Chapter 99: Food Storage
Yan Xuanyu has been improving the armor and weapons of the Great Zhou. On the battlefield, sophisticated weapons are also the key to victory.
If the Turks were strong and sturdy before and were natural cavalrymen on horseback, then after Yan Xuanyu improved the military system of the Great Zhou Dynasty, this gap would only become smaller and smaller until it disappeared.
Judging from the current situation, he will definitely not be the first to lose his patience.
Old Wu had been in the camp on the outskirts of the capital. Not long after Yan Xuanyu delivered the things, Old Wu figured out the whip and a lot of traps.
In addition, the city defense vehicle that has been studied for a long time in the suburban camp has also made some progress.
Yan Xuanyu had a hunch that it would not last more than this winter.
The Turks have always been accustomed to plundering the surrounding tribes and the Great Zhou. In addition, the people have not received much education. From the original owner's memory, it is undeniable that Ashina Ziro was able to go from an unappreciated prince to killing his father and brother to become the king of the Turks. However, that was also due to the fact that the Great Zhou was about to end, so Ashina was able to enter the Central Plains so smoothly.
Unfortunately, he did not have the ability to govern the world.
As Yan Xuanyu expected, shortly after the winter of that year, small groups of Turkic troops began to frequently harass the border of the Great Zhou.
And this is just the beginning.
Ashina Ziro seemed unwilling to give Yan Xuanyu any time to react, and was determined to capture the city of Da Zhou.
Because the Great Zhou had built roads, war reports could be delivered to the capital in a relatively timely manner despite the long distance.
However, Yan Xuanyu was still a little worried. With the current transmission speed, there would still be delays. He didn't know what the specific situation was with Yuan Kang.
Ashina Ziluo wanted to hit the target with one strike, and Yan Xuanyu had the same idea.
As winter came to the capital, snow began to fall from the sky. The people of the Great Zhou in the capital were also anxiously awaiting news from the border.
Because the shadow that the Turks had brought to the Great Zhou over the past hundred years could not be changed overnight, and their lives had just started to get better, so they could only pray in their hearts every day to ask the gods and Buddhas to bless the soldiers of the Great Zhou to defeat the Turks.
...
"General, the Turks are really coming."
The city surrounded by the Turks was Yuning City, and the defending commander was Wang Qingyun.
Yuan Kang secretly transferred Zhang Shi'an to Yuning City early on. Now, Yuning City has the same imperial edicts as Huangsha City. Not only Yuning City, but also the border cities of Da Zhou are gradually getting better.
Now the two of them are sitting in the general's mansion in Yuning City.
Wang Qingyun was furious after hearing this: "Damn it, you want to pick on the weak? My soldiers are indeed not as good as Yuan Kang's, but no matter how weak they are, how can I let the Turks take advantage of me? Then let these Turks see what I can do."
He is not good at attacking the city, but he is good at defending it!
"Push the guard car out!"
The Turks wanted to catch Yuning City off guard, so that even if people from other cities came to support, it would be too late.
"What is that?" Before the army arrived at Yuning City, the Turkic general frowned and looked at the city gate of Yuning City opened, and dozens of Central Plains people pushed out a huge monster together.
However, they were too far away, and the Turkic general could only get a rough idea of what was happening. He sneered a few times and did not take it seriously.
It was not until the Turkic soldiers arrived in front of Yuning City and the huge monster suddenly shot out dense swarms of arrows that he realized something was wrong.
"It's a mechanism!"
The Turkic army was in chaos for a while, but was quickly suppressed by the general's stern command, who ordered them to form a formation and move forward with shields raised.
Wang Qingyun and others stood on the city wall and looked out, taking in the situation outside.
"General, the arrow array of the city defense vehicle is almost finished." said the deputy general beside him.
Wang Qingyun said: "This general knows!"
He didn't expect the arrow array from the city defense vehicles to repel the Turks. That was too unrealistic.
The dense rain of arrows gradually weakened, and the Turkic soldiers behind stepped on the corpses of their companions and continued to move forward with their shields raised.
The scenes on the battlefield are always terrifying, especially when you stand on a high place and see the densely packed heads in the distance, which makes your scalp tingle. Once given the opportunity, they will tear, climb and bite without hesitation.
"This thing has no arrows left!" The Turkic general commanded from the rear, "For the sake of our women and children, take Yuning City!"
The morale of the Turkic soldiers was high, and they raised their weapons and shouted.
"What are they arguing about? Are they crazy?" Wang Qingyun cursed.
Zhang Shian, who could understand a few words of Turkic, said, "They are going to attack the city."
