Mercenary’s War

Chapter 2358 - 2334: Can I Have Another Bowl?

Glolov lost his composure.

But, standing from Glolov’s perspective, especially considering the experiences he’s had over most of his life, you’ll find that not bursting into tears was already extremely restrained.

Why?

Let’s not use Glolov as an example, let’s take Fart Fire, who already died in battle.

In Central Africa, food is actually easy to obtain, so when Glolov and Fart Fire were trapped in battle, they survived on wild fruits and raw meat, though they had severe diarrhea and farted a lot. Fart Fire played a trick and nearly lost his life, earning the nickname Fart Fire.

In the same besieged situation, mercenaries with a cook soldier could eat cooked food and drink hot soup, keeping their combat strength because they weren’t weakened by diarrhea. With combat strength maintained, fewer people died. Glolov also said that when watching that mercenary group with Huaxia cook soldiers drink snake soup, people like them could either trade valuable bullets, grenades, or ingredients to get some, or just watch with wide eyes.

If it wasn’t for Glolov’s example, Gao Yang wouldn’t have been so intent on finding a cook soldier.

Glolov’s situation was too extreme, so let’s talk about something more common, like what Satan experienced. For instance, during the siege at Aleppo Prison in Syria, it was flatbread day after day, or in the Colombian jungle, surrounded by wild game, but every meal was compressed biscuits.

Especially during Satan’s early days in Libya, there was nothing but compressed rations, causing constipation from the dryness. Gao Yang and Rabbit nearly got caught while relieving themselves.

The point is, Satan had just been established for a few days, but Glolov had lived this way for many years.

This kind of life sounds simple and amusing, but enduring it is tough.

Huaxia soldiers might not be the strongest, but it’s universally acknowledged that Huaxia cook soldiers are the best. Besides being able to cook, they can fight. Not only can they make food, but it also has to be delicious.

Especially since Liang Dong not only managed to make lamb stew, but he made it exceptionally tasty. Producing a stew with good color, aroma, and taste in such an outdoor environment is truly remarkable.

A person like Glolov, who has done nothing but fight for most of his life, was moved to tears when eating the food Liang Dong prepared outdoors. Is that exaggerated? Not at all.

Besides, what good food can Old Russian have? The so-called famous Russian dish is borscht, and the rest are just a few repeats like black bread, caviar, sausage. These things may taste good occasionally, but eating the same few things year after year is wearisome.

For Old Russians living in cold regions, food isn’t something to be picky about due to the lack of conditions, but more importantly, Russian food isn’t suitable for outdoor cooking. For example, a roast meat dish, whether beef or something else, is made in large chunks. Who has the luxury to roast meat on the battlefield? It’s simply not feasible.

The most characteristic feature of Huaxia cuisine is that most dishes are cut into small pieces, perfect for one bite. Don’t underestimate this trait; it makes food easy to cook, flavorful, and convenient to make outdoors. Just look at military menus around the world—there’s guaranteed to be no whole chickens, fish, or large chunks of meat.

And Huaxia cuisine, whether it’s pan-frying, stir-frying, cooking, or steaming, ensures great taste. Even if the cook’s skills aren’t top-notch, it’s usually not bad. Since Huaxia people enjoy the world’s most varied cuisine, Huaxia soldiers also get relatively the best food among world armies.

It’s happiness. With Liang Dong, everyone is enjoying this blessing.

Glolov, with meat and broth, quickly finished off a lunchbox, then loudly and fiercely declared, "Another lunchbox! Fill it up! Just meat, no soup. I’ll drink the soup after I finish the meat!"

Who dares to stop Glolov from having a second serving now? Glolov would get angry at anyone who tried.

The people of Satan wouldn’t deny Glolov his fill. While Li Jinfang cheerfully served meat into Glolov’s lunchbox, he said with a smile, "Don’t worry, if there’s not enough, we’ll make more. Today, you’ll eat until you’re satisfied."

Gao Yang, holding half a flatbread, said, "Have some soup; really, have some soup. Soak the bread in it—it’ll be soft and savory. Give it a try."

The Satan group was slurping away, when the newly inducted Dagger Assault Team also came over. As a result, these veteran Houthis soldiers found it rather difficult to get a meal.

Lamb stew definitely exists in Yemeni cuisine but isn’t mainstream, the kind rarely eaten in a lifetime. Yemen, being one of the world’s least developed countries or one of the poorest, offers Houthis Armed Forces soldiers just enough to eat. During battle, all they have is flatbread.

So none of the Dagger Assault Team had lunchboxes.

A canteen in Yemen is one of the most important individual soldier gear, but lunchboxes are rare. This wouldn’t be a problem according to Yemeni eating habits, but for eating lamb stew, they had nothing to serve it in. Furthermore, these veterans had no spoons or forks, and as for chopsticks, even if made on the spot, they’d have to know how to use them.

Watching people salivate at the smell without a way to eat, Gao Yang scratched his head and said to Liang Dong, "Got any utensils?"

"No, but there are a dozen stainless steel basins."

"Bring them out and let ten people share a basin for soup."

"But how do they eat without forks and spoons? Using their hands?"

"Soak the bread, drink the soup from the basin, and as for the meat, don’t you see the knives each of them has? Stab it with a knife and eat!"

Gao Yang quickly thought of a solution, and since Peter was assigned to personally lead these people, he didn’t eat with Satan but went to share hardships with those Yemenis.

Soon after eating, Peter, bringing two veterans who appeared to be around their forties, approached Gao Yang. Then, Peter extended a hand and loudly said, "Boss, they have something to say to you. I let them send two representatives."

One veteran stepped forward, saluted respectfully, and, visibly moved, loudly said, "You said we would receive the best treatment, and now we believe it."

The other stepped forward with fervor, "Now we believe we truly are the best, the number one. Sir, rest assured, we will not let you down. By the way, is there more lamb soup? Can we refill a basin after we’re done?"