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Chapter 577 Military Rations (II)

Cui Du asked expectantly, "How is it? Is it delicious?"

Jiang Shaohua praised it generously: "It's delicious! Much better than dry biscuits!"

Cui Du grinned: "This kind of military rations can be stored for more than ten days. Moreover, it is not complicated to make. It just needs to be fried and crushed, which requires more manpower."

There are many strong men in the military camp, so there is no need to worry.

Such military rations are also very convenient to carry.

Cui Du took out a long cloth bag like he was offering a treasure. The bag was thin and about three feet long. He put the military rations into it. The bag could hold about five pounds. He then tied it around his waist or hung it diagonally on the horse's back.

Jiang Shaohua's eyes sparkled: "Cui Du, you have made another great contribution."

Cui Du laughed: "Such a small thing is not a great achievement."

"This is no small matter." Jiang Shaohua said with a smile: "The soldiers are already tired from traveling. It is convenient to eat on the road. With hot water, they can eat hot food, which is great."

Cui Du thought for a moment and said with a smile: "We can add some dehydrated vegetables or meat to the rations. This way the rations will taste better and be more nutritious. I'm not a cook, so I don't know how to make these. Let the kitchen staff study it carefully!"

Jiang Shaohua nodded and immediately issued an order, asking people to go to the Nanyang military camp and the Royal Guard camp to pass on the message, asking the kitchen to send two people each.

At present, news traveled very quickly in Nanyang County. Within half a day, the Nanyang military camp and the royal guard camp each sent out two cooks, who rode straight to the farm on horseback.

When the cooks saw the new military rations, their eyes lit up and they were amazed by the Earl of Changning.

"The Earl of Changning not only knows how to grow crops, but also how to make military rations. He is truly a great talent of the time."

"Only a man like this, the Earl of Changning, is worthy of our princess."

The cooks who had been in the military camp for a long time had the same temper as the warriors, and they spoke directly, even when they flattered the superiors.

Cui Du was so flattered that he grinned and said, "Alright, alright, stop flattering me. The kitchen is over there, you guys go and do some research and add some vegetables and dried meat to the military rations."

The cooks responded loudly.

Jiang Shaohua had nothing to do, so he went into the kitchen with Cui Du. The cooks were quite brave, and they were used to the princess coming and going in the military camp, so they were not afraid at all. Several cooks worked on their own to develop military rations of various flavors.

Jiang Shaohua was most familiar with Bao Er, so he asked casually with a smile: "Bao Er, can your daughter walk and talk now?"

Bao Er smiled innocently: "Thanks to the princess's concern, my sister Hu is walking steadily and can even call her father and mother."

After Fangniang married Bao Er, the couple loved each other very much. They took medicine for a long time before giving birth to a daughter. The couple loved their daughter like a pearl in their palms.

Bao Er was short and fat, and looked stupid, but he was quite skilled at cooking. While chatting, he picked up the cooked vegetables and chopped them up, then moved them to the sun to dry. Once they were dry, they could be put into bags and soaked in hot water to make a bowl of hot vegetable soup.

Salt was expensive nowadays, and many people were reluctant to eat it or could not afford it. However, the food in the Nanyang Army and the Imperial Guard Battalion was very good. Especially in the Imperial Guard Battalion, they had meat every day and plenty of salt for every meal.

Bao Er added enough salt when drying the vegetables.

The method of making meat cubes is similar. Cook large pieces of beef, mutton or pork, soak them in brine for two hours to make them tasty, then cut them into cubes and dry them in the sun.

The dried meat cubes are very chewy. They are also delicious even when eaten as is. Soak them in hot water for a while and they will become softer. They are delicious when mixed with paste and thick batter. Adding beef cubes gives it one flavor, adding pork cubes gives it another flavor, and adding some vegetables gives it a richer taste.

Inspired by Chang Ningbo, Bao Er came up with a way to make dry noodles. The hand-rolled noodles were cooked, dried, and pressed into cubes with a mold. When eating, they were soaked in hot water and added with meat and vegetables, which surprisingly had a unique flavor.

The only drawback is that the process of making noodles is too slow, far less efficient than frying and grinding military rations, making it inconvenient for large-scale production.

After four or five days of hard work, the cooks developed seven or eight new flavors of military rations. Jiang Shaohua had nothing else to eat these days except military rations.

Jiang Shaohua ate with gusto, and Cui Du felt sorry for him. He said secretly, "Bao Er and his men are not very good cooks, and they put a lot of salt in the rations, so they taste very salty. Moreover, the rations tasted fresh and interesting at first, but after eating them continuously, you soon get tired of them."

"You've been eating it for several days in a row. I'll cook for you today and make you a hot pot to satisfy your craving!"

Jiang Shaohua said, "No need. I just want to try eating it for ten days or half a month. This new type of military rations will be promoted in the Nanyang Army and the Royal Guards, and may be spread to the north with the Royal Guards in the future. If they can eat it, I, the princess, can eat it too."

Cui Du gazed at the princess with bright eyes and radiant face, thinking silently in his heart that such a princess truly had the mind and bearing of an emperor, which made people feel sincerely convinced.

……

The farm is exceptionally quiet at night.

The night wind blew through the treetops, rustling the branches and leaves. In a bird's nest, two birds were cuddling and cuddling, occasionally chirping happily.

It was not until late at night that the extremely happy birds calmed down and fell asleep tiredly with their heads leaning against each other.

When the first ray of sunlight in the early morning filtered through the gaps in the leaves and fell into the bird's nest, the male bird, who had rested for half the night and was full of energy, once again entangled the female bird.

……

Cui Du was busy cultivating good seeds every day and could not easily leave the farm. Jiang Shaohua was different. She often went out for inspections. After being away for half a year, the palace was still running normally.

She came to the farm to develop new military rations, so it was reasonable for her to stay for half a month.

In fact, even if she stayed, the officials in the palace would not urge her to return. The princess had just gotten married, and by developing new military rations and staying with her new husband, she was killing two birds with one stone.

Mother Zhang has already started thinking about asking Imperial Doctor Sun to take the princess' pulse.

Since the princess came of age, her menstruation has been irregular, often delayed, and it is not uncommon for her to delay for half a month. The princess has been married for nearly two months, and she still hasn't had her menstruation. She might be pregnant.

After a long period of peaceful and happy days, Jiang Shaohua had the illusion that his life was peaceful.

If things continue like this, the shaky ship of Daliang may only last for a few decades.

She had ambition and ability, but she had no intention of actively rebelling or usurping the throne. As long as the Daliang Dynasty could remain stable, she would stay in Nanyang County.

The upheaval came suddenly.

Five days before the emperor's wedding, an urgent report from the court was sent to Nanyang County.

The emperor suddenly fell ill and fell into a coma in front of everyone, and never woke up again. Emperor Taihe, who was only 19 years old, died three years after he ascended the throne.

The sky of Daliang collapsed once again.