Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

The city of Bianjing was desolate, with the defending soldiers suffering from hunger and cold, and having no clothes or food to cover themselves.

But on the south bank of the Bian River, the scene is quite different.

It was mealtime as well. The newly recruited cooks of the Independent Brigade were skillfully chopping cabbage, while not far away, four men were cutting up and skinning a pig that had just been slaughtered yesterday, throwing it into a large pot to stew over a blazing fire.

Another group of cooks skillfully rolled out the dough, and in no time, long noodles were piled up in front of them.

The food on independent tours is very plentiful, and the combination of meat and vegetables is very particular.

Even on the battlefield, if conditions permit, one should never eat anything cold, but rather something hot.

"hehe."

A cook glanced at the worker busy processing pork, picked up a can of luncheon meat, split it open with a cleaver, then minced the meat inside and cooked it with cabbage.

Both the Song soldiers who joined the Independent Brigade and the cooks found canned food a novelty.

Especially after learning that these things have a shelf life of at least three months, they exclaimed that it was an amazing skill.

However, as novel as it may seem, it becomes commonplace after a while.

The soldiers of the independent brigade prefer traditional fresh ingredients; canned food is only used as an emergency supply.

The new helper glanced at the cook and couldn't help but say, "Don't we have fresh pork? Why are we using canned meat?"

"You know shit."

The cook casually replied and vigorously shook the can to make sure there wasn't a single bit of meat left inside. Then he scooped up a spoonful of broth, poured it into the can, shook it again to make sure not a single drop of oil spilled, and then poured it back into the pot.

"These dishes were prepared especially for Staff Officer Lin."

"Is this what Staff Officer Lin eats?"

"Let's eat this."

The cook opened another can of luncheon meat and repeated the previous steps.

"Staff Officer Lin only eats three dishes: boiled cabbage, steamed meat patties, and scallion-rolled steamed buns. If it's on the battlefield, he'll add some meat to the boiled cabbage."

"Oh, this is all Staff Officer Lin eats?"

The waiter exclaimed in surprise, his eyes filled with disbelief.

The cook responded, added some seasonings to the pot, and then stirred it with a spoon for a while.

"I only eat these. I don't like anything else, especially greasy meat. I won't even touch it."

"Oh my, it's hard to believe that someone of his rank eats so simply."

"Alright, enough talk, are the scallion buns ready yet?"

"All right."

The waiter immediately opened the steamer, and a burst of hot steam filled the air, revealing a steamer full of steamed buns that smelled of scallions.

The cook picked up five scallion buns, then filled a bowl with boiled cabbage, put it in the food box, and said to the waiter, "You stay here and watch over things. I'll go deliver the food to Staff Officer Lin."

At this moment, inside Yue Fei's tent.

Yue Fei, Zhong Lue, and Lin Fei fell silent around a sand table.

The sand table simulates the military deployment on both sides of the Bian River. Judging from the sand table deployment, the independent brigade on the south bank appears somewhat weak.

Yue Fei said, "We just received intelligence from the Jingwei Division that the food supply in Bianjing City is almost exhausted. We must be prepared for the Jurchens in the city to resort to desperate measures."

Zhong Lue: "It would be best if they dared to come, so that my Western Army could avenge its previous humiliation."

Lin Fei calmly asked, "Is there any news about where Wanyan Zongbi's troops are?"

Yue Fei: "When the news of the capital arrived, Wanyan Zongbi's 70,000 troops, after arriving in Xiangzhou Prefecture, temporarily rested on the grounds of insufficient military pay."

He never expected that the Jingwei Division had infiltrated the Jin capital completely.

Now, if Yue Fei wants to know, he can get accurate information about which concubine Wanyan Lie slept with tonight, when he relieved himself, and what he ate.

From the very beginning, Shen Lang had already begun to plan everything, as if he had long anticipated this day would come.

This made him respect the principal who had carefully taught him even more.

"That would be a shame."

Upon learning that Wanyan Zongbi's troops had not arrived at the north bank as scheduled, Lin Fei's eyes showed a hint of disappointment.

"If he can reach the walls of Bianjing, he can wipe out the entire main force of the Jin army in one fell swoop on the Bian River."

Zhong Lue asked, puzzled, "Staff Officer Lin, what do you mean by that?"

Lin Fei asked, "Does the Bian River freeze over with thick ice every winter?"

Zhong Lue replied, "It's not like this every year, but this winter is particularly cold. People can already walk on the Bian River now, and in a few more days, even horses will probably be able to cross it."

"That suits me perfectly."

Lin Fei got up and tightened his cotton-padded coat.

"Haven't you always been suspicious of why I opposed the recapture of Bianjing?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Fei and Zhong Lue immediately perked up.

"I also have my considerations. First, after Bianjing is recovered, the Northern Expedition will inevitably be hindered."

If the Prince of Kang in Guangling knew this news, he would openly demand that we hand over Bianjing, claiming to be the legitimate successor of the Song dynasty.

At this point, should we pay or not?

Yue Fei: "Refusing to hand over power is tantamount to disrespecting imperial authority, and it will allow the likes of Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan to seize this opportunity to slander my Independent Brigade and the righteous army for having impure motives."

The principal once said that public sentiment is easily swayed by public opinion when times are peaceful. Once the people of Song side with King Kang...

Then my righteous army would be without a legitimate cause and would inevitably be condemned. Therefore, recapturing Bianjing now would do more harm than good, and would make us more susceptible to being manipulated by Prince Kang and his faction.

Lin Fei nodded calmly: "Secondly, if the Independent Brigade adopts a strategy of forcefully attacking Bianjing..."

The recaptured Bianjing would inevitably be a wasteland, posing a huge obstacle to subsequent development.

This is extremely unwise, and even if we concede that King Kang didn't obstruct it,

Recapture of an empty city has no significant impact on the overall war situation.

"Finally, we should feign an attack on Bianjing to force the main Jin army to come to our aid, and then swallow them whole."

Completely resolving the northern region's threats is far more significant than simply recapturing an empty city.

After Lin Fei finished speaking, he put a soybean in his mouth.

"What caused the predicament for the Song Dynasty was the Jin Dynasty's tens of thousands of elite cavalry, not those so-called territories."

Only by swallowing them all whole can the current situation be completely reversed.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Han Ming came to report: "Commander, Staff Officer Lin, it's time for lunch."

Yue Fei slapped his thigh and said, "Bring it in, we can talk while we eat."

"Yes."

After saying this, the cook carried the food box into the main tent and neatly arranged everyone's meals.

Military officers at the colonel level and above can receive special meals, and if conditions permit, they can prepare their own special meals.

In front of Yue Fei was a large bowl of noodles, a plate of braised tofu, and a bowl of mutton soup.

In front of Zhong Lue was a plate of braised pork, a bowl of stir-fried vegetables, and a bowl of noodles.

Lin Fei, on the other hand, only had a bowl of boiled cabbage and minced meat soup and a plate of steamed buns.

"Officer Lin, don't you get tired of eating this every day? It's too bland."

After getting to know him for a while, I've come to realize just how terrifying a self-disciplined man can be.

Lin Fei eats these things every day, yet he never gets tired of them. If it were him, eating such bland food three times a day would probably drive him crazy.

"It's just a meal, you'll get used to it."

Lin Fei took a bite of the steamed bun, scooped up a spoonful of soup, and drank it down.

But his gaze remained fixed on the sand table.

Yue Fei swallowed a mouthful of noodle soup and said, "Those Jurchens on the north bank..."

Lin Fei: "Wait a little longer. When the ice gets thicker, that will be the time for their demise."