The fiercest soldier of the border army

At Tang Shun's command, the military flag on the command platform was pulled up by the flag bearer, unfurled in the wind, and crackled loudly.

Shi Hanshan frowned slightly on his horse, said nothing, and simply loosened the reins. His chestnut horse snorted and turned around, heading towards the west training ground.

Five thousand Beiting soldiers followed closely behind, their steps perfectly synchronized.

The yamen soldiers followed at the very back, 2,700 men lined up in four columns. Although their steps were not as uniform as those of the warriors, their spirit and energy were different from before.

His eyes, which had just been illuminated by the silver, were still shining; his back, which had been straight, was still held upright.

As they walked past the villagers, those watching on the outskirts craned their necks, some calling out their children's names into the procession. If they heard their names, they grinned; if not, they tiptoed forward to squeeze in.

The group left the West Training Ground and walked along the official road west of Lingzhou City for about 15 minutes.

The snow on both sides of the official road was trampled into a pulp, mud mixed with ice fragments, and the horses' hooves made a dull gurgling sound as they stepped on it.

The Flying Fox Camp is located on the Flying Fox Ancient Road west of Lingzhou City. It is an official road that has been under construction for hundreds of years. It got its name from the fox that flew over it during the road repair.

In the distance, the outline of the Flying Fox Ancient Road emerged from the gray-white horizon.

It was the entrance to a narrow valley, with steep mountains on both sides covered in snow. At the valley entrance was a wide, flat area surrounded by a large wooden fence.

The wood of the fence has turned black and rotten, and some parts have collapsed, but the frame is still there.

Inside the fence, rows of rammed earth barracks stood crookedly, with most of the roofs leaking and the doors and windows reduced to dark holes.

This is the Flying Fox Camp. Before the fall of Lingzhou City, three thousand soldiers were stationed here.

After the city fell, the Xiongnu burned the camp, dismantled what could be dismantled, and took what could be taken, leaving only these empty shells.

But at this moment, there are people in the camp.

A hundred or so constables and laborers were busy carrying planks, straw mats, and hemp ropes, moving back and forth in the camp.

They propped up the collapsed roof with wooden poles, plastered the drafty walls with straw mats and mud, laid a layer of rough wooden planks on the ground, and dug out the earthen beds in the barracks again.

Although the barracks were simple, they were much better than the mud huts that the people dug in the city.

At least it can block the wind, make a fire, and provide a good night's sleep.

The group crossed the ancient road, passed the camp, and entered the open space in front of the camp.

The moment the open space appeared before them, everyone was stunned.

Several thousand tables were neatly arranged on the open ground, stretching from one end of the barracks to the other end of the mountain.

The table is made of wooden planks, and the legs are short, round wooden stakes, just enough for a person to sit cross-legged.

On the table were rough porcelain bowls and bamboo chopsticks, and in the middle of each table were four large earthenware basins, piled high with mutton paste and pork stew with radish.

Although the mutton was only in small cubes and there were hardly any pieces of pork, there was also a platter of five pungent vegetables consisting of scallions, garlic, chives, knotweed, and wormwood, as well as a whole bowl of pickled vegetables, and piles of steamed buns and flatbreads.

In winter, there are no green vegetables growing, only dried radishes and cabbage stored in cellars during the summer.

This was a rare delicacy for the soldiers, one they had never even tasted before.

This is meat! Fatty meat, that's something so precious. After eating a piece of fatty meat, I felt my stomach was moisturized and my whole body became stronger.

Between the tables, every few steps there was a large wooden bucket filled with steaming millet porridge, and next to it was a stack of rough porcelain bowls, which anyone could scoop out.

The five thousand soldiers behind Shi Hanshan slowed down noticeably as they entered the camp.

Some people subconsciously sniffed, some swallowed, and some nudged their companions with their elbows.

The old soldier with a full beard in the front row was speechless from being shocked by the silver in front of the reviewing stand.

Now, overwhelmed by the sight of so many tables and the aroma of meat filling the air, he stared blankly, muttering to himself over and over:

"How much meat...how many tables would that be? Is this...is this for Chinese New Year?"

The commotion was even greater on the side of the imperial guards' formation.

The two thousand seven hundred young men, who had just crawled out of famine, almost fell apart when they saw those meat basins, those flatbreads, and those porridge buckets.

Someone involuntarily took two steps forward, only to be grabbed by the back of the collar by the newly appointed sergeant, and forced to retreat awkwardly.

Tang Shun rode up from the rear of the group and rode alongside Shi Hanshan.

He glanced at Shi Hanshan, noticing that the Commander's face displayed a variety of expressions, lacking his usual cheerfulness, and chuckled.

"Brother Shi, these tables were put together overnight by the exclusive distributors and resellers in Lingzhou."

"When they heard I was going to reward the troops, they all rushed over faster than anyone else. When we didn't have enough tables and chairs, we borrowed them from other merchants. Most of these were borrowed."

"The meat was bought by the Bureau of Deception. Today, I'm in a good mood, so I'm giving you, my brother, a surprise!"

Shi Hanshan slowly swept his gaze across the thousands of tables, over the busy constables and laborers, and over the cooks gathered around the large pot, finally fixing it on Tang Shun's face.

The Beiting Army had extremely strict control over food supplies, with ten people sharing one stove, and the squad leader being the head of the mess hall.

As the commander-in-chief, he had to send people to the military governor's office every month to collect the monthly rations for the entire city's five thousand people.

Below him was the battalion commander who collected rations from him, once every two weeks.

At the rank of captain, supplies were issued to the camp every five days.

The platoon leader would take his food ration token to the school's supply depot each day to collect his rations, and then the ten-man team would take turns cooking.

They ate in the barracks, squatting at the door, holding their bowls, and quickly ate their meals in a few bites, with the wind blowing in.

He had never seen anything like this before in his twenty years of military service, with thousands of people set up tables, meat platters placed directly in front of them, and porridge buckets serving as servings.

"Brother Tang," Shi Hanshan finally spoke, his voice much lower than usual, "this meal must have cost you quite a bit of money, right?"

Tang Shun laughed heartily, "Not at all!"

"Brother Shi, we both came from the ranks of soldiers and know the hardships of our brothers at the bottom."

"How can we live with our lives hanging by a thread, fighting to the death, yet never even see the blood of the enemy?"

Tang Shun said, word by word, "When you eat, you must eat well; when you drink, you must drink well!"

"From now on, I can't guarantee lavish meals every day, but a little meat in every meal is a must for Lingzhou!"

His words were forceful and clear to all the soldiers around him.

Tang Shun raised his bowl and laughed loudly, "Brothers, I, Tang Shun, keep my word! As long as I am the Prefect of Lingzhou, whether they are government soldiers or the warriors brought by Brother Shi, everyone will be treated equally and will have meat to eat!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers present burst into laughter, raised their cups, and shouted, "Thank you, Governor!"