Chapter 49: Keeping Warm (Special thanks to Patrons Shanhe Shuiyue)

In the end, Zhao Huai'an still could not verify what this substance actually was, but it indeed possessed miraculous wound-healing properties; within a short moment, the bleeding from Wang Jin's wound stopped completely.

Then Pei Min stated that although he did not know the exact composition of the powder, its primary active ingredient was definitely mountain lacquer.

He had recently attempted to compound medicines using mountain lacquer, but had yet to achieve any tangible results.

His tone seemed to lament the lack of available medicinal herbs at his disposal, leaving a clever housewife with no rice to cook.

Hearing the medicinal herb name "mountain lacquer," Zhao Huai'an paused in surprise. Could this be what Pei Min referred to as *sanqi* (Notoginseng)? Wasn't that the primary ingredient of Yunnan Baiyao?

Instantly, his interest in this project was piqued.

Zhao Huai'an informed Pei Min that his camp also held a batch of medicinal herbs, which had been distributed along with military provisions previously, but remained unused due to the lack of a physician in the camp.

Therefore, if Pei Min found himself short of medicinal herbs in the future, he could come to Zhao Huai'an to request them.

Taking advantage of this opening, Zhao Huai'an once again invited Pei Min to serve as a physician in his camp, offering triple the standard salary.

However, Pei Min gave the exact same excuse as last time, stating that his master could not do without him and he still could not come.

As expected, it was still the case.

This old Pei was truly honest and genuinely devoted to being a beast of burden for his master; what a pity.

...

After having two meticulous veteran servants carefully tend to Wang Jin, Zhao Huai'an pulled Old Pei and the four newcomers—Gao Renhou and the others—into his large tent for drinking.

Naturally, apart from the full gathering of banner leaders and squad heads, Zhao Huai'an also summoned Fatty Dou.

Following the battle at Baishu Waters and the subsequent flight, Fatty Dou's militia and the bao-yi units, even without officially merging camps, had grown as close as a single family.

After slaughtering a mule in the camp that had frozen to death, Zhao Huai'an filled cups of wine inside the tent and formally introduced Gao Renhou and the four others to his core team.

Not daring to put on airs, Gao Renhou and his companions all raised their wine bowls to toast the rest.

The four of them possessed principles, but they were hardly clueless bumpkins; they naturally offered plenty of pleasantries.

Thus, with Zhao Huai'an mediating in the center, the group quickly accepted Gao Renhou and the others, and began eating meat and drinking wine.

Outside, the world was freezing and desolate; inside the tent, they feasted on wine and meat, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

After arriving in the Tang Dynasty, Zhao Huai'an discovered that his ancestors were much like the people of his later era: the more they drank, the more wine flowed, and the deeper their bonds grew.

If people could eat and drink together, they could get along. After all, drinking buddies were brothers too.

Yet while drinking, Zhao Huai'an was also observing the personalities of Gao Renhou and the four men.

He valued Gao Renhou the most. Although he had yet to witness his troop-training capabilities, his bearing and demeanor were those of a thoroughbred soldier.

At the moment, despite his flushed face from drinking, Gao Renhou remained quite sober, listening much and speaking little.

Meanwhile, the short and stocky Hu Honglue was simply too eager to advance.

The man probably had a capacity of half a catty, yet he frequently raised toasts until he was thoroughly drunk, sliding down beneath his folding stool to flatter Zhao Huai'an.

Zhao Huai'an felt no aversion to this, merely thinking that this Old Hu was worth grooming.

Next were Kang Yanjun and Dang Shusu, neither of whom looked distinctly Han, leaning more toward the appearance of Northwestern Hu peoples. After chatting during the banquet, this indeed proved to be the case.

Kang Yanjun retained a hint of the remnants of the Zhaowu Nine Clans, but his family had long since migrated to settle around the Chengdu region. If not for his slightly yellowish eyes, he would have been virtually indistinguishable from a Han Chinese man.

His drinking style was also quite interesting: like the others, he spoke little, but he would drink however much was poured, and upon finishing, he would slump across the low desk and pretend to sleep.

Seasoned by alcohol, Zhao Huai'an could tell at a glance that Kang Yanjun was calculating, but this was no bad thing; it showed he knew his boundaries.

Then there was Dang Shusu, who was likewise a sinicized Hu, though originating from the Tangut lands. It was said that his ancestors had been minor chieftains, but his family had also settled in Chengdu for three or four generations.

