CHAPTER XVIII

"Xiang Yuan Toucheng Sixteen Prefectures Xixia Xiao is full of worries"

Distillation and purification have gradually improved, and Su Hua doesn't want to stay any longer.

There will be no accidents from the supervision of the old building, Su Hua turned around and walked towards the carving workshop again, since the alcohol has been proposed, then brewing wine is basically a sure thing. The next step is how to package and promote the reputation of his winery, which is the management of the master carver Lu Chen, and is currently working on the firing of Shengjiu porcelain. Su Hua not only has to be packaged independently, but also to create a special brand, just by virtue of the packaging, it will beat other brewing industries.

The carving workshop is more modest than the distillery, except for the firing cave, which is a small square filled with fired porcelain. It is all open-air work, which is convenient for the work of the workers and saves the time of construction. Lu Chen was holding the wine bottle drawings given by Su and was carving on the workbench.

The blue porcelain vase is larger than a palm, 70 centimeters high, and can hold about 500 milliliters of wine.

The four sides are carved with the four seasons of the south of the Yangtze River, and the bottleneck is transcribed with the words "General Brew" in gold, and there is a special anti-counterfeiting number behind it. Su Hua also arranged everything carefully in order to protect the interests, and each bottle has a unique number and date. This is clearly recorded according to the worker number and the outflow of alcohol, so that if there is a problem with one party, the source can be found immediately.

Lu Chen saw that it was Su Hua, and put down the carving knife in his hand. "Young master, your stick figure is magical. The old man has been carving for so many years, but it is the first time he has seen such a lifelike painting. ”

"Master Lu is still your craftsmanship, without your skills, this is not a beautiful painting, and you can't get it on the porcelain vase."

Su Hua picked up the porcelain vase and looked at it carefully, the master is the master, and the craftsmanship is not to be said.

"Just the four seasons in the south of the Yangtze River, I always feel that there is a little bit of charm missing."

Hearing Lu Chen say this, Su Hua also felt that the scenery was indeed too monotonous: "Why don't you add a poem?" ”

"That's a good idea, I don't know what poem the young master plans to engrave?"

"Gangnam scenery? General Brew? Drunk? Hangover? Su Hua muttered in his mouth, his mind recalling what suitable verses there were.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration: "Grape wine glow-in-the-dark cup, if you want to drink the pipa, urge immediately." Drunk and lying on the battlefield, how many people came back to fight in ancient times? How is the poem? ”

Lu Chen kept chanting this poem, the young master is the young master, "Wonderful! It's really the finishing touch. With that, he picked up the carving knife and carved the poem.

"It's just the Four Seasons series, which is sold to high-end restaurants and weathered places. There will be a special supply of general brew in the future, and this kind of packaging and porcelain bottles will be more demanding and sold in the capital. As for the common people, we also have corresponding countermeasures. Master Lu, all of this is going to trouble you to be more careful. ”

"Don't worry, young master, just leave it to the old man."

After finishing the trivial work in the workshop, Su Hua went to the barracks to inspect again. The guard changed another batch of recruits who failed the training, and they had all seen Su Hua's skills in the school field, so they obediently let them go.

Summoned Duan Sandao and others to take a political class, because the teaching environment in the house was always dark at night.

Second, the distance from the General's Mansion to the barracks is not short, and the problem of resting for everyone must also be solved, so Su Hua took time out to teach in the tent in the army in the afternoon, and the thirty-six plans were slowly handed over to them. And their learning ability did not live up to Su Hua's expectations, and they gradually grew up one by one, and they all had the ability to take charge of their own affairs. Duan Sandao was busy training, so he lived in the barracks during this time. The same is true for Xuan Jizi, his medical team is also slowly expanding, and with the medical points of Su Hua's later generations, the health concept of this army has been raised to a higher level.

After dealing with these things again, it was already unitary time, and Su Hua rushed home.

