Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 1009 Where in life do we not meet each other

"Please have a seat, please have a seat. Although my guild hall is not as luxurious as those in Jiangnan, it is still one of the best places on this island. You two honored guests can stay as long as you like!"

In a large mansion in Beigang, Lin Zongchen, a tycoon from Quanzhou, stroked his long beard and laughed heartily: "However, the identities of the two of you are rather sensitive, so it would be best not to reveal your real names."

Qian Duanli knew that the wealthy merchant named Lin Zongchen was referring to him, but he was used to his high position and power. After recovering from the dizziness caused by vomiting, he felt uncomfortable being instructed by a wealthy merchant, so he simply turned his head away and did not respond.

Lu Jiuyuan smiled and said, "What you say is absolutely right, my elder brother asked me to give you his regards."

Lin Zongchen was a shrewd man; how could he not understand that this down-on-his-luck gentleman looked down on him? However, being a businessman, he chuckled and changed the subject.

Lu Jiuyuan then took the opportunity to introduce Qian Duanli, saying, "This is Lin Zongchen, Lin Jinghe, an outstanding member of the Lin family of Quanzhou."

Qian Duanli finally understood at this point: "Is it the Lin family of the Nine Shepherds?"

Lin Zongchen looked smug: "Lin Qigong is an elder in the family."

Qian Duanli finally showed envy.

Lin Qi's family had nine sons, all of whom became successful and served as prefects of their respective regions, hence the title "Nine Prefects".

This person is incredibly talented and has an exceptionally good life; they wouldn't trade it for a prime ministership.

To put it bluntly, if Qian Duanli had nine sons who became prefects, Yang Yizhong and Shi Hao wouldn't dare to mess with him at all!

This isn't about whether someone holds a high position or wields power; it's about the vast disparity in power among the next generation. If the other family isn't completely wiped out, and they rise from the ashes, your entire clan could be destroyed.

Seeing that Qian Duanli was no longer arrogant, Lu Jiuyuan finally breathed a slight sigh of relief: "Brother, what is the situation on the island now? Are the savages in the mountains still coming to plunder?"

Lin Zongchen picked up a round fan and fanned himself. Upon hearing this, he shook his head slightly: "Brother, the mountain range in the center of the island runs from south to north across the entire island. Even if an army of 100,000 were to enter the mountains to encircle and suppress them, how could they possibly wipe them out completely?"
However, since the last great war, the days of hundreds of savages descending from the mountains to plunder have ceased, but sporadic acts of harming the local population still occur.

Upon hearing this, Qian Duanli immediately perked up: "What great battle? How come I didn't know?"

Lin Zongchen said with a smile, "Actually, it's not a big deal. It was just that during the autumn harvest two years ago, dozens of wild tribes joined together, with a total of 20,000 men, women, the elderly and the weak, and came down the mountain to steal grain."

"Hey, these savages don't know how to farm. They rely solely on fishing and hunting. If they can't catch any prey, they'll fight each other. Anyway, no matter which side dies, they'll have plenty of meat."

Qian Duanli turned pale and almost vomited.

Lin Zongchen, however, continued, "At that time, the Han army and the Song army in Beigang joined forces and gathered 700 soldiers, plus sailors from various ships and militia from villages and towns, totaling 3,000 people, to meet the enemy."

Qian Duanli quickly pressed on, "With such a disparity in numbers, how many casualties have we suffered?"

"What do you mean 'big'... We can't really do anything to those savages when they're in the mountains and forests, but on flat ground, they don't even have a formation. How can they be a match for a proper army?"

"After the battle, one of our soldiers died and one was wounded. The one who died was because the watchtower was not built sturdily and he fell and broke his neck; the one who was wounded twisted his knee while trying to avoid the falling watchtower."

Six or seven hundred of the savages were killed, more than a thousand were wounded, and five or six thousand were captured.

"The leader of the North was once a general from Shandong, but he was demoted to a ship captain by the King of Han for committing a crime. He presided over various execution and torture ceremonies, and dealt with prisoners of war according to the northern regulations. It was all settled in just two months."

Qian Duanli was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this: "This is a military achievement that our Great Song Dynasty has not seen in a hundred years. Why not report the victory to the court?"

Seeing that Lu Jiuyuan and Lin Zongchen both had a half-smile, Qian Duanli suddenly realized what was going on.

If this were reported to the Song court, who knows whether it would bring good or bad fortune! It might even lead to the officials in the court accusing him of provoking trouble on the border.

The group chatted for a few more minutes when a martial artist dressed in black shorts strode into the hall, approached Lin Zongchen, and whispered something in his ear.

Lin Zongchen's smile froze, and he immediately stood up, cupping his hands in greeting to the two men: "Sir Qian, Sir Lu, I have some trivial matters to attend to. Would you two like to relax and unwind in Beigang for a while?"

Lu Jiuyuan quickly cupped his hands in response: "Brother, please go ahead and attend to your business. I will take care of things here, Mr. Qian. Our Lu family also has some business in Beigang."

Lin Zongchen nodded, and then gave a few more instructions to a handsome young man, which were nothing more than to take good care of the two gentlemen and not let them suffer any grievances.

After Lin Zongchen left, the young man called Lin San approached with a smile: "You two gentlemen must be tired from your journey. Would you like to return to your guest rooms to rest?"

Lu Jiuyuan, however, seemed to know this man quite well. Upon hearing this, he immediately snorted coldly and pulled a long face: "Lin San, after all these years, how come you're still so lazy? Your master asked you to take us out for a stroll, and now that he's left, you want to send us back to our guest rooms?" Lin San's smile remained unchanged, but he waved his hands repeatedly: "Ah, Brother Lu, you're joking. I was just worried that you two gentlemen might be tired."

