Chapter 33 Throwing Food Was the Zhenbei Army too kind? They actually…

Chapter 33 Throwing Food Is the Zhenbei Army a bit too good? Actually...

In the Zhenbei Army camp, Xu Shou stood on a watchtower that had just been built by laborers, gazing at the city wall of Yuyang City.

Seeing that the gates of Yuyang City were tightly shut and no one inside made any move, he felt frustrated: "These defenders of Yuyang City are truly turtles! They can’t even seize such a perfect ambush opportunity!"

All the generals had expected the defenders to launch a surprise attack while they were eating instant noodles.

They had prepared for battle, and he didn’t even get to eat his noodles right away!

But in the end, the gates never opened at all—all that preparation for nothing!

Xu Shou was a bit annoyed when someone shouted to him: "General Xu, it’s time for shift change! It’s our turn to eat the instant noodles!"

Xu Shou lit up at the news. He hopped off the watchtower in a few quick steps and said, "Come on! Let’s go eat!"

Today, all the ordinary soldiers had eaten the instant noodles together, while those who had already eaten were assigned to defense duties, missing out on the first batch.

Now, it was finally their turn.

Xu Shou strode toward the center of the camp, where Jin Yanqiu was staying, and along the way, he heard many soldiers marveling at the deliciousness of the noodles.

"These noodles are just too good!"

"I think they’re as tasty as cake!"

"The noodles have a meat flavor, and their broth would make anything delicious!"

Speaking of the broth, they couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret: "Why did we have to throw away such fragrant broth?"

"I wish I could have drunk it all! I could down a whole bucket of that broth by myself."

"I want to drink it too…"

…

For the ordinary soldiers, the broth of the instant noodles was incredibly savory.

It contained salt, tasted fresh, and had oil floating on the surface.

They couldn’t bring themselves to wash the iron pots used to cook the noodles right away; instead, they would rinse them a few times, drink the water, and only then wash them.

Seeing the catapults tossing the broth away truly pained them.

At least it wasn’t their own portion they were throwing—the broth being launched was all carried out from the Lady’s area.

Hearing that, Xu Shou really felt it. He said to those rushing to eat with him, "It’s such a waste to throw away the broth! The best part of instant noodles is the broth! The chicken-flavored broth is even richer than the chicken soup my mother stews. I can’t stand wasting even a single drop."

As he spoke, he soon arrived at the center of the camp.

Here, there were many wooden barrels filled with already cooked instant noodles.

Only the noodles, with very little broth.

Seeing this, Xu Shou was stunned: "Where’s the broth?"

Some who had come back earlier were already chowing down, picking noodles from the barrels with chopsticks. When they heard Xu Shou’s question, they said, "The Lady pre-cooked the noodles for us. The noodles are here, and the broth was taken away for launching."

Xu Shou felt like he’d been struck by lightning.

The catapults had thrown away his broth! Today, he wouldn’t have any broth to drink!

No way!

Xu Shou looked like he was about to cry and gave Jin Yanqiu a pitiful look.

Jin Yanqiu felt a bit helpless.

These soldiers really loved their noodle broth.

"Today you’ve worked hard; I’ll make you a new flavor of instant noodles," Jin Yanqiu said to comfort them.

Just then, the water in the three large pots had boiled again, so she pulled out some packets of pickled cabbage Sichuan-style instant noodles.

This flavor used to be super popular, but then for some reason, many people later stopped eating it, sales tanked, and a lot got wasted.

Jin Yanqiu hadn’t served this flavor before because of how it tasted.

People in this era had never had chili peppers; they might not be able to take the heat.

But today, there was already the pre-cooked, non-spicy braised beef flavor, so it was okay to cook some pickled cabbage ones too.

Those who could handle it would eat it; those who couldn’t could just pass. That was also fine.

Thinking this, Jin Yanqiu looked at the three large pots.

The noodle blocks and seasoning were added together. At this moment, the unique tangy smell of the fermented pickles had already permeated the air, blending sour, spicy, and savory notes into the noses of those nearby.

Jin Yanqiu, who had been eating noodles for several days and had grown a bit tired of them, found her appetite stirred by the smell. Others were even more affected.

Jin Mingtang’s eyes went wide: "What’s that smell? It’s so strong!"

Xu Shou couldn’t stop drooling: "Can I try a little of the broth first?"

Jin Yanqiu said, "The noodles are almost ready; no need to hurry."

Indeed, the noodles cooked quickly. By now, the people stirring the noodles had already broken them apart.

After boiling for another minute, the noodles were ready to eat.

If anyone wanted softer noodles, they could scoop them out and let them rest for a while, allowing the noodles to soak up the broth in the clay bowl, so they’d soften up.

Jin Yanqiu didn’t like noodles too soft, so she dug right in.

Each bite had the tang of the pickled veggies and just the right kick of spice—well, maybe not exactly the right amount, since Jin Yanqiu had never tasted chili in her life, so to her it was a bit spicy.

But man, it was satisfying to eat!

