Volume Two: The Battle of Hulao Pass Chapter Forty-Four: The Smokeless Hearth
After Mingyu finished speaking, he grabbed the small medicinal shovel gifted by Sun Simiao and began digging outside the tent. The shovel was small, intended for gathering herbs, and after quite some time, he’d managed barely half a foot’s depth.
Cheng Yaojin, seeing the slow progress, spoke up, “Boy, how big a pit are you planning to dig?”
Without raising his head, Li Mingyu replied, “About four feet deep, three feet wide. Narrow at the bottom, wide at the top—shaped like a funnel.”
Luo Shixin, noticing Mingyu’s tiny shovel wasn’t even as large as his own palm, laughed, “At this rate, when will you finish? Let me show you how it’s done.” With that, he rolled up his battle robe, abandoned the shovel, and used his enormous hands to scoop out huge clods of earth. In no time, he had the pit dug.
Mingyu was delighted, seeing his mighty comrade work like a miniature earth-moving machine. He instructed, “Dig another smaller pit a foot away—a foot deep, a foot wide. Connect the two pits underneath.”
Luo Shixin quickly finished. Mingyu piled the excavated earth nearby, patting it down, then directed Luo Shixin to dig three channels beside the small pit: each half a foot deep, as wide as a fist, and ten feet long, connecting underground to the small pit.
Finally, Mingyu gathered leaves and twigs, covering the channels, and spread a layer of loose soil on top.
Seeing the large smokeless stove completed, Mingyu nodded in satisfaction and explained, “This method is called a smokeless stove. The secret lies in these smoke channels—by increasing their number and spreading out the area, then covering them with leaves and twigs, the smoke dissipates, preventing a cloud or column, making it harder to spot.”
He placed the iron pot over the small pit, sealed the edges with earth, filled it with water, and added wild pheasant for soup. With little seasoning in the army, aside from ginger and scallions, there were only a handful of semi-dried sour dates, which he threw in for good measure. After covering the pot, he directed everyone to place the mud-wrapped pheasant into the large pit. With a wave, he ordered, “Light the fire!” The men hesitantly lit the wood and placed it in the large pit.
Just as Mingyu had said, the smokeless stove worked marvelously—no matter how fiercely the fire burned, not a wisp of smoke was visible. The generals gathered around, praising the invention. Li Shiji stroked his short beard and mused, “This smokeless stove is indeed useful. If we use it during ambushes, the enemy will never spot us.”
“Exactly—during surprise attacks, after days of marching, our soldiers won’t have to gnaw on dry, tough flatbread; they’ll actually get a hot meal,” Qin Qiong and the others agreed.
Mingyu listened, quietly pleased, thinking to himself: it’s just a smokeless stove, but I have plenty more tricks up my sleeve.
Before long, the water in the pot was bubbling, releasing a rich aroma. Mingyu judged the timing, then instructed the men to dig out the mud lumps, break open the yellow clay, and reveal the gleaming beggar’s chicken within.
The chicken was golden and glossy, its fragrance thick and lingering. The men’s mouths watered as they eagerly grabbed their portions, unmindful of the heat, greedily devouring the feast.
Cheng Yaojin, chewing, nodded and exclaimed, “Mmm! Delicious! Truly delicious! By heaven, why didn’t I ever realize how good chicken could taste?”
Niu Jinda finished his chicken in a few bites, swallowing even the bones, reached for a second, and chimed in, “Yes, I always thought chicken was dry and bony—no pleasure in eating it. Who knew it could be this good? Thirty years wasted!”
Yuchi Gong grabbed a drumstick in one hand, a wing in his mouth, burning his lips but nodding vigorously in agreement, unable to speak with his mouth full.
Mingyu picked two plump chickens, setting them aside for his master and Li Shimin, then chose one perfectly cooked for himself, and sat quietly to enjoy.
Page (1/3)
Meanwhile, the group was feasting merrily. With the luxury of good food in the midst of the army, they had let their guard down, when suddenly a stern voice barked, “Strict orders forbid private fires in camp! Are you all deaf to my commands?”
As it happened, these men were the generals favored by Li Shimin, living next door to his quarters. Having finished his duties, Li Shimin was strolling through the camp, when he caught the scent of food, followed it, and found them eating with greasy mouths. Irritated, he reprimanded them loudly.
They were startled; Yuchi Gong even dropped the chicken wing from his mouth. Seeing who it was, all forced awkward smiles and stammered, “Commander! Er… this…”
Li Shimin stood in full armor, face cold as water, not saying a word—just snorting through his nose.
Private fires were a serious offense, the punishment depending entirely on the commander’s mood. If he laughed it off, it passed; if he invoked military law, formal punishment was reasonable. Having just joined the Tang camp, the generals were unsure of Li Shimin’s temperament, sweating with anxiety. Cheng Yaojin, though rough in appearance, was quick-witted. He laughed, “Heh, commander, it’s like this—Mingyu here won’t eat properly, claiming the cooks’ food is terrible. We old fellows tried everything to coax him to eat.”
