Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 46 Wine Tasting (Please read further, 4.5k words combined)

After a brief standoff, Zhao Yun, looking somewhat dazed, finally lowered his spear.

He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "I have lost."

His spear tip failed to pierce Huang Zhong's throat, while the spear opposite him had already pierced his chest. From any angle, he was indeed the one who lost.

Huang Zhong sighed, "Ah Yun is truly a young prodigy. If we were the same age, I would not have been able to shake Ah Yun in the slightest. This time, I only managed to win by a small margin by taking advantage of my age. I should be the one who lost."

The young men watching from the sidelines were dumbfounded. They knew that A-Yun was strong, but they never expected him to be this strong. The young men who used to joke around and want to fight A-Yun were now trembling with fear.

Zhao Yun shook his head, sheathed his spear, and stood behind him: "A loss is a loss, there's nothing to regret. We'll win it back next time."

Huang Zhong lowered his eyes, his admiration growing stronger. He clasped his hands in a salute, holding his spear, and said, "Then, I'll accept your offer."

"I apologize for my previous disrespect," Zhao Yun replied, bowing in return.

slap slap slap,

Zhang Xian clapped his hands and walked closer, saying, "The martial arts skills of the two of you are among the best in the area." As he spoke, he also looked at the group of young men watching from the sidelines.

He laughed and said, "They will be blessed from now on."

"You flatter me, Master." Huang Zhong clasped his hands in greeting. The two had already spoken beforehand, so he still addressed Huang Zhong as "Master."

Zhao Yun scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly. He felt that his brother Xian had sent him to test Huang Zhong's abilities, but he never expected that he would be the one whose true strength had been revealed.

Zhang Xian smiled at Zhao Yun to indicate that it was alright, and then said, "Hansheng did not tell the truth before, but after this competition, I realized how powerful you are."

"You should know that although my brother Yun is only fifteen years old, even a captain in the army is no match for him. Hansheng, Hansheng, you have to tell me about your skills now."

“If the head of the household wishes to know, then Zhong will certainly tell him.”

After saying that, he handed the spear to Zhao Yun and gave him an embarrassed smile.

"My short weapons are better than my long spears, and I am also skilled in archery and horsemanship. If I have a good bow, no one can escape my arrows within three hundred paces."

"Oh, really!" Zhang Xian looked surprised, then clapped his hands and laughed, "That just fills the gap in Taoyuan's group."

"Brother Yun." He waved to Zhao Yun.

"I would like to train the Peach Blossom Spring group to be more like soldiers. What do you think?"

Zhao Yun glanced at the young men outside the arena who were whispering and glancing in their direction from time to time, then looked at Huang Zhong standing beside his own brother Xian, and understood. He smiled and said, "If Brother Xian has an idea, I will naturally follow it."

Zhang Xian patted him on the shoulder: "I'm just worried that Brother Yun will be unhappy."

“Then Brother Xian looks down on me. If I were such a calculating person, I wouldn’t have come down from the mountain.”

"But I am too petty, brother."

"Then, Brother Yun, from now on you will train the Peach Blossom Sect with Hansheng. You will continue to be the head instructor, Hansheng." He looked at Huang Zhong.

"Master," Huang Zhong said, bowing.

"You will be my deputy, responsible for assisting Brother Yun in training the Peach Blossom Spring's short weapons and archery skills!"

How is Hansheng's horsemanship?

"Charging into battle is second nature to me."

"Alright, once the warhorses arrive, you two will also practice the riding skills of the Peach Blossom Spring Clan, understand?"

"promise!"

Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong both bowed and accepted the order.

Zhang Xian nodded and smiled: "Alright, then you two should get along well. Hansheng, where is Xu'er now?"

"I let him follow the real girl."

"Hmm, Zhen'er is indeed thoughtful. With her watching over Xu'er, there's no need to worry. In that case, I'll get back to work. You all continue."

