Chapter 484 Shangluo
The light rain in March kept pattering.
The fields are green, and wild vegetables are growing everywhere, just in time to help the famine. Even in ordinary years, the common people will not miss these wild vegetables on the ground to make up for the shortage, let alone now.
Men, women and children went to battle together. Those who stayed in Chang'an did not leave. Most of them were elderly or children or pregnant women who could not leave. Although it was raining lightly outside, the wild vegetables were so green, how could it hinder the determination of the people to pick wild vegetables.
Green shepherd's purse, the leaves have grown many pieces, stretched out like a small umbrella. It is said that on March 3rd, shepherd's purse is a panacea. Cut a small piece of bamboo or wood in hand, squat down on the ground, insert it in front of the root of the shepherd’s purse, pull the root up with one hand, and shake the seedling with the other hand, and the mud on the root will be shaken off up, revealing white roots and green leaves.
In addition to shepherd's purse, there are more wild vegetables that can be eaten in the field.
Adults and children can basically recognize those edible wild vegetables at a glance.
Purslane, also known as long-lived vegetable among the people, can be eaten fresh or dried in the sun to make dried vegetables. This dish has a strong taste, but for those who like it, it is as fragrant as leeks. of. If you like to eat fresh, then just soak in cold water, which is also a must.
And on the river beach and on the hillside, there is also another delicacy, that is bracken, some people call it cat's claw, or dragon head vegetable, which refers to the unexpanded shoots and leaves of this bracken, which are shaped like a dragon's head. Or cat's paw. The taste of this dish is fragrant and smooth, with seasoning, it is fragrant and refreshing. This is a rare appetizer with wine. It can be fried and eaten, or dried, stuffed or pickled, all of which are delicious.
This is known as the king of wild vegetables.
Qin Lang and Prince Chengqian went out to pick wild vegetables together today, and Li Jing, who is in his sixties, also specially accompanied the guards today.
Qin Lang took Chengqian along the way, leading him to identify and dig wild vegetables.
"This is not Xicai, this is bitter vegetable. Bitterweed is yellow flower, and Xicai is white flower." Qin Lang is leading Chengqian to dig Xicai by the roadside, a kind of wild vegetable similar to mother-in-law Ding. Xicai is very tender and has a sweet taste when eaten. It is delicious cold or stir-fried, and it is also good for stuffing. It will bloom small white flowers when it is ripe.
But the Xicai dug by Chengqian is a bit similar to the Xicai dug by Qin Lang, but there are subtle differences. This vegetable is actually called bitter vegetable. It will bloom yellow flowers when it is ripe. You can eat it, but it will be very bitter. It is a bit like a dandelion vegetable taste.
Chengqian took the bitter vegetables he had dug up with great difficulty, and carefully compared it with Qin Lang's, and after a long time of subdivision, he could see the difference.
"Can't you eat this bitter vegetable?" It was hard for him to dig so much.
"Of course you can eat it." Qin Lang put Chengqian's booty into his back basket, "It's just that the taste is slightly bitter. In fact, most of the wild vegetables are also Chinese medicinal materials. This bitter vegetable also has the effect of clearing away heat and detoxification. Eat it It’s a good thing to get rid of the fire and clear the lungs.”
In fact, most children can distinguish dozens or hundreds of wild vegetables, because almost every family digs wild vegetables every year. Years and months, but usually it is often eaten with wild vegetables, etc. Vegetable porridge with half food and half vegetables is the staple food of most people in this spring.
Wild vegetables, what pigs can eat, can actually be eaten by humans.
If you really want to classify them into different levels, it's just the taste.
For example, this bitter vegetable tastes bitter, so it is naturally not as good as the sweet Xicai.
"Your Highness, look at this dark green wild vegetable, called Malantou, also known as field vegetable, and it tastes very good."
Chengqian looked at the weeds he stepped on just now, but unexpectedly it was also a wild vegetable, so he hurried to pick it. This Malantou is not as good as shepherd's purse wild vegetables, the leaves are smaller, and it takes a long time to pull out a handful.
Li Jing also carried his bamboo basket and picked wild vegetables along with him. He was surprised that a young man like Qin Lang could recognize almost all the wild vegetables in the field.
And that movement, um, is very skillful.
In Chang'an City, some descendants of honored relatives have become dudes, they don't even distinguish the five grains, and treat leeks as wheat seedlings. It's rare that Qin Lang can accurately distinguish various wild vegetables.
Plantain seed, water celery, wormwood, wild onion, dandelion, alfalfa, chrysanthemum, wild mugwort, ground fungus, and Houttuynia cordata with a few tender leaves but white roots underneath, and even Even the flowers of the hibiscus trees that are used to make fences in common people's homes can be picked for cooking.
Picking a big basket of all kinds of wild vegetables, Qin Lang took Chengqian into the mountain.
Chinese toon, pagoda tree leaves, bamboo shoots...
Chengqian really never thought that there are so many plants that can be eaten.