Jin Yanqiu was eating the noodles; Xu Shou was slurping down his beloved broth.

The broth had a flavor he’d never tasted, burning his throat with heat. Sweat immediately beaded on his forehead.

Xu Shou coughed violently. Others also struggled, many gasping and going "Hiss hah!"

Even so, none of them could bring themselves to stop.

"These noodles are way too good!"

"I’ve only had a couple of bites and my whole body’s heating up."

"My throat hurts a bit, I need to drink some water..."

...

Not everyone could handle the spiciness, but at least half of them ate with gusto. The rest didn’t give up either, just eating slowly—taking a bite of noodles, then a sip of water.

These people were used to eating anything and were not picky about taste. Plus, Jin Yanqiu was also eating, so they absolutely had to eat too!

Jin Yanqiu’s lunch today was a bowl of pickled cabbage noodles, plus a large bowl of stewed chicken with some vegetables added.

After eating and drinking their fill, Jin Yanqiu began to redeem items to throw into Yuyang City.

The system could directly deposit the redeemed items inside Yuyang City, but if she did that, the commoners in Yuyang City might think they were blessed by Heaven and seal the city gates even tighter.

So these foods still had to be thrown using catapults.

However, flatbreads were light and hard to throw from a distance. After discussion, they decided to first throw items with some weight, like baijimo (white flour buns) and Xinjiang baked naan.

Jin Yanqiu quickly redeemed many similar items.

Soldiers of the Zhenbei Army threaded the baijimo and naan onto grass ropes, tied them tightly, and sent them to the catapults.

The catapults had been gradually moving forward. Now, bamboo tubes filled with noodle soup could already reach the city wall. Tossing the bundled baijimo up onto the wall should also be possible.

"The defenders in Yuyang City haven’t reacted at all. We could move closer and throw flatbreads," said the soldier operating the catapult.

"Will they attack the catapults and you operators? The Lord said your safety comes first."

"Don’t worry, we’ll be fine! They also have catapults, but the big ones can’t be moved up onto the wall. If they use bows and arrows, we can hide behind the catapults. No need to worry."

With that, the men got to work.

Throwing stones was hard labor, requiring moving heavy rocks, but today they were throwing bamboo tubes and flatbreads—light items, not tiring at all.

What's more, just thinking about how envious the Yuyang City defenders would be made them feel great.

On the city wall of Yuyang City, a soldier on duty saw the Zhenbei Army switching to different items to throw and shouted in alarm: "They’re about to throw something again!"

Other guards heard him but didn’t pay much attention.

They were gathered around a bamboo tube that had just been thrown onto the wall, examining the spilled noodle soup.

The soup had seeped into the wall, leaving only some congealed fat, broken noodles, carrot bits, and meat pieces on the bricks.

These defenders, having heard Ding Hang’s words, thought the Zhenbei Army was cooking human flesh, but the smell was so tempting...

"What are you doing! Come over here, they’re about to throw rocks!" the soldier watching the Zhenbei Army shouted urgently.

Hearing this, those studying the noodle soup quickly crouched down in safe spots on the wall.

Cities in this period were small. Yuyang City’s wall had a circumference of only about ten kilometers.

The wall was built following the terrain, six to seven meters high. It was wider at the base and narrower at the top, about three meters wide at the top, though some sections were wider.

The outer side of the wall had battlements about one person high, with observation holes and arrow slits. Observation holes were for watching the enemy, and the arrow slits for attacking enemies.

The inner side of the wall was low, less than a meter, called the parapet, mainly to prevent soldiers from accidentally falling off.

Now, hearing their comrade’s warning, the soldiers on the wall all crouched behind the battlements.

The battlements could block arrows and some stones thrown by catapults.

"The rocks they’re throwing don’t look big."

"Why are they throwing from so far away? Can they even hit the wall?"

"These Zhenbei soldiers are strange."

As the soldiers spoke, suddenly a bundle hit the wall.

It didn’t look like a rock. A bold soldier walked over to look and then exclaimed: "They threw flatbreads! Flatbreads!"

The baijimo that Jin Yanqiu brought out was the type of bun used for roujiamo (a Chinese sandwich).

This bun, when cut open while hot and filled with meat or vegetables, was delicious, but eating it on its own was a bit dry.

At least Jin Yanqiu didn’t like it.

But the baijimo was made from white flour!

When Jin Yanqiu traveled from Luoyang to Juyong Pass, she ate many flatbreads.

Those flatbreads were made with whole wheat flour, even drier than baijimo, rough on the throat, and after a few days, they would go sour.

But still, people loved eating them.

Compared to the flatbreads they ate then, baijimo was simply delicious!

"This is real flatbread! It's edible!"

"This flatbread is so white, so fragrant!"

"It's not hard at all, it's very soft."

Two soldiers already tempted by the smell of noodles couldn’t resist eating the baijimo they found.

Although they had eaten salted bean rice today, that was all they had eaten all day.

A commander saw this and scolded: "How can you just eat anything? What if it's poisoned?"

