A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1185 Atamido

The cold window reveals the eternal snow on the Western Hills.

In the log house in the woods by the lake, the window is a beautiful painting, with the dark blue lake and snow-capped peaks in the distance, it is breathtakingly beautiful.

"Local herdsmen said that this lake is inhabited by dragon fish and monsters, and even though there are many aquatic creatures, no one dares to fish." Jiang Xingben sighed as he tidied up a big fish.

Rehai is a famous alpine lake with an unfathomable depth. There are many kinds of fish, including many big fish. Among the herdsmen, there are various legends about there being a dragon in the lake, there being a water monster in the lake, and there is even a dragon palace at the bottom of the lake.

Wu Huaiyu certainly didn't believe in dragons or water monsters. He thought it was because the place never froze all year round, and the lake water was mainly meltwater from snow mountains, so the water quality was good. The nomads here didn't know how to fish, and the lake was large, so there were many kinds of fish and the growth environment was good, so they could grow very large.

This is just like the sturgeons in Qinghai Lake. When fishing was not allowed, they expanded rapidly and even became a bit rampant.

It is similar in Atami now. You can often see many fish on the shore. Even during the breeding season of some fish, the river mouth is densely packed with fish.

It is not uncommon to scoop fish with a ladle.

The herdsmen here are in awe of the dragon gods and water monsters in the lake and seldom fish, but the Tang army has no such taboos.

Jiang Xingben was walking by the lake just now and saw a group of big carp on the shore. He directly used his lance to catch one of them. The big carp weighed more than 30 kilograms.

Jiang Xingben carried the big carp back with a smile on his face, as if he had captured a prisoner.

Wu Huaiyu, Cao Qin, Zhao Yuankai, Xue Gu and Wu Ren, all laughed and discussed how to eat this big fish.
"Prepare a full fish feast, and invite Tunshabo Jijin and the others to taste our Central Plains carp."

Xue Gu Wu Ren smiled and said, "Speaking of food, there is definitely no one here who knows more about food than Prime Minister Wu. Prime Minister Wu's Fanlou is the largest restaurant in Chang'an, and the Wu family's Shaowei Banquet is the best banquet in Chang'an."

"Yes, Minister Wu, tell us how to eat this fish." Jiang Xingben felt a sense of accomplishment when he carried this big fish back.

Wu Huaiyu accepted the responsibility without hesitation, "Such a big fish is enough for a whole fish banquet. The fish tail is so big, as big as a banana fan, so let's braise it.

The fish head must be stewed with tofu. The stewed soup is milky white and rich, the meat is white and tender, and some ginger, scallion and pepper are added to ensure that the soup is extremely delicious. "

"The fish skin is thick and chewy, and you can make a dish out of it."

"Even these fish scales can be made into a dish. Wash them, add seasonings, coat them with flour, and fry them in a pan. They taste crispy and fragrant."

"And this fish meat, you can cut a piece off and make sashimi, with shredded ginger and white wine, that's also a great dish."

"You can also steam the fish and stir-fry the fish fillets, each with its own flavor."

"This is a female fish with a lot of roe. Although carp roe is not as delicate as crucian carp roe, you can add eggs and flour to make a pot of fish roe cakes. You can also leave some fish roe, add fish roe, and braise it with scallions, ginger, chili peppers, and garlic. It's spicy and appetizing."

Fish head tofu, crispy fish scales, braised fish roe, fish roe omelette, charcoal grilled fish fillet, spicy fish fillet, steamed fish fillet, spicy fish fillet, fried fish fillet, pickled fish, spicy fish tail, sashimi...
For a piece of fish, Wu Huaiyu immediately prepared twelve dishes.

Jiang Xingben felt so accomplished that he even asked Wu Huaiyu to draw a picture for him as a souvenir before the fish was cut open, depicting him holding the 30-pound fish.

Wu Huaiyu smiled and said, "I might as well draw a long scroll for you, depicting you spearing a fish with a horse spear by the lake, carrying the fish back to the house, cutting the fish, making a whole fish feast, and everyone drinking and eating together."

"Okay," Jiang Xingben said happily, "How about you write another poem for me, Prime Minister Wu?"

Who in the world doesn't know that Prime Minister Wu is an expert in poetry, calligraphy, painting and medicine?

As Wu Huaiyu looked at the beautiful scenery outside the window, he actually thought of a poem written by Cen Shen, a famous frontier poet in the Tang Dynasty.

It's really about the hot springs and the carp.

He pondered for a moment, then began to recite.

"I hear the voices of the Hu children in Yinshan, the water in the west is boiling. The birds in the sea dare not fly, and there are big and fat carps. The green grass beside the shore never stops growing, and the white snow in the sky disappears in the distance! The steaming sand, the scorching stones, the burning enemy clouds, the boiling waves and the scorching waves frying the Han moon..."

This poem is Cen Shen's "Song of Rehai" to see off Cui Shiyu as he returned to the capital. The first half of the poem is placed here, which is quite appropriate for the occasion.

