Chapter 301 Food Diplomacy
Looking at the slender hand presented in front of him, it was really thin, but a little dark. After thinking about it, Gan Yu stood up with a smile and held the hand. It was just an invitation to dance, why wouldn't he dare to accept it?
Seeing Gan Yu holding the girl's hand and accepting her invitation to dance, the local people burst into cheers and cheers, as if they had witnessed something very joyful.
Starting with this girl, other girls among the local people also began to invite others, even the soldiers wearing armor.
These soldiers looked at Gan Yu, waiting for him to make up his mind. Gan Yu smiled and said, "What do you want me to do? You are invited. If you want to go, accept it. If you don't want to, just stay."
Although he said this, what Gan Yu meant was that not everyone could go to dance, and someone had to stay in case of any eventuality.
The soldiers understood Gan Yu's intention tacitly, some accepted the local girl's invitation to dance, and some refused.
The local girl who was not invited to the Great Qin soldiers was not disappointed. She quickly found a dance partner from the local people and danced to the music played by the local people under the light of the bonfire.
On the other side, in a patch of grass a few hundred meters away from the village, ten Qin army scouts were lurking.
Seeing the firelight here, listening to the cheerful music, and smelling the aroma of barbecue coming from the wind, one person couldn't help but swallowed his saliva and said: "These guys are eating and drinking well, but we have to stay here This...how do you say that?”
His tone was full of sourness. Of course, he was just teasing, not really sour.
When Gan Yu and others approached this foreign village, they were risking their lives. If the foreign village was dangerous, they might have left it there. What's there to be sad about?
A person next to me said: "You want to say that you want to sleep in the open air?"
The man nodded and said: "Yes, yes, yes, that's it! This village is so weird. It accepted them so boldly without being wary at all? It even gave them food and drink and held this bonfire feast!"
Another person next to him nodded and said: "It's unreasonable, but Young Master said that foreign countries are different from Great Qin, so don't judge them with our thoughts. What we think is reasonable may not be felt by foreigners, and vice versa."
Hearing this man mention Li Nian, everyone else nodded. They didn't feel much about the young master's words at first, but now they understand.
Another person said: "But we can't rule out that this is just an act. Everyone should always be vigilant. Chief Gantun and the others might want us to save their lives."
The other nine people nodded. Of course, the mission could not let Gan Yu and others approach this foreign village alone. They sent scouts to follow Gan Yu and others. If something unexpected happened to Gan Yu and others, the news could be sent back to the mission in time. .
One night passed, Gan Yu woke up, and after taking over a soldier on duty and letting him go to rest, he looked at the place where the bonfire party was held last night. There were messy things on the ground, leftover food scraps, and a fire with residual warmth. , and the local people who were still awake by the fire.
These local people are really brave. After the fun last night, some local people did not go back to the village and slept here directly. They were not afraid that Gan Yu and others would take the opportunity to attack them while they were asleep.
Gan Yu looked at the village again. The village was quiet. It was obvious that the people in the village were still asleep. Didn't these people get up to work? Too lazy!
After looking at the rice grown in the nearby fields, Gan Yu silently retracted the idea. The rice was obviously not taken care of very carefully, but it was growing well.
Moreover, the rice was probably harvested once and then planted. Two crops of rice can be grown in a year without taking too much care. No wonder the local people are so lazy.
The mountains and forests here are also good, and the water resources are abundant. You can collect wild fruits and vegetables from the mountains, catch fish and shrimps from the water, and obtain the food and drink necessary for basic survival.
It is not difficult to get food and drink, but their food processing is relatively rough. Thinking of the process of the local people making food last night, Gan Yu still has lingering fears. If given the choice, he really doesn't want to eat it.
Fortunately, he didn't get hit, but several people did. They had diarrhea in the middle of the night and ran several times. They almost thought the locals had drugged their food.
But with the "clean and hygienic" processing method of the local name, there is no need to add any medicine at all, and the preparation itself is a laxative.
The local people like to use sauces, precisely because they have no better way to process food, and the salt they use has a strong bitter taste, so they probably want to use a lot of sauces to mask these tastes.
