Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

Li Xueyan held up her chubby cheek with one hand. After such a long time in the carriage, she had only eaten and slept. She had gained a lot of weight compared to before. "What a pity..."

"Yes, it's the mutton sauce. It can't be used in the army." Jiang Shangxian was reluctant to give up this opportunity. If she could establish a relationship with Li Erfeng, she would have national insurance for the rest of her life as long as she didn't do anything stupid.

And the corn rice she mentioned just now refers to the soldiers' rations during normal times when there is no war, which usually consists of corn rice, soybean paste and a little salt. Ordinary soldiers rarely even get to eat vegetables. Although there are vegetable gardens in the garrison, the output is only enough to supply middle and high-level generals.

As for meat, I ate even less, maybe once a month. So, being a soldier in ancient times was not an easy thing, at least in terms of eating, it was quite tiring. Apart from being full, there were basically no other advantages.

As for the withholding of military rations, such things did not happen often in official history. Military commanders wanted to get promoted and make money mainly by military merit. If they wanted to get promoted and make money alive, they had to rely on their soldiers to fight. How can you win a battle without feeding your soldiers?

Compared with low-level corruption such as embezzling military pay, officers prefer to collect insurance premiums, accept gifts from merchant caravans, resell weapons and armor, and falsely report losses.

If war breaks out, the food will be even worse. People usually eat "glutinous rice", which is corn cooked and dried, and then mixed with water when eating. It is simply to fill their stomachs so that they can work harder.

The scenes of nomadic soldiers, that is, our enemies, eating meat and drinking wine as described in general novels and film and television dramas are not completely absent, but they are not common. Cattle and sheep are precious assets to nomadic peoples. Even today, herders on the grasslands rarely kill their own cattle.

When they occasionally slaughtered a sick or dying cattle or sheep, they had to hand over the meat to the nobles, and could only keep some offal and other meats of poor quality. Their staple food was dairy products and various grains, and their wine was basically fermented dairy wine such as kumis.

Otherwise it would be just like what we see on TV, where people are tall and strong and eat delicious food every day, with their stomachs full of oil, while we eat corn and bean paste every day. What's the point of fighting then?

As for the steamed buns shown on TV, forget it. They are large in size and light in weight, with half air and half carbohydrates. Even Prime Minister Zhuge Liang only used steamed buns when offering sacrifices to the souls of the Nanman soldiers. Normally, the Prime Minister would not dare to feed these things to the soldiers.

"We can use elk biscuits as dry rations for the army. That's very convenient!"

Jiang Shangxian racked his brains for a long time, killing a lot of brain cells, and finally thought of something.

Li Xueyan quickly stopped talking, wiped the corner of her mouth, and looked like she was listening attentively: "What is an elk cake?"

"Just grind the millet into powder, mix it with boiling water, and press it into long, firm strips. Once it's cooled, cut it into chess piece-sized pieces and dry it in the sun."

This food was actually a popular military ration in the late Tang Dynasty. While it wasn't particularly delicious, it was at least better than soaked corn in water. "As long as it's dried well, it can be stored well. You can soak it in boiling water or eat it dry. It's slightly sweet and won't make you thirsty."

"This is good!" Although Li Xueyan had never tasted it before, she was now more convinced of Jiang Shangxian after trying it. She quickly called out to Yanxia, ​​"Quick, write down this elk pancake!"

"Yes, Wu Niang."

Seeing that she had said something, Li Xueyan kept pestering her, "Anything else? Anything else? Think about it again. The more the better. I'll go to His Majesty and ask for your commendation!"

Consumption needs stimulation, the human brain needs stimulation, even a donkey needs a carrot to stimulate it. Jiang Shangxian gradually lost himself in Li Xueyan's encouraging and admiring eyes, and was about to say something when he slammed the table with great passion.

Suddenly her brain froze for a moment, and she looked at Li Xueyan with a very strange look, as if she had seen a fellow mentally retarded person: "Wu Niang, it seems that our dynasty has a military system..."

Li Xueyan's eyes suddenly widened like Black Cat Sheriff, and then she gasped, hands on her hips, and complained: "That's right! What's wrong with you? You've led me astray!"

As expected, the old saying is always true, birds of a feather flock together. There is a reason why the two of them can become friends!

Jiang Shangxian was so angry that she rolled her eyes. She had forgotten that it was the prosperous Tang Dynasty and the country was still under the system of military service. It was not until the time of Li Longji that the system was changed to the conscription system.

The most significant feature of the Fubing system was the integration of soldiers and farmers, and joint governance of soldiers and civilians – soldiers brought their own food to battle!!!

"They bring their own food, so why is Your Majesty still worrying about military rations?" Jiang Shangxian began to feel sorry for her dead brain cells. She said, some things should be done by people with brains.

It's a waste for her to use her brain occasionally.

As a member of the Li family, Li Xueyan, although still young and a girl, knew something about the military system. It was just that Jiang Shangxian was too confident just now, and she really didn't understand the affairs of the army, so she was led astray by her.

Her mind returning to her thoughts, she pondered, "Perhaps Your Majesty wants to eat while traveling? Or perhaps... every time the palace leaves food for the winter, those officials always act like they're visiting a grave, secretly complaining that the food is unpalatable and that cold food hurts their stomachs..."

Jiang Shangxian had a blank expression on his face. He just wanted to get this embarrassing black history over with as soon as possible. "Maybe. Give each of them a big bowl with instant noodles in it. After they sit down, pour boiling water on them one by one..."

In the end, Jiang Shangxian, completely humiliated, told Li Xueyan the instant noodle recipe. In addition to the braised lamb sauce, he also gave her sauerkraut lamb sauce, braised lamb sauce, spicy chicken sauce, and pea and minced meat sauce.

If she hadn't considered that her own little Cui would also have the opportunity to eat in the palace, she would have wanted to add sour bamboo shoots to it, making Erfeng stink to death!

This actually falls into the category of impotent rage and venting one's anger on others.

Li Xueyan repeatedly assured her that she would try her best to find a way to get some benefits from His Majesty, and asked her not to be too discouraged, and at least give her the New Year gift specially prepared by Zhao Shan.

Jiang Shangxian:......

Jiang Shangxian didn't even have the courage to mention this matter to Cui Bianxu the next day!

She didn't know what Li Shimin was going to use this for, but at the end of February, she suddenly received news that her future mother-in-law and future aunt were coming to Chang'an!

"Ah? Then what should I do?" Jiang Shangxian asked Jian Ming, who came hurriedly to report the news, a question that would never happen to the person being asked in this life.

Jian Ming scratched his head: "Nothing, right? Jiulang didn't say anything. My wife is kind and gentle, and she always speaks softly. Miss Jiang, don't worry."

Okay, she kind of wanted to send Jianming to Chengdu to be a 0.