Chapter 187 Jiang Yuan Returns to Camp

Chapter 187 Jiang Yuan Returns to Camp

Accompanied by his two trusted attendants and a group of guards sent by Xie Wanniang, Xie Daoheng arrived at the inn to meet up with the remaining men he had brought with him.

Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang were not in a hurry to go back. Together with Hao Yu and the others who arrived at the clothing shop a step later than them, they escorted Xie Daoheng and the others to Shili Pavilion outside the city. Only after Xie Daoheng firmly stopped them from seeing them off further.

Leading her horse, Xie Wanniang stood outside the Shili Pavilion until Xie Daoheng's caravan had disappeared from sight. Only then did she return to Yi County with Jiang Yuan, Hao Yu, and the others, feeling dejected.

Parting and sorrow were inevitable, but before Jiang Yuan and the others could persuade her, Xie Wanniang had already calmed herself down.

She regained her fighting spirit and rolled up her sleeves to continue making money.

Seeing her like that, Jiang Yuan felt relieved, but also became even more determined to continue to make meritorious contributions and get promoted.

He is currently just a lowly commander and cannot yet stand against his and Xie Wanniang's biological parents. In order for both of them to live more comfortably, he must put in more effort.

The young couple's sweet days didn't last long before they became determined again because of the huge hidden dangers surrounding their own and each other's backgrounds.

Jiang Yuan, who had taken a total of ten days off, left soon. On the day he left, Xie Wanniang, along with all the cooks and assistants from the mansion and the clothing shop, prepared several cartloads of steamed buns, scallion rolls, braised pork hock, stewed ribs, braised pork belly, as well as braised pork head, offal, bones, chicken, duck, dried tofu, eggs, kelp, lotus root, and so on for him.

In addition, Xie Wanniang also prepared a lot of liquor for them that she had purchased from a distillery in the county town.

Most of the time, soldiers are not allowed to drink alcohol in the army. However, there are some special occasions, such as when soldiers have to go out on patrol in the dead of winter. In these cases, the army will not only not prohibit soldiers from drinking alcohol, but will also distribute some liquor to them regularly and in fixed quantities to save their lives.

This liquor could be drunk to warm the body or used to treat wounds in an emergency; it could be considered a life-saving medicine for the soldiers.

Jiang Yuan will give most of the liquor Xie Wanniang prepared to the general in charge of logistics in the army, and the remaining small portion will belong to him, his friends, and his soldiers.

Chang Yao never expected that Jiang Yuancheng's marriage would not only allow them to freeload meat, but also bring them a large quantity of liquor as a gift from Xie Wanniang.

He had the military doctor and the general in charge of logistics check everything according to regulations, and only after confirming that there were no problems did he wave his hand and order the items to be carried to the warehouse.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan hurriedly grabbed a small portion and quickly distributed it to those he was on good terms with and those under his supervision.

As for the two jars he originally intended to keep for himself, one of them was brazenly taken by another captain who came over after smelling the wine.

Jiang Yuan and he had a life-or-death friendship. It was just a jar of wine. Besides a helpless smile, what could he possibly do but take it back?

Fortunately, he was quick enough to hide his last jar of wine in his locked cabinet before the other captains arrived.

Chang Yao couldn't help but laugh, but he could understand everyone's fondness for strong liquor.

The northern border is bitterly cold, and these soldiers stationed on the front line have to go out on patrol every day, braving the wind and snow. For them, strong liquor is just as important as dry rations and water.

However, compared to dry food and water, they had a much harder time getting their hands on strong liquor.

Firstly, in order to prevent the private sector from brewing large quantities of wine, consuming grain, and causing famine, the imperial court strictly controlled the annual amount of wine brewed by both private and official workshops.

Secondly, current brewing technology is not mature enough, and it is actually very difficult to brew high-proof liquor, which also consumes more raw materials.

With its high price and limited quantity, coupled with their limited military budget, this strong liquor became a rare commodity for them.

Jiang Yuan had casually mentioned this to Xie Wan Niang, which is why Xie Wan Niang gifted them a batch of liquor.

As Chang Yao and other generals arrived uninvited, even lower-ranking military officers and ordinary soldiers who were not under Jiang Yuan's command came over with their bowls to freeload.

It wasn't that they were greedy; it was just that the aroma of the meat Xie Wanniang had prepared, after being heated, was so enticing that their hands and feet seemed to have their own minds.

Without a second thought, everyone instinctively grabbed their bowls and chopsticks and quickened their pace toward the direction from which the aroma was coming.

Since everyone was already there, Jiang Yuan's cooks felt awkward about forcibly driving them away. After all, they were brothers who had fought together on the battlefield, and even if they weren't under Jiang Yuan's command, they still had a life-or-death bond with each other.

Several people came over to ask Jiang Yuan for instructions, looking somewhat embarrassed. After a moment's thought, Jiang Yuan simply took out one of the silver notes that Xie Wanniang had prepared for him and said, "Go and buy a few pigs from the logistics department, kill them, and stew them in the braising sauce I brought for everyone to eat."

The cooks here can't cook to Xie Wanniang's standard, but they all have the skill to break down a pig into pieces and stew it in braising sauce until it's flavorful.

Upon hearing this, Chang Yao also took out a silver note, "Let's buy some more flour, rice, pickled vegetables and such, so that everyone can have a good meal."

Upon hearing this, the others also pooled their money to improve the meals for their soldiers.

The cook grinned and rubbed his hands together. Good heavens, they had fine grains and pork; it was like they were celebrating the New Year early!

When Jiang Yuan saw that everyone had given money, he quickly sent one of his personal guards over to help.

"Da Yang, could you help count the amount of money, and then take a few men to help the kitchen staff move some things?"

It wasn't that his cooks would embezzle the money; he just wanted to make things public.

Firstly, cooks are not good at accounting. Even if they don't embezzle a single penny, the money they spend will eventually become a mess.

Secondly, this money doesn't belong to him alone, so he needs to let everyone know where it's been used.

This is something he learned from Xie Wanniang: doing everything openly and honestly not only makes it easier to gain the trust of those around him, but also prevents others from having the opportunity to smear or slander him later.

In short, doing everything openly and leaving a trace is beneficial to him and others.

The others didn't think much of it. When other cooks brought over hot and fragrant meat, most of them went straight to eat and drink. Only three people, including Chang Yao, glanced at Jiang Yuan with meaningful looks and smiles.

Jiang Yuan didn't care; let him watch. He was completely open and honest.

The personal guards he had sent out, along with the cooks who were so happy they wanted to jump up and down, quickly told the other soldiers outside the tent about how the generals had raised money to subsidize everyone's meat.

Those soldiers who weren't qualified to go in and drink and eat meat with Chang Yao, Jiang Yuan, and the others suddenly erupted in cheers loud enough to lift the roof off.