Seeing the table full of dazzling breakfast items, even Peng Jinrong, who is well-informed, was dazzled. How to choose from so many varieties? "Does Sister Hu spend so much money every day?" she couldn't help but ask.
"It doesn't cost much money, and there's nothing valuable. It's just something fresh to eat. It's inconvenient on the ship, so I just got a few specialties. I'll officially treat you to it next time you come to Hefei." Hu Yimin sat down at the head table.
We greet everyone to take a seat.
"Although there are no valuable raw materials used, they are definitely processed with materials from the origin, and they are authentic craftsmanship. This alone is worth a lot of money." Liu Ziguang commented that it would be vulgar to eat some bird's nest and sea cucumber.
It is not an easy task to gather all the customs and customs from all over the world on one table.
"Excuse me. My little lady likes light food. They say that my dining room is better than the imperial dining room. It really kills me. The emperor's food is the best. Qiu Gu, you have worked in the imperial dining room. You can serve the guests
"Tell me what the breakfast recipe is for the emperor today." He said it modestly, but his actual actions were just showing off. The person who came from the imperial kitchen could only be responsible for serving dishes in her Hu family. Isn't this a naked show off?
?
"Yes, Mr. Long Live's breakfast recipe is mushroom chicken, three fresh ducks, five shredded chickens, stewed meat, stewed persimmons, stewed cabbage with sliced meat, braised mutton, stewed lamb with spinach and tofu, stewed cherry meat and yams, and stewed donkey meat.
Cabbage, mutton slices with Sichuan radish, duck strips with sea cucumber, diced duck with kudzu rice, roasted mushrooms, braised meat slices with magnolia slices, braised mutton shreds, fried spring rolls, stir-fried pork with yellow leeks, smoked elbow belly, braised tofu,
Smoked dried shredded cabbage, stir-fried shredded cabbage with peppercorn oil, dried five-spice, soup with meat slices to worship gods, boiled Sailer, cooked white meat." The cook named Qiu Guan reported the emperor's recipe as fluently as if he was reciting the names of the dishes in a cross talk.
.
Everyone was ashamed. The emperor ate these greasy things for breakfast. It seemed that the life of shopkeeper Hu was more meticulous.
Second lady Peng Jingwei, who had already grabbed a bowl of Fujian Chaos to taste, saw the strange thing in front of Hu Yimin and couldn't help but asked: "Sister Hu, where did you have breakfast?"
"This is milk cereal with eggs, an authentic Western breakfast. Do you want to try it?" Hu Yimin picked up a white napkin on her lap and wiped her mouth.
"Do Westerners like to drink milk? It's strange. They're not unweaned babies. Is this milk the milk of cows in the fields? How to drink it?"
"This is much better than porridge. Come here, please bring three more bowls of milk."
None of the three guests were against new things. They took the milk and tasted it slowly. Liu Ziguang had not drunk fresh milk since he came to this world. Now he has regained some of the old feelings. This milk is very fresh and a bit bright milk.
It feels good.
"It would be better to get some yogurt. It is rich in biqi factor and has a higher nutritional level. Also, you can have bread, butter and juice for Western breakfast. This egg is too old. This is not how Westerners eat. You need eggs with sugar centers."
Okay." He couldn't help but point and show off his profound knowledge.
"Oh? Premier Liu has been to the West?" Hu Yimin said quietly, but he was actually very surprised that he actually knew about authentic Western food. These miscellaneous knowledge cannot be learned from books. This person really can't see through it.
"I've never been there. There were a few Western soldiers in the camp where I served. They liked to drink milk and eat candied eggs."
"I see..." Hu Yimin nodded, almost forgetting that Premier Liu was still a general leading troops.
"At the beginning of the year, I wonder if Prime Minister Liu participated in the battle under the city?" Hu Yimin only tasted the Western food in front of her. After a few bites, she felt full. The maid behind her quickly brought a silver basin to wash her hands.