Except for Jiang Xingben who had a higher level of education, the rest were warriors who only knew how to praise.

"Prince Wu, this poem can be composed in three steps. It's amazing. You are worthy of being called the Immortal Poet."

After Wu Huaiyu finished reciting the poem, he took out paper and ink and quickly finished a long scroll under the praise of Jiang Xingben and others.
Hot sea, ice peaks, snowy mountains, Jiang Xingben riding a horse and holding a spear,

With one stab,
Caught a big carp weighing more than 30 kilograms,
Back to the lakeside camp cabin, a group of Tang generals gathered around the fish to discuss how to eat it.
Finally, it was made into a twelve-course meal, a fish feast.

The two khans of the Nan and Beiting of the Western Turkic Khaganate, as well as the lesser khan, Yehu, the five great Chuos and five great Shijins of the Ten Arrows tribe, as well as the Shijins of other tribes and the Teqin shared the whole fish feast.

Finally, put the title of the poem on it.

Seal.

“Good painting, good poem.”

Xue Gu Wu Renze smiled and said, "The Khans haven't arrived yet, but they are already eating in the painting."

"Hahaha,"

"Hurry up and invite all the Khans and Shijin to come."

Jiang Xingben was very fond of the painting and said, "Send it to Chang'an to present it to the emperor."

Cao Qin also felt that this painting was a suitable gift to the emperor. It not only showed the scenery of the hot springs in the Western Regions, but also reflected the harmonious coexistence of the Anxi generals and the Western Turkic leaders. The emperor would definitely like it.

The menu for the fish feast was decided by Wu Huaiyu, and he was also the chef in the end. Cao Qin, Xue Gu, and Wu Ren were good at charging into battle and commanding troops, but when it came to cooking, they could only grill and stew, or cut sashimi directly.
Wu Huaiyu was also worthy of the title.

He commanded these generals to scrape the scales of fish, cut the edges, chop the fish heads, cut sashimi, and chop fish into pieces...
When Bobu Khan and Mishe Khan arrived,
The ingredients for the twelve dishes are almost ready.

The Khans were amazed to see how Wu Huaiyu and his team cut such a big carp into pieces so delicately.

But when they saw Wu Huaiyu's cooking skills, they were even more amazed. Even those fish scales could be made into a dish.

These things, which were originally thought to be uneatable, undergo very complicated processing, including cleaning, marinating, coating with flour, and frying, and finally become a plate of golden and crispy food that looks extremely delicate and very tempting.

"Taste it!"

A group of Turkic nobles looked at the large plate of fried fish scales and could not tell that they were fish scales.

“Is this really made of fish scales?”

"Didn't you see Wu Xiang explode with your own eyes?"

Xue Gu and Wu Ren were not polite and took a few first.

It is fragrant, crispy and crunchy in the mouth.

He quickly picked up another chopstick, and this time he picked up several more.

Seeing this, Cao Qin also quickly reached for his chopsticks.

Jiang Xingben did not hesitate, and after these guys finished eating, they all continued to pick up their chopsticks without bothering to comment.

Several khans, Yehushijin Dachu, also picked up their chopsticks with doubt.
Once you eat it, you can't stop.

"Don't worry, the other dishes are not ready yet. We'll serve them with wine later." Wu Huaiyu had to say.

These guys put down their chopsticks reluctantly.

Even Bobu Khan had to sigh, "I never thought that fish scales could be so delicious."

Tonsaburo Shikin, who used to live by Lake Atami, said frankly that he had no idea there were so many carps in the lake and that even their scales were so delicious.

"It's even more delicious than mutton."

Wu Huaiyu smiled and said that fried food is indeed delicious if you eat it less often.

Especially because the water quality of this hot sea is good, the carp not only grow big, but also have good meat quality, and even the fish scales are of high quality.

Even the emperor praised Wu Huaiyu's cooking skills.

The signature dish of the world-famous Fanlou is the Wu Family Burnt Tail Banquet, and many of the dishes there are from the hand of Wu Huaiyu.

A group of Turkic leaders, even if they were Khan, Little Khan, Yehu, Chuo, Jijin, or Teqin, their diet was relatively simple, either grilling or stewing.
Where have you eaten any delicious food?

A whole fish feast is ready.

The Han and Hu tribes sat on either side.

Wu Huaiyu raised his glass, "The first glass of wine is to the Holy Son of Heaven in Chang'an. I wish the Holy Son of Heaven great blessings, eternal stability of the country, and longevity of the state!"

Everyone raised their glasses.

When the meal officially started, everyone quickly stopped caring about etiquette and ate very lavishly.

In a short while, the whole fish feast was eaten up.

Although the carp weighed more than 30 kilograms, after being made into 12 dishes, there was actually not much food left for so many people.

