Chapter 64: Hot Porridge

Right now is certainly not the time to consider these things; the most important thing at present is to solve the problem of lunch for those two thousand-plus people.

Thinking this, Xu Da said to Zhu Gaoxu: "Take my token and go to any of the Forty-Eight Guards of the Capital to requisition some grain and fodder for an emergency; as for other matters, don't worry about them for now, leave them to your grandfather."

Hearing these words from Xu Da, Zhu Gaoxu did not delay, as more than two thousand mouths were waiting to eat.

After taking Xu Da's token, Zhu Gaoxu expressed his thanks and then walked out of the Wei State Duke Mansion.

Once outside, Zhu Gaoxu looked up at the sky and discovered that it was already past noon.

Fearing there might be changes at the Military Camp, Zhu Gaoxu planned to act separately, first handing the token to Mao Xiang so he could hurry to requisition grain.

As for Zhu Gaoxu himself, he rode at full speed back to the Military Camp to first soothe the soldiers' emotions.

By the time Zhu Gaoxu arrived at the Military Camp, as expected, the camp was already in chaos.

The soldiers, who had undergone high-intensity training all day, had finally reached mealtime only to find that lunch was black, moldy-smelling pig slop; how could they endure this?

The key was that Zhu Gaoxu, who had promised to eat and live with them, was nowhere to be found; no matter who it was, they could not endure this.

By the time Zhu Gaoxu arrived, the New Army was already clashing with the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

If it weren't for the fact that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had weapons in their hands, they likely would have already come to blows.

At this moment, the slightest mistake could trigger a mutiny of over two thousand people.

If such a major incident occurred on the very first day the New Army enlisted, Zhu Gaoxu would become the laughingstock of the entire Kyoto and even the entire Great Ming.

It was impossible for Zhu Gaoxu not to understand this logic; looking at the tense crowd, Zhu Gaoxu walked directly through the crowd of Embroidered Uniform Guard from the rear and arrived in the middle of the two sides.

At this moment, someone in the New Army saw Zhu Gaoxu; the group of New Army soldiers, who had still been shouting at the Embroidered Uniform Guard, subconsciously lowered their voices upon seeing Zhu Gaoxu, and the situation eased somewhat.

Seeing that the situation had not completely spiraled out of control, Zhu Gaoxu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Taking a deep breath, Zhu Gaoxu said forcefully: "What? Are you all planning to mutiny the moment I leave?"

"How can such a lax army rely on you to guard the frontiers?"

Hearing these words from Zhu Gaoxu, the group of New Army soldiers quieted down quite a bit, though someone still unconvinced said: "It's not that we are lax, but that this food is simply impossible to eat."

"We soldiers need to fill our stomachs, don't we? This food is black and mushy with a stench of mold; it's simply not fit for human consumption!"

Zhu Gaoxu naturally knew why they were making a scene; calculating the time in his heart, Zhu Gaoxu knew it was somewhat too late.

By the time Mao Xiang requisitioned the grain, loaded it, transported it over, and then started a fire to cook it, the people would likely have starved to death.

Moreover, Zhu Gaoxu intended for this meal to consist of this moldy, old grain.

If these New Army soldiers had not made a scene and had waited quietly, Zhu Gaoxu would certainly have given them an explanation.

At the very least, there would certainly be compensation; when the time came, even if he had to beg Lao Zhu, he would beg for some money.

But now that the New Army had made a scene, even if he had previously gone to get grain for these people, once the grain arrived, these people would only think it was the result of their resistance.

In the future, whenever something was not to their liking, these people would resist again; if that happened at a critical moment, it could ruin major affairs, and then it would truly be a waste.

Therefore, Zhu Gaoxu could not back down at this moment; he had to make these people eat this moldy food!

Thinking this, Zhu Gaoxu took two steps, arrived at a dining table, and then, lifting both hands, stood up on the table.

First looking around at everyone, and seeing that everyone was looking at him, Zhu Gaoxu then said unhurriedly: "I won't hide it from you, this meal was specifically ordered by this Prince to be made this way."

Even though there was some preparation, the moment his words fell, the previously quiet environment was instantly broken, and the group of people began to clamor one after another.

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu stretched out both hands, pressing them in the air to signal everyone to be silent.

The New Army gave Zhu Gaoxu some face; after all, his status was laid out there, and some were also curious—Zhu Gaoxu had previously said he would eat and live with them, and now he had actually served this kind of moldy food, so they wanted to see how Zhu Gaoxu would step down.

Zhu Gaoxu quickly gave them an answer.

"The reason I arranged this meal is to tell you that being a soldier under my command is not easy; it is not just about bitterness and fatigue, but the environment faced is also very difficult."

"Imagine, you are deep behind enemy lines, having gone hungry for three days without the slightest supply; let alone this moldy porridge, even grass roots and tree bark would likely be eaten without hesitation."

"I know what you are waiting for; that's right, I said this morning that I would eat and live with you, so how could I break my word?"

Ever since Zhu Gaoxu decided that he would eat this black mush for this meal, he had already made up his mind to fire the first shot.

With a wave of his hand, Zhu Gaoxu said loudly: "Bring me a bowl of hot porridge."

The group of Embroidered Uniform Guard hesitated upon hearing these words; seeing that Zhu Gaoxu was going to do it for real, although they admired him in their hearts, they were still somewhat worried.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had also been soldiers before; they were also from a military background.

They also hoped their commander would be like Zhu Gaoxu, but their current duty was to guard Zhu Gaoxu's safety.

That thing was black and mushy, floating with a stench of mold, and they were also afraid that it would really make Zhu Gaoxu sick.