The soldiers who ate the baijimo said: "Poison's not cheap, you know? Why would they waste it on us? By the way, why are the Zhenbei Army throwing such good flatbreads at us?"

Hearing this, the soldiers on the wall fell silent.

At that moment, Xinjiang baked naan was also tossed onto the wall.

The naan was dry and hard, breaking into pieces as it hit the wall.

And those pieces of naan were sprinkled with sesame seeds!

"These flatbreads even have sesame on them!"

"What are the Zhenbei Army doing? Are they really trying to poison us? Do they want to kill us?"

"This flatbread smells really good."

...

The soldiers guarding the city were wary that the Zhenbei Army might have ill intentions, so not everyone dared to eat the flatbread. The situation was different for the civilians inside the city.

Using their trebuchets, the Zhenbei Army hurled items like Baiji flatbread into the city, some of which landed inside.

By the city wall, there were piles of bricks, stones, and weapons for defense, with no one living there, but some civilians were huddled nearby.

They were drooling from the smell of instant noodles when suddenly they saw some things falling from the sky onto those bricks.

"What's going on?"

"Earlier, didn't they say the Zhenbei Army is outside the city? The Zhenbei Army is throwing stones!"

"Stones? Those don't look like stones."

As they were discussing, a child who had somehow run onto those bricks suddenly went over to the bundle of Baiji flatbread that had fallen from the sky and took a bite.

After eating one bite, they began to take a second and third.

The surrounding civilians suddenly realized what was happening. Many rushed forward to seize the Baiji flatbread.

Someone else shouted, "Everyone step aside! More things are falling!"

Even though what was being thrown was flatbread and not stones, getting hit could still cause bleeding or injury!

These people quickly scattered, and then they saw many flatbreads tied together with straw rope falling from the sky.

After waiting for a long time to be sure that no more flatbreads were falling, these people surged forward to grab them.

And once they got them, they immediately stuffed them into their mouths and ate.

This place where the civilians stayed was very close to the city wall. Earlier, they had also smelled the smell of instant noodles.

At that time, after hearing the words of the soldiers guarding the city, they also believed that the Zhenbei Army was cooking human meat.

But now, seeing so many flatbreads falling from the sky, they began to doubt.

"Did the Zhenbei Army really eat human meat earlier?"

"With so many flatbreads, they don't lack food at all. How could they eat human meat?"

"Could it be that the city lord lied to us about the Zhenbei Army eating human meat?"

...

The Zhenbei Army could even throw flatbread made from white flour for them to eat. It didn’t seem like they were short on food. On the contrary, they themselves were very short on food!

The civilians in the city thought this, and so did the soldiers on the city wall.

At this moment, the soldiers of the Zhenbei Army pushed the trebuchets a little closer to the city wall.

Behind them, some people holding thick shields brought baskets of food.

Inside these bamboo baskets, besides Baiji flatbread, there were also common dry bread from overseas, a small amount of soft bread that had been flattened and tied with dry grass, and some boiled chickens.

A Zhenbei Army soldier in charge of throwing food couldn't help but say, "Such good things thrown all to them to eat, it's really a waste!"

"Yes!" The others present nodded.

If they hadn't been eating chicken and bread every day these past few days, they wouldn't have been willing to throw these good things into the city.

But the Lady said that the people in the city were also human and would become her subjects in the future, so they should be treated well.

In that case, throw them!

At this time, on the city wall, the soldiers had already started eating the Baiji flatbread.

Others had eaten it and nothing happened to them. Why shouldn't they eat it?

As for the Zhenbei Army's trebuchets getting closer to them...

They didn't really want to stop them now.

Besides, no order from above had been given to attack, right?

Just as these people were thinking this, something else fell onto the city wall.

And this time...

A soldier guarding the city exclaimed, "It's chicken! Whole chickens!"

Was the Zhenbei Army too generous? They were even throwing whole chickens for them to eat!

Most importantly, if the Zhenbei Army could throw chickens for them to eat, would they lack food? Would they eat human meat?

Had they been deceived by the city lord?

All the soldiers guarding the city thought this, let alone the homeless civilians inside the city.

Seeing roasted chickens falling from the sky, some of them couldn't help but cry.

Not only had they been driven into the city, but their crops had also been burned.

During this process, their valuable belongings had been taken away.

Earlier, they thought the soldiers of Yuyang City were doing this to protect them, so they didn't dare to resist. But they realized they didn't need such protection!

Among these people, a knowledgeable person suddenly said, "I've heard of the Zhenbei Army. They've been fighting the Hu people to protect us. The Zhenbei Army never plunders the people's food..."

Hearing this, the crowd was furious.

They had indeed been deceived!

At this moment, more food fell from the sky.

There was a great variety of food—some looked like baked flatbreads, others looked like pastries. Not only did the pastries smell very fragrant, but they also tasted sweet.

Was the Zhenbei Army eating this well?

For a moment, the able-bodied young men among these civilians wanted to join the Zhenbei Army.

A soldier guarding the city, after taking a bite of the bread, muttered, "Do you think I could join the Zhenbei Army?"