Liu Meng and the others were immediately invigorated when Sun Simiao mentioned strengthening tendons and bones, and tonifying the kidneys to boost virility.
They had eaten this dish a few times on the ship.
However, they couldn't get Li Baoju to cook it himself, only casual barbecues, which were rather disappointing.
Thus, after trying it a few times, they stopped eating it.
Now that Sun Simiao had explained the benefits of shark fin, it was an irresistible temptation for men!
"Baoju, can we discuss something?"
Liu Meng stood up and approached Li Baoju, saying obsequiously.
This made Li Baoju feel flattered.
He was just a common soldier in the Heavenly Fire Army before, and now the commander of the Third Battalion was speaking to him in such a tone.
"Third Battalion Commander, please, there's no need to be so polite."
"Well, how about teaching us the cooking method for shark fin?"
Liu Meng's expression at this moment was as lowly as it could get.
Li Baoju readily agreed. It wasn't a secret after all, just a recipe. They were all brothers in the Heavenly Fire Army, so there was no need to keep it a secret.
Fang Er got up, went into the house, and brought out six bottles of "Mendunlu" wine.
They were one-kilogram stainless steel flasks, with straps wrapped around them.
Placing the wine on the table, Fang Er said, "Let's eat and drink."
The few men were overjoyed.
The six men Liu Meng brought were quite clever and stood up to pour wine for others, but dared not drink themselves.
Fang Er nodded at them with satisfaction.
After a few rounds of drinks, Fang Er began to discuss serious matters.
"Liu Meng, Zhang Tian, Wu Yong, starting tomorrow, issue another conscription order."
"Expand the Heavenly Fire Army to ten thousand men!"
"You battalion commanders will be promoted by one rank to regimental commanders, with each regiment having a quota of two thousand soldiers."
Liu Meng and the other two were overjoyed. "Your Highness, rest assured! We'll handle it perfectly!"
Qi Sui was a little displeased. "Your Highness, what about the defense army?"
Fang Er paused for a moment and then said, "Select men from the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Battalions. You can choose freely!"
"The quota is also two thousand men!"
Qi Sui was delighted, but Liu Meng and the other two were a bit unhappy.
"Your Highness~~!"
Zhang Tian's voice was full of grievance.
Fang Er glared at him. "Defending the home is the most important thing!"
Alright, Zhang Tian had nothing to say, after all, the fact that their base was raided this time was undeniable.
"Thank you, Your Highness! We'll do it, you can do as you please!"
Qi Sui stood up, poured himself a full bowl of Mendunlu, tipped it back, and downed it in one go.
Then, with a loud shout of exhilaration, he fell straight down.
Fang Er was dumbfounded.
"Damn! Does it have to be this intense?"
He just didn't understand how much pent-up frustration Qi Sui had felt that night!
Liu Meng and Zhang Tian carried Qi Sui to a side room, and the others continued to eat and drink.
Lai Yifa kept eating silently.
Fang Er glanced at him, pointed at him, and said to Liu Meng.
"Starting tomorrow, this fellow will hide in the manor. You need to find him."
"You have three days. I don't care how many men you use, if you can't find him, you'll be flogged!"
At this moment, Lai Yifa had already changed out of his eunuch clothes and was wearing civilian attire, so Liu Meng didn't recognize him at first glance.
Liu Meng was very smug. With three battalions present, numbering three to four thousand men, how could they not find one living person?
So, he patted his chest and guaranteed, "Your Highness, rest assured. Even if he hides in a mouse hole, I can find him."
The meal lasted for over half an hour. Liu Meng, Zhang Tian, and Wu Yong left Fang's residence arm in arm.
Li Baoju and the six men Liu Meng brought cleaned up the mess.
After everything was tidied up, Fang Er called the six men to him.
"Report your names."
"Your servant is Xie Yuchen."
"Ma Guocai."
"Liu Wu."
"Yang Buji."
"Su Mu."
"Su Feng."
The six men reported their names one after another.
Fang Er casually continued to ask. He had reason to believe that those chosen by Liu Meng from thousands of men were definitely not ordinary individuals.
"What are your special skills?"
Xie Yuchen scratched his head sheepishly. "I'm just a bit quick on my feet."
Su Feng looked at him contemptuously and said, "You sneak glances at widows bathing and have never been caught. Isn't that a special skill?"
"Oh? Fang Er became interested."
"Is that true?"
Xie Yuchen's face instantly turned red.
"Your Highness, don't listen to his nonsense."
Fang Er's expression turned very serious. "Confess honestly, is what Su Feng said true or false?"
Xie Yuchen mumbled and nodded.
Fang Er carefully examined Xie Yuchen. This fellow was quite handsome, and he didn't expect him to have such a skill.
It could certainly be considered a special skill.
After nodding at Xie Yuchen, he looked at the others.
Ma Guocai flexed his fist. "Your Highness, my punches and kicks are decent."
Then came Liu Wu. "I know how to forge iron."
After speaking, he drew a dagger from his waist and handed it to Fang Er.
"This is something I made myself at home before joining the army."
Fang Er took the dagger with a mix of doubt and suspicion. After a brief inspection, he stared at Liu Wu and asked, "Did you really make this yourself?"
"The quality of this dagger is no worse than the weapons produced by the workshop before!"
Therefore, this was what surprised Fang Er.
Liu Wu nodded. "I wouldn't dare to lie."
Fang Er didn't ask him further and instead looked at Yang Buji.
"I don't have any special skills, but I can beat these five. Does that count?"
Yang Buji scratched his head, saying with some uncertainty.
Fang Er...
"He can beat five at once, what more do you want?"
He directly looked at the last two, Su Mu and Su Feng.
Su Mu said, "We are twin brothers, and we know combination techniques."
Su Feng continued, "Yang Buji is bragging. He said he beats us five one at a time. If it's a group fight, we brothers can beat those four!"
So, is it Yang Buji fighting five, or the Su brothers fighting four?
ps: Third update! Quickly, bring your rewards. Little Shizi needs milk powder. Hiahiahiahia
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