"Can this be eaten?" Li Jing hesitated as he looked at the hard thing in his hand. Although he was a peerless general, he was over sixty years old. His teeth weren't that good. He looked at the hard compressed rations in his hand and didn't dare to eat it.
Meton grabbed a handful of fried noodles and placed it in front of everyone. "Of course it can be eaten. This compressed rations is made from fried noodles. Although fried noodles are good, it has a fatal flaw. "
"It's afraid of moisture!" Li Jing blurted out.
Meton nodded. "General, you're right. The fried noodles are too soft. Once it rains, they'll turn into paste. I'm afraid they'll spoil very quickly. "
The generals nodded. In fact, it wasn't just fried noodles that had this problem. Perhaps all rations in the world had this problem.
"The other flaw is that the fried noodles are too thin. If they're stored in linen, they'll leak out." Meton added. There weren't any fine bags in this era. If they were to store the noodles in thick linen bags, they'd leak out quickly.
"Then how do you store the noodles in the Huai 'an region?" Li Jing turned around and asked.
The older soldier hurriedly said, "This lowly one uses sheepskin bags to store the noodles."
The generals immediately shook their heads. It wouldn't be a big deal if it were just a portion of the army, but there were two hundred thousand soldiers in the imperial court. How could they make so many sheepskin bags in such a hurry?
Moton nodded and said, "This kid discovered the weakness of fried noodles, so he purposely improved it. This compressed ration not only retains the strengths of fried noodles, but also overcomes the weaknesses of fried noodles. It can be said to be the perfect military ration."
Under Moton's lead, the group arrived at the back of another barrack. Pots of cooked noodles were mixed in with a large amount of cooked minced meat and a large amount of broth. The noodles were stirred evenly, and the fragrant dough appeared in front of everyone's eyes.
"Dry rations are most afraid of moisture. You even took the initiative to add water. How are they preserved?" Cheng Yaojin asked.
Moton smiled and said, "Add some water and dry them for a while. That's all."
"Isn't that just plain biscuits? What's so strange about that? "Cheng Yaojin curled his lips.
In the army, biscuits were also a type of dry food, but they had a shorter shelf life. It would be good if they could last for more than ten days.
Meton explained, "Although the biscuit is good, it is too soft. Although it is easy to carry, it is not easy to store. I thought of a way. If we add water to the stir-fried noodles, press them down with heavy stones, and then bake them dry, we can solve this problem perfectly. "
One of the soldiers placed the dough into a grinding tool. Then, a thousand catty arm lifted up a square boulder that weighed a thousand catties. Under the control of the soldier, the boulder was placed heavily on the grinding tool.
After the compression was completed. Immediately, a hundred cavalry soldiers took over and handed it over to specialized people to bake. Very soon, pieces of dried compressed rations were freshly baked and delivered to Meton and the others.
Meton picked up a piece of compressed rations, blew on it, and ate it first.
When the other generals saw this, they couldn't help but taste it. Their eyes lit up. "It tastes good. It's better than millet rice, and not as choking as stir-fried noodles."
Although the compressed rations were dry, it was still within a tolerable range.
Li Jing couldn't help but take a bite. It wasn't as hard as he had imagined. More importantly, it tasted good.
Cheng Yaojin was a fast eater. He finished the compressed biscuit in no time and was about to take another piece when Moton hurriedly stopped him. "Uncle Cheng, please wait. This compressed biscuit is formed under heavy pressure and is very good at relieving hunger. Don't be fooled by a palm-sized piece of compressed biscuit that can keep an ordinary person full for a day. If you eat too much, I'm afraid your stomach will not be able to take it."
"One piece of compressed rations can stop hunger for a day." Cheng Yaojin was so shocked that the compressed rations in his hand fell to the ground.
The other generals also couldn't believe it. They said in disbelief, "Just this palm-sized piece! How heavy is this? I'm afraid it's around three taels. "
Not only did the other generals not believe it, even Li Jing looked at Meton in disbelief.
