Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

The alliance with Whiterun went very smoothly. We named this organization "Taros Alliance". The main purpose is to overthrow the humiliating White-Gold Accord, drive the Thalmor out of Skyrim, and protect the freedom of the Nords to believe in Taros. Balgruuf has mastered the skill of sitting on the fence. This program neither states that Skyrim will be independent from the Empire, nor defines the Stormcloaks as a rebellious organization, nor even makes a clear judgment on the ownership of the throne of the Supreme King. This will naturally make it easier for him to change his mind and form alliances among several forces in the future.

We all agreed that Lord Balgruuf was the most suitable leader, and he accepted it calmly after a few humble words. Although he was poor in governance, lacked strategic thinking, was good at making plans but could not make decisions, and his military accomplishments were definitely not outstanding, he was indeed the person whose prestige and influence among the nine lords was second only to Lord Ulfric. Even if General Tullius was included, Balgruuf's overall strength was firmly in the top three. Danger's lordship was once overthrown by the Imperial Legion, and in the end he had to rely on colluding with bandits to barely regain some power. On the other hand, Balgruuf withstood the pressure and maintained his position in a complex situation. As for Sidger, whether he was real or pretending, our statement to the outside world was that he had been scared crazy by the werewolves sent by the Empire, and could not exercise the power of the lord, let alone become the leader.

It's sad to say this, but I still say:

When there are no heroes, Shuzi became famous.

Of course, we gave up the position of leader in exchange for some benefits. For example, although both sides are in an offensive and defensive alliance, the troops in battle are commanded by their own generals. If we consider it from the perspective of the entire alliance, this will undoubtedly seriously weaken the combat effectiveness of the coalition forces, and it is even likely to lead to failure due to poor coordination. However, Balgruuf is politically ambitious, and we really don't feel comfortable handing over our army to him to lead, and using the lives of the men of Falkreath to expand his territory for him.

There is one more thing that Tagel and I have reached a consensus on, that is, our tactics have a fatal shortcoming. Both the Reachman Guard and the Falkreath army are only good at fighting in small groups on rugged terrain. Once they enter the great plains of Whiterun, it will be difficult to gain an advantage. Plains combat emphasizes the combination of frontal contact and flank maneuvers, and pays more attention to the maintenance of the overall formation and the breakthrough ability of mobile forces. We need time to study new tactics in order to adapt to the new combat environment. Otherwise, if Tullius seizes the opportunity to fight a comeback, the reputation and prestige we have worked so hard to build will be gone.

I have only discussed this idea with the Danger brothers, and have not even told the Nanya Steward. We believe that Dad will come to a similar conclusion. Before we make up for our shortcomings, we will never easily leave our home ground to fight. What we announced to the outside world is that Falkreath is in need of reconstruction, the territory needs protection, and the soldiers also need further training, so there is no plan to expand for the time being. Lord Balgruuf expressed his understanding of this.

Balgruuf and Danger also finalized some other matters, such as ransoming captives, defining the patrol range of guards, protecting trade routes, and communication and coordination mechanisms. Both sides tacitly decided not to station permanent envoys in each other's courts. Since everyone has some troubles that are not worth telling outsiders, it is better to keep a polite distance.

After the covenant was officially signed and took effect, Lord Balgruuf said that he would notify other lords and General Tullius in the name of the Talos Alliance, saying that our alliance is open-minded and welcomes all forces committed to expelling the Thalmor and pursuing freedom. I laughed secretly, thinking that Balgruuf was really impatient and couldn't wait to stab his old enemy Ulfric. The banner of the Stormcloaks before was to fight for faith, but judging from the fact that Ulfric assassinated Torygg, he obviously wanted more than just the freedom of the Nords.

Ulfric had previously put pressure on Balgruuf to join the Stormcloaks and fight for the faith of the Nords and the independence of Skyrim. Now that Balgruuf is really fighting for faith, what should Ulfric do? He can't say that only the faith of the Stormcloaks is the real faith, right? Since we are all fighting for Talos, why do we have to join the Stormcloaks? Or why can we only join the Stormcloaks? Our alliance is open. Balgruuf does not force the lords who join the alliance to withdraw from their original camps. As long as they are willing to recognize the sacred faith of Talos, even if General Tullius turns his back on us and surrenders with courtesy, he will still remain a noble.

