The local mountain people who came to work with Cocombe were basically poor people whose families were running out of food. This time, it was also a helpless move to come out to work as a coolie for the expeditionary force of Hungshuitiz -- according to their ideas, not to mention how much food and salt they could receive as a reward afterwards, at least they could mix food in the army for a while, so that they could save a ration for their families, so that their wives and children could eat an extra bite of food.

This time, however, the generosity of the employers was clearly much more than the poor people expected.

They were first taken to a clearing, and at the orders of Cocombe, each of them brought out a wooden or clay bowl that he had brought from his house. Then two more cooks brought in a huge iron pot, and the smell of it from a long distance made them all hungry for a while.

Next, the cook lifted the wooden lid from the pot, scooped out the piping hot noodle soup with a long-handled spoon, and filled each of them with a large bowl.

Looking at the bowl of thick noodle soup in their hands, the coolies were all excited at once.

This meal is definitely the best food they can't even think of!

What many people don't know is that in ancient societies, those delicately made pasta were often more expensive than meat of equal weight.

In medieval Europe, for example, a single loaf of brown bread could be exchanged for three or four times the weight of grilled fish. In China during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the price of fine white noodles was also comparable to that of pork. It was not until the end of the Qing Dynasty that the steam flour grinding machine was introduced and the mechanical power grinding machine was used to grind the flour, and the price of white flour gradually decreased.

The reason for this is that the ancients used wheat flour to make flour, mostly using stone grinding, which is extremely inefficient compared to modern electric flour grinders. In Eurasia, people still have windmill mills and water-powered mills, but they can't do it, get a little donkey blindfolded around the stone mill, and you can grind dozens of catties of flour a day. But in Central America, where there were no livestock, the Indians relied entirely on their arms to grind their flour.

What's worse is that the grain they grind is not wheat, but more difficult corn...... In this way, the efficiency of manual grinding is even lower. This is not only very hard work, but also time-consuming. If they had to eat pasta every day, the family would spend seven or eight days a month, from morning till night, doing nothing but grinding cornmeal together.

Moreover, the flour that is ground by hand is generally very coarse, mixed with a lot of bran and impurities. Modern people in later generations are accustomed to eating fine flour, and occasionally eating such coarse noodles may still feel quite fresh, but if you eat this thing every day, plus corn is originally coarse grain, it feels like it not only wears out your teeth, hurts your throat and hurts your stomach, but you can't swallow it!

If you want to get a finer flour that is similar to that of modern products, you have to grind the coarse flour many times, or sift the flour by hand to get out the sand, bran, and sawdust inside...... However, if such fine flour were to be produced purely by hand, the labor required would be at least four or five times that of coarse flour, and the price would be so expensive that even the little nobles could not afford it.

So, in 16th-century Central America, many poor Indians had never tasted a noodle soup made from fine flour in their lifetimes.

So, seeing that he had just arrived and had such a big bowl of such a "luxurious" fine noodle soup to drink, those poor mountain people who had been malnourished all the year round were all excited, and they drank it very happily. After drinking the thick noodle soup in the bowl, I still licked the edge of the bowl one by one, and felt that the taste of this bowl of noodle soup was really better than anything else - this noodle soup was filled with bags of instant Hu spicy soup powder, and a lot of dried chili peppers and salt were added, which smelled fragrant, but tasted salty and spicy. Although the flavor is a bit heavier, Mexicans who have a natural penchant for chili peppers just like it. Adding more salt to the soup will also help them replenish the amount of salt they use up from sweating. …,

Next, the cook gave each of the new coolies a piece of steaming dough, which was also made of very fine white flour, and it was slightly sweet when chewed.

Many of the older mountain people, after nibbling on a small half of the bread, carefully treasured the remaining half of the bread, intending to wait until they would follow the army and pass through their own villages, and give this rare high-grade bread to their wives and children to taste.

After sitting and resting for a while, everyone's fatigue was reduced a lot, and their physical strength was restored. Next, let them carry the baggage, and they will be able to do it.

