Before the Han Dynasty, the people in the Jianghuai region had learned to extract sugar juice from sugar beets and sugar cane to make desserts. It's just that those methods are relatively primitive, and they haven't learned to filter their impurities for further purification.

The sugar made by Yuan Zhao with his own method is very different from the previous one, white and delicate, with a rich sweetness, and the quality of the fine sugar of later generations is not much different.

The first batch of sugar was packed in delicate clay pots and sent to Weiyang Palace as gifts. Since the emperor has given great support to this great cause, it is natural that the dividends that are about to begin will have most of his part.

After Liu Che saw it, he liked it very much. I didn't expect that the expedition triggered by the fish I ate at the beginning would bear such sweet fruits.

He couldn't suppress his smugness, and except for the part that was sent to the ancestor of Changle Palace, the rest of the candy was given to the beauties in the harem, and even the queen's palace, who had not been attentive for a long time, sent some of them.

Later, this sugar was named "Han Sugar". After that, Yuan Zhao subdivided them into several types and began to produce them in large quantities. As soon as Han sugar entered the world's circulation, it was liked by people, although the price was a little more expensive, but it was still in short supply.

First, it was recognized in a small area in the Chang'an market, and then through the circulation of merchants from the north and south, it was widely spread to the counties and counties of the world, until it attracted the competitive procurement ...... of Hu merchants in the Western Regions.

All of a sudden, there was an endless stream of vendors coming and going on Changle Plateau, and they heard about each other. At the request of Yuan Zhao, the imperial court set up a department called the "Economic Division" on Changle Plateau and began to put it into operation.

It is a very simple department, which belongs to the special approval of the emperor, and the relationship is subordinate to Taijoji Temple. The composition of the personnel is very simple, for the time being, there is one director, more than a dozen attachés. Of course, what they do is still under the guidance of Changle Hou, which is also the only condition put forward by Yuan Zhao.

This inconspicuous temporary place is not much noticed by people now, but it is just doing some ordinary officials' work, keeping tables, doing accounts and so on, which is a dispensable organization. But in the years to come, its position will become more and more important, and as the economy of the Han Dynasty grows by leaps and bounds, the Economic Department under the leadership of Yuan Zhao will become one of the core institutions that hold the lifeblood of the empire!

Sugar refining, iron smelting, brewing, tea, salt, shipbuilding...... Now there are more and more productions on Changle Plateau, and the wealth is rolling in, and a huge wealth has been accumulated.

Yuan Zhao is also somewhat confident, and what he wants to do doesn't have to be tied up like before. As the fleet to the southwest faded away, several other large ships approached the dock.

It was someone from the Nie family who came. Yuan Zhao's eyes lit up, because this caravan led by the children of the Nie family had once again transported what he had been looking forward to for a long time.

This time it was a full five hundred horses, which were pulled out of the cabin of the great ship. If you count the previous shipments, nearly 3,000 high-quality horses from the foot of the Tianshan Mountains in the far northwest have been shepherded in the natural pasture near Zhongnan Mountain in Changle Plateau.

This is a grand plan, and almost all the wealth obtained through various productions in the early stage has been smashed into it. Although the imperial court also allocated funds, it was far from enough.

In this era of cold weapons, in addition to sharp knives and bows and arrows, war horses have become the most important battlefield tools. One of the main factors why the Huns were so difficult to deal with was because the horsepower of the Han army was not a little worse than that of the steppe horses.

This problem was discussed in detail by the ministers of the Han Dynasty a long time ago, but they knew that there was this fatal flaw, but there was no other way, because good horses were rare.

In the territory of the Han Dynasty, almost all the sturdy horses were requisitioned for military service, even so, compared to the scale of the Huns, who often had 100,000 iron cavalry, the cavalry of the Han army was really small.

If you can't fight and fight, you can't run, and you can't run away, so you can't complain about the Huns. Even if you are a famous general, it is very difficult to win the battle.

If the imperial court wants to buy horses from the grasslands or the northwestern countries, there are also many obstacles. The Huns were not fools, and of course they would not sell the tools of war to their opponents on a large scale, so they could only buy back some of them piecemeal from the herdsmen who coveted the wealth of the Han Dynasty.

