Chapter 42 Hero's Wine
Zhao Yun...
Although he had met Cao Cao, Sun Jian and Liu Bei during the campaign against the Yellow Turbans, and before coming here, Qiao Yan knew that Leping and Changshan were only separated by the Taihang Mountains, he never expected to meet Zhao Yun on the first day of arriving in Leping.
Qiao Yan even wanted to open her own character panel to see if there were any changes in her luck value without her knowledge. Otherwise, why was she thinking that Dian Wei's level was more suitable to be a guard rather than a county lieutenant, and then Zhao Yun came to her door.
Yang Wenran of Shu Han commented that the General Zhao Yun in the Southern Expedition was powerful, and the General Chen Dao in the Western Expedition was loyal and decisive. The word "powerful" is actually an evaluation of Zhao Yun's all-round development ability.
Whether it was the Battle of Changbanpo and the Battle of Sichuan, or his tenure as the prefect of Guiyang and the governor of Jiangzhou, or his frank advice on returning land to the people, Zhao Yun undoubtedly had the demeanor of a great general who could take the overall situation into consideration.
Although the Zhao Yun who now appeared in front of Qiao Yan was far from being worthy of the word "heavy", his face, which was not yet adulthood and extremely young, still had a bit of lively sharpness, but it was obvious that this sharpness was more inclined to the youthful spirit rather than the kind of recklessness.
However, Qiao Yan's desire to win people over to his side and have them take on the duties of the county lieutenant is one thing, but whether the other party is willing to serve him is another.
Qiao Yan thought for only a moment. From Zhao Yun's perspective, the young county lord only looked up and down at this uninvited stranger and asked, "Why are you here?"
Zhao Yun said, "They came here because of the bandits in Taihang Mountain."
After hearing Zhao Yun's answer, what Qiao Yan thought in his mind was "As expected".
It turned out that he didn't come here just because of the reputation.
There aren't so many good things in this world.
But this is not surprising. Zhao Yun has an older brother. If it were not for the recommendation of Changshan County and the fact that the elders of Changshan felt that Gongsun Zan was more likely to be benevolent after weighing the pros and cons of Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao, he probably would not have gone to seek refuge in the second year of Chuping, and then returned to his hometown to observe mourning for his brother's death.
At this time, Zhao Yun was even less likely to be like Xu Fu. Seeing that Xu Fu's behavior among the Yellow Turbans was rare in the world, he had the idea of being willing to hold the horse's stirrup.
Coming to eliminate bandits is obviously more in line with Qiao Yan's inherent understanding of Zhao Yun.
The young man gave a straightforward enough reply and then said, "Chu Yan, a native of Changshan County, led thousands of people to rebel after the Yellow Turban Rebellion. In order to avoid the king's army, he fled to the Taihang Mountains and fought from time to time. He occasionally came out of the mountains to plunder towns. Yun couldn't bear to see his fellow villagers suffer. He heard that you would take control of Leping, and that the Taihang Mountain bandits might also harass Leping, so he came here to give it a try."
Coming here just because I heard that she had taken over Leping is not an ordinary expression.
Qiao Yan pondered in his heart and asked, "I wonder how many bandits are there in Taihang Mountain?"
Zhao Yun obviously did not come here without any preparation. He answered without hesitation: "After Zhang Jiao surrendered, many of Chu Yan's men returned home, and there are about 3,000 remnants. There are small gangs of bandits in Changshan County. One is named Sun Qing and the other is named Wang Dang. They each led 500 people to join Chu Yan. There is another bandit leader named Zhang Niu Jiao. They raised troops in the area of Zhongshan Boye Liwu with about 5,000 people. They are passing through Changshan County and will reach Zhending."
Chu Yan's own forces combined with Zhang Niujiao's forces totaled 9,000 people.
This is not much different from the information Qiao Yan had received before.
"So if it's as you said, there are about 10,000 bandits in the Taihang Mountains, why did you come to look for me? I just arrived in Leping, I don't have many soldiers and money, and I'm not as familiar with the situation in the Taihang Mountains as Chu Yan. Why do you think I have the ability to quell the rebellion?"
Hearing Qiao Yan's question, Zhao Yun took a closer look at her expression.
