Tumeng: I am a national advisor in the Golden Family

Chapter 106 Persuading Khan to grow watermelons and tomato sauce ideas

After eating the watermelon presented by Zhang Yong, Genghis Khan was indeed very happy, but also accompanied by a burst of anger.

Genghis Khan thought that the watermelons presented to him by Khwarezm and some merchants in the Western Regions were junk and defective.

That kind of sourness was not spicy, but it was very watery. It was not something people could eat at all. It formed a sharp contrast with the sweet taste that Zhang Yong presented to him.

Sure enough, these damn Western Region businessmen still look down on him?Genghis Khan?I thought he was a prairie barbarian who actually gave himself something that should be fed to livestock. I was really angry.

"Sweat me down! That's not the case. These are the seeds I brought from the residence of the gods, and then I planted the watermelons that grew up. They are very different from the watermelons here. The taste of these watermelons grown by mortals is Naturally, it is not as delicious as the watermelon grown by the gods." Zhang Yong said quickly.

Darling, he didn't expect Genghis Khan to cause such a big misunderstanding. Those Western Region merchants really didn't lie to you!
The watermelon they give you has this taste. In this era, on the entire earth, there is no other watermelon with this sweet taste that you can only have here.

"Huh! You don't have to say good things for them. They all look exactly the same, but the color is different after killing them. They must be lying to me." Genghis Khan said.

Zhang Yong, a Han Chinese, just has a kind heart.While marching with Wo Kuotai, Wo Kuotai discovered this and told him, but Genghis Khan was not a good person.If you dare to lie to him, you will have to pay the price.

"Don't dare to deceive the Great Khan! If the Great Khan doesn't believe it, you can investigate around. The watermelon of this era does have this taste. Only the watermelon I brought from the God has this extremely sweet taste.

I only brought out from the God Man's Residence a Taoist Priest Qiu Chuji and General Liu Zhonglu who ate some. The Great Khan called them here to testify.

Dear Khan, I just grew your watermelon and it took me several months.After it grew up, he brought it to Khan to taste as soon as possible. "Zhang Yong said.

Seeing that Zhang Yong didn't look like he was telling lies, Genghis Khan finally let go of his murderous intentions, as long as he wasn't lying to himself.

When the merchants from Khwarezm first came to their grasslands, their attitude was extremely arrogant.Even gave him some rags.

I, the Mongol Khan, was very generous back then and used very precious gold and silver to buy these things. However, I later found out that these things were not valuable at all in the Western Regions.

Therefore, although the Mongols attach great importance to trade, they hate deception extremely.If Genghis Khan discovers which caravans dare to deceive him, then the entire caravan will be massacred, and the country behind them will be massacred by Genghis Khan.

"Let me believe you, the watermelon you presented is very delicious! Not bad! Have you given it to Tulan Lun's mother to try?" Genghis Khan did not forget his beloved concubine for the first time.

"Reporting to the Great Khan, when I came to you, Tulan Lun had already brought a watermelon to see Princess Hulan." Zhang Yong said.

"Well! Okay, I like this watermelon very much. You can grow more for me to eat in the future. This red fruit called tomato tastes good, but I don't like it too much." Genghis Khan finished speaking and picked up another bud. The watermelon started to be eaten.

This thing is full of water and extremely sweet. In terms of taste, it can be compared to the yellow-skinned melon from Hua Lazi.Even in terms of taste, the yellow-skinned melon is slightly inferior. The cool and refreshing feeling of watermelon is really great.

"Khan! Tomatoes and watermelons are two gifts I present to you. These two things are extremely suitable for planting, especially the land in Xiliao and Khwarezm.

They can also be grown in the Central Plains, and the yield is very large. If they are supplied to the army, they will be a very good thing. "Zhang Yong said the purpose of his coming today.

It's natural that watermelon is popular. After all, there are 70 billion people in the world who don't like to eat watermelon. Except for the common people of our great dynasty, we can eat high-quality and low-priced watermelon.

In other countries, even some developed countries, watermelons can only be eaten dipped in salt water, and they are ridiculously expensive.

