Weishui Pier has been very busy lately.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the late rice in Jiangnan Province is harvested, and after it is dried, there are grain merchants who go to buy it.

Although grain prices have fallen because this year's rice production has more than doubled compared to last year, the income of those who grow Nanyang rice has almost doubled.

Of course, in order to prevent further drops in grain prices and to create a situation where grain is cheap and hurt farmers, the East China Sea fishery industry has also specially arranged for ships to go to Suzhou, Hangzhou, and other places to purchase and transport rice.

And Li Kuan's long-planned promotion of high liquor can finally take a solid step.

"Lord Wang, you can taste this new wine, it's very cold."

In the winemaking workshop, Wu Meiniang personally brought a glass of freshly brewed wine and let Li Kuan taste it.

The burning knife of the Chu Wangfu is now the strongest drink in the Tang Dynasty.

However, not everyone likes this spirit, and the price is relatively high, so now that the food is more abundant, the brewery immediately expands its scale and prepares to differentiate the variety of drinks.

"Well, this wine is enough. However, if you want to take the high-end route, you still have to cellar it, otherwise the taste is a bit rushed. In this way, we will distinguish the grades of sake according to the quality of the rice and the quality of the sake brewed. Wuliangye, which takes the high-end route, must use the best raw materials, use the best spring water, and let the glass workshop specialize in making glass bottles for packaging. As for the amount of the second pot, it doesn't matter, as long as it's strong enough. ”

The previous burning knife has already made a name for itself in Chang'an City, and now that the higher-priced Wuliangye and the cheaper Erguotou are launched, Li Kuan is not worried that there will be no market.

However, what he values most is not the market in Chang'an City.

"By the way, after these second pot heads came out, they immediately arranged for people to send them to Liangzhou quickly, so that Ma Zhou could find a way to promote them to the grassland. The herdsmen around Liangzhou have made a lot of money in recent years, and it's time for them to taste such good things as Erguotou. ”

One catty and two pots will probably consume two or three catties of rice, and the cost is not too high.

However, on the grassland, Li Kuan is ready to sell it for at least a few hundred dollars a catty.

Alternatively, you can exchange cattle and sheep for them.

"Lord Wang, you are treating those Hu people as fat sheep, and you will slaughter them every once in a while."

When Wu Meiniang heard Li Kuan say this, she knew what his idea was.

The Hu people here generally live in a very cold winter, and they have a natural love for high alcohol.

"They raise sheep and cattle in peace, we buy their wool, provide them with tea, provide cloth, provide fine wine, and provide fine porcelain, they should be grateful to this king, how can you say that you are slaughtering them? Your consciousness needs to be raised even more. ”

As soon as Li Kuan's words came out, Cheng Jingwen on the side turned her head directly, as if she hadn't heard anything.

Wu Meiniang and Qing'er were also speechless for a while.

My own prince, everything is good, but sometimes, this cheeky is a little thick-skinned.

"I heard that during this time, there were a lot more women and children in Xue Yantuo in the people market in the West City, Lord Wang, this matter won't have anything to do with you, right?"

Cheng Jingwen asked softly on the side.

Unlike Wu Meiniang, Cheng Jingwen doesn't know much about Li Kuan's layout outside, and it is difficult for her to accept some special methods.

However, Datang can basically find Li Kuan's shadow in every major event that has anything to do with the Hu people, and Cheng Jingwen is not stupid, so she asked this question.

Why does Jingwen have such doubts? These Xue Yantuo women and children, who lived a life of freezing and starvation on the grassland, have now come to Chang'an City, although they are sold as slaves, but at least they don't have to worry about not having enough to eat and sleep. For Datang, the pockets of many craftsmen and ordinary people have also swelled in recent years, whether it is marrying wives and concubines, or buying slaves, the demand is very strong, and the arrival of these Xue Yantuo people is a win-win situation. ”

Cheng Jingwen: ......

"Lord Wang, the consumption of food on such a large scale of our brewing liquor is very huge. When the time comes, the imperial history of the court will not jump out to impeach again, right? ”

Wu Meiniang was very clever to change the topic to other places.

In all dynasties, in fact, wine was discouraged, and sometimes even forbidden.

So Wu Meiniang's doubts are actually very likely to happen.

"We mainly use rice to make alcohol, and this year's double cropping rice promotion in Gangnam Province has been very successful, and next year there will be no need for much encouragement from the imperial court, and more people will plant double cropping rice. At that time, the yield of rice will increase even further, and if we do not buy a large number of rice and use it to make wine, there will be a situation where farmers will not have a good harvest. ”

Li Kuan naturally would not make money for himself, so that the people's rations were not enough.

That's not what he meant to do.

In fact, in Li Kuan's view, Datang has a way to achieve no shortage of food.

With a population of less than 100 million, occupying such a vast amount of land, there is simply not a lot of fertile land that has not been developed.

Of course, no matter what era it is, you will not really dislike too much food.

It's just that Li Kuan needs to find a balance from it.