It's even harder to buy horses from the smaller countries in the west. The iron cavalry of the Huns galloped across the border of Han and Hungary for thousands of miles in the north and northwest, and it was difficult to escape the interception and robbery of the Huns before opening up the Hexi Corridor. Unless you have the ability to cross the desert, but you don't have to think about it, it's simply impossible.

And what the imperial court can't do, Yuan Zhao can do. Because there is a truth in this world that is very clear, that is, "businessmen are born for profit"!

For the sake of the demand for profit, there are many businessmen who have the guts to be so big that you can't imagine. If there is a five-cent profit, they can work hard; If there is a lot of money, they will take risks; And if there is a percentage of profits, then they will kill people and set fires, and dare to do anything!

A long time ago, Yuan Zhao began to prepare for this. All the merchants who came to Changle Plateau, while trading normally, everyone had been told one thing by this smiling little marquis himself.

"If you can pick good horses and send them to Changle Plateau, no matter where you come from, you will become a distinguished guest here in the future. Moreover, the price of horses can be based on weight, from sugar, tea, wine, refined salt, and fragrant water...... Choose any of these items. That is, the price of a horse is the price of its goods of the same weight. ”

All the businessmen who heard this sentence were excited and at the same time, they all kept it firmly in their hearts. Because, such a price is too cost-effective, how can such a huge profit not be earned!

These new products invented by Changle Hou Yuanzhao are ridiculously expensive in the world because they are rare and expensive. Everything can be treated as a luxury. Isn't it just a horse in exchange, what's this! Every businessman, who is not widely travelled and has many ways? What is difficult to do in the eyes of the imperial court and ordinary people, in the eyes of these businessmen, there are methods and doorways.

At first, the merchants found a way to transport it themselves, and although the number of horses was not much each time, a few horses or a dozen horses, but they also slowly began to accumulate. Later, when those boats began to operate on waterways, there were more convenient conditions for transportation.

Yuan Zhao handed over this matter to the Nie family, and he completely believed in Nie Yi. With the Nie family taking the lead, a small fleet was formed to transport horses. Those five or six big ships were specially made for them by Yuan Zhao.

Merchants who exchanged horses for commodities could first deliver the purchased horses in varying quantities to the Nie family to take care of and consign, and their fleets could transport them from the waterway to Changle Plateau via the Wei River, which greatly eliminated the cumbersomeness and reduced the death and loss of horses during transportation. It can be described as a great joy for all, killing two birds with one stone.

The merchants are naturally happy in every way, don't they just need to pay some transportation costs, compared to the huge profits made after the horses are transported, this is not a problem!

The son of the Nie family who came to transport the horses this time, the person headed by him is named Nie Yun, who is Nie Yi's own nephew, and he has been here once before, and when he saw Yuan Zhao, he hurriedly stepped forward to pay a respect. Although this little marquis is nearly ten years younger than himself, the Nie family is grateful for his great kindness and has always respected him like a god, and Nie Yun naturally does not dare to slack off in the slightest.

Yuan Zhao had worked hard with him, and briefly asked about the situation along the way, and someone had already counted and received the horses, so he didn't have to worry about this.

Three thousand good horses...... It's just that the number is still a little small! Yuan Zhao watched these fat and sturdy horses lead by in front of him one by one, and there was a faint joy in his heart. There is also a lot of mares in it, which he deliberately requested, although the price is more expensive, but what does it matter?

The industry on Changle Plateau will continue to grow and develop, and only a few people know how profitable the things he chooses to make.

If you can breed well, maybe it won't take two or three years, and the galloping of thousands of horses is no longer a pipe dream. If at that time, it should not be too difficult to give birth to a real elite rider from your own hands.

Thinking of this, Yuan Zhao laughed silently. Looking at Xiaoice, who was looking at those horses cheering and cheering beside her, a strange thought suddenly flashed, three years later, if she gave 10,000 fine horses as a teacher gift to this most proud disciple, would her achievements be even more amazing than in the original time and space? Yuan Zhao patted her head, and there was an incomparable expectation.

