Chapter 461 New Military Rations
Thus began a massive military production effort.
The academy broke down the production process into several steps and subcontracted them to different workshops: the armor workshop specialized in making protective gear, the medicine workshop was responsible for preparing medicinal herbs, the food workshop produced dry rations...
What's most touching is that many ordinary people, upon hearing that this was prepared for soldiers stationed on the border, voluntarily lowered the price, and some even helped out for free.
Daiyu inspected the workshops daily, strictly controlling the quality.
On this day, she discovered a batch of products in an armor workshop, immediately demanded that they be reworked, and punished everyone in charge of this production process from top to bottom.
The shopkeeper said with difficulty, "Princess, although these have some flaws, they are still usable. The border urgently needs the goods..."
Daiyu said solemnly, "Our soldiers are risking their lives on the front lines, how can we in the rear be negligent? A piece of substandard armor could cost a life!"
After this news spread, no one dared to cut corners anymore.
Three months later, the first batch of 10,000 gift packages arrived at the border.
Liu Qianrou personally inspected it. Although it was simpler than the one specially made by the academy, all the core functions were still there.
That evening, she distributed the gift packages.
The veterans were initially dismissive, but they were quickly won over by these thoughtful designs:
"This armor is so lightweight!"
"The medicine packets are clearly categorized; even a fool could use them!"
"The dry rations taste good, much better than eating hard biscuits!"
What moved the soldiers the most was that each gift package contained a handkerchief embroidered with the word "peace".
Good news keeps pouring in: the casualty rate of troops equipped with the gear package has dropped significantly, and their combat effectiveness has been noticeably improved.
Seeing this, the Ministry of War placed an additional order for 50,000 sets.
The academy's business had to expand again. Yuan Hongqu simply bought a large area of land around the academy and built a special military industrial park, named "Jin Guo Fang".
Today, "Women's Workshop" not only produces military supplies, but has also developed civilian versions: lightweight armor has been transformed into work protective clothing, first aid kits have become home medicine boxes, and even compressed dry rations have become essential items for people traveling long distances.
Good news from the border was like a spring breeze, constantly blowing into the capital.
However, a secret memorial from the censor accompanying the army caused Yuan Hongqu and Daiyu to frown – the memorial mentioned that the soldiers had been eating dry rations for a long time, and many of them suffered from indigestion, and due to the lack of vegetables, the number of people suffering from night blindness was increasing day by day.
“This is indeed a problem.” Yuan Hongqu paced back and forth in the academy’s council hall. “Dry rations can fill our stomachs, but they are hardly nourishing. If this continues, even the bravest soldiers will not be able to hold on.”
Daiyu suddenly remembered something: "Does Granny still remember those vegetables we tried growing at the estate outside Beijing last year? If we could make them into dried vegetables that are easy to store..."
Yuan Hongqu's eyes lit up: "Not just dried vegetables! There are some foods from my hometown that we might be able to learn from."
She immediately gathered the students of the culinary department of the academy and established the "Military Food Research and Development Workshop" in Zhuangzi on the outskirts of Beijing.
The first goal is to recreate instant noodles.
"These noodles need to be able to be stored for a long time and also be easy to cook." Yuan Hongqu personally instructed, "Add a little salt and alkali when kneading the dough to make the noodles more chewy; after steaming, dry them quickly so they can be stored for several months."
But the biggest problem is the lack of modern preservatives.
After repeated experiments, they discovered that sealing the oil paper with beeswax and then placing it in a camphor wood box could keep it from spoiling for three months.
“Three months is enough!” Daiyu said happily. “The border supplies are delivered once a month, which is more than enough to keep things running smoothly.”
Next came the development of ham sausages.
Yuan Hongqu led her students to select top-quality pork, add secret spices, and stuff it into cleaned sheep casings.
First, smoke it with pine branches, then expose it to sunlight, and finally wrap it in oiled paper.
"Although the sausages made this way only have a shelf life of two months, they taste much better than dry food." Yuan Hongqu looked at the finished product and nodded in satisfaction.
What troubled them the most was dehydrated vegetables.
At first, I tried drying them in the sun, but they lost a lot of nutrients.
Later, a method of steaming followed by low-temperature drying was adopted. Although this method was time-consuming and labor-intensive, it could retain most of the vitamins.
“Especially carrots and spinach,” Daiyu said, pointing to the finished product. “The censor said that many soldiers on the border suffer from night blindness, and these vegetables are just the right remedy.”
When the first batch of prototypes came out, the academy specially invited several retired veterans to taste them.
An elderly general with white hair held a steaming bowl of instant noodles, tears streaming down his face: "I have guarded the border for thirty years, and I have never eaten such hot soup noodles on the battlefield!"
Another soldier chewed on a sausage and praised it repeatedly: "This sausage is salty and delicious, a hundred times better than eating dry biscuits!"
What was most touching was that when they ate the soup made with dehydrated vegetables, they all had tears in their eyes: "With this, the brothers won't have to be blind at night anymore!"
The taste test was a success; the next step is mass production.
The academy's property already included fertile fields, and now Yuan Hongqu has planted most of them with vegetables such as carrots and spinach.
The students from the academy took turns coming to work and process the harvested vegetables in a timely manner.
Daiyu came up with a brilliant idea: to call on the people of the capital to donate their surplus vegetables, which she would buy at a price.
The news was met with overwhelming support.
"This not only solved the raw material problem, but also gave the people a sense of participation," Daiyu said with satisfaction, looking at the endless stream of vegetable delivery teams.
During the production process, they continuously improved the technology.
For example, they discovered that honey can replace some of the salt in ham sausages, which is both preservative and healthier; instant noodle soup packets now include ground dried shrimp and scallops, greatly enhancing the umami flavor; and they've even developed different flavored vegetable soup bases, such as mushroom, chicken, and spicy and sour...
Three months later, the first batch of 100,000 "women's military rations" arrived at the border.
Liu Qianrou personally supervised the distribution, and each soldier received ten packs of instant noodles, five sausages, three packs of dehydrated vegetables, and a small jar of honey candy.
On the night of the distribution, the long-lost aroma of food filled the border camp.
The soldiers gathered around the campfire, using their helmets as pots to cook steaming hot noodle soup.
Sliced ham sausages are added to the soup, and dried vegetables unfurl in the hot water, releasing a fragrant aroma.
"It smells so good!" a young soldier exclaimed, slurping his noodles. "It feels like Chinese New Year!"
The veteran chewed on a sausage and remarked, "With these, winter is much better."
The most noticeable change is the significant decrease in the number of patients with night blindness.
According to military medical statistics, the incidence of night blindness decreased by 70% after one month.
In her memorial to the throne, Liu Qianrou wrote: "...The women's military provisions not only warmed the soldiers' stomachs, but also their hearts. Now the entire army's morale is high, and everyone is saying they want to win more battles for the women from the capital who deliver the provisions..."
The Emperor was delighted after reading it and bestowed upon it a gold plaque inscribed "Heroines' Military Supplies," and ordered the Ministry of War to purchase it on a long-term basis.
Orders poured in like snowflakes, forcing the academy to expand its operations once again.
Yuan Hongqu simply transformed her suburban village into a large-scale food workshop, naming it "Jin Guo Shi Fu" (巾帼食府).
Today, "Women's Food House" not only supplies military rations, but has also developed a civilian version.
Instant noodles became an essential item for scholars taking the imperial examinations, ham sausages were a favorite among travelers, and even dehydrated vegetables entered ordinary households.
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