"You have a reason to say anything, no wonder those nobles in Chang'an City love and hate you."

Cheng Jingwen complained speechlessly.

……

In the city of Liangzhou, in the most prosperous area, a new restaurant was opened.

On the opening day, all the officials in Liangzhou went to cheer, and the momentum was very huge.

Even the most stupid people know that this restaurant called "Ajinomoto" is not ordinary.

Therefore, there is no need for anyone to maintain order at all, and no one in Liangzhou City has ever dared to make trouble here.

"Chief, this Ajinomoto roast lamb is much better than what we used to eat, and it's really worth the price."

Tuoba Yong held a roast lamb chop in his hand, and while his hands were full of oil, he was talking to Tuoba Cheng.

Now, with nearly 1,000 Tuoba slave catchers, Tuoba Yong and Tuoba Cheng are also considered to be one of the characters in Liangzhou City.

Recently, they received instructions to deal with a group of Xue Yantuo tribes along the Yellow River.

Before heading out, they came to Ajinomoto to try it out just a few days after opening.

"It's normal to be delicious, I heard that this Ajinomoto is a top restaurant in Chang'an City, and many of the dishes in it are spread from the Chu Palace. Do you want to think about the dishes that His Royal Highness the King of Chu can see, and how bad can they be? ”

Tuoba Cheng took a sip of the spirits in the glass, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and chatted with Tuoba Yong while savoring the food.

Don't think that the Hu people don't have any pursuit of food.

When it comes to food, people all over the world react the same.

"Chief, you seem to be right when you say that. This product of the cooperation between Ajinomoto Fangxiang and Chu Wangfu, it is no wonder that so many big people in Liangzhou City came to participate in the opening ceremony of Ajinomotote. I heard that Ma Changshi was going to entertain guests, and now he chooses Ajinomote. Others invited him to dinner, and if it wasn't for Ajinomoto, he wouldn't be able to make an appointment with him now. ”

There is no impermeable strength in the world.

In addition, what Tuoba Yong said was not a secret, so naturally it spread quickly.

"I heard that the royal treasurer of the Chu Wangfu came to Liangzhou to promote spices, which attracted many leaders of nearby tribes to buy them. In recent years, more and more spices have been shipped from Chang'an to Liangzhou. In my opinion, after having this ajinomoto, the land of the northwest has really ushered in the peak of spice use. ”

Tuoba Cheng also bought spices in Liangzhou a few years ago, but because everyone has not fully mastered the skills of using spices, and the price of spices is expensive, many people are reluctant to buy a second time after buying it once.

However, today, Ajinomoto has a variety of exquisite dishes that have reminded everyone of the importance of spices.

Presumably, it will be easier to promote spices in the future.

Liangzhou is not only a necessary place on the Silk Road, but also an important node along with the hometown of Tuyuhun and the surrounding tribes, and countless Hu people will enter and exit every day.

These Hu people, whose pockets are bulging, are still very willing to consume food.

It's no wonder that Ma Zhou asked Northwest Trade to open a shop next to Ajinomoto that specializes in selling all kinds of spices.

Even, in order to reduce the difficulty of using spices, Ma Zhou also specially asked people to make a configured seasoning package.

This kind of foolish cooking method is the most suitable for those Hu people.

"Chief, the greater the influence of the related industries of this Chu Wangfu in Liangzhou, the better our life will be. When the Tang Dynasty completely conquers the tribes such as Xue Yantuo and the Western Turks, we can directly join the Tang household registration and become a genuine Tang person. When the time comes, I will also go to Chang'an to buy a courtyard and enjoy the feeling of the heavenly kingdom. ”

Although Tuoba Yong is not tired of his current life, he obviously has more yearning for Chang'an.

The Hu people in this year, especially the Hu people around Liangzhou who were greatly influenced by the Tang Dynasty, have a Chang'an dream in their hearts.

Settling in Chang'an one day is their ultimate dream.

"Don't worry, according to this trend, Xue Yantuo and the Western Turks won't be able to last a few years. However, at that time, maybe His Royal Highness the King of Chu has other arrangements for us. ”

Tuoba Yong's knowledge is also extraordinary, and while frequently capturing the Hu people around Liangzhou, he also keenly feels that the advantages of Datang's national strength are becoming more and more obvious.

To put it mildly, there is no one around Datang who is its enemy.

Even, Datang has the strength to win several local wars at the same time.

"I heard that the Guanshishan Academy run by His Royal Highness the King of Chu in Chang'an City is the best academy in the Tang Dynasty, and when my two boys grow up, they must be sent to Guanshishan Academy to go to school. As for my life, I will sell it to His Royal Highness the King of Chu. ”

"Cut, His Royal Highness the King of Chu doesn't even remember who you are, you don't put gold on your face. It's better to travel this time and have a good performance, maybe your opportunity will come. ”

Tuoba Cheng and Tuoba Yong finished lunch at Ajinomoto in such a noisy manner, and then took the Tuoba slave hunting team to the north and went straight to Xue Yantuo's territory.