Chapter 1407 Winter in Lushun Fort

The time required to deliver these letters over a span of thousands of miles is not short. It is normal for a letter to travel for about two months. The navy and Han army also have relatively strict control over recreational activities such as drinking and gambling.

There is no place to spend money after receiving military pay, so the idle officers and soldiers often choose to write letters home to pass the time and express their homesickness. It is not surprising here that one person even sends four or five letters at a time.

However, not all officers and soldiers have the ability to write letters on their own. There are still many semi-literate people who are less than 100 literate and can only rely on others to write for them. Letters sent from home can only be read and listened to by others. And the basic personnel responsible for this job

They are both propaganda and political workers in the army, but several civilian officials stationed in Lushun all fell ill, so the activity of writing letters and reading letters was suspended. Liu Shang and Qin Wei happened to be civilian officials responsible for propaganda, so Sun Zhen naturally

So he put this task on their shoulders.

"This..." Liu Shang and Qin Wei looked at each other, knowing that it was inconvenient to refuse, so they had no choice but to agree.

"The two of you should take a rest for a while. After dinner, I will arrange for someone to come over." Sun Zhen's face was also happy when he saw the other party's consent.

After Sun Zhen left, Liu Shang said: "I didn't expect it would be easy to come here. I just need to be a writer."

Qin Wei said seriously: "The soldiers are working hard guarding the border. You and I must try our best to help them."

Liu Shang responded: "That's natural. It's really hard to stay in such a bitter and cold place for a long time. What we can do now is probably just to help maintain morale."

If there had not been an epidemic, a versatile person like Liu Shang could have played a guest role in a cultural troupe in public lectures. However, now that Lushun Fort prohibits gatherings of many people, the role Liu Shang can play is relatively limited. But even so

, Liu Shang still prefers to stay here in Liaodong to avoid the limelight. This is at least much better than worrying about Zhifu Island. These people in the army are relatively simple, and they don't have to worry about the security department getting to the bottom of things.

Although the accommodation conditions in Lushun Fort can only be described as simple, like all Haihan controlled areas, the food here is not bad, and the sumptuous dinner is even far better than what Liu Shang had during his stay in Majiazhuang.

The canteen. Lushun Fort is surrounded by mountains and sea, and produces a lot of delicacies. Although it is the middle of winter, the logistics department still brought in a lot of good things for Liu Shang and others who are new to the area to enjoy.

However, due to the epidemic, there was no large-scale reception banquet held in the army. Instead, several tables were set up in the tents where they lived, accompanied by the garrison officers. Of course, Liu Shang would not care about this kind of red tape, and the scene would be smaller.

You can eat more vegetables and drink less, which will make you feel more comfortable.

They have arranged for eight people to stay in this tent. Except for Liu Shang and Qin Wei, the other people are military doctors and doctors temporarily invited from Shandong. They are all gentlemen, and they stay here to keep company.

It was Sun Zhen who had brought them here before.

"Everyone, this roe deer meat was freshly brought back from the mountains yesterday. It's not available in Shandong, so don't be polite if you use your chopsticks!" Sun Zhen warmly introduced the dishes on the table to everyone.

A doctor at the table twirled his beard and said: "Roe deer meat warms the spleen and stomach, strengthens the heart and lungs, removes dampness and aphrodisiacs. In ancient times, there was a saying that eating roe deer meat would make you an immortal. It is indeed a good thing."

Sun Zhen was stunned for a moment, but he didn't expect that there would be three dedicated people who never strayed from his profession. He immediately pointed to another dish and introduced: "Everyone, this pheasant soup is cooked with local pheasants. The soup is delicious.

Not to be missed!”

Another doctor was the first to answer this time: "The Tang Dynasty's Food and Medicine Guide says that pheasant meat moistens dryness and quenches thirst, nourishes the spleen and replenishes qi, and is a good food tonic."

Liu Shang patted Sun Zhen on the shoulder and said: "Platoon Leader Sun needs no introduction. These guys are all experts. You and I should just eat meat and drink wine!"

Sun Zhen said with a smile: "Officer Liu is right. He is doing something outside of work. Come on, come on. You have come all the way here. I hope you can forgive me for not greeting you well. Sun will give you a drink first!"

After saying this, Sun Zhen raised his glass and bowed it in a circle, then raised his head and poured the wine into his mouth. Liu Shang saw that the wine glass was at least one tael in weight. He didn't dare to imitate his drinking capacity, so he could only drink a little.

He took a sip in response. Sun Zhen didn't mind if everyone cheered, he took the wine bottle and filled it up himself, and started to toast one by one.

