I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 44 Follow Me and You'll Have Meat

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, one stone of rice was worth about 200 coins. Three million coins could buy 15,000 stones, which was more than the annual salary of the three highest officials.

Although those who can become one of the three highest officials in the country actually look down on this little bit of money.

But for the vast majority of ordinary people, this is an unimaginable huge fortune.

Yan Ze didn't just care about money, he actually cared more about Wang Jing's identity.

The Wang family of Taiyuan was one of the top families in the Yanhan Dynasty, and Wang Yun was a legitimate official appointed by the court. Not only was he famous, but he also had a good reputation. Compared with Han Sui, a "rebel leader" who rebelled with his life at risk, his future was obviously much brighter.

Therefore, Yan Ze didn't need Yan Hu to continue persuading him, he had already made up his mind: "When Yan Ming comes back, I will definitely have a good talk with him!"

Coincidentally, Yan Xing just returned home at this time.

After entering the house, Yan Xing was very happy to see Yan Hu: "Yiming, you came back without writing to say hello in advance?"

Then he immediately asked people to prepare wine and food to welcome Yan Hu.

At night, the Yan family mansion was brightly lit, and Yan Xing held a banquet to celebrate Yan Hu's return.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, the atmosphere was just right.

After Yan Hu and Yan Ze exchanged a glance, Yan Xing spoke first, "Brother, please read this, this is a handwritten letter from my master."

"Ok?"

Yan Xing took it with a confused look, opened it and took a few glances, and found that someone wanted to recruit him. He immediately didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and directly declined, saying: "I already have a master, how can I do something that betrays my master?"

As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father. Yan Ze saw that Yan Xing was not very loyal to Han Sui. The reason he refused was simply because he did not want to be looked down upon.

"Yan Ming's words are totally wrong!"

Yan Ze looked down on Han Sui, a traitor, from the bottom of his heart. It was a rare opportunity for him to develop in Luoyang, and he was still clinging to the thigh of Wang Clan of Taiyuan, so he was more active than Yan Hu: "Han Sui received salary from the Han Dynasty but started a rebellion, which was disloyalty. He had close friends with Beigong Boyu and Bian Zhang and swore an oath of blood to form an alliance, but he used a trick to kill them, which was unrighteousness."

"Such a disloyal and unrighteous person raised an army to stir up chaos and bring disaster to the country and the people. Do you still want to help him to commit atrocities? If one day the imperial court's army marches to Liangzhou to settle accounts with the criminals, how will our Yan family cope with it? Even if you don't consider yourself, you should consider your family members."

"This... Since father has already made a decision, how dare I not obey?"

Yan Xing hesitated for a moment, then took advantage of the situation and agreed on the spot.

After all, Han Sui's rebellion was not very popular. The key point was that Yan Xing had little confidence in Han Sui and felt that he would not be able to accomplish anything great.

The family then packed their luggage overnight and moved with their close relatives early the next morning. In order to hurry along, they only took some valuables and belongings with them, and discarded everything else.

Han Sui did not discover this until seven or eight days later. He wanted to send people to chase them, but it was too late. Yan Xing and Yan Hu had already led their men into the area controlled by the imperial court.

Yan Hu had the imperial edict given by Wang Jing in his hand. After verifying its authenticity, he had a smooth journey and arrived at the western capital Chang'an smoothly.

Yan Xing first settled his family, and then suggested to Yan Hu: "The Lord does not despise us for our humbleness and has given us a large sum of money. How can I let the Lord wait for a long time in Luoyang? Why don't you and I ride to Luoyang first, and you, Yiming, can report to the Lord."

"good idea!"

Yan Hu was overjoyed after hearing this. He was also eager to return home at this moment, so he immediately called the people he brought with him, and each of them rode two horses, and galloped towards Luoyang day and night.

At this time, the atmosphere in Luoyang City was becoming weird.

A few days ago, Empress Dowager Dong died inexplicably in Yongle Palace before she had the chance to return to her fiefdom. It was announced to the public that she died of worry, but no one could tell the specific cause of death.

Dong was the biological mother of Emperor Ling. During Liu Hong's lifetime, she enjoyed great honors. She lived in Yongle Palace and controlled all the wealth in the world. All the civil and military officials in the court, who wanted to take office smoothly, had to come to Dong to pay money and pay their respects first.