However, it seems that Genghis Khan didn't particularly like tomatoes. After all, their taste is a bit inferior to watermelon. If tomatoes were offered separately, they would really be shipped.But when compared with watermelon, the difference between the two is instantly apparent.

"Oh! You mean this thing can be used as military rations? This watermelon is quite big. After killing it, it will be enough for two or three sergeants, right?" Genghis Khan said.

"Report sweat! If watermelons are planted properly, fertilized properly, and receive sufficient sunlight, they will grow very well and can even grow to weigh more than ten kilograms.

The yield of several kilograms per acre is not a problem. This kind of food is very good to satisfy hunger, but it is easy to fill up and get hungry quickly. "Zhang Yong said.

This is a weakness of watermelon, but it is also an advantage of watermelon. In this era of war and chaos, having a full stomach is already a great favor given by the ruler to ordinary civilians.

Some hungry refugees even eat tree bark and dirt until they are full. Although they will die if they do this, at least they can feel full.

In ancient times, Yi Zi Ershi happened from time to time in war-torn times!Who would eat their own children if they couldn't survive?
Therefore, in this era, watermelon is already a sacred object if it can be eaten and satiated. If watermelon can be grown on a large scale, it can indeed feed a large number of people.

It matures much faster than wheat, rice and some grains of this era. Plant it in February and March and harvest it in May and June. You can eat it for a few months before the staple food is mature.

And it tastes very good, really, very good. In this era, it is already a great blessing.

"It's okay to be almost hungry. It's good to be full when you go out. And it's so delicious. What about this thing called tomatoes! How does the yield compare with watermelons?" Genghis Khan asked.

"This tomato is also a good thing. It will be very delicious when mixed with beef stew. I will make tomato beef stew for you another day for you to try." Zhang Yong said.

Beef stewed with tomatoes, plus some spices produced by Khwarizm, it tastes very good!

Make it another day and give it to Genghis Khan to try. During this time, Zhang Yong also figured out some of the Mongolian people's eating habits. In fact, they don't often eat barbecue, but like to eat some boiled meat.

If you grill the meat, it will indeed taste very good, but it will lose a lot of fat, and every little bit of fat represents nutritional value and means you can eat fuller.

Therefore, barbecue is only used when entertaining distinguished guests or holding a grand festival.

Dried meat is a luxury product, and tomatoes can be stewed with beef and mutton. This is a huge attraction for Mongolia.

"You mean, this little red fruit, it can be cooked with beef to make soup, and it tastes very good, better than those wild vegetables?" Genghis Khan picked up another tomato, looked at it, and asked.

"Yes, Dahan! And it will taste very good. Zhang Yong can make it for Dahan to try.

However, tomatoes still need to be cultivated. Their growth cycle is not as short as that of watermelons, which only take four months to fully mature. Zhang Yong said. If you are more luxurious, you can also grow watermelons and tomatoes in a tent in winter. The principle is the same as that of a plastic greenhouse. However, if you grow watermelons in this way, the taste will not be very good because there is not enough sunlight. Not very rich in sugar.

And the most important thing is that Zhang Yong plans to use tomatoes to make tomato sauce. Glass in this era has already appeared.

Moreover, there are many craftsmen in the Western Regions who can smelt glass. It is not difficult to sinter them into large bottles with round mouths.

Then there is the issue of sealing. It is not difficult to make some iron lids that can be tightened if you know the principle. This kind of thing can be recycled repeatedly and is not a disposable item.

Crush the tomatoes, put them into a glass bottle, and boil them on a steamer to make the simplest tomato sauce.

This kind of tomato sauce can be stored for more than a year. The recipe for tomato sauce is also included in the e-book of the military-civilian sequel.

The principle of this thing is very simple, and it is an extremely suitable military ration.

Moreover, the nutritional value of tomatoes is very high, especially modern tomatoes, which have very high nutritional value.

Zhang Yong also told Genghis Khan about these benefits.

"I understand, you came to me today because you want to recommend these two things to me, let me plant them on a large scale, and then use them as military rations on the road, right?" Genghis Khan said.

