HLnovel Chapter 715 Gratitude
Chapter 715 Gratitude
The Brave Battalion's rations did occasionally include meat, but this "occasionally" was usually on a monthly basis. On average, soldiers like Zhang Xiaoniu in the Brave Battalion could only eat meat once a month, and each time the amount was extremely small, so small that they could only get a taste of meat.
It wasn't that Yang Zheng was unwilling to feed the soldiers of the Brave Warriors Camp meat, but rather that meat was scarce throughout Liangzhou. Even Yang Zheng, the ruler of Liangzhou, couldn't obtain much meat, so he could only occasionally let Zhang Xiaoniu and the other soldiers of the Brave Warriors Camp taste meat.
Soldiers like Zhang Xiaoniu from the Brave Warriors Camp had no complaints about this; in fact, they were quite satisfied. Before joining the Yang Family Army, most of them couldn't even get enough bran to eat. After joining the Brave Warriors Camp, they not only had plenty of fine rations at every meal, but they could also occasionally have a bite of meat. What more could they ask for?
Zhang Xiaoniu still remembers the first bite of meat he ate when he was first selected for the Brave Warriors Camp. Even though there were only two small pieces of meat, and even though the meat didn't taste very good, Zhang Xiaoniu still thought it was the most delicious food in the world, a hundred times, no, ten thousand times, better than the wheat rice and wild vegetables he usually ate!
After tasting meat that time, Zhang Xiaoniu's craving for meat became incredibly strong.
Not only Zhang Xiaoniu, but Wei Kui was the same.
The two men stared intently at the meat on the table, their mouths watering as if they wanted to stuff all the meat into their mouths.
Fortunately, although they were craving meat, Wei Kui and Zhang Xiaoniu restrained themselves and did not resort to robbery.
"Song Dalang, where did you get this meat from?"
Wei Kui reluctantly looked away from the meat on the table and asked Song Dalang, the owner of the meat.
"Of course it came from Chef Zhang."
The soldier called Song Dalang laughed and said, "We are really lucky today. I heard from Chef Zhang that Commander Yang specially brought over several thousand chickens and ducks from the south to improve our meals."
As he spoke, Song Dalang picked up a piece of chicken from his bowl and put it in his mouth. As he chewed, his face was full of enjoyment.
For soldiers who need to expend a lot of physical strength, the deliciousness of meat goes without saying. Moreover, eating meat is more filling and allows soldiers to have more energy for training.
"what?!"
Wei Kui's body trembled, and he said incredulously, "You mean Commander Yang brought over thousands of chickens and ducks just for us to eat?"
"Yes."
Song Dalang didn't speak, but the man sitting next to him replied, "Commander Yang is really good to us. He specially brought us chickens and ducks from the south to improve our meals."
"Yes, yes! Yang Shuai treats us really well. I'll give my life to Yang Shuai from now on."
"I heard that Yang Shuai spent a lot of money on these chickens and ducks."
"Nonsense! These days, a chicken can sell for five or six hundred coins. The thousands of chickens and ducks that Commander Yang bought for us must have cost at least several thousand taels of silver."
"..."
The man's statement was unanimously agreed upon by everyone. To be fair, Yang Zheng treated the soldiers of the Yang Family Army exceptionally well. Not only did he ensure they had enough to eat, but his monthly military pay was never less than a penny.
This is also why the Yang family army was so powerful and able to defeat the imperial army.
Yang Zheng treated his soldiers well, and they were naturally willing to fight for him. In contrast, the imperial army...
The imperial court withheld their military pay, and the officers frequently beat and verbally abused them, treating them like household slaves. They received no reward even for meritorious service on the battlefield.
It's no wonder that such an army has no fighting capacity.
"Yang Shuai has indeed treated us extremely well."
Wei Kui and Zhang Xiaoniu nodded secretly. Yang Zheng could be said to be the one who changed their fate. Without Yang Zheng, they would probably have starved to death in some corner long ago. How could they be like this now, eating their fill every day and receiving military pay every month to send back to their families?
It can be said that Yang Zheng is the person the two are most grateful to, besides their parents.
If Yang Shuai were ever in danger, they would definitely step forward to shield him from harm, not for any other reason than that Yang Shuai had provided them with enough to eat, and they also believed that after their sacrifice, Yang Shuai would take good care of their families.
"Little Niu, let's go get some food."
Wei Kui hurriedly dragged Zhang Xiaoniu to the food area and consciously lined up at the back of the queue.
Before long, it was their turn to get their food.
At that moment, Wei Kui also saw the chicken in front of the cook, which was emitting an enticing aroma. He drooled and said to the cook, "Chef Zhang, I heard there's meat to eat today?"
Chef Zhang is a fat man. Because of his extreme obesity, his facial features are squeezed together, giving him a very comical appearance.
Hearing the voice, Chef Zhang looked up at Wei Kui and immediately laughed: "Who do we have here? It's Wei the Rice Bucket!"
Because of his large appetite, Wei Kui was nicknamed "Wei the Rice Bucket" in the Yongwu Camp, almost eating twice the amount of food others could at each meal.
"Screw you."
Wei Kui rolled his eyes and said, "My name is Wei Kui, not Wei Rice Bucket."
"Okay, Wei the Rice Bucket."
Chef Zhang teased Wei Kui for a while, then answered his earlier question: "There is indeed meat to eat today. Commander Yang specially brought some chickens and ducks from the south and instructed the kitchen to cook meat for you big-bellied men."
After saying that, Chef Zhang couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "Commander Yang is really good to you big-bellied men! I've been a military cook for so many years, and I've never seen anyone like Commander Yang who specially prepares meat for the soldiers."
Chef Zhang used to be a cook employed by the government army, and having cooked for the Liangzhou army, he knew all too well what the military camp was like.
When he was in the Liangzhou army camp, the lower-ranking soldiers not only didn't get to eat meat, but their daily rations were also cut by the officers.
In the Liangzhou army camp, the lower-ranking soldiers were not even considered human. The powerful officers would beat and scold the lower-ranking soldiers at any time, and the soldiers would embezzle their pay whenever possible. Chef Zhang had never seen a general like Yang Zheng who was not only fair in rewarding and punishing, but also cared about the soldiers and even found meat for them to eat.
"lets change a topic."
After a moment of reflection, Chef Zhang took a bowl, scooped a spoonful of meat into it, and handed it to Wei Kui: "Here, this is your portion for today."
Wei Kui took the bowl with his mouth watering, and then said greedily, "Chef Zhang, I have a big appetite, could you give me a little more?"
"You think beautifully."
Chef Zhang rolled his eyes and said, "Each person can only take one spoonful of meat; that's the rule."
"Let's do it."
Seeing Chef Zhang's resolute attitude, Wei Kui gave up the idea of asking for more meat. After receiving the staple food steamed buns with Zhang Xiaoniu, he found an empty table and sat down.