When Tianbao and his party followed Broken Blade back to the border of Dai Viet, the New Year had passed.
Walking through the border town, I saw the red Spring Festival couplets posted everywhere, which was the last aftertaste of the New Year.
Twenty thousand Vietnamese soldiers were stationed at Putan, five miles outside the border town.
The wide and shallow river beach is like a huge ice mirror, and tents have sprung up beside the river beach. Their gray color shows the weather and weather.
Before dawn in the morning, a whistle sounded, and the soldiers quickly gathered at the camp's martial arts field for drills.
Take a break at noon and continue martial arts in the afternoon.
There are only two meals a day, and each person can receive only a small amount, which is only enough to eat six to seven cents full.
After coming to the military camp, several people were lucky enough to see the meal being served with their own eyes. The soldiers lined up to receive the meal in an orderly and disciplined manner. After receiving the meal and walking aside, the behavior while eating was very different from the behavior when receiving the meal.
Eat it wholeheartedly.
Even Su Wu, who always boasted of his heroic food, was dumbfounded and suspected that the soldiers poured the rice directly into their stomachs.
After nightfall, the soldiers returned to their camps and fell asleep as soon as they lay down on their bedding.
There were no fires for heating, and firewood had to be saved for cooking for the entire camp.
Without enough water, even a hot bath in the winter is a luxury.
Even food should be saved. If the follow-up food cannot keep up one day, the saved food will be life-saving food to tide over the difficulties.
The horses in the cavalry battalion live better than the soldiers. At least they have enough fodder to eat every day. The soldiers who cherish the horses treat them as family members.
Night falls again.
A bonfire was lit in front of the coach's tent.
The firewood was specially sent by the soldiers and was a special supply of the camp commander.
"I heard from the deputy general that these few are very important relatives of the commander. I was worried that you might not be able to withstand the cold when you first came to the military camp. Mr. Yang, the forage officer, specially ordered us to bring firewood." The soldier who brought the firewood was very responsible and helped to light the bonfire. , cheerfully, "This was originally the general's special gift, but the general never used it before. Mr. Yang even joked that the firewood the general saved can be used to cook many meals."
Su Wu had the most outgoing temperament and was familiar with everyone. He immediately started talking to him, "Why does the general never use it?"
"The general said that both generals and soldiers are guarding the mountains and rivers with their lives. The soldiers follow him and shed blood and throw their heads on the battlefield. He should also advance and retreat with his soldiers through thick and thin. So when the general leads the troops, he always follows us. Food and accommodation." When mentioning generals, the soldiers' eyes were filled with admiration and belief, "We in the Yuan Army are like this no matter who is our general."
"You are also a member of the Yuan family army, so your military service is very long! You are senior!"
"Hahaha, less than twenty years ago, I still don't have seniority. The people who have been with the general the longest in the military camp are probably the deputy general and his group of veterans. My seniority can be traced back to when General Yuan was still there."
"The military camp is so hard, and you may die on the battlefield at any time and never come back. Do you feel homesick? Do you regret joining the army? Are you afraid?"
"Hey! How could you miss home? It's common for men in their thirties and forties to cry when they miss home in the middle of the night! As for not regretting it later... The country wants to go to war and recruit troops, how can any common people say no? What's your share? We are following the Yuan Army, which never treats soldiers badly. Compared with soldiers in other places, we are already blessed... Everyone is afraid of death, and we soldiers are ordinary people, right? But think about it when you go to the battlefield. I am protecting the people of Dai Viet, and I am also protecting my parents, brothers, and relatives far away in my hometown, so don’t be afraid! Only when the country is safe can the people be safe!"
After the bonfire was lit, the soldiers said goodbye and left to do other things.
Tianbao, Grandpa Du and their friends roasted food around the campfire. At this time in the past, everyone was laughing and laughing, but today the atmosphere seemed a bit dull.
The soldiers' camp is not far away. Sitting here, you can sometimes hear the soldiers in the nearby tent talking and laughing. They talk about how fierce the battle was, how many enemies they killed on the battlefield, and how many injuries they suffered... Proud and proud.
The harsh environment of the military camp cannot erase the blood in their bodies.
Tianbao looked at the roasted meat in his hand, and the oil gradually produced under the flames, exuding a tempting aroma, but he didn't feel that he had an appetite. What came to his mind was the food of the soldiers he had seen during the day.
In order to cook the old rice whole grains with more water, more water is added. The cooked rice is like thick porridge, and every grain of rice is swollen and blooming.
If the amount is too much, the taste will become worse.
Even so, the soldiers' bowls were still filled with more than half a bowl of rice, and from time to time they could bite into the sand mixed in.
"Grandpa Du, is Dai Viet short of food?" she asked.
The old man Du was turning the rabbit meat that had been roasted until it was medium-done. His triangular eyes were a little dim, "It's lacking, why is it not lacking? When the old man Hong De was in power, he planned this and that, but he didn't plan for the people. They couldn't eat. There are many common people in the country, and the old man saw many of them when he traveled around. Some of them live even harder than the tenant farmers in the exile. At least the tenant farmers can still get some fixed rations all year round. If the common people don’t get any profit from the grain they grow, then it’s really useless. However, the grain tax has to be paid at a penny."
After a pause, the old man hummed again, "You are all young. You have never seen famine caused by natural disasters before. When the bark and turf were eaten away, you really started to eat people."
Su An, Su Wen, Su Wu were also extremely silent at this moment, feeling uncomfortable in their hearts.
The three brothers were all ordinary people. They could remember when they were three or four years old. At that time, their families and even the whole village were very poor.
It’s not that grandparents are lazy and don’t cook enough to eat.
It is because the levies and miscellaneous taxes are so heavy that the people cannot bear them.
The people depended on the fields for their livelihood, and the little money they earned throughout the year was all paid for in taxes. There were only a few acres of thin farmland left to make ends meet. When the weather was bad, the harvests were poor, so they had to tighten their belts to get by.
Your family has grown and you want to buy a piece of land?
dream.
An acre of paddy field costs more than ten taels of silver.
For farmers who can only save a hundred copper coins a year, buying land is an unthinkable thing.
If someone in the family has a headache or a fever, go see the doctor and buy some medicine, and you have to put in your belongings.
Although they have never seen natural disasters or famine, they have also come through hardships.
Wheat Sui and Bing'er have been cared for since they were born and have never suffered from cold or hunger. However, after coming to the military camp and seeing the daily life of the soldiers with their own eyes, they were also shocked.
Soldiers are ordinary, but every one of them deserves respect.
