Traveling back to the Northern Song Dynasty: Picking up a princess as my wife

Upon entering the bustling market in Tangyin City, Wang Changdao instantly became the focus of everyone's attention. The magnificent warhorse beside him attracted all eyes like a magnet, gently surrounded by waves of curiosity and admiration.

This warhorse was completely different from the ordinary steeds around it. It exuded an indescribable majesty and power, and every muscle contained a powerful beauty that was ready to be unleashed, as if it were ready to gallop across the battlefield at any time.

A man who looked like a wealthy merchant reached out and pried open the horse's mouth to take a look. He couldn't help but exclaim, "What a fine horse! How much is it?"

Seeing the other party's luxurious attire, Wang Changdao gritted his teeth and called out, "This is a top-quality horse. If you, sir, want it, I'll give you six strings of cash, how about that?"

It's important to know that in the Northern Song Dynasty, one string of cash wasn't 1,000 coins, but rather 700 copper coins. In silver terms, one tael of silver could be exchanged for two strings of copper coins. Therefore, Wang Changdao's asking price of six strings was equivalent to three taels of silver, which was a reasonable price.

Upon hearing the price, the steward took another look at Wang Changdao and Li Zhen, noting that their attire suggested they were local militia from a rural village. He guessed they were unfamiliar with the market price of warhorses; a fine horse like this would easily cost ten taels of silver in the capital, only so cheap in this remote area.

After carefully inspecting the horse's condition, the wealthy merchant took out three taels of silver from his purse and handed it to Wang Changdao.

Wang Changdao said with some difficulty, "Sir, could you please exchange this for copper coins? I need to buy grain later, and I'm afraid I won't be able to find it at the grain store."

The wealthy merchant laughed after hearing this: "How about this? My family runs a grain store. You can just come with me and get the grain directly."

Wang Changdao looked at Li Zhen, waiting for him to make a decision.

Li Zhen said directly to the steward, "Okay, we'll go with you to get the grain."

They originally intended to sell their warhorses to exchange for grain, and now they don't have to bother looking for a grain store anymore.

The wealthy merchant was delighted, as he not only bought a fine horse at a low price but also sold a considerable amount of grain from his shop, thus earning a substantial profit.

By calculation, the three taels of silver they earned from selling their warhorses today could buy nearly two hundred catties of grain. If they were to exchange it for cheaper mixed grains, it would be nearly three hundred catties.

Wang Changdao and Li Zhen chose mixed grains, since they were content as long as they had enough to eat, and mixed grains were still grains, much better than eating grass roots.

This 300 jin of grain is enough to feed the villagers for a while. After all, there are less than 30 people left in the village at this time. Some were killed when the Jin soldiers passed through, some ran away to avoid the Jin soldiers, and the rest are still there.

Seeing that the two men wanted grain but not silver, the wealthy merchant generously gave them a dilapidated cart, saving them the trouble of transporting the grain home.

Like a weary traveler, the setting sun slowly sank into the embrace of the western sky, painting the horizon with a gentle orange-red hue. Wang Changdao and Li Zhen, two weary men, dared not slacken in the slightest. Shoulder to shoulder, they pushed the creaking, weathered grain cart, embarking on their journey home.

The two were proceeding cautiously along the winding, leaf-strewn path. The dappled sunlight cast long shadows on the road, adding an air of unease and mystery to their journey. Suddenly, the sound of rapid, heavy hooves shattered the surrounding tranquility, like thunder before a storm, foreshadowing impending doom.

Looking up, one could see a troop of Jin soldiers, their armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight, rushing menacingly along the road, raising clouds of dust that seemed to make the air itself tremble.

A sense of urgency and fear instantly gripped the two men, for they knew that wherever these Jin soldiers went, looting and destruction were commonplace.

In desperation, both their ingenuity and survival instincts were ignited. They quickly looked around, their gaze finally settling on a dense, secluded grove of trees beside the road. It seemed as if nature had specially prepared a refuge for them. Without the slightest hesitation, the two of them worked together to push the heavy cart deeper into the woods, carefully covering it with fallen leaves and withered branches until the food, laden with hope and hardship, was completely absorbed into nature's embrace, leaving no trace.

