Before Zhuge Jin came to Yuzhang, he had planned to celebrate the New Year with his family. At that time, he felt that he had plenty of time.
I didn't expect it to be so urgent in the end, and I didn't meet up with my uncle until New Year's Eve.
I have to lament that the plan really couldn't keep up with the changes in the war situation. Many fighter planes are temporarily excavated and fleeting.
Fortunately, the results were indeed achieved faster than initially expected.
In just over ten days after arriving in Yuzhang, Pengli Zehukou counties had been firmly occupied, and order in Chaisang had been restored. The counterattacking enemies were severely defeated, and they had a good start with three battles and three victories.
Returning to the government office, Zhuge Jin personally invited his uncle to sit down, with Guan Yu accompanying him, and then ordered the banquet to begin.
Although tonight's meal is not a New Year's Eve dinner, Zhuge Jin also arranged it very solemnly, just like a New Year's Eve dinner. He and Zhuge Liang could have been on an equal footing with Guan Yu, but there was nothing they could do with their uncle present.
The regular food and drinks have been prepared, and the maids quickly brought the things and arranged them according to the specifications of each table.
Zhuge Xuan, Guan Yu, and Gan Ning traveled by boat for several days. There was no fire on the boat and they only had dry food to eat. They knew they could make it to Chaisang tonight, so they didn't bother to eat at noon, so they saved their stomachs for hot food in the evening.
When the preheated food and wine were served, they started eating directly. They didn't care about the "three drinks after three rounds" toasting etiquette. They were all their own people anyway.
Guan Yu saw a cold dish and vegetables on the table, which looked like pickled radish strips. It was rectangular in shape, but smoother than radish strips. It was also a bit chewy and refreshing, so he couldn't help but asked casually: "Tzuyu, this is What is it? Why have I never tasted it elsewhere?"
Zhuge Xuan on the side was actually also curious, but he acted like an elder and couldn't ask his nephew. Guan Yu asked for him, and he happily listened with his ears.
He only got along with Guan Yu for more than twenty days, but Guan Yu came to rescue him, kept his life safe, and respected him very much. Zhuge Xuan was very grateful to Guan Yu in his heart and regarded him as a close friend.
In terms of age, Zhuge Xuan is only 35 or 36, only fifteen years older than Zhuge Jin. In ancient times, this age difference between uncle and nephew was normal. On the contrary, there is a dozen years difference between him and his eldest brother Zhuge Gui.
Liu Bei is thirty-six this year and will soon be celebrating his thirty-seventh year. Guan Yu is only one or two years younger than Liu Bei, so they and Zhuge Xuan are considered the same age.
Zhuge Xuan also had a long beard, but it was not as thick and wide as Guan Yu's. Guan Yu's long beard spread to both sides of his cheeks, while Zhuge Xuan's long beard was only at the chin, making him look more immortal. Because they both have beautiful beards, it’s easier to get along with them.
Zhuge Jin heard Yunchang's question and answered accordingly:
"This thing is actually just cutting the heads of mustard greens separately and pickling them. When pickling, press them with big stones to remove excess water to avoid excessive moisture that will not be stored for a long time and will become acidified and rotten. A few months ago, didn't I advise Xuande Gong in Guangling? Will replanting winter mustard barely offset the shortage of military rations during the spring famine?
However, mustard greens do not last long, so I thought of this method. The climate in Yuzhang is mild and warm, and winter mustard matures earlier, so it is now ready for harvest. I will try to do it a little bit. If it succeeds, I can bring this method back to Guangling in February next year.
