Chapter 148

"You can't even get this in the imperial palace?"

Sitting by the campfire, Duoti noticed that in the time it took to say a few words, the Jing Country soldiers had already finished eating. They poured water into their bamboo tubes several times, consuming every last drop of the soup and oil.

Then the soldiers went to clean the bamboo tubes.

In the blink of an eye, the rich aroma that had been lingering in their nostrils completely disappeared.

In the open area, the north wind blew, extinguishing the fragrance along with the sparks from the firewood.

Duoti opened his mouth.

He recalled that in previous battles, there were times when he couldn't find his way, but he always managed to locate his destination by following the smell of food.

Often, when he arrived, the foolish soldiers from other tribes would still be cooking soup or roasting meat. By the time they saw him attacking, it was too late for them to pack up!

But with these bamboo tubes of the Jing Country, how was it possible that before he could even finish asking his question, the Jing Country soldiers had already prepared, eaten, and cleaned up their hot soup and noodles, with the smell completely gone?

"That's right, even in the imperial palace, I heard that the princes can't get it," Hou Yuchuan spoke up. "If it weren't for Concubine Liu, who helped us develop these instant noodles and saved a portion for her own son, the Fifth Prince, the princes wouldn't even get a sip of the noodle soup."

"!"

Duoti was stunned, and the other grassland cavalry were equally incredulous, as if they had heard an outlandish tale.

What?

On the grasslands, not just their Khan Wu Yun, but any tribal leader would never let good things go to their soldiers without having it themselves first!

What kind of joke was this?

"Concubine Liu?" Duoti felt a sense of familiarity. "Why does that sound familiar?"

Hou Yuchuan slapped his thigh, "You certainly wouldn't know our imperial concubines. But it's normal that it sounds familiar to you."

He pointed to the military canteen hanging at his waist, which he had been cherishing all along the journey. "The inventor of this thing, as well as our military thermos flasks, is Liu Runnian of the Ministry of Works, who happens to be Concubine Liu's elder brother."Fịndd new updates at novelhall.com

"They're both surnamed Liu, huh."

Duoti was taken aback.

At this point, a nearby Jing Country soldier couldn't help but interject, "The Liu family are all clever people. They think of us soldiers, knowing how hard it is for us to march and fight. They've come up with one good thing after another for us elite troops to use. We all feel like we have boundless energy lately."

"Indeed, when I'm eating dry rations and can have such a delicious sip of chicken soup from the instant noodles, I'm reminded that I need to work hard this year too."

The few Jing Country soldiers who had come along were all elite troops.

"We can't let down Concubine Liu and Lord Liu's thoughtfulness. Even the common people don't have these good things, they're prioritizing us."

Duoti and the grassland soldiers listened with indescribably strange expressions.

"Hey, I heard a storyteller at the foreign embassy say that without military pay, soldiers starve and freeze to death..." a burly grassland man couldn't help but speak up.

Hou Yuchuan laughed heartily, "Storytellers? That's ancient history! Ever since our Jing Country established the Bank, at least in my West Mountain Camp, we've never been short of anything for any soldier."

Duoti was stunned.

Hearing is deceiving, seeing is believing.

Soon, a scout soldier took out an 'instant noodle' bamboo tube in front of them again, but just as he was about to pour hot water into it, he reluctantly put it away.

"Ah, we're only half a day from the camp, I'll hold off. These noodles smell too good, I really don't want to use them now."

"..."

"Oh, the grasslands are our Jing Country brothers too. How about this, why don't you use my down jacket on top of your bedding?"

Down jacket?

Duoti and the other grassland soldiers were once again dumbfounded.

[Oh my gosh, haha! Duoti and the others are like country bumpkins in a grand palace. I'm dying of laughter!]

Xiao Chuchu alternated between watching her father, the Emperor, in the Imperial Study and checking the livestream, her heart bursting with glee.

[Duoti took the fluffy down jacket that Hou Yuchuan patted soft for him, his hands trembling.]

[He didn't dare move. He had never touched such a light garment before!]

Xiao Chuchu was beside herself with joy.

[This down comforter - I can't believe my mother came up with it. Well, I suppose once you have down jackets, down comforters aren't far behind, are they?]

[You know, in modern times we even have down pants, though they're not very practical~]

Xiao Yunzhou perked up his ears, struggling to suppress a smile.

...

In the camp of a thousand men.

Duoti truly didn't dare move.

Wrapped in a garment that felt weightless on his body, he had thought it wouldn't be warm. But to his surprise, before long he was sweating profusely.

"Ah," Hou Yuchuan sighed wistfully to Duoti, "No wonder you didn't know about these. These down jackets and comforters were personally made by Concubine Liu and her maids. Even the civil officials of our Jing Country don't have one. Our Emperor himself hasn't even worn one, though I heard his beloved little princess has a small one."

"But the princess isn't even a year old, so it didn't take much fabric. All these down jackets and comforters have been sent to our military camps."

"We'll never have to fear the cold winter nights again."

Duoti's mouth hung open, unable to close for a long while.

Damn.

If their grassland troops had such fine things, why would he even need to help the Chu Country?!

[Ding! Duoti's loyalty to Concubine Liu has increased by 14%]

[Progress in collecting Duoti for the Elite Character Album has increased by 14%.]

Xiao Chuchu was overjoyed.

But suddenly, she froze.

Huh?

Xiao Yunzhou had just decided to visit the Capital Camp the day after tomorrow. He was now taking a nap, snoring loudly.

Xiao Chuchu stared blankly at her father on the long couch in the Imperial Study, then looked at the system prompt.

[It has nothing to do with my dad!]

[Duoti wants to follow my mom!]