When he returned to the General's Mansion, Su Hua finally waited for his long-awaited guest, Xiang Yuan.

Chao Siwan thought that this benevolent brother had finally figured it out, and now that he came to the General's Mansion, it showed that Su Hua's plan was stable nine times out of ten.

Today's Xiang Yuan's complexion is good, and with Su Hua's arrangement, he has also experienced a rich life.

From 9 to 5 in the morning, there were subordinates to serve, and his parents also praised him for his ability to follow a good owner. But he knew in his heart that if he really took refuge in Su Hua, he would completely betray Western Xia. How not to take refuge in Su Hua, the glory and wealth he got are all fleeting. Su Hua only bought him a mansion maid, but he had to pay for the expenses himself.

This thing is like, there is a piece of rotten meat on your hand, and it will be good to cut it off, and you can only endure the pain if you don't cut it. Besides, he was very righteous to Xixia, and did Xixia take anything to compensate him? Whenever he sees his parents who show happiness, he is extremely entangled in his heart. Finally, today Xiang Yuan made up his mind to take refuge in Su Hua to have a way out.

When he went to the barracks in the morning, the recruits didn't know him. Originally, with the token, he could find Duan Sandao and others, but the soldiers guarding the gate told him that Duan Sandao was still busy training, and he couldn't see anyone except the major general, so Xiang Yuan could only return with a feather. I inquired about the location of the General's Mansion again, but Su Hua went out again at that time. The subordinate told him that at least Su Hua would come back at night, and he simply sat under the wall of the General's Mansion and waited for Su Hua to come back.

Xiang Yuan saw Su Hua on horseback, hurriedly stood up, and patted the dust off his buttocks.

"Major General, you can come back, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Su Hua turned over and dismounted, and now the initiative was in his hands, leading the horse unhurriedly: "Don't worry, I've waited for so long, my mouth is dry, let's talk about it when I enter the house." ”

The subordinate took the reins from Su Hua's hand and took Lao Hei to feed, "Has Miss come back?" ”

"Back to the young master, the young lady went out with Huanxi, and I didn't see you back."

"Got it, take care of the old black. By the way, make a pot of good tea and send it to Tingyu Pavilion. ”

"Yes."

Su Hua led Xiang Yuan directly to the Listening Rain Pavilion, why did you want to listen to the Rain Pavilion, you will know later.

motioned for Xiang Yuan to sit down, and the tea brewed by the subordinate was also served. Xiang Yuan looked impatient, and Su Hua took a sip of tea lightly. Although it was a little bitter, the alcohol also came out, and Xiang Yuan also came to the door, no matter how bitter the tea was, it was delicious.

"Major General, I..."

"Don't worry, Brother Xiang, drink tea first." Su Hua looked at Xiang Yuan and urged with a look of wanting to speak, Xiang Yuan sighed helplessly, so he had to pick up the cup and drink the tea in the cup.

"Major General, I...."

"It's soulless to drink like this, what about tea, you have to drink it slowly and carefully to drink the taste of tea."

Su Hua interrupted Xiang Yuan's conversation again, he didn't calm down Su Hua said anything in vain, he was anxious Su Hua was more anxious than him, but at least let Xiang Yuan completely surrender to him, at least let him not mess with himself in his state of mind.

Su Hua poured Xiang Yuan a cup of tea, only to see Xiang Yuan slowly pick up the cup. took a sip and smashed his mouth again, the expression on his face wrinkled: "This tea is so bitter!" ”

"No, this tea is not bitter at all. Compared with Brother Xiang's years in Western Xia, it is extremely sweet. Su Hua poured another cup for Xiang Yuan, "Are you drinking it now?" Does it still have a bitter taste? ”

"It's not bitter anymore, but it's still a little dry."

"If it weren't for the General's Mansion, if you drank this tea again, it would only feel bitter."