But just three months after Emperor Ling's death, the Dong family was defeated in the power struggle among the foreign relatives and was almost uprooted by the general and Empress Dowager He, and was expelled from the power center of the Yanhan Dynasty.

Even General Dong Chong and Empress Dowager Dong herself died together, quietly and without causing any waves.

It is clear that no matter how high the position or how great the power, if one lacks martial virtue and is not worthy of the position, it will not only not be a good thing, but will become a source of disaster.

It was because Empress Dowager Dong did not know how to advance or retreat, did not have enough strength, and yet she clung to power tightly that she ended up with such a tragic end.

Wang Jing saw things clearly, so he did not actively intervene in the fight between He Jin and Queen Mother He. He spent all his time improving his strength.

The Northern Army has five battalions, stationed at the Cavalry Camp.

For two months, Wang Jing had been in the army, training with the soldiers, and even eating and living with them, and he finally succeeded in winning over the hearts of the soldiers.

Most of the newly recruited soldiers in the Tunqiying were good families from Luoyang. They came from wealthy families and were in good physical condition. With a little training, they could become elite soldiers.

And these people are often more eager to stand out and achieve success.

But in the past they had no chance at all, no matter how hard they tried, it was useless, because the Yanhan Dynasty adopted the system of recommendation. Therefore, if you wanted to become an official, it was not entirely based on your ability, but you had to have a family background and connection, or have a big shot willing to recommend you, before you had a chance to succeed.

Otherwise, no matter how capable you are, you will only be destined to be a beast of burden.

But how easy is it to recommend a filial and honest person?

Many children of aristocratic families, unless they are the eldest son or have outstanding abilities, may not even get a chance, let alone those from poor families and the common people.

But Wang Jing knows very well that these talents are the backbone of the entire society and the core force that must be fought for.

Cao Cao's initial decree to recruit talented people attracted countless talented people from humble backgrounds. He also incorporated the Yellow Turban Army from Qingzhou as his main fighting force, which led to the victory at Guandu and the eventual establishment of the Wei Kingdom, which dominated the Central Plains.

This is the route Wang Jing is taking now. He can only make friends with the aristocratic families and powerful clans, but cannot rely on them. The only forces he can rely on are the poor and the lower-class civilians.

Because these people lack opportunities but are eager to achieve class transition, as long as they are given a chance, they will definitely do their best.

Therefore, Wang Jing put a lot of effort into winning over these people. Not only did he give them money generously, he also treated them equally and gave them respect for their personality.

At three quarters past the hour of You, after the drill, the mess hall was crowded with soldiers who came to eat.

Everyone was sweating, but Wang Jing and Wang Ling did not mind. Instead, they lined up for food like ordinary soldiers and did not seek any privileges in the army.

"Captain."

"Sima."

When the soldiers saw Wang Jing and Wang Ling, they greeted them warmly.

Wang Jing nodded one by one, and could even call out everyone's name clearly. If someone had something happen at home or encountered difficulties, he would specially ask a few words to show his concern.

The soldiers were deeply moved by such an approachable boss and were willing to work for him.

After all, people are all made of flesh and blood. When they were soldiers, who among the dignitaries and children of wealthy families they met would even look at them straight in the eye?
He ordered a large bowl of rice, a steamed fish, a spoonful of vegetables, and two spoonfuls of braised meat, and ate with gusto.

In fact, his appetite was growing, and this little bit of food was not enough to fill his stomach. Wang Ling couldn't help but ask in a low voice: "Why does Second Brother have to come to the cafeteria to eat every day?"

Ordinary food is of little use to Wang Jing now. If he really wants to be full, Wang Jing needs to eat a lot of spiritual rice and spiritual meat produced by rare birds and beasts.

Therefore, after finishing the normal meal every day, you have to have a snack privately.

Wang Jing swallowed the rice in big mouthfuls and explained, "The first is to build a closer relationship with the soldiers. I am the commander in the army and must be loved by the soldiers. Otherwise, how can they really obey my command and fight for me on the battlefield? The second is to understand the physical condition of the soldiers. Are they full and well fed? These can directly affect the outcome of the battle. As a commander, you must pay attention to them..."

"As for the third point, it is mainly to prevent problems with military supplies. You should also know about the incident in Changshui Camp where hundreds of people fled together some time ago, right?"

