Chapter 176: Boiling Brown Sugar
Chapter 176: Boiling Brown Sugar
Sugarcane has existed before the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. There is a clear record in "Chu Ci" that sugarcane has been the food of dignitaries since ancient times. The main way to eat it is to squeeze the juice. The so-called "Zhejiang" is sugarcane juice, which was the favorite of Cao Pi in the Three Kingdoms period.
In fact, the practice of boiling sugar with sugarcane appeared in the Western Regions during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, but the quality was not very good and it was not taken seriously or promoted. It was not until the early Tang Dynasty that Wang Xuance introduced the method of boiling sugar from India, which was more delicate and cleaner, and also included granulated sugar and rock sugar, that boiling sugar with sugarcane began to be promoted on a large scale.
Sugarcane and lychees are produced in abundance in southern Bashu, so sugarcane is very cheap in Bashu. However, when it is transported to Chang'an, the price will increase by more than ten times, so sugarcane has always been a premium food ingredient for the powerful and wealthy.
Xiao Xia was faced with the 12,000 sugarcanes he had bought by accident. It was impossible for him to transport them away, so the only way was to boil them into brown sugar and take them away.
Brown sugar is just a primary product, and it is not difficult to boil sugar. The trick is cleanliness and the heat. Xiao Xia had boiled brown sugar with his grandmother in his previous life, so he had experience. After squeezing the juice from the sugarcane with a stone mill, it was filtered several times with gauze, and then the sugar was boiled on a low heat in a clay pot. It must be stirred constantly. When the foam rises, it slowly subsides and becomes a thin layer of small foam. That's it. Pour it into a container and continue stirring. After cooling, it becomes old brown sugar, and it will become sandy.
As for making rock sugar, brown sugar needs to be further purified and then it will crystallize into rock sugar.
Xiao Xia discovered that the main sweeteners on the Chang'an market were maltose and honey, so he wanted to try the sales of brown sugar. If it was very popular, he could cooperate with his aunt Yang Lihua to open a business specializing in brown sugar. With capital and power support, he would likely monopolize the sugar market in the Tang Dynasty.
Seventy to eighty thousand kilograms of sugarcane were finally condensed into more than seven thousand kilograms of brown sugar. Xiao Xia bought more than a hundred mules and set off with the brown sugar loaded on them.
In the study, Crown Prince Yang Yong was listening with his eyes closed to his subordinates' report on the suppression of the Liao people's rebellion.
"Your Highness, under the mediation of Wei Xuan, the raw and cooked Liao have made peace and have resumed their normal production and life. The new Liao King is also preparing to go to the capital to meet the emperor. He will promise to submit to the court and not rebel again."
Yang Yong was not concerned about the Liao people or Wei Xuan. He slowly opened his eyes and asked, "How did Xiao Xia perform in Zizhou?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, Xiao Xia participated in three battles in Zizhou and performed very well. He led 3,000 troops in Neijiang County and wiped out more than 10,000 Liao soldiers.
The second battle was in Dalao County. Fifteen thousand Liao soldiers were preparing to ambush him, but he set a fire and almost all of the fifteen thousand Liao soldiers were wiped out.
The third battle was the final decisive battle. He was the commander of the right wing of the Sui army. He led 3,000 cavalrymen to attack the 20,000 Liao king's direct troops, and defeated the 20,000 Liao soldiers. He shot and killed the Liao king with one arrow. In Wei Xuan's merit book, he ranked first. "
Yang Yong didn't say anything for a while. He sighed and said to his adviser Zhang Yunqiu, "This kid is incredible!"
Zhang Yunqiu smiled slightly, "Your Highness, we often talk about elite soldiers, fierce generals, good commanders, wise ministers, and wise rulers. These are the five levels. Xiao Xia can only be considered an elite soldier in Jiangdu. Now at best, he has barely passed the starting line of a fierce general, but he is still far from being as fierce as Shi Wansui, Yuwen Chengdu, Zhang Xutuo, and Mai Tiezhang, let alone Han Qinhu, He Ruobi, Xue Shixiong, Yuwen Shu, and Wei Wensheng. In the first level of generals, he can only be considered the third level, not to mention that there are good commanders, wise ministers, and wise rulers above him, so Your Highness does not need to take him to heart. He has just begun to show his potential, and he is still far from it."
Although what Zhang Yunqiu said made sense, Yang Yong still couldn't let go of Xiao Xia because he knew Xiao Xia's unknown secret.
Yang Yong paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, feeling worried and anxious about gains and losses. He knew that if he didn't get rid of Xiao Xia, Xiao Xia would sooner or later become a serious threat to him, but he also knew that the secret that had puzzled him all his life, the answer lay with Xiao Xia, and he couldn't get rid of Xiao Xia.
