Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

"I'll turn the mill!"

Liu Chuang brought two donkeys and ground the wheat into flour around a stone mill.

Qin Ming and Wu Qingye set up a big pot and mixed oil and sugar.

"What flavor do you like?"

Qin Ming looked at him with a smile.

"Can it change the taste? Isn't it just oil and salt?"

Wu Qingye asked in surprise.

"No, since compressed biscuits are biscuits, they must have different flavors."

As he spoke, Qin Ming took out a handful of green onions and spices, threw them into the pot, and fried some green onion oil.

He also asked Wu Qingye to crush the hawthorn and sour jujube.

They prepared three or four different things, and even took out some honey instead of white sugar and mixed it into the wheat flour.

They worked until the third day, when they finally used huge rocks to press out several large blocks.

The actions of the three people have already aroused the curiosity of many soldiers at the border.

Seeing that they had finally finished making it, several people immediately stepped forward and asked:

"Your Highness, have our military rations been prepared?"

Qin Ming stood beside the big table, holding a long knife, and was cutting a square with great effort.

After hearing what they said, he nodded and said:

"Almost done. Call all the centurions over to taste it and give us some suggestions."

Soon, Qin Ming's makeshift courtyard was surrounded by people.

They were all soldiers who came over to taste it.

"Is this our new military rations?"

“It smells pretty good.”

Everyone was talking about it, and seemed to be quite curious about this thing.

Qin Ming distributed the compressed biscuits in his hand to them bit by bit.

"Try it."

Everyone knew that Qin Ming and the other two had high expectations for this strange little cube.

Without thinking too much, he put it in his mouth and chewed it for a while.

But soon, hesitation appeared on their faces, and they hesitated to speak, and finally they opened their mouths and said:

"It's okay. I can swallow it."

"The taste... is acceptable."

Liu Chuang understood his soldiers best, and he frowned and scolded them:

"Damn it, you're a bunch of hypocrites! If you have something to say, just say it directly. Will His Highness punish you?"

Qin Ming also nodded and said:

"Everyone, this is our new military rations. We are currently collecting your opinions and making improvements."

"If you think there's a problem, you can tell me directly."

After hearing this, everyone finally spoke.

"Your Highness, this thing is too dry. It tastes okay, but I can't swallow it without water."

"Does it taste okay? Why does it feel a bit monotonous to me? If I keep eating this in the future, I'm afraid it will be very uncomfortable."

Compressed biscuits are used for emergencies.

If they always take it as their staple food, they will definitely have problems.

Not to mention whether they can fill their stomachs, the harm to their bodies will definitely be huge.

Thinking of this, Qin Ming nodded slowly.

"Don't worry, this is not intended to replace your daily meals."

"You will only be allowed to use it in emergency combat and long-distance raids."

"That is not bad."

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After collecting all their opinions.

Qin Ming and Liu Chuang continued to improve the compressed biscuits in their hands.

But soon, they encountered another problem.

"Your Highness, we are running out of candy."

Sugar is not as important as salt in this era.

Many times their reserves and production are not high.

But if this compressed biscuit is to be used in the military in the future, the sugar production must be increased.

"Sugar..."

Qin Ming suddenly fell into deep thought.

He thought of the Nanman.

The climate here is humid and the temperature is suitable, so bananas can be grown to make sugar.

"Alright, I'll figure out the sugar thing. You guys go back and tell the teacher about the technique for making compressed cookies, and have him start preparing."

"understood."

While the three of them were discussing.

Suddenly several soldiers ran over and brought good news.

"Your Highness, Lan Chongshan is here. He has brought a lot of goods with him and wants to trade with us. He also wants to meet you."

Hearing the news that the other party had come all the way here, Qin Ming immediately raised a smile.

Trading is actually secondary.

Lan Chongshan's main purpose of coming here this time was to see him.

This means that he has thought of everything.

Back in the tent, Qin Ming met with Lan Chongshan again.

"Elder Lan, I'm sure you've made a lot of preparations these past few days. I'm really flattered that you brought so much goods with you at once."

Qin Ming poured a cup of tea for Lan Chongshan and then sat in front of him.

Lan Chongshan knew the focus of today and didn't care about the cargo issue Qin Ming mentioned.

"Your Highness, if you ask me to unify the hundreds of tribes in the south, what should I do?"

Faced with this question, Qin Ming's eyes flickered and after thinking for a moment, he suddenly asked:

"How about we eliminate all the opponents?"

"Impossible. If all the southern tribes are gone, what's the point of me unifying them?"

Knowing his bottom line, Qin Ming changed the subject and said:

"It seems that you agree to cooperate with me, then I will tell you the real method."

Qin Ming took out a bag of white granules.

Lan Chongshan picked it up and looked at it carefully, then suddenly asked doubtfully:

“Is this sugar?”

"Yes, I want to build a sugar factory in the Black Mountain Tribe. Then all resources will be gathered in the Black Mountain Tribe, and people from other tribes can come to your tribe to work."

"Besides that, you need to encourage all the tribes to start growing bananas. You will be the upstream buyer, and they will help you supply materials and manpower downstream. Over time, they will naturally follow your lead."

After many contacts, Qin Ming also had a deep understanding of the Nanman.

He adopted an assimilation strategy.

Just as Lan Chongshan said, killing alone could solve all problems.

There is a saying that goes, "Wildfires cannot be extinguished; they will spring up again with the spring breeze."

These tribal members in the mountains and forests are like weeds and cannot be killed off.

But as long as they can't do without Qin Ming and the Black Mountain Tribe in the future.

You can get huge benefits from them!

Without Qin Ming's urging, they will maintain this alliance of interests on their own!

"It's that simple?"

Lan Chongshan was stunned.

He never thought that Qin Ming allowed him to control the hundreds of tribes in the south through such a simple means.

But after hearing what he said, Qin Ming seriously refuted him:

"Do you think it's easy?"

"Building factories, providing technology, paying workers with silver, and delivering countless goods so you can spend your money, how could all of this be accomplished without strong productivity?"

Qin Ming gave them a factory and a whole set of industries.

This sentence made Lan Chongshan suddenly realize.

But then he thought of a key issue.

"Your Highness, does this count as occupying the entire Southern Mountains?"

As he spoke, Lan Chongshan's eyes showed some despair.

He is a smart man, and Qin Ming's current actions seem to be for their own good.

But in reality, it directly controls all industries in the entire region.

From upstream to downstream, basically everyone depends on Qin Ming for survival.

No one else would want so much candy except him.

"Oh?"

Qin Ming raised his eyebrows, a little surprised that Lan Chongshan could see through his purpose.