My Three Kingdoms is not right

Seeing Lü Bu being tricked into being a level two disabled person, Liu Xun was secretly delighted.

His status in Xiapi had changed from that of a war criminal and hostage to that of a guest.

The scope for operation has greatly expanded.

Next, we can start preparing for what follows.

He pondered for a moment and said, "I have a request, which I hope the general will grant."

Lu Bu was in a good mood and waved his hand dismissively: "Your Highness, please speak freely!"

"Today, General, you have greatly dampened the morale of Cao Cao's army. I believe Cao Cao will not dare to attack the city so easily again," Liu Xun said, cupping his hands in greeting. "I plan to hold a banquet the day after tomorrow to celebrate your victory and invite all the generals in the city to attend."

Lü Bu was pleasantly surprised: "Your Highness intends to host a banquet to celebrate my victory?"

Liu Xun smiled and nodded: "To be honest, General, leading the troops into battle was not my wish, but rather a necessity imposed by the circumstances."

"What I truly enjoy is honing my culinary skills. When entertaining guests in Xuchang Prefecture, I always personally prepare the dishes. If the General doesn't mind, would you allow me to showcase my abilities?"

"Excellent!" Lü Bu clapped his hands and laughed. "Since Your Highness has such a kind offer, how could I refuse? Then I will trouble Your Highness to gather all the generals and let them see Your Highness's culinary skills!"

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Two days later, Liu Xun's residence was temporarily converted into a banquet hall.

These past two days, Liu Xun has been busy cooking, using the soldiers Chen Gong sent to monitor him as cooks and asking Lü Bu to send people to fetch the necessary ingredients from the treasury.

This world doesn't have soy sauce, but it does have "clear sauce"—a savory and rich condiment made from fermented soybeans and wheat. Fermented black beans (douchi) have existed for even longer, being a common condiment used by people in the Han Dynasty.

He cut the pork into strips, mixed it with soy sauce, crushed fermented black beans, honey, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and minced ginger, and then covered the pork strips with the mixture to marinate.

Without iron skewers, they shaved bamboo into skewers and strung the marinated meat strips together one by one.

This was the "honey-glazed barbecue" that he practiced in Xudu and was most loved by Xu Chu, the Xiahou brothers, Cao Ren, and Cao Hong.

Although Chen Gong had his doubts, seeing Lü Bu's enthusiasm, he could only nod in agreement, but secretly instructed Yao Tian to keep a close eye on him.

As dusk approached, the generals arrived one after another.

Lu Bu occupied the main position, with civil officials such as Chen Gong, Xu Si, and Wang Kai on his left, and military generals such as Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, Hou Cheng, Song Xian, Wei Xu, Wei Yue, Gao Ya, and Wang He on his right.

To Liu Xun's surprise, Gao Shun sat quietly at the end of the table, but his expression was calm, as if he had long been used to it.

Liu Xun did not take a seat, but instead set up a grill in the courtyard himself.

The fire roared in the stove, and the skewered meat on the iron rack sizzled. He rolled up his sleeves, took long chopsticks, and turned the skewers while carefully brushing on the sauce with a brush.

Once roasted over a fire, the sauce releases layers of sweet, savory, and numbing aromas, blending with the caramelized scent of meat fat, instantly filling the entire courtyard.

The generals were all involuntarily drawn in by the sight.

On the one hand, most of them were from Bingzhou and loved roasted meat. But in this era, the method of roasting meat was "dry roasting" with salt and spices, and they had never seen Liu Xun's method.

More importantly, the woman before him was no ordinary cook, but a princess of the Han Dynasty, of noble birth and unparalleled beauty.

Such treatment as having the princess cook for him would be considered an honor even by high-ranking officials and generals in Xuchang, let alone the generals in Lü Bu's army.

Although everyone respectfully addressed him as "General Zhang" or "General Li," in reality, apart from Lü Bu, there wasn't a single general with a miscellaneous title among those present; the highest rank was only Lieutenant General or Cavalry Commandant.

Given the vast difference in their social standing, how could they not be moved by such sincerity and goodwill?

"Is Her Highness cooking herself?" Hou Cheng, being the most straightforward person, couldn't help but crane his neck in amazement.

