Zhou Ze'an and a group of migrant workers stood dumbfounded. In front of them was a neat row of large wooden boxes, one next to the other, from the center of the basement to the corner, and then extending upward and backward. They were full and densely packed. God knows how many boxes there are.
How many.
There were several boxes with the same appearance scattered nearby. The lids had been opened by the peasants, revealing a layer of black plant ash. When the layer of plant ash was removed, the boxes were stacked with pieces of bacon. Needless to say, in this vast box,
It’s all about this stuff.
The method of preserving marinated meat in plant ash is a local method in Gansu. Use large pieces of fresh pork or beef, without washing them with water. First, use a knife to make some slits on it, and then rub the raw meat with fried large salt particles and peppercorns until it is cooked.
The liquid oozes out until the bright red flesh turns dark. Then it is put into a jar to suffocate for ten days, then taken out to dry.
Then put it into a wooden box for storage, put a layer of plant ash on the bottom of the box, put a layer of meat and then put a layer of plant ash. The bacon stored in this way can be stored for as long as possible. Usually poor families don’t have the capital to make this kind of bacon. Only rich people can
People only marinate several jars of meat in winter, but I didn’t expect that Cao Yanhui actually spent so much money and saved so much just by marinating the meat!
Zhou Ze'an took out a piece of bacon with trembling hands, held it in front of his face and smelled it. Tears flowed out uncontrollably, and he trembled when he spoke: "It smells so good, this is all...meat."
No wonder he was excited. Now the food shortage in the city has reached an imminent level. The frontline soldiers can barely eat, but the ordinary people can no longer care about it. They can only be left to fend for themselves. The rats in the city are like birds.
The nest has long been emptied and the bark has been stripped off.
, the only thing left was eating human flesh. Zhou Ze'an racked his brains but couldn't do anything. It's hard for a clever woman to make a meal without rice. Liangzhou is surrounded by a large army of Turks. Where can I get food? He never expected that there would be such a thing under his feet.
Massive quantities of cured meat, aged grains, pickled radish and cabbage.
The civilians also cried with joy, and some even cried loudly. Some of them had relatives starved to death, and they had no hope for the future of Liangzhou. At this time, the sudden appearance of a huge grain depot made these people feel like
The dead people rekindled the fire of hope.
"Quick! Get the fire up and cook! Let's have stew for breakfast!" At this time, Zhou Ze'an spoke with much more confidence than usual.
…
After a night of busy work, only four cannons were carried to the top of the city in the early morning. The cannons were really too heavy. Coupled with the Turks' return artillery attacks all night long, the work was extremely difficult, and the fourth cannon was being pulled.
time, rope
The cannon broke under the strain, and the cannon slid down the horse path of the city wall like a wild horse, crushing more than 20 civilians to death on the spot. But no one complained or complained. As long as the cannon could be knocked back, the cannon would be saved.
It's worth the risk.
After working hard all night, everyone was so exhausted that they squatted on the city wall like dogs in the dog days of summer, panting heavily. Everyone felt exhausted, and their arms and legs were as if they were filled with lead, and they could not move, but in the end
What's uncomfortable is the hunger in the stomach, and the noises coming from the lack of food in the stomach. Those who really can't hold it in can drink some hot water to get full. There is something stewed in the big pot in the military camp under the city wall, but that thing
Can't swallow at all.
The horse meat has been eaten up, even the horse bones are gone. Now the soldiers eat only leather boots and saddles stewed with grass roots and tree bark. The tanned leather cannot be chewed, so they swallow it whole to try to comfort their bellies.
Even these leather goods and tree barks were pieced together with great difficulty. In fact, the situation in Liangzhou City is even more serious than Zhou Ze'an said. The refugees who really have nothing to eat have quietly changed their bodies to eat...
The commander-in-chief ordered that the artillery should be tested after dinner. The period of waiting for the meal was the most painful, because the Turks started eating earlier than the Liangzhou army. During meal time, a large group of Turks soldiers would
Barbecue and naan cakes were performed with broth in front of the sight of the Liangzhou army to stimulate the defenders on the city wall. Although they were far away, every Liangzhou soldier seemed to be able to smell the tangy aroma.
Today was no exception. Another group of people came to perform just a stone's throw away from the city wall. Dozens of fat Turkic soldiers spread out felts on the ground and started eating and drinking. While eating and drinking, they pointed at their positions in the distance.
The Huihui cannons are singing songs, instead of gesticulating and shouting at the city wall, the great justice is that we have powerful Huihui cannons, Liangzhou city is about to be destroyed, if you want to survive, come down and surrender as soon as possible, and I will reward you with a bite of food.
The soldiers of the Liangzhou Army were squatting behind the crenels and resting with their necks curled up. No one paid attention to the yelling and temptations outside. Their stomachs were empty. No one was in the mood to scold the Turks. Suddenly someone shrugged and said: "What the hell?"
Is it so fragrant?"
"Yes, it smells so good, it looks like stewed meat." Someone noticed the smell. He stood up and sniffed everywhere with his nose. The strong smell could not have come from outside the city. Could it be...
"The food is here!" a shout came from under the city wall, and a hundred civilians came up carrying a large pot on poles. The outside of the large pot was also wrapped in a quilt to prevent the heat from dissipating too quickly. The aroma of stewed meat was
Coming out of these cauldrons.
