“General, please give us two days. We’ll gather the money and hand it over to you,” Hu Yan said.
“Alright, I’ll be waiting for your good news,” Oliver Sheng nodded.
The Hu brothers stood up, bid farewell, and went back to gather the money.
After returning home, they took out all their savings, sold their lands and properties, and borrowed a significant amount from friends and relatives, finally amassing five hundred thousand taels of silver.
They were risking everything they had in this gamble, a high-stakes bet without a doubt.
The two brothers brought four hundred thousand taels of silver to the distillery, the sight of which left many people in awe.
Master Du and the other brewers, along with Summer Lotus and the other women, were all stunned. It was the first time they had seen so much money.
The Hu brothers took the money and hauled away three thousand jars of wine.
“Brother, you take a thousand jars of Western Wind Blaze to Wu Prefecture. There are many sects and martial heroes there, and they love strong liquor,” Hu Yan instructed his younger brother, Hu Xue.
“Alright, I’ll take the thousand jars of Western Wind Blaze to Wu Prefecture,” Hu Xue nodded.
“But brother, how much should we sell each jar for?” Hu Xue asked.
“At least five hundred taels per jar,” Hu Yan replied.
“Five hundred?” Hu Xue was taken aback. That was a steep price.
“Brother, you have to believe in the allure of this wine. You’ve tasted it yourself; it’s worth the price,” Hu Yan said.
“Alright, I’ll do my best.”
Hu Xue set off with a convoy, hauling a thousand jars of Western Wind Blaze, braving the wind and snow towards Wu Prefecture.
Hu Yan himself took two thousand jars of Green Ant Wine, also braving the wind and snow, heading towards Luo Capital.
Luo Capital was home to many dignitaries and nobles, and the Green Ant Wine, with its mild and fragrant taste, was perfect for them.
Under the watchful eyes of the wealthy merchants in River West County, the Hu brothers embarked on their high-stakes journey.
Oliver Sheng’s distillery made its first profit of four hundred thousand taels of silver.
He took out twenty thousand taels to reward Master Du, Summer Lotus, and the other women.
“Each master gets fifty taels of silver, and Summer Lotus, you and the others get ten taels each,” Oliver Sheng announced to the gathered crowd.
Master Du and the others were overjoyed at the reward of fifty taels of silver, ecstatic beyond words.
Summer Lotus and the others, however, felt it was too much.
“General, we don’t need such a high reward. You provide us with food and work, and we are already deeply grateful. How can we accept such a high reward?” Summer Lotus said.
Ten taels of silver was more than her family could earn in a year.
“I said it’s a reward, so it’s a reward. Just take it. When you start your own families, you’ll have enough money,” Oliver Sheng insisted, cutting off any further objections from Summer Lotus.
The four to five hundred women looked at Oliver Sheng with gratitude in their eyes. He was their light, their savior.
After distributing the rewards, Oliver Sheng continued, “Everyone, work hard on brewing the wine. Let’s strive for a better life.”
“Don’t worry, General. We will work hard,” Du Fei said, feeling wealthier than ever with fifty taels in hand.
To repay Oliver Sheng’s kindness, they were determined to brew the best wine.
With money in hand, Oliver Sheng began to prepare for the creation of heavy cavalry.
He summoned Zane Wang and instructed him to find blacksmiths and armor craftsmen to start work immediately. Oliver Sheng could hardly wait.
“General, you really know how to keep me busy!” Zane Wang complained.
“What? Don’t you want to see Fairy Isla Qin?” Oliver Sheng said nonchalantly.
“I’m on it right now! I’ll search all of Ding Prefecture and bring back a batch of blacksmiths and armor craftsmen,” Zane Wang’s expression changed instantly.
“Hurry, the sooner the better.”
“Got it!”
Watching Zane Wang leave in a hurry, Oliver Sheng chuckled. He had him right where he wanted.
As December arrived, the snow in the Northern Frontier grew heavier, often blanketing the world in white.
The Green Ant Wine and the poem Oliver Sheng created quickly spread across the land, reaching the Capital City.
The fame of Green Ant Wine and Western Wind Blaze grew far and wide.
The Hu brothers, braving the cold and snow and overcoming numerous difficulties, delivered the Green Ant Wine to the Capital City and Western Wind Blaze to Wu Prefecture.
The poem “Green Ant New Wine, Red Clay Stove, Snow is Coming, Shall We Have a Drink?” made Green Ant Wine famous in the Capital City.
Hu Yan’s two thousand jars of Green Ant Wine sold out quickly at three hundred taels per jar.
