Chapter 74
There are two ways to produce it. One is to distill it and obtain it through condensation, but the temperature must be relatively precisely controlled. The other method is to crush it, wait for it to be fully oxidized, and then soak it in high-concentration alcohol to take the top layer.
When he came to Ji Di before, he also found bronze distillation vessels from the granary. It would only take some time to forge them into porcelain according to the design style. Wen Yi had ordered people to do it before to extract higher concentration of alcohol.
It can be used right now.
*
In the end, Yao Wenjun watched the leading team leave first. The leader this time was a rising star who had helped to tackle many difficult areas when he was in Ji Di before.
She herself had to wait until all the food and supplies were prepared before she could set off. After all, many things took a long time to prepare, especially extremely important things like food.
Wen Yi did not follow them out this time, but just watching Yao Wenjun standing on the city gate was interesting enough - of course, this was just a spice of life, she also had some things to do.
Yesterday, she received a letter from Song Jin sent from Pingyi, which very cryptically instructed her to quickly organize all those workshops and rebuild them in Dongdu, and not to transfer people from Pingyi every time something happened. Even if there was a school, there would not be enough people to borrow from everywhere.
Don’t you see that many of the guys who went to Fengyi haven’t returned yet, and the caravans are busy asking for goods. Sang Yu and his friends have been so busy that they haven’t had a rest for several days, and even their half-day rest has been occupied.
In fact, Wen Yi has made some plans during this period, but because it takes time to build infrastructure, the newly established workshops are mostly beneficial to life, and those in metal smelting or equipment manufacturing have been delayed for the time being.
This is also one of the reasons why she did not follow the advance team this time.
Since both sides had to advance their fronts, transportation would be very inconvenient. Wen Yi simply took the record book sent from Pingyi and gradually gathered people to reorganize the team.
There were quite a few who had retired from the army over the years, some due to age, others like Dao Cheng who had developed hidden illnesses. These individuals often took over the tasks that required confidentiality. The investigation into any betrayal or leaks was left to the responsible individuals, and Wen Yi didn't ask too much.
"Alright, just follow the above process for the rest. If you have any questions, please ask the experts."
After sorting out the initial confusion, Wen Yi handed over these matters and followed Yao Wenjun and his group south at an extremely slow pace.
This was not due to any weather reasons, but because the army's marching speed was originally very slow. There were not enough carriages and horses for everyone. Most of the soldiers had to walk to travel and carry their own luggage. The distance they traveled every day was not even one-third of that of the merchant team.
The vanguard team will arrive at the place where they want to camp in advance to check whether there is enough water and open space around, whether there are any ambushes, and set up tents. After returning to report, the team will set off and arrive at this place before dark.
Wen Yi rubbed his forehead while sitting on the frame, then lay back on the cleanly washed fur cushions, feeling the bumps of the wheels rolling over the stones. This was the result of wrapping the wheels with treated fur and hollow bladders and adding a shock-absorbing structure to the frame.
In fact, the road itself is even more uneven. After all, it has not been repaired yet. Most of the time, passers-by clean it up a little, and the frames with wider spacing are prone to sinking into potholes on the roadside.
At this moment, Yao Wenjun was not in the more gorgeous carriage in front, but was playing a new chess game in Wen Yi's carriage. After all, reading in such a bumpy environment is not good for eyesight, which is fatal for a general.
He caught a glimpse of Wen Yi lying down and couldn't help but shook his head.
I don’t know when it started, but Wen Yi became a little different. He was silent when we first met, and even after we got to know each other, he would mostly just lean back in his chair, thinking about something.
But now she is obviously much more relaxed. She doesn't have to be so nervous like she was at the beginning. This should be considered a good thing.
Even a good bow is always kept taut, and there will come a time when it can no longer bear the weight and breaks. It can only last longer if it is relaxed and maintained.
Yao Wenjun had always been a little worried before, but she eventually suppressed her worries due to the circumstances. When Wen Yi went to Changyu alone, she was also a little worried, but she was also relieved.
Putting the chess piece in his hand into the box, Yao Wenjun turned his head and looked at the scene outside through the gap in the window.
There were naturally armored guards around, but they pretended not to look and continued to diligently observe the surroundings, changing positions every half hour.
Even after being cleared by the people in front, there will always be refugees or bandits who have escaped the net on the road. This is a good opportunity to gain merit. It is already annoying enough that he was not selected as a vanguard. If he makes a mistake again at this time, he really should be thrown into the training ground for training to teach him a lesson.
This time, he did not intend to take over Zeyi directly, but used the river as the boundary, first taking its northern part into his possession, and then annexing the few remaining forces in it.
The general at the front had already contacted Nanxun and the others, and was only waiting for Yao Wenjun and the others' troops to reunite before beginning to flatten the cities that still resisted. The land productivity in these areas had increased under the influence of the caravans, and if they could be captured, the subsequent construction would not require support from other places; the accumulation of resources in the cities themselves would be sufficient.
At that time, we can also move our focus south and then plan to occupy the land south of the river.
However, even if there were enough troops, it took nearly two months to complete the cleanup work. The cities here were too scattered. A group of guys with farm tools would appear almost every few hilltops, and there would be sneak attacks at night following the firelight, forcing the guards to be extremely alert.
