Chapter 1043 - Chapter 1043: Thunderous Means
Chapter 1043: Thunderous Means
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
According to the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor, “The five grains are for cultivation, the five fruits are for assistance, the five animals are for benefit, and the five vegetables are for supplements.”
Yu Youyao couldn’t help but think that if she could combine the advantages of the food eaten by the Great Zhou and the Northern Barbarians, what would the Northern Barbarians have to fear?
The rapid development of animal husbandry had made Liaodong a lot richer in meat and food. The Imperial Court also had a lot of meat supplies. In addition, a large number of prey from the winter hunt could be used as supplementary food for the entire army.
That was why she dared to make this suggestion.
However, the military supplies were so important, so she did not make it public in advance.
Instead, she used the workshop to build stockpiles.
“In addition, in order to make it easier to carry fresh milk and make it into dried powder, the Di people mixed the dry milk powder with water in a water bag and drank the mixture. Dry milk powder is light and easy to carry. Even if the soldiers bring more, it won’t affect the battle. We can try it.”
On the battlefield, every soldier carried very limited military rations. A large part was because carrying too much would affect the coordination and flexibility of their bodies and their combat strength. Dry milk powder could solve this problem very well.
From this, it could be seen that there was a reason why the Di people could dominate the grassland and covet the Great Zhou.
Due to the increased supply of milk military rations, which was more conducive to replenishing strength on the battlefield, it was also not a small matter. Yu Youyao also suggested adding more and changing some of the supply routes that were mainly made from milk workshops.
Immediately, she was met with intense objections.
“l have no objections to increasing the supply of milk-based military food, but adding to and changing the supply line is not a small matter. Even Your Highness can’t make a decision easily.”
“The Eldest Princess’s words and actions are quite respectful of the Northern Barbarians. She even wants to place the things of the Northern Barbarians on our Great Zhou’s table. It’s simply ridiculous. I’ll say this today. I’d rather starve to death than eat the food of the Northern Barbarians.’
“The Northern Barbarians eat raw meat and drink blood. What’s so good about the things of the Northern Barbarians that they’re worth the Eldest Princess’s effort? Eldest Princess, have you forgotten how General Ming Wei died? How many soldiers of our Great Zhou Dynasty have died under the cavalry of the north barbarians over the years? Don’t you feel ashamed?”
“Eldest Princess, you’re talking about the longevity of the Northern Barbarians here. Do you think that our Great Zhou is inferior to the Northern Barbarians? Men of our Great Zhou eat chaff and wild herbs on an empty stomach. All these years, we’ve still stopped the Northern Barbarians outside the narrow Yu Pass!”
“l admit that the Eldest Princess has done a lot for the North in the past three years. Just like the commoners, we’re very grateful to her. However, war is a men’s business. It’s better for the Eldest Princess not to get involved.”
“Women have to follow the three obediences and four virtues. This is the moral norm for women. I’m afraid that with the Eldest Princess’s actions, she will be meddling in politics…”
There was a commotion in the meeting room.
Butler Wen’s expression darkened. It was His Highness’s idea to let the Eldest Princess preside over the Yue Fei Kings Residence. The Yue Fei Kings Residence and the state government office would complement her to ensure that nothing went wrong.
However, these people were arrogant and looked down on the Eldest Princess.
They were openly shouting in front of her. They were sure that the Eldest Princess was wary of His Highness and did not dare to do anything to them!
Who gave them the guts?!
Yu Youyao did not feel embarrassed. Before Butler Wen could flare up, she called for the guards of the residence and pointed at a few of the most arrogant people.
“Drag them away and send them to the front line. Armchair strategists can’t work with me. Don’t lecture me on the principles of three obediences and four virtues either. You don’t care about the opinions of others and have blind confidence. I think that this method is feasible. If you’re right, hold it in. In the future, when you return from the battlefield alive, come and argue with me.”
Her thunderous methods immediately shocked the military counselors and aides until their faces turned ashen and they knelt on the ground, but it did not change Yu Youyao’s mind.
Those who objected were dragged out. The remaining scholars looked at each other, feeling that Eldest Princess Shaoyi in front of them was different from what they had heard.
It must be an illusion!
Yu Youyao swept her gaze across everyone present and said gently, “You’ve never been to the battlefield, so you don’t know how difficult it is to have supplies on the battlefield. Saying that you’ll rather die than eat anything from the Northern Barbarians is pure nonsense. If the soldiers win a battle, they have to clean up the battlefield, count the supplies, and use the supplies of the Di people to strengthen themselves. Is that wrong?”
“King Yue Fei even personally led his troops deep into the grassland and plundered the supplies of the Di people. No matter who it belongs to, it’s ours if we eat it. If we kill the enemy, we’ve profited. If we walk dovvn the battlefield alive, we’ll be victorious. Materials on the battlefield are life. Only when the soldiers eat their fill can they win the battle.”
“It’s also a fact that the soldiers and horses of the Northern Barbarians are strong. We won’t underestimate ourselves. We won’t boost the ambition of others and reduce our prestige. However, we have to absorb the strengths of others and close the gap between us and others step by step to strengthen ourselves.’
“In the pre-Qin Dynasty, the insufferably arrogant Xiongnu had been extinct in the grassland. The Loulan Kingdom was exterminated, and the Turks had also been exterminated. However, our Han heritage was indestructible. Why?
It’s simply because we were magnanimous. We displayed strong tolerance and allowed the cultures of the various races to fight with hundreds of families in the Han Dynasty. The Baiyue that had once posed a threat to the million soldiers of the Great Qin Dynasty was conquered by us, assimilated, and returned to Hanzhi. Isn’t this enough to explain all of this?”
These words made many people present look ashamed.
They prided themselves on being talented, which was why they had been recruited by the Yue Fei’s Residence and were already loyal to it. However, because the Eldest Princess was a woman, they had developed prejudice against her. They were arrogant and looked down on the Eldest Princess. However, in terms of size, horizon, breadth of mind, and originality, they were far inferior.perspective
After this episode, all the military advisers and aides present calmed down and began to face the various suggestions made by Princess Shao Yi seriously. They conducted intense discussions and added, modified, and optimized the military supply line to make it more convenient, fast, and mobile.
Three days later, the reform of the military supplies was officially established.
Using the first batch of military supplies as an experiment, due to the speed and concealment of the transportation, it was discovered that this plan was safe and reliable. Furthermore, it was easier and faster to transport the supplies.
The supplies were endlessly shipped to the front line and quickly promoted in the army. At first, the soldiers were not used to the food of the Di people.
When the supply increased, it was inevitable that there would be complaints. Not long after, the soldiers realized that curd cheese, kumis, sheep milk wine, and dried milk powder were more convenient and allowed them to recover their strength more quickly than the food they usually ate, so they accepted it well.
All of them admired the Eldest Princess.
Even Yin Huaixi did not expect that after the little girl returned to Xiangping, she would still hold back such a big move. In a situation where both sides were of the same combat strength, the use of tactics and the speed at which the soldiers recovered were the key to determining the outcome.
Yin Huaixi had long known that on the battlefield, the recovery speed of the Great Zhou soldiers was weaker than the Di people, so he had always been passive and rarely took the initiative to attack..