. I heard that the pharmacist uncle quietly persuaded me something, but no one heard me, so I agreed."
"That's alright. Do you really want to monopolize Brother Huai Dao by yourself? He's so good, can you monopolize him? Besides, in the future I will also marry a brother Huai Dao, let's make an agreement." Jin Yang said and turned over.
A roll of eyes.
"That's different!"
"For a moment, don't think too much. As long as he marries you, you will be his wife. Don't be a jealous wife and ruin your reputation. There are so many consorts, who doesn't have a bed warmer? It's not like you don't know about the personal maid He'er beside him. Besides,
, who can be better than Brother Huai Dao? If you are really angry and don’t want to marry, tell your father, he will definitely agree. But, can the entire Tang Dynasty find a better candidate than Brother Huai Dao? "
After talking for a while, Yuzhang fell silent.
Jin Yang didn't try to persuade him anymore and went back to practice calligraphy. He suddenly thought of something and asked: "Since my father is interested and you are also willing, and he didn't refuse in the end, this matter will most likely be done. You should prepare a gift."
Give it to him, and after a few days, let's go to Qinjiazhuang, we haven't been there for a long time."
"No, it's too cold today, you can't go out yet."
"You're going to be locked up stupidly." Jin Yang looked depressed.
Yuzhang looked at Jinyang with some distress, but still insisted on not letting go. Jinyang had no choice but to say: "How about asking him to come over? How about I help you ask why he refused?"
"I'm not ashamed, how can I ask this out of my mouth? Also, before the imperial edict is issued, there will be variables in this matter, but you can't talk nonsense, it will have a bad impact." Yu Zhang said quickly.
"Hey, I'm nervous now. I also know that the imperial edict has not been issued. Who was so angry just now? Why don't I tell my father that you are angry and don't agree?" Jin Yang joked.
"Are you trying to make me angry?" Yu Zhang stepped forward and scratched his itch.
The two sisters were quarreling together, and their silver bell-like laughter spread far away.
…
Qin Huaidao was not aware of Yuzhang's dissatisfaction. He returned to the Supervisory Office from the Ministry of Industry and told Cheng Chumo and Yuchi Baolin about the matter.
Said: "The last batch of precious medicinal materials was sold for more than 35,000 yuan, and they are all here."
"Great, Brother Cheng, you take some money to buy medicine. I will give you a list and prepare more. It will be used for this expedition. Let's save it first and ask the Holy Master for reimbursement when we come back. Is that okay?" Qin Huaidao was overjoyed.
, I was worried about not having money to prepare supplies, but now I don’t have to worry about it.
"No problem." The two of them agreed. With the medicine, everyone's chance of survival would be much greater.
Qin Huaidao quickly wrote the order, handed it to Cheng Chumo and said: "After buying it, find a room to store it, and make it before departure to avoid it getting damaged over time. In addition, the expedition is top secret and cannot be leaked."
"Understood, let's go shopping now." Cheng Chumo agreed.
Qin Huaidao thought for a while and said to Yuchi Baolin: "Take some people to buy drinks, the most common kind, the more the better, send them directly to my house, it will be useful."
"They were also sent out for conquest?" Yuchi Baolin asked curiously.
"That's right, just send twenty jars of wine over one day. The wine must be brewed mainly from sorghum. Otherwise, it's not good to buy the cheap ones. It's too expensive and wasteful. You can't buy much with this little money." Qin Huaidao warned.
"The wine brewed from sorghum is not good to drink, it is turbid and sweet." Yuchi Baolin reminded.
"It's not for drinking, go ahead." Qin Huaidao didn't explain much.
Yuchi Baolin was a little confused. What was he doing with the drink? But seeing that Qin Huaidao didn't want to say anything, he didn't ask any more questions and made arrangements in a hurry. Qin Huaidao followed him out.
Not long after, Qin Huaidao returned to the house and found the house carpenter to help him make three sets of distillation equipment. It happened that the house also had three large pots and three stoves, which were used for tea frying. Now they are idle and can be started at the same time.
The wine of Datang can only be regarded as brewed wine, not distilled. It is not pure enough, looks turbid, tastes bad, is not fragrant and sweet enough, and does not have that hot and mellow feeling when you drink it. In the final analysis, the alcohol content is not enough.
, it needs to be distilled, that is, purified.
Take the brewed wine and put it in a pot to burn. The vaporization point of alcohol is 78.3°C. When this temperature is reached and maintained, vaporized alcohol can be obtained. If the vaporized alcohol is input into the pipeline and cooled, it will become liquid alcohol, which is what later generations will know.
Liquor.
Different cooling processes result in different wine purity.
