Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 569 Pork, Cabbage, and Vermicelli Stew

After discussing the important matter of attacking Yunnan, Lu Jin went to prepare a meal, teaching the cook several potato dishes in one go, while Zhu Liangzu, Liao Yongzhong and others went to visit the strange and unusual Lizhou crops in the imperial estate.

"This is corn? It looks like sorghum. Where are the grains? Has it not tasseled yet?" Zhu Liangzu asked curiously, looking at the cornfield in front of him.

Feng Guoyong, who was standing next to him, immediately said, "I have seen this before. When the Marquis of Bowang returned last year, he brought back a dried corn specimen. The ears of this corn grow on the middle stalk and will produce two corn cobs that look like clubs. They are covered with several layers of leaves, and you have to peel off the leaves to see the corn inside. The corn in front of us is probably not ready to produce ears yet."

"I see."

"This must be tobacco. I never expected it to look like this in the field. It looks more like a vegetable. When it's ripe, I'll have to ask His Majesty for some," Liao Yongzhong said, looking at a tobacco field.

"What, does the Duke of Lu (Liao Yongzhong) also smoke tobacco?" Li Shanchang immediately asked curiously.

Liao Yongzhong immediately explained, "It's all because of that scoundrel Chen Youliang. When he came to Fuzhou at the beginning of the year to take over troops to Southeast Asia, he stayed with us for a few days. He never put down his pipe and told everyone he met about the benefits of smoking. He even left me ten catties, saying that it would last for half a year. Later, I really got addicted to smoking. I felt uncomfortable if I didn't smoke two pecks a day."

After saying that, he carefully looked around, "What, does His Majesty dislike smokers? I didn't dare to take it out when there were many people around."

"Hahahaha." Li Shanchang laughed immediately. "I haven't heard His Majesty mention this before. Moreover, the benefits of tobacco that Chen Youliang mentioned were probably told to him by His Majesty when he first returned. His Majesty originally intended to promote tobacco cultivation in China, so he probably wouldn't oppose tobacco consumption. Otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically planted it on this imperial estate."

Liao Yong'an nodded, "Haha, then I'm relieved. I'll take it out and have some fun with it."

As he spoke, he took out an exquisite pipe and politely asked Li Shanchang, "Would the Duke of Han like a pipe?"

Li Shanchang immediately waved his hand, "I'm not in a hurry. The tobacco in Your Majesty's estate isn't ripe yet. If I smoke with you now, I'm afraid your ten catties of straw won't last until the new tobacco is ripe. Wouldn't that be unbearable?"

"Hmm, Prime Minister Li's words make sense, then I won't stand on ceremony." He was taken aback for a moment, then nodded seriously, and then took out a tinderbox and stood by the field, puffing away without any ceremony.

Zhu Liangzu was standing to the side, whispering to Feng Guoyong, "Prime Minister Feng, I heard that the court's military reform plan has been finalized. But did they say how it will be reformed? Also, after the battle of Yunnan, His Majesty ordered me to lead the Imperial Guard to escort the prisoners back to the capital. Does Prime Minister Feng know about the follow-up arrangements? They can't just send me back to the capital to retire now, can they?"

Feng Guoyong glanced at him and immediately said, "The Duke of Qi should know how the military reform should be carried out. It's nothing more than downsizing the army and reforming the firearms. Currently, the imperial court, not counting the local internal guards, has only 11 army groups, eight imperial guard divisions, and cavalry, which together make up more than 72 field troops."

"After this campaign in Yunnan and Guizhou is over, there won't be any major battles in the near future, except in the Northwest. In times of peace, how much pressure would it put on the court's military expenditure by maintaining a field army of 72? How could the Duke of Qi not know this? Therefore, troop reduction is definitely necessary."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Liangzu immediately nodded, as he indeed understood the situation.

Feng Guoyong then added, “As for the north and northwest, the areas south and north of the Gobi Desert, the Hetao region, and Gansu are all sparsely populated. What is most needed for fighting there is cavalry. However, there are currently a large number of infantry occupying the authorized positions, but we cannot use that many infantry in actual combat. Therefore, we must reduce the number of infantry and expand the cavalry. Originally, there were only three cavalry divisions. This time, we need to expand to at least seven cavalry divisions to be just enough.”

Zhu Liangzu's eyes widened immediately. "Seven cavalry divisions, are they still the same kind with 13500 men? Wouldn't that add up to 100,000 cavalry?"

Feng Guoyong shook his head. "The newly organized infantry and cavalry are different. A cavalry division has 10500 men, while an infantry division is larger, with more than 15,000 men per division. The main difference between the two lies in the artillery attached to them. This military reform aims to strengthen the firepower at the grassroots level, with artillery directly assigned to the battalion level. Each battalion has four small cannons, and a division has 152 artillery pieces."

