Glory of the Sun God (Marvel Sun God)

Most people won't say anything if their prestige is weakened, let alone a bureaucrat like the affairs officer who represents the face of the entire European government.

Of course he patted his chest and assured that this was just a trivial matter.Even if they in Europe no longer mess around in the Middle East, relying on their outstanding reputation in the past is enough for him to arrange this matter smoothly.

This is telling lies with open eyes, and Nick Fury knows it very well.In terms of reputation, Europe is not even as good as the United States, which is far across the ocean, even though it is right next to the Middle East.Although the reputation of the United States is mostly negative, it is the kind that makes people in the Middle East gnash their teeth with hatred.But that's still better than being an unknown and marginal figure.

Of course, Nick Fury would not say this clearly.Since the affairs officer has already patted his chest and promised, he is naturally happy to see it happen.

It can be said that this affairs officer is very capable, and he just stumbled upon a new way when the channels were completely cut off.In less than a day, with the help of a bunch of shady people, he delivered the request for a meeting to Alexander.

When Alexander received the invitation, he was cooking hot pot with Lao Yu in his mansion.As a famous precocious monarch in history, he maintained the keen learning ability he had when he was young and the broad mind that a wise monarch should have.

Therefore, he accepted and tolerated shabu-shabu, a dining method that he had never seen before, and the use of chopsticks, which was definitely complicated for him, and quickly developed these two For your own hobbies.

This is as it should be.In fact, anyone who lived in the ancient Greek era would have no reason to say no to these things if they come back to today and come into contact with the culinary art of the big foodie country.

In ancient Greece more than 2000 years ago, there were only two daily cooking methods, roasting and stewing. This was based on the fact that they first introduced the technology of pottery.In a contemporary context, only ancient China and Egypt had the same technology.Under the premise of the development of productivity and technology at that time, everyone was actually very different, and there was nothing to compare.

At most, it means that China is a bit special. On the premise that everyone uses knives and spoons at the beginning, the use of a pair of chopsticks has been extended.But there is still no difference in how the food itself is cooked.

This is a pity. Although Alexander conquered from the west to the east and entered India, he was only separated from China in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods by a mountain. At that time, he still could not come into contact with any more special cooking methods.

Roasted meat and stewed broth were probably all he had in his life.Vegetables can probably only be eaten raw, and the same goes for fruits.So even though he was a king, he would never have imagined how many changes a delicacy could produce.

Lao Yu opened his eyes.As a Chinese who lives in the Middle East and is considered a gourmet in China, his research on eating is definitely beyond the reach of ordinary people.Even those who came from a powerful family and had great wealth may not be able to match his tricky mouth.

A copper pot was set up, with red charcoal burning underneath, and the clear soup that had been prepared long ago.

Different from the traditional Donglaishun hot pot shabu-shabu method, Lao Yu's method is to use Nile perch fish bones, beef thigh bones and tilapia to boil vigorously. The bones and meat are mashed and stewed into a pot of milky white.Then use the chopped minced meat to repeatedly absorb impurities.

While simmering the meat flavor, the soup becomes clear.Finally, add green onions, angelica, caoguo, gastrodia elata, wolfberry and ginger slices, and roll them on the red charcoal, which will directly taste the freshness of the bone marrow.Add the freshly cut lamb meat to the soup and dip it into your mouth with the sesame and olive oil-flavored sauce.That smell directly made Alexander, a king who lived to the fullest, couldn't help but sigh at Lao Yu.

"After eating so many modern delicacies, in the final analysis, the recipes from your country are the most amazing. This intoxicating taste, even in my era, was regarded as a tribute to God. , are more than enough. The golden country in the East is indeed full of magic."

No wonder Alexander would have such emotion. His greatest ambition during his lifetime was to conquer the end of the world, which refers to Eastern China, which was already famous in Greece.

At that time, China, which was already in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, already had silk production, and this kind of fabric, which was only produced in the East, only spread to the West through a very small number of traveling traders before the rise of the Silk Road.But even so, the West is still amazed by this extremely fine fabric.

The Old Testament from the fifth century BC calls it the most beautiful fabric.The statue of Athena in the ancient Greek city of Athens was also covered in silk to represent the infinite reverence of mortals for her.

Westerners may have never imagined that there would be such exquisite things in the world, and in their beautiful reverie, the East has also become a world with countless treasures and gold everywhere.Alexander also launched his expedition to the east with this kind of longing.

He never really set foot in the East that he dreamed of.This is probably the biggest regret in his life without regrets.

If someone else said this, Lao Yu would just listen.But Alexander is different, he is a real person.So when he first heard this, Lao Yu's face trembled, and he started laughing.

"It's not as great as you think. To put it bluntly, this is actually an inevitable requirement for the development of social productivity."

After placing a plate of lamb and a plate of marbled beef, Old Yu immediately picked up a piece of cabbage, poured it into the soup pot, and started talking.

"To put it bluntly, there were only a few ancient civilized countries in your time. Egypt, Persia, Greek city-states, Indian countries, and my hometown, China. And the reason why these different civilized countries can rise from their own regions , and it became a temporary trend. A large part of the reason is that there are people and there are enough production methods to ensure the survival of these people."

"Farming was definitely the safest way in that era. At the very least, looking back in history from today's perspective, no mature civilization can develop and grow without developing farming technology."

“However, limited by the times and the development of farming technology, even the countries with ancient civilizations that were the first to adopt farming development methods cannot say that they can meet everyone’s food and clothing needs through hard work alone. Farming is restricted, and barren land cannot even feed people, while fertile land is often fat in the eyes of many people. For this reason, war is always inevitable. This is also the most primitive slogan of war. In fact, it is It’s about survival.”