"In fact, most of the weeds can be used for cooking, but some are poisonous and cannot be eaten, and some are bitter and astringent or too woody. However, some wild vegetables are actually not nutritious, and eating too much can easily hurt the body, such as Let’s talk about bracken and spring bamboo shoots.”
Stir-fried bacon with spring bamboo shoots is a delicious dish, especially steamed ham with spring bamboo shoots, it is delicious. But spring bamboo shoots, if you only eat spring bamboo shoots, it will really scratch your stomach. For the poor, if you only use this to satisfy your hunger, one meal or two is fine, and eating more meals will make people more and more weak. Every last bit of oil has to be scraped away.
Bracken is similar, cattle and sheep will even be poisoned to death if they eat too much.
But during the famine, when the people are hungry, they even eat the bark of grass roots. In some areas of the Central Plains, sometimes the bark is stripped off, and it is difficult to eat the bark. So some people eat soil and eat a kind of Guanyin. Soil, but these are actually just temporarily filling the stomach, so that you are not so hungry. In fact, it is just a lie to the stomach. There is no nutrition at all, and it may even have serious consequences. die.
During the great famine, those who rely on mountains and rivers are luckier.
noon.
Qin Lang deliberately took Chengqian to a farm at the foot of his mountain to rest and have lunch. Many sheds were built here to raise cattle, sheep and pigs. Working here, raising thousands of cattle, pigs and sheep.
Just the supporting fertilizer factory at the back can make a lot of money by processing the cattle, sheep and pig manure in the farm, making it into dry manure and selling it to the people to fertilize the fields.
In the reservoir at the foot of the mountain, fish and ducks are raised, and there are many lotus ponds under the reservoir to grow lotus seeds and lotus roots. Ecological breeding has achieved initial results here.
Can be a catastrophe.
Qin Lang had to slaughter all the cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese in the farm in advance, and handed them over to the imperial government for disaster relief. The government only gave the farm a note. As for when and what to pay for these livestock and poultry The price was never agreed upon, and Qin Lang didn't have time to take care of it.
Let's get over the difficulties first.
The pens are empty, the cattle and sheep are gone, the chickens and ducks are gone, and even the fish ponds in the reservoirs have been drained in advance to catch all the fish and shrimp.
Most of the servants were resettled outside the pass to escape disaster, and only some elderly people stayed behind.
Seeing the Patriarch Qin Lang coming, a few veterans insisted on going into the mountain, and brought back some mountain goods not long after.
"Our place is running out, and this person has also withdrawn, but there are more wild animals on the mountain behind. Last time, there was a wild boar that came to our pigpen to give birth."
Qin Lang knew that the wild boar that came to give birth was taken by the bosses, and then sent to the Chang'an Mansion. Qin Lang sent it to the Imperial Palace and the Eastern Palace, and half of it was an extra meal for them. Qin Lang only A pig's head was left and stewed in a pot.
I still have a little aftertaste.
The veterans also have bows, arrows, knives and guns, and often go to the mountains to patrol and hunt. Woolen cloth.
Qin Lang looked at these wild catches, and simply set up a simple stone stove by the reservoir.
Prince Chengqian was in charge of lighting the fire, God of War Li Jing was in charge of cleaning up the wild boars, and Prime Minister Qin Lang was in charge of chopping vegetables and cooking.
Cooking smoke curled up, and the drizzle fell on the reservoir, causing ripples.
Stewed wild fish with wild onions, fried wild pork with spring bamboo shoots, fried bird eggs with Chinese toon, and wild vegetable pancakes.
Using local materials, there are no royal dishes, but every dish is seasonal.
When the small miscellaneous fish were just fried to a golden color, Cheng Qian, who was in charge of the fire, couldn't help but reach out to steal the fish from the pot and eat it, like a kitten stealing fish.
Li Jing was moved by the smell, and he would come over to have a look at it from time to time during the process of slaughtering the pig and dividing the meat, and also brought a few pieces to eat.
A few kilograms of small miscellaneous fish, by the time the fried fish is nearly golden on both sides and ready to be stewed with wild onions, more than a kilogram has already been eaten.
Wild boars are thin and have hard fur.
Li Jing scalded the hair with water first, and then grilled it on the fire. The baked skin swelled golden and the fine hairs were all roasted, and then scraped it with a knife.
After scraping clean, disembowel the belly, remove the internal organs, and disassemble it into eight pieces.
The pig’s feet and ribs are reserved for stewing at night, and the pig’s head and internal organs are reserved for the veterans to eat tomorrow. This pig was their spoils of war.
I took the front blade meat and fried spring bamboo shoots.
"God can't starve to death. Blind house sparrows have survived the cold winter, so you don't have to worry anymore. In March, there is nothing to eat. Pair wild vegetables with disaster relief porridge, and everyone's life will get better and better. Wait a few more months , and the summer harvest will be ushered in."
Li Jing drank the delicious fish soup, and nodded in appreciation of Qin Lang's words.
"When the glaciers thaw, the canals will be able to send more grain northward. When the rainy season arrives, the summer monsoon will blow northward. At that time, there will be a large fleet of ships on the southeast coast full of grain going northward."
