Chapter 96: Border emergency

After talking for a long time, it was a bit abrupt and it was unclear. Feng Shicai also woke up and sorted out his ideas. Then he explained to Chen Wanrong: "Shopkeeper Chen doesn't know that the boss has some acquaintances in the Ministry of War. After returning to Chang'an, he sent some alcohol to the Ministry of War. Unexpectedly, this afternoon, the Ministry of War will be written down and asked us to send 3,000 kilograms of alcohol within five days, saying it was a trial. Manager Chen, think about it, the court's things cannot be owed, not to mention that this is what the Ministry of War wants to do. If there is any delay, it will be a military law. The boss wants me to come and speak to Manager Chen to see if he can do it quickly."

Gao Dean is aware of the situation here and knows that alcohol production is very difficult, with only one pot and one stove. If you don’t know it in advance, it will definitely be too late and something will happen.

Chen Wanrong was naturally grateful to him for his kindness, but Chen Wanrong still had a question: "Mr. Feng, no matter how good the alcohol is, the Ministry of War should try it out. Why did you get the goods in such a short time?"

The Ministry of War purchased alcohol is certainly happy, but also curious. Military supplies need to undergo strict review before they can be purchased. Chen Wanrong cannot be curious if he places an order to purchase it in such a short time.

Feng Shicai couldn't explain this matter clearly. While thinking, he said, "Shopkeeper Chen, how can I explain this matter clearly. Alcohol is indeed a good thing. It took only one or two days for those big pharmacies in Chang'an. I think the Ministry of War should have tried it, and the effect is good, so I want so much."

He is an ordinary person, and it is normal for him to not know about military affairs. However, Chen Wanrong thought that Wang Shaohua hurried back to Chang'an, something big must have happened in the court, and maybe some contact with it. He asked: "Mr. Feng, you came from Chang'an. Is there something big happening in Chang'an? Is there anything abnormal?" People leave traces behind, and geese leave marks behind. If something big happens in the court, there are always some clues that can be noticed.

Feng Shicai thought for a while and clapped his hands and said, "Yes! Shopkeeper Chen, I forgot if you don't mention it. Starting today, the patrol in Chang'an has been strengthened, and something big should have happened in the court."

Sure enough, there was a strange movement in Chang'an. As for what happened, what was the matter that the people could know. Chen Wanrong was planning to end the conversation, but Feng Shicai said angrily: "Shopkeeper Chen, I heard that he was going to attack Shibao City! Shibao City was originally a land of China and was occupied by Tubo and had not been recaptured for decades. It was really annoying!"

"Stone Castle City?" Chen Wanrong didn't know where Shibao City was, which made Feng Shicai so angry.

Feng Shicai stared at Chen Wanrong with his eyes wide open, and asked strangely: "Shopkeeper Chen, don't you know Stone Castle City?" It seemed as if he didn't know that Stone Castle City had a huge sin.

Look at his expression, Shibao City should be very famous. If he just said he didn't know, he would be even more strange. Chen Wanrong had to lie: "I have heard of it, but I don't know it very well. If Mr. Feng knows it, I will be grateful."

Feng Shicai thought about it again. Chen Wanrong was born in a country man and didn't know that Shibao City was normal. He nodded and said, "I have heard that I have never been there. Please forgive me if something is wrong."

After pausing, he sorted out his thoughts, and then he slowly said: "Shibao City is not big, but it is a place that is big in the palm of his hand, but it has been a strategic rushing place. In the fifth year of the previous dynasty, Emperor Yang personally conquered Tuyuhun and built this city. Shibao City is located 30 miles east of Chiling, built on a square platform half a mile away from the ground. It is a striking place. It is dangerous on three sides, and there is only one stone step that can be curled up. If you fight here, one man is the pass, and ten thousand men will not open. Since Emperor Gaozong, Tubo occupied Tuyuhun after he destroyed Tuyuhun, and it has been occupied until today." This is still a must-pass place for the "Southern Silk Road", so it has extremely important economic value.

Shibao City is a triangular square platform with a front width of more than a hundred meters and a width of ninety meters on both sides. The entire area is only more than 5,000 square meters. It is built according to the mountain and is made of long stones, which is very sturdy.

