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

On that vast land where war raged and the Song and Jin dynasties clashed, war clouds gathered and the roar of the two armies clashing resounded through the sky.

Damingfu Road has now become a scorched earth fiercely contested by both sides. Cities have fallen one after another to the iron hooves of the Song army. The flags of the Jin Kingdom tremble in the cold wind, and the morale and strength of the Jin army have suffered unprecedented damage.

Faced with this unprecedented crisis, Wanyan Cong, the commander of Daming Prefecture Road, had no choice but to lower his proud head. Although he was unwilling, he had to ask the Prince of Zhennan, whom he had always looked down upon, for help.

Even from Zhongdu, Wanyan Liang knew that this battle was not only about the gain or loss of territory, but also a crucial moment for training future generations and passing on the legacy. Therefore, he resolutely selected an elite force of 50,000 men from the Jin army in Zhongdu. This force, like a sharp blade, gleamed with cold light, and was ready to fight against Han Shizhong, the God of War of the Song Dynasty, on the battlefield.

He dispatched his beloved son, the young and valiant Wanyan Ping, to personally lead the expedition.

Wanyan Ping displayed extraordinary military talent and leadership skills from a young age. His eyes held both anticipation for the unknown challenges and gratitude for his father's trust. He knew that this journey was not only a test of his abilities but also a crucial step in laying the foundation for the future of the Jin Dynasty.

With Wanyan Ping's command, 50,000 elite Jin troops surged toward Damingfu Road like a tidal wave. Their armor gleamed in the sunlight, and the sound of their hooves shook the heavens and the earth, as if foreshadowing the start of a decisive battle.

In Jinan, a city on the south bank of the Yellow River, Han Shizhong, a general of unyielding integrity, sat firmly in his central command tent, his eyes piercing and revealing a resolute determination that should not be underestimated.

Upon hearing that 50,000 Jin cavalry were advancing south like dark clouds pressing down on the city, he showed no panic. Instead, a cold smile appeared on his lips. He then devised a brilliant plan and made an ingenious rearrangement of the Jin's defenses.

He planned in his mind that the line from Puyang to Hebi would become a nightmare for the Jin army. There, he would personally weave a net to give the enemy an unprecedented "surprise". This confidence and composure was his strongest support for his northward march, and he was not afraid of any storms.

As for the message from Li Zhen, it was nothing more than a whisper in Han Shizhong's ears, leaving no trace.

In his view, the position of imperial son-in-law in the Song Dynasty, though a source of great honor, was also fraught with constraints and complexities. Not only was it difficult to exercise one's talents, but it also often drew people into the vortex of the imperial court from which they could not extricate themselves.

As for the prince consort's own abilities, that's a trivial matter and not worth mentioning. The Zhao family's affairs are a complex and tangled mess, something people would avoid at all costs, so why would he easily get involved?

With this in mind, Han Shizhong became even more focused, concentrating solely on the upcoming battle, vowing to defend this beautiful land with all his might, and to avenge the humiliation inflicted upon him by the Jin people during the Jingkang Incident.

Li Zhen personally led his soldiers, traversing every street and alley of Tangyin City. His gaze was sharp yet warm, sweeping over every rooftop covered in snow, his heart heavy with a sense of responsibility. Faced with the devastation left by this sudden blizzard, he resolutely organized a rescue team, something unprecedented in the history of Tangyin City.

Under Li Zhen's direction, the houses that had collapsed under the strain were repaired and rebuilt one by one.

The soldiers' busy figures, against the winter's chill, painted a series of heartwarming yet resolute scenes. And for those who had lost their homes due to the natural disaster, Li Zhen had already made arrangements.

He ordered the former prison to be transformed into a temporary haven, where it was no longer a cold cage, but a source of warmth for people who had lost their homes in the winter.

Inside the prison, Li Zhen had already ordered it to be cleaned and covered with dry grass and thin blankets to ensure that every homeless person could be properly resettled.

As for the existing prisoners in the jail, Li Zhen made decisive and fair judgments. Those convicted of minor offenses were personally released, allowing them to regain their freedom and return to their families; while those convicted of serious crimes, adhering to the principle of not letting the innocent go unpunished, were all executed by Li Zhen's men. During this special period, Li Zhen deeply understood the immense value of every resource. He skillfully used his influence and methods to uphold justice while also considering humanity.

Qian Dazhuang quietly approached Li Zhen and said, "Chief, those guys you asked me to keep an eye on haven't been idle these days. According to our intelligence, they're planning to sneak out of the city tonight, but we don't know what they're up to."

Li Zhen tightened his down jacket, looked at the still somewhat gloomy sky, and said to Qian Dazhuang, "Tell the brothers guarding the city gates that as long as they don't cause trouble in the city, they can leave. They are all men who killed Jin people, so it's a way of helping the Song Dynasty."

In fact, he didn't care much for Li Zhen of the Song Dynasty. What was originally a good dynasty was ruined by a few unworthy descendants of the Zhao family, and in the end, the country was destroyed.

Qian Dazhuang continued, "Refugees from the east and south are starting to gather outside the city again. What do you think we should do, bring them in or...?"

Li Zhen thought for a moment and said, "Aren't there some shelters outside the city? Let's arrange for them to stay there first, and then let them in after we've confirmed that they are free of the plague. We've finally managed to control the epidemic in the city, and we can't let it recur."

Within Tangyin City, Li Zhen possessed precious grains and scarce medicines, which, like springs of water in the desert, served as a solid shield against the invisible plague of the era. He distributed these supplies free of charge to the people of Tangyin, aiming to unite them in the fight against the plague. However, even with such preparedness as modern medical resources, it was difficult to overcome the blind faith and inertia deep within people's hearts.

This plague not only eroded people's bodies, but also silently eroded their reason and judgment. In this era before medical technology had awakened, every drop of unboiled water could become an invitation to death. But sadly, many people in the city were still guided by invisible threads, repeating the habit of drinking raw water day after day, as if it were a ritual passed down through generations and unchangeable.

Li Zhen's heart was deeply pierced by this stubbornness and ignorance. Countless times, he stood on high ground, gazing at the creatures of this land with his weathered yet still bright eyes, and repeatedly warned in an almost pleading tone: "Never drink that unpurified water, for it hides unseen dangers."

But what he received in response was often the villagers' habitual, indifferent silence, or a few vague promises, which were then swallowed up by the daily grind of making a living.

He knew all too well how difficult it was to change the habits that a people had formed over thousands of years. But this did not mean he would give up, because in his heart, every effort was an expression of the deepest reverence and protection for life. So, Li Zhen began to plan more meticulously. He tried to use more vivid stories, more intuitive demonstrations, and even personal examples to gradually penetrate people's hearts, hoping to plant the seeds of rationality in them.

Finally, having no other choice, Li Zhen somehow obtained a microscope. He placed the raw water on a test slide and had the people observe the bacteria and viruses in the water in turn.

Through these actions, the people in the city gradually accepted the habit of drinking boiled water. The renowned doctor Guo regarded the microscope as a divine object, and after displaying it for a few days, he took it to his room for detailed study. It's said he even used his own blood to observe it.