Although Yuzhang produces many vegetables, it does not produce salt. This can only be tried and cannot be promoted. Guangling is an important salt town in Huaihe River. The salt is as cheap as soil, so it is suitable for this purpose. The specific methods will need to be adjusted when the time comes——
I was in a hurry this time, so I didn't seal the jar for pickling. Instead, I opened the jar and pressed it with salt. If exposed to the wind, it won't last long and will rot quickly. If it is to be stored for a long time in the future, it should be sealed in a vat and marinated for at least half a month before being opened for consumption, otherwise it may be poisonous. "
Zhuge Jin still has some knowledge of chemistry. He knows that if any salted food is sealed and salted, a large amount of nitrite will initially be produced, and then slowly react and transform into other substances within half a month.
In later generations, on TV and online, there were not too many news about homemade pickles, sauerkraut, and kimchi, and people being hospitalized due to nitrite poisoning.
These things should either be allowed to circulate to avoid anaerobic respiration, marinated quickly and eaten immediately, or kept sealed for more than half a month. It's the worst to eat it when it's just been marinated for two or three days.
The pickled mustard served at the banquet was the pickled mustard that Zhuge Jin only took out for half a day and re-washed to remove the salt on the surface.
Early in the morning, several monk soldiers and officers who were captured and preferred to die rather than surrender were ordered to eat a lot of porridge and vegetables to ensure safety - if nitrite poisoning occurs, it will show up in half a day at most.
Guan Yu didn't understand these chemical principles, but he also formed an inertia like Liu Bei. As long as it was a trick taught by Zhuge Jin, he would strictly follow it regardless of whether he understood it or not.
At that moment, he did not dare to neglect at all. He wrote down all the precautions that Zhuge Jin casually said, and then asked: "I wonder if this dish has a name? Is it called pickled winter mustard heads?"
Zhuge Jin thought for a while and decided not to let the name of mustard be lost, so he suggested: "This thing needs to be pressed and dehydrated with heavy stones, so let's call it mustard."
There were originally pickled vegetables in the late Han Dynasty, but they were all pickled whole. This was because mustard greens in this era had not yet been bred and differentiated. There were no varieties with particularly developed leaves, bulbs, or rapeseeds. All organs were average. In the end it was difficult to split.
Compared with mustard greens, there is no breeding differentiation for woks, and they are all thrown in whole.
Because the dehydration is not complete enough, and the oleic acid in the rapeseed is also pickled in, the final product has a very short shelf life and must be eaten within one or two months, and it will acidify without exception. Therefore, there are no pure pickles in this era, and they can only be regarded as sauerkraut at best.
When Guan Yu heard the name and heard that pickling it this way could keep it longer, he quickly said he would tell his elder brother when he got back.
Everyone was chatting about the benefits of this pickled mustard method, and soon another servant served the main course. Long charcoal stoves were brought up one after another, with a thin layer of lighted charcoal spread underneath, and then pieces of clean charcoal were brought out. A thin iron plate is laid on the charcoal stove.
A small oil can is placed on each table, and a maid helps to brush oil on the iron plate from time to time. In front of each person was a freshly blanched mandarin fish, which was peeled open and placed on the iron plate on the inside of its abdomen. There is also some mutton, which is also sliced thinly and grilled on the iron plate.
Guan Yu and Zhuge Xuan received the highest treatment. On the iron plate between them, there was a sturgeon that had been basically cooked and cut into thin fillets in the middle.
Looking at that posture, Guan Yu couldn't help but regret: I ate too many side dishes just now! If I had known earlier, no matter how delicious it was, I would have eaten less!
Fortunately, he soon felt that those side dishes did not make him feel full, but instead made him more appetizing.
"I really didn't expect that Tzuyu was not only full of ingenious ideas, but also could come up with so many ways to have fun."
Guan Yu said while eating crazily. Mandarin fish has no small spines, and sturgeon is even bigger. The ribs are similar to chicken bones. They are easy to pick out and taste as good as eating meat.
What's more, there are thin mutton rolls that can be grilled together. Guan Yu feels that he has never eaten such good food in his life. He has been hanging out with his eldest brother for more than ten years, and he has seen how people at the state pastoral level enjoy life. It's not as creative as Tzuyu's.