Gan Yu sat next to a fire and added some firewood to it. The firewood was also sent by the local people after they finished cooking. While warming himself by the fire, he thought about it. He must continue to have a good relationship with the local people and find out more from them. situation here.
There is a saying in the art of war, "Know yourself and the enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger." Moreover, they are still in a foreign country, so they must not be careless, as a mistake may lead to a big mistake.
Gan Yu recited the rules of the mission silently in his mind to check whether there were any problems with his behavior last night. This code was compiled by Li Nian for them and listed various problems they might encounter when they went on a mission to a foreign country:
For example, when you go to a foreign country, you need to understand the local customs and taboos, because some behaviors are not considered a big deal in Daqin, but in a foreign country, they may not be taboos.
Although Great Qin was strong, it was impossible for Great Qin to send a large army to follow them on missions. If they violated taboos and lost their lives, even if Great Qin sought justice for them in the future, their lives would not be restored.
Li Nian's diplomatic route for the Qin envoys was different from that of the Han envoys: Your lives are precious, and there is no need to fight with your life unless necessary!
Gan Yu decided to hold a banquet for these local people today. It happened that they brought salt and some seasonings. It was time for these local people to see how the Qin people made food.
This can not only shorten the relationship with the local people, but also promote Da Qin to them through food, so that they can understand Da Qin better.
Gan Yu told others about his plan, and they all said they could give it a try. Several Baiyue people accompanying him also wanted to show off their skills by making Baiyue food to show the local people, and Gan Yu didn't refuse.
It wasn't until almost noon that this foreign village began to gain vitality. However, after they got up, they did not immediately look for something to eat. Instead, they ran outside the village to see how the outsiders were doing.
After all, this is the first time they see outsiders in Wata Village, and they feel very fresh. There are still many things they want to know: Why do outsiders grow so tall? How extensive was the Qin tribe and how many people were there? Is everyone in the Qin tribe so tall?
The "village chief" and a group of local people came to the outside of the village. After last night's bonfire party, Gan Yu and others got closer to the local people. After all, judging from the results of the party, these local people should treat them No malice. When the "village chief" communicated with Gan Yu, just like yesterday, there was a language barrier and they had to guess through gestures.
After some not-so-simple exchanges, Gan Yu finally made the "village chief" understand their idea of having a banquet.
The "village chief" turned to talk to other local people. Soon, Gan Yu saw many local people looking excited and curious. These outsiders wanted to make Qin tribe food to give back to them. Doesn't it mean that they would eat it? Authentic Qin tribe food?
Although at the bonfire party last night, Gan Yu and others took out the food they brought and distributed it to them, Gan Yu and others did not bring much, and it was obviously food carried for a long journey, which was different from the daily food of the Qin tribe. What you eat will definitely make a difference.
Although these outsiders said they would borrow their ingredients and some of their utensils, what's the big deal?
Compared with a sumptuous meal of Qin tribe delicacies, it is a negligible price.
What would the food of the Qin tribe taste like?
The local people are already looking forward to it. Judging from the heartfelt pride and pride shown by these outsiders towards the Qin tribe, the Qin tribe must be very good and the food must be good!
After the discussion between the "village chief" and Gan Yu was over, the local people immediately ran back to the village to pick up the utensils and ingredients at home. Some local people even asked Gan Yu and others to go into the village to pick out whatever they could use.
Thanks to the help of hundreds of local people, everything was almost ready before the sun went down. The local people watched the outsiders handling the ingredients and making the food.
Sure enough, unlike them, the Qin tribe is indeed a powerful tribe. These outsiders will wash their hands first when touching the ingredients and clean all the utensils they need to use.
The way they handle the ingredients is also different. Compared with how they handle the ingredients, the outsiders are very meticulous in their treatment. They scrape off the scales of the fish, cut equally spaced openings on the fish, and cut the meat into neat and tangible pieces. Block...
The local people were also surprised by the seasonings used by outsiders. It must be salt, but how could salt be so white?
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The "Village Chief" pointed at the salt and asked. After Gan Yu figured out what he meant, he gave a little salt to the "Village Chief". The "Village Chief" put the salt in his mouth and tasted it, his face full of shock.
This is really salt, but it doesn’t have the bitter taste of the salt they eat. It has a very pure salty taste. It’s hard to imagine how delicious this food would be if this salt was used to flavor food.
