The rebellion of Prince Xinyang caused Feng Shuo to suffer a defeat. Although he managed to defend Hengzhou, his morale was greatly damaged.
Feng Shuo had not returned to the palace for many days, and Jiang Yanyi guessed that the situation over there was difficult. Now that foreign enemies were rampant and Prince Xinyang had returned to the capital to seize the throne, the various princes could no longer focus on external affairs, so Feng Shuo had to stabilize them first.
Although the urgent battle report was sent all the way to the capital over a distance of 800 miles, since King Xinyang dared to take the risk, he must have expected that Feng Shuo would send someone to the capital to report the news, and would definitely kill the messenger on the way. It is hard to say whether this urgent report can eventually be successfully delivered to Chu Changping who is stationed in the capital.
What Jiang Yanyi fears most now is that Chu Changping still doesn't know what happened in Hengzhou. If King Xinyang makes up a reason to approach Chu Changping as an ally, Chu Changping's 20,000 troops will be completely unprepared and will be killed by surprise.
In this era, transportation was blocked and communication technology was underdeveloped. Urgent reports from the military camp were the fastest way to transmit messages. Jiang Yanyi was worried that something might happen to Chu Changping and was unable to sleep at night, but there was nothing else he could do.
Mid-Autumn Festival came in a blink of an eye, and she gathered the people to pull the mooncakes they had made earlier to the military camp on carts.
When the owner of the cart shop learned that they were sending mooncakes to the soldiers, he lent them a cart for free without saying anything. Those who had carts at home also brought them over. The men volunteered to pull the carts, saying that even if they had no money, they could still show their appreciation by contributing their labor.
The unity of the people of Hengzhou finally made Jiang Yanyi, who had been worried for days, feel a little relieved.
The military camp was located on the outskirts of the city, a long distance away from the main city. Many women wanted to take their children with them, hoping to see their husbands.
Jiang Yanyi knew that with too many people, the scene would be chaotic, and it would be difficult to take care of the child on the road. If the child got lost, it would be a loss. She did a lot of ideological work on the women and finally persuaded them to stay. She only took a few hundred strong men to pull the carts.
Although Jiang Yanyi had stayed in the Xizhou camp for a period of time, she had no idea how the scouts in the camp monitored each other.
When the convoy transporting mooncakes was still five miles away from the military camp, it was stopped by a small army.
"The military camp ahead is an important area. Ordinary people cannot move forward any further." The little leader on horseback spoke in an unfriendly tone.
Jiang Yanyi had been stopped once before on her way to Hengzhou camp when she was delivering medicinal herbs. The young general who stopped her that time was sure that the dozen or so carts she brought were all medicinal herbs. He was very surprised and reported the matter to Han Tuo. Han Tuo guessed that it was Jiang Yanyi who let them pass.
The little leader who blocked the road this time was unfamiliar, but Jiang Yanyi had made preparations in advance.
Feng Shuo knew that she made mooncakes for the soldiers, so he gave her a token that allowed her to enter and leave the military camp freely.
Jiang Yanyi did not show up directly. Chenyu lifted the carriage curtain, showed the token, and said in a loud voice: "My lady is the daughter of General Chu Changping. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. My lady led the people of Hengzhou City to make mooncakes for the soldiers. I hope the general will let us pass."
When the soldiers under the little leader heard that the cart contained mooncakes given to them by the people of Hengzhou, they all looked towards the cart.
Jiang Yanyi's name is now known to everyone in the entire Hengzhou City. The soldiers in the Hengzhou camp also know that their prince has a virtuous wife. Even the generals who wanted to send their daughters to Feng Shuo as a concubine gave up the idea when they saw this trend.
When the little leader saw the token in Chenyu's hand and heard that the person in the carriage was Jiang Yanyi, he quickly dismounted and saluted: "I didn't know that it was Miss Chu in the carriage. I hope Miss Chu will forgive me for the collision!"
Jiang Yanyi did not get off the carriage, but only nodded to the little leader in greeting: "The little general is also acting impartially, how can you say that you are offending him? Please stand up quickly."
The little leader only glanced at Jiang Yanyi hurriedly when he stood up. Chenyu just lowered the curtain of the carriage at this moment, and the beautiful face was blocked by the curtain again like a flash in the pan. The little leader lowered his head quickly, thinking that the fairy concubine probably looked like this.
Thinking that their prince's unmarried princess was not only a heroic woman but also had a first-rate appearance, the little leader felt inexplicably proud. He led his soldiers to help Jiang Yanyi escort the carriage and escort them all the way to the military camp.
When they arrived at the gate of the military camp, the little leader stepped forward to explain Jiang Yanyi's identity and purpose to the camp guards.
The guard looked at the cart full of mooncakes with a confused expression at first, but then he became ecstatic after he came to his senses. He quickly opened the door and sent someone to report to the big tent.
