Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 183: Abandon the Hu people and become a man

Food these days is just like that.

Especially for picnics during the march, most of the time, millet and beans are mixed together and cooked. After it is cooked, those who are particular will add sauce, salt and leeks, while those who are not particular will just pick a few handfuls of wild vegetables and put them in. They will eat it while it is hot to fill their stomachs.

Of course, Liu Huai naturally wanted to be more particular. To be more precise, it was the armored cavalry of the Loyalty Army that had better food.

This was also clearly announced to the entire army, because the armored cavalry had to undertake the most dangerous tasks, tackle the toughest problems, and fight the most difficult battles. Therefore, the armored cavalry not only had good food, high rewards and pensions, but also had to be ranked at the front when it came to commendations.

This is also easy to explain. Would the soldiers fighting on the front line want to enjoy the same treatment as the civilians? The reason is the same. The armored cavalry also don't want to be treated the same as the spear array. Otherwise, who would follow Liu Dalang into the crowd?

The greatest injustice is to share the food equally among the people!
If you are envious of these benefits, then during the next open selection, you can show your abilities to the respective officers. If you are qualified and join the army, you can also have these benefits.

Back to the armored cavalry's food, in addition to the most basic beans and millet, they could also have a few flatbreads and a piece of dried meat. Although these things were not considered anything in later times, they were already considered a great delicacy in the north at that time.

For officers like Liu Huai, there was no preferential treatment in terms of food. What they ate was almost the same as what the soldiers under their command ate, except that the portions were larger.

A big pot was set up at the door of Adianlun's house. Someone fetched water from the well and brought more firewood, and soon the water in the pot was boiled.

Liu Huai chopped up the dough that was hard enough to kill people, then chopped up two pieces of dried meat and threw them into the pot along with a handful of salt. After a while, it became a big pot of noodle soup.

At this time, the farmers had all gone out and were standing near or far away, staring blankly at the big pot of noodle soup, stretching their necks like ducks with their throats strangled, swallowing their saliva with difficulty.

Liu Huai took a large ladle and four wooden bowls from his horse, first filled them for Zhang Baiyu and others who were still drinking water from their horses, and then handed the ladle to Adianlun, who also had an eager look on his face.

"There's enough for you to eat. Divide among yourselves and don't make any trouble."

After saying that, Liu Huai took the wooden bowl and went aside.

Adianlun took the ladle, was stunned for a moment, and then said happily: "Each of you take out a bowl and put them in front of me, quickly!"

As if worried that Liu Huai would go back on his word, a dozen villagers in total returned to the house, took out their bowls and placed them in front of Adianlun.

Adianlun said loudly, "No matter whose bowl it is, you can take whatever you want later, but each person can only take one bowl. I've divided the porridge in the pot among you, and I'll take it last! This is the fairest way, don't you understand?"

Liu Huai was standing aside, drinking the porridge in his bowl and nodding secretly.

It really is the fairest.

The villagers didn't know whether they understood the trick of Atian's theory of rice distribution or they were already convinced by him, so they did not raise any objection, but stared at the porridge in the pot.

Zhang Baiyu and Liu Huai stood side by side, eating noodle porridge, watching the villagers a few steps away quickly finish the food they were given, divide the hot pot water, each eat their fill, and then kneel down and kowtow towards them from a distance. They couldn't help but sigh.

Liu Huai raised his eyebrows and smiled, "What's going on? Zhang Silang is starting to feel nostalgic again?"

Zhang Baiyu's handsome face had a complicated expression, but he immediately responded: "Don't laugh at me, Dalang. I'm just a little confused."

Before Liu Huai could ask, Zhang Baiyu said, "These people are all Jurchens. I should... I should... hate them. Yes, I should hate them. I should want to kill them all and chop them into minced meat. But... but I just can't bring myself to hate them. I even want to find a place to put them. Dalang, do you think there's something wrong with me?"

Liu Huai continued to slurp his porridge and pointed at Zhang Baiyu with his other finger. "You're not ill. You can't bear to see him die when he's alive, and you can't bear to eat his flesh when you hear his cry. It's like a gentleman stays away from the kitchen. Zhang Silang has truly mastered the three essences of benevolence."

Zhang Baiyu waved his hand: "Dalang, please stop making fun of me."

