The Central Plains has always been propagating racial differences, Turkic greed, Yang Chong's views are heard for the first time by many people, Wei Yuanzhao remembered the targeted trade that Yang Chong had mentioned before, and asked worriedly: "How are you going to smuggle?" We don't have a lot of supplies and supplies. ”

Yang Chong shook his head and said: "We don't smuggle, set up a crushing farm, and do business with the Turks openly, except for iron tools, horses, sheep, and camels can be exchanged for anything, daily necessities and luxury goods." I will set up a workshop in Zhangye for soap, glass, soy sauce, winemaking, etc., and let Gaochang provide cloth, Qinghai will provide green salt, and the Cui family will provide tea, plus local rice and Shibi Khan to trade. ”

Yang Chong's idea was to carry out free trade, and in economic and trade exchanges, he used the difference in the price of raw materials and handicrafts to drag down his opponents step by step, and finally in exchange for the safety of Helan Mountain and Juyan area. As for defeating Shibi Khan and sweeping Mobei, Yang Chong didn't even think about it, that was something that only people who unified the Central Plains could do, and if he wanted to do it himself, he would eventually be like Duan Qirui's recovery of Mongolia, which was short-lived, and he was stabbed in the back by his compatriots and withdrew from the stage of history.

Power is sometimes a strange thing, Yang Chong recently found that his ordinary heart in this area is getting worse and worse, and after sending Wei Yuanzhao away, Yang Chong began to prepare for the establishment of a handicraft system. No one doubted Yang Chong's grand vision in this regard, and the departments were fighting for where the workshop would be, and finally finalized that the three workshops of soap, wine, and soy sauce were opened in Jiuquan, the distribution center of Central Plains materials was in Xijun, and the horse farm in Shandan was clearly Yang Chong's back garden, so no one cared about it.

No matter how tight the grain in Hexi is, the upper class will still consume a large amount of liquor, and it is an important material for Turkic trade, and it is a happy thing to drink a sip of liquor to warm up when it is cold on the grassland, the greater the strength of the wine, the better, Yang Chong and Qiao Hu determined that it will be distilled from one time to six times, and the name of the liquor is called Hexi Daqu. Regarding Qiao Hu's suggestion to reopen the soy sauce workshop and vinegar workshop, Yang Chong confirmed that Qiao Hu's technique was no problem, and happily agreed.

Wang Fu was arranged by Yang Chong to be in charge of the newly built laboratory and saw Yang Chong's next product, soap. When Wang Fu saw Yang Chong put the salt-frosted natural soda ash taken from the desert and the fat provided by the pig in an iron pot, and constantly stirred it in the heated state to produce new objects, he immediately understood that Yang Chong had taken out another unique skill. When the soap cooled down and solidified, Wang Fu tried the effect of washing his hands and found that it was better than the fragrant pancreas, which was similar to the soap of the Persians, and Wang Fu was happy, this is the process of soap.

Yang Chong explained in detail the different places of natural soda ash and salt, and used plant ash instead of natural soda ash to do it again, and then let it go to Wang Fu, if it is about adding spices, Wang Fu has more advantages than Yang Chong in experience and time, and can achieve the best results in repeated experiments.

Wang Fu immediately understood why Yang Chong didn't produce soap in Chang'an, although it was said that salt was dried in summer and alkali was harvested in winter, but there was no salt field in Chang'an, how much alkali could there be, which was as convenient as the Western Regions and Hexi. To put it mildly, how much grease can be removed from pigs, how much alkali can be mixed with money, and how many magic soaps can be made, which is more profitable than glass, almost the cost of burning charcoal, but selling it is the price of pepper.

Yang Chong also explained to Wang Fu that the glycerin extracted from lard can neutralize the tannins in all fruit wines, not only wine, but also hawthorn wine. Wang Fu immediately understood what Yang Chong meant, and extracted glycerin from making soap, and then used it in wine, so that people could not guess the source; Glycerin, as a recipe, is not known to the winemakers. Yang Yan and Yang Jiu were sent by Yang Chong to work as stewards in the soap mill and wine workshop, and all craftsmen and subordinates must be the house slaves of the Yang Mansion.

