Thirty-three

  Before entering the village where Fu Daojun's base was located, a woman could be seen standing at the crossroads in the distance, and it seemed to be Fang Lan's figure. Yan Wei picked up his binoculars and took a look, and Fang Lan's anxious expression appeared in the lens.

  Yan Wei had been wandering around the country since he lost his father as a teenager, and for many years, apart from having a group of flattering subordinates in his life, no one had ever cared about him. Now seeing this woman being so affectionate towards him, he suddenly felt a warm current flowing through his whole body, thinking that with such a beautiful wife, what more could he ask for?

  "What's the hurry? Why are you alone? Where is Old Wu?" As soon as he walked into Fang Lan, Yan Wei followed closely behind with a group of troops, and immediately ran forward to comfort Fang Lan for his true feelings.

  "Wu Han said that if you can't come back alive, then it's better to die! It's just that waiting for you is really anxious!" Fang Lan also expressed her feelings without any reserve.

  "This old Wu is really unreliable!" Yan Wei said with a joke, and immediately held Fang Lan's left hand, looking back at Fu Daojun and Wang Zhengwei who were staring at each other in surprise. They both thought to themselves: "Looking at Yan Wei fighting bravely and commanding skillfully, he is indeed a rare talent in the army! Who knew that he would also be a guy who can't move his legs when he sees a woman? It seems that this is indeed the style of their National Army."

  After sighing, they couldn't help but regret that they were also high-ranking officials with thousands of soldiers and horses under their command, yet when had they ever received such delicate love from a woman? They couldn't help but feel secretly disheartened.

  Just as everyone was washing and resting, they hadn't even eaten a mouthful of hot rice, when the sentry came to report that the Japanese pursuit troops had already found their way to the village three miles away. Fu Da-jun was about to ask the sentry for details about the Japanese pursuit troops when Yan Wei stepped forward and said: "Fu Battalion Commander, it's still the same thing, this place is too close to Jingzhou City, if we fight here, it will be a never-ending battle! It's not worth exposing your base and involving the civilians in suffering. Besides, your army has just fought a bloody battle, what you need now is rest and recovery, not a decisive battle with the Japanese here!" After speaking, he looked at Wang Zheng-wei, hoping to get his support.

  Yan Wei looked at his political commissar, and Fu Daojun also looked at Political Commissar Wang seeking his opinion. It could be seen that in this unit, the decision of this Political Commissar Wang was still crucial.

  Wang Zheng nodded and said, "Commander Yan is right. From the overall situation of the entire Jingzhou region, we are weak and cannot fight hard against a strong enemy. Moreover, as Commander Yan said, after a big battle, what we need now is indeed rest. Most importantly, no matter what, we must ensure that Commander Yan's mission is completed. The overall situation takes precedence over our small collective interests, and everything should be centered around Commander Yan's mission."

  Every time Wang Zhengwei has the opportunity, he emphasizes their help and support for himself, constantly reminding himself not to forget his promise. It's really infuriating that Yan Wei wants to laugh! If we really calculate this account from the beginning, if it weren't for him leading the troops to rescue Fu Daojun in times of crisis, I'm afraid Fu Daojun wouldn't have made it until Wang Zhengwei came to his aid. However, seeing that Wang Zhengwei still supports his opinion after all, he looked at Wang Zhengwei with gratitude and nodded. Firstly, to express his thanks for his support, and secondly, to make it clear to him that he will not go back on his word and will never forget his promise to them.

  A clever person doesn't need to use great effort. Upon receiving the news from Yan Wei, Wang Zhengwei immediately said to Fu Daogun: "Old Fu, hurry up and give orders to arrange for the troops to relocate."

  Yan Wei thought to himself, it seems that in this Communist army unit, only military commanders can ultimately give military orders.

  "Alright, Zhao Hu!" Fu Daojun loudly summoned his guard after turning around with a regretful expression and said to Yan Wei and Wu Huan: "Originally, I was thinking of inviting all of you, big and small, to tidy up and have a hot meal. Although Team Leader Yan's heroic rescue just now can't be repaid with just one meal, it should still count as the host's courtesy. But now we're going to move into the mountains again, really embarrassing!"

  Yan Wei smiled and said, "Captain Fu is being too serious. The country is in such a state now, we frontline soldiers can't enjoy the pleasure of being treated to meals. Hurry up and give the order for the troops to relocate, there will be plenty of time for us brothers to bond later."

  "Alright!" Fu Daojun said, turning to face his own guard who had entered the house and was waiting for orders. "Immediately transmit my order to each battalion, according to routine deployment, immediately move to the base in the mountains. Notify each battalion commander to withdraw as neatly as possible, don't leave any traces behind, and don't let the civilians suffer with us!"

  They said they had entered the mountains, but their base on the mountain was fully equipped with houses, barracks and all living necessities. It seems that Fu Dongju is also a far-sighted commander who had anticipated the outcome of the Battle of Wuhan and determined that Jingzhou City would not be preserved! He made such careful arrangements in the mountains early on.

