Sunning's seven woes

  The heavy snow showed no signs of stopping, still falling after half a day, the sky had turned from white to gray and was about to turn dark. All that could be seen was a vast expanse of white snow and a hazy gray horizon. Sui Ning felt his butt had gone numb, no, he couldn't feel his butt at all. He wondered how those Da Tang cavalrymen with their resolute faces managed to cultivate such iron butts. Probably they were used to it from sitting for so long, but Sui Ning's delicate little butt just couldn't take it!

  Fortunately, it wasn't long before Li Jing ordered a rest. The officers and men were relieved, jumped off their horses, took out the hard, cold dry rations and started eating, not minding the discomfort to their teeth. Ha ha, in the Great Tang Dynasty there was no air pollution, all food was pure natural green food, even the snow on the ground was clean. Thirsty? Just grab a handful of snow and stuff it into your mouth, then swallow the hard dry rations with a few gulps.

  Hey! If I get stomach disease from this, my surname won't be Su anymore! Seeing Li Jing eating such food at his age, Su Ning couldn't help but worry. He took out the only piece of meat floss bread from his backpack, tore it into two pieces, and handed a larger one to Li Jing.

  Li Jing was worried about the dry rations, although his body was still strong, but his teeth were not very good, and the previous mouthful had been a bit forced. If he took another bite and broke his teeth, it would be even more unbearable; after calling out for half a day, if he couldn't eat, how could he have the energy to fight? He wasn't young anymore! It seemed that from now on, he should consider retiring from the front lines, his military achievements were too great, and he couldn't continue like this.

  Then he saw Su Ning hand over half of the meat floss bread: "General, you're old and your teeth aren't good, this dry ration is hard and not easy to swallow, so eat this instead!" Li Jing didn't know what it was, but looking at the small piece in Su Ning's other hand, he understood that this kid was meticulous and saw that he was worried about the dry ration, so he smiled and nodded, taking the bread. As soon as he took it, he felt that it was soft.

  "In private, just call me Uncle, no need to be so formal. What is this food? Why is it so soft? How do you eat it?" Li Jing said.

  Su Ning smiled and said, "Uncle, this thing is called bread. It was created by our family's master chef, who considered that his own teeth were not good, and also thought about the children when they were young and couldn't eat hard things. That's why he made this. It's made from flour, but there are many processes involved, making it soft and palatable. The yellow fluffy stuff on top is called meat floss, which is especially suitable for old people and those with poor teeth to eat. I only have a little left now, as we don't have the ingredients here to make more. When we get the ingredients, I can make some for you to eat. Just tear off a piece like this, and you can eat it directly."

  Su Ning said, tearing off a piece and throwing it into his mouth. The rich sweetness melted in his mouth. Fortunately, he knew how to make bread and cakes, and he even had a chef's certificate. The old man was a famous divine chef, with a very eccentric temper. Su Ning estimated that he was also lucky to be taken as an apprentice by the old man, from primary school to high school, practicing cooking skills. The old man's true identity was indeed a chef, and he particularly emphasized eating. So, no matter what, one had to have excellent culinary skills to qualify as the old man's disciple.

  In order to temper himself and also not wanting to attend classes, Suning didn't want to study during his university days. With nothing much to do, he even went to work as a chef in a restaurant to earn some extra money. As a result, the business became extremely popular, opening several branches, but still couldn't keep up with the enthusiasm of the customers. He himself was also exhausted. Later on, when he decided to take a break, his boss even gave him a bonus and told him that if he didn't find a job after graduation, he could come back to work for him, guaranteeing that he would never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of his life.

  This time when Su Ning returned home, he was still planning to go and join him first before making other plans. Heh heh, later on, he could also try his hand at cooking, but would the food-scarce Great Tang be able to withstand his fierce onslaught?

  As for the ingredients, I'll just search on Baidu later and then consider it. That thing belongs to Western cuisine, although similar to Chinese baozi and mantou.

  Li Jing imitated Su Ning's action, tore off a piece of bread and put it in his mouth to chew. To his surprise, this unassuming strange food was so fragrant and delicious, soft and completely suitable for an old man like him with poor teeth. Li Jing was indeed hungry, so he swallowed more than half of the bread in three or two bites, still licking his lips. Su Ning saw that Li Jing had not eaten enough, so he handed over the remaining bread in his hand to Li Jing. Li Jing looked a bit embarrassed: "I'm full, no need, you eat it."

  Su Ning stuffed the bread into Li Jing's hand, took a bite of the hard dry rations and smiled: "Young people can withstand hunger, their teeth are also good. Uncle is older, must take good care of his body, cannot be tired or hungry, otherwise the body will get sick, the five internal organs will ache unbearably. My master loves to eat these foods, I followed my master, didn't learn anything else, but learned how to cook perfectly. However, one has to do it oneself to have something to eat, so I also learned a skill in cooking. In the future when I have time, I will naturally make some for you to eat."