While the newly recruited coolies were eating, Cocombe and the other soldiers were also eating. As it was a large pot of rice on the march, they ate much different from the coolies, the same freshly baked dough and hot noodle soup with spices, but in greater quantities and a little extra bonus - every five soldiers were given a strange piece of meat in a tin can, which looked like a lump of pink solid, with neither tendons nor bones, a bit like dough mixed with blood, but it did taste a little meaty, and seemed to be mixed with spices, but even if they wanted to break their heads, I don't know what kind of animal grows such strange meat, it feels really mysterious.

- Since the travelers didn't think to tell everyone the name of the luncheon meat, and the Indian soldiers didn't know the kanji on the cans, they gave the canned luncheon meat a meaningful new name: "Mystic Meat"!

At the urging of his companions, Cocombe pulled out a knife, cut a can of "mysterious meat" into five even slices and distributed it to everyone, and then sandwiched his share of "mysterious meat" in the dough, smeared it with chili sauce and ate it together. Then the empty canning box was rinsed with clean water, stuffed into a bag, and carefully put away - in this era of underdeveloped productivity, any metal product is very precious.

And this is the main reason why the soldiers' luggage is getting heavier and heavier, and they have to try to recruit coolie laborers halfway through the road - a few cans may not be of much weight, but after accumulating dozens or hundreds of cans, they have to find a way to hire a few extra people to carry the burden.

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At the same time, the Aztec legation that led the Hungshutizgan army to its capital was also enjoying the food sent by the Hungyutzgans.

Naturally, the rations they received were more abundant than those of ordinary soldiers. In addition to spicy soups, pastries, and "mystery meats", there are also a number of colorful fruit candies and pastries, as well as their own jerky and dried fish, which are a good meal in every sense of the word.

However, Princess Xue Ji Dailan, who was sitting in a sedan chair to eat, was quite unate, bored and bored with a string of bracelets given to her by Wang Qiu.

Since the last time she had a sacrificial ceremony, she had quarreled with Wang Qiu, and she had never been alone with each other again.

In fact, for the object of her seduction and dedication this time, Princess Snow Ji Dailan did not reject it very much from the bottom of her heart.

Although in the eyes of the princess, Wang Qiu did not look strong enough, and sometimes seemed dull, she had countless secrets hidden in her body, and she was always able to come up with all kinds of new things that shocked her, making her addicted to them like a butterfly chasing nectar. When getting along with each other in daily life, Wang Qiu's attitude towards her is also gentle with a little respect. Rather than treating women as playthings, as many men in this era do.

In addition, on the day of the sacrifice, that is, the day of the Maya attack, she saw with her own eyes on the pyramid how Wang Qiu showed his might, facing the earth-destroying thunder, flames and storms, and killed the majestic posture of Quetzalcoatl with a brick...... As an Aztec girl who worships the strong, one of the hearts of Snow Ji Dailan has been quietly captured without someone's knowledge. …,

However, due to her reserve and shyness as a girl, Xue Ji Dailan is always a little unable to wipe her face and take the initiative to show her goodwill, but wants to wait for Wang Qiu to come to find her, and then half-push and half-on-the-spot to restore her intimate relationship with him...... However, in the days before the expeditionary force started, Wang Qiu was so busy that he couldn't take care of this petty princess at all.

And after this army was on the road, the four "gods" except for Wen Desi all disappeared without a trace. Xue Ji Dailan just wanted to take the initiative to talk to Wang Qiu, but she couldn't find anyone with him. According to the people of Hungshutizgan, the "men of the gods" would not return from another shijie until the army arrived in the city of Tenochtitlan, where they were about to meet with Emperor Montezuma II.

This made Princess Snow Ji Delan couldn't help but feel a kind of emptiness of being left out, and a trace of panic that she couldn't find a home.

During this long journey, the leader of the mission, Kuohetmok, the cousin of Snow Ji Delan, also held on to his uncured illness and had a long conversation with Princess Snow Ji Delan, repeatedly pointing out the importance of encircling these "god men" for all the Aztecs, as well as her responsibilities as a princess, and even said many very explicit things during this time...... makes Princess Snow Dailan, who is not yet fourteen years old this year, both shy and blushing, and a little bit of wonderful anticipation.

――In Wang Qiu's body, she seems to vaguely see a new destiny, a new shijie.

Well, since we will meet in Tenochtitlan next time, we might as well try to be more proactive in our own dormitory!

Looking at the lofty mountains ahead, Princess Snow Ji Dailan secretly made up her mind.