It snowed heavily in northern Xinjiang, and Daizong and Taicheng were covered in silver.
The Chaoge Army, which was hard at work on the expedition, wanted to win the battle as quickly as possible, but the fate failed. The heavy snow blocked the connection between Taicheng and Fengyang, which not only increased the burden on logistics, but also turned Taicheng into an isolated country. A lone army hanging in the North Sea.
The army rotates every day, sending people to clear the snow on the mountain roads and reconnaissance cavalry. The more critical the situation, the more attention must be paid to guarding against enemy attacks. This is what Wen Zhong has said from many years of experience.
During the day, there was less noise in the military camp. The major tents had reinforced their barracks and lit firewood. The soldiers gathered around the burning flame in the center to resist the severe cold.
The supplies were still delayed, and there was still food and grass left, but there were not enough winter clothes. Only one-third of the soldiers could be armed, and the soldiers were given priority to patrol the surrounding areas of Tai City.
Not long ago, in the battle of Daizong, Meng Chang fought fiercely against the ring of dogs for four hours, and achieved great success. He was promoted from captain to general. The number of troops he led did not increase. It was still the same as before in Chongcheng with a thousand men. It was just promoted. First-class military rank.
Wen Zhong would not send his elite troops to a guest general who was unfamiliar with each other. In the sequence of the Great Shang's conquest army, General Pi was at the end. His future military exploits would at most be recorded in his book, waiting for his triumphant victory. At that time, King Shang or Marquis Chong would seal it.
Unless Meng Chang didn't want to work in the Chongcheng Army and took the initiative to go to the Grand Master and apply for transfer.
At this time, he had been hesitating. One year later, his original intention of protecting his family had not changed, but he had some hesitation about his future.
Can you really live a stable life in a corner of peace?
In Mengchang's general camp, Zhao Bing, Bian Ji, and Deng Chanyu sat in front of a fire pit. There was a deer hanging on top of the fire pit. It was roasted by the fire and made a crackling sound of oil exploding its skin.
In this era of lack of spices and condiments, don't think about eating too delicious. It is especially luxurious to have a bite of barbecue covered with salt.
But Meng Chang is different. He is a very particular person about eating.
Even if he stews in a big pot, he can make do with it. In his eighteen years of growth, he has also been hungry and cold. He will not be picky about keeping food and clothing in his belly.
But if there is an opportunity to make the ingredients more delicious, he will never let it go.
These rough guys don't show any signs of it. They are usually greedy, but when they want to eat something extra, they are like a ring dog asking about the scent. They all come running over with their utensils in hand to wait for the meal to be served.
Zhao Bing was the closest to him, so it was understandable that he would be the first to smell whatever he was cooking.
Bian Ji was exaggerating. Ever since he saw Meng Chang roasting a pheasant with vegetation and mortar, he followed Meng Chang around every day. He would shamelessly ask for anything that Meng Chang had eaten, even if it was the same as the kitchen. When soaking millet in the ring dog broth made by Ying, he felt that the one in Meng Chang's bowl was more fragrant than his own.
Deng Chanyu...
Forget it, just don’t say it.
When the merchants went into the mountains for the last time to collect supplies, the cart of plum wine that their father had asked someone to bring was completely wasted by these people.
"I'm telling you, take your time and eat and drink later. These are the only specialties that my father sent us. The merchants won't be able to come in for the next few days. The Grand Master will also ask us to start frugal in food and clothing. We are not allowed to come here again after this meal. I’m enjoying the autumn breeze here.”
Looking at the three people in front of him who looked like they were reincarnated by starving ghosts, Meng Chang also felt weak in his heart. He had said it too many times, it goes in with the left ear and out with the right ear. If Shan Fan listened to him, he would not take away the smell of meat today. Running over with rice dumplings to join the gang.
Meng Chang skillfully took out the soaked dried plum meat from the jar, pounded it into a puree, mixed it with wild ginger, pounded it into mince, mixed it with the juice and wolfberry.
