Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

"Father, I heard that someone has defected to the enemy?" Song Leye's anxious voice rang out.

When Song Chengwu looked up, he saw that it was his two sons.

He replied with a gloomy face, "That's right, it's that deputy general surnamed Zhou under Wang Wu."

"The reason I summoned you here is to discuss this matter with you."

Song Leyue: "Is it that Zhou Wentong? This is outrageous! Last night he was drinking with me, cursing the emperor, and saying he would help our Song family seize the Da'an throne. And today he's betrayed us?"

"He's a real scoundrel!!"

Backstabbing, this is a complete and utter backstabbing.

He had initially considered Zhou Wentong as a close friend, but it turned out that the man was a shameless scoundrel.

It's simply a betrayal of his feelings!

Hearing this, Zheng Quan immediately became excited and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Second Young Master, the traitor is shameful! We should fight our way out of the city now, capture the traitor alive, and let that old emperor know how powerful we are!!!"

"No!" Song Anbang quickly interjected to stop him.

He was Song Chengwu's eldest son, cautious by nature, and always acted with composure. He rejected Zheng Quan's proposal almost without hesitation.

"There must be a trap outside the city. If we rush out of the city, we will fall into the enemy's trap. We must not act rashly."

Zheng Quan: "Young Master, don't worry about traps. No matter what traps there are, I'm not afraid. This spear in my hand is enough to scare the enemy to death!"

"What does the Second Young Master think?"

Zheng Quan looked at Song Leye with bright, sparkling eyes, as if he wanted Song Leye's support.

Song Leye scratched his head: "General Zheng, actually... I still think my brother is more right."

Although he also wanted to go out of the city and beat up the enemy, he had to admit that his older brother's analysis was correct.

Song Chengwu frowned, and after a long while, he said:

"The traitors are hateful, but the situation outside the city is unclear, so we really can't rush in."

He had been consumed by anger and only thought about punishing the traitors, but now, after being persuaded by everyone, he had regained some of his rationality.

Wang Wu and others are right; we must not be greedy for quick success and act rashly.

"Commander! Please send me out of the city. I'll take a small group to probe the area; it won't be reckless!"

"No, the enemy already knows many of our secrets. General Zheng's probing will cost him his life!" Song Anbang said from the side.

Zheng Quan retorted, "I possess immense strength and exceptional martial arts skills; how could I possibly lose my life? I will surely annihilate the enemy army..."

"General Zheng might not be able to, but what about your soldiers?"

"I..."

"Alright," Song Chengwu said, stopping the two from arguing. "Let's wait and see how things develop. As for sending troops, we'll discuss that later."

"Everyone, you can leave now."

Zheng Quan was so angry that he stomped his feet.

We'll discuss this later, we'll discuss this later, but when will that be?

When will he be able to have a truly satisfying fight against the other side?

The dog emperor is currently outside the city. He can't wait to leave the city immediately, capture the emperor alive, punish the traitor, and help the commander-in-chief seize the throne of Da'an!

But they just won't let us leave the city!

Zheng Quan was furious, and even after returning to his lodgings, he still felt incredibly frustrated.

"Damn the emperor!"

"Damn Zhou Wentong!"

"I'm dying to have a proper, satisfying fight!"

"..."

I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I couldn't sleep all night, tossing and turning.

Zhou Wentong defected to the enemy and heard that he was eating very well there. He just couldn't swallow this insult!

He was really frustrated that he couldn't stand the thought of fighting a battle without leaving the city.

So uncomfortable!

Even as dawn broke, Zheng Quan still couldn't fall asleep, his eyes wide open like copper bells.

"No, I can't take it anymore!!" He sat up abruptly.

"There's no trap or anything like that. I'm leaving the city today to capture Zhou Wentong alive and teach that dog emperor a lesson!"

"As long as I win, the commander-in-chief will certainly not hold it against me for leading troops out of the city without permission, and may even reward me."

"Then I'll be a great hero—"

Zheng Quan became more and more excited as he spoke, his whole being trembling with excitement, completely unlike someone who hadn't slept all night.

He quickly washed his face and immediately ran out to muster his troops, preparing to charge out of the city.

......

Outside Pingkou City.

Shen Qing slept very soundly and didn't get up until it was broad daylight.

The faint sounds of soldiers discussing could be heard in my ears:

"The oil-splashed noodles yesterday were so delicious, I still crave more."

"Oh dear, I didn't get to eat the oil-splashed noodles. In the end, I can only eat the noodles the cook made. Sigh, I don't know if I'll get to eat them today. I'm so hungry."

"With Lady Shen by my side, I suddenly feel that we are not without a chance of victory. After all, the enemy's deputy general has surrendered to His Majesty. Perhaps we can really win a great victory."

"..."

