Walking out of the Qingliang Palace, Liu Che looked up and saw two jujube trees planted in the garden in front of the hall.

At this time, the jujube tree is already full of small green fruits.

In two months, they will be ripe.

"How is the jujube tree in Shanglinyuan this year?" Liu Che turned around and asked Ji Di, who was following him.

"Your Majesty ......" Ji Di replied solemnly: "According to the report of the supervisor of Shanglin Yuan, the jujube trees in Shanglin Yuan this year are expected to have a bumper harvest, and there are tens of thousands of jujube trees hanging fruit, which can produce thousands of jujube stones!" ”

When Liu Che heard this, he immediately put his heart back in his stomach.

Probably, someone is going to be weird.

The king of a country, why does he have such leisure time to care about and understand the fruit of the jujube tree.

Actually, it's easy to understand.

You can think of the jujube tree as the oil field of the Middle East in the future.

Today, there are four kinds of goods that will never be sold.

First, of course, food.

No matter what time of year, food can always be sold for money.

The second is cloth, and even until now, cloth is one of the hard currencies and equivalents of the Han Dynasty.

From the country to the people, they are willing to accept cloth, and they also recognize that cloth can be used as currency to participate in the circulation of commodity economy.

Therefore, now, there are so many weavers and weaving workshops in Guanzhong.

Third, there is salt and iron.

Salt and iron trade and profits are even the second largest source of fiscal and tax revenue for the Han dynasty.

And the fourth, it is a jujube that many people can't imagine at all......

Last year, relying on the sale of dates, Shanglin Yuan handed over 2 million yuan to the inner treasury!

Please note that this is the net profit after deducting the expenses of the ink garden, as well as the huge group of workshops and other miscellaneous expenses in the upper forest garden.

Although it is said that the income sources of Shanglin Yuan are very diverse.

The fake land tax and the profits from minting money add up to tens of thousands.

However, the cost of maintaining it is also incomparably huge.

Even if you deduct the investment of the people living in the garden and the water conservancy facilities, the hundreds of thousands of Shaofu craftsmen and the Shanglin Garden, thousands of officials and generals, their own expenses are enough to make people jaw-dropping.

In the five years since Liu Che took the throne, Shanglin Yuan has lost money every year.

Every year, Liu Che needs to pay out of his own pocket to subsidize it.

But last year, Shanglin Yuan made an unprecedented profit - although it was only two million!

And this is thanks to the current Shaofu Cheng Sima An, that is, Ji Di's cousin.

Sima An served as a court supervisor in Shanglin Yuan for almost four years, and in the first three years, in addition to obeying Liu Che's orders and carrying out various jobs in Shanglin Yuan, he did one thing - planting jujube trees!

He planted all the barren mountains and sandy lands in Shanglin Yuan with jujube trees.

At the same time, many experienced old farmers were invited from the people to graft the jujube trees that Shanglinyuan already had.

As a result, since last year, the jujube trees in Shanglinyuan have been bearing more and more fruits, and in August, in some places, almost all the mountains are full of jujube trees.

These dates are plucked or sold fresh - the price is as expensive as death, and a pound will sell for twenty dollars!

Two or three catties of dates, you can top a stone of corn!

Moreover, some of the best, relatively large dates can even be sold for 500 or 600 yuan a catty!

The other jujube fruits are dried and processed.

It was then sold to the Mikawa and Qilu regions of the Kanto region.

A pound of dried dates is priced at a hundred yuan in the salt and iron yamen!

The result is that demand outstrips supply!

The world's merchants, aristocrats, scholars, and even the middle class have rushed to buy!

This made Liu Che not only surprised, but also noticed and observed jujube, the most important cash crop of the two Han Dynasty that he had always ignored.

Later generations of people could not understand the admiration and pursuit of jujube by the nobles and scholars of the Han Dynasty.

Since the Spring and Autumn Period, jujube has been linked to immortals and immortality.

As early as the Warring States Period, jujube became an extremely important cash crop.

When the Warring States Policy listed the resources of Yandi, it said: And there are benefits of jujube and chestnut, although the people do not make it from the field, the real food of jujube and chestnut is enough for the people.

In "Han Feizi", it is also recorded that during the period of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, the Qin State was in a famine, and it was suggested that King Zhaoxiang send the dates in the five gardens to the people as disaster relief materials.

It can be seen that jujube is already very important in the Warring States.

At the very least, it is an important fruit that can be sold for money.

This is the inevitable result of the traditional etiquette and eating habits of the Zhuxia people.

Since the Spring and Autumn Period, there has been an important link in the wedding etiquette of the scholars and nobles of Zhuxia and the nobles, called Zhen.