Shi Wansui, a famous general and poet in the court, wrote in his "Stone City Poem" that "Who opened the steep gate of the stone city? He even heard that the wind fell from the rocks. The Tianbailing Mountains in the world are better than the golden soup, suppressing the southwest half of the sky", which well revealed the danger and strategic value of Shibao City.

"Shibao City is extremely important. Since the Tubo occupation, the Hehuang land and Longyou of the Tang Dynasty have been divided into two parts, and each has no jurisdiction." Feng Shicai said angrily: "But Tubo took advantage of the convenience of Shibao City to send troops from here to attack the Hehuang land and Longyou of the Tang Dynasty, harassing endlessly, and the border people are suffering from it."

It turned out to be a strategic key, no wonder he was so angry. Chen Wanrong asked: "Since it is so important, why doesn't the court bring it back?"

If you don’t listen to this, Feng Shicai was so angry that his beard was so upset: "Shopkeeper Chen, you don’t know. It’s not that the court doesn’t want to take it back, but that it’s impossible. Over the past decades, the Tang Dynasty has sent troops to attack Shibao City countless times, but it has failed, but it only increases casualties. Therefore, some people joked about Shibao City as a ‘Sad City’. Those generals were all for a good meal. After fighting for decades, they couldn’t even get a small Shibao City!”

His mood is understandable, but it is too biased. Tubo will inevitably send elite soldiers and powerful generals to garrison in such a strategic location, and it is reasonable that it is difficult to succeed. Chen Wanrong smiled and said, "Mr. Feng doesn't have to be sad. How can such an important place be easily brought back."

"Hey! Didn't Tubo have only more than 1,000 troops stationed? It's been decades when they can't fight. These soldiers should have committed suicide long ago." Feng Shicai was still angry.

In such a dangerous place, one man is in a pass, and ten thousand men cannot open it. Not to mention that one thousand people are stationed, even one hundred people are enough to be able to stand up. He is standing and talking without a back pain. Chen Wanrong cannot point it out, but he still has to take care of his face and smiled and said, "These military affairs are beyond our ability to say."

As Chen Wanrong thought, Geshuhan had a high price to attack Shibao City, dispatched 60,000 troops to capture Shibao City at the cost of 30,000 casualties, and at that time, there were only more than a thousand people stationed in Tubo.

Of course, although the price is high, it is worth it. It was the Tang Dynasty that recaptured Shibao City, and the Tang Dynasty's troops pointed directly at the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Tubo was afraid that he had to seek peace. The envoy proposed marriage and re-negotiated. In the end, Sun and Moon Mountain, that is, Chiling, were bounded.

Sun and Moon Mountain was called Chiling before the Tang Dynasty. Because the mountain was red, it was named.

Geshuhan's capture of Shibao City has great strategic significance. First, it connects the Hehuang land of the Tang Dynasty and Longyou, and the entire strategic situation has been greatly improved. Second, it seals the Tubo on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and since then it has been unable to intervene in the Hexi Corridor. It is precisely because of such important strategic significance that this battle has been well received by people of the times.

Gao Shi praised Geshuhan for "the fountain of the army's blood, the wind drove away the Qiang souls. The ghosts cried yellow and the dusk, and the sky was sorrowful and the sun was dull", which well revealed the cruelty of this battle.

However, the poet Li Bai disagreed and wrote a poem, "You can't learn from Geshu, so you can walk rampantly in Qinghai with a knife at night, and slaughter the stone fort in the west to get a purple robe." This is to ridicule Geshuhan.

The poems of the immortal poet are good. He only saw the costly side, but did not see the serious consequences of losing Shibao City. After the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang army stationed in Hehuang and Longyou were transferred to quell the rebellion. Tubo seized the opportunity to recapture Shibao City, advanced eastward, captured Xiping and Guzhou, and entered the Ganzhou and Shaanxi area. The troops headed directly to Chang'an, west of Fengxiang, and all the dozens of states north of Nazhou were owned by Tubo, posing a great threat to the Tang Dynasty.

Chen Wanrong's suggestion was good, but Feng Shicaizheng was angry and said hatefully: "It's fine if they can't defeat Shibao City, even a small Khitan can't do anything about it. I heard that the Khitan is about to harass the land of Liaodong."