Qian Duanli originally wanted to go back to his room to rest, but as soon as he stood up, he felt weak in his legs and his stomach made a rumbling sound.

Lu Jiuyuan acted as if he hadn't heard: "Mr. Qian, the climate on the island is hot and humid, and food is not easy to preserve. When I came here last time, it was this fellow who took me to eat a fish soup. It was truly a delicacy. Why don't we have him take us there this time?"

After a moment's thought, Qian Duanli nodded reservedly.

The three of them, along with a few attendants, walked out of the large mansion and slowly made their way to a restaurant on the third floor, where they entered a private room.

The fish was fresh sea fish. From gutting the fish to turning it into fish soup and serving it in a bowl, it took less than half a quarter of an hour. The steaming hot fish had a fragrant aroma but no fishy smell at all, which made Qian Duanli's mouth water. He started to eat heartily even though all the dishes had not yet been served.

After finishing a bowl of fish soup, Qian Duanli's eyes lit up. He looked at the smiling shopkeeper and said, "Shopkeeper, your fish soup is delicious. It tastes just like the fish soup of Song Po from Lin'an. I never expected to be able to taste such a delicacy overseas."

The shopkeeper, who had been smiling apologetically at Lin San, looked astonished upon hearing Qian Duanli's words: "This gentleman is indeed very knowledgeable. The fish soup in my shop is from the same source as Song Po's fish soup. It's just that because there are many spices in Taiwan and the flavor of sea fish is strong, we have made some improvements."

Now it was Qian Duanli's turn to be surprised: "Shopkeeper, don't talk nonsense. Song Po's Fish Soup is a well-established brand in Bianliang. The Supreme Emperor, Yuan Sheng, and the Supreme Emperor all love it. It's not that no one has tried to crack the recipe, but there's just no result."

The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly: "What you say is all correct, sir. However, the Song family was quite large back then. In Jiangnan, Song Po was the fifth child. Before the Jingkang Incident, she went to Huaixi with her husband's family, and then fled to Lin'an to escape the chaos of war."

The rest of the Song family suffered heavy casualties, with some being captured by the Jin invaders and taken to the north as slaves. Song Po's sister, the seventh child in her family, was captured and taken to Youzhou. Later, she followed the Jin invaders to Yidu Prefecture. After growing old and losing her beauty, she was driven out of her home. Fortunately, she had the skill of making fish soup, which allowed her to make a living. She also adopted a pair of children and passed on her skills.

The children married, and the third son became the head chef at the small shop. This is why I say the fish soup in my shop and the famous Song Po fish soup from Lin'an share the same origin.

The shopkeeper recounted the story in detail, leaving not only Qian Duanli stunned, but even the well-mannered Lu Jiuyuan held his wine cup for a long time without drinking, seemingly losing his composure.

This story is neither grand nor heroic; it is simply about a few ordinary people struggling to survive amidst the upheaval of the Jingkang Incident.

But for some reason, Qian Duanli suddenly realized that this bowl of fish soup had traveled all over the world before finally meeting him, a stranger from another place, on this beautiful island. The various coincidences were truly amazing.

The shopkeeper, however, seemed to have been given a free rein to talk, continuing to chatter: "Actually, my father was also born in Bianliang. He was also captured by the Jurchen bandits and taken to Liaodong, and then followed the Jurchen master to Shandong. I was born a slave of the Jurchens, and my life was worse than death."

Fortunately, the Han emperor rose up in anger and saved the people from their dire straits, which gave me the opportunity to open a small shop and try my luck. The emperor truly is a living bodhisattva who saves people from suffering!

Lu Jiuyuan and Qian Duanli both remained silent.

They were all Song officials. Although the proper etiquette between the ruler and his subjects, and the hierarchy between superiors and inferiors, seemed to be in complete disarray in the Song state, and the country was on the verge of collapse, it was impossible for them to sing in harmony with Liu Huai.

Lin San seemed to have already heard the story of the Han emperor, or perhaps he was just being polite, as he directly raised his wine cup and said, "To the emperor, may you live long!"

The shopkeeper bowed repeatedly to express his gratitude, as if Lin San were celebrating his birthday.

Helpless, Qian Duanli could only hold the fish soup and say, "Eating this fish soup on this beautiful island is like meeting an old friend in a foreign land. I wish that the beautiful island and China would be one."

"Exactly." The shopkeeper nodded emphatically: "Taiwan and China are one!"

This is a clever way of putting it, since both the Han and Song dynasties certainly believed they represented the Chinese nation, so saying this would avoid offending anyone.

It can only be said that Qian Duanli's mentality changed very quickly, and he really did feel the embarrassment of being dependent on others.

The banquet was a great success, with both hosts and guests enjoying themselves.

After filling his stomach, Qian Duanli felt warm all over, which relieved the fatigue of the journey, and he wanted to continue transiting through Beigang.

However, just as Qian Duanli swaggered down the stairs, he ran into an acquaintance he had met a few times before.

"Huh? Mr. Qian?! What are you doing here?"

Qian Duanli shuddered, but after finishing his meal, he had a sudden burst of quick thinking. He pretended not to hear it, only glancing out of the corner of his eye in the direction from which the sound came.

It's true what they say, you can meet someone anywhere in life!

Damn it, what's that scoundrel Li San doing here?!
(End of this chapter)