A large pot was placed on the city wall. The lid of the pot was opened, and a small breeze blew by. The entire city wall was filled with a strange aroma. Although the marinated meat had been stored in the basement for many years, it had not aged. Wash off the marinade and put it in the pot.
When stewed, it smells delicious. Pieces of fat and lean meat are looming in the soup, and the broth is glowing with golden oil, which looks extremely tempting.
The soldiers gathered around with bowls to watch. Every big pot was filled with water. The people behind them couldn't see it and even jumped up to watch. This enthusiasm was even higher than that of a hamburger.
"Don't crowd, don't grab, everyone has a share, two pieces of meat, two big pancakes, enough broth!" Zhou Ze'an shouted loudly from a high place.
The soldiers went crazy! There was a cheer, some couldn't help crying, and some excitedly picked up their muskets and fired them into the sky. There were thunderous cheers on the city walls, and the atmosphere was high.
"What happened to those starving ghosts? They are so happy." The Turks in the city asked each other strangely, puzzled.
Yuan Feng pulled Zhou Ze'an over to ask about the situation, and couldn't help but feel ecstatic. He secretly thought that the old prefect had really prepared for a rainy day. He also jumped up to a high place and shouted loudly: "Everyone, eat as much as you can, don't choke, and beat him up when you're full."
Help the Turkic dogs!”
The soldiers responded loudly. At this time, baskets of big cakes were also brought up. The quilts were lifted to reveal the roasted brown barley flour cakes. Everyone gnawed on the cakes, ate bacon, and drank the fragrant broth. For a moment, the city wall
There was no other sound on the floor, all the sounds were the slapping of lips, and occasionally the sound of someone choking and burping. Like a storm, dozens of large pots were empty, and there was not even a dregs of the noodles left.
After eating and drinking, the soldiers were full of energy. They operated the four cannons according to Professor Yuan Feng's method. In fact, the technology of these cannons was not advanced. They were still muzzle-loading cannons, but they were huge in size and of excellent craftsmanship.
The barrel is thick and long, and the gunpowder is formulated according to the proportion. With the fine iron shells, the range and power must be very strong.
The barrel of the cannon has been cleaned, and the cloth bag containing gunpowder is filled directly from the muzzle, and then pushed to the bottom with a long rod. Then a fine iron cannonball is stuffed into the muzzle, and pushed to the end with the ejector rod. This is considered
After the loading was completed, according to the instructions in the gun operating instructions, Yuan Feng personally operated the gun, adjusting the angle of the gun according to the degree displayed in the Wangshan grid. There was a crank and gear transmission mechanism on the gun mount. The machine was originally covered with dust.
It was wiped clean, revealing the bright luster of the copper. The gun was slowly adjusted into place and aimed at the returning cannon in the distance. Yuan Feng checked it carefully again and then confirmed: "Okay, fire!"
An unprecedented loud noise shook everyone around him to death. Although he had been mentally prepared, the sound of the cannon was louder than expected. It was comparable to the roar when the city wall was blasted. Then,
When the artillery shells were fired, the gun carriage moved violently backwards. Fortunately, the gun carriage chassis was solid, and there were simple buffer devices and construction hoes, so the movement of the gun position was not too great.
The city wall was filled with gunpowder smoke, and everyone felt like stars were shining in their eyes and their ears were ringing. When the gunpowder smoke was blown away by the wind and they saw the army's achievements, everyone started shouting excitedly.
The first shell did not hit the return gun, but pushed a certain distance back from the predetermined impact point. Yuan Feng later learned that this was because the gunman was on the city wall and the shooting position was too high. Although he did not hit
The artillery returned in the middle, but it hit the Turkic military camp. The ground was extremely frozen in winter, and the artillery shells bounced up again after falling to the ground. They ran unstoppably through the Turkic camp, destroying everything they went, tents overturned, and people and horses died.
"Clean the gun barrel and reload!" Yuan Feng gave the order. The sergeants quickly dipped a cotton-tipped pole into the gun barrel and dipped it in water to clean the sparks and gunpowder residue. Originally, according to the guide, vinegar was the most suitable.
But now I can’t find vinegar anywhere, so I can only use water instead.
After wiping the barrel of the cannon, wipe it again with a dry cloth, and then stuff the bag containing gunpowder into it. If it is an ordinary iron cannon, you would not dare to do this, because the iron cannon transfers heat slowly and takes a period of time to dissipate heat. If it is fired prematurely,
When gunpowder is filled in, the barrel will explode due to high temperature. Guns made of brass and with excellent craftsmanship will not have this problem, and the next shot can be fired quickly.
While the first gun was being cleaned and loaded, the other three guns had already adjusted their angles according to the point of impact and fired with a bang. This time the soldiers were smarter. Some opened their mouths, some plugged their ears with things, and some
The victory was far away, but it was still shaken so hard that my head felt dizzy and my internal organs felt painful.
The roar of the gunfire caused a large-scale panic in the city. The people thought that the Turks had used new weapons to attack the city, and the fall was imminent. However, a news quickly spread that this was the gunfire of our Liangzhou Army fighting back.
The people then settled down, and each one stood there staring blankly in the direction of the west gate, listening to the deafening roar.