Although it was a bit disgusting to talk about this during a meal, Wang Ling still nodded: "I have heard about it, but didn't the new imperial physician say that it was caused by the plague?" Wang Jing smiled contemptuously: "Plague, bullshit, I have already sent people to find out clearly, it was the grain handlers who colluded with each other and replaced the grain that was originally supposed to be transported to Changshui Camp with stale rotten grain, and then the problem occurred."

"It's so true!"

Wang Ling was shocked: "These people are too bold, aren't they? Changshui Battalion is one of the five battalions of the Northern Army, and is an elite force directly under the imperial court."

Wang Jing said sarcastically: "He is a relative of the Queen Mother. Would he be afraid of us soldiers? Besides, most of the soldiers in Changshui Camp are from the Xiongnu and Xianbei. They are Hu people. How many people would care about their lives?"

"Even so, it's still too much."

Wang Ling still found it unbelievable.

The Five Battalions of the Northern Army are elite troops directly under the royal family. It would be fine if those in power did not try to win them over, but they also withheld rations and even fed the soldiers stale rotten grains?
What kind of a trick is this?
It should be understood that without the support of the army, no matter how powerful one is, it is nothing but a castle in the air and can be captured and killed by a few cruel officials.

From this we can see that the Yanhan Dynasty had begun to rot from the root.

Wang Jing was not surprised by this, and even understood why Dong Zhuo easily incorporated tens of thousands of imperial troops stationed in Luoyang with only 5,000 soldiers when he entered Luoyang.

Apart from other things, although Dong Zhuo was cruel and tyrannical to the people and often allowed his soldiers to plunder, he was generous enough to his soldiers. Therefore, the soldiers of Xiliang were very supportive of him, and the grassroots soldiers were also eager to serve him.

As for the wealthy and powerful families in Luoyang City, you don’t even treat the soldiers as human beings, and yet you expect them to fight for you?

Because Wang Jing was well aware of the various logistical tricks, he insisted that all the generals in the army, including himself, must eat in the cafeteria.

Since the army's main commanders all eat in the cafeteria, the logistics and food transport officers would not dare to do anything weird, right?

The Five Battalions of the Northern Army are now filled with various people with connections. Even Wang Jing doesn't have a good way to deal with these people for the time being.

However, when he becomes the General of the North Central Army in the future, he will definitely kick out all these people with connections, so that they won’t stay and become an eyesore.

Just as Wang Jing and Wang Ling were eating and chatting, a soldier on duty came in to report that Yan Hu had returned and there were a few more people around him.

Wang Jing was so happy when he heard this that he didn't even bother to eat. He immediately called Wang Ling and said, "Come on, let's go pick someone up."

"Brother Laodong came to welcome us personally. I wonder who is coming?"

"Haha, here comes a warrior."

Wang Jing, in a good mood, strode towards the camp gate. Then he saw a sturdy man with a bushy beard and a tiger forehead, looking very mighty, standing next to Yan Hu.

This man is eight feet tall and has a strong physique. It seems that he has been living in the border area for a long time, fighting with the Qiang, Di and other ethnic minorities for many years. He exudes a savage and bloodthirsty temperament, like a ferocious beast that may suddenly attack and hurt people at any time.

Seeing this, Wang Ling couldn't help but exclaimed: "He is indeed a brave warrior!"

"Hu, I have accomplished my mission!"

"Okay, meet my lord!"

Yan Hu and Yan Xing saluted Wang Jing, and Wang Jing immediately stepped forward to help them up, and then carefully looked Yan Xing up from head to toe, his heart blossoming with joy: "I am very happy that Yan Ming has come to surrender. I will hold a banquet in the army tonight to welcome you two."

"Someone, prepare some wine and food for me!"

Yang Ye, the Cavalry Commander, quickly responded, "Yes, I will do it right away."

Wang Jing then personally led Yan Xing into the military camp. During the visit, Yan Xing was greatly moved by the various courtesies he received. He felt that he had truly met a wise leader.

When in Xiliang, Han Sui was very close to him. He would always let him accompany him on every trip and even let him command his personal soldiers.

But in reality, he was just treated as a senior bodyguard.

Unlike Wang Jing, who came out to greet him in person as soon as he arrived, without even having time to eat, and personally welcomed him. This kind of courtesy was the only one he had ever received in his life.

This was the first time that Yan Xing was taken seriously by someone, and he felt deeply moved.

When the soldiers learned that the ban in the military camp would be temporarily lifted tonight and they would be allowed to drink alcohol and eat meat, they cheered loudly and shouted "Long live the army!"

