In the fifth month, when the flowers of the scholar trees were in full bloom, these small, white flowers would fall to the ground in the breeze, filling the air with their sweet fragrance.
Mama Bai said to Yuxi, "Madam, I have learned how to make Scholar Tree Flower Rice📹 from Mama Yu. Would you like to try it?" With limited dishes on the table, it was easy for one to get tired of them. So, for the past two years, Mama Bai had been learning not only from Master Man and Master Yu but also from others, trying to bring more variety to Yuxi's table.
Yuxi smiled and replied, "Let's have a taste of it for lunch."
This Scholar Tree Flower Rice was a speciality of Shanxi and other regions, and it was unclear how Mama Yu learned to make it. However, the method was simple: coat the scholar tree flowers in flour, add salt and chilli powder, steam them in a pot, add boiled oil and a little sesame oil, sprinkle with chopped spring onions, soy sauce and other seasonings, and mix well before serving.
At lunchtime, Yuxi took a few bites but didn't finish it. She didn't like the taste very much. Yun Qing, on the other hand, ate the whole plate and seemed to want more.
Yuxi chuckled and suggested, "If you like it, shall we have Scholar Tree Flower Dumplings📹 for dinner?" After eating too much of one thing, even the most delicious food becomes unappetising, so it was better to vary the dishes.
Working from home had its perks, especially when it came to meals. If he hadn't diligently practised his swords every morning and evening, he would surely have gained weight: "Let's skip the dumplings and have Scholar Tree Flower Rice for dinner. Xu Wu and Xu Daniu both like it, so make more."
Yuxi nodded, "Alright." She wasn't sure what Xu Wu and Xu Daniu liked to eat, but no matter what the cooks prepared, they always enjoyed it.
In the evening, Ermao, one of Feng Dajun's guards, returned and told Yun Qing, "General, we've recovered most of the stolen food." Not only did they manage to recover the food, but the bandits' ill-gotten gains also ended up in Feng Dajun's hands.
Yun Qing was not surprised by this outcome, as he had told Feng Dajun to act according to the situation. This meant that if the bandits were too numerous or powerful, they should be persuaded and threatened to return the grain. Otherwise, they should be eliminated outright. Yun Qing asked, "Were there any casualties?"
Ermao replied, "No serious injuries, but over sixty have minor ones. We only killed those who resisted, and we released those who didn't." He quickly explained, "Battalion Head Daren2 said that those bandits who didn't dare to resist were all local villagers. Government officials' actions had forced them to become bandits. They only took the risk of robbing our grain because they had no food and were starving to death." They wouldn't dare to steal from the Northwest Army's supplies if they had any other way to survive. This act was simply suicidal.
Yun Qing frowned and simply asked, "Then when will they arrive in Yu City?" He had always heard Yuxi talk about the corrupt administration, but this time, he was experiencing it first-hand. Last year, the weather was good, and under normal circumstances, people should have been able to survive. But now, they were even robbing the Northwest Army's grain, which showed how bad the situation was.
Ermao replied, "It will take half a month at the most." The six hundred elite soldiers had gone to Long County fully armed, riding horses day and night, and it had taken them only eight days to reach Long County. They had travelled light on the way there, but on the way back, they were carrying hundreds of thousands of dan1 of grain, so their speed naturally slowed down.
Yun Qing nodded and motioned for Ermao to withdraw. After thinking for a moment, he went to the backyard and told Yuxi about it: "Three hundred and forty thousand dan1 of grain, with a loss of sixteen thousand dan1."
Yuxi wasn't very interested in the lost grain. She asked, "I heard that the bandits in Long County had nearly two thousand men. Feng Dajun even dared to attack their mountain stronghold with only six hundred men?" He was courageous.
Yun Qing smiled proudly. "Those bandits were just a disorderly crowd. The army that Dajun led was the elite of the Dingbei Army. They could easily fight them ten-to-one, not to mention that when Dajun led his troops up the mountain, the bandits weren't even prepared." When Feng Dajun led his troops up the mountain, those bandits were having a good time, still enjoying delicious food and drink.
Yuxi commented, "The Northwest Army is indeed strong. If Chen Yu had led the Northwest Army that day, even if the number of bandits on Maluo Mountain was twice as many, he could have wiped them out." With such a strong fighting force, they were no match for the bandits.
Yun Qing said, "If I had led the troops, I could have wiped out the bandits on Maluo Mountain with only three thousand men." He wasn't exaggerating. The Northwest Army was strong, and their equipment was good. Fighting three-to-one was no problem at all.
Yuxi gently shook her head. The Northwest Army had always seemed to be at a disadvantage against the northern barbarians, leading her to believe their fighting skills were only average. But now she realised it wasn't the Northwest Army that was lacking; it was the northern barbarians who were simply too formidable. However, Yuxi didn't intend to tell this to Yun Qing, lest he think she was undermining his prestige and boosting the morale of the northern barbarians: "Did Feng Dajun's army cause any trouble for the locals along the way?"
Yun Qing replied, "My army has strict discipline and would not do anything to disturb the locals." He only answered this question because Yuxi had asked it. If it had been anyone else, he would have given them his sinister look. The Northwestern Army strictly observed military discipline; they would never bother civilians. Yuxi didn't mean to look down on the Northwest Army; she was just asking a question.
Yuxi nodded. "This matter is worth making public." Letting the people know that the Northwest Army was strictly disciplined would be beneficial to them.🦊
Yun Qing didn't quite understand the meaning of Yuxi's actions.
Yuxi didn't explain. She just said, "You'll find out later. But this matter should be done without leaving any traces back to us."