Zhen, literally, is to hold the baby and meet the elders.

It is the etiquette of younger generations, especially brides, when they visit their in-laws and aunts.

Since it's a gift, you need a gift.

And jujube and chestnut are the treasures that Zhenli holds.

In addition to this, dates are also an essential ingredient for an important condiment.

As we all know, China has been short of sugar since ancient times.

Any sweet dessert will be sought after by the nobles of the emperor.

The best dessert of the Warring States period, the must-have dessert for the nobles after a meal, 'glutinous', is a dessert made of rice and wheat boiled and added to dates.

Therefore, the Book of Rites says: Jujube chestnut honey is sweet.

In the Han Dynasty, the status of jujubes has risen more and more under decades of historical evolution and artificial promotion.

This is also because Liu Che himself doesn't believe in any elixir, so he doesn't pay attention to the blind spots caused by these gossips at all.

In fact, since Qin Shi Huang, jujube has been closely related to immortals and immortality.

The Han family in history deceived the Han family, and brought the alchemist warlock to offer the elixir of immortality or immortality, and Li Shaojun, once fooled Emperor Wu and said: The minister tastes the sea, sees An Qisheng, and An Qisheng eats the minister's jujube, which is as big as a melon. Those who give birth to immortals in the period of peace, through Penglai, see people if they are together, and hide if they are not.

Even immortals love to eat dates, and they can be bought by dates!

As for in the folk ......

The Tropis Warlocks have been the result of decades of perseverance and rhythm.

The date is in the place, and at this time, it has been deified.

At this time, the bronze mirror inscriptions of the world's scholars, nobles and princes and kings are the most used: Shang Fang is really good at making mirrors, and there are immortals who don't know how old. Thirsty for sweet springs and hungry dates, floating in the world......

A group of fooled princes, wealthy merchants and landlords, eat dates every day.

The result is a lot of diarrhea.

However, this instead contributed to the pursuit of jujube by nobles, scholars, doctors and wealthy merchants and landlords.

They all thought that if they continued to eat, they would be able to clear the valley......

In addition, among the traditional classics and writings, especially the Confucian classics, the status of jujube is very high.

Left legend: peach arc thorn arrow, in order to remove its disaster.

In spring and autumn, the thorns of peach and jujube trees are regarded as things to ward off evil spirits.

The magicians, sorcerers, and magic sticks, often use peach wood as a bow and jujube thorns as arrows.

In the eyes of the general public, eating dates can not only get closer to immortals - maybe you can become immortals, but also ward off evil spirits.

As a result, jujube has a special economic status in the Han Dynasty.

So much so that in history, there was once a story.

is still Sima Xiangru's good friend Wang Ji as the starring role.

The name of this story is called - the owner has a tree, Wang Yang's woman goes, the east family finishes the dates, and the woman goes to return it.

For the sake of a jujube tree, Wang Ji, who is said to be able to turn stones into gold and be pompous, actually became jealous! This jealousy is so serious that he wants to divorce his wife, and he uses divorce as a threat to force his neighbor to cut down trees!

This story tells people that if you travel to the Western Han Dynasty and want to make a fortune, the best way is to plant jujube trees!

Historical. It is recorded in the biography of the goods colony that the owner of the mountain forest who owns a thousand jujube trees is as rich as the 'house of a thousand times'.

Therefore, a year ago, after Liu Che knew that selling jujube could sell such a large piece of the world, he set planting jujube trees as a strategy for Shanglin Yuan.

Until today, the entire Shanglin Garden has nearly 10,000 jujube trees and tens of thousands of seedlings!

Plus the breeding and leasing of deerskins, cattle and sheep.

Today's Shanglin Yuan, relying on tree planting and breeding, earns tens of thousands of dollars a year!

As a result, the people are not beneficial, and the world uses sparing, which has become a reality!

And this year's jujube fruit harvest is particularly important.

Liu Che needed such a considerable and stable income to enrich his treasury and reward and motivate the army.

Without this income, Liu Che would probably have to increase the tax on the fake land in Shanglin Yuan.

And it is precisely because of such a predictable and at the same time very stable income.

Even if it is necessary to plan an unprecedented scale and even an unprecedented war now.

Liu Che also doesn't have to raise taxes.

There are no taxes to fight wars, which is very important in China.

If the war required a tax increase, then the peasants, whose burdens were heavier, would not be so supportive of the war.

And what if there is no need for a tax increase?

The general public's opinion on the war, of course, is - support!

Of course, it does not mean that the proceeds from the sale of dates can support a war of this scale.

In fact, Shanglin Yuan's dates this year can be sold for tens of millions of dollars, and Liu Che is about to die of laughter.