  Li Jing felt a warmth in his heart and knew that saying more would be useless, so he took a bite of the bread and asked: "Although I am a military general, I have also read some books. Mencius once said, 'A gentleman keeps a distance from the kitchen.' Your master must have been well-read, but why didn't he teach you these things? If he did, why are you still like this?"

  It's better not to say, but once Su Ning said it, he got a belly full of anger. What's with this "a gentleman keeps his distance from the kitchen" nonsense? It's been misunderstood for far too long, and it's been bad luck for cooks for thousands of years! And along with that, Su Ning himself was also discriminated against by many people. When he first went to learn from the old man, his family scolded and ridiculed him, saying he was uneducated and learning such lowly things. But the old man taught Su Ning many, many principles, and only then did Su Ning understand many things.

  Su Ning said: "The young master has naturally read books, but the teacher once said that Mencius said that a gentleman keeps a distance from the kitchen. It's not about discriminating against the kitchen, uncle. Think about it, if there were no kitchens, what would we eat? The kitchen kills lives and is considered a small person. Then isn't the food made by those who kill lives even more sinful? Mencius' words are only to remind people to be kind-hearted and not to casually take lives. Mencius' intention was just to make an analogy, wanting us to understand benevolence and righteousness, and to practice them, rather than discriminating against the kitchen. Unfortunately, later generations misunderstood Mencius' intention, causing the kitchen to suffer unjustly, alas!"

  Li Jing was slightly surprised, and after careful consideration, he realized that it was indeed the case. The cooks who killed animals were not benevolent, but neither were they themselves, for they ate meat without restraint and killed more people, so what right did they have to look down on the cooks?

  Hey, this world is like that, there are too many things that can't be said clearly. You're already half-buried in the ground, why worry about these things? Li Jing thought for a moment and shook his head with a smile: "If you could make such delicious food, the entire Chang'an would be captivated by you, not to mention the whole Tang Dynasty. Even if you just opened a wine shop, you'd get rich. What's there to worry about having no way to survive?"

  Listening to Li Jing's teasing words, Su Ning's eyes lit up. This was a good idea - if Li Er eventually didn't accept him, he could open a wine shop or something. Although the process wouldn't be easy, under Li Jing's protection, opening a wine shop and then setting up branch stores and chain stores, spreading throughout the Tang Dynasty and becoming the richest man in the Tang Dynasty wasn't a problem? Su Ning couldn't help but admire his own business acumen... The old man's casual words had come in handy at just the right time...

  "Is that so? Has your master also taught you to read the books of sages?" Li Jing thought of this key point, people who are both literary and martial are rare, those so-called military men who are literary and martial, are just roughly familiar with literature and understand some military strategy. If it's truly being both literary and martial, there aren't many in history. Li Jing acknowledges that when it comes to the principles of sages, he is absolutely not proficient, of course, a general doesn't need these, as long as they have more abilities, there's nothing wrong with that.

  Su Ning nodded, having indeed read the Four Books and Five Classics. However, according to the old man's words, that was just a superficial understanding. Even if it were a thousand years ago, the greatest use of the Four Books and Five Classics would be to teach children how to be human beings when they are young and their character has not yet been shaped. Using them for research is also acceptable, as there are principles and cultural significance within. Scholars can use them to study ancient theories, but using them as a standard for being an official? That's truly a misguided move that would mislead the country and its people.

  Li Jing nodded, people in the army who have read books are treasures, in this era, being literate is not an easy thing, let alone reading books? And can still read out such great principles, this kid, is a talent!

  After a while, Li Jing clapped his hands and stood up, saying to Su Ning: "Get up!" Su Ning immediately got up. The old man's tone had changed, which meant he was the commander of the army, not a kind old man! Li Jing came to the horse's side, mounted it with one leap, and Su Ning also mounted his horse following Li Jing, without needing Li Jing to say anything, the other soldiers also mounted their horses. Li Jing looked around and shouted: "Depart!"

  A thousand horses galloping together!

  It's unknown how long they ran, but the snow was still falling and the sky had turned dark. However, due to the reflective effect of the white snow, it was still possible to see the road ahead clearly. Suning estimated that Li Jing would soon announce a rest for the day and continue on their journey the next day. The experience of riding horses all day made Suning deeply feel the harm caused by the inconvenience of ancient transportation. This butt really couldn't take it! Suning particularly understood why those who traveled 500 or 800 miles in a hurry would often die from exhaustion, along with their horses. Such a journey was indeed unbearable to think about. Thinking about why there were poems that mocked Yang Guifei for liking lychees, Suning nodded her head in deep agreement.

