Three Kingdoms: Daily settlement helps Liu Bei revive the Shu Han dynasty.

When Xu Sheng, Lu Su, and Guo Jia saw Liu Bei, they immediately tried to bow.

Liu Bei waved his hand at them, then pointed to Lu Yong squatting in front of the large pot, signaling everyone to keep quiet and continue watching.

Lu Yong was completely unaware, still intently fiddling with the bamboo tube.

The liquid in the pot had already begun to boil.

Steam flowed through the bamboo tube into the earthenware jar beside it.

It dripped out from the small hole at the bottom of the earthenware jar and fell into another container.

Drops of clear liquid gathered at the bottom of the bowl, and a strong aroma of alcohol gradually filled the air.

Guo Jia sniffed, his eyes lit up, and tears of excitement streamed from the corners of his mouth.

Lu Su also turned his head slightly, took two deep breaths, and looked completely absorbed.

Xu Sheng's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.

Liu Bei's tense expression relaxed, and his gaze was fixed on the earthenware bowl that was dripping wine.

Lu Yong finally straightened up and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

He reached out and picked up the bowl of wine that had just been poured, brought it to his nose and smelled it. After trying it seven or eight times, he finally got a satisfactory result.

He turned around, holding the bowl.

Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly saw Liu Bei standing behind him, and his hand trembled so much that he almost spilled the wine.

"My lord... my lord? When did you arrive?" Lu Yong asked.

"I've only been here a short time," Liu Bei said with a smile.

In that brief pause,

Guo Jia suddenly rushed forward, carefully holding the wine bowl in both hands, and said, "Let me try it first!"

After saying that, he picked up the glass and took a big gulp.

Then, he froze.

Guo Jia's face flushed red at a visible speed, from his neck all the way to his ears.

His cheeks bulged out, and his eyes were wide open, like a goldfish.

At this moment, Guo Jia felt as if his mouth and throat were on fire, but he couldn't bear to spit it out.

After holding it in for a while, and once my mouth and throat had finally adjusted a little, I slowly swallowed it.

"Cough...cough cough cough!" Guo Jia bent over, coughing until tears came out.

But he mumbled incoherently, praising, "Good wine! Strong wine!!"

Lu Su walked over, took the bowl from Guo Jia's hand, and also took a small sip.

A moment later, he couldn't help but exclaim, "At first it felt like swallowing flames, then warmth rose and flowed through my limbs—what a wonderful thing!"

After saying that, he handed the wine bowl to Xu Sheng.

Xu Sheng took the bowl and carefully took a small sip.

As soon as he tasted the liquor, his eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "Strategist, this liquor is really strong!!"

Liu Bei finally couldn't resist any longer. He reached out and took the bowl from Xu Sheng's hand, took a small sip, and felt a burning sensation instantly travel from his throat to his stomach.

He closed his eyes and took a couple of breaths. When he opened them, his eyes were filled with surprise and delight.

"Just as Zijing said, my body gradually warmed up."

If we were marching in winter, everyone would have a sip, and their bodies wouldn't be so stiff!

"Huai'an, is this wine you brewed? How can it be so strong?" Liu Bei asked curiously.

Lu Yong took another wine bowl from the side, squatted back down beside the pot, and while adjusting the position of the bamboo tube, replied:

"This is not newly brewed wine; it is wine that has been distilled and purified from existing wine."

I named it "Burning Knife".

"Shao Dao Zi..." Liu Bei took another sip and murmured, "Just as its name suggests!"

Guo Jia finally recovered at this point.

He moved closer to Lu Yong.

Staring longingly at the steaming liquid in the pot, he asked, "Huai'an, if you were to sell this wine, how much could you get for a jar?"

After Lu Yong placed the bowl down, he gestured for the craftsmen to keep an eye on it.

He then said to Guo Jia and the others, "This stuff is expensive to produce and slow to brew, so we can only go for the high-end market."

I intend to sell it to those aristocratic and wealthy merchants, so the price certainly can't be low.