Water and Earth thought about most of the wars he had seen in his life.Although most of them have reasons of one kind or another, in the final analysis, the purpose is to occupy more fertile land and rivers.

Of course, there are other purposes.For example, kill each other's men and steal each other's women.In the final analysis, this is just a disguised way to expand the population of one's own civilization. It's just a different approach with the same purpose.

Alexander agreed with Lao Yu's statement, but he did not understand how it was related to the social productivity he mentioned.So in the spirit of not being ashamed to ask questions, he simply put down his chopsticks and spoke solemnly.

"I still don't quite understand. Is there any necessary connection between this and what you said?"

"What should I say?" Seeing Alexander's behavior, Old Yu could only put down his chopsticks and became serious.

"War will lead to two situations. One is long-term confrontation. Under the premise that it is impossible to eliminate the opponent, several identical forces will form a relatively embarrassing situation. That is, caused by their own needs and long-term fighting. Because of hatred and other reasons, it is impossible to stop the war unilaterally. Even if it is impossible to have an absolute major conflict, there will be regular small frictions. And this will affect the country's production resources, that is, food. A serious challenge. If you have experienced such a war, you should understand what kind of challenge it will be to the country's economy if a group of soldiers do not produce and consume huge amounts of food."

Alexander nodded, of course he knew what was going on.In this regard, the Greek city-states are the most vivid example.

Let’s not talk about those weak city-states, just let’s talk about the enemies of Athens and Sparta.They have all suffered greatly in the long-term confrontation.

Because of the war, Athens became increasingly conflicted with those states that were dependent on it.For this reason, Sparta laid the hidden danger of the Helot uprising.It is not without reason that the two Greek regions were briefly prosperous, but were replaced by the rising stars of Macedonia and Rome.Looking at it now, a large part of the reason is that this stalemate consumes each other's national power and makes the pattern of the Greek region more and more complicated.In the end, they were unable to stop the rise of these rising stars.

This is how Alexander made his fortune.So he sees things more clearly than anyone else.And precisely because of this thoroughness, he was even more curious about the other situation Lao Yu said.

"So, what's the other scenario?"

"It is unity, my Majesty. Take my motherland as an example. In the era near you, seven powerful countries were powerful and each ruled the roost. There were not only conflicts on land but also blood feuds for generations. From a certain To some extent, it had the potential to go the way of Greece. But under the leadership of a king no less wise than you, that was put to an end."

"A kingdom that defeated six other opponents in an invincible manner and included all the land and people under its own command. Just like you did."

"The vast land provides people with enough space to raise children, and the deficiencies in farming technology can be completely replaced by more land. As the times progress, the yield per mu of food is also increasing, which in disguise meets the needs of more people. . While stimulating population growth, it also allows more people to invest in this kind of production operations."

“The most important thing is that stable political power and rule eliminate the need for the people to frequently switch between two identities, that is, warriors and farmers, and they do not need to spend their hard-earned income to fill the war. This huge appetite is almost From the mouth of the bottomless giant beast. Farming can continue to develop in a long-term and stable manner, and this also makes the food in society become extremely rich."

"When everyone's food and clothing are satisfied in this way, then naturally people will start to have other pursuits. Unlike now, rich entertainment will divert too much of people's energy. In that era, the best entertainment The method is always reflected in the aspects of food, clothing, housing and transportation.”

"Eating is not just about eating, but a skill to delve into and a pleasant way to experience. Then naturally, this kind of cooking skill that can satisfy human appetites to the greatest extent will be born. So. To put it bluntly, this is not because there is some magical place in the East. It is because we have the longest reunification process in the world, and we also have the longest years of peace and happiness."

"The truth seems to be such a truth, not bad."

Listening to Lao Yu's tirade, Alexander, while listening carefully like a student, also inevitably sighed and expressed his own emotions.

"However, I still feel the magic of that land. Don't be perfunctory with me, Lao Yu, and don't forget that I am also a king. I know very well what it is like for a king to conquer with war, and even more clearly, a king What is it like to rule the territory under your command with your wrists? It is no easier than the former, and it is even more difficult. If you want to make the vast majority of the people who occupy the empire enjoy happiness and get enough food to fill their stomachs, Wearing warm clothes is not something that ordinary kings can do. Even I myself may not have had the confidence at the time."

Looking back on that time, he couldn't help but feel sad.The huge empire fell into pieces and fell apart after his death.If you want to say that he didn't have any foresight before, you would be underestimating the wisdom of this king.

"I am good at war. No one can deny this. But I am afraid that the best scholars around me cannot give me an ideal answer for governance. No one in ancient Greece, Egypt or even Persia has ever had such a great achievement. . The reason why those arrogant and powerful generals under my command are willing to follow me loyally is that I can conquer everything in front of them with war, and the benefits of war are enough to fill the greed in each of their hearts. However, there are One question is, when the war can no longer continue and there is no more land that can be conquered in this world, where can I go to satisfy their appetite and ambition?"

"This was the problem that troubled me the most at the time. I could even lose my appetite because of him. But fortunately, I don't need to worry about this problem anymore, because fate never gave me a chance to witness that day. Is this considered lucky? Lao Yu. Or rather, I missed an opportunity to make myself greater."

It's not easy for Lao Yu to answer this kind of question.After all, they can't turn back time.But just imagine that a huge empire spanning Europe, Asia and Africa could be maintained for a long time.That may indeed be a ray of light in human civilization.

This should be the true light of Western civilization.However, it is a pity that it was extinguished more than 2000 years ago.

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