Soon, cartloads of fat sheep were transported into the Tunqi Camp's camp. After counting the heads of people and excluding those who had asked for leave or had not returned, the entire camp, including Wang Jing, had a total of 692 people. Therefore, when Wang Jing paid, he bought the meat according to the amount of three pounds of meat per person, plus a jar of wine for each person.

Not counting the cost of the wine, the more than 2,000 kilograms of mutton alone is not cheap at all.

Since the Qin Dynasty, Chinese civilization has been unified, wars and internal frictions have been reduced, domestic commerce has gradually prospered, and the rich products from all over the country have been exchanged. The food industry has achieved rapid development, especially in the Han Dynasty when the Silk Road was becoming increasingly prosperous. The eating habits of the various Hu peoples continued to flow from the Western Regions into the Central Plains and gradually became popular in the Yellow River Basin.

Among them, the most popular cooking method among the Han people is the "Qiang boil and Mo roast" cooking method.

The so-called "Qiang cooking" means boiling or shabu-shabu mutton or venison.

As for "鲊致", it is similar to roasting a whole lamb. "Shi Ming" Volume 4 "Shi Di Shu" says: "鲊致, roasting the whole lamb, each cut with a knife, originated from the Hu and Mo people."

Zhang Zhongjing, a famous doctor in the Eastern Han Dynasty, included "Danggui, Ginger and Lamb Soup" in his "Golden Chamber". It is said to be a prescription, but it is actually a food supplement. It not only has the effects of warming the middle and replenishing deficiency, dispelling cold and relieving pain, but it is also very delicious. People will leave an endless aftertaste after eating it.

"It is better to share happiness with others than to enjoy it alone. The best Bingzhou white sheep costs two hundred coins per catty. Today, I am in a good mood, so I will give three catties to each of you. We will roast them here tonight, and you can take the rest home."

Wang Jing slammed the table and pointed at the fat sheep that was driven off the car, then shouted to the crowd: "Go, some people, kill all these sheep, weigh them and distribute them. There will be wine and meat tonight, and we won't go home until we are drunk."

The price of mutton is generally around 15 cents per catty, which is slightly cheaper than beef. After all, copper was precious during the Han Dynasty.

But the white sheep from Bingzhou are a fine breed specially domesticated by the Xianbei people. The meat is delicious, tender and has an excellent taste. In addition, their quantity is rare, so the price is more than ten times that of ordinary mutton.

However, Wang Jing is in high spirits now as he is celebrating good things. He doesn't care about this little money after recruiting a powerful general like Yan Xing. He can also win over the hearts of the people at the same time.

After all, a tough battle is about to begin. If we don’t spend money now, will we save it for buying a coffin later?

When people in the entire camp learned that Wang Jing was so generous, they were immediately excited.

Although serving under Wang Jing was one of the best soldiers among the five battalions of the Northern Army, it was still extremely difficult to eat as much meat as one wanted.

Nowadays, Wang Jing sells two thousand kilograms of top-quality mutton at a time, and many people really want to kneel down and call him daddy.

Wang Jing is only in his twenties, a little young, but it’s not a loss to have such a rich father, right?

In an instant, the whole camp was filled with the smell of blood. A dozen cute little white sheep, which had been bleating just now, were now being skinned and cut with knives. Even their bones were boiled into a thick soup, the aroma of which made people drool.

The sheep's blood and offal were carefully collected in separate basins. These common people, who were used to suffering, would not waste anything when they got to work. They even wanted to grind the sheep's horns into powder and make tea.

As for the fresh mutton, it was chopped with a big axe and weighed directly. If one person said three catties, then it was three catties.

After everyone in the camp had been divided, Wang Jing stood on the platform and shouted, "I've said it before, if you follow me, everyone will have meat to eat. Now I want to ask everyone, have I done this fair and decently?"

“Be open and aboveboard!”

"Long live the captain!"

Wang Jing was very comfortable with the flattery. He accepted all the compliments with a smile, and then called a cook in Hu clothing: "Can you grill meat?"

"Of course I will."

The chef was specially hired by Lu Fang from the East Market. It was said that he had Western Hu ancestry and was very good at roasting mutton. Whenever the wealthy families in the city had a banquet, they would ask him to cook as long as mutton was among the ingredients.

(End of this chapter)