Flowers in full bloom

Chapter 270 The Great Victory in Mobei

So during the past six months, when Hualei had delivered enough down protective gear, dried vegetables, and meat floss to Mobei, Lord Pei asked his eldest son Pei Jingyuan to lead 20,000 soldiers to wear down vests and down protective clothing provided by Hualei, and put on armor outside, fully armed. Everyone also brought necessary rations such as fried rice noodles, meat floss, and dried vegetables, and sleeping bags, and then marched for thirteen days, and ambushed on the hillside behind the col of the Xiaowan army.

He personally led 30,000 soldiers, wearing down vests and carrying supplies such as fried rice noodles and fermented bean curd. It took him nine days to semi-encircle and surround Changling Mountain from the southwest, blocking the southwest exit of Changling Mountain.

Then he ordered his second son Pei Jingyang to lead 40,000 soldiers and carry a few days' rations such as fried rice noodles and salted duck eggs to march across the grassland and attack directly from the southeast entrance to the mountain. The three of them, father and son, began to encircle and suppress the Xiaowan tribe at the same time. After two days of fierce fighting, they finally eliminated this stubborn tumor that had harassed Mobei for more than ten years by attacking from both sides.

Then, they rushed non-stop to encircle and suppress all the small tribes within a few hundred miles, and drove all those that could not be encircled out of Changling Mountain. They directly expanded the border of the Great Sheng Dynasty northward to Changling Mountain, and used Changling Mountain as the border of the Great Sheng Dynasty.

During this period, he personally deployed troops in Mobei, and the work has been almost completed. In the next twenty years or so, if nothing unexpected happens, Mobei should be peaceful.

At this time, General Pei's victory report was placed on the desk in Emperor Shengwu's study. In addition to the military intelligence report that described the entire process and results of the war, there was also a detailed list of all the supplies that Hualei had provided to the soldiers on the Mobei border in the past six months. Perhaps because Marquis Pei's handwriting was too large, the detailed list was full of more than ten pages.

It clearly states what item Hualei sent, the date it was received, and the quantity. The handwriting is sometimes neat, sometimes sloppy, and the edge of the paper is a little worn. It is obvious that it was not written in a few days, but was added every time after the first item was received.

Emperor Shengwu smiled. This old Marquis Pei was still as shrewd as he was when he was young. On a few seemingly insignificant lists, with no praise or requests for credit, he described Hualei's contribution clearly and plainly.

With a gentle wave of his hand, a shadow guard appeared in the imperial study.

"Go check this girl named Hualei and see what she has done. I want to see if everything written on the list by Old Marquis Pei is true." After a pause, he smiled again, "He just wants me to give this girl a benefit, but he doesn't tell me? Then I will pretend not to understand and make him anxious. Let's see how long he can pretend to be silent."

The shadow guard bowed and was about to turn around and leave when Emperor Shengwu spoke again, "Don't alarm that girl or scare her. Just proceed quietly."

The shadow guard nodded respectfully and turned to leave.

Hualei didn't know what was happening in the imperial study. She was trying to make new mooncakes with Aunt Zhao at Baihua Manor. The Moon Worship Festival on August 15th was coming soon. This festival was similar to the Mid-Autumn Festival in the previous life and was a big festival in the Great Sheng Dynasty.

Government offices will be closed for three days, the Imperial College will also be closed, many aristocratic families will hold banquets, and on August 15th, various activities will be held to celebrate. Of course, various foods will be prepared, among which moon cakes are the most popular food.

Therefore, in mid-to-late July, Hualei had already started to experiment with making this egg yolk mooncake, ready to make a fortune. The egg yolk and pork floss qingtuan (a traditional Chinese rice dumpling with egg yolk and pork) for the Qingming Festival and the egg yolk and pork zongzi (a traditional Chinese rice dumpling with egg yolk and pork) for the Dragon Boat Festival were both very popular. Many wealthy families wanted to order them long after Hualei had sold out, so this egg yolk mooncake should not be unsalable.

The fresh meat mooncakes launched last year were also in short supply. It is estimated that there will be imitation fresh meat mooncakes in Beijing this year, so in addition to fresh meat mooncakes, we will make a few egg yolk mooncakes. The first one to try is the most classic lotus seed paste and egg yolk mooncake. Whether the lotus seed paste mooncake is delicious or not depends mainly on the production of lotus seed paste.

Soak the lotus seeds in cold water for more than four hours in advance, then peel the swollen lotus seeds and take out the green core. After washing, put the lotus seeds in a pot, add an equal amount of water to the lotus seeds and cook over high heat until the lotus seeds are soft.

After the lotus seeds have cooled down a little, put them into a small grinding wheel and add a little water to grind them into a paste. Then pour them into the pot and heat them slowly over low heat, stirring constantly to evaporate the water. During the stir-frying process, add soybean oil several times and stir-fry over low heat until evenly mixed.

Each time, wait until the soybean oil is completely absorbed before adding the second soybean oil. After all the soybean oil is absorbed, add the yellow and white sugar and continue to stir-fry over low heat to prevent it from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan. Finally, stir-fry until the water in the lotus paste is completely evaporated and the lotus paste becomes shiny and clumping, then let it cool and it can be used.

After the lotus seed paste is done, you can prepare the egg yolk. Take the raw salted egg yolk out of the salted duck egg without breaking it, and then put it in a porcelain plate. Spray a layer of rice wine on the surface to remove the fishy smell and enhance the fragrance. Then put it in a pot and steam it. The egg yolk is almost ready. Then take an appropriate amount of lotus seed paste, knead it into a ball, flatten it, wrap the steamed egg yolk in the lotus seed paste, roll it into a ball, and the mooncake filling is ready.

The remaining steps are not difficult. Aunt Zhao is already familiar with it. Flatten the kneaded dough, wrap the lotus seed paste and egg yolk filling, sprinkle a layer of flour on the surface, put it into the mold, press it into the shape of a mooncake, take it out, put it in the baking tray, spray some water on the surface, and put it in the oven. After baking for a cup of tea, take it out, brush it with a thin layer of egg liquid, put it in the oven again, and continue to bake for a cup of tea. After repeating the previous step, the mooncake is done. Let it cool slowly in the oven, and it is all done.

Looking at the round mooncakes with lotus flowers on them, Hualei was very satisfied. She picked one up and took a bite. She felt that the mooncakes were soft, sweet, and delicious. The golden yolk was also exposed. She took another bite. The yolk had a slight salty taste, and the rich aroma of the yolk occupied the tip of her tongue, mixed with the soft, sweet lotus paste. It was really irresistible.

Hualei felt that her mood was about to soar. No wonder in her previous life, this lotus seed paste and egg yolk mooncake was so popular. The taste was really very good. So, she made red bean paste and egg yolk mooncakes and taro paste and egg yolk mooncakes to enrich the taste of egg yolk mooncakes.