On the second day, Wang Xiaolie hosted a banquet in the army for Lu Qing and Dong Xian. He was about to leave Luoyang, so he should say goodbye.
It was still early before dark, so Lu Qing and Dong arrived at the army first. Wang Xiaolie arrived early and took them to the handsome tent.
The host and guest were seated and tea was served.
Lu Qing said: "I just saw the commander's barracks. It is very clean and tidy, and it is unparalleled by others. When we were in Kaifeng City, people often praised you for your good military management. When you arrived in Luoyang City, you still have the same style as before."
Wang Xiaolie said: "The Taiwei passed away. Since then, he has maintained strict discipline in the army and will not harass the people."
Dong Xian said: "Commander Wang has been in Luoyang for some time, and military discipline is indeed strict. We are in the same city, and we all see it."
A few people chatted for a while, and Wang Xiaolie said: "The current situation is difficult and it is difficult to buy things. Our army has prepared some wine and meat today, so please don't be negligent. It's stuffy in the house, how about we go outside?"
Naturally, the two of them had no objections and went to the yard together.
The sun was setting at this time, and there was a bit of coolness in the wind. Sitting in the yard feels much more comfortable. The soldiers brought a table and the three of them sat around.
Tables and chairs spread throughout the Song Dynasty, and many Chinese habits changed as a result. Luoyang was the first to get the trend, and chairs were particularly popular. At this time, women did not sit on chairs in other places, but not in Luoyang, which surprised people in other places.
Chairs and tables became common utensils, and communal dining became popular. At this time, meals are basically shared. Of course, the food at this time was simple, not like in later generations, with a table full of dishes and plates piled on top of each other.
The meal-sharing system has the advantages of the meal-sharing system. It's simple and hygienic, and it's very unlikely that one person will sneeze so hard that everyone can't eat. But the communal dining system also has its advantages. There are many kinds of food, and people at the table can eat more. What Wang Xiaolie prepared today was a combination of meal sharing and sharing. The plates were brought up and distributed to everyone with public chopsticks.
Four cold dishes came first. A plate of white chopped chicken, a plate of pig ears, a plate of mixed cucumbers, and a plate of tofu mixed with green onions. These are common foods of later generations, nothing more than ordinary. But in this era, it is unheard of and unseen.
The soldiers brought the dishes. Wang Xiaolie said: "Let's eat some cold dishes and drink two glasses of wine first. This plate of chicken is cooked just right and is the most tender. It's just that there is no seasoning in the dish, so it needs to be dipped in the sauce to eat it. The other items, It doesn’t have to be so troublesome.”
As he spoke, he picked up the serving chopsticks, picked up a few pieces of chicken, and placed them on the plates in front of Lu Qing and Dong Xian.
Where have the two of them seen eating this way before? I took a piece of each, dipped it in a small plate on one side, and was full of praise.
Wang Xiaolie invited the two of them to drink and eat. The pig ears are crispy, the cucumbers are refreshing, and the onions are tender with tofu. The two of them used serving chopsticks and serving spoons to put it on their own plates and ate with great satisfaction.
After three drinks, the soldiers served hot dishes. A braised pork belly, a mu xunai, a tofu box, a Sixi meatballs, a braised mutton, and a plate of braised carp are all placed on the table.
Lu Qing looked at it and couldn't help but said: "I have never eaten so many dishes at one time."
Wang Xiaolie said: "These are not expensive dishes, they are just delicious. Fortunately, they are made carefully. You can try them."
After drinking the wine, they both ate separately. They both felt it was delicious as never before.
To be honest, these hot dishes are much more sophisticated than the cold dishes in front, and several of them are famous dishes. However, the skills of the chefs at this time were limited, and they were just home-cooked dishes, which could not be compared with the famous dishes of later generations. However, the cooking techniques are simple at this time, and it is really amazing to have so many dishes suddenly. Lu Qing and Dong Xian kept drinking and eating, and they were extremely satisfied.
Putting down his chopsticks, Mr. Dong said: "These days, Commander Wang has set up a food stall in the city, and he earns a lot of money every day. It turns out that he is such a good food man, no wonder he is like this. Just like this carp, I have eaten it for many years, and it has never tasted as good as it does today." of!"
Lu Qing nodded: "With his cooking skills, if Commander Wang is not a soldier, he must be a wealthy official."
Wang Xiaolie said with a smile: "You are too polite. In fact, I have never eaten it before and it just feels fresh. After eating a lot, I feel that it is just like this and there is nothing strange about it. The food you eat is just like this."
Lu Qing and Dong Xian laughed together, but they couldn't believe it.
In fact, this is the truth. What Wang Xiaolie told is the truth. No matter how delicious something is, if you eat it a lot, it won’t be strange. In my previous life, I remember that people at that time were tired of eating, and these foods did not arouse people's interest. When it comes to eating well, seafood is a must, especially lobster and king crab. Are lobster and king crab really that delicious? Just fresh. The food we usually eat is either old-fashioned or those in remote mountainous areas and prairie. Mutton must be authentic from Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, and seafood must be from the seaside or from the mountains.
Naturally, some people in the world agree that some foods are delicious, but for them to really become popular, the big factor is that they are rare and have not been seen before.
Of course there is another reason. In later generations, there was a saying that food from the north was eaten by the south, and some people even drew a map. There are conditions for the north to eat food from the south, and the north has not been eating noodles on a large scale for a long time. Although wheat is a cold-resistant plant and a dryland crop, it cannot survive without water. The yield is not high when irrigation conditions are not good. At this time, the main wheat-producing area was Jianghuai, because rice and wheat could be rotated. The mainstream crops in the north are dryland crops such as millet and broomcorn millet. Northerners, like Southerners, also eat rice, but it’s just millet or rice.
If you also eat rice, your diet will be similar. The impression of the North in later generations was actually not the mainstream in this era.
Wang Xiaolie worked so hard to make these foods, of course, not to satisfy his own appetite, but to make money. Except for a few places in the Song Dynasty, food was not developed. With new food, a party's economy is activated.
After eating until the sun went down, the three of them were full of wine and food. The soldiers served tea, and the three of them sat and chatted.
Lu Qing said: "Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, I will send five hundred soldiers to your army. When will Commander Wang set out?"
Wang Xiaolie thought for a while and said: "The sooner the better. After hearing Shao Ling's report, Wang Jun was ready to make a move and was interested in Ruzhou. If he went a day earlier, it would be easier to keep Ruzhou safe. Only with Ruzhou in hand can the place be pacified. . Ruzhou is a large state with many counties under its jurisdiction."
Lu Qing nodded: "That's the best. Remember that when you get to the place, the first thing is to open up the Wanluo official road, especially Lushan Pass. As long as this road is safe, if something happens, you can go south from Luoyang. Also, the imperial court is in Deng The state is building a palace, and the Holy One intends to stay there, so there must be no mistakes."
Wang Xiao hunted fork and promised.
There are several roads going south from Luoyang. The closest one is of course to take Ruzhou, go to Lushanguan, and go to Nanyang. However, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty was in Kaifeng, and the traffic lines moved westward. The road going south through Fangcheng became much more important, and Lushanguan Pass was not as important as in the previous dynasty. But in military terms, this path cannot be underestimated.
Now in Ruzhou, in addition to Wang Jun, there are also many small forces such as Niu Gao. To calm down, it will not happen in a moment. Wang Xiaolie was eager to return to his hometown so that he could develop his own power. Lu Qing also hoped that he would return to his hometown as soon as possible and clear the road south as soon as possible.