Sun Zhen had just sat down after a round of drinks, and Gao Qiaonan also came in with Morgan. Since the reception banquet was held in several tents, they could only go around the tents to toast. Liu Shang secretly thought that this Haihan is good at everything.

, even though he drank endlessly, it was really overwhelming. Of course, despite all the criticism, he still had to smile, hold a glass and cooperate with the senior officials.

Morgan and Takahashi Nanlin left after toasting. They had another banquet of their own, and the people accompanying them were all senior military officers. Military details would definitely be discussed during the banquet, so naturally it was inconvenient to sit at the same table with these people in the tent. Takahashi Nanlin

When leaving, he patted Sun Zhen on the shoulder and warned: "Just drink, don't delay the gentlemen's work!"

Sun Zhen woke up from the drunkenness and quickly saluted with a military salute. Gao Qiaonan's warning really worked. After Sun Zhen returned to the table, he no longer took the initiative to toast. Otherwise, with his drinking capacity, there would be no one on the table.

He was afraid that he would have to lie down more than half of the time to finish the job. Liu Shang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this. He sat next to Sun Zhen. Sun Zhen turned around and wanted to hold a cup with him. Even if he didn't toast, he still couldn't resist.

Liu Shang looked at the table full of game and couldn't help but sigh: "Puilator Sun, the food here is so good. If I stay in Lushun Fort for a longer time, I'm afraid I will soon gain weight."

Sun Zhen said with a smile: "That's not true. It has only been two months, and all the bastards under my command have become fat. Although they are not usually so rich, they can swim in the water, run in the mountains, and fly in the sky.

Indeed, there is no break on the table. Although the living environment here is more difficult, the products are indeed rich. You don’t even need to bring a knife or bow when you go hunting in the mountains. You only need to carry a stick. It’s easy to knock roe deer and fish! Everyone, if nothing else,

There are guaranteed to be new varieties of food here every day. If there is anything you want to eat, you can tell me and I will try my best to meet your requests!"

Qin Wei responded with a smile: "So, this life is more comfortable than when you were stationed on Zhifu Island."

The two of them had been stationed on Zhifu Island before, so they had known each other for a long time. Sun Zhen responded without any hesitation: "In terms of food, of course it is better now. There is no game on Zhifu Island. Except for seabirds, basically everything has been hunted."

When it comes to eating, there’s no better choice than here in Liaodong!”

Sun Zhen's words are absolutely true. When the special operations battalion was stationed on Zhifu Island, these soldiers who were accustomed to operating in the mountains and forests organized hunting on the island in their free time. Over the course of a year, they had already hunted down the wild animals on the island.

The capture was almost done. After the station was moved to Lushun, the natural environment here satisfied the special operations battalion's wishes. Next to it was a mountainous area stretching for dozens of miles. The wild animal resources were very rich, giving them a place to show off their skills. This

There were no military operations in winter, so hunting became the biggest pastime. In the back kitchen of the canteen of Port Arthur Fort, various ingredients were received every day from soldiers hunting in the wild.

Liu Shang's mouth was full of oil after eating this meal. He had to admire that the Haihan people's emphasis on eating was really effective. It ran through the entire society. Even the troops on the front did not relax about it. No matter where they went, as long as they were on the sea

In the Han-controlled areas, I had never heard of anyone going hungry. It was extremely difficult to do this.

After everyone finished the meal, while they were cleaning up the mess, Sun Zhen waved to Liu Shang and whispered: "Follow me!"

Liu Shang didn't know what he meant, but he still followed him out of the tent. Sun Zhen put his arm around Liu Shang's shoulders and walked a few steps, and then explained the whole story to Liu Shang: "I drank your wine in the car when I came here, and I promised to pay it back.

you."

Liu Shang didn't expect that he would still remember this, so he quickly declined: "It's just a matter of two sips of wine. If you say you still don't pay back, Platoon Commander Sun is too polite!"

Sun Zhen didn't chirp with him. He just patted Liu Shang and said, "I'll take you somewhere. You can see it before we talk."

Liu Shang thought that there was nothing dangerous in Lushun Fort, so he followed Sun Zhen boldly through the fort, and finally came to a warehouse under the city wall. Liu Shang had a very keen sense of smell, and before Sun Zhen opened the door, he

I smelled a hint of wine and subconsciously asked: "Could it be a wine cellar?"

"Director Liu is indeed a smart man." Sun Zhen opened the door with a smile and stepped in first. Liu Shang hesitated for a moment and followed.

The warehouse was only two feet in diameter, and although there were a few open tiles on the roof, the weather outside was already gloomy, and the furnishings inside could not be seen clearly. Sun Zhen quickly lit an oil lamp, and then used the light to show Liu Shang

The collection inside the house.