Su Hua took another sip of tea, "There are only two kinds of people in my eyes, one is that they can be friends, and that is heart-to-heart." One is the enemy, which is the one who wants to use the knife. ”

Su Hua put the teacup on the table and looked at Xiang Yuan, he had already made his words clear.

"Major General, Xiang Yuan came with sincerity."

Su Hua played with the teacup on the table and said, "Sincerity is not lip service. ”

Xiang Yuan took out a parchment book larger than the fold from his jacket pocket and handed it to Su Hua, which was his greatest sincerity.

"The city defense map of the sixteen passes of Western Xia, the general will check it."

When Su Hua heard this, he suddenly came to his senses, took Xiang Yuan's package and opened the parchment. The huge sheepskin map depicts the topographical distribution of the Xixia Pass fortress, waterways, mountain roads, and paths... It's all drawn. Moreover, Xiang Yuan is also proficient in the Tang Dynasty script, and he also used the Tang Dynasty script to mark the name of each place, which is enough for his heart.

Su Hua has never been to Western Xia, so he can't help but wonder about the authenticity of the map.

"Don't doubt it, the young man has joined the army since he was a child. I have been in all the sixteen states of Western Xia, so I have a clear understanding of the terrain. It is precisely because of this that he was selected to work in the Western Xia Palace. The young general treats me like a mountain, Xiang Yuan came to surrender today, not to send flowers and wealth, but to be the young master. The gods and Buddhas go up again, violating today's oath, and Xiang Yuan cannot be reborn by reincarnation. ”

Xiang Yuan stood up, walked to Su Xiang, and kowtowed his head heavily.

The Western Xia believed that the gods and Buddhas of the heavens were extremely respected, and the oath of the gods and Buddhas was a proof of their allegiance.

Su Hua is an atheist, and he is also a little skeptical after the crossing. There is a god in his head, although he still has a mustard for Xiang Yuan in his heart, but he does not suspect that he is not suspicious. Su Hua hurriedly helped Xiang Yuan up: "Brother Xiang is serious, since you choose to join my disciple, then you are Su Hua's brother." ”

On a crisp autumn evening, the moment when Su Hua unified the economy of Liangzhou began.

Su Hua stood on the side of the desk and pointed to the things drawn on the paper, and slowly explained:

"Yinchuan is located in the border of Western Xia and Liao, and is connected to the hinterland of Liangzhou, the border of the Tang Dynasty. After many years of drying up and barren people, all forces have no intention of plotting, and they have pushed Yinchuan to a three-way zone. And it is such a place, but in the eyes of this general, it is a fertile field. ”

Su Hua looked at Xiang Yuan, who was puzzled, and said: "This thing is called Mineral Iron, and its function is to forge steel. Its processing skills are only possessed by this general in the world. I want you to go to Yinchuan to build a large team, gather all the people together, so that they will not be displaced, you can only provide food and shelter or distribute silver taels, and you can settle your father and old folks, and you can pocket all the mining land in Yinchuan. According to the Liangzhou waterway, minerals can be quickly transported to Jiangnan. ”

"Young master, the villain doesn't understand the principle of prospecting, I'm afraid it's difficult to do it."

Xiang Yuan was a little worried, it was a good thing to be able to help the people in his hometown, but he didn't know anything about minerals, not only would it delay Su Hua's major event but also consume a lot of money.

"You are not in a hurry about this, I thought you didn't understand the Tang Dynasty script, but after seeing the map, everything is easy to do."

Su Hua took out the mineral knowledge and economic concepts he had prepared for a long time from the drawer under his desk and handed it to Xiang Yuan.

"The title of this book is "Steel and the Rich", remember not to let outsiders see it, and if you understand it, it is better to burn it. The book records how to find minerals, how to run a caravan, and how to use Liangchuan to control the economic lifeline of Liangzhou. Time is still very rich, as long as you read this book, I will send an army to protect your safety and escort you to Yinchuan at that time. ”

Because there are too many minerals, Su Hua only wrote about how to distinguish ore iron and coal, and the role is only a passing touch, there are some things that Su Hua does not intend to tell him, and the back is written about management, how to use money to control a city Many examples.

