Gu Yanyue saw his brother's worry and stopped "making things difficult" for him. Having said that, the whole lamb still needed to be roasted. "Brother, how are you going to cook this lamb?"
The eldest brother looked at the huge whole lamb and couldn't help but fall into deep thought: "Let's stew it and make mutton soup to distribute to the soldiers to warm them up."
Gu Yanyue shook her head, rejecting her elder brother's idea. "Roast them and make some bone soup to warm the soldiers."
After getting the approval of his elder brother, Gu Yanyue started to process the large bones first. The bones had to be stewed for three or four hours before the flavor could be brought out.
She scooped up a spoonful of clean water to clean the big bones, and then soaked them in clean water. During the process, Gu Yanyue changed the water several times and poured out the blood, so that the bone soup would not have a fishy smell. Then she put the big bones into the pot with cold water and added an appropriate amount of cooking wine, green onion and ginger to blanch them. During the blanching process, a lot of foam would be produced, and Gu Yanyue used a spoon to skim off the foam one by one.
Gu Yanyue calculated the time and blanched the bones in water for about twenty minutes, then added a few drops of white vinegar. From a chef's perspective, this step is necessary.
Then she took the big bones out of the pot, put a proper amount of oil in the pot, and when the oil temperature was 70% hot, put the big bones into the pot and stir-fry. Then she added boiling water, boiled it over high heat first, then turned to low heat and simmered it slowly. After simmering for three or four hours, the soup will be white and thick.
During this time, Gu Yanyue began to prepare to clean the sheep. After cleaning the sheep, Gu Yanyue began to sprinkle various seasonings on the sheep layer by layer. After the seasonings were all sprinkled, Gu Yanyue began to massage the sheep with her own unique technique.
After Gu Yanyue finished massaging the lamb, she placed it on the grill her elder brother had set up outside the tent. About half an hour later, the area was filled with the unique aroma of lamb.
Gu Yanyue was thinking about the big bone soup in the tent, so she asked her elder brother to watch over the roasted whole lamb first, and she went back into the tent, planning to add white vinegar and seasonings to the big bones. She saw some soybeans in the tent, so she added a few handfuls in. This would make the soup more white and contain more protein.
Before it was completely dark, bursts of fragrant aroma wafted from the tent.
The army had begun to adapt to the poverty of Shuocheng. Since the beginning of the war with the Western Regions, when had they ever seen such a scene? On the fire were roasted wild sheep, golden brown, hot white bread, sour and sweet grape wine, and the pot of bone soup overflowed with rich aroma.
The commander Du Yuhou had been stingy for a long time, so this time he was unusually generous. The mellow aroma of the fine liquor rushed out from the mud seal and into the stomach tract of every soldier. Just the smell made them drunk.
The army drank heartily tonight, tearing into the fat mutton and dipping it in the rice vinegar and garlic paste that Gu Yanyue had prepared in the morning. The aroma was so rich and pungent that it made one swallow his tongue.
Gu Yanyue had already cut off the leg of lamb and given it to Yuwen Ran before the banquet started. Yuwen Ran always liked to eat the leg of lamb when eating roasted whole lamb.
Yu Wenran sat in a high seat and picked up the lamb leg in front of him. It was cooked neither too much nor too little, just right. The lamb was also very chewy. One bite and his mouth was full of lamb fat, leaving a lingering fragrance on his lips and teeth. Paired with a bite of bones, it was so fragrant that he could almost swallow his tongue.
Bone broth, flavored with white vinegar and soybeans, simmered in the pot, its rich aroma filling the air. Both the main army and the soldiers defending Shuocheng brought earthenware jars. Everyone received a bowl, and drinking it down hot, they revived the spirits that had been drained since the first defeat.
Remembering that they still had to patrol the city tomorrow, the soldiers didn't dare drink too much of the non-intoxicating wine. After the banquet, they felt very happy, but also very happy.
Gu Yanyue, who was in a high position, stood up with a bowl of spicy white wine in hand. He looked at the soldiers below and said, "Everyone! After we recapture Fangcheng and defeat the Western Regions, I will reward you well! Let everyone enjoy the meal to their heart's content!"
Gu Yanyue's words pushed the atmosphere of the banquet to a climax, but she still remembered that the soldiers who would be patrolling the city tomorrow did not stay up too late. After finishing the dishes at the banquet, they all went back to the tent to rest.
Although Yuwen Ran hadn't drunk much, he was already drunk. After returning to the king's tent, he sat on a chair and let Gu Yanyue fetch water to clean his face. When Gu Yanyue was about to get some water, Yuwen Ran hugged him around the waist. Yuwen Ran buried his head in Gu Yanyue's arms and murmured softly: "Ayue... We will definitely win this battle soon, and then we can go back to the capital to find Xiao Yuntun..."
Yu Wenran said this in a very low voice, and it was unclear whether he was talking to himself or to Gu Yanyue.
The next day, the army swept away the depressed atmosphere of the previous few days. Yuwen Ran followed up this momentum and summoned the chief military officer, the left and right guards and the deputy general into the central tent again.
Yuwen Ran asked in a deep voice, "Did you come up with any good ideas for breaking into the city when you returned yesterday?"
The deputy general who had been patrolling the city yesterday and had not yet come to the central tent stepped forward and knelt on one knee in front of Yuwen Ran. "I have a plan, but I'm not sure whether I should tell you or not."
Yuwen Ran said: "There is nothing that should be said. If you have a way, just say it."
The deputy general slowly laid out his plan. "The current war between the Western Regions and the Central Plains is about the Empress. In my opinion, as the saying goes, to capture a thief, you must first capture the leader. The Western Regions' chief general, Tuoba Chen, has long been obsessed with the Empress. We can use the Empress as bait to lure Tuoba Chen out of the city and seize the opportunity to capture him alive. Without the chief general, the remaining Western Regions troops will be less of a threat."
Yuwen Ran frowned. "That's inappropriate. Putting aside the fact that the Queen is a woman, fighting is none of her business. She came to the barracks only to improve the army's food so that they have more energy to fight. If something happens to the Queen, can you afford it?"
Facing Yuwen Ran's questioning, the deputy general still refused to give in: "Tuoba Chen has been in love with the Empress for a long time. I believe he will definitely not harm the Empress. Your Majesty, this is not an excuse at all!"
Yuwen Ran snorted coldly: "When two armies are fighting, if the commander is distracted by a woman, then Tuoba Chen has no business being the commander. Even if he doesn't want to harm the queen, what about the other members of the Western Regions Army? On the battlefield, swords are merciless, and the queen is not proficient in martial arts at all. Using her as bait is clearly sending her to her death!"
After saying this, Yu Wenran became furious and left in anger.
Not long after Yuwen Ran left the tent, a rumor spread from the tent that Yuwen Ran had rejected the method with the least risk and the fastest way to attack the city for Gu Yanyue.
The chief military officer and the left and right guards all spoke up to defend Yuwen Ran, but this not only had no effect, but instead deepened the impression in the minds of the remaining soldiers that Yuwen Ran was so foolish as to be obsessed with women.
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