More people means higher efficiency, especially when it comes to meals, everyone pays more attention to it.
Before long, a huge pot made from a bark box was completed.
The other side was moving even faster; all the wild birds and the porcupine had already been cleaned and skinned, and even chopped into small pieces.
A large pile of cassava had its skin removed, and now each piece was white and tender, chopped into large chunks like chopped white radishes, and neatly arranged on banana leaves.
This time, Su Su was in charge of cooking again, and I just helped out on the side. When you get old, you have to let the younger generation gain more experience.
Since it was a bark pot, it couldn't be used for stir-frying like a metal pot. So Su Su used her previous method of preparing ingredients, first blanching them to remove the blood and then taking them out.
Then they found some large stone slabs, cleaned them thoroughly, and when the slabs were boiling hot, they extracted the butter from the wild bird's belly and the oil from the guinea pig, and then rendered it together.
Worried that the oil would leak out of the stone slab and be wasted, Su Su combined the oil-making and stir-frying processes.
The oil will be absorbed by the blanched meat as soon as it's rendered, so there's no waste at all. Everyone's counting on this little bit of oil.
After the water in the bark pot boiled, the cassava inside was about 70-80% cooked. At this point, the soup was a light milky white color. Su Su poured all the stir-fried meat chunks into the bark pot.
I took on the role of the cook, and now all I had to do was turn the heat down a bit and simmer it over medium heat for a while. Once the cassava was fully cooked, the aroma of various mountain delicacies filled the air.
At this moment, everyone was swallowing hard as they smelled the aroma; there weren't so many rules anymore.
They whittled some tree branches into chopsticks and folded banana leaves into cone shapes to make bowls, then sat around them in a large circle. A dozen or so people took turns getting food and began to eat.
These Mila tribespeople and their leaders, having been on the run for so many days, did not receive such good treatment; they basically ate dry rations and some hard, dried meat to stave off hunger every day.
Only a man of similar status to the leader could receive such treatment. Immediately, everyone stretched their stomachs to three times their normal size and frantically showed off the food in their bowls. If they didn't finish this whole pot today, they would be disrespecting me.
"Everyone, hurry up and eat. We'll go collect the sap from the sap trees later, then find a secluded place to hide and go to sleep."
As I devoured the food in my hand and took a sip of the uniquely flavorful broth, I made the suggestion.
Su Su: "No, Master, what's gotten into you this time? Shouldn't we be running away as soon as possible?"
“That was true before, but I’ve changed my mind now. The key is that we now have some sap from the sap tree, and I want to go over tonight and get intimate with Haru’s army, and exchange feelings.”
"Are we going to launch a night raid?"
Su Su was shocked. She knew all too well how many people were on her side. If they were to launch a night raid, they probably wouldn't even be enough to fill the enemy's teeth.
"Don't you know your master? I would never do a business that loses money. Don't worry, I've already thought it through."
They're not eating well these days, so we can't let them go to sleep so soon at night; they need to get some exercise.
Su Su didn't say anything more, she just ate the food in her bowl. It seems that Haru will eventually be driven to a mental breakdown by his master.
Oh... the devil...
Everyone ate very quickly, and in less than half an hour, the food in the bark box was already gone.
I went and collected the sap from those bamboo tubes. Since we first discovered these sap trees, we've collected sap from several and a half bamboo tubes in total.
Pouring them all together filled three bamboo tubes with sap from the sap tree.
After we extinguished the campfire, we found a secluded spot nearby to rest.
Before resting, I had several clansmen take turns standing guard along the original route. As for me, I need to put in a little more effort; since we're visiting an "old friend" tonight, a gift is essential.
Our repeating crossbows are not incapable of firing other types of arrows. If you insert an arrow of the appropriate size into the front rail, it can still fire normally.
This time, I used reasonably straight shrub branches to carve dozens of extended crossbow bolts. Since accuracy and power weren't a concern, these bolts didn't need to be made too elaborately.
To put it bluntly, these extended crossbow bolts are disposable items, so there's no need to bother with them.
The arrows were made in no time. Next, I wrapped the tinder around the arrowheads and secured them tightly with string.
When we were tracking the Haru army, we obtained a useful piece of information: Haru like to sleep on a bed of dry grass at night, which can be seen from the large amounts of dry grass left behind at their roosting sites.
Now I've modified the arrows into fire arrows that can absorb the sap of the sap tree. I wonder what kind of sparks they'll create with their warm beds, and whether they'll turn into warm pits?
After doing all that, I started to catch up on my sleep. I don't know how long I'll be playing with my old friends later, so I can't afford not to get some rest beforehand.
…………
Because we ate dinner very early, we had already slept for more than three hours. When we woke up, the fatigue from running around all day immediately dissipated.
After this rest, it got completely dark.
The tribesman on lookout came over and told me that the Haru had already started setting up camp here. But they kept cursing and swearing, so they probably didn't catch much prey today.
I'm not surprised by this; it would be a miracle if they could catch their prey.
It's probably their feeding time now, so let them eat well first, even if they might not eat well.
Like all animals, they tend to relax for a period of time after eating, making them prone to drowsiness.
My plan is to give them a proper boost at this time.
The art of war states: "If you press them too hard, they will rebel; if they retreat, their momentum will diminish. Follow closely but do not press them; exhaust their strength and destroy their fighting spirit. Once they are scattered, capture them without bloodshed. Wait, have faith, and be vigilant."
This means that in military terms, if you press the enemy too hard, they may launch a counterattack, while deliberately harassing them can reduce their momentum.
Follow it closely, but don't force it. Wait until it's exhausted and its fighting spirit is broken before capturing it. This way, you can avoid a bloody battle.
Haru ate even faster than we did. Before long, many Haru were resting on the haystacks we had gathered, illuminated by the firelight.
Some Haru, to save trouble, simply rolled up the hay like a mat and carried it with them.
They were ready to rest, and we couldn't lag behind, so I took out the three cans of liquid.
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