The "Village Chief" thought even more: Could it be that all the people in the Qin tribe eat this kind of salt? How rich and powerful must the Qin tribe be?
While the "village chief" was thinking, a strong aroma woke him up, and he saw that the source was a large pot that was being stewed. It was called a pot, but it was actually a large pot, and the aroma came from there.
That was cooking meat, but when they cooked the meat, it didn't have such a fragrant taste. It must be the Qin people's unique processing method and the addition of special spices that gave it such a taste.
The Qin tribe is really strong, as can be seen from the food made by these outsiders. Only those born in a strong and wealthy place can be so good at food, just like the leaders of the tribe, they also pay attention to clothing and food.
But compared with these outsiders from the Qin tribe, the leader is nothing at all, just like the weeds in the field compared to the big trees in the forest.
And these outsiders are definitely not the best at making food in the Qin tribe, but they are not the best at making food. They all have such a level, which shows how strong the Qin tribe is.
The "village chief" was right. Gan Yu and others were not professional chefs, they were just cooking according to the way they knew how to cook, which was the average level of common people in Daqin.
But for the local people, this is already better than many of them. Although one is average, the other is too backward.
The local people watched the outsiders cooking intently, out of curiosity and wanting to learn a thing or two. This was the Qin tribe's cooking on the spot. If you missed it, you might not be able to learn.
Gan Yu was very satisfied with the performance of the local people. He remembered that Mr. Li Nian said when training them: when going to other countries, it is not necessary to use force to intimidate them. You can also use other methods to induce them to have a good impression of Da Qin. Thoughts such as awe and envy.
What he is doing now should be among the "other methods" that the young master said. Unexpectedly, this method seems to be really effective. These local people are probably thinking about how powerful Da Qin is.
It is a pity that there are not many people on this mission, and the target is the Yangzhou Peacock Kingdom. Otherwise, he would definitely recommend leaving one or two people here to "instruct" these local people, teach them the language of the Qin Dynasty, and teach them the customs of the Qin Dynasty. , so that they know the affairs of Da Qin and admire Da Qin even more.
But this matter can be told to others after you go back, and spread back to the country, so that Your Majesty and Young Master can send people over to complete the matter in the future: This place can send people over to spread the news of Great Qin!
The method Gan Yu came up with is similar to the "preaching" of Western colonists. The difference is that Gan Yu wants to spread a country, while Western colonists spread religion, but the common point is that they want to promote their own things to the world. outside world.
It is possible to spread the word to a country, but it is not as easy to spread and influence other people as religion. Religion has more advantages in spreading.
As Gan Yu communicated with the "village chief", the food was ready for the banquet. All the local people couldn't wait to eat. The food made by outsiders was indeed very different from what they made.
Perhaps it was because the idea that the outsiders were tall and outstanding and that the Qin tribe was powerful and wealthy had already been planted in their hearts. Even though the taste was different from what they usually eat, the local people thought it tasted good.
This is the food of the Qin tribe made by outsiders. How could it not be delicious?
But while eating, the local people became cautious, because compared to the outsiders who were also eating, their behavior was too vulgar. They took the food directly with their hands and put it in their mouths.
They usually do this and don't think there is any problem, but now the outsiders use those two small wooden sticks and knives and forks to eat. In comparison, they are like monkeys who have just come down from the tree. The outsiders It's humans, and they're monkeys.
This made the local people have a face-saving mood and they could not let outsiders look down upon them too much. Some local people stopped taking food directly with their hands, ran to make chopsticks and then came back, imitating Gan Yu and others to use chopsticks to pick up food.
This is probably the first time people in this village have learned to use chopsticks. These chopsticks are freshly broken branches. Many people are not used to using them and it is difficult to pick up food.
Gan Yu and others wanted to laugh, but they held it back and took the initiative to teach the local people how to use chopsticks to make the banquet harmonious.
Gan Yu sat with the "village chief" and after teaching the "village chief" how to use chopsticks, he consulted the "village chief" about local affairs:
Are there other villages here? How far apart? Are the villages connected and have a common leader? If they want to move forward, where should they go and what should they pay attention to?
(End of chapter)