This secret weighed on his heart, but Yang Yong dared not reveal it to anyone. It had been tormenting him for so many years and had almost made him collapse several times. Now he finally found someone of the same kind, and he happened to be the son of his greatest enemy.
Although Zhang Yunqiu didn't know Yang Yong's secret, he could understand the great pressure Xiao Xia brought to Yang Yong. He advised again: "Your Highness, Xiao Xia is just a stronger branch on the big tree of King Jin. The root is still King Jin. Your Highness doesn't need to deal with Xiao Xia at all. As long as King Jin falls, he will be finished. This is called "If the skin is gone, where will the hair be attached?"
So what Your Highness needs to do is to lay a solid foundation for the Crown Prince. Once Your Highness ascends the throne, the big tree of King Jin will inevitably fall. Then Xiao Xia will be just a small insect to Your Highness, and you can kill him with just one finger. So I have repeatedly advised Your Highness not to care about Xiao Xia. The key is to strengthen your own strength. Once Your Highness's strength becomes so strong that the Emperor cannot control it, the Emperor will have to abdicate and become the Supreme Emperor, and Your Highness will inevitably ascend the throne."
Yang Yong sighed, "But my father is also on guard against me and won't allow me to become too powerful!"
Zhang Yunqiu said slowly: "From ancient times to the present, the transfer of the throne has always been bloody. Your Majesty can see it from Emperor Wu of Han. Doesn't he know that the prince was wronged? Of course he knew that Jiang Chong framed the prince because it was arranged by Emperor Wu. In the final analysis, it was the prince who threatened Emperor Wu's throne. Emperor Wu of Han wanted to replace the prince but couldn't find a reason.
It is the same now. Your Highness is also a threat to the throne of the emperor, so the emperor will push his other sons to seize power. On the surface, the King of Jin is the most dangerous to Your Highness, but what is the truth? I think the King of Han is a greater threat. It is very likely that the emperor pushed the King of Jin to fight with Your Highness in order to protect the King of Han. The King of Han was confined for a year. Isn't this a kind of protection?"
Yang Yong nodded, "Sir, you are right. Since the King of Jin regained power, I really ignored the King of Han. There are also the Kings of Qin and Shu. They also have their own palaces and power. They are all likely to inherit the throne. But the problem is that I have to deal with so many opponents by myself. How can I take care of them all?"
"This is what I have been advising Your Highness. There is no point in fighting with a few princes unless you kill them. But if you can't kill them, it will only be a waste of energy and time. In the end, the emperor said one sentence to hand over the Ministry of Revenue to the Prince of Jin. Several years of struggle are not as good as this one sentence. Your Highness, think about it, isn't this the truth?"
Yang Yong sighed with his hands behind his back, "You are right. I have worked hard for twenty years, but it is not as good as one sentence from my father. What do you think, sir?"
"Your Highness, the best way is to focus on strengthening your own strength. The so-called strength is nothing more than controlling the three resources of people, money and materials. Among them, people are the most important. You have hundreds of counselors and hundreds of outstanding generals. Once a war breaks out, Your Highness will strive to be the commander-in-chief and replace all the generals of the hundreds of thousands of troops. Now Your Highness will be able to control hundreds of thousands of troops. Then, if you can purge the court and the army enters Chang'an, will the emperor not give up the throne to Your Highness?"
Yang Yong pondered for a while and said, "The martial arts exam is indeed an opportunity!"
"That's right. Your Highness can use the military examination to recruit warriors. In addition, I suggest that the tasks of the young masters be redistributed. Don't monitor the prince and his men. It's a waste of effort. It's better to assign them to get people, money, and materials. Who will recruit talents, who will earn wealth, and who will be responsible for hoarding materials? Your Highness, this is the kingly way to increase strength."
Yang Yong's thoughts suddenly became clear, and he nodded slowly, "Let me think about it carefully, how should I assign tasks to them?"
Yang Yong was silent for a moment and then said, "But I still have to continue to monitor Xiao Xia. I have a grasp of his movements!"
"This is a small matter. Your Highness, just find a dedicated subordinate and give them a dozen men. You don't need to spend too many resources on him. He is far from being a threat to Your Highness right now!"
"All right!"
Yang Yong finally made up his mind. He really couldn't do anything with Xiao Xia, so he had to ignore him for the time being to save himself from worrying about gains and losses and being restless day and night.
Yang Yong immediately sent someone to find his five sons and reassigned tasks to them.
(End of this chapter)