"Yes, sweat!" Zhang Yong said.

"This thing called watermelon, if it is as amazing as Zhang Yong said, and the yield is as large, then it is indeed good. Anyway, letting the herdsmen graze along the way is just grazing, so there is no problem in planting some of these things.

As for this thing called tomatoes, can it really be made into military rations that can be stored for a long time? " Genghis Khan asked.

"Please believe Zhang Yong, Khan. As long as the bottle is made well and the tomato paste is made into tomato sauce, and then stored properly, it will not be a problem to store it for a year, or even longer.

However, making tomato sauce will take some time. You need to have a stable rear area. You also need to build a large workshop and recruit a group of craftsmen before you can start. "Zhang Yong said.

"I have approved this. After we return east, I will prepare a place for you. If it is as good as you say, I will march on expeditions in the future.

This is a good supplement. You can plant a small amount of these tomatoes. For now, plant watermelons first!You think so too, right? "Genghis Khan asked.

"Yes! Tomato sauce can definitely meet your needs. Just pour this tomato sauce into an iron pot, add some water, some meat cubes, or minced meat, and some wild vegetables. You can eat it directly or mix it with some noodles. Come and eat the cake." Zhang Yong said.

"Okay! Since you want to plant them, let's plant them and try your idea. I have already mobilized 4000 cavalry to escort 5000 herdsmen to graze along the way. How many people do you want to cooperate with you in planting these things? "Genghis Khan said.

Anyway, if you let this kid try, you won't lose anything. I am indeed not short of military rations this time when I return east.

In two months, he had prepared a large amount of food, fodder and livestock.

Once the loot from the Delhi Sultanate is delivered, there will be no problem in eating along the way.

However, if you can add a fruit on the road and even prepare for the future, Genghis Khan is very happy to do it.

"Great Khan! In order to thank me, Master Jochi gave me 5000 slaves under his command. These 5000 slaves can be used to cultivate this kind of things. They also have suitable craftsmen among them, who need a lot of work. Please send an army to protect us," Zhang Yong said.

"Twenty-five thousand slaves? They're from the city, right? Then I really need to send you some people. I'll give you 5000 cavalry.

You select 4000 of these slaves and set off in three days to plant watermelons and tomatoes. If you can grow anything, I will consider you a great achievement. "Genghis Khan said.

"Khan! During the time when I went to plant watermelons, tomatoes, and make tomato sauce, I wonder if Dahan could provide some food for the remaining 2 slaves?" Zhang Yong said.

"You can take care of the food. I will give them one meal a day. If they don't starve to death, I will come to you in about half a year.

By then I hope your watermelons and tomatoes can make up for the food I spent during this period, but if you can't.

I will punish your kid, but if you don’t need me to take care of the food of these 2 people.

Even if your kid can't grow it, I won't blame you. Do you still want me to take care of the food? "Genghis Khan asked.

"Please ask the Great Khan to take care of Zhang Yong's slaves first. After half a year, Zhang Yong will never let the Great Khan down." Zhang Yong said.

"Okay! I will give you 2000 men and horses, and you can choose 4000 slaves. You will set off in three days, and you will be assigned a general. Who do you want to join us?" Genghis Khan asked.

"Great Khan! The place where watermelons are grown will definitely be on the land of Xiliao. I hope you can send Master Wokuotai to go with me." Zhang Yong said.

Do you still have to choose?He must be his cheap father-in-law!

Now the cheap father-in-law listens to his own words, and he has made watermelons and tomatoes, and then ketchup, which is considered a great achievement!

This time I'll give you an advantage, father-in-law.

If you grow your own watermelons, will it be spread in the Central Plains in the future that the sweet taste of watermelons was brought back to the Central Plains by the Mongolian army after their first western expedition?
"That's fine, there's no war anyway, so I'll let Ogedai go with you!" Genghis Khan nodded and said.

If we could really make the tomato sauce that Zhang Yong mentioned, we would also be able to plant watermelons and tomatoes on a large scale.

It just so happens that it can also increase the reputation of Wo Kuotai.

(End of this chapter)