"I'll go catch some more fish." The young Yuzhi Chixin stood up and said. He was the youngest among all the nobles, but now because of his previous good performance, Wu Huaiyu also added their Yuzhi tribe into one of the Five Crossbill, and he also became Da Jijin.

He was very grateful to Wu Huaiyu. After all, the advance branch not only got the title of Nushipi, but also allocated the Qianquan Mountain pasture to them.
The area around Qianquan Mountain is not as good as Suiyechuan, but it is much better than where they are now in Sihunchuan.

The place is bigger and the pastures are better.

Wu Huaiyu called out to Yuzhi Chixin,

"Try it today, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

After the fish feast, we couldn't help but talk about the fish in Atami. Tonsaburo said there are many kinds of fish in Atami, and there are even many big sea monsters.
Cows and sheep drinking water by the lake are often swallowed by the water monster, and even camels have been swallowed.

That's scary.

But Wu Huaiyu thinks it should be a relatively large fish, such as the famous Kanas Lake monster. Some experts say that it is actually a large Taimen salmon, also called big red fish.

The redfish is a large, carnivorous, and ferocious fish, with an adult body length of two to five meters.

Some can possibly grow to be even longer, about ten meters. If it is a ten-meter-long big red fish, it may weigh more than ten tons. Small fish, wild waterfowl, even otters, and even species larger than it may become their food. They are the most ferocious fish in the water.

It is also very likely that there are such large Taimen salmon in Atami.

The deepest part of the hot sea is more than 700 meters deep. It is very likely that large fish can grow to several meters long or even longer. It is also possible that such large fish can drag drinking cattle, sheep, and even camels into the water.

"Build some boats, patrol the lakeshore, hunt and kill these water monsters, and eliminate this harm to the people." Wu Huaiyu said casually.

Building ships and eliminating water monsters are certainly not the real purpose.

Wu Huaiyu thought that Atami was very big. The circumference of the lake was more than a thousand miles, and the more than 500 miles of the southern shore of the lake was the famous Atami Road.

Therefore, it is a good idea to build a fleet to patrol the sea and protect Atami. Atami plans to build three castles and station troops next year, but will also establish settlements along the coast, especially on the east coast of the lake.

If there is a fleet of navy in the lake that never freezes all year round, they can better patrol the lakeside area.

Besides, since there are such rich fishery resources in Atami, there is no reason to waste them.

The winters here are very cold, but there is such a large lake that never freezes all year round, and the fishery resources are so rich that the troops and civilians stationed here can farm and graze, fish and hunt at the same time.
Especially fishing, which has great potential.

It is even possible to develop a salt-drying industry here.

Wu Huaiyu even believed that the development of fishing industry would have more prospects than animal husbandry. With such a large lake, the size of the Tang garrison and immigrants in the future would mean that there would be an endless supply of fish and catch.

"I think the original plan to build three new cities on Atamido is still not enough."

"I think it is necessary to add two more cities in the east, one of which should be located fifty miles below the Boda Ridge, on the site of the former Wusun Chishan City."

Wusun Chishan City is only fifty miles away from Boda Ridge, and can be said to be guarding the eastern end of Atakado.

Wu Huaiyu believed it was necessary to rebuild the city here and send troops to garrison there.

For another city, he chose the east bank of Lake Atami, which had the best arable and pasturage land in the Atami Lake Basin. It was large in area, with flat terrain and fertile soil. It was entirely possible to develop a large city here that could accommodate many immigrant settlements.

Although this is not the main road of Atami, the land here is fertile and can serve as rear supply support for Chishan City under Boda Ridge.

"The city at the foot of the Boda Ridge is still called Chishan City."

"As for the city on the east bank of the lake, I think Atami City is the best. I heard there are many hot springs there."

Facing a simple map, Wu Huaiyu circled the locations of two new cities in the east and asked everyone.

None of the Turkic leaders stood up to oppose.
They all agreed that Wu Huaiyu would build Suiye Town, Dayuan Governor's Office, and Yili Town. Now he was just building two more castles to the east of Rehai. What was there to object to?

Besides, is it useful to oppose?
Mishe Khan and the Wudulu tribe of the East Wing would not object either. Their Beiting is north of Jieshan Mountain, and Rehai is the territory of Wunushibi, which has nothing to do with them.

Tunshaboshijin was originally the owner of this place, but now they are moving to Suiyechuan. This place will be the territory of the Mi tribe in the future.
But Chu Mi Jijin did not object because he had an agreement with Wu Huaiyu that they would move to Rehai, but the lakeside area around the lake was agreed to be given to the Anxi Army.

So if Wu Huaiyu now wants to build two more castles, they have no reason to object.

Although Xingxiwang Khan Bobu was the Great Khan of the Wunushibi tribe, he did not have any say at all.

So, in the end, Wu Huaiyu drew five small red flags on the map along Atakado from south to east, representing the five new castles to be built next year. All the Turkic leaders agreed and even promised to send people to help build the city next year.

(End of this chapter)