The mechanism of the city defense vehicle could not last for too long, but there were explosives inside. As long as the Turks approached, they could ignite the fuse and kill another wave of Turks.
"You take your men to guard this place. Once the army arrives, light the fuse." Wang Qingyun said to Zhang Shi'an, "I'll take my men to give them some golden juice!"
During the time when the city defense vehicle was delayed, the people in the city were not idle either. They were doing all kinds of things and boiling out pot after pot of golden juice.
A man with a piece of cloth wrapped around his nose asked the old man next to him in a muffled voice, "Uncle, does this thing really work?"
"We will just do what the general tells us to do." The old man replied.
"Hey!" When the man heard what the old man said, he stopped talking and focused on the work in front of him.
The army was approaching, but a large number of people remained in Yuning City.
This would have been impossible before.
Why don’t the people leave?
Everyone had the same thought, that their lives were just beginning to get better.
Some people were reluctant to give up the newly built tiled house at home - that was the wages they earned from working day and night for the jobs assigned by the government, and they had saved up a lot of money to build the tiled house.
Some people were reluctant to give up the cattle and sheep raised in their backyards for the city-guarding troops. Those were livestock that were more delicate than their own eyes.
Some people are reluctant to give up the grain in the fields. In the past, soldiers stationed in the city might trample on and rob their grain at will. However, since Your Majesty ascended the throne and reorganized the border soldiers inside and out, they have military rules and discipline, and the people's grain is protected. The grain in the fields has grown to its current state with their hard work.
The people of Yuning City had unknowingly come to trust the soldiers. When the real war came, a large number of them actually let justice overcome cowardice. They took the initiative to stay and spontaneously helped the soldiers in the city evacuate the people. Since they had no weapons, they picked up their own farm tools and voluntarily covered their retreat.
They included men, women, young and old, and they spontaneously formed a "militia".
After Wang Qingyun found out, he didn't say anything and tacitly acknowledged their existence.
Zhang Shian, who had been with Yuan Kang for a long time and had already developed his own style, saw this and assigned them some tasks.
All of a sudden, everyone became busy. From time to time, ordinary people could be seen carrying loads of food to deliver to the soldiers defending the city. In this situation, the oppressive feeling of the impending war was actually dispelled a little.
After the militiamen had boiled the golden juice, Wang Qingyun took over with his men.
"This smell..." Wang Qingyun's deputy general almost fell down.
Wang Qingyun laughed a few times, but there was no trace of a smile on his face: "This is enough for them to drink several pots of good stuff."
"How's the situation outside?"
The deputy general quickly said in a serious tone: "The soldiers report that the arrow array has ended and the army has reached the vicinity of the city defense vehicle..."
As if to confirm his words, before the deputy general finished speaking, a loud booming sound was heard, which made everyone's heart tremble.
Wang Qingyun and others were mentally prepared, but they still felt uneasy when they heard it again.
"Let's go up to the tower."
However, the soldiers in the front of the army outside the city were blown into pieces after the explosives were detonated. The power was not that great, but it was horrifying because the people here did not know much about explosives.
However, no matter how small the power of the explosive was, it was still explosives, and it could not withstand the Turkic soldiers' attempt to destroy it near the city defense vehicle. When the explosion ended and the smoke dissipated, the ground was stained red with blood, and there were also broken limbs and pieces of clothes, but the people were nowhere to be found.
The Turkic soldiers in front were startled and immediately became chaotic again.
The Turkic generals knew that this thing was the explosives of the Central Plains people, but they did not have much, so they forced the army to move forward.
After the initial fear, the Turks did not hear the horrifying explosions again until they completely destroyed the siege vehicles and scattered them all over the ground. The destruction of the siege vehicles gave them great confidence. Greed overcame fear, and they set up ladders and tried to climb the city walls.
Zhang Shi'an led the defenders to shoot them down with arrows, but there were too many of them. If the front fell, they would be immediately replaced by those behind. Some Turks climbed up, and the defenders drew their swords and fought with them.
At the critical moment.
"General Wang is here!"
Another group of soldiers rushed to the top of the city wall to help their companions quickly eliminate the Turks who climbed up.
Another group of people came, two of them lifted a big bucket together, and pushed the bucket against the wall and tilted it down!
The boiling golden juice poured on the Turks, causing them to wail again and again.
Although this golden juice will not kill them immediately, it will cause their skin to ulcerate all over their body. One can imagine the torment they endure.
The people on the city wall were in a very bad state at this time. Some were injured and their armor was stained red with blood. They looked at each other and grinned, then threw themselves into the battle again. They had a steady stream of people climbing up the city wall to get supplies.