This overly young face did not show any nervousness like the general in light armor beside her who was nervous when he heard that Chu Yan and Zhang Niu Jiao's troops had so many people, nor did it show any displeasure at being visited by someone rashly.
If Zhao Yun were to rely on his intuition, it seemed that she was just asking an ordinary question.
Yes, why are you looking for her?
The main force of the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou was suppressed, and some of the people who followed Zhang Jue in the rebellion and were guilty were sent to the camp of the Wuhuan Commandery and the Du Liao camp. Under such circumstances, part of the troops in the court that were suppressing the rebellion had already withdrawn from Jizhou.
Having said that, some of Huangfu Song's followers are still staying in Jizhou, and they can also carry out the responsibility of suppressing bandits by deterring the Yellow Turbans.
Otherwise, there are always other superiors in Changshan County, and it is logically reasonable for the county soldiers to take on the responsibility of eliminating bandits.
Why should she cross the Taihang Mountains and come to her tiny Leping County to look for a county marquis in a county that has not yet faced an attack from the Black Mountain Army?
It is obvious that Zhao Yun would not think that he could owe Qiao Yan an extra favor just because he happened to save Xu Fu and his mother.
Fortunately, he had considered this question before. Since he had seen Qiao Yan's attitude at the moment, he answered: "I am not familiar with Zhang Niujiao, but I know him a little because I am from the same hometown as Chu Yan. He got the name Flying Swallow because of his light and agile body movements, so he can also be called Chu Feiyan, and the way he led his followers also has the spirit of Flying Swallow."
"If Chu Yan leads his people to find the Jizhou royal army or the Changshan county officials, even if they can defeat them, they will only be forced into the mountains and go back and forth. Today they will withdraw from Changshan, tomorrow they will arrive in Changzhi, and the day after tomorrow they will return to Jizhou. They will go back and forth, causing harm to countless places."
"The more they plunder, the more daring they become. They may gather more refugees than they have now. What Zhao Yun wants to see is not that the Black Mountain bandits withdraw from Changshan and choose another place to cause trouble, or that they stay in Taihang and grow stronger, but that they are eradicated and the surrounding area is peaceful. This is something that only a wise man can do."
This statement is also in line with Zhao Yun's personality.
Chu Yan himself was nicknamed Feiyan, and his style of action was as agile as Feiyan.
This is indeed not something that can be eradicated by ordinary methods of suppressing bandits.
In addition, the special geographical environment of the Taihang Mountains, with the Eight Passes of Taihang connecting the east and the west, formed a special corridor in the mountains. If Chu Yan were to play hide-and-seek with the encirclement and suppression team, it would be really bad.
One place may not be affected temporarily, but may become a disaster in another place as time goes by. These bandits will soon accumulate enough money and food to attract more people who want to take a shortcut in this world.
Once this force is fully formed, it will be even more difficult to eradicate it.
Zhao Yun's words made Qiao Yan think more highly of him.
Although he is still young, he obviously does not only focus on the safety and gains and losses of one place.
Qiao Yan smiled and said, "From the perspective of the righteous man, I am the wise man?"
Zhao Yun's answer was decisive: "Within the two states, no one else can be any other than you, the Lord."
This is undoubtedly a high compliment to Qiao Yan.
Qiao Yan looked at his expression and saw that the young man in front of her seemed to really understand it.
Zhao Yun was in Changshan County. Although Changshan and Qinghe County were somewhat similar and not completely occupied by the Yellow Turban forces like Julu County, because Zhang Jiao started the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Jizhou, countless people from all over Jizhou responded to him.
Zhao Yun was not completely indifferent to the chaos at that time, but with the manpower he could muster, he could only protect a corner of his hometown.
Fortunately, the Yellow Turban Rebellion rose and fell quickly, lasting only three months from February of the seventh year of Guanghe to the end of Zhang Jue's captivity in May.
What he had not expected with his knowledge and understanding was that Zhang Jue's death did not stop the remnants of the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou. In fact, not all Yellow Turbans rebelled just because they believed in the Taiping Dao proposed by Zhang Jue. Those Yellow Turbans who fled to Changshan, while maintaining their original destructive power, also learned to fight flexibly relying on the terrain.
