Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Chapter 3553 Shennong Water

Yang Mao was quite pleased with himself, but he was very modest: "I have been following His Majesty to farm since the first year of Hongwu's reign."

"These are just the beginning for His Majesty."

The two newly arrived palace maids, who had never eaten watermelon before, followed Li Zhen and began to eat slowly and carefully.

Tetraploid watermelons would have been considered incredibly advanced technology in ancient times, and they were able to enjoy them centuries ahead of schedule.

After collecting the watermelon seeds, Yang Mao took them back to report.

Although eunuchs in the new Ming Dynasty had little real power outside the palace, Yang Mao was extremely prestigious.

Because he understands agronomy!

Colchicine solution was called Shennong Water by officials who encouraged agriculture.

While the agricultural persuasion system itself didn't take it seriously, it was extremely mysterious among the common people.

Many gentry members had heard of Shennong Water, but did not know what it was.

They discovered that the crops grown in the experimental fields for promoting agriculture often had higher yields than those grown in the countryside, and even some fruits and vegetables had different appearances.

So they attributed it to Shennong Water, and since they thought it was a closely guarded secret, they didn't dare to inquire about it most of the time.

Even the Taoist priests who studied chemistry secretly obtained the "formula" for Shennong Water.

They believed that Shennong Water contained the primordial energy of heaven and earth, capable of transforming ordinary medicinal herbs into celestial medicines.

They even suspected that the millstone-sized Ganoderma lucidum was grown by Zhao Yuan using Shennong Water.

The eunuch Yang Mao knew how to prepare Shennong Water and also knew many methods to increase crop yields.

"Your Majesty, the watermelon seeds have been brought back," Yang Mao said, holding up a small paper package.

Zhao Yuan nodded: "Put it down."

The sun was about to set, and a strong wind blew through the courtyard, carrying away the sweltering heat. It looked like it might rain tonight.

Li Shishi, Liu Huiniang, Li Qingzhao, and Hu Sanniang were gathered around Zhao Yuan with their children, eating melons.

It's not very sweet, but it's not bitter either. It's very pleasant to eat with white sugar.

The white sugar was presented to us a few days ago by Wang Zhuo, an official from Sichuan who was in charge of promoting agriculture, along with the sugar-making process.

Wang Zhuo was originally from Sichuan and was proficient in poetry and music.

Having failed repeatedly in his attempts, and with his hometown of Suining having a thriving sugar industry, he simply took the time to research how to make sugar.

When Zhao Yuan raised an army and occupied Sichuan, Wang Zhuo dared not "surrender to the rebels".

It wasn't until the founding of the Ming Dynasty that he belatedly sought an official position.

Unfortunately, he had already missed his chance and only managed to get a clerk position.

Wang Zhuo was unwilling to become a clerk and continued to study sugar making, presenting the "Frost Sugar Manual" in the fourth year of the Hongwu reign.

This book starts by explaining how to grow sugarcane and also divides sugarcane into several varieties.

He wrote down clearly which sugars were suitable for making brown sugar and which were suitable for making rock sugar.

Next, he recorded the sugar-making process in detail, focusing on the production of rock sugar.

Purple rock sugar is the best, followed by dark amber, then light yellow, and light white rock sugar is the worst...

After Zhao Yuan obtained the book "The Sugar Recipe," he personally met with Wang Zhuo and appointed him to lead the research on the sugar-making process.

Four years later, Wang Zhuo presented "The Sugar Recipe".

"Are you just watching the show?"

Wen Huanzhang suddenly shouted from outside the courtyard: "His Majesty was eating melons and didn't even call me!"

Li Shishi led her concubines and children to greet him, but Zhao Yuan was still eating watermelon dipped in white sugar.

Wen Huanzhang bowed to the concubines in greeting, then sat down and said, "Your Majesty, I don't understand the craftsmanship of this piece."

Chapter 3554 Traditional Sugar Making Methods

"I didn't understand it either," Wen Huanzhang said.

Zhao Yuan held a book called "The Sugar Recipe" in his hand: "It's somewhat similar to the yellow mud water rinsing method, but there are also significant differences."

Wen Huanzhang said something the concubines couldn't understand: "In the 80s, small workshops in Sichuan, Fujian, Guangxi and Hainan were still using similar traditional methods to make sugar."

"I have a vague impression, but that's all I know. I don't know the specific principles behind it."

"It may be produced by taking advantage of the difference in solubility of sugar at different temperatures."

This technique involves placing a funnel-shaped pottery vessel on top of a ceramic urn and sealing it in place.

Then seal the funnel opening with straw, pour in syrup that has been boiled with lime three times, and seal it with mud.

One day later, the syrup had completely cooled.

Remove the sugar funnel, remove the sealing straw, and insert bamboo strips into the syrup to form a conduit, allowing the sugar seeds to slowly flow out along with impurities.

A month later, crystallized sugar appeared on the inner wall of the sugar sieve, with the purest sugar found near the sealing clay.

Crushing crystallized sugar makes white sugar.

The use of straw to seal the leak and yellow mud to seal the opening seems to contradict the account in "Tiangong Kaiwu".

Moreover, it's not something that can be made instantly; the entire process takes a month.

It's more accurate to call it the mud sealing method than the yellow mud water sprinkling method.

Wen Huanzhang said, "This so-called mud-sealing method of making white sugar is actually very similar to the method of making rock sugar in the Song Dynasty."

"It's just that we accelerated a process that used to take half a year to one month."

"In the pre-Song Dynasty Sichuan method of sugar frosting, the sugar was left to stand from the beginning of spring until summer, allowing the rock sugar to crystallize through natural temperature changes."

"But this mud sealing method is a way to artificially control temperature changes."