"Of course I participated. All three of us participated. My sister and I followed the death battalion and killed seven in and seven out of the Qing army's camp. Vice General Liu opened the way in front with his sword, and danced with two horse-killing swords in the wind.
Generally speaking, those Qing Dynasty serial horses will die if they touch them, and they will die if they touch them. My sister and I have seen it with our own eyes."
"Ah, you are all here. I heard that blood flowed into a river and then turned into ice, making it difficult to walk outside Liguo City. Is it so tragic?" Hu Yimin asked.
"Yes, yes, the dead bodies are piled up like mountains, and the wild dogs nearby are eating them to their stomachs. Of course, they are eating Tatar meat. You also know the steam crossbows in our iron factory. They are hundreds of repeating crossbows.
Ah, one hundred thousand arrows were fired in one day. Each of the 100,000-strong Tatar army could shoot one. There were also steam cannons and armored chariots invented by my father. They were great weapons that had never been seen before. The cannons could shoot
Ten miles away, the chariot could not be cut by swords or penetrated by arrows. When the Qing Tatars saw it from a distance, they only regretted that their parents had lost two legs. We pursued the victory, and Lieutenant General Liu led the way, chasing the Qing emperor even losing his boots.
"Peng Jingwei said with great joy.
Most people would be excited and at a loss when they heard that the great hero who defeated the serial horse and captured the boots of the Qing Emperor was right in front of them, but shopkeeper Hu just said "oh" softly, then lowered his head and thought deeply.
Peng Jingwei, who was waiting for Hu Yimin's shocked praise, was disappointed. She lowered her head and continued to drink milk. She snorted in her heart. Sister Hu didn't know what she was thinking about to make war fortune.
Sure enough, Hu Yimin, who had pondered for a moment, raised his head and said: "So the victory in the War of Liguo mainly depended on the sharpness of the iron factory's defensive weapons, rather than the wild battle. Then it must not be easy for Governor Yuan to conquer Shandong. Wait.
The Qing Dynasty has regained its composure, and it is still difficult to draw a final conclusion as to who will win."
This girl actually has such a clear mind. It is really not simple for a banker to know so much about the war and the international situation.
How could ordinary people know the strengths and weaknesses of the Qing army? If it weren't for the fire support on top of the city, Liu Ziguang would not be able to defeat an army of 100,000 people even if he was ten times braver. If it weren't for the help of super weapons such as steam repeating crossbows, steam cannons, and armored chariots.
, if only the Ming Dynasty imperial guards arrived later, they could barely defend the city. In frontal hand-to-hand combat in the wild, neither infantry nor cavalry would be an opponent of the Qing army. As for cavalry, the Qing army has the tall physique of Yanyun Jianma and endurance.
Powerful Mongolian horses, elite soldiers skilled in riding and shooting,
The Ming army bought Sanhe horses, Sichuan horses and Yunnan horses at a high price. The cavalry were usually reluctant to ride horses and had to be led. Naturally, their riding skills were much inferior to those on horseback. In terms of infantry, the Qing army were all men from outside the Great Wall. They were tall and relied on
Occupying the rich northern provinces, their weapons and armor were comparable to those of the Southern Ming Dynasty. The Ming army was mainly composed of soldiers from the Central Plains and guest troops from the southern provinces. Of course, they were not as tall and tall as the northerners, and they would definitely not be able to take advantage in hand-to-hand combat.
During the days after leaving Li Guo, I didn't know what was going on in the war ahead. Hu Yimin happened to be coming from the north, so I could inquire about it.
"Businesskeeper Hu said that the Qing army's chain horses have a very strong impact. No matter how well-equipped the ordinary infantry and cavalry are, no matter how strict the military discipline is, they can't fight against them. Only by exploiting their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses can they be restrained by the rain of iron from the sky." Liu Ziguang picked up the weapon.
He took a sip of the Biluochun Niu presented by the maid. It tasted good, better than what he drank at the little emperor's. He smacked his lips, spit out a piece of tea, and continued: "I wonder what the latest news is when the shopkeeper Hu returns from the north.