Merton said, "Generals, the most honest thing in the world is the stomach. Whether or not the stomach is hungry depends on how much food is eaten. The military's ration is three and a half catties every three days. However, that's millet rice that can't stop hunger. The compressed rations are made of refined flour, fat, and minced meat. Although it's only three taels, it's at least equivalent to the flour used for six steamed buns. Could it be that it's not enough to stop hunger for a day?"
After Meton explained the detailed data to the generals, everyone fell silent.
Indeed, unless one had a huge appetite, six steamed buns would be enough to last a day. Moreover, the compressed rations had fat and minced meat, which was a first-class hunger reliever. According to this calculation, this small piece of compressed rations was really enough for a soldier to eat for a day.
"Based on this calculation, if a soldier carries nine catties of compressed rations, it's enough to last a month." Cheng Yaojin counted with his fingers and was shocked. This amount was 60% less than the normal amount of grain and provisions that they normally carried.
"That's right. Also, compressed rations are very easy to store. Because it's very sturdy, it won't go bad easily even if it's rained. At room temperature, this little one can guarantee that it won't go bad for two months. If it's wrapped in oil paper, it can be stored for at least half a year." Meton patted his chest and said.
The drier the rations, the easier it was to store them. Looking at the dry compressed rations in their hands, the generals believed that Meton's words were true this time.
In an instant, the eyes of all the generals lit up. Not only did the compressed rations stop hunger, but they were also light. They were square and easy to carry. It was indeed the perfect rations for the army.
"General, there are few people in Qinghai. If we have the help of this compressed rations, our rations problem will be greatly alleviated." Cheng Yaojin said to Li Jing seriously.
Li Jing nodded and suddenly shouted, "Where is Su Dingfang?"
"I'm here!"
Su Dingfang, who had already heard the news, hurriedly stepped forward.
"Pass down the order. In the future, the escorted rations will all be changed from corn to wheat. It's best if it's ground flour. We'll do our best to make these compressed rations." Li Jing ordered.
"Yes!" Su Dingfang replied. However, he immediately said with a bitter face, "General, flour is easy to get, but I can't get so much meat!"
There were a total of two hundred thousand soldiers in Lanzhou City. How much meat would they need? He could still get flour, but he had no way to get meat.
The faces of the generals couldn't help but stiffen. Although there was no lack of meat in Lanzhou City, it was in the hands of the common people. If they wanted to buy it, they would need money. When the army went to war, there was no such thing as money.
Cheng Yaojin glanced at Meton and said leisurely, "You and I don't have money, but isn't there a rich man here?"
In an instant, everyone's eyes focused on Meton.
Meton coughed dryly and stepped forward, "The Village of Mo's Village has some reputation in the business world. We can borrow some money from Longyou to buy poultry and meat. We guarantee that there will be no shortage of meat to make the compressed rations."
Cheng Yaojin couldn't help but roll his eyes. The Village of Mo's Village didn't just have a reputation in the business world. They were simply the leader of the business world. With the Village of Mo's Village, they naturally didn't have to worry about reneging on the debt. It was very convenient to raise money.
Li Jing immediately nodded with satisfaction and said in a gentle tone, "After this expedition to the west, the Old Man will definitely submit a memorial to the imperial court. There will be no shortage of money for you."
Meton shook his head and said, "This kid doesn't want money."
"Then what do you want?" Li Jing curiously asked.
Merton said, "When the general enters Tuyuhun, there will be a shortage of livestock. The general only needs to give the Village of Mo's Village as much livestock as you use. After all, many people are unwilling to sell their livestock. The Village of Mo's Village can just pay them back with livestock from Qinghai."
Hearing this, the eyes of the generals lit up. In this way, the imperial court didn't need to spend a penny to get enough meat for the army, and it wouldn't arouse the resentment of the people.
Li Jing took a deep look at Meton and nodded with appreciation, "Well, this is a small matter. The Old Man can still make the decision."
Under the cooperation of the Village of Mo's Village and the military, a large number of livestock were sent to the military camp. Suddenly, the whole city of Lanzhou City was filled with the sound of pigs and sheep being slaughtered, and the whole military camp was filled with the fragrance of meat.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
