The marmot’s sharp claws had already torn open the pouch. Ethan Brooks took out a homemade baseball bat from Jack Bennett’s back and, with a single swing, killed the marmot inside the leather pouch.

Jack Bennett led the flock of sheep into the pen by itself, while Ethan Brooks carried the marmot over to the sheep’s watering trough, preparing to deal with it.

Unless you’ve been a Uyghur, you can’t truly understand the Uyghur people’s love for marmot meat.

Ethan Brooks’s Uyghur identity was something forced upon him by his mother, a Sairen woman with pale skin, chestnut hair, and green eyes.

The Sairen were able to call themselves Uyghurs because their tribe traded five hundred beautiful women, tens of thousands of sheep, thousands of cattle, hundreds of camels, and several hundred fine warhorses for the privilege.

In the past, they had another name—Nine Surnames Tiele—Xueyantuo—Uyghur Tribe—Sairen Tribe.

The reason for such a long name was simply that the Sairen, with their chestnut hair and green eyes, couldn’t win a fight against anyone.

Whenever they encountered a powerful tribe, their approach was always to fight first, then submit.

Generally, tribes that surrendered without a fight would be slaughtered outright; only those with fighting strength would be accepted by the other powerful tribes.

On the grasslands, in the Gobi, and in the desert, every tribe had to ensure that their expansion made them stronger, not weaker.

The Sairen’s strategy was simple: if they could win, they fought; if not, they joined. The Sairen could be Xiongnu, they could be Turks, and of course, they could be Tiele. If the states of the Nine Surnames of Zhaowu weren’t so far away, the Sairen had even discussed joining them.

With the Uyghur identity, they no longer had to worry about other nomads coming to kill or rob them, which gave them a sense of security.

They also got to follow behind the Tang army, picking up cheap pastures and livestock, so they considered surrendering the most sensible thing to do. The only concern was that it was hard to find a leader as strong and enduring as an evergreen tree.

But since they chose to surrender, being enslaved by others became a matter of course.

Every year, the Sairen had to pay the Uyghurs the most cattle and sheep, the most supplies, and take on the heaviest combat duties, all in exchange for being allowed to call themselves Uyghurs.

The Sairen seemed quite satisfied with this, and Sarah Miller and her people seemed very satisfied as well. As a result, the Sairen’s lifestyle quickly began to resemble that of the Uyghurs.

For example—eating marmot!

These large, fat rodents from the squirrel family have thick necks, broad snouts, small ears, beady eyes, short sturdy limbs, and are full of fat. In the eyes of the Uyghurs, they are a rare delicacy, and naturally became the Sairen’s favorite food as well.

This had nothing to do with taste and everything to do with currying favor.

Just think: with only salt as a seasoning, no matter how delicious marmot meat is, how good could it really taste?

Of course, the marmot meat cooked by Ethan Brooks is an exception!

Unlike the usual Uyghur methods of roasting or stewing marmot, Ethan Brooks had his own unique way of cooking.

After catching the marmot, Ethan Brooks liked to insert two sticks into the marmot’s anus, twisting them to pull out the intestines and internal organs in one piece. Since the marmot’s intestines are very tough, this method keeps the edible parts uncontaminated.

After removing the dirty parts, he would sew up the marmot’s anus, then chop off its head, creating a natural leather pouch.

At this point, he would stab the marmot’s trachea a few times with a knife, pour in some clean water mixed with salt, chop up the edible organs and stuff them inside, and add some special Tianshan black plums. These are very sour and help bring out the flavor of the marmot meat.

To enjoy a top-quality marmot meal, the roots of white bluestem grass are essential. When heated, they release a faint, almost bay leaf-like aroma. Especially when mixed with the cumin unique to the Tianshan region, the strong, almost musky smell of cumin is subdued, and after reacting with the meat’s fat, only a wonderful fragrance remains.

Just let this marmot skin pouch sit for half an hour. Meanwhile, build a fire on the sand and throw in some river stones.

Once the campfire has heated the sand and the stones are scorching hot, put the hot stones into the sealed skin pouch and bury it in the sand to stew.

This is a highly efficient cooking method that makes the most of the heat.

In just a short while, the marmot skin pouch buried in the sand will start to emit hot steam, which shoots out from the seams of the pouch. At this point, the whole pouch is not much different from a weaker version of a pressure cooker.

After patiently waiting another half hour, a plump marmot skin pouch appears before everyone.

Scrape off the charred fur with a knife, and a golden, roast-duck-like dish is revealed.

Place it on old sheepskin, make a gentle cut with a knife, and rich fat will ooze out on its own. As the knife goes deeper, the taut marmot skin will split open to both sides, revealing the abundance of ingredients inside. And so—a sumptuous marmot feast is presented before everyone.