Liu Bei asked curiously, "How much does it cost?"

Lu Yong held up five fingers and said, "One jar contains five liters, priced at fifty thousand coins."

"Hiss!!!" Liu Bei, Guo Jia, Lu Su, and Xu Sheng all gasped in shock.

A jar of five liters sells for fifty thousand coins.

If converted to Shu brocade, it would be roughly equivalent to ten bolts of Shu brocade.

If converted to grain, it would be about three hundred shi (a unit of dry measure).

You're not selling alcohol, you're robbing people!

Lu Yong withdrew his hand, a slight smile on his lips, and explained:

"What you are drinking now is still crude distilled spirit. There are still many processes to go through, such as secondary distillation, charcoal filtration, aging, and flavoring."

When the task is completed, this wine will be as clear as water and have a sweet and refreshing taste; only then will it be called fine wine.

So what I'm selling isn't alcohol, it's face, it's status!

After a pause, Lu Yong continued:

"Imagine a family hosting a banquet and suddenly bringing out several jars of the finest wines, shocking everyone present."

The guests enjoyed themselves immensely, showering the host with praise; the host would certainly be very proud!

Guo Jia nodded repeatedly, clearly indicating that Lu Yong quite approved of this explanation.

Liu Bei smiled and said, "The strategist is indeed learned and talented; he even understands the ways of commerce."

"I know a little about it..." Lu Yong smiled, then suddenly changed the subject, saying, "If you really want to make money, relying on this alone is definitely not enough. The real big money lies in something else."

"What is it?" Liu Bei asked, leaning forward.

"sugar!"

"sugar?"

Liu Bei suddenly remembered Sun Qian's report that day, and asked, "Gongyou said you had him post notices to find sugarcane... was it for sugar production?"

Lu Yong nodded and explained, "We already have methods for making sugar from sugarcane."

However, the "rock honey" produced by this method is dark in color, contains many impurities, and is difficult to preserve, so it is far from being able to generate substantial profits.

But I happened to read about a method in an ancient book.

Sugarcane can be processed into a fine-grained sugar that is white in color and sweet in taste, but not cloying, far superior to rock sugar available on the market today.

Let's sell it even cheaper so that ordinary people can afford it.

Not only can it achieve high sales volume with low profit margins, but it can also truly benefit people's livelihoods.

Lu Su nodded in deep agreement, saying, "If the strategist's plan can truly succeed, not only will military funds be secured and the people benefit, but they will also have an additional livelihood from growing sugarcane—a win-win-win situation!"

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but become excited.

But Lu Yong suddenly poured cold water on their hopes: "Unfortunately, although Danyang has sugarcane, it is not suitable for large-scale planting due to its terrain and climate."

Only in the southern part of Yuzhang Commandery and Kuaiji Commandery can it be planted on a large scale.

So, my lord...

For the sake of our finances, we must accelerate military development and take over these two places as soon as possible!

"Xu Wenxiang is willing to be the vanguard!!" Xu Sheng immediately stepped forward and volunteered.

"Calm down... Yuzhang Commandery and Kuaiji Commandery are things to come later."

Lu Yong pressed him back down and said, "It's late, my lord should go back and rest."

Everyone then realized with surprise that it was almost midnight.

Liu Bei pointed to several earthenware jars next to the large pot and said, "I'll take two jars with me."

Lu Yong was taken aback: "My lord, these still need further processing..."

"Yun Chang and Yi De are still on the north bank of the river. As their elder brother, I have to keep them in mind..."

Hearing this, Lu Yong could no longer object, but he cautioned, "This wine is too strong; it's easy to get drunk. My lord, please don't send too much to the Third General."

The voice has not fallen,

Guo Jia, who was secretly drinking nearby, suddenly shouted:

"I'm not drunk... I can still..."

Before he could finish speaking, he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Liu Bei looked at Guo Jia on the ground and his lips twitched: "This wine is really potent."