"In order to maintain high mobility, it is not convenient for cavalry to be equipped with heavy artillery. Therefore, cavalry were not equipped with artillery, which is why each division had 5,000 fewer men than the infantry."

"Artillery down to the battalion level? 152 artillery pieces for a division? There are so many? Wouldn't an army group have over a thousand artillery pieces? Also, how come the division-level organization has more than a thousand more members than before? Weren't they supposed to be reducing the army? How come the organization is increasing even though they're cutting back?" Zhu Liangzu was shocked, then frowned.

Feng Guoyong immediately said, word by word, "Expand the army and reduce the number of troops."

"What does this mean?"

Feng Guoyong bluntly stated, "This troop reduction will cut at least 300,000 troops, leaving only 400,000 field troops. All five field armies will be reduced by at least half, from the original 100,000 to 50,000. The new division-level organization will have more than 15,000 people per division, so 50,000 people will just be three divisions plus a corps headquarters. Therefore, the original field armies will become a three-division corps after the reduction, with a corps of nearly 50,000 people under three divisions."

Zhu Liangzu was stunned. He asked, somewhat confused, "Originally, an army group had four corps and eight divisions. Now there's only one corps and three divisions left. What about the generals? Will they be demoted? Or reassigned? Your Majesty wouldn't just dismiss all the generals at once, would you?"

"Of course not. There will definitely be layoffs, but not so many. The original eight divisions will be merged into three, and there will be at least six division commanders and deputy commanders in those three divisions. The original army-level generals can continue to serve in the military headquarters, or they can be transferred to local areas to serve as provincial commanders, commanding the internal guard of a province, etc."

"As for someone like the Duke of Qi," Feng Guoyong hesitated for a moment before saying, "His Majesty intends to establish a higher-level command unit, dividing the country into five war zones, with five war zone commanders. The war zone commanders can command all field armies, internal guards, and even the navy within their respective war zones. In peacetime, they are responsible for the construction of the army within their war zones, but in peacetime, they cannot be sent out to lead troops, nor do they have the authority to mobilize troops."

"Only generals who command the three armies are likely to be sent out to other places during wartime, but in peacetime they will probably be engaged in paperwork in the capital."

"However, His Majesty has not spoken publicly about the war zone matter. He has only discussed it with me privately. Duke Qi, you must not tell anyone."

Zhu Liangzu nodded immediately, understanding the meaning. The so-called war zone commander, who was a higher rank than the army commander, and who could command all the troops within the war zone, was just a fancy title. It was a nominal promotion, but in reality, it was the emperor's way of consolidating military power.

If he actually becomes the commander of this war zone, he'll probably just retire in the capital until he dies. The idea that he can be sent out to lead troops in case of war is just nonsense. The court isn't short of generals. Take his Second Army, for example. After Zhu Liangzu and Liao Yongzhong, the two army group commanders, retire, there are at least Feng Sheng and Mao Gui who can take over. There are plenty of generals. Do you think the army won't fight without them? The same applies to other armies. After Yu Tingyu and Hua Gao retire in the Northwest, there are at least Bian Yuanheng and Fu Youde who can take over. Both of them are capable commanders who can lead hundreds of thousands of troops independently. Liao Yong'an's First Army also has Xu Da as his successor. Lu Jin really doesn't lack generals.

These so-called five war zone commanders are actually similar to the Five Military Commands of the Ming Dynasty in history.

The Five Military Governors' Office was not a command organization, but more like an administrative body for the army. The five governors were said to be high-ranking and powerful, but in reality they only managed some administrative work such as the organization of the army. They were not needed when fighting a real war. However, these positions were good sinecures. They sounded very prestigious and had a high rank, but they had no real power. They were most suitable for settling retired generals.

Seeing Zhu Liangzu's expression change and his blank expression, Feng Guoyong patted his arm, and Zhu Liangzu immediately came back to his senses.

Feng Guoyong said again, "With the Duke of Qi's successful reconquest of Yunnan, he will surely be promoted again upon returning to the capital to receive his reward, and may even be granted the title of Prince. Even the most famous generals of the past could not have achieved such a position. Moreover, how many generals throughout history have been able to reach the level of the Duke of Qi? His Majesty is so magnanimous that he has allowed the Duke of Qi to return to the capital to enjoy a comfortable old age. This is already an act of kindness. What more could one ask for?"

Zhu Liangzu nodded and cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you for informing me, Prime Minister Feng. I understand now. It's not that I'm greedy for power, but I'm still so young, and it's really hard for me to go back to the capital to retire."

He finished speaking and immediately gave a wry smile.

Feng Guoyong patted him on the shoulder and said, "Qi Guogong is in his prime. It's a bit early to talk about retirement now. But I don't think His Majesty will leave you idle. I guess there will be other arrangements. You just won't be leading the army anymore."

Zhu Liangzu's eyes lit up immediately. "What do you mean by that?"