With sixty thousand taels of silver notes in hand, Hu Yan almost fainted from happiness.
“We bet right, we bet right.”
“I wonder how my brother is doing.”
Hu Xue managed to deliver a thousand jars of Western Wind Blaze to Wu Prefecture. Even at five hundred taels per jar, the martial heroes quickly bought them all.
With fifty thousand taels of silver in hand, he could hardly believe it was real.
Having made money, the first thing the brothers thought of was to go back and increase their purchases, continuing their business.
Zane Wang also found a batch of blacksmiths and armor craftsmen for Oliver Sheng at a high price.
Oliver Sheng couldn’t wait to buy raw iron and have the craftsmen start making heavy armor.
He also prepared a hundred jars of premium Green Ant Wine to send to the Imperial Palace in Luo Capital as a tribute to the Emperor, hoping that the Empress might be pleased and promote him.
Oliver Sheng also sent fifty jars of Western Wind Blaze to Peace Pass for the veterans, General Calvin Yang, and others.
When Calvin Yang and the others received the Western Wind Blaze, they tasted the legendary wine.
“Not bad, this wine is strong, good wine, good wine!” Calvin Yang’s eyes lit up.
“Hehe, this wine is really strong. No wonder it’s called Western Wind Blaze. This is the kind of wine we men should drink.”
“Good wine, an absolute masterpiece! It warms the body like a fire,” Elliott Sun and Edward Zhao praised after tasting it.
“This kid is impressive. He can write poetry and brew wine. Truly a talent,” Declan Li remarked.
“General, how should we divide the wine?” Everyone looked at Calvin Yang, as the wine was a gift from Oliver Sheng.
“Each of you gets three jars, and the rest are mine,” Calvin Yang said domineeringly.
“No, General.”
“General, you can’t do this.”
Everyone wailed, as they only got three jars each of the exquisite wine, while Calvin Yang kept twenty-five jars for himself.
The veteran tasted the ten jars of Western Wind Blaze sent to him and was instantly captivated.
“Not bad, not bad, an absolute masterpiece. This kid has a good heart,” the veteran said with a smile.
“What’s wrong, Platoon Leader?” Ian Zhang asked.
“Nothing, get out and don’t come in,” the veteran quickly replied.
“Oh, okay!”
Ian Zhang scratched his head, puzzled.
He didn’t know that the wine Oliver Sheng sent to him had been taken by the veteran.
……
Luo Capital was also covered in snow, giving the ancient city a different kind of beauty.
In the Imperial Palace, Zhenghe Hall, Empress Hazel Han was busy handling memorials.
Her maid, Jade Han, whispered, “Your Majesty, General Oliver Sheng from River West County in the northwest has sent a hundred jars of Green Ant Wine as a tribute for the New Year.”
The New Year was approaching.
Hazel Han paused her writing and looked up at Jade Han, asking, “Green Ant Wine? The one that’s been causing a stir in the Capital City, selling for three hundred taels per jar?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. This wine was brewed by General Sheng.”
“The poem ‘Green Ant New Wine, Red Clay Stove, Snow is Coming, Shall We Have a Drink?’ was also written by General Sheng,” Jade Han replied.
“Alright, have it stored. I’ll try it tonight,” Hazel Han nodded.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
After reporting, Jade Han withdrew.
“Oliver Sheng!”
“What an interesting person.”
Hazel Han continued her work on the memorials.
……
Since the craftsmen began making heavy armor, Oliver Sheng had been staying at the workshop.
“At this rate, how long will it take to make a set of heavy armor?” Oliver Sheng asked a master craftsman.
“General, the fastest we can do is one set per day,” the master craftsman replied.
A set of heavy cavalry armor, including armor for both the rider and the horse, had to be made by hand, piece by piece.
“One set per day? That’s too slow.”
At this rate, it would take forever to make a thousand sets of heavy cavalry armor.
By the time the heavy cavalry was formed, it would be too late.
“We can’t help it. The supply of iron for making heavy armor is insufficient.”
Forging high-quality iron required blacksmiths to hammer it repeatedly, and it couldn’t be mechanized. Oliver Sheng couldn’t magically produce the necessary industrial facilities either.
To increase production, Oliver Sheng had to send Zane Wang to find more blacksmiths and craftsmen. More hands meant more work.
All of this was for his dream of forming a heavy cavalry unit.
Pouring large amounts of silver into the project, Cameron Guo, Wesley Hu, Zane Wang, and the others couldn’t help but feel the pinch.
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