Having solved the problem of storing dried sweet potatoes, Zhao Xian began to work on producing related sweet potato products, starting with sweet potato starch.
The harvested sweet potatoes varied in quality. A large number of sweet potatoes were damaged during harvesting, and there were also some smaller sweet potatoes. All of these sweet potatoes can be used to make starch.
Everyone was very curious; they wanted to know how Zhao Xian made starch from sweet potatoes.
The first step in making sweet potato starch is to wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly and process them into a paste.
In order to grind sweet potatoes into a paste, Zhao Xian designed a manual mechanical device. This device contains a roller that is driven by manpower to make the roller rotate quickly, and then the washed sweet potatoes are put into it.
The rapidly spinning roller quickly crushed the sweet potatoes, eventually turning them into a paste.
Next, put the paste into a cloth bag and rub it continuously in clean water. The sweet potato starch will be washed out through the gaps in the cloth bag, enter the water, and settle down.
Once all the starch has been washed out and settled to the bottom of the water, the water on top is removed, and sweet potato starch is obtained.
Then, dry and grind the damp starch to make pure white sweet potato starch.
Making sweet potato starch is not complicated; you can learn it in a flash. Soon, the villagers started making starch at home.
After completing the production of sweet potato starch, Zhao Xian did not rest. He used the starch to make several kinds of delicious food, which were praised by everyone after tasting them.
The ancients were very clever. After understanding the characteristics of sweet potato starch, they made it into a variety of delicacies, something Zhao Xian had never imagined.
Following Zhao Xian's suggestion, the chef then processed the sweet potato starch into noodles and vermicelli, making the food easier to preserve.
As for making maltose from sweet potatoes, Zhao Xian didn't need to worry about that; every household in the village knew how to make it, except they replaced rice with sweet potatoes.
When sweet potatoes became a staple food, people wanted to change things up and made them into other foods. For a time, people were experimenting with different ways to process sweet potatoes.
For a time, sweet potato snacks were being sold everywhere on the streets and alleys, and children's pockets were filled with all sorts of snacks, most of which were made from sweet potatoes.
As time went by, the weather gradually cooled down, and in a little over a month, it would be the emperor's birthday.
From this time onward, officials from all over the country began to prepare birthday gifts for the emperor.
Zhao Xian is currently a fourth-rank official in the Ministry of War of the imperial court. He is considering what birthday gift to present to the emperor on the Emperor's birthday.
In ancient times, when officials presented birthday gifts to the emperor, they would invariably include gold, silver, jade, and other rare treasures. However, as the ruler of a country, his wealth was unmatched, and he had seen all sorts of fine things.
In an effort to win the emperor's favor, some officials spared no expense and went to great lengths to acquire rare items to present to him.
Zhao Xian had no interest in such matters; he knew the emperor cared deeply for the people, and the gift he wanted to give the emperor would certainly be extraordinary.
Therefore, the gifts presented to the emperor this time must focus on the people's livelihood, and the birthday gifts presented to the emperor should also focus on food and clothing.
First, Zhao Xian plans to use the potatoes and sweet potatoes promoted this year to make various kinds of snacks and send them to the emperor to taste. Second, he plans to make clothes, shoes, hats and quilts from the white glutinous rice and present them to the emperor. The emperor should know the value of these things.
With this in mind, Zhao Xian purchased a large amount of cotton and cotton wadding from the system. In order to keep his secret from being discovered, he specially had it transported back from outside.
When Shen Jianfeng learned that Zhao Xian had purchased a large quantity of cotton and cotton wadding from Southeast Asia, he was overjoyed and immediately began to prepare a birthday gift for the emperor, as requested by Zhao Xian.
As for He Lin, he left the capital and hurriedly rushed back. It was a month later when he returned to Yanjing.
Winter comes very early in the north, and a gust of cold wind made He Lin shiver.
The emperor of the Great Northern Dynasty gave the vassal states three months to respond, and more than a month has already passed. This matter should be reported to Emperor Yelü Wu as soon as possible so that a decision can be made quickly.
At this moment, Yelü Wu was discussing matters with his ministers when he learned that He Lin had returned, and he hurriedly summoned him.
"Minister He, how was the visit to the Great Northern Dynasty? Tell me quickly."
He Lin sighed and said:
"Your Majesty, I was sent on a mission to the Northern Dynasty by imperial decree, but I returned empty-handed and disgraced Your Majesty's command. I beg Your Majesty to punish me." After saying this, He Lin knelt down on the ground.
The emperor was greatly startled and immediately had a bad feeling. He said:
"Minister He, what makes you say such a thing? Tell me what happened."
He Lin sighed again and then recounted in detail his experience visiting the Great Northern Dynasty. The emperor and his ministers were stunned after hearing it.
It seems that the attitude of the Great Northern Dynasty is very clear: if the foreign country does not submit to the Great Northern Dynasty this time, they will send troops to attack the foreign country, and his reign as emperor will be over.
Currently, the foreign kingdom is weak and its military strength is severely insufficient, making it unable to resist the army of the Great Northern Dynasty.
Over the next few days, Emperor Yelü Wu and his ministers discussed the matter.
If they responded to the Northern Dynasty's demands, it would mean that the vassal state would have to submit a letter of surrender to the Northern Dynasty, pay tribute every year, and come to court every year. This had never happened in the vassal state for hundreds of years.
The people of the foreign lands would never agree to this request; there was no precedent for it among their ancestors, and such a situation would never happen to them.
In that case, there will be another battle between the Fan Kingdom and the Great Northern Dynasty, and this battle may be the one that destroys the Fan Kingdom.
It is now impossible for the Jin and Luo kingdoms to send troops to help the Fan kingdom.
This time, the foreign kingdom has dragged the Jin and Luo kingdoms into the mess, offending the Great Northern Dynasty. They are at a loss as to how to extricate themselves from this situation, so asking for their help at this time is simply not going to work.
Just then, a man stepped forward from below the hall and spoke:
"Your Majesty need not panic. I have a way to deal with the Northern Dynasty and make them dare not act rashly, thus ensuring the safety of our vassal state."
When everyone looked up, they saw that it was a very young seventh-rank official from the Bureau of Introduction, named Xiao Yi.
Logically speaking, such a minor official should not be qualified to appear in the imperial court.
The emperor needed a document, and the Bureau of Introduction sent him to deliver it. After the document arrived, Xiao Yi did not leave immediately, but stood below the hall listening to their discussion.
After listening for a while, I basically understood what was going on, and then I answered.
"How dare you speak such nonsense in the imperial court! Get out of here immediately!"
Soon, a minister rebuked him.
Feeling awkward, Xiao Yi quickly turned around and prepared to leave.
At this point, the emperor had run out of ideas. Since someone had offered a suggestion, he might as well listen to it.
Although this person holds a low-ranking official position, could it be that he actually has a way to solve the problem?
"Wait a minute, tell me your thoughts first, I'd like to hear them," the emperor said.
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