The best distillation tool is a tin urn. Tin cannot be obtained in a short period of time, and it is troublesome to build. We can only use wooden equipment. Fortunately, there is a well in the house. The water is cold in winter, so it is a good coolant.
This kind of distillation technology, which was used in later generations, was still advanced in the Tang Dynasty and could not be easily leaked out. After Yuchi Baolin sent twenty large jars of wine, Qin Huaidao drove away the irrelevant personnel, leaving only a few women who helped fry tea last time.
, Jia Youcai must have been the most trustworthy when he chose them to make tea.
After some confidentiality requirements were explained, Qin Huaidao taught everyone about distillation. The most difficult thing was to control the temperature of the fire and keep it at 78.3°C as much as possible. Without a thermometer, he could only rely on feeling and experience. Qin Huaidao could not accurately grasp it and could only make a rough estimate.
Replacing the coolant is relatively simple. Just change it when you see that there is less wine coming out of the outlet. Don't do it too frequently, otherwise the distillation barrel will be cold, and the steamed wine will be mixed, containing a variety of low-boiling point substances, and the alcohol content will not be enough.
Looking at the slowly flowing liquid, the air was filled with the aroma of wine, and the women doing the work felt magical. They realized that they had mastered an incredible skill. They were all overjoyed and were very grateful to Qin Huaidao. Seeing that Qin Huaidao would
Pour away the spilled wine. Everyone was curious but didn't dare to ask.
Qin Huaidao didn't explain. The first wine to come out is also called the first wine. It has more impurities, and the later ones are better. I tried some. It was about 40 degrees and it didn't meet the requirements. But it doesn't matter. I went back and distilled it again.
, evaporating the water to dryness can reach over 60 degrees, and can be used to rinse wounds.
In a whole day, everyone steamed all twenty jars of wine, thinking they could breathe a sigh of relief, but Qin Huaidao asked everyone to start over again after dinner.
The alcohol distilled this time had a much higher alcohol content, and it was very hot after drinking it. Qin Huaidao breathed a sigh of relief with satisfaction. With these alcohols, the survival rate of the soldiers has greatly increased. After throwing the distillation to everyone, he came to the scene with a small jar.
In the study room, I am going to have a few drinks while studying the map.
Not long after we sat down, a servant came to report that Li Jing was visiting.
Qin Huaidao quickly invited the person into the study, sat down and said, "Uncle Li came just in time. I have some questions about the Khitan War that I would like to ask you for advice."
"I also came here for the Khitan War. Hey, it smells so good." Li Jing looked at the wine jar, suddenly thought of something, and asked in surprise: "Is this the high-quality liquor you mentioned, the kind that can heal wounds?"
"Exactly, Uncle Li, give it a try." Qin Huaidao poured a small cup over.
Li Jing was a little unconvinced: "Why, it's just that little. Are you being stingy, or are you looking down on my ability to drink? In the past, I also drank from a large bowl in the army."
"It's different. Your health is not as good as before. Let's try it first. Is it possible to skip your wine?" Qin Huaidao said with a smile.
Li Jing looked at Qin Huaidao doubtfully. He shouldn't be a stingy person. This wine was really famous, but it was too small. He took a sip and drank it down with great enthusiasm.
"Ahem!"
The next moment, Li Jing couldn't help but cough. A burning feeling rushed to the top of his head, and his whole body was burning. It was warm and comfortable, and the cold feeling along the way was gone.
Li Jing tasted this feeling carefully. It was mellow, long, spicy, but also had endless aftertaste. He couldn't help but praise: "Good wine, strong enough. After drinking this wine, any other wine will be bland and tasteless."
Qin Huaidao heard the sound of the strings and knew the elegant meaning, and immediately said: "Take this altar with you when you leave. When the next generation honors you, don't tell it. This wine is not easy to brew and will waste food. The Tang Dynasty is short of food. If it is spread, it will be spread by hundreds of people."
Official impeachment, if it were not necessary for the Khitan War, we would not dare to brew it."
"It's good that you know that if you waste food, you really can't make more wine. The people will not be able to eat enough. Food is expensive, and a reputation for wasting food can ruin you." Li Jing said happily.
"It's extremely cold in the north. If we exchange wine for cattle and sheep, we should be able to make a lot of money, and the people can also eat more meat and farm cattle. Unfortunately, there is not enough food and we can't produce much. Sorghum doesn't have high land requirements. Can the court let it go?"
If you allocate a piece of mountainous land for me to grow sorghum, I can buy countless cattle and sheep for the imperial court." Qin Huaidao asked.