Of the five thousand Black Hawk Guards, Shen Qing made at most two hundred servings of oil-splashed noodles yesterday.

In fact, the vast majority of people didn't get to eat it.

The system's mission is to conquer thousands of soldiers, but we are still far from achieving that goal.

Not to mention the enemy soldiers.

To be honest, pulling noodles is quite tiring.

I wonder if the system can switch to other foods.

With that thought in mind, Shen Qing opened the system.

[Ding—Congratulations, host, for conquering enemy general Zhou Wentong with oil-splashed noodles! Battlefield mission progress (1%/100%)]

Just one percent...

Well, it seems we haven't conquered enough people.

[Ding—Today, the host can set up a stall to sell century egg and lean pork congee, with no quantity limit]

[Price of Century Egg and Lean Pork Congee: 10 coins per bowl]

Century egg and lean pork congee!

Shen Qing's eyes lit up.

Century egg and lean pork congee is great! You can make a big pot and give each person a bowl, which will make progressing the task much faster.

Not bad, not bad, this system is really a good system.

Shen Qing smiled and stepped out of the tent.

She's getting ready now, she's going to cook porridge!

I can't wait for the dumpling to speak.

Just thinking about it makes me happy.

"Madam Shen, you're awake?"

"Madam Shen, are you making oil-splashed noodles again today?"

"Madam Shen, may we still have your cooking today?"

"..."

As soon as Shen Qing stepped out of the tent, a group of soldiers surrounded her, eagerly asking her questions.

They were so hungry, they were really so hungry.

Shen Qing smiled and said, "Oil-splashed noodles are troublesome to make, and many people didn't get to eat them yesterday, so I won't be making oil-splashed noodles today. Instead, I'll be making congee with preserved egg and lean pork."

"Now everyone can have a taste."

Century egg and lean pork congee?

That is, meat porridge. In the military camp, they often ate meat porridge because it was convenient, simple, and quick to make.

But the congee with preserved egg and lean pork was something I had never heard of or seen before.

"Madam Shen, is it really impossible to make oil-splashed noodles today? I didn't get to eat any yesterday..." a soldier asked timidly.

They often ate porridge in the military camp, but noodles were a rare treat.

Especially Shen Niangzi's oil-splashed noodles, they smell so good.

He's so greedy...

Shen Qing smiled and shook his head: "Let's have congee with preserved egg and lean pork for today. As for oil-splashed noodles, I'll make them another day if I have the chance."

"Century egg and lean pork congee is also delicious, trust me."

The soldier's eyes lit up immediately. Since Madam Shen said so, it meant that he still had a chance to eat oil-splashed noodles.

Happy!

He nodded repeatedly: "Whatever Madam Shen eats, it will definitely be delicious!"

"Yes, Madam Shen's meat porridge must be extraordinary!"

"I can't wait any longer."

The other soldiers also shouted.

Shen Qing smiled and went to prepare the ingredients for the preserved egg and lean pork congee.

A good pot of porridge doesn't depend on expensive ingredients, but on time and technique.

After rinsing the rice and draining it, add a little salt and sesame oil, mix well, and marinate for half an hour.

Salt makes rice grains open more easily when cooking, while oil makes the porridge base smoother and shinier.

While marinating the rice, Shen Qing also prepared the lean meat.

The meat used is pork tenderloin, which is shredded and then marinated briefly with salt, shredded ginger, and sesame oil.

Next, process the preserved eggs.

Peel the preserved eggs and cut them into small cubes.

After the rice grains are marinated, add some diced preserved eggs into the rice grains and knead them with your hands.

This step is key to the smooth texture of the preserved egg and lean pork congee. The alkaline substances in the preserved egg help the rice grains gelatinize more quickly during cooking, thus increasing the smoothness of the congee base.

Next came cooking the porridge.

Add enough water to a large iron pot and bring it to a boil. Pour the mixed preserved eggs and rice into the pot, bring it to a boil over high heat, then turn to low heat and simmer slowly.

When cooking, stir occasionally with a spoon in the same direction to prevent sticking to the bottom.

About half an hour later, add the remaining diced preserved eggs, cook for a while, and then sprinkle in the marinated shredded lean meat.

You don't need to wait too long. Once the shredded lean pork is cooked, sprinkle it with salt and white pepper to taste, and finally drizzle a few drops of sesame oil and sprinkle with chopped green onions.

Thus, the preserved egg and lean pork congee is made.

"It smells so good! When can we eat it?" Zhou Wentong had already come over, drawn by the aroma.

He was summoned by Black Hawk early this morning, and he told Black Hawk everything about Pingkou City and the Song family army without reservation.

However, after a lot of analysis, it was clear that the five thousand Black Hawk Guards alone were no match for the Song family army.

He hadn't expected that the emperor really didn't have any backup plans or set any traps; he had only brought a woman named Shen with him.