Xiang Yuan took the book and was excited. The name of this book sounds like someone else's, it must be a strange book. hurriedly put away his shirt and swore to Su Hua that he would not let others see it, and he would study hard.

I talked to Xiang Yuan about some things again, and at this time, Fu Bolai reported that Chu Wanqiu was coming.

Xiang Yuan knew that Su Hua had guests and planned to say goodbye and go home to study this strange book. I wanted to keep Xiang Yuan for dinner, but after thinking about it, I still told him to come tomorrow morning and take him to the workshop to have a look. Xiang Yuan said goodbye, Fu Bo went to see him off, and Su Hua went to the lobby.

Chu Wanqiu was still dressed like that, and she was still sitting in the position where she was sitting in the morning.

Su Hua said hello embarrassedly, after all, people ran for him for no reason. It's so late, obviously she can send a subordinate to inform her, and she came to the door in person, which shows her value. What Su Hua didn't know was that he was remembered by others.

"I'm tired of Miss Chu today."

"Where is the major general, it must be that the little woman did nothing to help that day." Chu Wanqiu saluted Su Hua, although he was born in industry and commerce, his temperament was comparable to that of a prince's daughter.

"If you don't like it, then eat in the house. I cooked it myself as a token of appreciation. ”

Su Hua thought that people had helped him so much, and it was also appropriate to leave them for a meal. The skills of the chef in the house are not bad, but there are still some differences with his own taste, so he simply cooks himself.

"It is said that the gentleman is far away from cooking, and the young general can also cook?"

"When will the people starve to death, you see if they will talk about the kitchen. Besides, how can you not know how to cook when marching and fighting. ”

"The major general is really fast-talking." Chu Wanqiu covered her mouth and smiled, "That little woman is disrespectful." ”

Su Hua instructed Fu Bo to entertain Chu Wanqiu, so he rolled up his sleeves and walked to the kitchen.

and asked the next person to go to the market to call Su Linglong back. This little girl, she forgot to go home when she was playing. What time is it, and I'm still messing around outside.

The cooking skills of Datang are all stuck in the era of wood-fired iron pots, and most stir-fried dishes only have salt and oil.

The seasonings are dogwood, shallots, and ginger are basic, and chili garlic is not, and the substitutes are pepper and garlic. The people of the Tang Dynasty think that they are all things of different races, so they do not eat them often.

The chef in the house, Lian Ding, is a middle-aged man, I don't know if it's because he has been in the kitchen all the year round and has been smoked, which causes his face to be dark. His relatives call him Lian Lao Hei, who is honest and honest, and he works diligently on weekdays.

Lian Laohei, who was scraping fish scales in the small courtyard, saw Su Hua coming, and put down the work in his hand: "Young master, how can you come to the kitchen." This is the place of pickles, young master..."

"Why can't I come, what pickled place? It's just that some literati are proud of themselves. Su Hua said indifferently, and looked behind Lian Laohei, "Eat fish tonight?" ”

"Miss said that she likes to eat fish, so Fuber sent me to buy it, and after scraping the scales, you can put it in the pot."

"Let you go on vacation for one night, go and rest, I'll cook tonight's meal."

Su Hua was about to walk into the kitchen, but was blocked by Lian Laohei.

"Young master, no, if Fu Bo knows, Lao Hei will be scolded."

"Fauber already knows, let it go."

Lian Laohei had never seen Su Hua cooking, and he thought it was a whim. Putting aside the safety of the kitchen for the time being, everything is in hand, and he hurriedly shook his head: "That's not good, the young master still let me come." ”

"Lian Laohei, why do you have a tendon?"

Su Hua was a little amused in anger, and could only threaten, "If you don't get out of the way, General Ben will serve you in the family law." ”

Hearing Su Hua say this, Lian Laohei made way for Su Hua. In order to prevent accidents, he still watched Su Hua at the kitchen door, and if there was any problem, he could deal with it immediately.

