Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Traditional customs - How much food did a soldier eat a day in ancient China?

How much food did a soldier eat a day in ancient China?

According to the records of Han bamboo slips in Juyan, the monthly ration of soldiers is about 3 stones and 3 buckets. Before the Song Dynasty, millet was still the staple food in ancient North China, and the conditions were very difficult. Except for senior generals, there is almost no meat. Unless the horse is killed, soldiers need a lot of food to maintain their daily consumption (not compared with modern food, after all, modern food is oily enough, and the calories needed by the human body are easy to meet, so eat. According to the Han Dynasty, one stone (here, it is a unit of capacity, not a unit of weight) is about 27 kg, and three stones and three buckets (1 stone and 1 bucket) are about 89 kg, which is equivalent to 3 kg of millet every day for1month. If only by weight, it is equivalent to about 12 steamed buns per day (the weight of steamed buns is about 65438). Compared with modern times, it is not surprising for manual workers to have 12 steamed buns per day! Therefore, the description of Juyan Han bamboo slips should be in line with that era, not exaggerated. Therefore, the daily rations of ancient soldiers are basically around 3 kg, so don't measure them with the eyes of modern people! They won't have meat and eggs for every meal! For those who estimate that the soldiers' rations are less than 3 Jin, it is equivalent to the emperor's poor and hungry soldiers. It's okay not to fight, but it's easy to mutiny when you fight!