Chapter 181 - 132: Eating Salt Gives You Great Strength?

"Sodium and potassium are the most important electrolytes for the human body. A deficiency in these two can lead to symptoms like fatigue, fainting, and heart palpitations."

"For ancient soldiers, however, an excessive intake of these two trace elements would actually increase their physical Strength, combat effectiveness, and confidence. In ancient times, the salt production industry wasn’t very developed, and people in many regions couldn’t even guarantee a normal salt intake. War, being an extremely physically demanding large-scale activity, made electrolyte replenishment crucial."

As Zhou Chuan spoke, he clicked to the next slide, revealing a chart comparing the salt intake of different populations in ancient times. It also highlighted the disparity in salt intake between Western Europe and Huaxia.

The data was fascinating, but obtaining it would require consulting a vast number of ancient texts, as it was almost entirely derived from ancient recipes from various regions.

This just went to show how much work Zhou Chuan had put into his thesis!

’No wonder Zhou Chuan is so driven to succeed,’ Chen Jue thought, his admiration for the man’s rigor growing. ’Just collecting this data must have cost a great deal of money and effort.’

Even the teachers and professors in the front row, who were serving as the judges, nodded in approval. They occasionally jotted down some of the figures mentioned, likely planning to study them more closely later.

The presentation wasn’t over. At the podium, Zhou Chuan clicked to the next slide.

It showed an illustration of a great battle between the Mongolians and a coalition of European armies.

"The reason the Mongolians were able to sweep across Eurasia had to do with more than just their masterful archery, cavalry, and formidable tactics, or even their policy of having the war pay for itself. A major contributing factor was their daily diet."

"Take the ham-curing methods that spread to Europe at the time, for example. The salt content of Spanish ham is roughly 3% to 4%, whereas the salt content of our Chinese ham from Huaxia is typically around 12%!"

"From this, we can deduce a three-to-four-fold difference in the salt intake levels between the armies of the two regions. In terms of physical constitution, the effect was a complete curb-stomp."

"So, in the cold-weapon era, it’s fair to say that Huaxia’s combat prowess was truly number one in the world."

The moment this comparison was shown, a stir went through the students in the audience. Everyone was stunned by Zhou Chuan’s uniquely unconventional line of thinking!

Deducing the physical Strength of ancient soldiers merely from the salt content of ham seemed outrageous at first, but upon closer inspection, it was surprisingly logical.

Furthermore, the data Zhou Chuan presented wasn’t limited to just ham and salt content. He also compared the military diets of the two regions. In terms of protein and fat intake, the nutritional standards of the Mongolian army were far superior to those of the Western European coalition forces.

However, this abnormally high salt intake clearly came at a price. On the next slide, Zhou Chuan revealed a comparison of the average lifespans of Mongolians, Han People, and Western Europeans during that period.

The lowest figures belonged to the ancient Mongolians, whose average lifespan was an astonishing 17.8 years!

In addition, the average lifespan in the ancient Yiwu region, where ham was a dietary staple, was also significantly lower than in the surrounding areas of Jiang Province.

"While excessive salt intake can stimulate increased Adrenaline secretion, temporarily boosting a person’s Strength and keeping the body in a state of high excitement, it also leads to water and sodium retention, which can cause heart and kidney disease."

"Furthermore, cured meats like ham are rich in nitrites, which have long been classified by the World Health Organization as a Group 1 carcinogen. Therefore, I advise everyone to avoid consuming them in excess."

Onstage, Zhou Chuan continued his lecture, his topic shifting from ham consumption to kidney and cardiovascular diseases, but Chen Jue’s mind had started to wander.

As someone who practiced with high-poundage traditional bows, he finally understood how ancient soldiers could so easily draw Hard Bows exceeding 110 pounds.

The price for such ability, in addition to years of relentless practice, was their very health, and even their lives.

’Thankfully, I live in a more technologically advanced modern era. I have better, side-effect-free supplements to choose from.’

’There’s no need to resort to food like ham just to pursue Strength.’

As Chen Jue silently counted his blessings, his gaze fell upon the panel again.

Just moments ago, while he was listening to the lecture, a few more unknown entries marked with "???" had lit up on the panel’s anatomical diagram. And now, a brand new notification had appeared:

——————

[Ding~]

[A qualifying Knowledge Learning session has been completed. You have gained a more intuitive understanding of the function of two organs: the kidneys and the adrenal glands.]

[Coordinating with your brain’s logical processes, your adrenal glands have performed a consciously initiated hormonal secretion under the stimulation of your Spirit. Your body is entering a state of excitement.]

[Tri-Stat Temporary Attribute +0.05]