Chapter 1042: Army Pressure

Translator: Atlas Studios    Editor: Atlas Studios

Immediately, many people joined in.

The pro-war faction was so angry that they cursed at this group of people.

Yu Zongshen, who was holding a heater in his hand, couldn’t help but cough a few times when he heard the commotion in the court. His expression suddenly turned a little ashen. “Alright, alright, cough, cough, no, cough, stop arguing…”

The entire court turned a deaf ear.

Someone pointed at a person’s nose and scolded them. That person spat on their face. It was chaos.

Yu Zongshen’s face turned pale, as if he was on the verge of death. He picked up his teacup and suddenly threw it to the ground, causing fragments to splash all over the ground.

The entire court immediately fell silent.

In the dead silence of the royal court, Yu Zongshen’s cough sounded intermittently.

After a while, Yu Zongshen asked in a hoa.r.s.e voice, “l thought that there was no need to argue about whether we should fight this battle or not. What do you think?”

These casual words were faintly intimidating.

The court officials looked at one another, and no one raised any objections.

“Very good.” Yu Zongshen smiled. His pale lips curled up slightly with a sickly coldness. “It seems that no one has any objections. Next, the entire court will do their best to prepare for the military supplies to be sent to the North.” Just like that, the matter was settled.

The next day, news spread in the capital that Yu Zongshen was seriously ill and couldn’t come to court. For a moment, everyone in the court was in turmoil.

Yu Youyao did not know how the Imperial Court was in turmoil. No matter how uneasy she was, the battle between the kings still came.

This time, Yu Youyao did not go to the frontline army.

Xiangping City was located in the center of the military town. By guarding Xiangping, it could guarantee supplies from Liancheng, Anshan, Dandong, Fengtian, and other places with more abundant resources. It could be transported endlessly to the front line to protect the You army’s rear.

Although Lord Ye was in charge of Xiangping City, she was still worried about entrusting the lives of 500,000 You soldiers to them.

The second day after the Di army arrived, Yu Youyao used her status as Eldest Princess Shaoyi to preside over the Yue Fei’s Residence and gathered the military advisors and aides in charge of the residence to ask for many details.

Since ancient times, the army’s supply route had always been the core secret of the army. Outsiders did not know about it, let alone pry into it.

Transporting military supplies was also a very cautious and secretive matter. The dispatch and production of the military supplies was even more important.

Immediately, she received many doubts.

Yu Youyao did not care, She said slowly, “The army’s food supplies include dried buns, bakes cakes, flatbread, sweet potatoes, and so on. We can add some curd cheese and cut the curd cheese into the size of sugar cubes for soldiers to carry with them. During the battle, they lack stamina because of hunger. They can take advantage of the chaos to stuff a piece into their mouths. While replenishing their stamina at any time, it won’t affect the battle. I’ve checked many doc.u.ments of the Northern Barbarians. The reason why the Di people have always been successful on the battlefield is related to this kind of curd cheese that can replenish their stamina at any time. I heard that a small piece of curd cheese can replenish their stamina several times more than a piece of dried bun.”

However, it was not convenient to eat dried buns to replenish one’s strength at any time.

Curd cheese was fine.

The importance of curd cheese on the battlefield was self-evident.

Yu Youyao ordered someone to bring over a plate of curd cheese. This kind of curd cheese made of fresh milk was cut into the size of plums. It was very convenient to eat one mouthful at a time. The color was sallow, with a faint milky fragrance and a hint of sourness.

Yu Youyao smiled and said, “Try it.”

Immediately, someone couldn’t help but take a piece and put it in his mouth. The thick milk fragrance melted between his lips, mixed with a hint of sourness. It neutralized the fishy and greasy taste of fresh milk, and the taste was very unique.

One of the military advisors was a little weak. As he had not eaten breakfast, he was a little dizzy and short of breath. After eating a piece of curd cheese, he immediately felt the benefits.

“The cost of grain wine is too high, so it can’t be fully promoted in the army.

The brewing of k.u.mis and sheep milk wine doesn’t cost food, and the brewing process is simpler. Not only can milk wine help one to resist the cold, but it can also replenish stamina. It can be promoted in the army.”

The promotion of the cultivation of hairy vetch also meant the rapid development of animal husbandry.

In the past two years, the amount of milk produced by the livestock farms had gradually increased. Yu Youyao had invested a lot of manpower and material resources to set up a workshop and study the diet of the Di people. Currently, it was already starting to take shape.

Han people liked to eat porridge and drink soup, so they did not value fresh milk. Fresh milk had a fishy smell, and many people were not used to it. The commoners’ lives were rough, and there was no effective way to remove the fishy smell without spending money. A portion of the fresh milk produced in the ranch was supplied to wealthy families to make exquisite food, and most of it was actually wasted.

This was why n.o.bles ate cows and sheep, while commoners ate pork.

While Yu Youyao encouraged livestock, she also valued fresh milk. She had also opened workshops in various areas of Liaodong to buy fresh milk and make milk products. This provided a new way to earn money for the various livestock and commoners.

The commoners who were raised freely sold the fresh milk to the nearby ranches, and the ranches sold the fresh milk to the workshops under Yu Youyao’s name, forming a good industrial chain. Not only did it increase the harvest of the commoners, but it also greatly mobilized the enthusiasm of the livestock ranches, promoting the strong development of animal husbandry.

Therefore, most of the milk produced in Liaodong was supplied to the workshops under Yu Youyao’s name.

The workshop had acc.u.mulated a large number of supplies. They were waiting for this moment.

“The Di people have a type of dried meat that has already been popularized in the army as military food. Meat can allow the soldiers to maintain their stamina for a long time and increase their combat ability. This is something that noodles and milk can’t compare to. Our Great Zhou has a similar method, and the taste will be better. Next, we can buy meat and organize the soldiers left behind to enter the mountains to hunt in the winter. We can make dried meat to support the soldiers.”

There were few people in the vast land of Liaodong, and the mountains were filled with forests. There were many wild beasts in the mountains, so there was no lack of prey. Therefore, winter hunting was a must every winter.

First, supplies were scarce in winter. During the winter hunt, they could obtain meat to improve their lives and help the soldiers recuperate.

Secondly, the winter was bitterly cold. Not only did high-intensity training consume too many supplies, but it also caused greater damage to the soldiers’ bodies. Going into the mountains to hunt could increase the soldiers’ actual combat ability and adaptability.

Third, the mountains in Liaodong were dense and there were many wild beasts. Many commoners relied on the mountains. If the wild beasts were not restrained, once they overflowed, they would definitely go down the mountain to hurt the villagers.

Fourth, it was more beneficial for wild beasts to reproduce in the mountains and maintain a good living environment to prevent wild beasts from flooding and destroying the forest on a large scale.

Yu Youyao consulted a large amount of Northern Barbarian literature, chose the merits, and studied them.

From this, she realized that although the Great Zhou Dynastys military rations were more abundant, they were mainly mixed grains, which were not as good as the Di people in terms of replenishing their stamina. Therefore, in terms of maintaining their stamina and combat strength, they were much inferior to the Di people.

However, mixed grains were good for the stomach and absorption. It was easier to nourish the body and health. It was much better than the food of the

Northern Barbarians..