Chapter 175: A Relaxed Night

If only George had slept deeply the night before, then most people in Brandenburg could have a good dream tonight. The most tense days had passed, and the sadness from the death and injury of comrades had been washed away by the joy of surviving the disaster.

Although the final battle situation had not been confirmed and the victory banquet had not yet been planned, today’s meal was indeed much richer than usual. Slices of Iberian ham even appeared on the table in Bolerum Territory.

Iberian ham was considered a luxury even in this world where meat was relatively abundant. Of course, this abundance was relative to Medieval Europe; at least commoners here could occasionally eat some meat to treat themselves, unlike in the Middle Ages when they relied on cheese to supplement protein.

“Cold in winter, hot in summer, dry during the day, and wet at night.” Only such climatic diversity, combined with its vast grasslands, was suitable for raising Iberian black pigs. Although acorns were mostly used as feed for pigs in this era, the cork oak found in soft oak trees was a specialty of the Iberian region.

Similarly, the practice of free-range grazing on grasslands was not something everyone could do. This point was very important and determined the quality of the entire product, because only in this way could the animal’s muscles filter in oil.

Even during the season when acorns were not available, Iberian black pigs were fed with peas, oats, and other feeds. However, the amount was kept to a minimum; it was said that pigs at that stage could even see their ribs. When the acorn season arrived, they ate acorns every day without any other feed. Only after being fattened in this way could the best fat be generated, which would melt at temperatures lower than the human body.

Of course, the subsequent curing and aging process was also very particular. It was said that the north wind cured it. Only under the natural environment where humidity, temperature, and wind on that land were perfectly in harmony could the deliciousness of Iberian ham be created.

The very bright rose color and the almost marble-like texture gave people a visual shock. The white substance in the lean meat was formed by amino acid deposits. Iberian ham spent a long time aging, during which the deliciousness of the meat continued to settle. This was also one of the keys to the deliciousness of Iberian ham.

A pig usually took 16 to 18 months to raise and process, and then added years of aging. From the pig’s birth to the shipment of the finished Iberian ham, it took an average of four years and six months.

It was generally recognized that if Iberian ham was not sliced as thinly as possible, one could not taste its deliciousness. In high-end restaurants in Kalado, professional chefs handled the slicing. The Iberian ham, neatly arranged on expensive bone china from The East, was so thin that the patterns on the plate underneath could be seen through it.

Although Brandenburg did not have such skilled chefs, there were quite a few people who were good at handling knives. Of course, being good at cutting people did not mean being skilled at slicing ham, but with such a large base, a few exceptions would always appear.

George used a fork to put a thin slice of Iberian ham into his mouth. He felt the scent, the taste, and the texture melt in his mouth. It was not just the fat that melted; even the lean meat did so.

Then he picked out a tiny bit of the fatty part, pinched it between his fingertips, and rubbed it. The fat slowly shrank and melted into liquid under the rubbing of his fingertips. Rather than animal fat, it was closer to vegetable oils like camellia oil.

When the second slice of ham was sent into his mouth, George not only tasted the flavor of the food itself. More importantly, he experienced the results of raising pigs and aging them, which were full of respect and passion. This was the taste, the crystallization of the sweat, experience, and wisdom of the workers.

No wonder the world-renowned scholar Casper Bradbury once said, “For the first time in my life, I experienced that humans eating could move them so deeply. My body is now trembling with emotion and joy.”

It was precisely because of this sentence that Iberian ham, which was originally only circulated in a small circle, became known to the world. Its price even saw a jump-like growth.

Now, the price of every Iberian ham was equivalent to more than ten ordinary meat pigs ready for slaughter. Such a price was truly unacceptable for commoners. Even for nobles, not everyone could eat it frequently.

Due to issues with production, Iberian ham often appeared to be priced but unavailable. Often, money could not buy it.

Fortunately, after commercial prosperity, the channels in Bolerum Territory had increased. Otherwise, George would not have been able to bring a whole Iberian ham as a preparation for morale-boosting.

The top-tier deliciousness and texture were a perfect combination of the unique mellow aroma and taste of this world. It not only conquered the stomachs of the soldiers present but also their hearts.

