The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

In less than a year, it exceeded 100,000 taels of silver!

Emperor Qianwu remarked that even he, as the emperor of the country, would not dare to be so willful and extravagant.

Forget it.

Let's leave the research and development task to General Gan, the bigwig from Kansai.

He should just enjoy the fruits of his labor!
The Great General Cannon amazed Emperor Qianwu.

He was still full of anticipation when it came to the cannon barrel, which was half the size of his body.

Sure enough, Xiong Zhen said:

"This is a second-class general's cannon, three feet long, four inches in caliber, weighing four hundred catties, with a range of up to two li. Its biggest advantage is that it is easy to carry on the march and is suitable for mountain warfare. This cannon can be loaded with ten catties of loose ammunition."

Ten pounds of shotgun pellets?

Even if the enemy's hit rate is only 30%, it is still a terrifying weapon.

"Wow, this little guy has such amazing abilities."

In his excitement, Emperor Qianwu couldn't help but utter a phrase from the local dialect of the border region.

Xiong Zhen touched the Second General's cannon barrel with both hands, showing him more affection than he would for his only son:

"The cost of casting the second general's cannon can be controlled within fifteen taels of silver, but the cost of the ten-pound shot is about five taels."

"Not high, not high! This cost is really not high! I will issue an order to General Gan to send one thousand general cannons and one thousand second general cannons to Shangdu next year."

Xiong Zhen quickly pulled a thick booklet from his sleeve and held it high above his head:
"Your Majesty, I have brought the design drawings and the entire casting process instructions for these two cannons. Shangdu has skilled craftsmen and has the necessary copper and iron. With the Ordnance Bureau personally supervising the manufacturing, wouldn't it be possible to manufacture them however one wishes?"

Is there any other good thing like this?
Emperor Qianwu said that he had a very good appetite.

The speed with which he reached for the booklet and tucked it into his pocket was as fast as lightning.

If it weren't for the fact that there wasn't a suitable testing site in the palace, they would have been so eager to have Xiong Zhen demonstrate the power of the two cannons on the spot.

Based on the sheer astonishment at the national treasure, Emperor Qianwu was even more interested in the specialties from Guanzhong in the other nine carts.

They were just waiting for Xiong Zhen to reveal the answer to him.

Xiong Zhen pretended to be mysterious.

"Your Majesty, the treasures in this second carriage are a congratulatory gift from General Gan and his wife to you and the Empress. Could you please present them as the final gift? Otherwise, I am worried that after you have seen this gift, you will not be so interested in the other specialties from Kansai."

"Why not? Since it is a gift for me and the Empress, let's invite the Empress to admire it together at the end."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Next, Xiong Zhen let Emperor Qianwu experience the joy of opening blind boxes.

The first wave of blind boxes.

It was a large wooden box stuffed with cotton.

Upon opening it, they found ten wine jars, each the size of an adult's head, stuffed inside.

Emperor Qianwu nodded: "You people from Guanzhong certainly have a lot of good wine!"

"Your Majesty, this wine is not wine; it is a gift of thanks for our army's capture of Yili."

What the hell?
Thank you for the matchmaker's gift!

When Xiong Zhen mentioned the story of the winemakers going to the Yili River Valley to find water and extorting money from ranches, he told it in a very dramatic way.

The bearded man and his men, who were guarding outside, could hear the hearty laughter of their master, Emperor Qianwu, from time to time.

Xiong Zhen's introduction continues:
"Because this liquor is brewed using five kinds of grains from Kansai, everyone calls it Yili Wuliangye."

Although it is classified as a spirit, it is very smooth on the palate, unlike the strong spirits of typical spirits.

At first, it tastes a little bitter, then you get a combination of sour, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors, and finally, after swallowing it, your throat will feel sweet.

Even after waking up from a drunken stupor, one will not feel dizzy or have a dry mouth and throat.

Those who appreciate fine wine can never stop drinking it once they start. Because it's not sold in large quantities, the vendors have inflated the price to ten ounces per small jar, which is equivalent to a pound! But that's not the point.

The key point is that this liquor, after several rounds of distillation, can eventually yield a life-saving medicine.

Emperor Qianwu received a small jar of life-saving medicine, filled with astonishment and doubt:
"How can spirits be a life-saving medicine? Old Xiong, listen to the nonsense you're spouting!"

Xiong Zhen opened the seal on the small jar and asked Emperor Qianwu to smell it first.

A strong, pungent, slightly sweet smell hits you right in the head.

It definitely doesn't taste like soju at all!
"This high-concentration liquor, which has been repeatedly boiled, can be applied to the skin around the wound with a cotton ball to reduce external infection, swelling, and other lesions."

The knives used by military doctors to cut lesions can be wiped with high-concentration liquor before use, which can greatly alleviate the lesion.

Your Majesty, these are conclusions reached by Imperial Physician Huang after three months of trials at Ganluchuan Medical Clinic.

Moreover, this high-concentration liquor can be used directly as fuel, as it ignites easily when exposed to fire! It is remarkably effective in fire attacks!
I've also brought back this recipe for steaming and purifying; it's suitable for most types of spirits.

Emperor Qianwu felt his throat was a little dry.

My mind is a little foggy.

Is there a type of alcohol that can save lives or kill?
It's very fantastical.

But Xiong Zhen, this old acquaintance, is not the kind of person who speaks nonsense.

We only need to have the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy try it, and they will know the effect.

A slight question would not deter him from accepting the prescription.

Xiong Zhen then showed off:

"The best wines in Kansai are not limited to Wuliangye from Iri. In the past year, we have developed mulberry wine and sea buckthorn wine. The best-selling wines are snow lotus wine and tonic wine from Ganluchuan. I have brought you a hundred jars of each."

He winked and made faces when he talked about tonic wine.

Emperor Qianwu didn't understand his point for a long time.

I couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean?"

Xiong Zhen took a few steps closer, looked around, and then whispered:
"Your Majesty, I am forty-eight years old this year. In some aspects, I am truly unable to keep up. The old imperial physician of the previous dynasty collaborated with the winery of Ganluchuan and gave me a secret recipe for aphrodisiac wine."

The medicinal herb used in it is Cistanche deserticola, which grows under the Haloxylon ammodendron tree. As for its nourishing effects, well, I think it's comparable to the fighting power of someone in their twenties.

After drinking it for several years, I finally have a son, and my health is perfectly good! Many others have experienced the same thing, like so-and-so…

Look, this old minister has tried it for you.

It works well and has no side effects.

Emperor Qianwu was completely bewildered by his words.

Even the emperor of a country has no say in what he eats and drinks every day.

Dining at the Queen's place was the only place where one could feel more at ease.

But the Empress treasured her snow lotus wine like the back of her hand and rarely let him have a taste.

Last time in the southwest, he had hinted to General Gan that he hoped she would send more. However, General Gan said that top-quality snow lotus was extremely rare, and she couldn't control how much of this quality of special wine could be brewed each year.

This kind of strong liquor could not possibly be on his regular drinking list.

Only Xiong Zhen could pull it off.

He'll give away anything!
You want to ask if the emperor had this need?
He's already reached middle age, and the palace is full of beauties. Do you think he needs them or not?
Moreover, Emperor Qianwu had been working hard for more than half a year after his triumphant return to the capital, yet the inner palace remained quiet.

The inner palace may be peaceful, but the outside world is anything but.

Rumors have been circulating these days.

It is said that when he personally led an expedition to southeastern Guizhou, he was poisoned by the Miao people and lost his sexual function.

Who can tolerate such slander?! (End of Chapter)