Xiaoice is a little embarrassed, the master always treats herself as a child, the action of patting her head, she feels intimate, but she wants him to see her own progress and efforts.

Uncle Wei Qing and Gongsun Ao Cao Xiang have been on their way for a long time, and now they must have already started a big battle with the Huns outside Yanmen Pass, right? On the day they left, Xiaoice watched from a distance, full of envy.

She also has such a majestic equipment, which was specially ordered by Yuan Zhao to be made for her. However, her burqa was red, a very bright fiery red, and when she wore a well-fitting armor, her horse galloped through the vast world of Changle Plateau, and it was a red lightning bolt.

Xiaoice is simply a natural martial arts embryo, thousands of miles a day, and enters the realm quickly. Now with Yuan Zhao, with all his strength, it will take some effort to subdue her.

The lake near the north bank of the Wei River, which is close to the north bank of the Wei River, is named Sword Lake. The Lianpai workshop on the east bank is a smelting place dominated by Zhuo family craftsmen. Here, these are also well-informed and experienced masters, but they all behave like open-minded and studious apprentices.

Yes, that's what an apprentice looks like. Since they had listened to Xiao Houye's explanation of smelting knowledge a few times, they were completely convinced. What he said was simply unheard of, and it was different from the knowledge inherited in the previous industry.

For a long time, the forging of cold weapons was a great step forward from bronze to iron. But iron weapons have not been in use for very long. At this point, the Central Plains Dynasty was already somewhat behind the great enemy in the north.

The scimitars of the Huns, not only sharp, but also extremely flexible, had a great advantage on the battlefield. That's because they used the steel smelting technology taken from the Western Regions, and such technology, due to the barriers and blockades, the Han Dynasty could not get it.

Yuan Zhao gave them a recipe for the processing of excipients, which contained several mineral names that they had not heard of. After matching according to the appropriate proportion, mixed with high-temperature molten iron, and then casting the original iron mold tire, it is really very different.

These raw irons are then forged into various weapons according to their traditional craftsmanship, and the output is all swords and swords. The edge is incomparable, and it can be called a hundred refined steel.

Only those in the industry know in their hearts what such technology means. Mastering such a technology is, to put it mildly, a historic leap in the smelting world. In the past, those so-called masters spent their lives to forge a few famous swords that have been passed down in the world, which is already a great thing.

But now, in their hands, the magic weapon that sharpens iron like clay can be easily mass-produced. If you say it bigger, such a technology is already a force that can overwhelm the country and the world!

All the smelting craftsmen were full of passion in their hearts, and looked at Changle Hou with reverence.

The latest production of several batches of crossbow arrows and swords, are equipped to the north to fight against the Xiongnu team, I believe that they in the northern battlefield this time, will not let the Xiongnu scimitar take advantage of this aspect, everyone from their own hands to polish these weapons have the greatest confidence.

Thousands of miles away, the autumn wind on the battlefield, and the sharp swords have long been stained with the blood of the Huns, but the wind is slow, and the news of victory has not yet blown Chang'an.

Gongsun Rongnu used a piece of cotton cloth to carefully wipe and wipe the thick-backed wide knife in his hand, so as not to let a trace of blood remain on it. This knife, whose name is "Dangkou", was made for him by Yuan Zhao in the workshop in Changle Yuan.

The handle is slightly longer, you can hold it with both hands, the blade is wide, the blade is sharp, and it shines blue, and when it is turned, it is full of power, just worthy of his arm strength.

Gongsun Rongnu regarded this knife as more important than his own life, and secretly imagined how many times he killed the enemy with a knife.

This time, he finally got his wish, and in yesterday's encounter, nearly thirty Hun cavalry died under his sword. This is already a remarkable achievement for a recruit who is on the killing field for the first time, especially in front of the Hun Iron Cavalry.

Of course, the rest of the people are doing well. Under the leadership of Wei Qing, the Black Eagle Army finally appeared on the battlefield for the first time, like a sharp sword with a sharp edge, as soon as it came out of the sheath, it revealed a dazzling brilliance.