In fact, when George brought the ham, he did not expect it to be put to use. Morale-boosting also required strategy and cost-effectiveness. You could not just give it out casually because of your different status, or others would find it difficult to handle. If it caused the morale to scatter, the soldiers would be hard to lead. He had brought this thing just in case; anyway, if preserved well, the journey would not affect the flavor.

He did not expect to encounter such a big battle. It could be said that if conditions allowed, not only would Iberian ham be served, but generous lords would even give Queen’s Bread to soldiers who performed well in combat. Unfortunately, given Brandenburg’s current conditions, spices, white flour, and honey were all quite scarce. Not to mention the level of the chefs.

Of course, the lack of alcohol was probably the biggest regret for the soldiers. But if alcohol were provided, eight out of ten chances were that no one would sleep tonight. For the current situation where the alarm had not been fully lifted, such a thing should not happen.

However, the mountains of corpses piled up outside the city were indeed a big problem! In previous years, the number of corpses, which was around 4,000 to less than 7,000, required Brandenburg to send a special team of hundreds of people. It took ten or more days to handle them from start to finish, and it also consumed about nearly a hundred gallons of Greek Fire. After all, corpses were not qualified fuel most of the time, especially human or humanoid corpses.

Nowadays, facing the layers of corpses filling the entire valley and the open areas outside it, after the Barbarians had retreated, this was a big problem that the soldiers of Brandenburg had to face. At least George had been worried about this for a long time. Although no one was specifically designated to be in charge of this matter, the smell produced by burning corpses was truly disgusting.

And George, whose perception had broken through the limits, thought about having to be accompanied by such a smell for the next few days. It was truly a nightmare that was hard to wake up from!

However, facts proved that George’s thoughts were unnecessary. The commanders of Brandenburg could not tolerate such a slow method of handling. The number of corpses this time was really too large; a tenfold difference had reached the point where a quantitative change caused a qualitative change.

Just after most people had fallen asleep that night, a mist covered the plain full of corpses to the north of Brandenburg. If anyone were there, they would still see only a few stars in the sky shining weakly. The surroundings fell into an impenetrable confusion, but there were fast-moving tall shadows around.

Some sounds could be vaguely heard from the mist; they were whispers, howls, and endless sighs, making the earth tremble. The sound lasted for a very long time, filling people’s hearts with fear and panic. But finally, the darkness and the whispering passed and disappeared into the mist.

Not far to the south, in Brandenburg, people suddenly heard a huge noise in the middle of the night, as if a strong wind had blown into the valley, and the ground kept shaking. Even people who slept the deepest would be woken up by the continuous noise. The Guards on the city walls looked at the mist with curious eyes mixed with a little fear of the unknown. But under the suppression of the officers, no one dared to have the thought of going out to investigate.

However, when morning came and the mist dissipated, people saw a surprising sight: the corpses of the Barbarian soldiers and the bloodstains on the snow had disappeared! At the opening of the valley, the ground was severely trampled, and much soil had been turned over, leaving brown mosaic patches on the originally white snow. It was as if a tall herdsman had driven a huge herd of giant animals to run wildly through here.

About 2 miles outside the canyon, the land seemed to have been specially leveled. The originally thick snow had not remained, leaving only the thin layer that fell before dawn. People had reason to believe that the corpses of the Barbarians were buried there, but whether this was true or not, no one would go to dig and verify it.

The place that became slightly higher than the plain was thereafter called the Land of Death. From then on, nothing grew there, and passing merchants would speed up their steps to pass through quickly.

Whenever the severe cold season arrived, everything changed. The sky was gray, appearing chaotic as if after a strong wind. Although the clear snow that had been flying everywhere had mostly disappeared, people’s breath seemed to be smoking when it met the severe cold.

George had reason to believe that everything that happened last night was the work of the Spellcasters in Brandenburg. But if no one explained anything to him, George would rationally not investigate too much. This tacit understanding was also a hidden rule in the army.

He and Hiren patrolled the defense zone belonging to their territory just like before the war started. The only thing that made the two feel strange was that they could not see Knight Val early that morning.