Taste has always been a taste bud enjoyment that the ancients only considered after solving the problem of fullness.
Being able to add a sweet, sour, spicy taste to the salty meaty flavor is already an extremely rare treat for everyone here.
Divide the mixed dipping sauce evenly into small jars, and then distribute them to everyone. Holding the delicious clay jar, Bian Ji, the youngest, is so greedy that he wants to drink the tempting sauce directly in the jar. In respect.
Meng Chang slapped Bian Ji on the back of the head, and regardless of his aggrieved expression, he said seriously: "You have to respect food. If you eat this sauce, what will happen to the barbecue later? How much is missing? After all, wouldn’t all my preparations have been in vain?”
"Young man is restless and can't hold back even a little bit of food. How can he become a big deal in the future?"
Bian Ji didn't dare to talk back. He was the youngest, so he had to talk back. Meng Chang wanted to teach him a few words. At this time, he was already hungry, but he still dared to say more. He nodded hurriedly and kept saying yes. Admit your mistake.
Only then did Meng Chang feel satisfied and picked up the short-edged knife and began to cut into the hot flesh of the deer.
It is also very convenient to have a burning place. I am not afraid of being burned, and I can just cut the deer meat openly over the flames.
The deer meat is fishy. After being wrapped in a layer of coarse salt and marinated, it is then dipped in a sauce with ginger juice. After removing the fishy smell, it tastes so delicious that Zhao Bing and Deng Chanyu can't wait to swallow it all with their tongues.
“The delicious food here is rare.”
"Taste, you are really amazing. I think Yi Yin's reincarnation may be nothing more than this, far less delicious than the delicacies in your hands." Deng Chanyu sincerely praised, she is not a good eater, but this taste is really appetizing Unforgettable, impossible to stop.
"I don't dare to compare it with Yi Yin. It's a pity. The kitchen camp only offers deer deer, which are not fat enough. They are all dry and lean meat. If you can roast them, you can eat them in one bite."
"Qi Liu!"
"Pfft!"
"a ha ha ha!"
But when Meng Chang was describing the delicacies, Zhao Bing's saliva flowed out from the chewed deer meat. This reckless man, eating meat in his mouth and listening to others describe the roasted oily flowers, could be so greedy that he provoked Everyone burst out laughing.
The soldiers and brothers in the camp next door were so greedy that they took out their own frozen and hard rice dumplings and kept licking them.
"Stop licking it. After the generals finish eating, let's start first and try to grab the head of the deer. When the time comes, we will throw it into the pot. The taste will be very good."
"Stop talking too, it makes me feel itchy."
Several people in the general camp chatted about the past of their hometown based on the military orders during this period. Looking at Meng Chang and Deng Chanyu in a strange atmosphere, Zhao Bing took the clay pot in his hand that had been licked clean and asked.
"Chang, don't you always say that after the war, you will resign from the army, go home and do business and become a rich man? Tell me about what is a good way to make a living, and tell everyone about it."
"What kind of living can I do? I just exchange my military exploits for rewards, buy hundreds of acres of fertile land, and hundreds of slaves. I can practice martial arts in my yard every day and entertain myself."
Mengchang swallowed the meat in his mouth and looked at the deer with many shreds of meat hanging on it. He felt a little unsatisfied and was not full at all.
So he got up, took off a section of the thigh bone, threw it into a pottery basin, and put it on the fire pit to cook. Later, he could soak the millet in the soup and eat it.
"If I can't stay idle, I will open a big restaurant in Chongcheng and study delicious food every day. That will be enough for my life."
Mengchang twisted the deer with one-third of its meat remaining and whistled. The two soldiers guarding the door immediately walked in with a smile on their faces.
"Go, take it apart for the brothers, throw it into the cauldron and boil it. It is also a good soup for rice."
"No, thank you General."