Soon, a general wearing bright armor came to the gate of the camp. Jiang Yanyi had never seen this general before. After the other party saluted him, he also returned the salute.
"My surname is Xiao, and my given name is Han." Xiao Han nodded.
"It's General Xiao. I've heard of your great name for a long time." Jiang Yanyi had a perfect smile on her face. She had heard of the name of Xiao Han, the leader of the outlaws in western Sichuan.
Feng Shuo recruited him into his army, and it is still regarded as a good story to this day.
Xiao Han asked the soldiers to unload the goods and then distribute the mooncakes to each camp. The soldiers' faces were full of smiles.
Jiang Yanyi asked Yang Xiu to give 20 coins to each of the men who helped pull the cart, as a reward for their hard work. None of the men were willing to accept any. Some even said directly, "Miss Chu, we are here to help pull the cart out of our good will. If you give us money, we won't be willing to come."
Now that things have come to this, I naturally can’t give you any more hard-earned money.
Jiang Yanyi was filled with emotion and said to the men who came with him: "Thank you all for today."
"We have to thank these soldiers for defending Hengzhou at the risk of their lives! Thank you also to Miss Chu for giving us the opportunity to do our part!" said an old man.
After the soldiers unloaded the mooncakes, the men pulled the carts back. Jiang Yanyi looked at their backs with mixed feelings in his heart.
Huo Jianjia stood beside her, also looking at the people walking away and said, "I used to think that following my father around the country was what it meant to do great things. Only after following the boss did I realize that everything the boss did was a great thing."
Jiang Yanyi tapped her forehead with amusement: "Did you learn this flattering skill from Chenyu?"
Chenyu quickly protested: "I can't even speak as nicely as Jianjia!"
Huo Jianjia said, "I'm not trying to flatter you. I really think the boss is awesome. Even with his unrivaled martial arts, he can only kill a hundred people. The hearts and minds of the people that the boss has gathered together cannot be broken by even a thousand troops."
Ever since Jiang Yanyi called on the people of Hengzhou City to make mooncakes, even when the news of the defeat spread, the people did not panic or complain, but instead did what they could for the military camp.
The soldiers who came to carry the mooncakes were devastated at first, but when they heard that the mooncakes were made for them by the people of Hengzhou, they all became energetic, as if a force had once again supported them.
Xiao Han led Jiang Yanyi and his party into the military camp. On the way, they saw that some camps were already distributing mooncakes.
"This is the mooncake made by the people of Hengzhou called on by our future princess. Some of them might have been made by your mother or daughter-in-law. Eat this mooncake and drive the Nanming rats out of Daxuan at all costs!"
"Do you want to go home?"
The young man distributing mooncakes asked loudly.
The soldiers below shouted hysterically: "Think!"
Mooncakes were distributed to each soldier, and they held the small cakes as if they were really holding something made by their families. The soldiers looked at them carefully and were reluctant to eat them.
Jiang Yanyi spent a lot of money on the ingredients for making mooncakes. Due to limited conditions and raw materials, she couldn't make mooncakes entirely with egg yolks, so she led the people to make traditional five-nut mooncakes.
The most despised type of mooncake in later generations was something that the lower-class people of that era might not even be able to eat during festivals.
Under the brown-red dough are walnut kernels, peanuts, pine nuts, sesame seeds and melon seeds. The skin is soft and the filling is fragrant when you bite it. For most soldiers, they may never eat such mooncakes in their entire lives.
While the soldiers were happy, there was something else in their eyes.
The pitiful bones by the Wuding River are still the person in the spring girl’s dream.
They went to the battlefield to protect their small homes in their hometown and to defend this magnificent land.
Once the war breaks out, no one knows when it will end, and returning home is a distant dream. These are heavy burdens weighing on their hearts. A small piece of mooncake can bring them a moment of comfort.
*****
The military tent that Jiang Yanyi had lived in before in the military camp had not been moved down yet. Knowing that Feng Shuo was still in a meeting, she waited in the tent.
When Feng Shuo came over, his face looked a little tired, but there seemed to be a light in his eyes, making him look a lot more energetic.
"I brought you a cup of soup..." Before Jiang Yanyi could finish her words, Feng Shuo pulled her into his arms and hugged her.
Seeing this, Chenyu quickly pulled Huo Jianjia out.
Jiang Yanyi clenched her fist and gently hit Feng Shuo: "Jianjia and Chenyu are still here, what are you doing?"
"Thank you, Ayi." Feng Shuo was beaten, but he had no intention of letting go.
His sudden thanks made Jiang Yanyi feel uncomfortable, "Thank me for what?"
Feng Shuo loosened his arms, pinched Jiang Yanyi's fair and rosy cheeks with both hands and rubbed them, unable to hide the smile in his tone: "We suffered a defeat a few days ago, and the morale of the soldiers has not recovered. The mooncakes you sent today can finally boost their morale."
