Zhao Ji said, "With this, Wang Fu's plan has been ruined. Haha! Interesting!"
"That's right!" Zhao Kai said, and burst out laughing.
"What are you laughing at, third brother?" Zhao Ji asked.
"I laugh at Wang Fu for having such a stupid son."
"What do you mean?"
"After the incident at the Peony Pavilion, not only did Wang Fu's foolish son not take it seriously, he even begged Gao Chengzong to teach him the art of walking through walls."
"The art of walking through walls?" Zhao Ji asked in surprise, "Is there really such a Taoist art in this world?"
"While they were imprisoned in Kaifeng Prefecture, Gao Chengzong somehow managed to escape from the cell, claiming to have learned a profound Taoist technique called 'The Art of Walking Through Walls.'"
"Could it be true?"
Zhao Ji pressed on, he was very interested in this kind of topic.
"Father, of course it's fake. Although I don't know how Gao Chengzong is playing tricks, he is uneducated and definitely doesn't know any Taoist magic. As for the art of walking through walls, it's even more nonsense."
"So, Wang Fu's son has been tricked?"
"Haha! Father guessed it right. In order to learn the 'art of walking through walls' from Gao Chengzong, Wang Fu's son promised not to bother Sun Xing Shou anymore. But... hehe!"
"What's the result?" Zhao Ji looked evil-smelling.
"One day, Wang Hongfu... that was the name of Wang Fu's son... came to Gao Chengzong with a mess to ask for an explanation."
"Haha!" Zhao Ji laughed out loud.
…………
In the kitchen of the First Army, Zhang Shixun, wearing a white apron around his waist and holding a large spoon, was happily pouring mutton soup from a steaming iron pot.
Black Turtle walked in carrying a wooden barrel.
"Hei Bie, you, the commander, personally went to the kitchen to cook?"
"Military commander, you've already gone to the kitchen. How dare a small commander like me put on airs?" Black Bie grinned foolishly, watching him pour soup into his big wooden barrel.
"There are only a dozen officers in your battalion, and this is already the second bucket. How can you eat so much? You're just a pig!" Zhang Shixun teased while serving the soup.
"Hehe! The mutton soup cooked by the military commander is so delicious, it tastes so fresh. And this pot... Guokui, break it into pieces and dip it into the mutton soup, it tastes so... Tsk tsk! I don't know how to describe it."
Fireman Zhao Youfu was cutting the Guokui with great effort in front of the chopping board, holding a kitchen knife. He first made a few cuts on the Guokui, and then broke it into palm-sized pieces with his hands.
"Commander Hao, the military commander came to the kitchen last night to teach me how to stew mutton soup. The big iron pot was placed on the stove, and the fire was burning all night long. It was stewed slowly over a low fire, and the mutton was almost melted in the soup. And this pot cake, the military commander also taught me how to make it step by step." Zhao Youfu said, picking up a stack of pot cakes and handing them over.
Hei Bie ignored him, took the pot cake, and his companion picked up the steaming wooden barrel, and the two of them left in a hurry.
There are various legends about the origin of Guokui. It is said that when King Wen of Zhou defeated King Zhou, Guokui was used as military rations for soldiers. To this day, there is still a kind of Guokui called "King Wen Guokui" in Shaanxi.
During the Qin Dynasty, the Guokui was further developed and gradually became popular. Qin soldiers drilled holes in the two Guokui, passed a rope through them, and tied them together, draping them on their chests and backs, just like the common people's saddlebags.
Later, when fighting, the soldiers accidentally discovered that the pot helmet had become an excellent individual protective gear. When enemy arrows shot over and hit the pot helmet, it actually had a certain protective effect.
Moreover, the arrow stuck in the pot helmet can be used to shoot the enemy after being pulled out, killing two birds with one stone.
Because of its special preparation method, the Guokui can be kept for ten days to half a month even in the hot summer, which is comparable to the compressed dry food used by the army in later generations.
In later Kaifeng, mutton soup restaurants were everywhere in the city. You could have a big bowl of mutton soup early in the morning, sprinkle some coriander on it, and dip your Guokui in it. It tasted so delicious!
Zhang Shixun felt that promoting mutton soup and pot cakes in the army was very practical, nutritious, easy to make, and used simple ingredients.
"General Zhang really loves his soldiers like his own sons. He even went to the kitchen himself."
A voice sounded from the doorway.
Zhang Shixun looked up and was slightly surprised. The people who came were not strangers. They were Wang Meng and He Ji.
I heard a few days ago that He Ji was coming to Tianwu Army, but what was Wang Meng doing here?
"You two are such rare guests." Zhang Shixun put down his spoon and went to greet them.
"Brother Zhang, I have been transferred to the First Army, and I will no longer be a rare guest." He Ji said with a bow.
"Brother He, I welcome you to the First Army." Zhang Shixun shook his hand a few times and said sincerely, "With your help, I will save a lot of effort in the future."
He Ji took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over: "This is my certificate."
Zhang Shixun took it and looked at it, very surprised: "Deputy Commander-in-Chief?"
"Marshal Gao said that the position of Commander-in-Chief of the First Army has been vacant for quite some time and it's time for a new one... Congratulations, Commander-in-Chief. You are now a true Commander-in-Chief, and you will be officially appointed soon."
"So, I got a promotion?"
Zhang Shixun looked over and over the certificate in his hand and asked with a playful look.
Wang Meng congratulated him: "Congratulations, Brother Zhang!"
The imperial guards of the Song Dynasty included the Palace Front Division, the Imperial Guard Infantry Division, and the Imperial Guard Cavalry Division, collectively known as the Three Yamen.
He Ji's father is a high-ranking official in the Imperial Guard Infantry Department. I heard that he will be promoted to the rank of Chief of the Imperial Guard soon, holding military power and a high position of power.
He Ji did not go to the Imperial Guard Infantry Division, but instead came to serve in the Tianwu Army under the Palace Front Division. It would be strange if there was no trick here.
However, Zhang Shixun didn't care. He had no intention of overthrowing the Song Dynasty, so why should he be afraid of it?
Besides, Lao He is a good person.
Zhang Shixun handed the certificate back to He Ji and turned his gaze to Wang Meng. "Brother Wang, as a judge of the Military Inspection Court, why are you here in the First Army instead of handling cases properly? Could it be that..."
"Brother, don't misunderstand me. I came to see you for something else. I happened to meet Brother He at the gate of the military camp, so we came in together."
"We can talk about it later... It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. The barracks have just improved their food today. Why don't you two eat with me? I was so busy serving these soldiers that I didn't eat."
"I smelled the aroma from far away just now, it made me drool." Wang Meng sniffed and looked into the boiling pot of soup. "Could it be mutton cooking in the pot?"
"Brother Wang guessed right." Zhang Shixun took the three large bowls handed to him by Zhao Youfu and explained as he added soup to the bowls: "The training has been tough these days. To reward the brothers, I bought a few fat sheep to make soup."
He filled the three bowls of soup, added a few slices of cooked mutton, and sprinkled in a handful of coriander. Then he smiled and said to the two of them, "Go and get as much as you can eat. If you don't have enough, come back for more. You can drink as much soup as you want."
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