"This is a way, but the mountainous area is barren and mainly sandy soil, which cannot produce grain, and sorghum is not easy to grow. Do you have a way?" Li Jing asked rhetorically.
"There is a way." Qin Huaidao said confidently. Sorghum is a crop that is resistant to barrenness and salt. It can achieve a certain yield no matter what kind of soil it is planted in. It can yield a certain amount of yield in sandy loam soil with fertile soil, high organic matter content and good soil structure.
Highest.
Li Jing did not believe it and reminded: "The imperial court once tried to open up wasteland to plant sorghum, but it did not grow high, the grains were thin, and the harvest was very small. Are you sure you can do it?"
"I'm sure there's no problem." Qin Huaidao looked confident. He can't grow taller and his grains are thin because of nutritional deficiencies. This can be completely solved by fertilizing. Of course, it's not a simple fertilization. The fertilizer needs to be processed, that is, retting, and the soil quality needs to be improved first.
, for example, plant a season of soybeans first. Soybean root nodules can fix nitrogen, which is of great benefit to improving soil quality.
But these are very troublesome to explain, so Qin Huaidao simply didn’t explain them.
Seeing that Qin Huaidao was not joking, Li Jing said seriously: "This is very good. I have some fiefdom, half of which is mountainous land, about a thousand acres, so I will give it to you for a try. If it can really work, the Holy Emperor will definitely be moved."
"Let's talk about this later. Let's talk about the Khitans, shall we?" Qin Huaidao changed the subject.
"Any ideas?"
Qin Huaidao had just studied the map and found that the Khitan activity area was roughly in the east of the Horqin Grassland and the west of the Nenjiang Plain in later generations. The core location should be Baicheng City, Jilin Province in later generations. Pointing to the map, he said: "Uncle Li, north of the Khitan is Shiwei
, ignore him. To the east is Goguryeo, and to the west is the Eastern Turks, which is the territory of the Anbei Protectorate. Now that the Khitan has a rebellious heart, it must focus on defending the west and beware of the imperial army going directly eastward from the west. To the south of the Khitan is the Great
The boundary of Hedong Road in Tang Dynasty."
"You mean to march from Hedong Road?" Li Jing asked. Seeing Qin Huaidao nodding with determination, he continued: "Aren't you afraid of Goguryeo's intervention? The Khitan dared to jump into a small area, and I'm afraid they have reached some kind of tacit understanding with Goguryeo.
, once the whereabouts are exposed, the consequences will be endless.”
"Only when the troops move in danger can they be surprised." Qin Huaidao said with a confident smile.
"Having said that, the risk is too great. Once exposed, five thousand people will not be able to reach Khitan."
Qin Huaidao smiled: "Uncle Li, even you think so, and others think so too, so this direction is the safest. Of course, Uncle Li's worries are not unreasonable, so the army must march in secret."
"You are too courageous, so you are not afraid that someone in the court will leak the secret. Don't forget that many people are watching secretly. They will be alert as soon as you disappear." Li Jing reminded.
"So, I need an imperial edict from the imperial court. You can find any reason to punish me to go home and reflect. The door of the house is closed to thank guests. It's not a big problem. In addition, the imperial court needs to give me a defense document. Of course, the name cannot be me, but the Turkic Army.
General, our hidden troops will not come out to avoid being exposed, and we will rush to Hedong Road in the name of the army's defense change, so that we can safely supply supplies along the way and arrive smoothly."
Li Jing nodded and agreed: "It's a good idea to hide it from the enemy. The Ministry of War openly mobilizes the army, and it's the Turkic army. No one will think twice about it. Find a few reliable points along the way to rest and replenish supplies. It's not a big problem. Your Majesty is the most likely.
The one who was mobilized was the commander of Zhihusi Li. He was once the chief of the Zhihui tribe. The Tibetan invaders invaded the border a few days ago, and Zhihusi was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Brandao march. This man is brave and good at fighting, alert and flexible, and he is also a talented person."
Qin Huaidao didn't know much about this person, but he believed in Li Jing's judgment and asked with some worry: "Uncle Li, the juniors will definitely seize his military power by then, will there be no problem?"
"The Turks value force. As long as you are strong enough, they will listen to you. Besides, the Holy Emperor will take care of this matter. Don't worry. How will we fight after reaching Hedong Road?"
"That's good." Qin Huaidao breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Uncle Li, the battlefield is changing rapidly, and the terrain is unfamiliar and there is no intelligence. Now we are talking about war on paper, so we can only act according to circumstances."
When Li Jing heard this, he smiled happily. If Qin Huaidao's talk was really unrealistic, Li Jing would definitely dissuade the emperor from sending people again or even cancel the operation. He smiled and said: "That's good. Isn't it a rough plan?"
