Wei Jingzhuo used a stratagem to occupy Xiping Pass, and the defending general Meng Kuan surrendered the pass. The 20,000 garrison troops also defected to Wei Jingzhuo's command.
For Wei Jingzhuo, these 20,000 troops were a godsend. He allowed Meng Kuan to continue serving as the garrison commander of Xiping Pass, while he himself took Su Wan back to Youzhou to mobilize troops.
The Fifth Prince personally led an army of 100,000 to conquer Youzhou. He issued a proclamation to the world, accusing Wei Jingzhuo of plotting a rebellion. Wei Jingzhuo, not to be outdone, countered with the slogan of "purging the emperor's inner circle." The two sides were locked in a fierce battle, each vying for the moral high ground.
Anyone with a modicum of insight could see that Emperor Kangping was gravely ill and the battle between Wei Jingzhuo and the Fifth Prince would inevitably determine who would become the next emperor.
The Fifth Prince, Wei Shao, confidently led his army toward Xiping Pass.
The journey from Shangjing to Xiping Pass is nearly 400 li (approximately 200 kilometers). If an ordinary person traveled by carriage, it would only take about five days to reach the destination. However, for a large army on a campaign, the infantry moved much slower than the carriages. What took a carriage one day to travel would take the infantry approximately two and a half days. In addition, the army would need to camp and rest along the way, so it would take until around mid-January for them to reach Xiping Pass.
Wei Jingzhuo had a full month to prepare, allowing him to wait in comfort and calmly mobilize troops and supplies.
Su Wan knew nothing about military matters, nor did she intend to get involved. Instead, she planned to learn horseback riding from Chu Mingyao.
Before they could even set off, Chu Mingyao sent a messenger on horseback with a large package of beautifully packaged... roasted potatoes, inviting the goddess sister and His Highness the Crown Prince to taste them, while also making a small request.
After hearing Chu Mingyao's request, Su Wan realized that she had made a huge mistake.
She sent the Western Rong army to her fiefdom hoping they would help keep an eye on things, but instead they attracted 50,000 foodies.
When she and Wei Jingzhuo cleverly captured Xiping Pass, 50,000 Western Rong troops were stationed in her fiefdom.
Following the principle that guests from afar are always welcome, the commander of the Jin army responsible for guarding the potato fields had his men send 20,000 catties of potatoes to the Western Rong army as a form of hospitality.
I wonder which bastard taught them this... Su Wan thinks it must be Luna, the Western Rong army actually learned how to make potatoes into a delicacy.
For the Xirong army, who were used to eating beef and mutton and had never eaten potatoes before, potatoes were simply a divine gift. Potatoes were easy to clean; they could be dug out of the ground, rinsed with water, and that was it—no need to peel them. They could just be thrown into a charcoal fire and covered with charcoal.
Once you smell the aroma, use a stick to pull it out, hold it in your hand, turn it from side to side, blow on it to cool it down, peel off the burnt outer skin, sprinkle with salt, and start eating.
Once the potatoes are roasted, the outer skin is crispy, the inside is soft and fluffy, and the aroma is irresistible. They are simply irresistible when eaten with roasted meat.
For the old Western Rong soldiers who had bad teeth and couldn't eat roasted meat, they could roast potatoes, mash them into mashed potatoes, and eat them with a spoon. In the end, they would even lick the bowl clean as if it had just been washed.
You can also peel the potatoes and put them in the pot to stew with the beef. Eventually, the potatoes will dissolve into the soup, making the broth thick and coating the beef. When you eat it, you'll first taste the flavor of the potatoes, followed by the deliciousness of the beef.
So the cooks of the Western Rong army invented fried potato pancakes. They mashed potatoes, mixed them with minced mutton, minced beef, and flour, and fried them in oil in a frying pan until golden brown on both sides... Incidentally, this frying pan was also left to them by Su Wan.
She once used a frying pan to shield herself from arrows. The Xirong chefs discovered that the pan was perfect for making pancakes, so they made five thousand copies. Every quartermaster in the Xirong army carried a frying pan. They used it to make pancakes and steaks in ordinary times. In battle, it could also be used as a shield to block arrows.
