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

Wanyan Ping and his companions could never have imagined that, with the help of modern technology, there would be a type of food called "pre-cooked food." When pre-cooked food first appeared, it revolutionized the entire culinary industry, let alone small restaurants and eateries.

As soon as the waiter opened the bottle of Erguotou, a rich aroma of liquor filled the entire room, making the head guard standing on Wanyan Ping drool.

Wanyan Ping seemed to hear the sound of the head guard swallowing, so he let him drink the first cup.

"Ah! What fine wine! I never expected such a small restaurant to have such good wine."

Wanyan Ping's chief bodyguard was a man of wide experience; he was well-versed in the finest wines in the land, and he often drank the imperial wines of the Jin Dynasty palace. But ever since he drank Yi Jiangnan's Erguotou, he felt that all the other wines he had drunk before were fake.

Seeing this, Wanyan Ping also drank a cup. When he brought the cup to his nose, he smelled the mellow aroma of the wine. When he tasted it, he first had a spicy taste, and then he felt the unique fragrance of grain liquor in his mouth.

This is only 42-degree Erguotou. If Li Zhen had used 56-degree Erguotou, it would probably have made these people cry from the spiciness.

After drinking a glass of wine, Wanyan Ping used his chopsticks to taste the carp leaping over the dragon gate.

A golden carp, head up and tail curved in an arc, sits in the center of the plate. The fish meat, flipped upwards, is deep-fried until golden and crispy, covered with a red sauce. It gives the impression that the carp was about to jump out of the oil when it was first put in, but was frozen in time at the sizzling moment.

"It's delicious, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the fish doesn't have a muddy taste. It's a rare delicacy."

The following dishes further whetted Wanyan Ping's appetite, making him feel that the chefs at Yi Jiangnan were even better than the imperial chefs in the capital. After all, the Jin people were a northern ethnic group who preferred hot foods like beef and mutton, so the dishes revolved around the ingredients, with only a few variations at most.

Wanyan Ping said to the waiter, "We can handle this ourselves. You can go now."

After the waiter left, Wanyan Ping said to the head guard, "We've been wandering around Tangyin City for two days now. I didn't expect the county magistrate here to be so competent. We don't see any beggars or vagrants on the streets. There's also no sign of yamen runners oppressing the people. And now we've even tasted such delicious food here. It seems the prefect of Anyang was right; this county magistrate named Zhang Cheng is quite capable."

"Your Highness is wise. I have learned that Zhang Cheng did not rely on his father-in-law's strength during this pacification of the refugees, but rather on the troops of a place called Li Family Village outside Tangyin City. Moreover, the owner of this restaurant is the chief of Li Family Village. I just don't know what the relationship is between the two."

Wanyan Ping took another sip of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), and with the few cups he had just drunk, he felt a little tipsy.

"This wine is quite good. When we leave, send someone to bring some with us so that Father can have a taste."

The head of the guards agreed. This time, they secretly investigated various places, on the one hand to check the political situation of the officials in charge of each prefecture and county, and on the other hand to check the losses suffered by the displaced people in various places.

Although the current emperor of the Jin Dynasty is indifferent to civil affairs, the Prince of Zhennan, who is the pillar of the Jin Dynasty, is concerned. He knows that only by stabilizing the people's hearts can true long-term stability be achieved. However, the Jin Dynasty currently employs officials from the former Song Dynasty, and he knows that what he hears and sees from the palace may not be true. Therefore, he sends his son on an incognito visit, which also serves as an opportunity for him to gain experience outside the capital.

On its opening day, Yi Jiangnan was packed with people, with all thirty-plus rooms fully booked. The use of electric lights, in particular, opened the eyes of these self-proclaimed wealthy merchants. Many even inquired about the electric lights for sale. One wealthy merchant even had a wicked idea and ordered his attendant to remove the light, nearly getting electrocuted on the spot.

Li Zhen said to Qian Dazhuang, "I'll only be here for two days. You need to get started and learn how to manage this restaurant quickly, since you'll be in charge here from now on."

By chance, Li Zhen discovered that Qian Dazhuang, a former vagrant, had a knack for business. He was not only good at divination but also had exceptional thinking skills. Therefore, Li Zhen decided to let him take charge of the restaurant and see if he could run it successfully.

On the other hand, it also highlights the lack of talent in Li Family Village. Currently, Li Family Village is mainly led by the brothers Wang Changdao and Yue Peng as military commanders. They are good at charging into battle, but they know nothing about logistics management or business.

As for Manager Sun, who runs COFCO Oils, he is extremely busy at this time. He has not only opened COFCO Oils stores in various prefectures and counties throughout Daming Prefecture, but also has to be responsible for the allocation of grain and money.

However, his hard work paid off handsomely. In less than half a month, Li Zhen received over a hundred kilograms of gold, which delighted him. He decided to take Zhao Yingluo back to the modern world once he finished dealing with the restaurant in the next few days. It wasn't just for the wedding; they also needed to purchase some supplies. Not to mention, Li Zhen's food reserves were running low.

On his way back to the mountain stronghold, Li Zhen unexpectedly ran into an old acquaintance: Fang Bucun.

Fang Bucun was dressed in tattered clothes, with more than a dozen Zoroastrian followers beside him. If Li Zhen hadn't recognized him, he would have thought he was a refugee who had fled from somewhere.

After arriving at Li Family Village, Fang Bucun finally told Li Zhen the truth.

It turned out that after he led his group of refugees eastward that day, he captured two county towns in less than ten days, obtaining a large amount of food and supplies. His group of refugees had also expanded to a size of 120,000 to 130,000. The short-term victory instantly made these Zoroastrian leaders lose their heads. They didn't even have the most basic sense of vigilance. By the time they realized something was wrong, it was too late.

Fifty thousand Jin soldiers quickly trapped them inside the city. Due to the large number of refugees, the city's food supplies were exhausted after being besieged by the Jin army for about ten days. In the end, the Jin soldiers didn't even need to exert much effort; these refugee groups, which were already weak in combat, were completely annihilated.

It must be said that the Jin soldiers were truly ruthless. They first lured the refugees by promising that they would be forgiven if they surrendered, but once they came out of the city, they killed them on the spot. If it weren't for Fang Bucun's elite troops risking their lives to cover his escape, he would probably be lying among those rotting corpses by now.

After saying this, Fang Bucun immediately knelt down and said to Li Zhen, "Chief Li, I have been defeated. There is no place for me in this vast world. Please take us in."

Actually, Li Zhen brought Fang Bucun to the village intending to take him in. Aside from Fang Bucun's status as the leader of the Zoroastrian sect, he was a very capable man. Think about it, if he weren't capable, how could he have gathered so many refugee soldiers in such a short time?

Therefore, Li Zhen decided not to invest in the other party, but to keep him around first, and then reason with him and appeal to his emotions. It would be best if he could be of use to him, but if the other party still wanted to go it alone, that would be fine too, just consider it a lifesaver in an emergency.