Liu Xun's culinary skills were already at a level 7, a level of consummate mastery, comparable to even the imperial chefs in the palace. Moreover, his cooking techniques incorporated concepts from two thousand years in the future.

This complex flavor profile, characterized by "marinating first, then roasting, and layering with sauce," allows the sweetness, umami, and numbing aroma to develop layer by layer, creating a taste experience that is absolutely unique in this era.

With practiced ease, he placed the grilled meat skewers on a plate lined with vegetables, allowing the soldiers who were helping to serve them to the generals. He then continued grilling the next batch, his expression focused and his demeanor composed.

Lu Bu took the meat skewer. The meat strips were golden brown and glistening, with a thick sauce clinging to the sides, and the aroma was irresistible. She took a bite; the outer skin was slightly crispy, while the inside was tender and smooth. The sweet and salty sauce instantly melted in her mouth, followed by the rich flavor of fermented black beans and the numbing aroma of Sichuan peppercorns. The layers were distinct, and the aftertaste was endless.

"Excellent!" Lu Bu's eyes lit up, and he slapped the table in admiration. "I've fought for half my life and never tasted anything so delicious!"

The generals tasted it and were all amazed.

As Liu Xun grilled the meat, he chatted and laughed with everyone. His words were witty, and he subtly flattered Lü Bu, making Lü Bu very happy. He emptied his cup and felt a surge of heroic spirit.

Liu Xun worked diligently but without disorder, while his eyes observed the civil and military officials present.

Among the many military generals, cavalry generals such as Hou Cheng, Song Xian, Wei Xu, Wei Yue, Gao Ya, and Wang He were all former subordinates of Lü Bu from Bingzhou. They generally came from humble backgrounds and would start calling each other "sister" after drinking a little wine, showing a very open and uninhibited nature.

There are two exceptions.

One of them was Zhang Liao, who sat to Lü Bu's left.

She came from a prominent family in Yanmen and had such seniority that she had served under He Jin. She was a regular military officer in the imperial court and also had her own troops.

Therefore, Lü Bu treated her very politely, and she was also taciturn, with a touch of extraordinary indifference.

Liu Xun personally served her the dishes, and she simply accepted the ceramic plate with both hands, nodded slightly in greeting, and behaved neither servile nor arrogant.

Well, this person is not easy to win over.

The other was Gao Shun, who sat at the end of the table. She remained silent, only eating her meat with her head down, and the wine cup on the table was empty.

Seeing that she seemed to be isolated by the other generals, Liu Xun chatted with her a few more times and personally delivered two more trips to deliver roasted meat.

Gao Shun was respectful and spoke in a calm tone, but Liu Xun noticed that her eyebrows relaxed slightly.

This is something we can try.

As for the civil officials, Xu Si, Wang Kai, and others all respected Chen Gong. It seems that Lü Bu has no say in local governance.

As the banquet reached its climax, Liu Xun raised his cup to Lü Bu: "It is truly my honor to meet you, General, and all these heroes today. Congratulations to the court, and congratulations to General Lü!"

Everyone echoed in agreement, creating a lively atmosphere.

The banquet was a great success, with both hosts and guests enjoying themselves.

……

As the moon rose high in the sky, the banquet ended, and the guests dispersed, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Liu Xun stood in the courtyard, watching the female soldiers clean up the mess, and let out a long sigh of relief.

When Lü Bu left, he promised him that he could take grain, oil and food from the city's treasury at any time.

Tonight's work wasn't in vain.

Liu Xun ordered his men to heat up the remaining meat and distribute it to the soldiers who had helped and were on duty. The soldiers were very grateful and thanked him repeatedly.

Only Yao Tian remained standing under the corridor, unmoved.

Liu Xun walked up to her and said, "Commander Yao, you've had a hard day. Please have some."

Yao Tian shook his head: "Your Highness's kindness is appreciated by this humble general."

Liu Xun did not press the matter: "I know that the captain is loyal to his duty. If I need to move ingredients or firewood in the future, or need to borrow someone to help me, I hope the captain will do me a favor."

Yao Tian replied curtly, "As long as Your Highness behaves yourself, I will comply with any other requests."

She paused, looking into Liu Xun's eyes: "But if Your Highness harbors other intentions, seeks to collude with Cao Cao, or does anything detrimental to Xiapi, do not blame me for being ruthless."