Li Shimin looked to Qin Qiong, who, catching Cheng Yaojin’s desperate signals, felt torn. Loyal by nature, he disliked lying, but worried about offending the commander so soon after joining, he reluctantly added, “Well, Mingyu does refuse to eat army food.”
Mingyu thought to himself: so much for loyalty—these guys sold me out in a heartbeat! He was about to protest, but Cheng Yaojin shot him a look, pointing to the prized knife at Mingyu’s waist, implying: for the sake of the group, just take the blame; your uncle won’t really punish you, and we’ll make it up to you.
Mingyu rolled his eyes, signaling that a single knife wasn’t enough—he wasn’t foolish, and the whole group was involved, so why should he take the fall alone?
Cheng Yaojin, sweating nervously, nudged Niu Jinda, who caught on, gesturing that everyone would reward Mingyu generously.
Li Shimin, face still stern, asked, “Mingyu, is that true?”
Seeing the group’s promises, Mingyu thought: for the sake of gifts, I’ll help you this once. He stepped forward, shoulders slumped, and replied, “Yes, the food is really hard to eat, and my uncles only did this so I’d eat properly.”
“Humph! So young, yet so greedy!” Li Shimin growled, “Because of your gluttony, you broke army discipline! You can’t expect leniency. Guards, take him away for a sound beating!”
Mingyu, seeing the punishment was real, protested loudly, “Wait! Uncle, I have something to say!”
Li Shimin, expression unreadable, asked, “Caught sneaking food, what do you have to say for yourself?”
Mingyu, knowing Li Shimin’s character, grinned and replied, “It wasn’t sneaking food—I saved the best for you, uncle.” With that, he retrieved the reserved beggar’s chicken, broke open the clay, releasing its aroma. Mingyu, leveraging his closeness to Li Shimin, tore off a piece and offered it to him.
Li Shimin closed his eyes, inhaled the fragrance, and ate without hesitation, praising, “Indeed, superb flavor! At least you remembered your uncle.”
Turning to the generals, Li Shimin laughed, “Just a joke between Mingyu and me. Don’t take it seriously. Come, sit and eat—no need for formality.”
Page (2/3)
At these words, Cheng Yaojin and the others felt immense relief, thinking how fortunate they were that the Prince of Qin was merely teasing them. Li Shimin, broad-minded and magnanimous, would never let such a minor issue sour the spirits of his generals. With rare leisure from military duties, it was the perfect time to strengthen bonds.
Li Shimin sat boldly on the ground, unreserved, tearing chicken apart with his hands, praising it endlessly. He ate with the gusto of a warrior, far from the dignified prince he usually appeared to be—much more in line with the rough tastes of men like Cheng Yaojin.
Li Shimin removed his armor, exposing his chest, relaxed and free-spirited. The others, all frank by nature, loosened up as well. They gathered, eating and chatting, discussing the world with unmatched camaraderie.
After finishing a chicken, Li Shimin lamented, “A pity we can’t drink in the army—some rules can’t be broken. Let’s use soup instead! Gentlemen, cheers!” He raised a bowl of chicken broth and drained it.
The generals all lifted their bowls, shouting, “Cheers!” and drank in unison.
Li Shimin wiped his mouth and asked, “When you made this fire in camp, why was there no smoke? If not for the aroma, I’d never have known.”
Qin Qiong laughed, “It was Mingyu’s invention—a smokeless stove. It works remarkably well.”
“Oh?” Li Shimin pointed to the stove, asking Mingyu, “Is this it? Why doesn’t it produce smoke?”
Mingyu explained the stove’s principle, and Li Shimin was enlightened. He laughed, “How did you come up with so many clever ideas?”
Mingyu, unwilling to reveal the truth, improvised, “I discovered it by accident, digging pits and playing with mud with other kids in the village.”
Li Shimin nodded, praising, “Sharp observation. This smokeless stove will be invaluable for ambushes and surprise attacks. I’ll record this as an achievement for you.”
“Uncle, don’t forget my earlier method for training troops—promise me a good official post when the time comes,” Mingyu replied with a grin.
“So young and already eager for office! Ha!” Li Shimin laughed heartily. Just as he was about to joke further, Changsun Wuji hurried in and whispered something in Li Shimin’s ear.
Li Shimin listened, then asked, “Is the news reliable?”
Changsun Wuji nodded firmly, “Absolutely!”
Li Shimin burst into laughter, “In that case, Dou Jiande’s end is near!” He turned to the generals and declared, “Gentlemen, this is heaven’s gift! Come, follow me to the command tent for council!”
Page (3/3)