In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 895 Identity Change

The Great Wall soldiers in the kitchen drooled as they stepped forward to receive their food. Each soldier who received his food stared at the glistening chunks of meat in his bowl with burning desire.

"This meat looks delicious!"

"It not only tastes good, but it smells amazing too! My mouth is watering!"

"It smells so good! I can't wait any longer, I'm going to eat over there! You guys can take your time queuing up! Hehe!"

"..."

The soldiers, holding their bowls as if they were treasures, hurriedly broke away from the ranks and ran to the side to enjoy them.

The soldiers at the back of the line could only watch them with envy.

Fortunately, because the soldiers lined up in an orderly manner, the line to receive food moved quickly, and it was not long before it was Jiang Li's turn.

"Cook, give me a little more meat!"

Looking at the cook in front of him who was in charge of serving food, Jiang Li smiled ingratiatingly.

"You have a nice idea!"

The cook remained unmoved, saying, "One bowl per person. This is General Chang's personal order. I have no authority to give you more!"

As he spoke, the cook brought over a bowl, scooped a spoonful of meat into it, and handed the bowl to Jiang Li, saying, "Take the steamed buns yourself, take as many as you want."

"okay!"

Jiang Li took the bowl, smelled the aroma wafting from it, took five steamed buns, and then found an open space with his companions who had also received food. They squatted down to enjoy this rare treat.

"This meat looks delicious!"

One of his companions looked at the stewed meat in the bowl and couldn't help but say something.

The cooks in the military camp obviously couldn't prepare meat dishes too delicately. Whether it was chicken or duck, the cooks would cut it into large pieces and then stew it all together in one pot.

Such food would certainly be scorned by the upper class who are particular about the finest and most delicate dishes and who prefer a light diet.

However, for Jiang Li and others, this kind of stewed meat dish was more to their liking.

Because it was cooked in a large pot, the dish was very salty, with a rich and savory flavor that made Jiang Li and the others feel their mouths water.

"Yes, it smells wonderful!"

Jiang Li picked up a piece of chicken with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. The first thing that burst on his taste buds was the rich, salty and savory flavor. As Jiang Li bit down, the rich juices inside the chicken exploded in his mouth. The unique meaty taste made Jiang Li squint his eyes and feel a sense of satisfaction.

"Cool!"

Jiang Li couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. After a long day of work, being able to eat a bite of meat was, in his eyes, the happiest thing in the world.

"Haha! This meat is delicious!"

"It's so delicious, I want to swallow my tongue!"

"Damn it! The cook in our camp is really good at cooking. I've never eaten such delicious meat before!"

"You talk as if you've eaten meat many times!"

"Ha ha!"

"..."

The kitchen was filled with the cheerful laughter of the Great Wall Army soldiers. They came from poor backgrounds and had never eaten meat much since childhood, and they were even hungry for staple food.

After joining the Great Wall Army, although General Tian treated them well, he was ultimately a human being, not a god, and could not conjure up supplies out of thin air.

Therefore, while those of them in the Great Wall Army were not starving, they were not exactly eating well either, and meat was out of the question.

In short, most soldiers of the Great Wall Army probably hadn't eaten meat even five times in their ten or twenty years of life.

The sense of satisfaction felt by someone who has hardly ever eaten meat but has an insatiable craving for it is indescribable when they finally get to eat it.

"It's so delicious! If I could eat meat every day, no, even just once every three days, I'd feel like my life was worth it!"

"Haha! If I could eat meat every day, I'd feel it was worth dying under the barbarian's blade!"

"Brothers, General Tian has treated us so well. We must kill as many barbarians as possible when we go to the battlefield!"

"You don't even need to tell me! Even if General Tian doesn't give me meat, I'll still slaughter those barbarians!"

"Hmph! Those barbarians tried to attack the city while General Tian was away, but I killed five of them!"

"I'm not as good as you, but I still managed to cut down three!"

"I just didn't eat enough meat growing up, otherwise I would definitely be stronger and able to kill more barbarians!"

"I think you just want to eat meat every day!"

"Nonsense! Who wouldn't want to eat meat every day?"

"..."

The soldiers of the Great Wall Army were so easily satisfied. A single meal of meat filled them with gratitude towards Tian Yu and strengthened their resolve to resist the barbarians.

The morale of the Great Wall Army was immediately boosted, and the joyful voices of the soldiers filled the various camps.

Meanwhile, inside the Tian residence.

Halfway through the banquet, after drinking some wine, Zhang He, slightly tipsy, seemed much more relaxed. He even put his arm around Tian Yu's shoulder, gave him a thumbs up, and said, "General Tian, ​​there aren't many people I admire in my life, but you are definitely one of them!"

"Oh?"

Tian Yu didn't seem to care about Zhang He's large hand on his shoulder, and instead smiled gently, "Who else could it be but me?"

"And there's Mr. Chen from Chenjia Village, Magistrate Xu from Taiping County, and Prefect Zheng from Taicang Prefecture..."

Zhang He counted on his fingers and said, "Although Prefect Zheng and Magistrate Xu are regarded as traitors by the court, in my opinion, they are the best officials in the world. Without them, I don't know how many people in Taicang County would have starved to death last year! Mr. Chen is the same. Mr. Chen selflessly distributed most of the profits of Chenjia Village to the villagers of Chenjia Village and all the people who work for Chenjia Village. This is what has created the glory of Chenjia Village today!"

The three of them truly saved the people of Taicang County, making their lives better and better. They no longer had to suffer from hunger and cold, no longer had to sell their children, and certainly no longer had to resort to cannibalism!

Tian Yu nodded in agreement. He knew about the situation in Qingzhou. Just as Yang Zheng said, it was because of selfless and compassionate officials like Zheng Qing and Xu Zhiwen that Qingzhou had achieved its current prosperity.

"To be honest, General Tian, ​​I, Zhang He, was once a lowly vagrant. If I hadn't been lucky enough to meet Magistrate Xu, I would probably be dead in the wilderness by now, my body devoured by wild beasts!"

Zhang He said with self-deprecation how lucky he was to have met Xu Zhiwen when he was about to starve to death. Xu Zhiwen then appointed him as a constable, which transformed him from a refugee into an official.

Later, he realized the opportunity in Chenjia Village, decisively resigned from his position as head constable, and made connections with Chenjia Village, thus accumulating wealth and becoming a well-known wealthy merchant in Taiping County.

It is no exaggeration to say that Xu Zhiwen and Chen Dao changed Zhang He's fate, and therefore Zhang He always felt grateful to Xu Zhiwen and Chen Dao.