Zhao Yun had a basic knowledge of martial arts since he was a child, but he was just a commoner in Changshan County. He empathized with why Zhang Yan and others rebelled.
But he also clearly saw that in the process of these Black Mountain bandits becoming more powerful, just like the emergence of characters like Bu Ji among the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou, there were also some Black Mountain bandits who tasted the sweetness from plundering and occupying, and turned their original purpose of having enough food into what they are today.
So he also has to find a suitable person to try to calm the situation.
But it’s not easy to find such people.
Just as Zhao Yun had said before, because he had some general understanding of Chu Yan's military strategy, after paying attention to the combat methods of the remaining royal army in Jizhou and the strength of the defenders of Changshan County itself, he gave up these two groups of people as his options.
As news of the battle results and final rewards in various states and counties during the Yellow Turban Rebellion spread, Zhao Yun set his sights on Leping, which was separated from him by a mountain.
Qiao Yan, the Marquis of Leping County, defeated the Yellow Turbans in two states to avenge his parents. He also used his wisdom to refute and destroy the main principles of the Taiping Dao in a public debate with Zhang Jue. He was undoubtedly a capable person who was good at making the most of a small effort.
In Zhao Yun's weighing and comparing, and judging by the Black Mountain bandits' way of responding to the challenge, he was particularly certain that only someone with the talent and wisdom of Qiao Yan could capture the Black Mountain bandits through special methods, rather than allowing them to continue to roam around and cause harm.
This became even more certain when he happened to meet Xu Fu and his mother while passing through the mountainous area north of Changzhi.
Based on his brief communication with these two people, it was not difficult for him to see that Xu Fu was a man of great righteousness and had some potential for wisdom and strategy.
After arriving in Leping, he told Qiao Yan that he was almost in danger if he encountered bandits, but in fact, in Zhao Yun's view, even if he did not appear, Xu Fu was enough to deal with the situation at that time.
After all, when there are only two of them walking, it is much more flexible than Qiao Yan and his group traveling in a carriage.
And Xu Fu's mother, Qin, was not a weak person either.
You must know that the carriage frame behind that Xu Fu mentioned did not mean that his mother was sitting in the car, but that she drove the car by herself!
This is indeed a heroic woman who did not show any panic even when surrounded by bandits.
Such a mother and son could have lived peacefully in Yingchuan after the chaos was settled. Even in Zhao Yun's cognition, Yingchuan was undoubtedly a holy place for anyone to study, and the various famous scholars there could not be summarized in a few words.
However, they still made a decisive choice to come and join Qiao Yan, and Xu Fu's words showed that he was willing to protect and support the newly-appointed county marquis.
This undoubtedly made Zhao Yun more determined in his judgment.
Qiao Yan must be really talented to be recognized by such a person!
Now that he had seen Qiao Yan in person, this ten-year-old marquis who had been a mainstay in the suppression of the rebellion, Zhao Yun couldn't help but feel that, although he had not yet seen how she performed, the demeanor she had displayed in these few questions alone showed that she was definitely not an ordinary person.
Maybe he didn't make the wrong decision.
The reply he got from Qiao Yan the next moment also made him feel certain.
Qiao Yan said, "I have the will to eliminate the bandits, but the military is not going well, the people are not on my side, the timing and the people are not on my side, so it is not the right time to act."
There was murderous intent in her words.
Zhao Yun and Qiao Yan looked at each other for a long time, becoming more certain that the answer she gave was not just a perfunctory one.
I want to get rid of the thief, but my knife is not sharp.
He replied: "In this way, Zhao Yun can be a sharp blade."
However, before he could become this sharp blade, he had to temporarily assume the duties of the county lieutenant.
Of course, this does not mean to report to the court to confirm this position.
But according to what Qiao Yan said, let him take this position temporarily to see that her idea of getting rid of the bandits and protecting the stability of Leping County is not just empty talk.
If he felt that Qiao Yan did not have the ability to get rid of the thief, he could leave at any time. There was no binding relationship between them anyway.
In addition, if Zhao Yun really thought that he could be a sharp sword, he would naturally have to work with other weapons in advance.