The Tang Dynasty's martial arts were very powerful, even better than the powerful Han Dynasty. It was just not as good as the Han Dynasty on the eastern frontier, and was criticized by later generations. The Tang Dynasty once defeated the Khitans without the power to fight back, but did not restore the eastern territory of the Han Dynasty in the old days, and did not put the Khitan to death, which laid the root of the disaster for the subsequent rise of the Khitan.

Chen Wanrong raised his eyebrows and asked, "Is there any news in the north?"

Feng Shicai shook his head and said, "No. Turks, Tubo, and the Khitan have always been in a mess. They will definitely not be able to move later, and they will sooner or later." This is the rule of border troubles in the Tang Dynasty for decades, and he knows that it is not surprising at all.

Chen Wanrong saw farther than him, and had already understood why the imperial court had attacked Shibao City now. He must have noticed the instability on the border. He wanted to take Shibao City first, seal Tubo on the plateau, and connect the two places of Hehuang and Longyou to improve the strategic situation, and then free up hands to deal with the Turks and Khitans.

The main reason why the Tang Dynasty was at a disadvantage in the battle between the Western Regions and the Dashi River was that the "Four Towns of Anxi" was that Tubo restrained the Tang Dynasty's troops, and the Tang Dynasty had to invest a large amount of troops in the war with Tubo. This caused the shortage of troops in the Western Regions. If you want to compete with the Dashi River for the Western Regions, you must first deal with Tubo.

If you want to deal with Tubo, the best way is to take down Shibao City. If the Tang Dynasty's troops are directed to the heart of Tubo, Tubo will inevitably be shocked and will change its strategy against the Tang Dynasty. After achieving its goal, the Tang Dynasty can mobilize heavy troops to attack the Turks.

Regardless of the outcome of the war, this strategic layout is convincing, and it is to find the right weakness of Tubo. Chen Wanrong thought about it again that Li Longji had the power of the emperor and was wise and powerful, so it was not a problem to find the soft spots of Tubo. Not to mention, there was also the scheming Princess Taiping. Although he was a mortal enemy of Li Longji, it was an internal struggle after all, and he would still reach a consensus on national affairs. Sealing Tubo would be beneficial to the Tang Dynasty and would harm him. Princess Taiping would also give up his past grudges and work with the prince to promote this matter. It seems that this battle is a must-have.

I really didn't expect that when alcohol came out, it encountered such a good opportunity to choose military supplies for the Ministry of War. Alcohol is a good thing, and it is naturally a good thing to choose military supplies, but this is too hasty. Fortunately, it is alcohol, and if it is something else, the consequences will be unpredictable.

"Mr. Feng, I know this. If you can stand it, go back and tell Brother Gao that I will do it on time." Looking at Feng Shicai's angry look, he seemed to have thousands of passionate words to say, Chen Wanrong had to use this method to stop him.

It is impossible not to do what the Ministry of War wants, and Chen Wanrong has no choice.

Feng Shicai drank the tea in the cup, stood up and said, "Since that's the case, I will say goodbye. Manager Chen, the price given by the Ministry of War is not low, it's 300 cents per pound!" He bowed his fists and Chen Wanrong sent him away.

A pound of alcohol sold for 300 cigars is a sky-high price, far exceeding Chen Wanrong's expectations. Chen Wanrong did not intend to sell this medicine to save lives and heal the wounded, just be able to pass. Unexpectedly, High Definition Tai opened the price so high. He was too smart, so smart that he was cunning!

After seeing Feng Shicai off, Chen Wanrong went to the woodworking workshop. He saw Wang Zhongze and the others busy making wooden boxes, so busy that they felt sweat on their foreheads.

"Master Wang, how much work is there now?" Chen Wanrong asked.

Chen Laoshi replied on behalf of him: "Wanrong, there are a lot of work. This is more and more work, so how can I do it?" This shows that the business is booming, and Chen Laoshi is so happy that he can't even close his mouth.

Chen Wanrong said with a solemn face: "Dad, Master Wang, all the work has stopped."

"Ah! Stop?" Chen Laoshi, Wang Zhongze, and the woodworkers who made wooden boxes looked at Chen Wanrong in surprise. This was the first time Chen Wanrong called to stop, and they couldn't help but be surprised.