Naturally, the people who followed her at this time could not stop Yao Wenjun, so she swung her spear at the edge of the camp and stretched her muscles in the night, finally getting rid of the suffocating feeling she had been feeling for the past few days.
The guards around him originally wanted to go forward to protect him, but after looking at the silver-shining spears being waved continuously in the firelight, they wisely retreated to a place where they would not affect Yao Wenjun's performance, and silently helped the soldiers around him to finish off the enemy.
Perhaps I was brainwashed during this period, and always felt that Wang needed my protection. I almost forgot about the figure who was fighting one against many people effortlessly in the training ground.
After several years of nutritional supplementation, while some soldiers still had blurred night vision, many had recovered from night blindness. Some had even grown taller. Considering that most soldiers were already adults, they wouldn't have grown any taller. Unexpectedly, with the combined help of adequate nutrition and proper exercise, many had improved their martial arts skills to the next level, even being able to use bows that had previously been unable to draw.
This also made the fight completely tilt towards their side.
"Yes, bring me my bow."
The person behind him quickly untied the package he was carrying, handed over the bow and arrow and quiver inside, and at the same time took the spear thrown by Yao Wenjun.
The attackers tonight numbered only about a hundred, mostly stragglers. Upon realizing the camp was prepared, they quickly withdrew. Unfortunately, Yao Wenjun wouldn't let them come and go as they pleased, and his soldiers wouldn't leave with just their military achievements.
The torch in his hand used for lighting now became the best target. Even if he couldn't confirm the body shape, he could always hit it by shooting around.
Each arrow is engraved with different patterns, so there is no need to worry about someone claiming military merit.
A little light leaked out from the cracks in the tent. No one could sleep in such a noisy environment, so they simply lit the lights and waited for the chaos outside to end.
The lit oil lamp can only illuminate a limited area, and the light is not very strong, but you can still see the furnishings clearly so as not to accidentally bump into the boxes.
Wen Yi didn't come out, but he could hear the noise outside gradually subsiding, so he figured the matter had been resolved. Sure enough, after a while, he heard footsteps not far away, probably the people who had gone out earlier returning. He would wait until daybreak to clean up the area and collect the usable arrows.
*
Standing high on the north bank, one could make out figures hidden in the distance, either in the bushes or behind buildings. Although somewhat concealed, the marks of the vehicle frame were so obvious that even someone with limited vision could tell something was amiss.
"What's the situation on the other side?"
Yao Wenjun asked the soldiers who had just come down from above.
The soldier nodded: "Just as the king and the general expected."
The number of people on the opposite side did not seem to be large, and was within everyone's expectations. They could be dealt with relatively easily according to the plan.
Perhaps the previous lobbying over there had some effect. In addition, this place is mainly based on trade. If peace and stability can be maintained, most people will choose to watch. It’s just a matter of changing the power to be worshipped.
According to the information from the investigation, the exploitation in the north is even less severe than in Zeyi. If we can use this opportunity to expand the northern market, it would be a good thing. Don't you see how much profits Meng Xi and others have gained since establishing the trade route? It makes people particularly jealous.
With Meng Xi and others acting as guarantors, many people who came to Zeyi to seek help were evaded, which made the person in charge grit his teeth and resolve that if this crisis was over, he would make these guys pay.
It's fair to say that everyone in this world understands that power confers influence. As long as one has sufficient force to protect oneself, even if one engages in extreme behavior, they can still escape safely. It's a pity that this leader has been safe for too long, and the gold and silver he's amassed can only recruit a limited number of men at this point, all of whom are greedy for money. If a real fight breaks out, they'll likely flee.
Yao Wenjun's vanguard troops have already crossed the river. According to the pre-drawn map and observations, they will meet the opposite side in a while.
Wen Yi put the things in her hand back into the box and stuck her head out. She could vaguely see smoke rising from the other side of the river. It was a signal agreed upon in advance, indicating that they were ready and just had to take action.
The people on this side of the river began to use boats to cross the river in a big way, creating a background of attacking when the enemy was halfway across the river, luring the people on the other side into taking the bait, and then the guys who had been lurking there would outflank them from the rear, attacking them from both sides and defeating the resistance organized by the enemy.
Originally they were worried that these people were too vigilant and would not take the bait, but now it seems that the desire to capture the enemy leader seems to be stronger. The soldiers standing on the high ground clearly saw that the people on the opposite side had already gathered towards the place where the tallest ship was about to dock.
Yao Wenjun and others naturally would not stay on the boat. In fact, there were only dozens of soldiers armed with crossbows on it. They would wait for these people to approach and then retreat back to the boat.
However, these people were experienced in dealing with ships. They shot arrows coated with kerosene at the slowly retreating ships.
The temporary boat was used by the merchant caravan, and even with the reinforcements it had received over the past few days, it wasn't very stable. Fortunately, it was painted, and the water from the river was easily accessible, so the rockets somehow prevented the boat from setting it on fire.
When the people behind completed the encirclement and began to gradually clear out the enemy from the rear, this battle, which was originally a crushing defeat, was nearing its end.
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