Of course, the lords of the Empire may not have the courage to do so. From the dismissal of Danger, it can be seen that Tullius still has a strong control over the lords of his own camp, and the general himself will not betray the emperor. But those in the Stormcloaks are not certain. This is a blatant attempt to steal Ulfric's favor! Lord Collier of Winterhold has always wanted to enhance his presence, and Morningstar and Whiterun have close trade relations. These two territories can be fought for. Once successful, the minerals and ports of Morningstar City, the food of Whiterun Territory, and the wood of Falkreath Territory will all be used by us, and the Talos Alliance will become the largest force in Skyrim.

If Ulfric cannot tolerate the existence of the Talos Alliance, then his character of pleading for the people and sacrificing for his faith will collapse immediately, and all Nords will see his true face. At that time, it is hard to say whether the Stormcloak faction can exist, so he can only suffer this loss in silence, and even exchange interests with us to a certain extent. This is not all bad for him. In this civil war, the Stormcloak faction has been at a disadvantage, and Ulfric needs a buffer period for him to regroup.

The only drawback is that we are between the two major camps of the Empire and the Stormcloaks. If we are caught in the middle, it will be bad. However, it seems that the contradictions between the two sides are difficult to reconcile, and the possibility of cooperation is almost non-existent. Tullius's mission to Skyrim actually has two parts, one is to put down the rebellion of the Stormcloaks, and the other is to ensure the implementation of the Platinum Agreement. Previously, these two tasks could be combined into one, but now they can't. If he wants to wipe out the Stormcloaks, he only needs to face the resistance of half of Skyrim; but if he implements the Platinum Agreement, he will face two-thirds of the power of Skyrim. No matter how big Tullius's palm is, can it still cover the sky?

Skyrim may be experiencing a rare period of peace. But this is a peace with undercurrents. All parties will definitely gather strength in secret. When the war breaks out again, it will be a day of great suffering.

The meeting mainly discussed diplomatic and military issues, but there were some unexpected gains. During the break in the negotiations, Eddie, a famous chef from Helgen Town, presented the participants with very special delicacies. Although the juniper honey wine was delicious, it was still within everyone's cognition; although the pine needle tea was unexpected, it was reasonable; but those dumplings and noodles were really unheard of and incredible. You have to know that there are many well-traveled and knowledgeable people present, such as Lord Balgruuf's servant, the dark elf Irileth, this woman has traveled almost all over Tamriel, but has never tasted such novel and delicious food.

So in addition to receiving orders for gin, Eddie also received some invitations. Several big families hoped to invite him to Whiterun City to host their own banquets when it was convenient for him. After expressing his honor and gratitude, Eddie declined the invitation and said that his current cooking skills needed to be improved and that he was too busy running the inn. In this way, he was evaluated as humble and indifferent to fame and fortune. Not only did the number of people who came to invite him not decrease, but they all raised their prices. In the end, it was Tagel who helped him out, saying that since the lord's wife was pregnant and had a picky taste, only Eddie could cater to her preferences. In this way, everyone could not force it and had to give up with regret, but they turned to congratulate Tagel and Danger and agreed to come to the banquet when the prince turned one year old.

After the meeting, Eddie and I went to Guanhu Farm. I am the manager of this territory and need to pay attention to the construction here. Eddie wanted to purchase agricultural products from here and also wanted to go back to the Pinewood Watchtower to reminisce.

We found several good fishing spots on the south shore of Lake Irinata before, so we plan to build a fishery here to provide a stable supply of aquatic products. There is a very delicious fish in the rivers and lakes of Skyrim. It is called salmon in the game, but its meat is called salmon meat, which is too much to complain about. From a biological point of view, salmon is the common name of Pacific salmon, and salmon is the commercial name of Atlantic salmon. Both are salmonids with migratory behavior. As for non-migratory salmon, they belong to the genus Trout of the family Salmonidae. Therefore, it is most appropriate to call these fish in Lake Irinata trout. Trout meat has no tiny thorns, and the intermuscular fat layer is particularly thick. It tastes mild and refreshing, tender and plump, with a delicate and chewy taste. It is known as the "freshwater salmon". The only disadvantage is that freshwater fish are prone to parasites, which cannot be killed by alcohol and salt, but as long as they are thoroughly cooked, they are safe and worry-free, and you can enjoy them.