  A lone rider in the red dust, the princess smiles, no one knows it's the lychee that has arrived...

  To get rich, first fix the road. What a profound statement! Su Ning thought of his own village, how poor it was, and how long they had been talking about fixing the road, but it never got done, so they remained poor. The neighboring village had fixed their road several years ago, and now they were shipping out herbs and timber in batches, creating countless wealthy households. His own village was still struggling to make ends meet, with good herbs that couldn't be sold because they couldn't be transported out. When he went away to school, he even rode a cow to get there! Alas, although it's impossible to produce cars in the Tang Dynasty, maybe building roads is possible? Maybe after searching on Baidu for how to make cement, we'll find a way. After all, sand is something that's never in short supply anywhere.

  Just as Su Ning was in a daze, he suddenly looked up and saw a few strands of faint light in the distance. At first glance, Su Ning thought it was the same light he had seen when he returned to his village at night, and he became so excited that he wanted to cry. But then Su Ning suddenly remembered that this wasn't even outside his own village! This is the Tang Dynasty! What's with the light?

  Su Ning's heart was greatly shocked, and he shouted loudly: "General! Look over there! A bright light!"

  Li Jing heard this and suddenly raised his head to take a look, overjoyed in his heart. He immediately shouted loudly: "The whole army halts! You, you, quickly go and scout ahead! What is that place? Is it Dingxiang City?" Li Jing did not think he would arrive here so soon, so he ordered his guards to go and scout; if this was indeed Dingxiang City, then they had really made a huge gain!

  But now it's nighttime, the soldiers have been rushing for a night, it's time to rest, the city gate is also closed, and the cavalry can't get in. Let's wait until tomorrow morning when the city gate opens wide, then rush in and capture them! Li Shimin, your good days are over! Catch the thief first catch the king!

  All the cavalry stopped in their tracks, looking at the lights, and they were also very happy, about to make a name for themselves! The two cavalrymen who had been sent out to gather information returned, extremely excitedly reporting to Li Jing: "Commander! Ahead is a city! Only your humble servant can't read characters, doesn't know what city it is, but it's definitely a city! Commander, and, your humble servant vaguely saw those soldiers holding torches aren't wearing the uniform of our Great Tang! They must be Turks!"

  Li Jing was overjoyed: "Good! The whole army will rest for one night, and when the city gate opens tomorrow, it will be our time to defeat the enemy!" The cavalrymen did not cheer loudly, but quietly dismounted their horses and prepared to spend the night. This place was still very far from Dingxiang City, so if it weren't for the firelight, they wouldn't have been able to see anything there. Moreover, the tents were white, and after a snowy night, the tents would be covered with snow, so there was no need to worry about being discovered. However, Su Ning felt that something was off - hadn't Du Niang said that Li Jing was going to launch a surprise attack on Dingxiang under the cover of wind and snow at night? Why had it changed to daytime? Had Du Niang made a mistake?

  But isn't a night raid better than fighting during the day? Suning felt puzzled, so he asked Li Jing beside him: "General, why not launch a night raid on Dingxiang?"

  Li Jing was delighted, and didn't mind Su Ning's question, but instead replied very seriously: "Night raids also require choosing the right target. Military camps can be easily raided at night, but this is a city, and at night the gates are closed tightly. We are cavalry, and we don't have cloud ladders. The city walls are several dozen feet high, it's not possible for us to charge at the walls on horseback and break into the city? Ha ha, although you understand military strategy, you still need to experience battle before you can truly understand. Otherwise, no matter how many military books you read, they're just empty words on paper."

  Su Ning suddenly realized that this was indeed the case. The city gate was tightly closed, and the walls were thick and solid. Cavalry was not good at attacking cities, and there were no siege engines or cloud ladders in sight. What could they use to launch a surprise attack? But weren't those TV dramas always showing people fighting with ropes and iron hooks? Hmm, it seemed that Li Jing didn't have those things. If he did, he wouldn't have given up on the night raid. But was giving up on the night raid and attacking again at dawn the next day not a waste of an opportunity? Wasn't this a case of letting a good chance slip away?

  But what Li Jing said was not wrong either, without tools, how to break the city? Cavalry collision city? The cavalry is the worst at attacking cities, and Li Jing's long-distance raid didn't even have siege tools. Except for a surprise attack, it's still a surprise attack. Isn't this the kind of tactic that "the way of war is deceitful" talks about? However, Su Ning still felt a bit uncomfortable in her heart. Is this giving up? It was almost bedtime, and attacking at this time would definitely be more convenient than when everyone gets up early, and the results would also be greater. But what can you do?

  Watching the great credit fly away from itself, Su Ning was so depressed!