The guards nearby quickly stepped forward to check Shunxi's breath.
"He's still breathing, just fainted!"
"That's good! Carry him to the Imperial Hospital and have the imperial physicians examine him thoroughly! Such a loyal servant, I, the Emperor, have underestimated him..."
He had witnessed the entire process. Shunxi's strength had been unleashed without any reservation. If his strength had been even a tiny bit greater, he would likely be a cold corpse by now.
"Yes!"
Although the appearance of two emperors in the imperial palace had made these guards feel uneasy, they did not dare to hesitate in response to Zhao Huan's command. They immediately lifted Shunxi and rushed towards the Imperial Hospital.
The affairs within the imperial palace were naturally unknown to outsiders. However, on this night of imperial succession, several carrier pigeons finally flew into Mingzhou City.
"Brother Han, this is news from Taiyuan. Taiyuan is now completely besieged, but Zhang Xiaochun and the others have managed to withstand the first wave of the crisis!"
Although it was late at night, Han Mo, filled with worry, could not sleep. Just as he was pacing restlessly, Zong Ying rushed in from outside.
"They held their ground?"
Upon hearing this news, Han Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although in the original historical timeline, Zhang Xiaochun and the others were supposed to hold out for at least over 200 days, due to Han Mo's arrival, many things in the world had changed, and even Han Mo himself was unsure if Zhang Xiaochun and the others could hold Taiyuan City. Now that he finally had accurate news, the heavy stone in his heart had been lifted.
"That's right, I also didn't expect them to defend against the initial wave of attacks with just 3,000 men!"
Even Zong Ying's face showed a hint of admiration when he said this.
"Wang Bing is a good man, and Zhang Xiaochun is also a good man. Now it's our turn. Have the things I requested been prepared?"
With his mind slightly more at ease, Han Mo looked at Zong Ying again.
"Everything you asked for has been procured, but I don't understand why you're fiddling with these things so late at night. Didn't you want to sell these to Wang Yuanbao originally?"
Hearing Han Mo's question, Zong Ying pointed to the side room and asked with some confusion.
"Then you don't know. Come, tonight I will show you what it means to 'seize the creation of heaven and earth'!"
Han Mo had not originally intended to reveal this, but now that things had reached this point, he could no longer keep it hidden.
"'Seize the creation of heaven and earth'? Alright, then I must open my eyes tonight!"
As they spoke, the two of them entered the side room. As soon as they stepped inside, Han Mo felt a wave of heat wash over him.
"My lord!"
Smelling the sweet aroma in the air and seeing the familiar sugar-making tools before him, Han Mo felt a strange sense of familiarity. Fate was indeed magical. If Wang Yuanbao had not bought these things, he would likely not be the one draining marrow from bones on a distant island right now! On the surface, he seemed to have the advantage, but perhaps only Wang Yuanbao himself understood that without that initial transaction, he might have turned into a pile of dry bones by now!
"Are there any finished products you made before?"
These craftsmen were all originally Wang Yuanbao's men. After the Wang family fell, they were all bundled up and handed over to Han Mo by Wang Yuanbao. The skill of sugar making was originally taught by Han Mo. Now that they were doing it themselves, they were more proficient than Han Mo had ever been.
"My lord, these are the sugars we have already made. Although the color is a bit dark, the sweetness is fine!"
When Han Mo asked, a craftsman quickly brought over a large wooden box from behind him. When he opened it, Han Mo saw that the box was filled with dark purple brown sugar. He picked up a bit, tasted it, and then nodded with satisfaction. Just as the craftsmen had said, although the color was not very appealing, the sweetness was extremely pure.
"What about the yellow mud water I asked you to prepare?"
"It's here, all prepared according to your instructions, digging out yellow mud a foot deep!"
"Watch carefully, this method is not complicated, but it is indeed a bit troublesome to do and may take some time!"
After checking the necessary items, Han Mo rolled up his sleeves, drew a handful of straw from the haystack, blocked the lower opening of the funnel, and placed the dark brown sugar on the straw. Then, he directly picked up a water ladle, scooped a ladle of yellow mud water, and poured it down again.
Seeing this, everyone's eyes widened. The craftsmen standing nearby couldn't help but twitch their lips. They had put in a lot of effort to make these things. Now, seeing Han Mo simply pour a ladle of muddy water on them, it was impossible not to feel pained.
"Brother Han, aren't you spoiling good things?"
Zong Ying had tasted the flavor of these things himself and knew their price in Bianliang City. Now, seeing such a large piece, about three catties of brown sugar, being spoiled by Han Mo, even he couldn't help but speak up.
"Don't worry, just watch!"
Seeing Zong Ying's pained expression, Han Mo didn't say much, only gesturing for him to be quiet. Under Han Mo's suppression, everyone fell silent for the moment, their attention focused on the full jar of yellow mud water. The entire room suddenly became extremely quiet, with only the crackling sound of burning firewood and perhaps the sound of everyone's heartbeats.
"This! How did it turn white?"
However, while everyone was secretly feeling distressed, as the yellow mud water slowly seeped through, the brown sugar placed on the straw gradually lost its reddish-brown color. Although the sugar remaining on the straw had clearly decreased, its color had transformed from the original reddish-brown to a snow-white!
Seeing this, Han Mo himself let out a long sigh of relief. Fortunately, he hadn't forgotten this method! Although black powder's power was indeed great, when truly applied to military purposes, it was still somewhat lacking. But now, with white sugar, the situation would be different! As the saying goes, one part saltpeter, two parts sulfur, three parts charcoal, and a bit of white sugar makes a big boom!