This man drank with the most uninhibited boldness and possessed a high capacity. Not only did he go toe-to-toe in drinking with veteran ruffians like Lu Zhongyuan, but he also took the initiative to step into the center and perform a dance for everyone.

To say the least, Old Dang danced with great strength and spirit.

Through a single meal of drinking, Zhao Huai'an had basically figured out the personalities of the four newly joined men, and overall, he was quite satisfied with Wang Duo's work.

Consequently, he took the initiative to toast Wang Duo.

Wang Duo hastily rose and drained the wine in his bowl in one gulp.

Tsk tsk, why do people say leaders always look at drinking habits to judge character? This was nothing less than a obedience test.

Just as everyone was flushed with warmth and drinking spiritedly, Fatty Dou suddenly chimed in:

"Hey, I heard the Military Commissioner sent over a batch of official courtesans to reward the army."

Everyone present was a man; the moment Fatty Dou brought this up, none of them were drunk anymore. Even Kang Yanjun, who had been feigning sleep, perked up his ears to eavesdrop.

Seeing the demonic expressions on these men's faces, Zhao Huai'an spat out in disdain:

"Those people are also suffering souls; why toss them about?"

Just as Zhao Huai'an was about to subject them to a wave of moral criticism, everyone turned in unison to look at him, wanting to laugh yet not daring to. Instead, Zhao Liu directly spat a "bah" and scolded:

"Big Zhao, you dirty-minded fellow! Those good ladies are just here to dance for us, and you're the one imagining all sorts of things."

Zhao Huai'an's old face flushed red, and he coughed awkwardly. So *this* was the kind of army-rewarding they meant.

...

While Zhao Huai'an suffered alone in his embarrassment, the others had their topics thoroughly ignited by his remark.

First, Zhao Liu declared that he also disliked those dancing official courtesans, giving the reason that he felt their artistic taste was not high enough.

Then Zhao Liu recounted how, when he accompanied the old commander south to assume his post, the local officials in Chengdu had entertained them at the Brocade Tower of the prefectural office.

He described how back then, surrounded by draped curtains, musical courtesans and Hu maidens bloomed like a cluster of flowers; it was truly breathtaking and magnificent—what one called grand style.

Watching Zhao Liu's intoxicated expression, Zhao Huai'an mentally cursed him for being corrupt. Back when he used to attend business banquets with clients, he wouldn't dare order on such a scale.

While Zhao Liu was calling the dancers lacking in taste, someone else shook his head. It was Chen Fahai, who possessed some worldly experience.

Formerly of the Shence Army, Chen Fahai told the crowd that what Zhao Liu described was merely ordinary.

He had previously heard aristocratic military scions boasting in the army that the current fashion was to seek out female Taoist priests to converse on metaphysics and Daoism.

As he spoke, Chen Fahai discoursed fluently as if he had truly witnessed it, claiming that at a single banquet, seven or eight female Taoist priests appeared like celestial maidens in feathered garments and rainbow skirts, whose plump figures could not be concealed even by wide robes and large sleeves, with hands as soft as cotton and mouths as sweet as honey.

In short, they smelled fragrant.

As he talked, Chen Fahai's eyes were glowing.

Chen Fahai indeed held little regard for these aristocratic scions who only took up military payroll positions without doing actual work, but listening to their accounts, old Chen was truly envious; he wanted it too, and he desired it for himself.

However, no sooner had Chen Fahai finished bragging than Fatty Dou, coming from a wealthy local background, directly refused to concede. Pointing at Chen Fahai and the others, he said contemptuously:

"Just hearing the way you fellows talk shows that you're all engaging in armchair strategy with zero practical experience. Let me put it this way: what female Taoist priests, what dancing girls—they're all too plain. They look pretty but are utterly useless. On the contrary, wild and plump matrons are suited for a family, possessing a unique flavor of their own."

With this, Fatty Dou thoroughly stripped away everyone's pretense; this bunch of men, including Zhao Huai'an's original self, were rank amateurs lacking in play, with pitifully meager campaign experience.

Thus, for a time, everyone quietly drank their wine and obediently listened to Fatty Dou perform his solo act.

Zhao Huai'an did not feel particularly embarrassed. What he had tasted and experienced in his previous life was something Fatty Dou couldn't even imagine if he multiplied it a hundredfold.

Yet this boast was not one he could make, so he simply yielded the stage to Fatty Dou.