However, he trusted Madam Shen.

He doesn't side with either the Emperor or the Song family; he sides with Madam Shen.

"We can eat it now," Shen Qing said with a smile.

"Same as always, you have to queue. Today, this century egg and lean pork congee costs ten coins."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wentong immediately stood at the front.

"Shen Niangzi's preserved egg and lean pork congee is ready! Everyone, line up quickly!!"

He shouted loudly.

Instantly, all the soldiers rushed over.

But when they rushed over to take a look, good heavens, the emperor hadn't arrived yet.

How could they dare to rank ahead of the emperor?

So they watched with drooling eyes, each one staring longingly, as if they were reincarnated starving ghosts.

Zhou Wentong didn't care about anything else; he could already smell the aroma, and he simply couldn't resist eating it.

Since the emperor will die sooner or later anyway, what difference does it make if he eats first?

This century egg and lean pork congee looks delicious.

"Madam Shen, ten coins, I'll have a bowl!"

Shen Qing took a rough earthenware bowl and scooped out a large bowl of porridge. The porridge was smooth and thick, with preserved egg melted into it, and thin strips of lean meat scattered around. A layer of chopped green onions was sprinkled on the surface of the porridge.

White steam rose from the rim of the bowl, hitting people's faces directly.

Zhou Wentong took a deep breath: "It smells so good, so fragrant!"

"Wait—" a sharp voice rang out.

Zhao Gou, supporting the emperor, rushed over, shouting, "Your Majesty hasn't eaten yet! This first bowl is for Your Majesty!!"

Zhou Wentong turned his head and saw that the emperor's clothes were in a mess and he was only wearing one shoe.

It was obvious that he had just been startled awake from his sleep.

"Your Majesty, didn't we agree to queue? You were just a commoner yesterday, but aren't you now?" Zhou Wentong wasn't afraid at all.

The emperor had just gotten up, and his mind was still a little foggy.

But upon hearing the name Zhen Baixing, he subconsciously nodded: "Yes, yes, Zhen Baixing has to queue up. Madam Shen's rules cannot be broken."

"Your Majesty, but..." Zhao Gou frowned, feeling that Zhou Wentong was far too audacious.

Look at the soldiers around here, who dares to stand in line? They're all waiting for the emperor.

But Zhou Wentong had the audacity to do so.

"What can we do? Hurry, hurry! The people of Zhen are already craving it!"

At this moment, the emperor was completely consumed by cravings, his eyes fixed on the congee with preserved egg and lean pork in the pot.

Shen Qing didn't have any objections, only saying, "Preserved egg and lean pork congee, ten coins a bowl."

"Good, good!" The emperor took out ten coins.

A bowl of fragrant congee with preserved egg and lean pork was delivered to the emperor.

Only then did the surrounding soldiers dare to rush forward and line up.

"I'll have one!"

"Me too!"

"Century egg and lean pork congee, here I come—"

At this moment, Zhang San on the city wall, holding a telescope, kept swallowing hard.

"The enemy is just eating meat porridge, why does it look so delicious?"

"Even better than oil-splashed noodles?" Li Si squatted down beside him, somewhat unconvinced.

Yesterday, Song Chengwu sent his deputy to personally oversee the matters on the city wall. Zhang San pleaded his case very hard in front of the new deputy, shifting all the blame for yesterday's blunder onto Li Si, and vowed to make amends. He even slipped some silver to the new deputy, which is how he obtained the right to use a telescope to monitor the enemy.

The new deputy general said that there was no need to report anything about food; only reports about the battle were required.

This time, he will definitely be able to grasp the "military intelligence" well.

As for the food, he just needs to keep an eye on it.

"It smells really good to me," Zhang San said, licking his lips.

Li Si stood up: "Let me see. You promised me. I take responsibility for my mistake. We'll share the telescope!"

"Here, take it, take it." Zhang San said reluctantly.

But he promised Li Si that if Li Si took full responsibility for all the mistakes made yesterday regarding the "military intelligence," he would use the telescope with Li Si.

The main reason is that the food across from me looks so delicious.

Li Si took the telescope and felt a bit emotional.

Life is truly full of ups and downs; one moment you're a lowly soldier, the next a lieutenant general, and now you're a lowly soldier again.

I wonder if he'll ever have another chance to become a vice general...

When he looked through the telescope, all the complicated thoughts in his mind vanished.

The reason was simple: the Black Hawk Guards were eating with great relish, and Zhou Wentong even licked his bowl clean.

Just as they were engrossed in watching, the Black Hawk Guards suddenly put down their bowls, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Upon closer inspection, good heavens, a troop of Song's army had left the city!

The leader was bald with a big beard and had a fierce look.

"Oh my god! Enemy situation! Enemy situation!!" Li Si shouted hurriedly.