Su Hua glanced at the kitchen utensils, and the ingredients were pork, tofu, vegetables and carp, and there were some steamed buns in the steaming drawer. Su Hua has a rough idea in his heart, so let's make a braised pork, sweet and sour carp, and meat sandwich bun.

Thinking about it, he got busy, Lian Lao Ding saw that Su Hua, who had never even entered the kitchen, was so orderly, and he couldn't help but admire in his heart, the young master is really a god.

Su Hua called Lian Laohei to help him and scrape the fish scales.

Su Hua cut half of the pork into pieces and put the meat in a pot under cold water with the skin. He also chopped the remaining lean meat into traps so that he could prepare the meat buns. When you are busy, the pork belly pieces in the pot are also frothed, remove the cold water and rinse through and drain the water.

When the Tang Dynasty made sauce, animal blood was added, called "醓" (tǎn), which was first recorded in the Zhou Dynasty, when it was not called soy sauce but called 醢 (hǎi three sounds), which is the oil produced by animal meat chopped into meat puree and then fermented, similar to the production method of fish sauce now, the word soy sauce first appeared in the Song Dynasty.

Stir-fry the sugar in a hot pan, and make sweet and sour carp later.

After the sugar was stir-fried, the cheap old black carp was also ready. Su Hua took it and smeared it with salt, sauce and spices, and while letting Lian Laohei wash the pot, Su Hua heated up the pot again, put in hot oil and star anise, fried bay leaves to make the fragrance, and then put in the boiled pork belly and stir-fried on both sides to brown, take it out and put it in a casserole and simmer over low heat.

In the lobby, Fu Bo and Su Linglong, who had just returned, introduced Chu Wanqiu.

Huanxi couldn't help but admire Chu Wanqiu's beautiful face, and Su Linglong liked this beautiful sister even more, speaking gently and kindly. This back and forth gradually became familiar, and the friendship of girls is often in that moment.

It is said that on the other hand, Li Xiaoquan's mansion in Longmen, Xixia, attacked him in Jiangnan and failed. was angrily scolded by his father and punished with a one-month ban.

At this time, he was lying in the pavilion in the mansion drinking stuffy wine, and the servant girl serving beside him did not dare to come out.

During this time, the little prince was moody, and he physically punished people at every turn. The more Li Xiaoquan thought about it, the more angry he became, all this was to blame for Li Si's mouth, if he hadn't said that he had acted without permission, his father would not have scolded him.

Dressed in red makeup and black, the people in the house knew that she had something to discuss with the little prince, so they retreated with interest.

"Humble red makeup, meet the little prince." Red makeup salutes.

Li Xiaoquan didn't look at her squarely, but continued to drink: "How did the things I told you go?" ”

Red Makeup frowned, and then said: "The things you ordered have been investigated clearly, and Xiang Yuan and Li Heguang in the Jiangnan team have not yet returned." According to the report from the spies in the city, Li Heguang and Xiang Yuan were both executed. As for whether or not we leaked our army's secrets before we died, we are still investigating. ”

"Rice bucket!"

Li Xiaoquan was so violent that the wine bottle in his hand fell to the ground, and he scolded angrily regardless of his image: "It's all a group of rice buckets!" Lao Tzu has raised you for so long, you can't do anything! A bunch of rubbish! ”

If Li Xiaoquan learns that his spies in Jiangnan City are all controlled by Guan Shensha, I don't know if he will get sick.

Although the red makeup covers his face, he can still see the displeasure in his heart. If it weren't for his future successor of Western Xia, she would have killed Li Xiaoquan with a knife.

is arrogant and arrogant, and throws anything to her subordinates if she can't do it well, she begins to wonder if the plan to organize the conspiracy over the years is wrong, and she really wants to help such a person become the emperor?