As the sun was about to set, this long-lasting first battle finally ended with the Turks retreating.
The victory that was so close to them could not be achieved, which made the Turks very angry. However, it had been delayed for too long, and these cunning people from the Central Plains had caused them to lose too many soldiers.
So the Turkic general had to temporarily withdraw the army and set up camp outside the city.
This group of Turkic troops that captured Yuning City was just one of them. This time, the Turks came out in full force. The rest of the Turks went to prevent Huangsha City and several surrounding cities from supporting Yuning City. Therefore, Yuning City is now temporarily in a state of isolation and helplessness.
"Surround Yuning City and see how long they can eat the food in the city! I want to starve them to death!" said the Turkic general viciously.
Many wounded soldiers in the Turkic army camp were wailing. They had festering wounds on their bodies, which were rotting and oozing pus. Even the accompanying doctors were helpless and could only leave them lying on the ground to die.
...
But this time, the Turks were really disappointed.
The previous battle in Huangsha City was a common scar in the hearts of all the soldiers of the Great Zhou. Now they will use facts to tell the Turks that they are no longer the same!
How many days can the food in the city last?
In the general's mansion in the city, everyone was discussing the same issue.
Zhang Shian did not answer, but only said: "I will bring people to dig the wall tomorrow."
Digging the wall?
Except for Wang Qingyun and Zhang Shi'an's subordinates, everyone else in the general's mansion was deeply confused.
They're at war right now, right? Why are they digging up the wall?!
Wang Qingyun also played dumb, saying, "You'll find out tomorrow. What you need to do these days is to keep a close eye on the Turkic people's movements. If they're about to send troops, report it immediately. Tell the soldiers to be on their guard and be alert. We can't afford to be careless this time!"
Everyone clasped their fists in agreement.
The government of Yuning City posted a notice in the autumn of this year, recruiting a large number of people to work, and their job was to build walls.
A tall and thick wall was built at the corner of the city wall, and no one thought there was anything wrong with it at the time. The corner of the city wall is the thickest part of the wall, so why build another wall?
The mystery was finally solved on the second day of the Turkic invasion.
"dig!"
Following Zhang Shian's order, several soldiers began to shovel the "wall", and the full picture of these thick "bricks" was finally revealed to the public.
"What is this?" A general's eyes suddenly widened.
That square thing that looks like a brick...
Yan Xuanyu: That’s right, it’s a fake compressed biscuit!
But you can’t make compressed biscuits at this time, because what is tightly compressed together is rice bricks of food!
Well, it could also be called compressed eight-treasure porridge? In short, it has all the necessary ingredients, such as rice and beans, so you can put whatever is long-lasting in it. Plus, it is stored in a good place, so the taste won't change much.
This is a Dazhou brand pre-prepared dish.
The general hesitantly reached out and took the "brick" from the soldier's hand, still with a look of disbelief: "This..."
Zhang Shian said with a smile: "Xiao Liu, go set up the pot and show General Sun how it cooks!"
Although Wang Qingyun knew about this matter, he was not the one who did it. This was the first time he saw this rice brick. He took it and looked at it carefully over and over again. He sighed, "Your Excellency Yuan Kang must have a solution."
Zhang Shian shook his head and said, "The general said that this is the method written by His Majesty!"
The Turks are not fools. If they prepare food in Yuning City in a big way, they will definitely be discovered, and their subsequent plans will be interrupted.
Fortunately, we started preparing after the fall. The weather at the border is cold and food is easy to store. Otherwise, it would be really troublesome.
Wang Qingyun put the rice brick under his nose and smelled it gently. It really had the fragrance of rice!
The soldier named Xiaoliu had already boiled hot water according to Zhang Shian's instructions, rinsed the rice brick and put it into the pot, just like giving the brick a hot bath.
A group of rough guys gathered around the big pot cautiously, watching without blinking, for fear of missing any process.
Zhang Shian said helplessly: "It will take some time to boil it, and you can't see anything now."
"Why can't you see it?" A general pointed and shouted, "Look, this corner is starting to melt!"
“It really melted!”
After about half an hour, the compacted rice bricks were finally boiled.
"This stuff works well as dry food in the city, but it takes too long to cook. It's more convenient to eat it as biscuits when marching." The generals whispered.
The pot had already become a pot of thick porridge, and the aroma of the porridge wafted in the air, making everyone present swallow their saliva.
"I wonder what it tastes like?"
