Playing intrigue is worse than engaging in infrastructure

After sending Wu Qina away, Song Qingyuan stood at the entrance of the main hall with arms folded, watching Jiang Duo directing people to move things in and out.

The most he visited during this trip were all kinds of books and scripts, and he packed several boxes in a row.

Seeing two servants walking over carrying a mahogany box, Song Qingyuan was about to step forward to help when Jiang Duo stopped him.

"Your highness is your body, the past is just to add to the chaos." Jiang Duo said quietly behind him.

Hit the nail on the head and don't save him any face.

Song Qingyuan took back his steps in embarrassment, and continued to step back, watching them busy with nothing.

Xu Shi saw that he was too lonely standing there alone, so the head of the servants sent by Lian Ti walked up to him and said, "If Your Highness is not used to living in the palace, you can choose another one you like next spring." place, just order craftsmen to build another palace.”

Song Qingyuan shook his head, and rejected the servant's proposal, "There is no need to make any further construction work for me."

He was sure that it was already autumn when he came to Mobei, and it was too late to build the mansion.

It would be fine if it was built already, but now that he already has a place to live, it would be a waste of time and money to build a palace just for him.

Besides, according to the meaning of Wu Qi's words, even mentioning that he should not have any plans to marry the princess in the short term, then it's fine to live here by himself.

After living in the palace, Song Qingyuan first rested for a day.The next day, I rode a horse and went to the vicinity of Wangting to inspect the environment.

It can be considered his luck, not only is there no biting cold wind today, but the weather is also exceptionally warm.

He wandered around the royal court stopping and stopping all the way, and if he came across any new objects, he would get off his horse and get closer to take a closer look.

There are also many people of Han blood in the royal court, so Song Qingyuan's presence in it does not appear to be very abrupt.

At most, people passing by will feel in their hearts about the handsome appearance of this person.

Song Qingyuan looked around and walked to a small stall on the side of the road.

There were more than a dozen straw trinkets on the ground. He picked up one and looked at it carefully for a while before he asked, "How much is this little trinket?"

The straw rabbit he held in his hand was woven with a kind of straw vine unique to Mobei.

This thing is not very delicate, but the weaving technique is very special.

The woman who sold straw weaving was blessed first, and then said to Song Qingyuan in not-so-fluent Chinese: "I don't accept copper coins, but is it okay for you to exchange grain?"

It was only then that Song Qingyuan noticed the half-kneeling woman behind the stall. She had a sallow complexion and a thin figure, and she was holding a thin child by her side.

It must have been a long time since I had a full meal.Song Qingyuan sighed and glanced at the followers behind him.

The servant who had been following behind him immediately understood.I ran to a nearby grain store to exchange for a bag of corn.

"My lord, this rabbit is not worth so much food." Seeing the bag of corn that Song Qingyuan handed over, the woman waved her hands repeatedly, shaking her head and refusing.

"Take it, the child is growing up." Song Qingyuan glanced at the child hiding behind the woman, and said.

Xu Shi thought of her youngest son, the woman no longer refused, and gratefully accepted the bag of corn.

Song Qingyuan took out a piece of caramel wrapped in oil paper from nowhere, handed it to the child, and asked the woman, "How old is this child?"

"If you go back to your son, the child is already nine years old."

Hearing this, Song Qingyuan frowned.We all know that Mobei people are too big, but the child in front of him is nine years old and his height is less than his thighs. He is wrapped in a worn-out leather jacket and looks skinny.

"Do you set up a stall here every day?" Song Qingyuan asked.

After getting an affirmative answer, Song Qingyuan didn't speak any more, turned around and left the woman's stall.

It wasn't until he walked out of the city gate that he asked the people around him about the situation of the people.

Since he wanted to investigate the situation near the royal court today, he deliberately asked a Mobei servant who had lived in the royal court for generations to follow him.

"Women like her are not uncommon in Mobei." The young man was probably used to this scene, without too much emotion, he just explained it to Song Qingyuan plainly.

In his explanation, Song Qingyuan gradually understood the situation just now.

In Mobei, there are many people who have lost the livestock they depend on for survival due to disasters, epidemics or other reasons.

The men in these families had no choice but to leave their hometowns and travel among various tribes, earning a living as porters.Many of them died silently in sandstorms or heavy snow days.Only orphans and widows were left, struggling to beg for food in the city.

Mobei's industrial structure is too simple.Song Qingyuan sighed.

Except for a very small number of tribes who can make a living from other industries, most of the people in Mobei, once they lose their livestock or land, they lose their means of making a living.

Such a single industry's ability to resist risks is too poor.

"Your Highness?"

Just as Song Qingyuan was thinking about how to improve the current situation, Lian Ti's voice came from behind him.

Song Qingyuan turned his head and saw that Lian Ti was wearing a military uniform and was explaining the defense of the royal city to the guards.

He reined in his horse and stopped, waited for the company to submit the military defense affairs, and left the royal city with him.

So, for the next whole afternoon, Lian Ti followed Song Qingyuan and wandered around aimlessly with him.

Occasionally, Song Qingyuan would get off his horse, grab a handful of soil from the field and examine it carefully for a while, and then write it down on a piece of paper padded with wood.

Although Lian Ti didn't understand the purpose of Song Qingyuan's move, he still tactfully did not disturb him.