However, it is precisely because of this stable and reliable income of tens of millions that Liu Che and the Han family's treasury have the confidence to spend their money hard!

One year, tens of millions, ten years is tens of thousands!

And the entire Hetao strategy, the total estimated cost of the prime minister and the Shaofu is only 200,000!

This included the army's salaries, the wear and tear of weapons and equipment, and the rewards after the war.

In addition to planting jujubes, Liu Che also discovered that at this time, another cash crop also has great potential - its market is not as big as jujubes, but the benefits are higher than jujubes.

This thing is melon seeds.

A favorite snack of princes, kings and princes.

Among the unearthed tombs of later generations, melon seeds are the most of the burial snacks of the princes and princes.

However, such a thing makes Liu Che think about it a little funny.

"Eat jujube pills, eat melons...... Tut-tut......" Liu Che smiled slightly and walked forward.

Two thousand years later, how many people can know that in this pre-AD era, it was the daily life of nobles and scholars?

Keep walking.

didn't go far, Shaofuqing Liu She was already waiting on the side of the corridor with his six servants.

"How's the sauce and vinegar cloth for the army?" Liu Che asked Liu She, who was kneeling on the ground.

Now, the preparatory work for the Battle of Gaoque has entered the high (tide).

Every day, more than 50,000 stone of grain and hay, as well as a large amount of weapons and equipment, arrived in Beidi County and Longyou County behind the Great Wall.

And, in terms of Xinhua, all dried fish and dried meat have been extracted.

With the fleet of building ships, it was transported to Qinhuangdao in western Liaoning, and then transported to Yunzhong County through Chidao.

However, when the army is dispatched, it is not only the grain and grass equipment that must be guaranteed.

Condiments such as sauces and vinegar cloths also need to be in constant supply.

Since the Qin Dynasty, the Chinese army, which was unified by the central government, was rationed with sauces and vinegar cloths.

Moreover, sauces with vinegar cloths, which are consumed in the army in large quantities.

How big is it?

Two pieces of rice, two buckets of sauce.

This is the Qin system! (Sleeping Tiger Land Qin Jian)

In the Han Dynasty, such sauce rations were more refined.

Taking Yu Linwei as an example, the standard supply of a soldier for each meal is: half a bucket of rice, half a catty of beef, sauce, a quarter of a liter, two taels of dried fish, a piece of salted meat, and leeks.

And the fine willow camp is not as extravagant as Yu Linwei.

But the standard meal is also half a bucket of rice, meat, fish in four taels, sauce, a quarter liter......

The standards of the other main field regiments are different.

However, half a bucket of rice and a quarter of a liter of sauce are iron rules.

Rice, it's easy to understand, if you don't eat, you don't have the strength.

However, the sauce is of the same level as rice, but it can vividly illustrate that the chariot of the Han Empire is inseparable from the drive of the sauce in his hometown.

Let the soldiers eat delicious and safe sauce.

This is a major event related to the morale and morale of the army!

And sauces, especially those of the Qin and Han dynasties, are very varied.

However, it is basically made from soybeans and served with fish and meat.

Depending on the local customs and habits, the tastes are very different.

Therefore, the shelf life of this sauce is only two or three years at most.

Therefore, before each expedition of the Han army, the Shaofu will make various sauces to supply the army.

That's a big deal!

The emperor also had to personally care and inquire.

This is also the tradition of Zhuxia.

As early as the Shang Dynasty, the king was very concerned about the supply of sauces for his army.

Zhou Shu said: Yi Yin was ordered by the soup to give the sauce on the side of the coffin.

The lintel side is a sauce made from fish.

"Back to Your Majesty, the minister has already made the envoy, Guangxia County, Pingjia all kinds of sauces!" Liu She knelt down and said: "As for the sauce of the Guanzhong soldiers, the minister has urged the eunuchs, the soup officials, the insiders, and the eunuchs to do it day and night to ensure the supply of the army!" ”

Liu Che listened and nodded.

Many of the soldiers of the Han army came from the counties of the world.

The tastes of these places are different from those in Guanzhong.

Shaofu sent people to the local county, and Pingjia bought local sauces as military supplies, which was the norm.

And it is not surprising that the palace maids and eunuchs of the court were invested in military production.

Since Taizong, that's it.

"Before September, the sauce and vinegar must be prepared and put into storage!" Liu Che instructed: "In this matter, there must be no difference in Shaofu!" ”

"No!" Liu She and Shaofu Liucheng both bowed deeply.

They know how serious it is.

If you mess up, you're going to lose your head!

Even kill the whole family!

But at the same time, Liu Che's words also let them know that this year, the Han-Hungarian war will not be fought. (To be continued.) )