Chapter 215

After a night of wind and snow, the entire world was wrapped in silver, a vast expanse of white. On the south bank of the He River, soldiers in the encampment began to wake up, preparing their morning meal. The scent of rice mingled with white steam as it drifted through the camp. Although they had managed to set up camp in time the previous day, the process had been rushed, and the troops were exhausted; most of them looked listless. The night’s gale had been particularly fierce, and even huddled in their marching tents, the men had shivered with cold; many woke this morning to a chorus of uncontrollable sneezing. Yet, at the mere smell of the food, many soldiers seemed to forget their exhaustion, gazing hungrily at the stoves where the large pots of rice were boiling. A general in armor strode out of a tent and barked at the soldiers preparing the meal: "Everyone, stop cooking!"