It happened very suddenly, it was a surprise, and the Huns had just experienced an ecstasy, because, by mistake, they actually caught the flying general Li Guang!

This autumn, it seems that the Huns will not give up. There are fires everywhere, and within the scope of responsibility of each of the main generals in front of him, he is not careless at all.

Especially in the direction of Yanmen Pass, this is the most frontal of the main attack of the Huns, the largest number of soldiers and horses gathered, and the offensive is also the most intense. The camp of Dadan Yu Yi Zhixiao is dozens of miles away from here, and the elite soldiers will take turns to invade, and there is a great tendency to break through Yanmen and drive directly to the right Beiping.

Since the death of Liu Gongyou, the guard of Yanmen, Li Guang personally went to the front line to sit in the front, and the responsibility he bears is too heavy, and the defense line of hundreds of miles is his defense range.

It is impossible to count on the help of friendly forces, Shanggu, Yuyang, Yunzhong...... Every place is tight, so the early fight is very hard, and the casualties are a little heavy.

Although reinforcements from the rear are constantly arriving, it is impossible to expect these recruits who have never had experience in fighting against the Hun cavalry to make contributions. Sending them out now is tantamount to sending them to death under the hooves of the Huns.

The veteran is heroic by nature and the most sympathetic to his subordinates, so the more than 10,000 reinforcements who have come to Yanmen Pass, including the Black Eagle Army of Wei Qing's department, have been placed in the big camp near the north gate, but they are just helping to do some defensive patrols in batches, and they have not been allowed to go out of the city.

Li Guang has always been a bold general, and since he led the army, he has been willing to serve his subordinates with his simple management of the army. At this critical juncture, the burden of thousands of pounds is tied to one, and he does not dare to slack off.

Not to mention the daily patrol of the city defense, several nearby border towns will often personally lead the crowd to check the vigilance situation. He has been dealing with the Huns for decades, and he knows better than anyone else about the cunning and ferocity of these steppe wolves.

The Hu Congjun who followed Li Guang were naturally some elite subordinates, and when they went out of Yanmen Pass with 500 people yesterday to inspect, on the way back, they suddenly encountered a sniper attack from several thousand Hun cavalry.

At first, Li Guang and his subordinates did not feel so panicked. Because, it is not uncommon for such a situation to be encountered before.

At that time, Li Guang was a young man and was the most courageous. Once, he led a hundred outpost scouts and encountered five thousand Hun cavalry. At that time, his subordinates were very panicked and wanted to run away.

Li Guang glanced at the surrounding situation and then said: "We are dozens of miles away from the army, and now we are fleeing with hundreds of horses, and the Huns will definitely chase after them. Everyone obeyed me, kept their composure, marched forward, and then dismounted and rested when they were a stone's throw away. ”

A subordinate asked in disbelief: "General, the enemy is several times larger than me, and it is so close, if there is an emergency, I will definitely die!"

Li Guang smiled indifferently, he glanced at the Hun cavalry on the opposite side and had no tendency to attack, and pointed his finger and said: "Those enemies think that we will escape, and if we do this, it will make them doubtful in their hearts, they may think that our small team is just a bait to lure the enemy, and they want to lure them to be fooled, so it will be safer."

As he expected, those Huns had been watching from a distance, and they did not dare to attack until dark, and then they all withdrew for fear of an ambush.

And this time, the situation is so similar to the last time. Li Guang is old and stronger, and he is more courageous, so he will not be afraid, thinking that he can still retreat from the strong enemy with the arrogant strategy of the last time.

But he was wrong this time, because the opponent he met this time came with soaring anger and hatred.

Surrounded by thousands of elite horsemen, a Hun general in a white robe and white horse stepped out of the formation, gently took off the wolf tooth lance hanging on the side of the saddle, and put it between his arms.

"Father, if you have a spirit in the sky, just watch it carefully over this enemy land stained with your blood, and see how your son kills these Han people and avenges your hatred!"

General Baima's surname is Huyan, his name is Shaojie, the tiger of the grassland, and the son of the late Hun Zuoxian King Huyandu!