Zhao Yun apparently did not realize that Qiao Yan's behavior was not just because there was a black mountain bandit next to his bed and he had to wipe him out, but he actually had some other plans, so he agreed immediately.
What Qiao Yan said afterwards about taking a month to sort out internal affairs and armaments was also completely understandable.
And what he had seen since he took office as the temporary county lieutenant was that this young lord and Cheng Li, the Prime Minister of Leping, were checking the population and grain within the jurisdiction one by one according to the account books left by the previous county magistrate. It was indeed a stage of preparation and reorganization.
He still had some doubts, but he dispelled them himself.
Moreover, in his opinion, Qiao Yan was much more responsible than the previous county magistrate.
When Zhao Yun mentioned the Black Mountain bandits, the one who behaved most inappropriately was obviously not Bao Hong.
Although he felt that he had taken on too much in this escort mission, he had to stay here because the temple of Emperor Qiao Xuanzong was not yet completed and bandits could attack at any time, and the people from the Hongnong Yang family who came to look for Yang Xiu had not arrived yet, so the safety of the grandson of the Grand Marshal also had to be taken into consideration.
But he did get the opportunity to be promoted from the war, and worked his way up to the position of captain of the Luoyang Northern Army. He was not so discouraged by the name of Heishan.
The one who was even more out of control was naturally the previous county magistrate.
He already knew that Chu Yan was around and he didn't know when he would endanger Leping. Now, hearing that there was also a force called Zhang Niujiao, he became even more uneasy.
It was precisely because of this concern that he was eager to complete the handover with Qiao Yan.
Fortunately, although the successor, Marquis of Leping, was delayed in Luoyang for some time, he arrived quickly and avoided losing his life in the attack of the Black Mountain bandits.
The day after Qiao Yan arrived, he packed his bags and went to the county seat to take up his post without any delay.
Qiao Yan couldn't help but feel a little amused.
The county magistrate really didn't want to add any stain of the bandit attack to his political achievements, so he left so quickly.
But it is human instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm. Qiao Yan is well aware of this truth, so there is no need to blame the other party.
What's more, his leaving in such a hurry undoubtedly helped Qiao Yan.
Zhao Yun personally witnessed the contrast in attitudes towards the bandits during the transition, and became more and more certain that only a commander like Qiao Yan who remained fearless in the face of danger could have the possibility of defeating the enemy.
But as Qiao Yan said, if you want to get rid of the thieves, advance preparation is essential.
The tens of thousands of households in Leping were not as simple as the handful of rice scattered in the mountain basin that she had seen on the three-dimensional map. The population of these people was almost split in half, with those living in the county town and those distributed in the mountains in the form of villages.
Perhaps the only good news for her was that Leping was a small county without any powerful forces and therefore no hidden population.
If we have to say there is one, it is just a big family in the county town, which is a branch of the Wang family of Taiyuan in Bingzhou. However, they are not like the powerful people in Yanzhou who would live independently by building a fortress.
The man in Leping was more like a wealthy man. In addition, he was old and had only the ambition to maintain the status quo but not the ambition to make progress. Therefore, in Qiao Yan's view, he was more like a local sage in Leping County, and was called a prince by those around him.
Because there was little resistance from powerful people, Qiao Yan's population verification went particularly smoothly.
Previously, Liu Hong had personally agreed that Leping did not need to pay tribute to Luoyang within five years, which greatly alleviated Leping's financial expenditure.
After discussing with Cheng Li, Qiao Yan also decided to inform the people in Leping County that the per mu tax and head tax would be exempted in the first year of the county's establishment, and the agricultural tax would be paid at a rate of one in thirty thereafter.
During the Han Dynasty, agricultural tax remained at 15% or 30% for most of the time. It is hard not to say whether this was a fine tradition formed in the early Western Han Dynasty. Even during the reigns of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling of Han, this ancestral law was not changed.
But if you want to extract more wealth from the people, there are always other ways as long as you dare to think about it.
Therefore, starting from the reign of Emperor Xiaohuan, a per-acre tax was added on the basis of the "fodder tax", under the pretext of collecting an additional 10 coins per acre of land, and more money was collected from the people.