Time is very tight, so I can't say much. Chen Wanrong gave me a critical explanation: "There are more important things to do. Master Wang, make the pot utensil immediately, and four pairs. This time, it's going to be bigger and taller."

Today's kettles are used for testing, with limited capacity and low efficiency. If you want to make alcohol earlier, you have to make it bigger to be more efficient.

Chen Laoshi's eyes widened and asked in confusion: "Wanrong, why did you suddenly do this?"

This question is exactly what Wang Zhongze and the others were asking, staring at Chen Wanrong together. Chen Wanrong said very simply: "It's time to make alcohol. What the Ministry of War wants is, it must be done."

If the things the Ministry of War were delayed, they would be thrown into the prison at the least, and if they were delayed, they would be punished by delaying the military opportunity. They would be beheaded and destroyed. This matter was too big, and it was beyond the imagination of the carpenters. They said nothing, and immediately put down their work, picked up the guys, and prepared to make a pot.

Wang Zhongze arranged the manpower and then came to discuss the size of the kettle and the precautions with Chen Wanrong. Chen Wanrong specifically explained that the wooden pipe must match the condenser.

Wang Zhongze understood this matter and said, "People please rest assured that nothing will happen."

Fortunately, HD Tai and Ma Zhizhong made a few more when helping with the condenser, otherwise it would be too late. Fortunately!

Chen Wanrong believed Wang Zhongze and then told him: "Hurry up, it will take you tomorrow morning. If you can't finish it, do it for a while tonight until you finish it." There is nothing I can do, so I can only work overtime.

This was a last resort. Wang Zhongze and others could understand Chen Wanrong's difficulties and said together: "Boss, please don't worry, you must do it well!"

Looking at the simple faces, Chen Wanrong was very pleased. After leaving the woodworking workshop and coming to the place where the soap was made, Xiao Shangrong was instructing people to be busy.

Seeing Chen Wanrong coming, Xiao Shangrong hurriedly came up. Before he could say anything, he blocked Chen Wanrong: "Tell them to stop and leave one person to do the rest. The rest should follow me to the winery."

This was too abrupt, which made Xiao Shangrong and the others confused. They looked at Chen Wanrong together. They were stunned. Xiao Shangrong then asked, "Brother, why should I stop?"

"If you want to make alcohol, there is not enough manpower, you can help." Chen Wanrong answered very simply.

Alcohol is only 300 cents per pound, and its profit cannot be compared with soap. It's just that this is military supplies, and it cannot be delayed. Since the court wants to build a stone castle city, I can also make some contributions, and make less money. Doing a good job for history is what every Chinese citizen should do, and cannot be calculated based on money!

"It's almost stopped, it's almost stopped." After Xiao Shangrong gave the order, he asked Chen Wanrong: "Brother, who wants the alcohol, so urgent?"

Chen Wanrong only said two words "Ministry of War". Xiao Shangrong naturally understood what this meant, and never spoke again, helping the hired workers clean up things.

"You have finished cleaning up, come here immediately. I'll go over and arrange it first." Chen Wanrong finished his order, left the house and headed straight to the winery.

When he arrived at the winery, he saw Sun Zhengping and his wife working with people, all of whom were so busy that they were sweating. Mrs. Sun's eyes were sharp-eyed. Seeing Chen Wanrong coming, she hurriedly touched Sun Zhengping: "The boss is here!" There was surprise in her words.

When Sun Zhengping heard this, he was extremely happy and hurriedly came up to him. He shouted from afar: "Boss, you are here!" Chen Wanrong's favor from their family was quite good, and he loved it from the bottom of his heart, and his wrinkles disappeared.

Mrs. Sun was not willing to fall behind, and while wiping her hands, she smiled and said, "I have met my boss!"

Chen Wanrong could understand their feelings, but now he had to hurry up and do the important thing: "Shopkeeper Sun, I told them to stop brewing wine today. Build the stove first, prepare, and make alcohol tomorrow. This is what the Ministry of War wants, and it cannot be put on hold."

In order not to ask them, Chen Wanrong finished the question in one breath. However, Chen Wanrong's intention was wasted. Sun Zhengping and the others were stunned when they heard it, staring at Chen Wanrong stupidly, not even saying anything.
Chapter completed!