Yun Qing's curiosity had always been weak, so when he saw that Yuxi didn't say anything, he didn't ask any more questions. He wondered, "I just don't know if the grain that Han Ji purchased from Jiangnan can safely reach Yu City." The grain from Jiangnan was the most important, while the grain from Taiyuan was secondary.
Yuxi smiled and said, "Since you're worried, then send someone to meet them. Don't send too many; just send out three to five hundred people." The local officials were ruthless and corrupt. The regional garrison guards must not be much better. If the regional army failed to suppress the bandits, Yuxi believed that the Northwest Army would be asked to take over the task. If that happened, it would be good to let the Northwest Army go out and show off so that people could see the difference between the regional and Northwest Army. If they couldn't get any real benefits from it, they could at least earn a good reputation.
Yun Qing thought momentarily before responding, "Five hundred is too noticeable. Let's go with three hundred!" Three hundred men were not many, but they were not few either.
After Yun Qing returned to the front courtyard, Yuxi instructed someone to summon Yun Shan, who was previously known as Ying Shanhong. Yuxi changed his name to Yun Shan to give him a sense of belonging.
When Yuxi saw Yun Shan, she asked, "You often go back and forth to northern barbarians, so do you know why they are so much stronger than the Northwest Army?" During battles, the Northwest Army always outnumbered the barbarians, yet they were often at a disadvantage when it came to direct confrontation. It was only because of Yu City, a natural barrier, that they could withstand the powerful cavalry of the northern barbarians. Otherwise, how could they stop them?
Yun Shan replied, "The northern raiders have lived on horseback since childhood, and their way of life revolves around nomadic hunting, making their horsemanship unmatched by us."
After a moment's thought, Yuxi asked, "How does their diet differ from ours?" Not only were the northern barbarians superior in horsemanship to the Northwestern Army, but they were also more physically fit.
Yun Shan explained, "They consume meat such as beef, lamb, and horse meat and drink mare's milk, sheep's milk, and cow's milk." Their diet was primarily meat-based.
Yuxi understood. No wonder these people were more physically fit than those from the Central Plains. They had been drinking goat's milk and other things since childhood, so their health was naturally better. Like her, she had been drinking goat meat since she was young, and her health was better than most people's.
Something suddenly occurred to Yun Shan. "The northern barbarians are used to drinking mare's milk and the like. When they don't have it during battles, they evaporate the mare's and goat's milk into powder. Dehydrating it into powder makes it easier to carry on marches and battles. When they want to drink it, they just put it in a leather water pouch, fill it with water, and it's ready to drink."
Yuxi blurted out, "Are you talking about milk powder?" She had heard of it in her previous life but didn't know much else about it.🦊
Yun Shan thought Yuxi had heard of it before and nodded. "Milk powder is a fitting name. However, our people aren't used to it because it tastes too strong." The smell alone could make you want to gag; who could drink that?
Yuxi said, "Drinking goat's milk is very good for your health. I've been drinking it too." However, the goat's milk she drank had almonds and chrysanthemums added during boiling to remove the pungent taste, and sugar was added afterwards. However, almonds and sugar were precious commodities, and supplying the army in large quantities was impossible. Chrysanthemums, on the other hand, were not expensive.
Thinking about it, Yuxi asked, "Do you think ordering the Northwestern Army to drink goat milk, mare's milk, and the like would work?" Daily meat consumption was not feasible, but Yuxi didn't think providing them with dairy products would be too difficult. However, she worried these people wouldn't want to drink it.
Yun Shan replied, "The Northwest Army has one hundred thousand men; if each had to drink it daily, that would be a considerable amount."
Yuxi stated, "We can't supply them all; we can start by making some of them drink it. But I'm worried they won't want to."
Yun Shan smiled. "Madam, there's no need to worry. They will drink it as long as they know it's good for their health. If not, let the General issue an order; they will have to drink it even if they don't want to." He was afraid that when they wanted to drink it later, they wouldn't be able to.
Yuxi said, "Let's take it slowly, no rush." It wasn't difficult to raise goats; many people in Yu City could do it. The only problem was that there were no vast grasslands here, just like outside the Great Wall. It was unrealistic to raise them in large numbers. However, as long as there was a direction, they would strive towards it. One day, everyone would have milk to drink every day.
Yun Shan looked at Yuxi and sincerely expressed, "Madam is the lucky star to the people and soldiers of Yu City." Not only had she taken care of those war orphans, but she had also worked hard to improve the soldiers' lives. The one hundred thousand soldiers of Yu City were indeed fortunate to have a General's wife like her.
Everyone loved to hear praise, and Yuxi was no exception. But she humbly responded, "I'm just doing what I can."
Yun Shan said, "Madam is too modest. Who in Yu City doesn't appreciate the General and Madam's kindness these days? If the Marshal saw all this today, he would surely be pleased." It was a pity that the young general had married the shallow-minded Xu Shi. if only he'd married a virtuous woman like Yuxi, he wouldn't have ended up in such a situation. What the old generation said was right: when you want to take a wife, marry a virtuous woman.
Proverb meaning: There is always someone better, more skilled, or more accomplished than you. No matter how good you are at something, there will always be someone who excels even further.
Footnotes Full List
- a traditional unit of volume, esp. for grain, equal to 100 sheng (市升), and equivalent to 100 litres or 176 pints
- title of respect toward superiors
- Is Yuxi trying to use the Northwest Army to clean up Yun Qing's bad reputation with other people from other areas?
- It must have been the dead transmigrator's idea.
きつね's Musing
The title of this chapter comes from a Chinese proverb. It means that no matter how good you are at something, there will always be someone better.
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi