Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 740 King Wu Welcomes the People with Food and Drink
"Dinner's ready! Dinner's ready!" At the village entrance, several people wearing white hats called out as they carried over several large pots to serve food to everyone.

Most of the soldiers didn't actually understand Chinese at all; they had only heard it a few times after joining the army. Those under Father Tomash who joined later hadn't had time to learn systematically, but they only knew the words "meal time." As soon as they heard this shout, they immediately gathered around, all trying to squeeze forward.

Fortunately, this happens every day, and everyone already has a strategy for dealing with it. Each department has assigned dedicated personnel to maintain order, ensuring everyone lines up properly before receiving their food. Father Tomash's side was also prepared; before it started, he specifically had Henry and his team prepare at the food distribution area and organize everyone into queues.

However, before the group could settle down, Lahail, accompanied by two of his men, squeezed through the crowd. He carried a tattered basket in each hand, filled with steaming mud balls. A sharp-eyed person noticed and exclaimed, "Those are all 'Mao Zedong's Roasted Chickens'! How come this guy has so many?"

His shout drew everyone's attention. Seeing that he had cut in line and taken so much, the crowd was very dissatisfied and immediately started making a fuss.

"Alright, stop arguing." Father Tomás quickly stopped them: "Those men are French gentlemen specially hired by the court to be instructors, so they are given priority. They are not in the same queue as us."

"That doesn't make sense either!" But everyone was unconvinced. "We joined the army precisely so that our lord wouldn't get everything first. If our lord gets everything first on the Ming side too, then we've come here for nothing!"

The more they thought about it, the angrier they became, and they started shouting, blocking the Frenchmen's path. Since neither side could understand the other's language, they tried to communicate through gestures, but to no avail. Eventually, it's unclear who started it, but a fight broke out.

Father Tomash had more men on his side, but Lahail was surprisingly good at fighting. He threw down his basket and started punching and kicking, beating a bunch of his men to the ground.

In the chaos, both sides felt their situation was dire and began calling for reinforcements. The French were shouting and yelling, telling people to go to the dining area and gather everyone. Several Bohemian soldiers also deserted; some ran to the distribution point to call Captain Henry, while others ran to the rear assembly point, shouting that if they were Hussite brothers, they should come and help.

However, after the commotion escalated, the guards arrived to maintain order. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened, so they were quite adept at it and quickly separated the two sides. Lahail and the others who were fighting the hardest were all arrested by the guards. Even the two baskets of chickens were taken back.

After all the commotion, they still hadn't gotten to eat, leaving everyone quite frustrated. Father Tomash could only comfort them, saying that there would definitely be plenty of good food in the next few days, and as long as they obeyed orders and didn't cause trouble, everyone would get to eat; there was no need to fight over who got first. Everyone calmed down a bit after that.

Just then, someone shouted, "His Majesty and Lord Hans have arrived!" and everyone hurried over to greet them.

For the soldiers, welcoming the King of Wu was more than just a ceremonial obligation. During this period, the King himself was in charge of preparing their meals. His appearance almost always meant that a good meal was coming.

Sure enough, the King of Wu, also wearing a white hat, led a group of people dressed similarly, carrying several large baskets, to the gathering place. Sir Hans, who was following beside him, also wore a white hat of the same color but shorter, and waved to everyone, loudly telling them to be quiet.

"His Majesty is already aware of what happened!" he shouted to the crowd in the local language. "The dispute arose because of our poor arrangements; we failed to explain the situation clearly to everyone. This is a problem with our distribution department, and we have already apologized and accepted punishment from His Majesty."

Hearing him immediately take responsibility, the still curious and restless crowd calmed down somewhat. He then continued to explain:
"Those Frenchmen were specially hired by the court to be instructors for the new recruits. They would also serve as vanguards during battles. As is customary, they received an extra salary, and the food they were given was part of that. So it's only right that they take some."

"But don't worry, everyone will get some food. We have different levels of food here, but it's just a matter of priority in the supply, no one is excluded. The second batch is ready now, and we'll distribute it to everyone right away."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Sir Hans then added, "But everyone remember, if something like this happens again, just report it; don't take action rashly. This is the first time we've encountered such a situation, and His Majesty believes it's because we didn't communicate in time. But next time something like this happens, it will be treated as a disturbance within the army."

"Understood!" everyone shouted immediately.

Sir Hans waved his hand again to indicate that he had finished speaking, then beckoned to Captain Henry. Captain Henry then skillfully picked up his stick and, shouting, "Behave yourselves, don't delay our meals any longer!" he herded the wandering soldiers back into formation. Soon, order was restored.

Father Tomash breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the matter was resolved.

Such problems are rare on their end, so he was quite nervous this time. Fortunately, the benefits in the military have always been very good, so everyone is happy to accept management, and maintaining discipline is much simpler than in other teams outside.

Food supply is one of the main logistical issues for the military, but here the problem is even more unique. Compared to other armies of the same era, their food supply is far too abundant.

For most people, their daily food consisted of only two forms: boiling and roasting. Even nobles didn't have many other options. Many common soldiers, and even priests and minor nobles, saw stir-fried dishes for the first time here.

Some argue that prosperous cities are the breeding ground for fine cuisine, because only citizens with some savings would appreciate the art of cooking. Urban trade also brings a wealth of ingredients and spices, and even technological exchanges, driving development in this area—for example, in ancient Rome, Europe had numerous cookbooks and travelogues written and copied by gourmets. However, after the fall of Rome, the former transportation network disappeared, and cities declined. European culinary techniques subsequently regressed to a dismal level.

Therefore, for society, "food culture" is a luxury, and it cannot be developed by relying solely on a few nobles; it requires the participation of more people. Those places that can afford to appreciate "good food" are actually quite prosperous and wealthy.

Even in Seres, the popular culinary system only took shape during the Song Dynasty. This is because while the Song Dynasty was known for its cuisine, it was also incredibly wealthy. Prosperous cities and a developed urban culture made it famous for its food. The same was true in the West. Once, thanks to the prosperous trade network brought about by a unified empire, Roman citizens could obtain spices from afar to create the flavors they desired. However, these ingredients and seasonings disappeared along with Rome's eventual demise. Even now, culinary techniques haven't seen much development.

The only edible vegetables available are found in ancient Roman territories like Italy and Greece. This is partly due to the preservation of traditions and partly because of trade and cities, which retain some of the original cultural elements. As for Alemanni, there's little to be expected.

Even more outrageous, given these limited resources, in order to distinguish themselves from others, nobles could only focus on the variety of ingredients, even competing with each other by using uncommon animals, leading to increasingly bizarre and exotic recipes. As a result, neither commoners nor nobles could enjoy good food, and they spent their days creating their own culinary necessities…

Father Tomash used to keep bees at the monastery, which was considered quite well-fed, and even then he'd never seen such lavish food. Captain Henry told him that even Sigismund himself might not have such a sumptuous meal. As for marching, being able to stock up on some rabbit jerky beforehand was already a luxury—and even dried meat wasn't always reliable. Most of the time, they had to find their own way, getting whatever they could get their hands on. Eating stir-fried dishes every day like this was something they'd never even dreamed of.

Therefore, not to mention the soldiers, the two of them were quite looking forward to it.

Today's main meal consisted of roast chicken and stir-fried turnips, plus two large flatbreads. As usual, Sir Hans's men prepared a pile of wooden plates, filled them with the food, and let everyone take their share. After the soldiers had all received their rations, Father Tomash and Captain Henry finally finished their work and went to collect their portions.

Captain Henry and Sir Hans were very familiar with each other, but when the war broke out, Henry was assigned to the Eastern Expeditionary Force, so they did not travel together.

Moreover, everyone originally believed that the Wu King's palace, being the rear base, was undoubtedly the safest place. Therefore, before the expedition, Sir Hans even came to see him off, reminding him to be careful. Who would have thought that the Wu King's headquarters would become the most dangerous place?

Therefore, they were all quite moved. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Henry couldn't help but ask, "Weren't you all supposed to be on the run all this time? How come you still had time to change into uniforms?"

"You mean this hat?" Hans pointed to his head. "Actually, it hasn't been that long. We only had time to change them after His Excellency the Bishop came here and the situation stabilized."

“I see His Majesty is even wearing this hat.” Henry pointed to the distance, where the King of Wu was personally cooking in front of the iron pot: “Is there any explanation for this? Why are all the cooks wearing this hat? I’ve only heard the French say that butchers wear white hats.”

"This was also arranged by His Excellency the Bishop," Hans told him. "His Majesty told us that when Bishop Daoyan came here, he asked him a lot about the situation. He answered truthfully, and then asked His Excellency the Bishop if there was any way to turn the situation around, given how critical it was."

"His Excellency the Bishop said that the situation was not actually that critical; on the contrary, the efforts over the years had yielded significant results. The situation here was not unfavorable to us. Therefore, he advised His Majesty not to be discouraged and even asked him, as the King of Wu, whether he should try wearing a white hat?"

"What does this mean?" Henry didn't quite understand.

"It should be to advise the King of Wu to take personal responsibility and make use of his strengths, instead of repeating the cycle of unrealistic fantasies and sighs after setbacks," Sir Hans replied. "After that, His Majesty heeded his advice and had a white hat made to wear. We, his assistants who were in charge of cooking with him, were also given one."

“Just like the official hats in the imperial court, you can tell someone’s job and rank by looking at their hat.” He pointed to his own: “His Majesty’s hat is for the head chef, and mine is for the assistant chef who is responsible for coordinating and serving the dishes. In short, as soon as you see this kind of white hat, you know that he is a chef.”

“I see.” Henry suddenly realized: “The bishop always speaks in a way that’s hard to understand. I thought there was some deeper meaning behind it.”

“I don’t know. I even asked him, but he firmly denied it and told me helplessly not to say anything more.” Sir Hans shook his head: “Is there anything to be embarrassed about? I think it’s quite useful.”

They discussed it for a while but still couldn't figure out what it meant, so they figured it was probably the original meaning—His Excellency the Bishop knew that everyone's level of education was limited, so he didn't make it too profound.

"When are you going back to the army?" Henry asked again. "We're short-staffed here, and everyone wants you back so we can continue working together."

"I doubt it will happen anytime soon. His Excellency the Bishop has given me instructions: my job is to keep His Majesty company." Hans shook his head. "For now, it's just to help him cook."

"Huh?" Henry was a little surprised: "What kind of mission is this...?"

"I don't know either. Before, I was just playing along with Wenceslaus, and now I'm playing along with His Majesty. I feel like I'm going to be ruined. And how are we supposed to defeat the enemy and serve the Ming Dynasty if things continue like this?" Hans said helplessly.
"I've also consulted him about this matter. But His Excellency the Bishop insists that this is my biggest task right now. As long as I take His Majesty out to have fun, cook well, and don't give him time to command wars, that's the greatest contribution I can make to the Ming Dynasty. I don't know what to say."

"Uh……"

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

(End of this chapter)