If the first half of the banquet had everyone flushed with red faces, calling each other brothers, the second half left each one scratching their ears, scratching their scalps, and sitting on pins and needles.

All because Fatty Dou possessed such a silver tongue, using imagery and descriptions so vivid and precise—like an eel sliding across your body—that hearing it was simply too wild.

Zhao Huai'an could periodically see those squad heads and banner leaders casting glances at him, the implied meaning being: *Boss, look at how other people lead their brothers; you should learn from them.*

Not daring to let Fatty Dou continue his lecture, Zhao Huai'an hastily interrupted and asked:

"Fatty Dou, are the military affairs in your camp all prepared? Have you managed to requisition winter clothing from higher up yet?"

At the mention of this, Fatty Dou grew furious, directly cursing toward the southeast direction:

"Those turtle-spawned petty clerks want money for everything. But fine, if you take the money, at least get things done! I spent the money, and in the end, they just threw up their hands and told me there's none. Big Zhao, you tell me if I can swallow this anger; I'm going to slip a sack over their heads and give them a thorough beating."

Having finished his curse, Fatty Dou looked somewhat sheepishly at Zhao Huai'an and added:

"Look here, Big Zhao, when the time comes, you've got to back me up, brother. After all, you're the most influential in our militia, and you have backing from above. With someone standing behind us, those fellows surely won't dare come knocking on my door."

Hearing this, Zhao Huai'an was left speechless for a good while, and he helplessly replied:

"Fatty Dou, please don't drop my name the next time you go making trouble. My little establishment really isn't strong enough to protect you."

Fatty Dou's face immediately drooped into a bitter expression as he hurriedly stepped forward to offer Zhao Huai'an a cup of reconciliation.

Just as the two of them were bantering back and forth, Old Mo's voice rang out from outside:

"Patron, Young Master Xianyin has arrived."

Hearing this, Zhao Huai'an hastily stood up, walking toward the entrance to greet him while calling out:

"Old Mo, invite my elder brother in."

The moment the words fell, the tent curtain lifted, and Xianyue, wrapped in a fur cloak, stepped inside.

He smiled at Zhao Huai'an, swept his gaze around the tent, and gave a light cough.

Understanding the hint, Zhao Huai'an clapped his hands to have everyone clear away the low desks, and specifically instructed Zhao Liu:

"Old Liu, arrange quarters for Old Gao and the others right next to my tent, and make sure to set up a brazier for them."

Zhao Liu nodded, then joined the others in paying respects to Xianyue before withdrawing from the tent.

...

A moment later, only Zhao Huai'an and Xianyue remained inside the large tent.

Observing Xianyue's gradually solemn expression, Zhao Huai'an mentally sighed that his good elder brother was fine in every other aspect, except for being unable to let go of his aristocratic airs and lacking touch with the common folk.

Xianyue naturally remained unaware of his cheap second brother's internal complaints. Pulling Zhao Huai'an onto the couch, he first offered an apology:

"Second brother, I had just finished the military conference at the headquarters when Fourth Young Master Lü told me you were looking for me. Not finding you there, I simply came directly to your camp."

That Fourth Young Master Lü was precisely the person who had tried to extort bribes from Zhao Huai'an, and it seemed he was acquainted with Xianyue after all.

Naturally, Zhao Huai'an had no intention of bringing that matter up, responding with a smile instead:

"Elder brother, I was looking for you to ask for a favor—to see if we could get a distribution of firewood. With the four gates of Shuangliu tightly sealed right now, firewood is growing scarcer by the day, and even forage is hard to find. In fact, a mule in my camp just died of the cold, and I've already stewed it. In a moment, elder brother, you should take some back to taste."

To this, Xianyue did not refuse, as he too appreciated Zhao Huai'an's culinary skills.

Hearing that Zhao Huai'an sought him out for this matter, Xianyue wore a complex expression, bypassing the subject of forage and firewood for the moment to speak of the military council that had just concluded at headquarters.

Realizing that Xianyue was about to discuss serious business, Zhao Huai'an hastily told Zhao Liu to warm a pot of wine and reheat the meat; he intended to eat and talk with his good elder brother.

Ah, ever since coming to this Tang Dynasty, he hadn't enjoyed a single day of ease, yet banqueting and socializing never stopped for a single day.

Indeed, for millennia, the core technology of China still remained within the art of fermented spirits.