After saying that, Zhang Xian waved his hand and turned to leave.
-
Warehouse.

Zhang Xian summoned Zhou Cui to come here.

A while ago, I discussed buying horses with my brother Lan, but unfortunately, we didn't have enough money on the estate, so we thought of paying with alcohol.

After Lan Di consulted Master Tong and received a positive reply, he began preparations for brewing wine early on.

The dozens of large vats in this thatched hut next to the warehouse are filled with steamed sorghum that is fermenting. It has been fermenting for about ten days. I'm using it to try out the rice wine brewing technique that I've seen before.

The yeast starter was also prepared by himself, made by mixing wheat flour with husks and natural fungal plants such as wild chrysanthemum and knotweed into blocks. Moreover, worried that there were not enough yeast starters, he also sprinkled low-alcohol rice wine on the culture bed to increase the probability of yeast settling on the bed. After several attempts, he dared to use it. As for whether it would become a yeast starter, that would depend on whether the brewing was successful.

If it works, then it's a good yeast starter; if not, then we'll have to find another way to make it, and then we'll inevitably have to deal with the aristocratic families again.

However, judging from the aroma wafting from the fermentation vat that has been opened, the yeast has most likely been successfully produced.

"Although it's still a bit early, it should be worth a try. Cui Niang, move these iron pots and hollow barrels made by craftsmen outside."

As he spoke, Zhang Xian hugged a ceramic jar, and with a exertion of his nine points of strength attribute plus his 99-pound weight-bearing attribute, he easily lifted the heavy jar.

[Weight carried: 262/99 (jin)]

Exceeding the weight limit does not mean he cannot move. On the contrary, what is a weight of more than 200 pounds for others will have 99 pounds deducted from his load capacity before he can see the actual weight he is bearing.

It weighed only 163 jin (approximately 83.5 kg), and although his strength was somewhat limited, he still managed to move the large earthenware jar out.

Outside the fermentation room, Zhou Cui was already building a stone stove with stones.

Zhang Xian put the earthenware jar down and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

One hundred and sixty-three pounds is indeed a heavy weight when it is difficult to exert force.

"Master, is there anything else we need to do?" Zhou Cui asked after the stone stove was finished.

"It's alright, you watch first. I'll do it today, and once you've mastered it, I'll hand it over to you."

"Hmm." Zhou Cui nodded and moved to the side, making room for her family head.

Zhang Xian walked up to the stone stove. It was alright, very sturdy. However, to prevent the iron pot from tilting and causing his painstaking preparations to go to waste, he cautiously found a few metal rods and beat them around the stone stove.

After confirming that it was very sturdy, he then placed the first iron pot on it.

These iron pots were all made by the Guo family's craftsmen at his request. They were made with solid materials, just a little thick, but that didn't matter. After all, it was the first time he had made iron pots, so there were bound to be some problems with the craftsmanship. As long as they were usable, that was fine.

After setting up the iron pot, Zhang Xian placed the bottomless and topless wooden bucket upright inside it.

A semi-circular copper tube extends outward from the middle of the hollow barrel, and there is also a round copper tube on the barrel wall; this is the outlet for the wine.

After setting up the two items, he began adding fermenting material into the hollow barrel. Since the fermenting material was in direct contact with the iron pot, and the connection between the wooden barrel and the iron pot inevitably caused some leakage, he asked Zhou Cui to bring some cloth, wet it, and completely seal the connection between the hollow barrel and the iron pot.

Add water, stir the fermented material evenly and spread it out. Zhang Xian then placed the second pot on top of the hollow barrel, with the bottom of the pot facing down.

Similarly, a damp cloth was wrapped around the seal several times.

Two iron pots and a hollow barrel with an outlet in the middle—this is the most common and practical distillation method used by farmers.

Add water to the pot, light the fire in the stone stove, and then wait.

The fermented material and water are continuously heated in the pot, causing the alcohol to dilute and turn into steam along with the water.