In other words, the taxes that the people of Leping County originally needed to pay included a basic agricultural tax of 15%, that is, a fixed output value of six liters per mu of land, and then there were various taxes such as land tax, population tax, and fodder tax.
As these taxes accumulated, the 15% tax that was originally used to support the people became only a small part of the taxes.
Under the future rule of Cao Cao, he integrated and merged the various harsh taxes of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and changed the various taxes on land into a fixed value, that is, four liters of grain were levied per acre of land, and then a per-household tax was imposed as a policy to encourage childbirth. However, Qiao Yan's current situation is very different from that of Cao Cao at that time.
Governing the country from the county certainly gave her a lot of decision-making autonomy, and because of Liu Hong's appreciation of her, he was exempted from donations for five years, but this did not mean that Qiao Yan could make any drastic reforms right from the start of her rule.
Especially when the taxes levied in the surrounding areas were still at their original state, she directly took actions that were almost revolutionary in nature, which was equivalent to challenging Liu Hong and would undoubtedly cause civil unrest in the surrounding areas.
The rulers would never allow this to happen.
However, as a county marquis who had just arrived in the area, it was completely feasible for him to reduce or exempt certain taxes in the area under his jurisdiction within a period of one to two years after seeing the scene caused by the natural disaster last year.
After all, in the original history, Huangfu Song did such a thing.
This is also a move that has been recognized by Liu Hong.
"Exempt the head tax and the mu tax, retain the other items, and on the basis of the thirty-one tax, based on the number of people and cultivated land in each household in Leping, the tax paid by each household is about 200 to 300 liters."
Qiao Yan calculated and communicated with Cheng Li. Seeing that the other party nodded, she continued, "Although Leping has more mountains than fields, this tax collection method can also support a good year."
Although Cheng Li did not hold an official position in the county when he was in Dong'a, he was well aware of the pressure this kind of tax put on the people.
Since Qiao Yan took over Leping, he naturally had to cut down on it. Otherwise, with the Black Mountain bandits harassing outside, it was not impossible for the people to relocate their families.
He simply asked, “Why just one year?”
Qiao Yan replied, "We are unfamiliar with the place, so any measures need to be tried out. One year later, if the Black Mountain bandits have been eliminated, the fields in the mountains can be reclaimed. The system then will naturally be different from the current one. In addition, light taxes and levies are a good policy, as evidenced by the rule of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty and the people's happiness under the rule of Empress Dowager Hexi. But it was a natural disaster then, but it is a natural disaster now. Since it is a natural disaster, it is inevitable to raise troops. If we simply abolish taxes, the garrison soldiers will not have enough food. We may have to restore the head tax next year, so this is also a last resort."
There was another reason that Qiao Yan had in mind, but he would not say it in his conversation with Cheng Li.
There are many cases of gratitude and resentment in this world. If we directly reduce or exempt taxes for the year now, even if the taxes are within the normal range in the future, people will probably not think it is reasonable.
But if she was exempted for one year simply because she had just arrived here, then it would obviously make sense. Subsequent policies may also be implemented flexibly.
After listening to Qiao Yan's explanation, Cheng Li couldn't help but praise him in his heart.
She had a very clear understanding of the current situation. When she saw the drawbacks of the current taxation, she did not show the idealistic thoughts that are common among people of her age or young people who have not experienced the world. Instead, she planned the categories and years of tax exemptions and left some wiggle room for herself.
This is particularly rare.
However, in this way, Qiao Yan took on all the calculation work at once, and Cheng Li felt that his Le Ping persona seemed to be somewhat useless.
But the next day, when the tax reform policies had to be notified, the chief executive assigned the details to the county officials, who in turn notified each household. Qiao Yan simply acted as a hands-off manager.
Cheng Li, who was forced to work, directly arrested Xu Fu, his assistant.
Anyway, he had felt that this young ranger was a promising talent before, and now was a good opportunity for him to learn through direct practice.
That's not right. The current Xu Fu should not be called a knight-errant. Now that he has received the imperial decree from the county marquis Qiao Yan, he should be called the county marquis's concubine's son.
