"Li Guang, from now on, you and General Yao must do everything you can to recruit soldiers and horses, without any reservations."
Now is the best time for us to develop our forces. We should develop as many as we can, and at the same time, we must intensify our training.
As for military expenses, you don't need to worry about that; I'll figure it out.
You don't need to worry about the farm work at home for now. I'll have Zhao Xiaosheng take care of it. You can focus on developing your own power.
"At the workshop, increase the production of compressed biscuits, stop producing other food products, and stop selling the compressed biscuits produced. Store them all; the imperial court will purchase them in large quantities later, and we also need them ourselves."
“Okay, Brother Zhao, I’ll go back to the barracks now and work with General Yao on this. With more and more people fleeing, it’s the best time to recruit soldiers and horses, and we can’t miss it.”
After Li Guang finished speaking, he left quickly.
Zhao Xian immediately notified his staff and gathered them together to analyze the current situation. Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked.
No one expected that just as things were starting to get better, war would break out. Although most people hadn't experienced it firsthand, they had heard about it.
Zhao Xian is now the backbone of the family, and everything must be arranged by him. Seeing that everyone was staring at him, he spoke up.
“Xiao Sheng, you are now in charge of the farm work at home. Li Guang wants to develop the army and strengthen the training of the troops. Our whole family and our business need this army to protect us.”
"Okay, brother, I understand."
"Yingying, what you need to do now is very important: increase the production of compressed biscuits in the workshop and stop selling them to the public."
At the same time, the production of other food products was stopped to conserve raw materials, which were then used entirely for the production of compressed biscuits.
Production of other goods will continue, but we need to find ways to generate more revenue, as we will need money for many things in the future.
"Yes, Master, I know what to do," Qin Yingying said.
And so, Zhao Xian assigned important tasks to everyone around him, and finally he looked at Zhao Cheng and said:
"Zhao Cheng, go to the military camp and find Li Guang. Select two hundred soldiers and put them under your training. I will equip them with firearms so that they can fight with the strength of at least several thousand men."
This will be the most secretive force in the Great Northern Dynasty. It will only be used as a last resort; this matter must be kept secret and not divulged.
“Yes, patriarch, I will certainly handle this matter well,” Zhao Cheng replied firmly.
Just then, a servant came to report that two messengers had arrived from the capital. They claimed to have been sent by Lord Yao and wanted to see the Minister of the Imperial Household.
"So it's a messenger sent by Lord Yao. Please invite him in quickly," Zhao Xian said.
Soon, two messengers were invited in. They had come from the capital at breakneck speed, and had been very tired.
"Greetings, Lord Shaofu," the two bowed to Zhao Xian.
"Messengers, please have a seat. Lord Yao has arranged for you two to come here on some important matter."
"Here is an approval document. Lord Yao asked the two of us to deliver it specially, saying that the Minister of the Imperial Household Department urgently needs it."
After the messenger finished speaking, he took a sealed document bag from his baggage and handed it to Zhao Xian.
Zhao Xian was excited. This must be an imperial decree allowing him to brew wine from grain. It was Yao who helped him obtain this through his connections.
Zhao Xian took the document bag, opened it, and sure enough, it was a permit for brewing wine from grain, covered with stamps.
It seems that it was no easy feat for Lord Yao to obtain the approval.
With this approval, things became much easier; he could produce large quantities of liquor and open up the market.
In this era, there's no shortage of market for baijiu (Chinese liquor); it's just a matter of how much you can produce.
As long as Li Guang produces enough liquor, his military expenses will be covered.
He handed the approval document to Qin Shiyu and said:
"Shiyu, you are in charge of keeping this approval document. From now on, we will use grain as raw material to produce large quantities of liquor and further expand our market sales channels."
"Okay, I'll do it as soon as possible." Qin Shiyu took the approval document and read it carefully.
"My two messengers, does Lord Yao have any other instructions?" Zhao Xian asked.
"There are two more letters here, one is for Lord Shaofu, and the other is for Li Guang." Zhao Xian took the letters and looked at them; they were handwritten by Lord Yao.
"Thank you both, messengers. I have arranged accommodations for you. Please rest for a few days before returning to the capital."
"No need. Lord Yao instructed that after we deliver the letter, we must not linger and must return immediately."
Now that Lord Shaofu has received the approval and letter, we shall take our leave immediately. After saying this, the two men rose to take their leave.
Having no other choice, Zhao Xian took out twenty taels of silver and gave ten taels to each person as a reward.
The two were very happy, accepted the reward, and then took their leave.
After the two left, Zhao Xian had someone deliver Li Guang's letter to them, opened the handwritten letter that Lord Yao had written to him, and read it carefully.
In his letter, Yao mentioned that after receiving the approval document, Zhao Xian immediately organized production and opened up sales channels for the liquor. He suggested that the liquor should be sold to the southern regions, and the more regions it could be sold to, the better.
Lord Yao's meaning is quite clear: the produced liquor should be sold as much as possible to the south, in order to minimize the impact of the war on liquor sales.
It seems that the outbreak of war is inevitable, and what I need to do now is to prepare for war and famine.
In the military camp, Li Guang was carefully reading the letter written to him by Lord Yao.
In the letter, Lord Yao mentioned several important matters to Li Guang.
Lord Yao instructed him to develop his power as quickly as possible, because only with sufficient strength could he protect himself. This time, the target of his defenses was an external force.
There is another matter: the imperial court will hold a grand sacrificial ceremony for the gods of the land and grain this April.
The emperor will personally attend this ceremony to represent the nation in dialogue with the gods of land and grain, praying for their blessings and protection.
Normally, the sacrificial ceremony for the gods of the land and grain is held every year, but this year is special because it coincides with the end of the year, so it is particularly grand.
In addition, the fact that the Great Northern Dynasty might be invaded by foreign enemies this year is also a way of praying for divine protection.
This ceremony was attended not only by the emperor and his civil and military officials, but also by some individuals who had made significant contributions to agriculture in the Great Northern Dynasty. The emperor not only received these people, but also bestowed upon them rewards.
Li Guang was among those invited to the meeting; this was all arranged by Lord Yao.
In his letter, Lord Yao mentioned that if Li Guang wanted to attend the ceremony, he should make thorough preparations and go directly to Lord Yao's residence after arriving in the capital.
Lord Yao also included an invitation in the envelope, so that he wouldn't be subject to strict checks when entering the city.
In one month, the imperial court will hold a ceremony to worship the gods of the land and grain. If you decide to participate, you must be prepared.
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