When the scalding steam meets the bottom of the top pot, it condenses back into liquid as the water in the top pot cools, dripping down the bottom of the pot. The slightly extended semi-circular copper tube in the middle of the hollow barrel is used to catch the liquid dripping from the bottom of the top pot.

From a chemical perspective, these liquids are mixtures of alcohols, commonly known as wine.

However, Zhang Xian didn't rush to open the round copper pipe extending from the outside of the bucket. The pot had only just boiled, and there was still room for it to heat up a bit more.

Furthermore, the water in the top pot needs to be changed frequently, otherwise it will be too hot and won't achieve the desired condensation effect.

After waiting a while longer, Zhang Xian added water to the pot twice, mainly to wet the cloth to act as a seal. There was no other way; given the limited resources, he had to use a wet cloth. If, in the future, his technical capabilities improved, he could directly create an integrated pot and bucket, eliminating the need for a cloth seal.

"That should be about right," he muttered, then turned to Zhou Cui, who had been adding firewood, and asked, "How much have you memorized?"

Zhou Cui smoothed a strand of hair at her temple and pondered, "I have remembered everything the head of the family has said."

"That's good. Get up and watch. The next part is crucial."

After saying that, he used tongs to pry open the blockage at the spout, and the clear liquor flowed out along the copper tube, emitting a fragrant aroma.

He used a bowl to catch the wine, and after the bowl was full, he blocked the spout and poured the wine into a brightly colored earthenware jar at his feet.

"Don't drink the first bowl, the second bowl. Got it?"

Zhou Cui nodded.

Zhang Xian then took the second bowl and poured it into the earthenware jar at his feet.

After that, he stopped using bowls to hold the wine and instead placed a separate earthenware jar to catch it.

He hadn't forgotten to cut off the head and tail of the wine; if he didn't want to go blind, it was best to discard the head and tail wines.

However, it would be a waste to just throw it away, so he planned to use the fusel oil from the beginning and end of the distillation process to serve as a disinfectant.

The clear liquor flowed continuously from the spout, and there wasn't much else to do but keep adding water and firewood.

When the flow of the wine had decreased significantly, he moved the earthenware jar away and used the jar containing the fusel oil to collect the wine. When no more wine flowed from the outlet, Zhang Xian knew that all the water in the first batch of fermented products had been extracted.

However, considering that the distillation method is not industrial distillation and cannot completely extract the alcohol from the fermented product in one go, he thought about it and added water to the lower pot again.

"Steam it again."

The fermented material in the pot weighed about fifty catties, while the distilled liquor only filled one earthenware jar, weighing about twelve or thirteen catties.

The alcohol yield was a bit low, so he planned to distill it again.

Zhou Cui obediently put the burning firewood that she had taken out of the stone stove back into the stove, and the flames reignited.

Repeating the previous steps, cutting off the beginning and end, Zhang Xian obtained another jar of wine weighing about eight or nine jin.

However, compared to the first can, this can of liquor is noticeably less flavorful, meaning it has a lower alcohol content.

Zhang Xian himself did not drink alcohol, so he did not know what level of alcohol this was considered in the Han Dynasty. He asked Zhou Cui.

Do you drink alcohol?

Zhou Cui shook her head: "My family used to struggle to even have enough to eat, so we've never had any wine before. I only smelled wine when the clan priests were performing the rituals. Master, the wine you brew is much more fragrant than the wine I smelled back then."

"That's true." Zhang Xian nodded. "Then who should we ask to taste the wine?"

“Why don’t we send those doctors? They’re all from Zhen Ding County, so they should have some experience with alcohol,” Zhou Cui asked.

Zhang Xian shook his head: "It's best not to let outsiders know for now. Go to the training ground and call Huang Zhong, that strong man."

"Okay, Master."

Zhou Cui tidied up the firewood and then got up to go to the training ground.

Zhang Xian continued distilling the liquor.

