In the Three Kingdoms period, the opening scene features the killing of Huang Gai, shocking Zhou Yu!

The ancient Qinling trails.

Cao Cao's massive army, like a long serpent, struggled to move through the towering mountains.

Although Zhao Yu's slogans were very loud before he set off.

"Wherever the army marches, roads will be built there."

But the engineering battalion isn't a miracle worker; paving roads takes time.

At this moment, in order to seize the opportunity, the main force must first cross this most dangerous section of the plank road.

Unlike the spectacular sight of "baggage trains stretching for dozens of miles" seen in the past when large armies set out on expeditions.

This time, Cao Jun was somewhat "poorly equipped".

There were no heavy convoys of grain transport vehicles, no truckloads of hay piled up like mountains.

They didn't even bring a large iron pot, a necessity for cooking during the march.

In addition to their weapons, the soldiers each carried a cloth bag on their backs and ran very fast.

Yang Xiu was the army's chief clerk, and he and Xiahou Dun followed at the very back.

My feelings are extremely complicated, and I feel like I'm about to break down.

Looking at the cliff shrouded in mist, and then at the soldiers ahead who only knew how to rush forward, I felt like I was going to my death.

"This is insane...this is truly insane."

Yang Xiu muttered to Xiahou Dun beside him,

"General Xiahou, is this acceptable?"

"The art of war says: An army without self-reliance will perish, and one without provisions will also perish."

"Aren't we just throwing our supplies away and heading into the mountains lightly equipped? Isn't that suicide?"

"If we encounter obstacles at the front and supplies run out at the rear, are these tens of thousands of people supposed to eat tree bark and starve?"

Xiahou Dun glared with his one eye, chewing on an unknown grass root, and impatiently picked at his ear:

"Dezu, can you please shut up? My ears are tired of hearing it."

"Zhao Yu said there's food ahead, so there definitely is."

"I trust Zhao Yu as much as I trust my own eyes."

"Ahead? Ahead is Zhang Lu's Yangping Pass. Does that mean Zhang Lu will cook for us?"

Yang Xiu expressed his despair.

Zhao Yu is treating war like a game.

……

The army continued its march.

Finally, in an unnamed, sheltered mountain valley in the Qinling Mountains, Cao Cao ordered a temporary rest.

The soldiers found places to sit down and rubbed their sore legs.

Strangely, no one cooked or chopped firewood.

This made Yang Xiu even more certain: the food supply had run out.

Yang Xiu's stomach was growling with hunger.

Bored, he kicked the ground and kicked out a strangely shaped branch.

At that moment, the inertia of history made him sigh with emotion.

I built that branch, and facing the desolate moonlight, sorrow welled up within me:

"It's over, it's all over."

"We cannot advance and win; we have no supplies to retreat."

"Hanzhong is indeed like a chicken rib."

"It's tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw it away..."

"Whoosh—!"

Before Yang Xiu could say anything more,

An object came flying through the air.

Before Yang Xiu could react, the object landed squarely in his arms.

The force was so great that he almost rolled off the rock.

"Ouch!"

"Who? Which scoundrel dares to plot against me? There's an assassin!"

Yang Xiu was furious and, clutching the "hidden weapon" in his arms, was about to start cursing.

"Shu, stop calling it a 'chicken rib' (meaning something useless or worthless), it's giving me a headache."

A mocking voice came from behind.

Cao Cao was riding a horse, toying with his whip, looking at him with a look of disdain.

Beside him, Zhao Yu was directing a team of engineers who had been waiting there to carry boxes of sealed items out of a hidden cave deep in the mountain valley.

"The Prime Minister?"

Cao Cao pointed to what Yang Xiu was holding:

"I think you've become stupid and pedantic from reading too much."

"Who told you there were no supplies? Zhao Yu had already arranged for the supply teams to bury these treasures like hidden gems at various pre-planned supply points!"

"That's because you're unsophisticated, how vulgar! Try this! Zhao Yu's Special Grilled Pork Chop (Military-Grade Castrated Version)!"

Yang Xiu looked down.

The "hidden weapon" in his arms was a rough pottery jar.

The mouth of the jar was sealed tightly with wax, and a red paper strip was attached to it:

【Ice Crystal Pavilion Military Products - No. 001】

[Unauthorized resale is strictly prohibited; violators will be executed.]

[How to eat: Can be heated or eaten directly after opening the lid]

"What...what is this?"

Yang Xiu was stunned.

This earthenware jar looks ordinary; could it contain some kind of elixir of immortality?

Zhao Yu smiled and stepped forward, handing Yang Xiu a screwdriver:

"Registrar Yang, this is called 'canned food'."

"Don't just stand there, knock it open."

"You will open the door to a new world, and you will understand why we dare to travel light."

Yang Xiu was skeptical, but he pried it open forcefully.

"Wave--!"

The wax seal was broken.

A meaty aroma wafted out from the center.

It doesn't taste like aged cured pork; it tastes like fresh pork, without any fishy smell.

Upon closer inspection, the jar is actually double-layered.

The top layer consists of several solid, hard yellow cubes, as solid as bricks.

The bottom layer: large chunks of braised pork!

Deep in the Qinling Mountains? Without any cooking smoke? Eating meat?

"Eat the top piece of bread first, so you don't choke."

Zhao Yu also took a jar, skillfully pried it open, and gave a reminder.

Yang Xiu took out a round cake, took a bite,

"Crack!"

A crisp sound.

hard!

Extremely hard!

but,

As saliva moistens the mouth, a rich aroma of corn and milk melts in the mouth.

After eating just a small piece, the burning hunger was actually relieved.

"This is 'compressed corn biscuits'."

"After hiding it for so long, I can finally take it out and show it off."

"It undergoes high-pressure pressing with jacks and dehydration treatment."

"Don't underestimate this small piece; it's equivalent to three bowls of rice! It should last you a whole day without any major problems!"

Yang Xiu picked up the meat from below and put it in his mouth.

It melts in your mouth, soft, sweet and fragrant.

"Waaaaah..."

Yang Xiu actually cried while eating.

Partly because of the shame I felt earlier, I felt like a fool.

on the other hand……

It's absolutely delicious! Even better than the banquets at the Prime Minister's residence!

He was just lamenting that chicken ribs were useless, but now his mouth is full of pork.

So fragrant!

"Registrar Yang, do you understand now? Times have changed."

The old Chinese almanac, which says "an army marches on its stomach," needs to be revised.

"We don't need bulky grain transport vehicles, nor do we need to cook meals and expose our location."

"The earthenware jar is sealed, and the shelf life is at least one month."

"If a soldier carries two or three canisters on his waist, he can march for two days straight!"

"This is the foundation of 'Blitzkrieg'!"