Before Li Jing and his men arrived at the firearms bureau, they could already smell the rich aroma of meat.
"It smells so good!" Cheng Yaojin greedily smelled the meat fragrance in the air. Ever since he left for war, it had been a long time since he had enjoyed the Mo Family's food. The aroma immediately made his mouth water.
It wasn't just Cheng Yaojin. Even the generals couldn't help but take a deep breath, not to mention the ordinary soldiers. If it weren't for the strict military orders, they would have already surrounded them.
"I've long heard that the Mo Family's food is extraordinary. It really lives up to its reputation." Li Jing laughed and led the generals into the firearms bureau.
As soon as they entered, they saw a soldier in front of a big pot stir-frying white flour. Meton was beside him giving instructions. When he saw Li Jing and his men enter, Meton hurriedly greeted them.
"Greetings, generals!" Meton bowed.
Li Jing nodded. He looked at the steaming hot stir-fried noodles and asked in confusion, "This is the new military ration that Mo Jiu mentioned."
Meton explained, "This is stir-fried noodles. It's a traditional delicacy of the Huai 'an region. The Yellow River is overflowing, so every year, a large number of workers are recruited to repair the river banks. Every time the workers repair the banks, their wives will make some stir-fried noodles for them to bring along as dry rations on the road. It's even a tradition that every year on June 6, the locals will make stir-fried noodles to eat. It's said that stir-fried noodles can be stored for as long as two months and as long as three months."
"Two months!" Li Jing couldn't help but exclaim.
The generals couldn't help but look at Meton suspiciously. They had never seen dry rations that could be stored for two months.
Meton nodded and said, "According to the local records, if some workers bring along too much stir-fried noodles and don't finish them, they can still use them as dry rations on the way back after three months of river work."
"There's such a thing?!" Li Jing was greatly surprised.
"I'm sure there are soldiers from the Huai 'an region in the army. You can ask them and you'll know," Meton said confidently.
"Men, go to the army and find a group of soldiers from Huai 'an." Li Jing ordered without hesitation. If it could be confirmed that they could store rations for two months, it would be a great help to the expedition army to get rid of the heavy logistical burden!
If that was the case, they would have made a contribution before the Western Expedition had even begun.
Immediately, the group of generals looked at this weak youth with envious eyes. They had already believed eighty percent of the benefits of fried noodles. With Meton's reputation, if he wasn't confident, why would he take such a risk?
They had risked their lives to obtain these military merits, but Mo Jiazi had obtained them so effortlessly. How could this not make them feel better?
"Whether or not the stir-fried noodles are real has yet to be confirmed. How could the livestock and poultry Mo Jiu bought be preserved for so long?" Hou Junji looked at the steaming hot pot beside the stir-fried noodles. Large amounts of meat were floating in the pot, emitting an enticing fragrance. He couldn't help but say this in a strange tone.
Meton sighed and said, "Although stir-fried noodles are easy to store, the soldiers are fighting for the country. Long-distance expeditions are the most exhausting. If there's only noodles and no meat, I'm afraid they won't be able to sustain themselves."
Meton's words immediately made the generals nod slowly. They had been in the army for a long time and naturally knew the hardships of the soldiers. When they heard that Meton was thinking for the soldiers, they couldn't help but look at Meton with softer expressions.
"So, I thought of mixing some minced meat into the stir-fried noodles. This way, it's delicious and can replenish the soldiers' strength." Meton brought out a plate of stir-fried noodles mixed with minced meat and gestured for everyone to taste.
"Mmm! There's a meaty taste. It's not bad. "Li Jing tasted a mouthful and his eyes lit up.
"It's salty. We should add salt. This way, we don't need to bring extra salt." Cheng Yaojin's eyes lit up.
"It's just too dry." Duan Zhixuan swallowed with difficulty.
Meton hurriedly handed over the cold water that he had already prepared. Everyone drank it in one gulp. Only then did they recover. They looked at the stir-fried noodles mixed with minced meat and couldn't help but nod in satisfaction.
"It's good that it's dry. This way, it can be preserved for a longer time. Furthermore, the taste is much better than dry rice. I, Old Cheng, like it." Cheng Yaojin loudly praised.
It was precisely because it was dry that it was easy to preserve. This was the reason why they had to prepare dry rations for expeditions. Immediately, the generals believed Meton's two-month shelf life a little more.
At this moment, Li Jing's personal guard hurried over with five soldiers and reported, "Reporting to General, the soldiers from Huai 'an have been brought here."
"Greetings, General!" The five soldiers from Huai 'an looked at the generals in front of them and immediately greeted in fear and trepidation.
Li Jing stepped forward gently, pointed at the stir-fried noodles, and asked, "Do you know what this is?"
An older soldier nodded and said, "This is stir-fried noodles. It's a common dish in my hometown. It's a necessity for the people who work on the river."
"Can this item really be preserved for two months?" Li Jing asked.
The older soldier affirmed, "Indeed. After I received the conscription, I set off from my home in Huai 'an. The dry rations that my wife prepared for me were stir-fried noodles. I walked for two months from Huai' an to Chang 'an City. The stir-fried noodles that I prepared are still in good condition and can be eaten."
All the soldiers from Huai 'an nodded and said, "Same for me. I heard that there are river workers who store stir-fried noodles for half a year."
After hearing the testimonies of the soldiers from Huai 'an, the generals were convinced that this stir-fried noodles was indeed a rare dry rations for the military.
"Mo Jiu is indeed an erudite man. You are far away in Chang 'an, but you can know the folk customs of Huai' an thousands of miles away," Duan Zhixuan praised.
Meton said modestly, "General Duan, you flatter me. This is a record of the world's strange stories collected by the Mo Journal. I just happened to come across it."
Li Jing solved the problem of dry rations for the army and said happily, "There are many people in the world who know about stir-fried noodles, but only you, Mo Jiu, can think of using it as military rations. After this expedition, I will certainly ask the imperial court for a merit for you."
However, to the surprise of the generals, Meton shook his head slowly and said, "This is stir-fried noodles, not something from the School of Mo. I dare not take credit for this kind of merit."
The generals immediately looked at Meton as if they were looking at a fool. This was a military merit, not the same as other merits. To put it bluntly, in the Tang dynasty, as long as you had enough military merit, you could even be exempted from the death penalty except for rebellion.
Li Jing looked at Meton in surprise and said thoughtfully, "People say that everything from the School of Mo is a novelty that has never been seen before in the world. Are you saying that the dry rations you are offering are not stir-fried noodles?"
Meton nodded proudly and said, "Yes, I want to offer you this."
After Modun finished speaking, he extended his hand and handed Li Jing a square object that was about the size of a palm.
"This is?" Li Jing was puzzled.
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