Potatoes can be prepared in so many ways that the Western Rong soldiers ate them with gusto, constantly asking the Jin soldiers who were managing the potato fields for more.
The Jin army dared not give more. These were planted at the goddess's command; giving them 20,000 catties to try was enough, no more could be given. Besides, the Western Rong army already had a continuous supply of food and supplies, and didn't need to rely on potatoes.
The generals of the Western Rong army suggested exchanging beef and mutton. Unfortunately, the commander of the Jin army guarding the potato field was a simple-minded fellow who didn't understand the concept at all. He insisted that no one was allowed to touch the potato field, and that exchanging beef and mutton was not an option.
Seeing that they couldn't persuade her, the soldiers of the Western Rong army hurriedly went to find Luna. They begged Luna to see Su Wan and ask the goddess to have mercy and give them two thousand acres of potatoes to satisfy their cravings.
Luna was taken aback.
These potato fields were the military rations for the Northwest Army. If the Western Rong army ate them all, the goddess would chase him to the ends of the earth if she found out.
Besides, Su Wan and Wei Jingzhuo had already gone to Xiping Pass by then, and were no longer in Youzhou. He had no way to ask.
Seeing that Luna couldn't help either, everyone went to find Prince Danma of the Western Rong.
Danma and Chu Mingyao had been resting in the Xirong army camp, intending to return to the north with the Xirong army later. Seeing that everyone wanted to eat potatoes, Danma called Luna over and gave her instructions.
The goddess forbids them from touching her fiefdom, so they simply won't. Anyone who dares to touch the goddess's fiefdom will have their head chopped off by Danma.
Who is the goddess? She is the one who saved his father and his wife. The goddess's words are the king's words; anyone who dares to pull up even a single potato vine will be executed without mercy.
Upon hearing Danma's words, everyone burst into tears. The 20,000 jin of potatoes were gone in just two days—it was nowhere near enough!
While everyone was wailing, Danma suddenly changed the subject.
The Immovable Goddess's potato field is still there, but there's so much empty land lying around. Why don't we just grow our own? Honestly.
So the commanders of the Western Rong army and the Great Jin army borrowed seeds, agreeing to return two for every one borrowed. They planted 30,000 mu of potatoes, agreeing that 20,000 mu would belong to the Great Jin and 10,000 mu to the Western Rong after they matured.
The straightforward captain of the Jin army wasn't confused; he agreed on the spot.
Everyone was in high spirits, planting in front, behind, to the left, to the right... until the entire Xirong army camp was almost surrounded by potato fields. The local herders, unaware of the situation, returned and were utterly bewildered that the Xirong army had set up camp in the middle of a potato field.
Su Wan learned about these things from Chu Mingyao's special envoy.
It turns out that the Western Rong army in the north had managed to double the size of the cultivated land.
By January, the 15,000 mu of potatoes would be fully ripe and ready to be transported to Xiping Pass as military rations. In the next three months, another 30,000 mu would be ripe, and the military rations would be completely secured.
She wasn't a stingy person. Although the Western Rong army had planted another 30,000 mu of potatoes for her, they would still take several months to mature, and she couldn't let everyone just sit there drooling over the potatoes.
She told Chu Mingyao's envoy that the goddess had agreed to give the Western Rong army 5,000 mu of potatoes to satisfy their cravings, and that they should eat as much as they wanted.
The special envoy returned happily and informed the entire Western Rong army of this good news.
The scene was similar to the New Year celebrations in the Jin Dynasty.
Prince Danma reciprocated by sending a large herd of cattle and sheep to Youzhou as a return gift for the goddess's gift of potato fields. Wei Jingzhuo ordered that some of the cattle and sheep first accompany the army to Xiping Pass as provisions for the soldiers guarding the pass.
At this time, Su Wan encountered a troubling matter.
The Baohetang pharmacy in Suiyang was set on fire at night.
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