Liu Huai's expression turned serious. "How is this a joke? Let me ask you, if you hadn't seen these people, and your soldiers said they had surrounded a Jurchen village, would you have ordered everyone to leave no one alive?"

Zhang Baiyu hesitated for a moment. "If it were before, I would have given the order. But now, I've really seen how miserable these Jurchens are living. I... I don't know anymore..."

Liu Huai also sighed inexplicably: "Yeah, without really taking a look, how could I know that class contradictions have reached a level that can suppress ethnic contradictions?"

"What?" Zhang Baiyu didn't understand and asked quickly.

"Nothing." Liu Huai shook his head. He was about to say something when he saw the old woman walking over with the support of Adianlun. Liu Huai put down the wooden bowl and casually bowed. Just as he was about to say a few words, he heard the old woman say, "Are all the nobles Han Chinese?"

Adianlun was stunned for a moment. He looked at his mother, then at Liu Huai and others. He opened his mouth to speak but was confused and at a loss.

Liu Huai was not surprised: "The old lady has a good eye, but she doesn't know how we revealed the flaw."

The old woman shook her head: "There are too many flaws. Only my impatient and foolish son would mistake you for Jurchen nobles."

"Oh?" Liu Huai seemed a little unconvinced.

The old woman continued, "This is especially true for an old man like me, half buried in the ground. I can tell the difference just by smelling it.

Our Jurchen nobles all smell of knives, while your Han nobles all smell of wheat. The higher the position, the greater the ambition, the stronger the smell.

And the smell of wheat on you, my lord, is so strong that I can smell it from a hundred steps away."

Liu Huai smiled and said nothing: "Then do you still want to follow me?"

The old woman said firmly: "Let's go! We will follow you!"

"Mother?" Adianlun exclaimed in surprise.

"Foolish son." The old woman stamped her feet. "Didn't you say that Yishui County would be in chaos in the next two days? Now that you have a noble person to help you, why don't you follow him? Just because the noble person is Han, you want to go back on your word?
Doesn't that mean you're not a Han Chinese just because you followed that gang leader Song who was digging out manure? Doesn't that mean Master Zhu Sanye, who took in many Jurchen men as riding slaves, is not a Han Chinese?"

Atianlun also came to his senses and nodded heavily.

Of course, as an old woman who has lived for decades and experienced a lot, there is still one thing she hasn't said.

These four strong knights are obviously not good people. You can't treat them as weak and vulnerable just because they show some kindness.

The most important point is that these four Han knights came to Yishui County in secret and no one knows what they are doing. If you want to part ways with them now, what if they turn against you and start killing people in an instant?

Do you really think these dozen old and weak men can fight against these serious knights?

Liu Huai poured out some boiled water from his water bag, rinsed the wooden bowl, and drank it all in one gulp. He wiped his mouth and said, "Since the old lady is so insightful, I might as well speak frankly.

I have a future, wealth, land, and a peaceful life, but these are all earned by us loyal soldiers at the cost of our lives. They are for the Han people, not for the Jurchens."

Liu Huai did not lower his voice, but spoke loudly. Not only was Adianlun in front of him panicked, but even the dozen or so people who had been gathered around the fire and secretly observing this side more than ten steps away were also frightened.

The old woman reacted very quickly and immediately pushed Adianlun to the ground: "My son can also be a Han Chinese."

Liu Huai then put his hands on his hips and laughed out loud: "It's not that easy to be a Han Chinese. First, you have to change your customs, change your Chinese name, learn Chinese characters, and then you have to register your household and reclaim wasteland. Are you willing to do all this?"

The old woman said quickly, "My son has long stopped shaving his head and wears a bun. He also knows Chinese characters, but his name hasn't been changed yet. Please give him a name."

Adianlun also reacted and kowtowed deeply: "Please give me a name, sir."

Liu Huai glanced at the dozen or so people who were still stunned and said slowly, "If we were to fight in battle, you Jurchens would need to be tried, executed on the battlefield, and then reformed through labor before you could become Han people. But now that you have voluntarily surrendered, you can skip these steps."

"Adianlun." Liu Huai said, "From now on, you will be called Dianlun, and everyone else in the Adian tribe will follow suit!"

"Thank you, my dear!"

Liu Huai continued, "Madam, tell them to pack up and get some rest. We'll set off at dawn tomorrow morning."

(End of this chapter)