Li Jing is in a good mood, and he has a good appetite after walking with him for so long today. After finishing a bowl of fish soup quickly, Qin Lang gave Cheng Qian a look, and Cheng Qian quickly took the bowl and filled another half bowl of wild fish soup for Li Jing. Stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork, and a few wild vegetable pancakes.
The wild pork is harder and thicker, so Qin Lang actually stewed it. The heat is enough to make the wild pork not only retain a certain toughness, but also tasty and chewable. With the freshness of the bamboo shoots, this dish is very suitable for Li Jing. taste.
"If I had a cook like you in the army when I was fighting, my winning rate would be even higher." Li Jing laughed.
"Dai Gong is my God of War in the Tang Dynasty, and he has never been defeated." Qin Lang said.
Li Jing waved his hand, "Your Majesty once conferred your grandpa the God of War in the Tang Dynasty, I dare not call it that." Li Jing picked up a piece of wild boar and ate it while it was hot. After two months of mush porridge, There is an extreme desire for oil and meat in my stomach.
"Sanlang, I heard that His Majesty has summoned you to Luoyang?"
Qin Lang smiled, "Well, this year, 70% to 70% of the people in the pass went outside the pass to survive, and Chang'an even left nine households out of ten. We have now controlled the hunger epidemic inside the pass, but the situation outside the pass is still very serious. Seriously, after His Majesty heard about the effects of Taipingpox, he sent someone to summon me to Luoyang to preside over the prevention and treatment of pox."
"His Royal Highness and Chang'an, I will leave it to the right servant to assist you." Qin Lang stood up as he spoke, and bowed to Li Jing with crossed hands.
"Why does Sanlang salute like this? I am the prime minister of the court. Your Majesty arranges to stay in Xijing to assist the crown prince in overseeing the country. This is my duty. Saburo, you can go to Luoyang without worry. I will assist the crown prince with Changsun Xiangguo and Wang Xiangguo in Chang'an." of."
"Eldest Sun Linggong will go to Luoyang with me this time, and Wang Shizhong will stay with You Pushe to continue to assist the crown prince in supervising the country."
In fact, Qin Lang is not very willing to go to Luoyang at this time. Chang'an can barely control it, but the whole pass and the five roads in the pass are not optimistic. But Li Shimin urgently needs Qin Lang, an experienced person, to go there, especially in the area of epidemic prevention and acne, Qin Lang is undoubtedly the most authoritative.
"Soon Concubine Feng will send another batch of cattle and sheep from Hetao. In addition, His Majesty has asked General Su of Youzhou to send us another batch of cattle and sheep. The food will continue to be distributed and the number will increase. The situation will get worse. The better it is, the ration standard we ordered earlier can also be appropriately increased."
The emperor moved to Luoyang this time, and the prince stayed in Beijing to supervise the country. This was a rare opportunity for Chengqian to show off his talent. In particular, Chengqian contracted acne earlier and was sealed off for more than a month. There were rumors in various middle schools in Beijing, and the status of the prince was shaken.
Now with their assistance, the prince has fought a rare and beautiful battle and won a good first battle. At this time, he originally wanted to take advantage of the victory to pursue and win a bigger victory.
But the emperor came to call, so Qin Lang had no choice but to go.
Originally, if the eldest grandson Wuji stayed, Qin Lang would not have to worry about it. The eldest grandson is Chengqian's biological uncle, and he would firmly protect Chengqian's interests.
But the emperor also summoned Changsun Wuji to Luoyang, and the two remaining prime ministers, Li Jing and Wang Gui, were Shangshu Youpushe and the school inspector. Li Jing is the core general of the Guanlong Group, and Wang Gui is the Wang family of Taiyuan with five surnames and seven families.
Handing Cheng Qian over to the two of them, Qin Lang was really not at ease.
But there is no other way, and now I can only hand it over to them.
Compared to the two, Qin Lang trusted Li Jing more. Li Jing is old, he acts steadily, and has always been very measured, so with him around, it is not easy for anything to happen.
"Su Dingfang is coming?" Li Jing was very concerned about the Hebei general Xiao who stole the limelight during the last Northern Expedition.
"Well, he and Cheng Yaojin sent a batch of cattle and sheep over here. I have already asked His Majesty. When they arrive in Chang'an, Cheng Yaojin will temporarily inspect the prince's left guard and Su Dingfang will inspect the prince's left guard. Take charge of the crown prince Lu Ben on my behalf, and protect the safety of the East Palace."
Li Jing listened to this arrangement, nodded, and did not express any objection. He knew that Su Dingfang had a close relationship with Qin Lang, and Cheng Yaojin was the best friend of Qin's father and son.
At this time, when Qin Lang went to Luoyang, he did not hand over the three thousand crown prince Lu Ben to himself, the crown prince's right guard, but asked Cheng Yaojin and Su Dingfang to rush over to inspect the temporary command of the crown prince Lu Ben's army. This was obviously wrong I still don't trust myself.
However, Li Jing did not show any dissatisfaction, and was even happy to see Qin Lang's arrangement.
(end of this chapter)