Feng Guoyong immediately said, "His Majesty intended to move the capital to Yanjing before the founding of the country. The construction of this new capital requires a person with high position and great power who is also very reliable. If the Duke of Qi cannot stay idle in the capital, he may ask His Majesty to supervise this matter."

Zhu Liangzu immediately said speechlessly, "Go supervise the construction of the house? No fun, we'll talk about it later."

On the other side, Lu Jin directed several cooks and villagers to work until three o'clock in the afternoon. Everyone's stomachs were growling with hunger, and only then did Empress Zhang Yunxiu call everyone to eat.

Today is not a formal occasion, and there is no need for separate meals. Several square tables are set up in the courtyard, and plates of fragrant dishes are placed on the tables. When Lu Jin came out, everyone was about to bow when Lu Jin waved his hand and said, "Today is a family banquet, and we are eating home-style dishes. There are no formalities. Please sit down and try these potato dishes to see if they suit your taste."

"Thank you for the banquet, Your Majesty!" After expressing their gratitude, everyone took their seats and looked at the various dishes on the table. Lu Jin then introduced them again.

"This potato is suitable as both a vegetable and a grain, but eating potatoes alone does not conform to the dietary habits of us Chinese. Therefore, I have ordered that this potato be steamed together with rice, which is called potato rice. This can replace some of the rice with potatoes, which can fill our stomachs and save some of the refined grains. Everyone should have a good taste later."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Lu Jin then introduced, "There's also this stir-fried shredded potato and stewed potato with meat. The only problem is that the chili peppers aren't ripe yet, otherwise we could have an extra plate of green pepper and potato. But there's plenty of meat and vegetables, so everyone should try them first and then we can discuss which dish suits your taste better."

"Also, one of these dishes also uses potatoes, but it's not easy to notice. You can try to find it. If you can guess it, I will reward you. Let's start eating."

Upon hearing this, everyone became interested and immediately picked up their chopsticks to taste it.

The stir-fried shredded potatoes were first soaked in cold water to remove some of the free starch, then blanched in boiling water to cook them, drained, and topped with dried chili peppers, salt, and other seasonings. Finally, hot oil was poured over them. The method was simple, but it was very delicious and had a crisp texture. As soon as everyone took a bite, their eyes lit up.

Other dishes included braised beef with potatoes, twice-cooked pork, braised pork with preserved mustard greens, a plate of stir-fried sweet potato leaves to cut through the richness, a main dish of pork, cabbage, tofu and vermicelli stew, and a winter melon and old duck vermicelli soup.

When the crowd heard that the emperor had offered a reward, saying that one of the dishes contained potatoes but it was not easy to spot, they immediately began searching through the dishes in front of them. Soon they noticed the pork and cabbage stew with glass noodles in the middle. Of all the dishes, some contained potatoes and they could tell at a glance, and they recognized the other ingredients as well. However, they had never seen glass noodles in this dish before.

Li Shanchang immediately scooped up a mouthful of vermicelli and put it in his bowl to savor it. The vermicelli was crystal clear and had absorbed the broth from the dish, making it exceptionally delicious. Wang Zhen at another table liked it after just one bite. He was eighty-four years old, and although he was still very healthy, his teeth were failing him, and he couldn't chew on big bones or large pieces of meat. The vermicelli was soft, flavorful, and exceptionally palatable.

Li Shanchang immediately guessed, "Could it be this?"

Just then, Feng Guoyong took a soup ladle and ladled a bowl of old duck vermicelli soup from the soup bowl next to him, and immediately said, "This duck soup also has some."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked over and indeed spotted the long, thin, translucent thing that resembled a noodle soup. "Your Majesty, could this be the thing made from potatoes?"

"Hahaha, you guys figured it out! That's right, this is made from potato starch. The thicker ones can be called vermicelli, and the thinner ones can be called rice noodles. It's because of this that this meal has been delayed until now. How is it? Is it to your liking?"

Li Shanchang immediately said, "This thing is indeed delicious. Whether it is added to a dish or cooked in soup, it is very tasty. However, this thing looks completely unrelated to potatoes. How did Your Majesty manage to make it?"

Lu Jin immediately said, "As I said before, although potatoes are high-yielding, they are 80% water and only 20% dry starch. Therefore, if fresh potatoes are cut into chunks, ground into potato pulp with a stone mill, and then water is added and allowed to settle, potato starch can be made. This starch can then be mixed with water and kneaded into a soft dough. A sieve can be used to sift the dough through the starch to make thin strands. These strands can be quickly boiled in hot water to set their shape and then made into vermicelli or rice noodles. After the rice noodles are taken out and dried, they can be stored for a long time. You can take some out and add it to dishes whenever you want to cook."

Feng Guoyong immediately said, "It doesn't sound difficult. Potatoes are readily available. If this method is spread, ordinary people can also enjoy this delicious food. Your Majesty truly cares about the people."

(End of this chapter)