Separate the three parts, then scoop out the fermented material. This fermented material can be fermented again and used as feed.

There should still be about 120 jin of fermented material in the large vat. He plans to distill the wine four times in two batches.

The first batch of fermented material, weighing over 50 jin, yielded 12 jin of fragrant liquor, 8 jin of slightly milder liquor, and over 3 jin of fusel oil.

Excluding fusel oil, and including 55 jin of fermented products, the alcohol yield ratio is 2.75:1.

It seems alright if you don't care about the alcohol content of the second type of liquor.

The first round of drinking lasted for almost two hours, by which time the sun was already high in the sky.

"It's a tough job too." He scooped the second batch of fermented material into the pot to be steamed, and stopped after estimating that he had scooped about fifty pounds.

Repeat the previous steps to combine the three parts again.

Light the fire and start steaming.

"Steam!"

As before, after steaming it in the pot and then cutting off the top, he used an earthenware jar to collect the wine.

He heard footsteps behind him, turned around, and saw Zhou Cui leading Huang Zhong, who had changed into short clothes, towards him.

"Master, please summon Zhong?" Huang Zhong stepped forward and bowed.

Zhang Xian beckoned to him: "Hansheng, would you like some wine?"

Huang Zhong was puzzled, but answered truthfully, "I used to drink it often, but I've been drinking less of it in recent years."

"Then try this." Zhang Xian handed the can of liquor, which had a significantly lower alcohol content, to Huang Zhong.

After sitting for a while, the wine was only lukewarm.

"Try it and see if Hansheng can tell if this wine is intoxicating."

When Zhang Xian was about to pour wine, Zhou Cui thoughtfully brought him a ceramic bowl.

The clear wine flowed into the bowl, filling it to about half full, at which point Zhang Xian stopped.

"Please." He extended one hand.

Zhou Cui held the wine bowl with both hands and handed it to Huang Zhong.

The latter took it, first smelled it, and said, "This wine is very fragrant." Then he took a small sip, frowned slightly, as if he was not quite sure, and then simply finished it in one gulp.

After finishing his drink, he frowned and pondered for a while, then smacked his lips before saying to Zhang Xian, "This wine is smooth and mellow, but it's a little spicy, and its aroma is more pronounced than the wines Zhong usually drinks, making it easier to get drunk."

"Is it good wine?" Zhang Xian asked, intending to pour more wine.

Huang Zhong quickly stopped him, saying, "I've already felt the effects of the wine after drinking half a bowl. If I drink any more, it might interfere with the training."

"However, the question the patriarch asked stumped Zhong. This wine is clear and shows no signs of rice residue. Judging from its color, it should be fine wine, but its taste..."

Huang Zhong smacked his lips again as if savoring the memory, and after a moment of contemplation, he truthfully replied, "It's quite good."

"That's good then." Zhang Xian felt relieved, and then asked, "Han Sheng said this wine is too intoxicating, how about we dilute it with water?"

"Loyalty is unknown."

Zhang Xian waved his hand: "Let's skip the midday drills for now. Let Brother Yun lead the Peach Blossom Village members in strength training, and let Hansheng help me taste the wine. This is related to our warhorses."

Huang Zhong was startled, but understanding the deeper meaning, he replied, "I accept the order."

After entrusting the task of distilling the liquor to Zhou Cui, Zhang Xian and Huang Zhong began mixing the liquor on the side.

After several rounds of blending and mixing, a ratio of two jin of second-distilled liquor to one jin of water was tentatively set.

Huang Zhong couldn't taste the water in this mixture when he took a small sip. Although the intoxication level of the liquor was still higher than that of common liquors, it was still acceptable.

Zhang Xian then realized, "Wait a minute, this is double-distilled liquor, so wouldn't single-distilled liquor be even more intoxicating!"

He looked at another earthenware jar weighing twelve jin (approximately 6 catties).

The liquor there was sorghum liquor that even he found delicious.

(End of this chapter)