The first batch of products came out quickly, the soy sauce is similar to that of Procter & Gamble, but the soap definitely looks smoother and more beautiful than the pancreas, almost exactly the same as the one sent from the Western Regions. Wei Yuanzhao knew that Yang Chong's plan had already begun, and the large number of craftsmen who had withdrawn from Chang'an and Gaochang must be sweating everywhere now.

As soon as the soap of the ivory workshop and the soy sauce and liquor of the Hexi Fang were listed, the merchants of the counties of Longyou came one after another, and Zhangye City was much more lively than usual, and Zhao Hongsi, the commander of Dunhuang County, also sent his corporal Cao Shen, the son of the military Yin Shishi, Yin Hongshen, to contact. Yin Hongshen and Yang Chong are of the same age, and there is no sense of estrangement when they speak: "Yang Junshou, there are a large number of original Southern Dynasty nobles in Dunhuang, and the demand for good things is endless, and Lord Zhao means bartering things." ”

Dunhuang is a consumer city, according to Yang Chong's knowledge, not only the nobles of the Southern Dynasty, but also the nobles of the Northern Zhou Dynasty and the fourth son of Yang Zhan, the royal family of the Great Sui Dynasty, although they are not allowed to be officials for life, not allowed to leave Dunhuang, but they live a life of spending all day and wine. Yang Gongdao said that Yang Gongren often sent money to Yang Meng, as well as some luxury goods. Yang Chong agreed: "There are no products in Dunhuang, just exchange it for grain, and you and Lord Zhao should open a list of whatever commodities you value." ”

Zhao Hongsi and his son have been in charge of Tuntian for decades, and the most important thing is food. In the Han Dynasty, Yumen Pass had been abandoned, now called Longle City, and another Hecang City was now a semi-public smuggling point in Dunhuang, and Zhao Hongsi exchanged grain for war horses and stolen goods almost everyone knew about it; When Yang Chong arrived in the Hetao area, he also had to open a crushing field with the Turks, and grain was a key point. Yin Hongshen said with a smile: "Tea and soap are all necessary, in addition, we know that General Sikong got 20,000 catties of steel from Gaochang, and we want to buy a batch of equipment." ”

Before Sikong Xing withdrew, he transported all the hidden copper and iron armor weapons from Gaochang County, and removed the blast furnace equipment, which really contained 20,000 catties of steel. Yu Zhongwen wrote a letter for this, angrily reprimanding Yang Chong and Sikong Xing, Yang Chong only replied simply, a steel is produced by his own iron factory, and the output and taxes that should be handed over have been paid, and secondly, he has not illegally sold it abroad, is it not possible to transport it back to Hetao and back to the Central Plains?

Yang Chong frowned and asked, "Do you want steel blocks or weapons?" ”

Yin Hongshen noticed Yang Chong's unhappiness, lowered his posture and said: "Weapons and armor, who doesn't know that Yang Junshou is the most exquisite or the art of Gewu, and the equipment of the family is better than that of the government army." Lord Zhao needs five hundred sets of armor and two hundred good horse lances for his own personal guards, and there is no need to look at the spoils of the lord, and there are tens of thousands of sets of the best Mingguang armor in the general army; Lord Zhao also said that if it is convenient for adults, he wants to buy two sets of. ”

"No problem." Yang Chong asked about the number, but he put his mind at ease and said: "The goods can be traded now, and I will find someone from the trading house later, and you will negotiate the price; The armor and lance were delivered in five months, each month delivering a hundred sets of armor and forty lances. In addition, I am recovering the Juyan area, hoping that Dunhuang will not interfere. ”

Yin Hongshen was overjoyed, Zhao Hongsi guessed correctly, Yang Chong didn't care about anything when he came to this point; As for not interfering in the Juyan operation, it is certain, Yang Chong's soldiers are strong and strong, and Dunhuang did not dare to interfere, and after Juyan Tuntian, the Turks must have grabbed the Juyan area for food, and Dunhuang's Tuntian will be safer.

(End of chapter)