After the Jin soldiers passed, the two continued pushing the grain on their way. Fearing that more Jin soldiers might pass by, they quickened their pace.

Listening to the creaking of the cart wheels, Li Zhen was constantly worried that the cart would break down on the way, which would be a real problem, since the two of them couldn't carry so much grain on their backs alone.

Just as the two were hurrying on their way, they suddenly heard two men with half their faces covered jump out of the woods ahead.

"Hey! This road is mine, these trees are mine, if you want to pass, leave some money behind!"

Wang Changdao was startled by the sudden noise, and the cart in his hand involuntarily lost its grip, tilting and falling sideways to the dusty roadside.

Wang Changdao and Li Zhen both realized they had been robbed; the sacks of grain might not have been tied tightly, and some of it was leaking out from the overturned cart.

Upon seeing this, one of the men excitedly whispered, "Brother, look! That's grain, real grain! It's truly a case of 'when one door closes, another opens,' this is wonderful!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhen's heart tightened. He quietly reached for his lower back, where he found a stainless steel kitchen knife that he had brought with him from his time travel.

Wang Changdao also drew the short knife hidden in his leg, which he had found on the body of the Jin soldier he had killed. He couldn't let the grain he had painstakingly obtained in exchange for the warhorse be stolen; his men and the villagers were counting on this grain to survive.

The two men opposite each other, one holding a wooden stick and the other a large machete, but the machete was grizzled and covered in rust, and it was unclear where the man had picked it up from.

When the man with the knife saw that Li Zhen and his men were armed, he shouted nervously, "We only rob you, we won't kill you. Leave some food behind and you can go."

The man with the stick said, "Brother, one bag isn't enough; we still have more than a dozen people..."

"Shut up! They're not having an easy time in this chaotic world either. Besides, they have weapons. If pushed too far, they'll fight to the death."

Wang Changdao stood with Li Zhen, holding a short knife in one hand and shouted at the two men, "We are from the village up ahead. This grain is our village's sustenance. If you take it, we will starve to death."

"Big brother, stop wasting time talking to them, let's go!"

At this moment, Li Zhen also drew his stainless steel kitchen knife and shouted at the man who had spoken, "Come here and try, see if my knife is sharper or your head is harder."

The two men were dumbfounded when they saw the gleaming stainless steel kitchen knife in Li Zhen's hand: What kind of weapon is this? We've never seen it before. Why does it look like a kitchen knife?

Just as the two sides were locked in a standoff, several shouts came from the woods not far away: "Wang Wuzhang, don't panic, we're here to help!"

Seeing that it was his four men, Wang Changdao immediately felt more confident: "Hahaha... Our helpers have arrived. If you know what's good for you, put down your weapons and leave quickly, or you'll be in for a world of hurt."

Seeing that the other party did not retreat, several members of the local militia surrounded the two masked men. The man holding the machete gripped it tightly with both hands, and the veins on his arms were bulging.

The masked man leading the group shouted, "We were forced to rob people out of desperation. We are all suffering people, why make things difficult for each other?"

After hearing this, Li Zhen gestured for everyone to step back. He then asked the man, "You just said there were more than a dozen people. What exactly happened?"

After some conversation, it was learned that the two men opposite were brothers; the one holding the machete was Yue Peng, and the one holding the wooden stick was his younger brother, Yue Ying. After their village was looted by the Jin soldiers, they led the remaining villagers to this place. They had been without food for several days and had no choice but to resort to banditry.

Li Zhen and Wang Changdao exchanged a glance, then went into the woods to discuss their plan. Although they didn't have much food, they could last for a while if they ate sparingly. The world was in turmoil, and the few members of the local militia and the elderly, weak, and disabled villagers couldn't possibly survive. Luckily, there were a dozen or so people on the other side; they could recruit them to strengthen the village.

After Li Zhen and Wang Changdao told them the result of their discussion, Yue Peng and Yue Ying were so moved that they immediately threw their weapons aside and knelt down in front of Li Zhen.

"My benefactor above, please accept my humble bow! I thank you for saving my life today."