  It's not that Yan Wei didn't understand, it's just that the facilities on this mountain were indeed arranged and prepared in advance, but it wasn't because Fu Daojun had a long-term vision and made preparations for future battles. These were actually necessary arrangements they made before deploying to work in certain areas! In other words, these were preparations made earlier for long-term battles with the National Army that were truly necessary!

  In the evening, Fu Daojun and Wang Zhengwei were having dinner with Yan Wei and Wu Hanhuai. Because they noticed the special relationship between Yan Wei and Fang Lan, Wang Zhengwei even sent someone to invite her over for dinner as a sign of respect for Yan Wei. Fu Daojun, in order to show his gratitude for Yan Wei's life-saving help, treated Fang Lan with great enthusiasm, like a brother's wife, and ordered the cooking team to prepare a big table of dishes.

  Although the conditions in the mountains are harsh, Fu's army has been operating here for a long time, so food is still not lacking. Moreover, all kinds of wild mushrooms and bamboo shoots are everywhere in the mountains! Hunting some game to cook is just a small matter of sending two people out. In addition, although the equipment of this Huazhong First Brigade is not very good, the cooks in this brigade are really skilled and have excellent culinary skills! A big table of mountain mushrooms and wild game was made by him, with color, fragrance, and flavor all perfect, making people eat with great relish! It's just that the wine is slightly inferior.

  Yan Weifang put down his chopsticks and said to Fu Daoyuan and Wang Zhengwei, "I'm telling you two, the cook in this battalion's kitchen is no ordinary person! I was stationed with my unit in the suburbs of Beiping for a period of time in 1923. At that time, I went into Beiping City with several fellow soldiers who had just gotten to know each other and had a big meal at Dongfang Restaurant, which was said to be the largest restaurant in Beiping! The six of us spent two silver dollars on that one meal! But somehow, I feel that it's not as good as this cook's skills!"

  Fu Daojun and Wang Zhengwei looked at each other and burst out laughing! Wang Zhengwei sucked the meat off a wild chicken bone in his mouth, then pulled it out and put it on the table, laughing: "I'm telling you, Colonel Yan, you can tell the level of sophistication from eating, this shows that you're a connoisseur! It seems that your family was quite well-off before you joined the army!"

  Yan Wei smiled and said, "The young man was barely able to get by before."

  Fu Da-jun took over the conversation: "Don't look at our army's harsh conditions and think that we can't do anything! Just take my brigade's cook, I dare to bet with you, your 32nd Army Corps Commander Guan's personal chef can't even compare!"

  Yan Wei was very interested and after drinking a mouthful of light wine, he asked in a hurry: "Does this cook have any background?"

  "Something big is coming!" Fu Daojun adjusted Yan Wei's appetite.

  "Let's hear it." Seeing Fu Daojun say this, Yan Wei became even more interested.

  Fu Daojun didn't rush to answer, as if this was the only capital he could show off in front of these two National Army officers. He slowly picked up a piece of fresh mushroom and put it in his mouth, closed his eyes and chewed for a few seconds before putting down his chopsticks, pointing at the bowl of mushrooms he had just eaten from: "Take this mushroom for example, do you know what kind of mushroom this is?"

  Yan Wei's family was still doing all right when he was young, but after he grew up and understood things, the family declined and had a hard time for many years. He spent many years in the army, where did he learn about good food?

  Although Fang Lan was born into a wealthy family and had always lived a life of luxury, who would have thought that there was a girl who was truly passionate about cooking and researching the art of cuisine? It's not like there were many women who were skilled cooks or food connoisseurs in this world! So, pointing at the dish of mushrooms, she said: "I know this one, my family's kitchen often makes it, but I only knew it was mushrooms, no one ever told me what kind of mushrooms they were. However, your chef is much better than ours, this is incredibly delicious!" After saying that, she picked up another piece with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth, and because of Fu Da Jun's teasing, she savored it even more carefully this time, as if trying to find the unique flavor within.

  Wu Hanhuai also picked up a chopstick and put it in his mouth, saying: "It's monkey head mushroom, a rare delicacy among fungi! The dish we're eating is the best of the best! Plus the superb craftsmanship of your chef, this is the most delicious monkey head mushroom I've ever had in my life!"

  Fu Daojun and Wang Zhengwei saw that Wu Hanhuai's words revealed the origin of this dish, and they couldn't help but secretly admire that people in the National Revolutionary Army were indeed knowledgeable and experienced. Little did they know that Wu Hanhuai had been on official business trips all over the country for many years, and wherever he went, local officials would try their best to entertain him, fearing that they might not be able to keep up with his pace. From flying in the sky to walking on land to swimming in the sea, it could be said that Wu Hanhuai had tried every delicacy!

