October 1st
The news of the military parade under the Rosefinch Gate swept through Chang 'an like a whirlwind, and the whole city was in an uproar.
"His Majesty is going to review the troops in person!"
"It's a great honor to see the soldiers of the Tang dynasty in person."
"My child is in the army. This old man might even be able to see his child during the military parade."
The people of Chang 'an were so excited that they couldn't control themselves and rushed to spread the news.
The Tang dynasty had won many foreign wars, and the people of the Tang dynasty had long been proud of it. Now they could see the invincible army of the Tang dynasty with their own eyes. How could they not be excited?
"Why don't men wear Wugou and conquer the 50 provinces …" Many scholars couldn't help reading the poems written by Meton, and their hearts were surging. Since ancient times, countless scholars had given up their writing and joined the army, and many of them had made great achievements. Who said that scholars didn't have the dream of joining the army?
"We can't miss such a grand event." Many people made up their minds. If they missed this event, they would regret it for the rest of their lives. They couldn't wait to go to October 1st.
The Mo Journal and the Confucian Journal printed special issues immediately and sent them to all parts of the Tang dynasty as fast as possible. Everywhere they went, there was a sensation. People who heard the news were full of pride, and many rich people immediately put down their things and rushed to Chang 'an.
Everyone knew that such a grand event would be attended by thousands of people. If they were late, they might not even be able to stay in the woodshed of the inn.
For a moment, the Mo Family's village was full of passengers. Many rich people just wanted to get to Chang 'an as soon as possible and then booked an inn until October 1st.
The transport team of the Mo Family's village led by Li Xin didn't do anything. It directly became the first department of the Mo Family's village to turn losses into profits.
In the Honglu Temple.
The Honglu Temple was the organization of the Ministry of Rites to receive foreign ambassadors, which was equivalent to the combination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassy in the future.
With a proud expression, Linghu Defen said, "Emissary Lu, it's all thanks to Lord Tianke's benevolence. He couldn't bear to see you Tubo people living in poverty. Therefore, he allowed Tubo people to use the silage secret technique."
"The Heavenly Khan is merciful! On behalf of the people of Tubo, I thank the Heavenly Khan for his kindness. " Lu Dongzan's face lit up. He, Tubo, could finally use this Ink Technique openly. Among the Mohist Secret Techniques that Meton had made public, Tubo had very few lakes, and the Secret Technique of Living Fish was almost useless. As for the artificial hatching technique, it was of little value to Tubo. Tubo mainly relied on animal husbandry, and did not lack meat, so why would he need to raise chickens, ducks, and geese?
What really moved him was the silage secret technique that Meton had announced in Qinghai. This was the secret technique that Tubo could not afford to lose. It was beyond his expectation that this secret technique could be obtained so easily. He thought that there would be a lot of obstacles, so he was prepared to pay a big price.
Lu Dongzan was even prepared to turn hostile. If the Tang dynasty did not allow it, Tubo would not give up the secret technique even if it meant offending the Tang dynasty. Fortunately, this trip went unexpectedly smoothly.
"Thank you, sir, for your help."
He waved his hand, and a servant immediately brought out a small chest of gold and presented it to Linghu Defen. Linghu Defen waved his hand and accepted it without a trace.
"However, this secret technique was created by Mo Jiu. We can't let him return empty-handed." Linghu Defen continued.
Lu Dongzan snorted coldly in his heart. Back then, he had offered a large sum of money, but Mo Jiazi had still put on an act. Now, he had revealed his true colors. Lu Dongzan said with a troubled expression, "But I once offered a large sum of money to Mo Jiu, but Mo Jiu refused to accept it."
A thousand fine horses and ten thousand taels of gold was not a small sum. Now that he had obtained the secret technique, he naturally did not want to pay such a price.