This concubine's son is not that concubine's son. This is one of the official positions under the marquis, equivalent to the staff of the county marquis. For example, Ying Yan, one of the Seven Sages of the Jian'an Period, once served as the concubine's son of Pingyuan Marquis.
Above the illegitimate son is the housekeeper, who corresponds to the county magistrate and is equivalent to the steward of the county marquis. This position is currently vacant. When Cheng Li and Xu Fu discussed his future goals, he heard Xu Fu mention this matter.
"Mrs. Lu also wants this position, but Marquis Qiao seems to prefer her the position of envoy because she is much better than me in terms of speaking and can be called outstanding. Therefore, Marquis Qiao thinks she can take charge of the county's foreign affairs."
This is also a display of the county's external image.
Logically speaking, since Lu Yuan was unwilling to reveal her family background, this position should not be given to her.
But Qiao Yan felt that since she still chose to follow him after going to Luoyang, it didn’t matter who she was originally from the moment she came to Leping, because she was a useful talent after all.
It would be a pity if someone like Lu Yuan, who is well-read and has a good sense of propriety in his conversation, was not used as a diplomat.
"But the most interesting position is the book editor." Xu Fu laughed when he said this.
Cheng Li did not see it in the county government office at that time. However, in the county marquis's mansion, Qiao Yan asked Cai Yan, who was temporarily living there, if she wanted to try out for this position. It was really funny.
The ten-year-old child asked the seven-year-old, "Do you want to be an official in charge of documents for me?" If there were two people, it would inevitably seem like a game of house.
But when these two were not ordinary children, one dared to ask and the other dared to answer.
Cai Yan did not make this decision casually. Although she was young, she could be considered precocious.
The hardships she experienced while growing up further informed her judgment of her current situation.
My father made some inappropriate remarks during his trip to Luoyang. It is hard to say whether this will sow the seeds of trouble again. Those who were offended before may not give up their hostility towards him just because time has passed.
This is not something that can be erased by my father's attainments in calligraphy and classics.
Previously, when the three of them, father and daughter, were relying on the Yang family of Taishan, their elder sister married a son of the Yang family. To outsiders, this seemed to be a good match, but what was the reality?
My sister was not Yang Xun’s original wife, but his step-wife.
Last year, my sister's eldest son Yang Cheng and Yang Fa, the son born to Yang Xin's first wife, both fell ill. Unable to take care of both of them at the same time, my sister chose to save other people's sons instead of her own for the sake of her reputation. This undoubtedly made Cai Yan, who witnessed this scene, feel puzzled.
She couldn't understand why this needed to be promoted as something of a good reputation, and she didn't dare to imagine what she would be like if she got married in the future.
When she met Qiao Yan in Luoyang City, she saw that although Qiao Yan was wearing mourning clothes at the time, this girl with the same name as her appeared to be full of vigor and power, which inevitably made her see another possibility.
Is it possible that, compared to her father who often speaks without careful consideration, if she had the opportunity to start from an official position, she would be more likely to become a support for her sister than her father, and would be more able to control her own destiny?
Cai Yan didn't know the answer.
But after being offered this olive branch, the thoughts that had been churning in her heart undoubtedly found an outlet.
Why not give it a try? Being young is obviously not a constraint, after all, she still has the opportunity to learn.
"Cai Zhaoji has a photographic memory. Her knowledge of literature and writing is far superior to yours. It is not surprising that she has achieved this position." Cheng Li's criterion for judging people is "talent". In addition, at his level, he no longer needs to stick to the gender gap. His evaluation of Cai Yan is entirely based on her own ability, not -
She is the daughter of the great Confucian scholar Cai Yong.
Seeing that Xu Fu did not seem to realize that Qiao Yan was serious about appointing Cai Zhaoji, rather than just picking a friend who was on good terms with him to replace her when there was no one else available, Cheng Li said, "If you have this idea, I'm afraid it won't be easy for you to be promoted from a bastard to a housekeeper. I think Marquis Qiao might want to let your mother try for this position."
"......?" Xu Fu looked at Cheng Li in confusion and found that he didn't seem to be lying.
Although he saw that Qiao Yan valued his mother very much and even made a special trip to visit her once, he had never thought about the possibility that Cheng Li mentioned.
"Do you want to make a bet?" Cheng Li found the kid's expression funny and said teasingly.