However, Zhuge Jin did not show any signs of enjoyment at all, but said seriously: "I invite everyone to try this delicacy today, not only for pleasure. I also want to let Yunchang experience it, and know that mustard seeds can also be squeezed for oil." Yes, it can also grill food——
When I make pickled mustard, I have to remove both the leaves and the rapeseed, because it contains a lot of oil and is too sour, so it cannot be put together with other pickled things, otherwise everything will go rancid.
But these rapeseeds can actually produce oil after being steamed and then pounded and pressed. I just ordered people to try it these days, so the stone mortar I used only produced a few cans. If I make a large amount of mustard in the future, the cut rapeseed may be pressed in a new way to improve efficiency. "
When Guan Yu heard this, he was in awe again.
It’s because I’m superficial! How can Tzuyu enjoy this? This is an all-inclusive service from beginning to end. He persuaded his eldest brother to grow winter mustard, and even thoroughly discovered the uses of mature winter mustard.
Moreover, who dares to imagine that the two things of experimenting with mustard seeds and pickled mustard were completed in just three or four days after he entered Chaisang City and left Chen Dao?
When Chen Dao and Gan Ning were sent to pick up the people, these two things had not yet happened! Not even Gan Ning heard about it.
How swift is this mind?
Guan Yu couldn't help but sighed: "I once thought that the Shennong, Suiren, and Youchao clans mentioned by the ancients were just the accumulation of the wisdom of the sages whose names have been lost in ancient times.
Today we know that there really is such a person in the world, who can taste hundreds of herbs like the divine farmer and discover all things to nourish people. Ziyu, eldest brother and I underestimated you! "
Zhuge Jin quickly humbly said: "No, I just had an idea for these two things at first and didn't know how to start. Who knew that the day after Xingba left, I talked to A Liang and inspired him, and he started working on it immediately , I experimented several times and came up with this. I just made a few complaints and sighs."
In fact, it is certainly impossible for Zhuge Jin to provide only a few complaints.
It should be said that after he seduced Zhuge Liang to pay attention to these two topics, when Zhuge Liang started to work on it, Zhuge Jin would still find a way to hint at something that he had not figured out in the general direction. It was just the specific implementation details that were indeed the work of Zhuge Liang. from.
But today is the first meeting between Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei's camp leaders. Zhuge Jin does not want the image of Zhuge Liang originally created by him and Song to be too different from the real situation.
What Guan Yu saw and heard at tonight's banquet will definitely be sent back to Guangling via messenger soon to tell Liu Bei.
Zhuge Jin had just spent the past three days preparing Chaisang civil affairs every day, and he also found time to plan and have two little surprises at the reception banquet and New Year's Eve dinner.
The purpose is for Guan Yu to get the upper hand before he has a chance to have an in-depth chat with Zhuge Liang.
After listening to Zhuge Jin's words, Guan Yu was really in awe.
Looking at the young man next to Tzuyu who had just greeted him but not yet had a chance to chat, he also put away his previous contempt of "Ten times as much as Tzuyu, I'm afraid it's just a way of showing off to each other."
There is something really good about this young man, and he is even more handsome than Tzuyu. He looks like an immortal at first glance.
"Zhuge... my dear brother, you are really a great talent. I wonder if I have a nickname?" Guan Yu was a little embarrassed for a moment. He wanted to call the other person A Liang, but felt that it was not solemn, but when the words came to his mouth, he remembered that the other party had no words.
Zhuge Jin had been waiting for this moment, and he quickly stood up, cupped his hands to Zhuge Xuan, and suggested:
"Uncle, although A Liang has not reached the top, he has already made a lot of contributions to our family and made some things, which are kind to the people.
