During long-term travel, although the hostile people or creatures in the wilderness are often the focus of adventure stories, the real adventure actually begins before departure.
Simple and tedious preparations are extremely important. Even if it is only a two or three-day journey, you must carry as many items as possible to prevent unexpected events.
A simple summary of what people need is "food, clothing, housing and transportation". Naturally, you cannot pursue luxury when you are traveling with limited weight. However, you still need to try your best to satisfy yourself and avoid exhaustion due to too hard travel.
The Rigar people who can raise large quantities of livestock in the plains like to wear leather shoes, while the Crescent Island people like woven straw sandals. Although the two have many differences in appearance and structure, they both have something in common that is strong and durable.
In order to prevent the skin of the feet from being worn out by your own shoe uppers or shoelaces, and also to resist various cold and damp factors from the outside world, socks made of cloth or knitted wool must be worn inside the shoes. It is best to Carry a spare pair in your luggage.
In addition, you must bring at least one or two spare sets of basic clothing. The clothing requirements are simple: light, well-fitting, strong and durable. The first choice of Rigal people, especially those on the east coast, is a variety of woolen fabrics that have been milled. The tops will be lined with linen, while the bottoms are usually only reinforced with linen around the waist.
Wool production is scarce in the Moon Country, so most of the clothes are made of cotton or cotton and linen blends.
The clothes worn inside should be warm and comfortable, and on top of that, they also need a jacket that is waterproof and can withstand wind and rain. It is very common for thick canvas to be waxed or tanned with gum oil to achieve waterproof treatment. Even the woolen cloaks favored by the Suomir and Padrosi Empire are different from coats or tights, and are kept as much as possible during weaving. Oils in wool to enhance sealing and waterproofing properties.
People in Crescent Island like to use long grasses to dry and make raincoats, but this grass only grows in warm areas in the south. Without the Yongchuan River Basin extending in all directions, it would be difficult for people in the north to acquire such lightweight and cheap rain gear.
After the "clothing" part of oneself is solved, the next item is "living". People's load capacity is limited, so this part must make the biggest trade-off - a team with livestock to carry the baggage can carry a tent composed of poles and cloth, but it is not enough if it is only a tent for shelter.
People who sleep in tents need bedding to keep warm and isolate moisture. Especially the bedding laid on the ground often not only needs to be warm and moisture-proof, but also needs to have a certain thickness so that it can form a certain buffer when people lie on it, so as not to make them feel uncomfortable. The small stones and unevenness on the ground made it difficult to sleep at night.
The cloth floor mat commonly used indoors by Japanese people is made of cotton stuffed with cotton batting. Although it is comfortable, it is not suitable for traveling. Firstly, it is too large, and secondly, it is easily damaged or becomes heavy due to moisture.
The floor coverings carried by Henry and others were purchased in Suomir. The floor coverings made of knitted wool are very good in thickness, moisture-proof performance and warmth retention, and are also tough and durable. If the weather is really too cold, you can also put another sheepskin on top. What the Kazu people and Yi people carried were very similar. They were both made of straw mat with an animal skin or cloth cushion. Simple, yet practical.
Lay a simple cloak or coat under you as a cover, and then roll up the clothes you took off and tie them up to use as a pillow. If a small group of travelers does not have a tent to protect themselves from the wind and rain, this will be their only bedding and shelter in the wilderness.
What you wear on your body and sleep on your pillow at night are the various items you need during your trip.
To make a fire, you need a piece of flint and a fire sickle; tinder can be used as a loose fluff with a hemp rope, or you can collect supplies in the wilderness; if you need to do something at night, an immovable bonfire alone is not enough. So a lantern is also needed.
Repairing soft equipment requires spare cloth and small pieces of cowhide or sheepskin, followed by sewing needles, linen or silk thread, and matching beeswax. Beeswax has many uses. It can not only be used for waterproof sealing. When sewing, tightening the needle and thread on the beeswax can have a certain lubricating effect, making it easier for the needle and thread to pass through the object.
To maintain armor and remove rust and to polish weapons and knives, pumice and oilstones are needed, along with lard or other animal fats in small cans, or olive oil in small cans sealed with corks. These can not only be used as food, but also as weapons and tools. Armor maintenance supplies.
Finally, add water utensils, knives for meals, portable and unbreakable wooden tableware, a lightweight forged travel pot or cooking utensils with a frying pan. After solving the "travel" equipment in this way, the last remaining thing is the most troublesome "eating" part.
There are many factors to consider when traveling with food, which probably accounts for nearly half of the preparations for "food, clothing, housing and transportation". Other equipment, such as bedding and clothing, can be reused for a long time as long as the quality is reliable. But not the food.
Food is a consumable item and will be lost every day, so the rations to be carried must be carefully calculated according to the schedule of the journey.