"This is all I can do." Jiang Yanyi was naturally happy to be able to help Feng Shuo.
"You've done enough. Leave the rest to me." Feng Shuo didn't ravage her face anymore. He just rubbed Jiang Yanyi's with the tip of his nose. "Once Hengzhou is stable, I will send someone to Xizhou to bring my mother and the Chu family over. We will get married here."
Jiang Yanyi smiled and said, "Okay."
Hengzhou has a pleasant climate and is more suitable for growing peppers than Xizhou. It is also prosperous and it is easier to build an economic hub.
She asked Feng Shuo to drink the soup, and took out a few boxes of mooncakes that she had prepared for Feng Shuo: "You haven't been back to the palace these days, so I made egg yolk mooncakes and snow skin mooncakes and brought some for you."
Feng Shuo finished the soup in a few gulps and ate all the scallops and shrimps in it. Then he picked up a mooncake from the brocade box and started to eat it.
Jiang Yanyi was affectionate for less than a second, but when he saw the empty soup bowl, he fell silent.
The seafood soup made with scallops, prawns, mussels and green beans in chicken broth is known as the "Queen of Seafood Soup". Controlling the heat is the key to making this soup, and she spent a lot of effort on it.
When she brought it to Feng Shuo, he drank it in two gulps. She didn't know whether she was happy or unhappy.
To be honest, it feels like Zhu Bajie eating a ginseng fruit. If you ask him what it tastes like, he probably won't be able to answer.
Even if I'm unhappy, he drank it all up, which was already very respectful to me.
Jiang Yanyi's mood can only be described by the word "complicated".
The snow skin mooncakes in the brocade box were novel in style and beautiful in appearance. It was the first time that Feng Shuo had seen mooncakes as white as snow. He took one out of curiosity. It was soft, sticky and smooth in the mouth, and the filling inside was fragrant and sweet. However, Feng Shuo frowned unconsciously.
It’s not that it tastes bad, it’s just that he doesn’t like sweet cakes.
But Jiang Yanyi asked him expectantly, "Is it delicious?"
Feng Shuo hesitated for a moment, but still nodded against his conscience.
Jiang Yanyi picked up an egg yolk one and fed it to him: "Try the egg yolk one. I tried to make a runny one before, but unfortunately it didn't work."
This was Feng Shuo's first time eating mooncakes, and he thought all mooncakes tasted so sweet. He took the egg yolk mooncake handed to him by Jiang Yanyi, took a small bite and tried to fool around: "Not bad."
At this moment, Chi Qing's voice came from outside the tent: "Your Majesty, I think there are some inappropriate points in the deployment we just discussed, and I would like to discuss it with Your Majesty in detail."
Jiang Yanyi glanced at Feng Shuo and said, "Then I'll step aside for now."
Feng Shuo said with a dark face, "No need. Chi Qing, that dog nose, didn't come earlier or later. He didn't come to discuss military affairs. He just wanted to give him a treat."
Jiang Yanyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
After Chi Qing entered the tent, he really had a lot to say, and finally stared at the mooncakes on the table: "I heard that Miss Chu prepared mooncakes for the soldiers in the camp?"
Feng Shuo glanced at him and said, "The Fire Camp will prepare it for the generals in the army."
Chi Qing said shamelessly: "I am just a counselor. I can't lift anything with my hands or shoulders. I have never been on the battlefield to kill the enemy. It would be embarrassing to go to the Fire Head Camp and snatch mooncakes from the generals."
After saying that, he stared at the box of snowy mooncakes with envy: "What kind of mooncakes are these, Miss Chu? I have never seen them before."
Although Feng Shuo didn't really like eating snowy mooncakes, he didn't want to give them to others since they were so greedy for them. He pointed at the box of egg yolk mooncakes that Jiang Yanyi had just opened, looked at Chi Qing with disdain and said, "You take this box."
Chi Qing was a little disappointed that he didn't get the good-looking snow skin mooncake, but he understood the saying "quit while you're ahead" very well, so he thanked them and happily left the tent with the egg yolk mooncake.
Jiang Yanyi looked at Chi Qing, then at Feng Shuo, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.
When Feng Shuo was looked at by Jiang Yanyi, he quickly coughed lightly, thinking that Jiang Yanyi had discovered that he actually didn't like mooncakes. Afraid that Jiang Yanyi would be disappointed, he ate the remaining egg yolk mooncake in a few bites as if to prove something.
When he bit into the egg yolk, his expression changed.
Why is it so delicious
Feng Shuo quickly called Xing Yao into the tent and pointed at the snowy mooncakes and said, "Take this box of mooncakes to Chi Qing and exchange it for the one he took away."
The author has something to say: Chi Qing:
Jiang Yanyi:
Feng Shuo: I want to eat egg yolk mooncakes,