Linghu Defen said, "Mo Jiu is also a proud person. Naturally, he would not accept something that he refused. However, Mo Jiu has encountered some trouble. The Tubo Highlands' sorghum wine is slandered as being brewed with poisonous crops. It is said that the sorghum produced in the Tubo Highlands is the best raw material for brewing wine. Mo Jiu needs ten thousand dan of Tubo sorghum as the raw material for his Quenching Thousand Sorghum wine."
Lu Dongzan laughed and said, "This is a small matter. Please tell Mo Jiu that I will return to Tubo and guarantee to deliver ten thousand dan of sorghum."
Compared to the previous gift, ten thousand dan of sorghum was not even worth mentioning. In his view, Meton had tried to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it. He had finally gotten back ten percent.
Linghu Defen looked at Lu Dongzan with pity and said, "Envoy Lu does not need to return to Tubo in person. His Majesty will hold a military parade on the first day of October under the Vermillion Bird Gate. At that time, the Ambassadors of Ten Thousand Countries will arrive. Envoy Lu does not need to make an extra trip."
"A military parade?" Lu Dongzan's heart shook. He had naturally heard of the rumors of the military parade. Now that he received confirmation from Linghu Defen, he still sucked in a breath of cold air. He could not help but secretly praise Emperor Tang's methods. If this military parade was held in a small country, it would probably become a laughing stock. However, for a powerful country like the Tang dynasty, its effect was immeasurable. Even Lu Dongzan did not believe that it would be necessary to hold a military parade in Tubo.
"Please report to the Heavenly Khan that I, Tubo, will definitely attend on time." Lu Dongzan said respectfully.
After Linghu Defen left, Lu Dongzan changed his previous humble attitude and sat upright and thought for a long time. Then, he ordered a Tubo secret envoy, "Tell me everything about Xie Qianchou."
Although Lu Dongzan was not often in Chang 'an City, he had left a lot of spies. In addition, he had failed to obtain the Mo Family's Secret Technique last time. Naturally, he paid special attention to the Mo Family's Village.
"This matter is true! Now that the secret recipe of the Mo Family's wine has been leaked, many high-quality wines have appeared throughout the Tang dynasty. Xie Qianchou's advantage is no longer there. There are indeed rumors in Chang 'an City that Xie Qianchou used poisonous grains to brew wine. Now, Xie Qianchou's sales have plummeted. "The Tubo secret envoy explained the reshuffling of the Tang dynasty's wine industry and Xie Qianchou's predicament in detail.
Lu Dongzan's heart moved. He couldn't help but marvel at Meton's wisdom. If Xie Qianchou's raw materials were replaced by Tubo's sorghum, not only would it solve Xie Qianchou's predicament, but it would also make Xie Qianchou's reputation more prosperous because of the sorghum from the Tubo Plateau.
"Hahaha, the Han people are the best at infighting. In the end, Tubo still benefited from it. In this way, my Tubo's sorghum will be multiplied by Xie Qianchou's value." Lu Dongzan finally believed that this matter was true. This was the reason why he still planned to seek benefits for Tubo. If Xie Qianchou used Tubo's sorghum as raw materials, then the wine brewed from Tubo's sorghum would also be expensive. In this case, the secret technique of wine brewing would be very important to Tubo.
"Is it possible to get Xie Qianchou's secret technique of wine brewing?" Lu Dongzan looked at the Tubo secret envoy seriously.
The Tubo secret envoy nodded and said, "Nowadays, wineries are everywhere in Chang 'an City. It's not difficult to get this secret technique."
"Good. With this secret technique of silage and wine brewing, I, Lu Dongzan, have not wasted my trip." Lu Dongzan suddenly said in high spirits.
Lu Dongzan was also a wise man. He didn't lose to wisdom, but lost to the disparity in knowledge. What he didn't know was that this ten thousand kilograms of sorghum was the first domino that Meton had used to defeat Tubo. After that, the price he had to pay would be much higher than the thousand horses and ten thousand taels of gold.
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