The day after tomorrow is the first day of the new year. How about choosing a name for A Liang in the new year? I've been thinking about it these past few days, and I think 'Kong Ming' is good. I wonder what my uncle thinks? "
Zhuge Xuan's mouth was full and he was eating grilled mutton slices on the iron plate. He quickly drank a few sips of wine, wiped his mouth, and nodded while stroking his beard: "That's right, just call him Kong Ming. A Liang, Wang. In the future, you must also be enlightened and clear-minded."
Zhuge Liang stood up and expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, uncle, for giving me the calligraphy. My nephew will definitely remember his teachings. Thank you, Grand Duke Yun, for your compliments."
Zhuge Jin beside him also nodded silently, feeling quite comforted. Fortunately, my butterfly effect did not cause any trouble in this matter. A Liang's development trajectory has not yet shown any bad deviations.
Starting from next year, everyone can finally call A Liang and Kong Ming. It is a little early to choose the nickname at the age of seventeen. But Zhuge Jin himself was born at the age of nineteen, one year earlier than normal.
When Guan Yu saw that Zhuge Liang finally had something to say, he quickly continued the topic and began to compliment each other.
Zhuge Jin took advantage of this opportunity, found an opening for the two of them to talk, and intervened with a suggestion: "Yun Chang, since you and your younger brother are in agreement, you have a merciless request, and you will need Yun Chang to take care of you in the future."
Guan Yu agreed without thinking: "It's not difficult, just say it."
Zhuge Jin cupped his hands and said: "Actually, even though our army captured Pengze and Chaisang within ten days, it was actually a matter of luck. My brother is only good at plotting, but not good at running an army. I don’t know how to practice daily.
After the Battle of Chaisang, the number of available soldiers for our army reached seven to eight thousand, and more than three thousand were captured in the Battle of Lushan. Today, Yunchang, you have brought back all the Danyang soldiers. I have calculated that until the decisive battle with Zuorong, the total field strength available to our army is about 12,000.
But there are only more than 4,000 old soldiers in the center, and the rest are new soldiers. The longest one has only been there for more than ten days, and the latest one has only been there for three days. I am not worried about the fighting skills and martial arts of these captives, nor am I looking for quick results. But military discipline and loyalty urgently need to be improved.
If we can turn these soldiers into brave and disciplined staunch troops within a month or two, then we will definitely win the decisive battle against Zuo Rong!
I have already calculated that although Zuo Rong still claims to have forty or fifty thousand soldiers, the veterans of the county soldiers should have been greatly weakened by successive battles. Perhaps there are only two or three thousand left, and the remaining monk soldiers should only be in the thousands. , even if fanatical believers are temporarily recruited to make up for it, the maximum number will be ten thousand.
It can be seen that what we have to face by then is only Zuorong's three thousand veterans, ten thousand monk soldiers and fanatical believers, and the remaining thirty thousand are just new soldiers and civilians who have been coerced. As long as our troops can equal the enemy's county and monk soldiers, how can we be invincible with Yun Chang's ability to command the troops? Those 30,000 pure mobs are no different from ordinary Yellow Turbans, so there is no need to worry.
It would be better to give Yun Chang full authority and unified responsibility for the training tasks of our entire army in the next two months, with orders and prohibitions. In addition, I also asked Yunchang to allow A Liang to observe and learn from the sidelines. I am really not good at this aspect and cannot teach him. "
Zhuge Jin knew that what his younger brother lacked most now was the practical opportunity to train and manage the army, and he was not good at this aspect. He had never seen it in his previous life.
Guan Yu is already a strong general in the first echelon of running an army and winning over soldiers in the world today. How could he not seize this opportunity?
When Guan Yu heard this, he couldn't help but feel proud, but he still stroked his beard and pretended to be humble: "Hey, the Zhuge family has a long history of learning, so what does my experience of marching and exploring on my own count?"
Unfortunately, Zhuge Jin couldn't stand it and gave him another top hat. Guan Yu was so proud to see that the world's wise men like the Zhuge brothers praised his ability to run the army, and he was so proud that they all agreed.
