Wine is a great invention in the history of human civilization, using the principle of plant fermentation, people in different regions brew different kinds of different aromas of wine with exquisite craftsmanship. Whether it's whiskey, dry red or sorghum liquor, pour it into a cup, and the unique and delicate aroma of fermentation is so fragrant that the wine makes simple ingredients into an indispensable wine on the table after more than a dozen processes.
Wine not only has a charming and unique smell, but also has a wonderful beauty that makes people indulge in it. When you take a sip of wine, you will feel a warmth in your throat for an instant, and in an instant, the aroma of the wine seems to run through the whole body. Wine is not only the patent of modern people, from ancient times to the present, there are countless people who are fascinated by wine, including many celebrities. As we all know, the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai was not happy without wine, and perhaps the sense of ethereality brought by alcohol made it easier for Li Bai to write famous sentences.
During that period of thorns and challenges, there was a famous founding general in China who was also famous for his love of wine, and he was General Xu Shiyou. Xu Shiyou once told others that food can be lacking, but wine cannot be less. However, Xu Shiyou's road to love wine is not smooth all the way, and during the period when he faced salary reduction, the price increase of Moutai also increased the burden of family expenditure, and even often made Xu Shiyou unable to make ends meet. So how did he handle the dinner? How was the supply of Moutai on the liquor board guaranteed during that period?
Drinking should also pay attention to timing
It is said that General Xu Shiyou loves to drink, so how did he stay sober in the war years? In fact, Xu Shiyou's love of wine is not a crazy alcoholic, he has his own principles in the matter of drinking. In order to keep sober at work, he made a rule for himself not to drink alcohol during the preparation period for war and during the battle period, and only to drink and celebrate if he won the war.
Xu Shiyou is a person with a bold personality, which may be related to his past experiences. Xu Shiyou used to practice martial arts at the Shaolin Temple when he was young, and as the contradictions of the national war intensified, Xu Shiyou realized that it was time to devote himself to the revolution. Xu Shiyou, who was strong and strong, joined the army bravely and became a member of the Red Army. Because he was born with great strength and Shaolin Kung Fu, he often made many battle achievements with courage after joining the army. Over time, Xu Shiyou's bravery and invincibility spread from east to west, south to north, and his habit of drinking was also known to everyone.
It is reported that Xu Shiyou's favorite wine is Guizhou Moutai, and for him, the taste of Moutai is irreproducible. Xu Shiyou's alcohol consumption is also very outstanding, in the liquor bureau, when everyone else is already confused and does not know what heaven and earth are, only Xu Shiyou is still unusually sober.
But because Xu Shiyou has always strictly adhered to the principle of not drinking alcohol in war, he has never missed things because of drinking. Sometimes Xu Shiyou's subordinates saw him sad about the war and offered to hand him a glass of liquor, but Xu Shiyou refused.
Xu Shiyou explained to his subordinates that victory in war depends not only on courage, but also on strategy. As a red army soldier, you must always keep a clear head. Xu Shiyou had outstanding achievements in the liberation period, annihilated the main kuomintang army with excellent command ability, successfully removed the obstacles between north and east China, and expanded the scope of activities of our army's base areas. Chairman Mao once personally praised him: "Xu Shiyou is a general, which is really remarkable, and he has opened up the whole Jiaodong." ”
Moutai wine with soaring prices
After the founding of New China, Xu Shiyou was awarded the rank of general for his outstanding performance in the Liberation War. Without the threat of war, Xu Shiyou could finally drink Maotai with confidence. However, the price of Moutai has not always remained the same, it has risen from four yuan to eight yuan. By the 1970s, the price of Moutai had soared, and it cost twelve yuan to buy a bottle.
The price increase of Moutai has become a heart disease of Xu Shiyou, who loves to drink. One might wonder how such a distinguished admiral could worry about a bottle of wine.
At that time, due to the relevant policies and systems introduced by the state, Xu Shiyou's salary and various subsidies after his retirement were much less than in the past. In addition to the daily expenses of the fixed salary of four hundred yuan, the money that can be taken out to buy Moutai is very small. If it is only Xu Shiyou personally drinking Maotai, the key is that Xu Shiyou has many friends, and various meals are indispensable in his leisure time. Xu Shiyou has always been hospitable, and he always presents his favorite Moutai wine to the guests who come to visit.
"Fake Moutai" must not have been served on the table
In the long run, due to the purchase of Moutai wine, Xu Shiyou's salary has not been able to make ends meet. This incident made the staff of Xu Shiyou's family very headache, and they did not know how to solve this tricky matter. An administrator named Wang Xuan, who had been with Xu Shiyou for many years, thought about it, and there was a way to make Xu Shiyou continue to receive guests, but also to ensure that guests drank Maotai. Wang Xuan remembered the brewery of Nanjing Xicun Farm, where the winemakers came from Yanghe Winery, and the winemaking technology was pure.
Xu Shiyou had personally praised the wine bought from this winery before, and it was a fine wine in terms of taste and texture. And this wine is affordable and low-cost, one yuan can be exchanged for five hundred grams of liquor. Wang Xuan, the administrator, quietly went to the brewery of Xicun Farm to buy a lot of wine, and when he returned home, he put the wine into the bottle of Moutai and used this to pretend to be real Moutai wine.
But this matter must not be known to Xu Shiyou, otherwise Xu Shiyou must not agree to this kind of behavior, he would rather live on a tight budget, but also let his friends drink the best Moutai wine. In order to do a good job in secrecy work, Wang Xuan deliberately explained the truth in advance with the personnel who came to accompany him, and asked them to cooperate. In this way, the cups of the important guests at the dinner table and the cups of Xu Shiyou were real Guizhou Moutai wine, while the glasses of those who accompanied the staff were filled with wine from xicun farm.
Those accompanying those who drank "fake Maotai" did not feel embarrassed by this matter, but felt that Xu Shiyou's administrator Wang Xuan was a qualified employee who fully considered Xu Shiyou, and cleverly avoided Xu Shiyou's old man's worries about drinking. Because in the eyes of everyone, Xu Shiyou cut through thorns on the battlefield, and the hardships along the way are indescribable, but Admiral Xu Shiyou has been honest and friendly all his life, and they willingly cooperate with the administrator at the wine table to perform this play.
The guests were very much in recognition of Wang Xuan's approach, and in order to let Mr. Xu Shiyou enjoy the drinking time in his old age, they invariably kept the secret on this wine table. Until the day Xu Shiyou died of illness, no one told the truth about the true and false Maotai. The matter of pouring the liquor of the liquor store into the Moutai bottle has also become an interesting thing for future generations to talk about with the passage of time.