Mengchang often ate and lived with the soldiers in the camp, and his reputation of treating the soldiers as brothers was well-known throughout the military camp.
Shan Fan himself had a mouthful of meat to eat, and he would squeeze out the meat and share it with his brothers. With more than a thousand people, it was unrealistic to expect each person to take a bite, but he could cook it alternately and make salty meat and bone soup, which was also excellent. Something to replenish your strength.
Deng Chanyu took the initiative to take over everyone's tableware, as if she were a hostess. Taking the opportunity to help clean up the mess, she mentioned it intentionally or unintentionally: "How many people in Chongcheng can afford such delicious delicacies? If If you want peace and happiness, the prosperous Chaoge is a good place to make money, what’s so good about this bitter and cold place.”
Alas, he sighed softly in his heart. Meng Chang was not a short-sighted person. How could he not hear what Deng Chanyu meant? It was just that he was still hesitating in his heart and had not thought about many things.
"Although Northern Xinjiang is difficult, I have my parents, and although Chongcheng is old, it is the hometown where I was born and raised. I have no ambition to become a general or a prime minister. How happy it is to have a safe place and enjoy happiness at the knees of my parents."
"Qiang!"
The pottery bowl was shattered on the ground. Deng Chanyu angrily threw the linen in his hand on the ground and asked loudly: "How old are you? You don't want to make progress at a young age. You just want to enjoy yourself all day long. I...the grand master is really blind." Eyes, actually appreciate you as a puddle of mud that can't hold up the wall."
After saying that, she stepped forward aggressively. Just when Zhao Bing and Bian Ji were at a loss and wanted to stop Deng Chanyu, she stopped and looked angrily at Meng Chang's calm eyes.
"Rotten wood cannot be carved." After all, he didn't do anything, but when the beauty left, there seemed to be tears in the corners of her eyes.
"Get away!"
"Hey, General Deng, what are you doing?"
Deng Chanyu pushed down Lu Jia who was about to enter the camp, and walked into the silvery snow without looking back.
"Oh, why haven't I thought about it? If I could persuade you to stay, I would have spoken long ago."
Watching Deng Chanyu go away, Meng Chang's expression changed from calm to regretful.
"General Meng, what...what's going on?"
The person who was pushed down was none other than Lu Jia, a wealthy businessman in Northern Xinjiang.
Looking at Lu Jia lying in the snow, Mengchang was confused. Why was he here?
How did he get in when the mountain was blocked by heavy snow? The exotic animal meat that has been saved recently is no longer sold to merchants, and the rest has to be kept to survive this cold winter, which may not be enough for myself.
Brushing the snow on his body, Lu Jia took advantage of the situation to hold Meng Chang's hand, stood up, and entered the camp together: "General Meng, I sent you winter clothes and military rations on the order of Marquis Chong."
"Chongcheng still has enough resources to support the army?"
After this heavy snowfall, Chongcheng himself didn't have enough to eat. How could Chonghou dare to give away the life-saving food in his mouth?
"General Mo Lihai has returned from Chaoge. The first batch of grain officers will arrive in Chongcheng soon, so the Marquis asked me to take people to take out the grain stored in Chongcheng and deliver it to you."
"I see, that's good. Otherwise, I really doubt when the Marquis gained the ability to conjure food out of thin air."
"Hey, don't say that, General. Heavy snow fell before the autumn harvest this year. Large areas of millet farmland were frozen and killed. Chongcheng and Northern Xinjiang are in dire straits."
Lu Jia, who had a serious look on his face, glanced at Bian Ji behind Meng Chang, as if he had something to tell others that he couldn't tell outsiders.
Bian Ji was also sensible, so he apologized and returned to the camp. At this time, there were only three people from Chongcheng, Zhao Bing, Mengchang and Lu Jia, in the general's camp.
"General, Marquis Chong has something to tell you. He has told me to pass it on to you, but be sure to keep it quiet for the time being."
"Chaoge City..."
"The King of Shang collapsed."