The person in charge of the fishery is Baron Sengard. He was polite but cold to me. I can understand that. If my father is the biggest beneficiary of the series of changes in Falkreath, then Baron Sengard can be said to be the biggest victim. The family's territory was occupied by the Forsworn, and all our savings were given to the Reachmen as bargaining chips. The newly acquired industry was taken back by the lord because we were unable to operate it. No matter who encountered this, I'm afraid it would be hard to laugh. However, in order to appease him, Danger promised that he would take the majority of the income from the fishery. I also instructed Eddie to purchase more and find him a few ways to eat fish. The Nords eat fish either by boiling soup or roasting. They don't know how to steam, fry, stew, or braise. As a cook, I can't help but shake my head.

Baron Sengard was an old-fashioned nobleman who had never done any housework. The fishery was a relatively simple task in the reconstruction, but he messed it up. On the other hand, his neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Mathis, were in a much better situation. The family had already come out of the shadow of losing their little daughter, and the two half-grown boys were able to help their parents with some work. In addition, the Rich people who came to learn farming and help build houses made the entire Guanhu Farm full of vitality and everything was flourishing.

Matisse planned the farm into three parts: residential area, planting area and breeding area. In the future, it will not only provide food and vegetables, but also produce poultry, meat and eggs. So far, it has already raised several chicks and four piglets.

"Brother, do you still remember the time when we refined lard?"

Eddie asked me with a strange smile. That was when we lived in the Pinewood Watchtower. I was appointed by Rigel as Eddie's assistant to cook for the brothers. As a Chinese chef, I had to think about cooking wherever I went, and I needed oil to cook, so I decided to make lard myself. This is actually not a difficult task. Can you be called a chef if you can't make lard? You can only be called a Western chef, and in a Chinese restaurant you are called an apprentice, and you may not be liked by the master. So I did it, and then I had that unforgettable experience.

The pigs in Tianji were not castrated, so they had a fishy smell. Rigel didn't like this smell at first, and now she was pregnant, she couldn't stand it. But I didn't know this at the time until the whole house was filled with a disgusting pungent smell, and the lard was finally unrefined. The smell was too strong, and it lingered for three days. Rigel had a keen nose and would beat me up almost every time he smelled it. Later, the brothers called torture "refining lard". To say that someone was "refining lard" was to beat him up severely.

But pork is actually a very good food. It has a thick intermuscular fat layer, tastes smooth and plump, and has a delicate and chewy taste. It is known as the "land salmon". The only drawback is that it is easy to breed parasites, which cannot be killed by alcohol and salt. However, as long as it is thoroughly cooked, it is safe and worry-free, and you can enjoy it with relish. Some idiots slander pork as dirty or even poisonous because of improper breeding and cooking. Not only do they not eat it themselves, they even forbid others to enjoy it. I can only say that bitches are just hypocritical.

As for castration techniques, I remember Moira had an apprentice who said he had superb knife skills and could cut off Eric's love. I think I can talk to these Rich people, maybe someone among them is good at this? If I can get high-quality pork and lard, I can make more tricks, especially fried foods. I don't believe anyone can resist that kind of temptation.

Matisse was reluctant to castrate the pigs because they might die and that meant he would have to buy new piglets every year, so I had to agree to give him a separate grant for purchasing and testing, and promised to buy the castrated pigs.

After leaving Lakeview Farm, I accompanied Eddie to visit the Pinewood Watchtower. Lydia's eyes were clearly suspicious, probably because the two of us acted too familiar with this place, and Eddie was arm in arm with Lorak, very familiar. But she didn't say anything after all, and silently followed me on the road back to Falkreath.