"Director Liu, please look, the wine in this room is not ordinary sorghum wine, it is medicinal wine soaked with good ingredients." Sun Zhen is not only good at drinking, but also obviously has a lot of research in this field, so he immediately introduced it to Liu Shang

I picked up the collection here.

"This row is full of snake wine, and there are all kinds of snakes... The jars at the bottom are deer antler wine and ginseng wine. The glass jars on the shelf here contain good things, including tiger bones and tiger whip... Liu

Officer, these are all produced locally and are not adulterated at all. Why don't you pour some for you to try?"

Seeing Sun Zhen's eagerness to give it a try, Liu Shang quickly shook his head and said, "This is too much tonic. I'm afraid something might happen if you drink it. This place is deserted outside Lushun Fort. There's no place to vent your anger, so I'd better skip it!"

Given the current situation in Fort Lushun, there would naturally be no logistical service organizations such as military prostitutes. Although Liu Shang was joking, he did tell the objective facts. Sun Zhen scratched his head and said, "Officer Liu is right.

, I didn’t think carefully about this.”

Naturally, Liu Shang would not offend Sun Zhen, so he straightened his words immediately: "Although I am not as knowledgeable as the doctors just now, I also know that snake wine can activate blood and dispel wind, remove dampness and replenish qi. Why don't you pour some snake wine?"

bar?"

"Okay! Then I'll follow Director Liu's wishes!" Sun Zhen immediately picked a jar of snake wine that had been brewed for the longest time, and asked Liu Shang to take out his small wine flask, and then found someone to pour the wine.

funnel, and then poured a jug for Liu Shang. However, Sun Zhen thought his jug was too small, so he found an empty wine bottle and poured another bottle for him.

Seeing how enthusiastic Liu Shang was, he was also quite embarrassed: "Is this wine probably the private collection of Battalion Commander Takahashi? Is it not good to pour so much out and someone will see it when I take it back later?

?”

Sun Zhen waved his hand and said: "It doesn't matter, this is what Battalion Commander Gao Qiao meant. The conditions here in Lushun are simple, and I have wronged you gentlemen, so I can only try my best to let you eat and drink well. If other gentlemen see it and want it, come back.

I’ll just take them to choose by themselves. But when the doctors see something that can be put into their mouths, they will discuss the properties of the medicine first, and then take them to choose medicinal wine, I’m afraid they will have to pick and choose!”

Liu Shang recalled the scene when the doctors were talking about the medicinal properties of the ingredients during the meal, and couldn't help but laugh: "That's right, maybe I will give you some advice on how to prepare the medicinal wine."

Sun Zhen said: "That's a good thing. When Battalion Commander Gao Qiao made these medicinal wines, he didn't put many other medicinal materials in them. With these doctors to give guidance, there is no need to find someone to prescribe prescriptions."

The two returned to the tent. The dining stall had been cleaned up and everyone was taking a rest. Upon seeing this, Sun Zhen assigned tasks to them. Several doctors were responsible for writing letters to the soldiers, while Qin Wei and Liu Shang were specifically responsible for writing letters to the soldiers.

The soldiers read the letter. Sun Zhen knew that the two of them were experts in propaganda, and their speaking skills were naturally better than others. This arrangement can be regarded as making the best use of their talents and resources.

Liu Shang had just received the benefits, and naturally he would not have any objections to Sun Zhen's arrangement. Soon Sun Zhen brought several soldiers and gave them to each person to take charge of. In order to avoid too many people gathering in the tent and overcrowding, he had to write a letter

The person who read the letter was allowed to enter the tent.

A soldier came to Liu Shang with a letter in hand, handed it to him with both hands, and said: "Thank you, sir!"

Liu Shang nodded and took it, gestured for the other party to sit down, then took out the letter from the envelope, unfolded it, and read slowly: "Second brother, see you, hello! I have received the September letter, and I know that my second brother is in the army.

The family members all feel honored to have achieved military exploits again, but on the battlefield, the second brother needs to take more care of himself..."

Liu Shang looked at the other person's expression while reading, and saw that he was intoxicated in what he was reading, so he continued to read: "...The eldest brother's discharge formalities have been completed, and the government has arranged for him to work at Yacheng Police Station, with a monthly salary.

Sixteen yuan, plus the retirement pension received before, is enough for the food and clothing of the family. My parents asked the second brother not to send all the military salary back, but to keep some money around for emergencies..."

By this point, Liu Shangnian already knew that he was not the only one in the soldier's family who had enlisted in the army, and his eldest brother who had retired had obviously performed well in the army, and would only be recommended for a public position such as the police after he retired. Judging from the amount of salary.

, probably not a low-level position like the vine-helmeted patrol officers commonly seen on the streets, but probably someone with an official position.
Chapter completed!