"Yes, we have few people, unfamiliar terrain, and lack of intelligence. The best strategy is mobile warfare. Constantly changing positions, pretending to attack others, and muddying the water. To sum up, 'the enemy advances and we retreat, the enemy is stationed and we harass, and the enemy is tired.
I fight, and when the enemy retreats, I pursue him."
"What a sixteen-character formula." Li Jing praised it, his eyes sparkling. As a master of military art, he naturally has a unique vision and extraordinary knowledge. He could see the subtlety at a glance and said excitedly: "When the enemy advances, we retreat, and when the enemy is stationed, we retreat."
I harass, the enemy is tired and I attack, the enemy retreats and I pursue them, this method is excellent, it is the highest essence of using Qi, it cannot be surpassed, it is a great virtue, I want to shamelessly write it into the book of war?"
"Uh...use it as you like." Qin Huaidao said nonchalantly.
"Don't worry, I will definitely mark what you said." Li Jing said solemnly.
"No need?"
"It has to be like this. How can I plagiarize your ideas? If this method wasn't so exquisite, I would have been embarrassed to speak. I was a little worried at first. But after hearing what you said, I am completely relieved." Li Jing said solemnly.
Qin Huaidao smiled and said: "Actually, this sixteen-character formula is not only about using strange things. It can also be used by dignified divisions. Large corps fights with multiple arms. The combination of right and strange is true and false. It is based on one mind. It is impossible to guard against it. Only then can it be commanded. The highest level, sublimating skills into Tao, is the highest pursuit of military strategists."
"A large corps, fighting with multiple arms, combining the right and the odd, and speaking from skills, is the highest secret of military strategism, great kindness." Li Jing praised excitedly: "I have also been thinking about large corps tactics in my recent book, but I have not thought enough about multiple arms. I would like to remind you. Okay, but the Tang army consisted of cavalry and infantry. The infantry was divided into weapons, archers, crossbows, etc. The types of arms were limited. I remember you mentioned that changes in weapons affected the use of tactics. Today we also presented the repeating crossbow. So we can see Are there other new weapons? How many types of arms can there be?"
"This is too long to talk about. Let's wait until we have thoroughly studied the "Secret Book of Objects" obtained by the pre-Qin warlocks' caves before we talk." Qin Huaidao ended the conversation decisively. If he continued to talk about it, he would reveal a lot of things and it was inappropriate.
Li Jing said regretfully: "Then you should study it as soon as possible. If you have any results, we will discuss it together, so that I can write it into the Military Book. Don't worry, I plan to re-edit the Military Book, and I will sign it with your name when the time comes."
"Ah... this is not appropriate. How can you sign my name on your masterpiece?"
"It should be so. When I talk to you about the art of war, I gain new insights and inspirations every time. I benefit a lot. I should thank you. How can I be greedy for credit?" Li Jing said solemnly.
"this……"
"No need to say more, this matter is settled as it is, otherwise I will have no shame to compile the essence of your art of war into the book. No, I have to go to the Holy One to discuss the Sixteen-Character Jue together. The Holy One is also good at war, and is especially good at surprises. I will definitely like it. , with this method, Your Majesty will feel more at ease about your going to Khitan."
Qin Huaidao understood a little when he heard this. Li Jing was entrusted by Li Er and wanted to know how he would fight. No wonder he asked so carefully, but it was understandable that no one would be worried about such a big thing. With great trust, he handed the wine over and said with a smile: "Uncle Li, take it to have a night talk with the Holy Lord holding a candle. It will be a great pleasure. Don't drink too much. You will get drunk easily. It's best to eat something to cushion your body. Don't hurt your body." .”
"Such a great kindness! I will also tell the Holy One what I just said and cooperate with us. If you need anything else, just say it." Li Jing took it excitedly.
"I need some herbs and this kind of wine. I will prepare it first and go back to the Holy One to write it off. The Holy One will not default on the debt, right? In addition, it is best to wait until the serial crossbow is ready before setting off. It is best if Yuan Zheng is around. No one expects that it will happen at this time. Send troops." Qin Huaidao said with a smile, Yuanzheng is the New Year, also called New Year's Day.
"Hahaha, it's easy to say that you can win the battle by clearing the accounts. The yuan is just right, it's unexpected, it's very consistent with the art of war, it's great!" Li Jing laughed with satisfaction and walked out.
Qin Huaidao sent the people out of the house and returned to the study to continue studying the map while thinking about tactics.
The candlelight danced and it was silent.
The cold wind was blowing outside the window, knocking on the window, trying to sneak in.