Let me tell you the battle report."
"I went north this time just to inspect the war in Shandong and to see the possibility of opening a branch in the north. If the imperial court wants to use troops in the north, it will naturally need a lot of money. The Ministry of Revenue has already reached out to us in Rishengchang. Although the liberation
We, the Ming Dynasty, have the unshirkable responsibility of our generation, but since the money has been spent, I hope that every tael of silver will be used on the edge of the sword. When the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty fight, they fight with armor, horses, and equipment, and have sufficient military rations, ordnance, and military pay.
, how can you not defeat the Qing Tatars?" At this point, Hu Yimin's face darkened.
"When I looked at the Shandong battlefield, I was deeply surprised. The soldiers at the front had not received their military pay for several months. Even the most important weapon, the arrows used for the bed crossbow, was seriously lacking. How could such a battle be won? It was also a big loss to Governor Yuan.
The troops are well prepared, and the Liguo Iron Works delivered some arrows in time; under such circumstances, it is still possible to defeat several cities. Now the army is firmly entrenched in Yanzhou. I wonder how long it can last?
"
"Didn't you say that peace talks have begun? Why did they start fighting again?" Peng Jingrong asked in surprise.
"Sister, you don't know something. The emperor of the Qing Dynasty fell ill after returning to Beijing. His uncle Dorgon, who had been under house arrest before, came out again and led the general Obai who was good at conquering and fighting. Sony and others reorganized their troops and defended Tai'an, Shandong Plain
It is suitable for cavalry in field battles. If it were not for the bravery of Governor Yuan's Xuzhou soldiers, I am afraid they would have suffered a lot." Hu Yimin is simply a frontline military observer, proficient in politics, military and economics. He is worthy of being in charge of the number one vote in the Ming Dynasty at the age of only nineteen.
female shopkeeper.
"What's the use of the imperial court in raising these officials who have no qualifications? The Northern Expedition to regain Shandong has simply become a tool for making money in their hands. The tens of millions of silver collected can be used on the war, but they are so mean.
Even the pay and weapons of the Northern Expeditionary Army must be withheld. Wouldn't this chill the hearts of the soldiers who killed the enemy for the country and were wrapped in horse leather?" Peng Jingrong said angrily.
Peng Jingwei said: "That's right, we have money, weapons, and good men in the Ming Dynasty. Why can't we defeat Beijing in so many years? I think it's because of corrupt officials like them."
"Every year, we order so many weapons, armor, and arrows from our iron factory, and I don't know who the equipment is for. The payment owed to us has been delayed for a long time. If it hadn't been for the help of noble people this time, I'm afraid I would have to pay for this million in silver next year.
Not coming back." Peng Jingrong continued, and the two sisters sang in harmony and complained.
"Congratulations, I can just get my money back. Then I can rest assured. The money I invested in your Liguo Iron Works will receive interest on an annual basis. Last year's interest has been extended until now. Sister Rong can't cry about being poor this time.
Come on." It turns out that a large part of the working capital of the ironworks comes from loans from Rishengchang. Hu Yimin did a good job in credit work, and the loans were all to high-quality enterprises.
"This time the Minister of War took a boat to the north, maybe it was for the war. He might be able to solve some problems of military pay and weapons." Liu Ziguang couldn't help but interjected.
"Premier Liu doesn't know something. There has always been a rift between Cui Chengxiu, Secretary of the Ministry of War, and Governor Yuan. The big guys in the imperial court don't know the hardships ahead, they only care about the results. Now that the war is restarting, how many people are counting on the lives of the soldiers in the front for promotion.
To make a fortune, Governor Yuan cannot win quickly. Cui Shangshu went there with Shang Fang's sword, and he must be there to help, but whether to help Yuan Chonghuan or Dorgon is hard to say."
Could it be that Yuan Chonghuan could not escape the fate of dying unjustly at the hands of his own people in this time and space? Liu Ziguang was stunned.