These people, who were the first group in Da Zhou to eat the "pre-made porridge", each took a bowl and filled it with porridge, and drank a few mouthfuls without hesitation.
"This stuff is good!" Their eyes lit up after just a few sips.
It’s not that this porridge tastes so good. Think about it, not to mention that it’s just porridge, just looking at a bunch of things that have been specially prepared and then pressed together, you will know that it can’t be delicious.
But it was thick! A bowl full of rice and beans, it was like a thick paste. After eating a bowl, they felt full and warm. They dared to say without exaggeration that with this stuff alone, they could defend Yuning City for half a year... no, a year.
"Xiao Liu, take some people and be responsible for distributing porridge to the people stranded in the city every day." Zhang Shian gave the instructions one by one, "Aniu, you go..."
They didn't know when the Turks would launch a second attack, so they had to be vigilant at all times.
The number of bows and arrows in the city was also limited. In addition to the necessary rotation of the garrison troops, all the soldiers and civilians in the city were engaged in sharpening bows and arrows.
The Turks outside the city were not having such an easy time.
The first siege ended in failure and a large number of soldiers were lost. The Turkic general risked being held accountable and wrote a letter back to the Turkic king's tent asking what to do next.
They cut off Yuning City's calls for help, but the defenders of other cities would always come because they sensed something was wrong, and at this time another Turkic army was needed to stop them.
Yuning City was isolated and besieged for several days but showed no signs of fatigue.
During this time, the Turks used various methods, such as deliberately emitting the aroma of food in front of the battle line.
Not only were the defenders unmoved, they even burped.
It is not realistic to send people to attack the city walls. Since they suffered a loss, the border cities have reinforced their walls with several layers. They can attack, but they also have to consider whether more people will be lost for no reason.
So the Turkic generals changed to a rotational attack and kept sending people to attack the city, but the defenders immediately threw all kinds of things down, including gold juice, poisonous powder, etc. Everything that could be used was used by them.
After a series of battles, it was the Turks who were defeated first.
Until this day, a letter came back from the king's tent, saying that more people had been sent to strengthen the army attacking Yuning City, and they were determined to capture Yuning City today.
"General, what should we do?"
Seeing the army approaching, they no longer could withstand the situation.
Zhang Shian said, "General Yuan and his men have not been heard from for so long. They must be doing something big. What we need to do is to hold the Turks back."
Everyone's face was solemn.
"Fight!" Wang Qingyun gritted his teeth.
war!
The slogan of fighting was passed down layer by layer in Yuning City.
Just when they were ready to die, the Turks who were marching towards them suddenly stopped!
Wang Qingyun stood on the city wall, his eyes fixed on the Turks in the distance.
On the Yuning city wall, everyone was ready to go.
But then they discovered that not only had the army that came to support the previous siege stopped, but even the Turkic army only a few miles away from Yuning City had some kind of riot.
Afterwards, the Turkic troops stationed here began to show signs of retreat!
"What's going on?"
The soldier who went to check on the news had been gone for a long time and had not returned. As soon as he dismounted from his horse, he collapsed on the ground, panting and saying:
"Report to the general, the Turkic king's tent has been attacked!"
Their delay of these few days was not in vain!
Wang Qingyun noticed something was wrong when Yuan Kang still didn't come to support Yuning City one day later. Sure enough, they did something big!
"call--"
"General!"
The last thing Wang Qingyun saw was the terrified eyes of his subordinates.
Because he had been resisting wave after wave of Turkic soldiers, he had been under great mental stress and had not slept for several days. Until now, when he had completely relaxed, he felt a black screen in front of his eyes and then fainted.
The first thing he said when he woke up was two words: "Send out the troops!"
In their view, the war has just begun.
...
Capital city.
Yan Xuanyu also received battle reports from the border. Yuan Kang followed Yan Xuanyu's general ideas, made a careful plan, and raided the royal tent, capturing a group of Turkic royal family members. It was a great victory, but the Turkic king Ashina Ziro was missing.
He ran away again.
There is still a tough battle to be fought, and the Turkic army is rushing back to the grassland.
The Beijing Daily also published a battle report at the same time.
If the court's wars had nothing to do with the people before, and they didn't even have any channels to get the news, then the capital's daily reports on border conditions gradually changed this situation, and more and more people began to worry about the war.
They spontaneously prayed for the border soldiers.
Everyone was very happy when they learned that the Great Zhou army had won a great victory. However, when the people in the teahouse continued to read that there were still so many Turkic troops, the letters of everyone present were brought up again.
Everyone also vaguely knew that the Great Zhou and the Turks were bound to fight to a conclusion this time.
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