On top of this, you have to add the factor of load-bearing. The more things you carry, the more secure you will feel. However, overly heavy luggage will make you tired sooner. Fatigue combined with overly heavy equipment will greatly increase the burden. Danger such as losing your footing and falling into the cliff or water.
You must bring enough, but not too much. These two points in themselves require people to struggle with life and expenses, but in addition, there are still problems with preservation.
It was spring when the group set out, and the weather was still cool, but not as stable as winter. Due to periods of cold, warm and humid weather, preserved food can easily become damp and moldy.
In the cold northern winter, fresh ingredients can be taken out for a few days without going bad without too complicated processing, but in other seasons, the food rations carried must be strictly selected.
The staple food of the Kazuto samurai is japonica rice, which is shelled, wrapped in a cloth bag and placed in a sealed wooden box coated with lacquer to effectively prevent moisture. In addition, they also carried unhusked rice, which was protected by the shell and could be stored for a longer period of time. Then use a portable small instrument to remove the shell, although it is more complicated and time-consuming.
In addition to staple food, most of the remaining food is dehydrated. Rigal people like to use salt, rub it repeatedly to absorb the moisture, and the bacon is so dry that it can be used to smash people. It has a long shelf life, but it must be boiled several times before eating, otherwise it will be so salty that it will be bitter and hard enough to make your teeth grind. .
The craft of smoking is also available in the Kingdom of the Moon. After all, it is closely related to fire, and humans from all cultures who are good at using fire naturally understand it.
But for dinner tonight, what they tasted was food more in the style of the Moon Country.
The bonito flakes, praised as the finest delicacy by the Kazuto samurai, are an ingredient that takes a long time to process and are also one of the important components of Tsuki no Kuni soup.
The fish itself is not called bonito, but large bonito caught by coastal fishermen. It is called bonito because it has to be repeatedly baked and exposed to the sun during the processing. Eventually, the almost completely dehydrated fish meat will become as dry and hard as firewood, and needs to be cut into small pieces with a woodworking planer to preserve it.
This is the secret food carried by Yajiro and others. Because it is very precious, it was specially brought out tonight to commemorate the group of people overcoming previous obstacles and reaching a reconciliation by fighting side by side.
Of course, the other side of this is that they managed to catch some trout in the lake. After eating dried tofu for a long time, it can be a change of taste, and many people are sincerely looking forward to today's dinner.
Grilled and sun-dried bonito flakes do not have the unique flavor of smoke or salt, which is not surprising given the generally bland diet of the Moon Country.
The reason why Kazuto samurai flocked to it was because of its "umami" taste that is difficult to express in words.
Large pieces of bonito flakes are thrown into the clear fresh water obtained from the mountain lake, and then simmered over firewood for a long time until the soup gradually changes color. Then control the heat and simmer for a long time to allow the water to evaporate and the soup to condense into a rich-flavored soup base.
At the same time, another large iron pot next to it was also set up, washed white rice was put into it, fresh water was added, the wooden lid was covered, and a dedicated person controlled the heat and began to simmer the rice.
While these two were going on, some of the remaining bonito flakes were shaved into thin strips by the Ashigaru, who was responsible for cooking, with a sharp knife like tinder chips.
When the lower half of the setting sun had sunk to the top of the distant mountains, the entire sky was covered by red fire clouds, and the white snow on the ground that had not completely melted was dyed orange, the warriors in charge of making soup Add the seasoning ingredients, stir, and bring to the boil at the same time as the rice on the side.
The square Moon Country tableware was covered with a bowl of hot rice, while the round wooden bowl was filled with fragrant fresh soup. The golden, translucent soup rippled synchronously with the lake water in the distance, and the rising heat formed a pillar of light in the setting sun.
The Ashigaru who had grated the bonito flakes into thin strips took out the sesame seasoning from a bamboo tube, washed their hands, poured it into a wooden basin filled with gratings, and stirred evenly.
"Put it on rice and eat it." Yajiro seemed to like this bite very much, and rarely spoke to Henry and other southern barbarians who didn't know how to enjoy it.
The snow-white rice was covered with shredded fish garnished with sesame seeds. Then someone next to him handed over a ceramic bottle with a cork, which contained soy sauce, a Moon Country seasoning made from fermented soybeans and salt.
Pour it in a circle on top of the rice, and then serve it with the delicious thick soup made from fish fillets - this is not the end yet, the person in charge of the food is still busy nearby, rehydrating the dried tofu soaked in the wooden basin It becomes elastic after that, and combined with the fish oil melted from the fat cut from the caught trout, the simply fried tofu has a fragrance that cannot be matched by the bland soup.
After a mouthful of thick soup, eat rice with soy sauce and sesame shredded fish, and take a bite of fried tofu.
From a distance, you can see the orange sunset, the outline of the mountains, the snow on the ground, and the calm lake in the distance.
The bonfire burned quietly.
It makes people hope that such days can last forever.
. m.
