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

With Liu Ning's introduction, Li Zhen quickly found a large warehouse, located on the edge of the county town, not far from the village where he would buy the grain.

After finding a hotel to stay in, Li Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. It was the first time he had driven so far, and he had also drunk quite a bit of alcohol, so it would be a lie to say he wasn't tired.

The next day, as the sun rose, there was a knock on Li Zhen's door. He forced his eyes open and opened the door, only to find Liu Ning carrying breakfast.

"Mr. Li, the sun is already high in the sky, why aren't you up yet?"

After yesterday's interaction, Li Zhen and Liu Ning became familiar with each other. Without even washing his hands, he grabbed a steaming hot bun and started eating.

While eating, Li Zhen asked, "Can the grain be delivered in two days? I have other things to do here, so I'm afraid I won't be able to stay here for long."

Liu Ning did some calculations and said with a smile, "If we hurry today, we should be able to get it over here during the day and night."

After a quick breakfast at the hotel, Li Zhen drove Liu Ning back to the village. As soon as they entered the village, Li Zhen saw countless villagers using their tricycles and other small vehicles to transport their rice to the village committee compound.

Inside the courtyard, the village chief stood on a high place and shouted through a loudspeaker: "Everyone, don't panic. Let Accountant Song count them one by one. I must make this clear beforehand: if I find any old rice mixed in, I won't accept their rice."

Upon seeing Li Zhen and Liu Ning enter, the village chief greeted them with a beaming smile.

"How are you doing, Brother Li? You're alright after drinking yesterday, aren't you? You know, this distillery was brewed by Wu Lao Er from our village. It's famous for miles around."

Liu Ning said to the village chief, "I've already found a truck, and it should be arriving at the village entrance soon. Uncle Village Chief, please send someone to meet it at the village entrance as soon as possible."

After the village chief finished arranging the people, he said to Li Zhen somewhat embarrassedly, "Young Master Li, there's been a bit of a problem in the village. One family thinks the price is a bit too low, and he doesn't want to sell anymore."

Li Zhen expressed his understanding of this, because there are always some people who want to gain more benefits, which is only human nature.

Li Zhen said to the village chief, "Uncle, the rice from your village alone isn't enough. This is export trade. Could you contact a few other villages to see if they have any surplus rice? The price will remain the same; you definitely won't lose out. In addition, I'll give you a portion as a tip for your trouble."

The village chief glared at him, puffed out his beard, and shouted, "What's wrong with you, Mr. Li? You won't do anything without a bribe? After I finish arranging things here, I'll contact those other village chiefs. They'll be overjoyed when they hear about this good thing, and they'll probably thank you."

As soon as the two large trucks arrived, the village chief and Accountant Song directed the villagers to load the weighed rice onto the trucks. With the help of these villagers, Li Zhen didn't need to find any more loaders. Whether it was loading or unloading, the villagers took the initiative to help, and even the truck drivers got involved.

This made Li Zhen feel the warmth of the people of Northeast China. He secretly asked Liu Ning to write down the names of the people who participated in loading and unloading the trucks, so that he could set aside a separate amount of money as a thank-you fee when settling the payment.

Around noon, four or five people arrived from the surrounding area. They were all village chiefs from nearby villages. Upon learning that Li Zhenzheng was buying large quantities of rice, they rushed over after asking about the price.

In fact, Liu Ning had told Li Zhen yesterday that the price Li Zhen offered was 50 cents higher per pound than the county grain station's purchase price, and that it didn't matter which size of the rice it was. How could such a price not be tempting?

So in the afternoon, Liu Ning had to mobilize two more large trucks, and Li Zhen, who was originally going to stay there for two days, had to stay an extra day. However, Li Zhen's harvest this time was not small. He purchased nearly a thousand tons of rice here alone. Once this rice was transported to the Song Dynasty, it would definitely bring him a huge fortune.

Li Zhen had a very successful harvest this time. He also signed a long-term cooperative agreement with the village chief and several others, encouraging the villagers to plant more rice, and promising to come back to buy it next year. Li Zhen also told Liu Ning that regardless of future grain prices, he would pay an extra 50 cents per pound to buy the rice, as long as the quality was guaranteed.

After leaving the village, Li Zhen drove north, visiting two grain purchasing sites: one for rice and the other for soybeans. He also bought some corn. His mysterious space seemed perpetually full, and he had ample funds, so he continued collecting grain until he reached the border.

This is Manzhouli, a border town. Li Zhen came here not only to buy some meat from the Russians, but also to see if he could use his connections to get some "hard" equipment from them. Because the scale of Dao Ge's business is limited, it's impossible to buy large quantities in small quantities. But it's different with the Russians. As long as you have enough capital, they can even get you tanks.

It was early winter, and the air was thick with the smell of white mist. Li Zhen had crossed the border early and arrived at the agreed-upon location.

Just as Li Zhen felt he was about to freeze to death, a dilapidated SUV screeched to a halt in front of him.

"Kharasho, are you Tovalev?"

Li Zhen asked the other party with some uncertainty, and a big bearded man with a face full of alcohol poked his head out.

"Kharass, Mr. Li, welcome to Russia. Get in the car, it's warmer there."

As soon as Li Zhengang got into the car, the other person handed him a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor): "It's cold here, a sip of this will warm you up."

Li Zhen smiled and pushed the bottle of liquor back. He took out a bottle of Erguotou from his pocket, opened the cap and took a sip, then handed it to Tovalev, who was driving.

Upon seeing the Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), the other person smiled happily, grabbed the bottle with one hand while holding the steering wheel with the other, and poured it into their mouth. In one gulp, almost half a bottle of liquor was gone.

Tovalev said with satisfaction, "Your liquor is really delicious! I haven't had such good liquor in years."

Li Zhen: "Hahaha... I brought you two cases this time. I'll send them over to you later. You can drink them slowly then."

The off-road vehicle made its way through a military camp, and the soldiers on guard at the gate didn't stop Tovalev at all, letting him pass directly.

Here, Li Zhen saw rows of tanks and armored vehicles parked, with many soldiers patrolling with live ammunition. Aside from seeing them on television, this was the first time he'd ever seen tanks up close. At that moment, Li Zhen thought that if he could get these tanks to the Song Dynasty, he'd be incredibly powerful. He could drive his tanks all the way to Rome, let alone the Jin or Song dynasties.

After the car stopped, Tovalev was a little unsteady on his feet. He led Li Zhen into a barracks.

As soon as he entered, he heard an officer shout at Tovalev: "You drunkard, you're drunk on such an important matter! Did you even bring the person?"

Li Zhen suddenly appeared from behind Tovalev: "Kharasho, hello, my name is Li Zhen."