Zhao Yuan took another bite of watermelon: "This Wang Zhuo is quite good. How old is he?"

"In her fifties,"

Wen Huanzhang said,

"He was obsessed with becoming an official and always wanted to obtain one."

"Unfortunately, he was too timid to join the thieves. He lived in Sichuan and missed several opportunities to seek official positions."

Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "Then let's give him a position as a county magistrate."

"From now on, as long as he's not a major corrupt official, we can spare his life."

"If he were an honest and capable official, at his current age, he might be able to retire as a prefect."

This has made a huge contribution by reducing the sugar-making process to one month and increasing production compared to before.

Rewarding someone with the title of county magistrate would not be excessive.

After finishing a slice of watermelon in his hand, Zhao Yuan took two more from the basket next to him and said, "I'm leaving now, you can eat slowly."

"Hey, this is what I brought back. If you want to eat it, go out of town and get it yourself!" Wen Huanzhang said angrily.

Zhao Yuan didn't even turn his head: "I'm busy."

The four stepmothers covered their mouths and chuckled, and the younger siblings laughed along with them.

Li Qingzhao said to Wen Huanzhang, "The Emperor is just being coquettish to ask for a reward."

Wen Huanzhang said irritably, "He's not asking for a reward, he's openly robbing us!"

Zhao Yuan had already reached the courtyard gate, but turned back while still holding the watermelon: "Dongxi Garden is quite cool. I went there last year. You can go there to escape the heat."

The envoys who were on their way to Annam to demand justice were still en route when Annam's tributary territories were already in turmoil.

The leader of the Golden Teeth Hundred Barbarians (Dai tribal alliance), "Zhen," is also called Kunzhen, Bazhen, or Pazhen—all these prefixes mean leader.

He first subdued the Jinchi barbarians by force.

Then they sent troops north and defeated the Dali Kingdom, forcing it to acquiesce to the independence of the Jinchi region.

They then attacked the northern mountainous region of the Angkor Dynasty, forcing the Angkor Dynasty to recognize the incorporation of its border Tai tribes into the Golden Teeth.

This year, troops were dispatched again to Annam, capturing Xieng Khouang (which later became part of Laos).

Thus, this Dai tribal alliance, which is not even a country, defeated all the surrounding countries, leaving them helpless.

In early April, Kunzhen held a meeting in Jiaobagan City and was elected King of Jiaobagan by the various Dai tribes.

The slave-owning tribal alliance state—Golden Tooth Kingdom—was formally established!

Although it was formerly known as the Golden Teeth Kingdom, it was just a loose tribal alliance.

Its territory includes northern Thailand, northern Laos, and Mengla County in Yunnan Province. During the middle of Khun Chin's reign, he forced Annam to send a princess as a marriage alliance.

After his son succeeded to the throne, he even conquered Xishuangbanna and moved the capital there.

After the founding of the nation, Kunzhen immediately dispatched his son, leading a delegation across the northwestern mountainous region of Annam, to the Ming Dynasty to request investiture.

Ya Zhen is Kun Zhen's son, and he was shocked even before he arrived in Yongzhou.

The Ming Dynasty was truly prosperous!

Chen Keda, the prefect of Yongzhou, was also completely bewildered: "Where is the Kingdom of Jiaobagan?"

Yazhen replied, "Our country is bordered by Dali to the north, Zhenla to the south, and Annam to the east."

The merchant who accompanied them as a translator said, "They were the Jinchi Yi of the past. During the Tang Dynasty, they submitted to Nanzhao, and during the Song Dynasty, they submitted to Dali."

"Now that I have established my own kingdom and declared myself king, I have come to request the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to bestow upon me a title of king."

Ya Zhen continued, "We have heard that there is a great country in the north, and Annam and Dali are also vassals of this great country."

"We used to be vassals of Dali, but now we don't have to listen to Dali anymore. Can we also become vassals of a great power?"

Chapter 3555 Southern Dali Kingdom

“This place is China, also known as the Ming Dynasty,” Chen Keda said.

“Yes, it used to be called Song, but I heard it’s been called Ming recently,” Ya Zhen said. “I’m going to see the King of the Great Ming.”

Chen Keda was very pleased and warmly received the Golden Tooth Envoy, and sent officials to accompany them to the capital.

Yazhen, who was quite arrogant when she set off, traveled north and saw many large cities.

When I passed through Yangzhou, I was completely dumbfounded.

Ya Zhen could no longer be arrogant and became extremely respectful to the Ming officials. She arrived in Luoyang while eating watermelon in midsummer.

Zhao Yuan had never heard of any Golden Teeth Kingdom or Jiaobagan Kingdom.

When asked, none of the ministers could give a clear answer; they only gleaned some information from Chen Keda's memorial.

In fact, the Kingdom of Eight Hundred Wives during the Yuan and Ming dynasties was established by a tribe under the Golden Tooth Alliance.

Zhao Yuan must know about the Kingdom of Eight Hundred Wives.

Since we are at odds with Dali and Annam, we can receive these barbarians.

Ya Zhen was brought into the imperial city to meet the emperor. He entered through the Donghua Gate, but the guide deliberately prevented him from taking a carriage.

So this guy walked and walked, and the more he walked, the more surprised he became.

The imperial palace of the Ming Dynasty was even larger than the capital city of the Golden Tooth Kingdom!

"You wait here!" the eunuch ordered.

Ya Zhen dared not act rashly and sat down obediently.

He was accompanied to the capital by merchants from Dali.

This man frequently went to the mountains to do business, but when he was captured by the Golden Tooth Kingdom, he was forced to become a translator.

After a long wait, I was finally granted entry.

The two men simultaneously fell to their knees and kowtowed to the Ming emperor sitting above them.