  "Very insightful, very insightful!" Fu Daojun praised Wu Hanhuai's broad vision while challengingly looking at him: "I wonder if Director Wu can tell me the recipe for this bowl of monkey head mushrooms?"

  Wu Han Hua smiled and said, "I've had my fair share of monkey head mushrooms, but I have to say that this is the first time I've ever tasted something so fresh and exquisite. As for me, I'm usually busy with mundane matters and don't really have a deep understanding of culinary arts. Please, Commander Fu, enlighten us."

  Fu Daojun pointed to the bowl of monkey head mushrooms with a hint of accomplishment: "This bowl of monkey head mushrooms, first of all, the selection of materials is very important! It must be the *monkey head mushrooms from the deep mountains that can be used in cooking! Of course, this bowl doesn't count, it was temporarily picked by our squad's chef team on the nearby mountain, and it's absolutely not a top-grade product. In the future, I'll let you all taste what a top-grade product is like!"

  "Look at the envy in your eyes! First, take a small wild chicken weighing less than one and a half kilograms, and simmer it in a pot with natural spring water from the deep mountains for two hours. Then, discard the meat and keep the broth, bringing it to a boil before adding the monkey head mushrooms. Let them soak for two hours over low heat! The key is that the wild chicken broth must never cool down, but also never boil over! Next, take out the mushrooms and the broth will be useless. Take five kilograms of fresh wild boar meat from the hind leg and put it in the pot, filling it halfway with deep mountain spring water. Bring to a boil, then add twelve secret seasonings and cook until they're fragrant. Switch to low heat, cover with a bamboo steamer, and simmer for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Then, immediately place the monkey head mushrooms on top of the steamer and cover with a lid to steam for half an hour! The requirement is that there must be steam from cooking the wild boar meat, but still cannot open the pot! Finally, take out the mushrooms and discard the meat, then add secret seasonings and stir-fry over high heat before serving. And that's it!" He said with a smug expression, looking around at everyone.

  Yan Wei didn't think that this simple-looking mushroom dish would be so troublesome to make, and he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh: "They say you Communist Army are suffering! But I see that Commander Fu is living like an emperor every day! Ah, I'm telling you, Director Wang, find me a position and I'll defect too! Our 32nd Military Corps can't even get food this good!"

  Fang Lan looked at Fu Daojun and said, "Fu Team Leader, I think you were exaggerating just now, weren't you? Look, from the time we withdrew from Shanxia Village to your base on this mountain, it's been a total of four or five hours. If it was as complicated and time-consuming as you said, there wouldn't be enough time, would there?"

  Fu Daojun smiled and said, "Miss Fang's words are not false. What I said earlier was the method of cooking this monkey head mushroom, but this dish is indeed not cooked according to the rules. The main reason is that there is not enough time! For example, the top-grade monkey head mushrooms from the deep mountains and the spring water from the deep valley couldn't be obtained in time, so we had to find substitutes nearby. However, the wild chicken and wild boar used as ingredients were freshly caught by the soldiers after I went up the mountain, and all the secret seasonings in this dish are also complete and not reduced! The process is also the same and not shortened! It's just that time was pressing, so we had to rush it. Therefore, this dish doesn't count as a good one, it can only be used to entertain good friends temporarily. If you want to eat a good one, I'll definitely let everyone have a great meal tomorrow night!"

  "Wu Hanhua said: "Ah, after all, it's still because of the high-ranking officer in your hands! In our daily busy lives as soldiers, I didn't realize how important food was. But today, my eyes have been opened! When I get back, if I see such a great person, I'll definitely invite them home to serve me personally! It can't be more expensive than taking on a concubine, right?!"

  Wang Zhengwei put down his chopsticks and laughed: "I'm telling you, Director Wu, don't let Old Fu deceive you into thinking that we can really find such a good chef! To be honest with you, last year the higher-ups wanted to transfer me to the headquarters as director of the political department. I insisted that my work here couldn't be left unattended and stubbornly resisted the higher-ups, giving up the opportunity for promotion!"

  Yan Wei interjected: "It must be that you can't bear to part with Commander Fu's good fortune!"

  Wang Zhengwei continued, his tone seemingly more bold. He slapped the table with his right hand and said: "Not bad! It's all because of this treasure in Old Fu's hands that we've made it! Do you know who the head of the logistics department of Old Fu's brigade is?"

  Everyone laughed and shook their heads, then continued: "Commander Yan just mentioned the Dongfang Restaurant in Beiping. I've never been to that restaurant, but I can be sure that its head chef is no match for Old Fu's skills! In other words, even if the head chef of the Dongfang Restaurant has high culinary skills, can he surpass the imperial chefs in the Forbidden City?"

  "Are you saying that your chef is from the palace?" Wu Hanhuai asked in surprise.

  "It's still Director Wu who is good at intelligence work! He's quick to see things! Not bad! It's just that he came out of the palace!" Commissioner Wang also had a pleased expression.

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