It wasn't until Song Qingyuan put the pen and paper into his bag that he finally asked, "Is it over?"

Song Qingyuan nodded and glanced at it in surprise.

His line of business is to observe and record soil conditions, and people in this era have no such awareness.But even though Lian Ti looked at him suspiciously, the journey was very quiet.

He doesn't like to be interrupted while he's working, and Lian Ti does that perfectly.

Song Qingyuan praised him silently in his heart.But it didn't show at all on the face, nodded and said: "It's done."

"Then let's go back, it's getting late." Lian Ti tugged at the reins.

Song Qingyuan responded, and just about to turn the horse's head around, he caught a glimpse of a bright spot in the distance from the corner of his eye.I don't know if it's a lake or what, but it's under the setting sun at this time, reflecting a soft light.

Is it frozen?It shouldn't be that cold by now, right?

Song Qingyuan was puzzled, pointed to the place, and asked Lian: "Your Majesty, where is where?"

Lian Ti looked in the direction of his finger and explained: "It's a salt lake, and no one usually goes there. Only occasionally, some livestock will go to drink water to add a little salt."

salt lake?

Song Qingyuan became excited, and was just about to fly over with his whip, when he remembered what Lian mentioned to him that day, "Wangshan runs to death".

He paused, and looked at Lian Ti hesitantly, "That salt lake should not be far from us, right?"

"We'll be there in a short while on horseback."

After getting an affirmative answer from the other party, Song Qingyuan followed Lian Tima and ran towards the salt lake.

The horse under him stopped tens of meters away from the salt lake.

It was only then that Song Qingyuan realized that the white expanse he saw just now was not lake water at all, but white massive crystals precipitated on the shore of a nearby lake.

He got off his horse and squatted down to study the thick layer of unknown substance on the ground.

At first Song Qingyuan thought that the precipitation was salt, but after thinking about the weather in the past few days, he still denied his idea.

In such a cold day, how can the water be evaporated to the point where salt is precipitated.

You can't see anything just by looking at it with the naked eye.Salt lakes in different regions have different mineral compositions, and Song Qingyuan couldn't tell for a while.

But he can't break off a piece and taste it. If it is heavy metal, his life will be in danger.

Just when he was at a loss, Lian Ti came over and asked aloud, "What did your Highness find?"

As the sun was about to set, the temperature gradually dropped.

When Lian Ti spoke, he let out a little white gas.Song Qingyuan looked at the white mist scattered in the air, and a flash of inspiration flashed in his mind.

The white substance precipitated from this bittern could not be soda ash!

For the past few days, he has been thinking about chemical alkali-making methods such as Lublin's soda-making method, Soxhlet's soxhlet-making method, and Hou's soda-making method, but he forgot that in Guda, in addition to using plant ash to make soda, saline-alkali lakes and Alkali mine is also an important source of soda ash!

Song Qingyuan suddenly realized that the patches of white ore soil in front of him were not minerals.

It is because the solubility of soda ash will decrease due to the drop of temperature, but the solubility of other substances in the saline lake will remain almost unchanged.

Therefore, as the weather gets colder, the soda ash in this salt lake will gradually be precipitated.

As long as these white ore soils are dug back and purified a little, you can get soda ash!

With soda ash, can caustic soda go far?

Song Qingyuan stood up excitedly, almost unable to control his voice, and said excitedly to Lian Ti: "Your Majesty, please order someone to bring back these white ore soils."

Song Qingyuan looked over with bright eyes, and the setting sun behind him hit his face, bringing a touch of dreaminess.

Lian Ti was subconsciously dazed for a moment, then unnaturally concealed the strange look in his eyes, and asked aloud, "What did your Highness find?"

"These mineral soils." Song Qingyuan was still immersed in the excitement of discovering soda ash, and didn't notice the strangeness of Lian Ti at all.

Seeing that the person on the opposite side didn't understand, he sighed and explained: "Your Majesty, you still remember the soap I mentioned earlier."

"Didn't Your Highness say that there is one substance missing?" Lianti thought for a while, finally understood, and asked, "Could it be this white mineral soil?"

"To be precise, it's some kind of substance in the ore soil." Song Qingyuan said while breaking off a piece with his bare hands and putting it in the horse's leather pocket.

"With a little refining and processing, one of the raw materials needed to make soap can be obtained." Song Qingyuan added.

"Since that's the case, then the king will send people to come and go tomorrow." Lian Ti didn't have any doubts about Song Qingyuan's words, and agreed without hesitation.

Today's line is quite rewarding.Satisfied, Song Qingyuan rode back to the royal court with Lian Ti.

"Making soap requires a lot of space. Can your majesty arrange one for me as soon as possible?" Song Qingyuan said suddenly when he was approaching the palace.

"Didn't His Highness want the prince's own army to do things for His Highness before, why not just stay in the barracks outside the city?" Lian Ti thought for a while and replied.

"Of course." Song Qingyuan nodded.

If the other party hadn't reminded him, he would have really forgotten about it.

What a perfect labor force Lian Ti's personal soldiers are, obedient to command and strong in physique.

If he misses it, he will be very sorry.

The author says:

Mr. Xiao Song's harvest today: unpurified sodium carbonate and a large number of high-quality labor.

Mobei Wang found out today: My wife is so pretty.

——The story of career batch and love brain (bushi);

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!