"No need." Xu Fu shook his head and replied, "It all depends on your ability. Since Lord Qiao selects people based on their abilities, I naturally have to show my performance."
What are you betting on?
Xu Fu had only been a cultured man for a short time, and when Cheng Li proposed the bet as a joke, he was still thinking about the betting methods of the street knights.
But did he have to make a bet that if he failed to win the position of the family steward, would he change his name to Xu Shu just because he was still the illegitimate son of Marquis Leping?
There is no such boring thing.
However, since Cai Zhaoji was able to hold an official position under Marquis Qiao, it might not be a bad thing if his mother could also have a job to do.
He was able to achieve what he has today thanks to his mother's care, so he was naturally happy to see her being given a respectable title by Qiao Yan.
With these arrangements, the people under Qiao Yan can now be said to be performing their duties.
The basic work in Leping County was carried out in an orderly manner.
During this month, Zhao Yun took into account what Qiao Yan said about the benefits of training weapons, and the Northern Army Captain Bao Hong naturally thought the same.
But in the eyes of these two people, Qiao Yan was sometimes a bit unprofessional, for example, brewing wine.
The wine in the Han Dynasty was fermented wine, that is, rice wine. Different from the distilled white wine, the fermented wine will appear turbid due to the influence of starch saccharification and fermentation. This is the so-called "turbid wine", which is why it is necessary to "boil wine" to judge a hero.
However, Qiao Yan did not intend to bother with the wine filtration technology that was not improved until the Tang and Song dynasties. Anyway, it was just a way to do business. It would be enough as long as he could test the nine-time feeding fermentation method.
There were a total of ten pottery bells purchased by Yang Xiu, which had already been cleaned and placed in the backyard of the county government office.
According to Qiao Yan's expectation, five of the pottery jars will be used to store rice wine brewed in the normal way, while the other five will be used to brew wine according to the method of fermentation with additional materials mentioned by Qiao Yan.
Of course, in the eyes of two helpers from other wineries recruited by Yang Xiu, this was undoubtedly a very strange brewing method.
Wouldn't it be impossible to confirm the situation if rice was added nine times during one fermentation cycle while ensuring that the pottery was not opened?
But they were paid to do their job, and since their boss wanted to come up with this kind of method and signed an agreement with them not to disclose the information, there was really nothing else they could do except to give them a reminder.
However, the drunkard who was invited by Yang Xiu for free came to help steam the rice and distribute the wine without saying a word.
At this time, koji had already formed a specialized koji business. After Yang Xiu inquired about the koji-making process from the three men, in order not to delay Qiao Yan's progress in the wine-making business, he specifically sought out the most famous koji merchant in Jinyang City.
This is probably a direct expression of the fact that koji and raw materials have to be bought at a high price, while labor can be hired at a low price...
After all, when Qiao Yan saw Yang Xiu, he saw that he also participated in the manual stirring and pressing process during the first round of fermentation, turning himself into a cheap laborer with free food and lodging.
If General Yang were here in person, he would probably not be able to imagine that his wonderful grandson would become like this.
But it wouldn't do any harm for a kid of his age to suffer a little more, so Qiao Yan let him do the subsequent work of decocting and dispensing wine without any psychological burden.
Logically speaking, in this environment where Qiao Yan was only responsible for supervision, there was no need for Bao Hong to feel that she was doing something unprofessional. However, every time she added additives, she would rush to do it no matter what she was doing, and then return to continue the work at hand.
Qiao Yan knew that he was playing the long game to catch a big fish, but Bao Hong didn't know that.
So much so that when Qiao Yan invited him to taste the wine, Bao Hong even felt that this was a bit inappropriate.
This county marquis...his style of doing things is really unexpected.
However, after he drank half a cup of hot new wine, he forgot all his previous thoughts.
This wine is wonderful!
He had seen the raw materials and yeast for making wine, as well as the brewing environment and tools, but he had never imagined that the wine brewed under such crude conditions would have such a mellow flavor.
However, when he was still enjoying the sweet taste, he suddenly heard Qiao Yan ask, "In General Bao's opinion, can this wine be considered a hero's wine?"
What...what wine?
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