Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
It just so happened that Wu Ning’s country lacked labor forces. If they could capture the 100,000 Turkic soldiers and use them as builders, then they could greatly reduce their expenses.
The people could now work on the farms. It would no longer lead to a situation where food supply was affected because there were no people harvesting them.
Even if they lost some soldiers during the war, they would still have a labor force of 50,000. That was not a small number.
After making up his mind, Wu Ning had his people build a tea pavilion between the two armies. Tomorrow, he would invite Zhiming Sili over to have tea.
Wu Ning even specially requested the best tea to be provided. After all, these were used to serve the generals of the opponents so they couldn’t be that bad. After all, it was crucial to keep his reputation as the emperor.
The next day, Wu Ning woke up early and went to the tea pavilion to wait for Zhiming Sili. He even thoughtfully covered the surroundings of the tea pavilion with law patterns to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.
On the other hand, Zhiming Sili had been studying the invitation Wu Ning had given him in the tent for a long time. He did not know what Wu Ning was up to.
At this moment, a subordinate came to report, “Reporting to General Zhiming, the emperor is sitting alone in the teahouse.”
Zhiming Sili frowned and asked, “Only himself?”
The soldier nodded and answered, “Yes, only him.”
Zhiming Sili’s frown deepened. What was the emperor doing? Was he not afraid that he would kill him if he asked him to come alone? Or had he already set up a trap for him?
Even if he killed him, it would be useless. The Turkic army of 100,000 was still there. As long as the Khan continued to send generals, it would not make much of a difference whether he died or not.
After thinking for a long time in the military tent, Zhiming Sili finally decided to see what exactly the emperor was up to.
Zhiming Sili wore only a Turkic uniform with a dagger at his waist. He did not bring anything else to the tea pavilion.
Wu Ning raised his head and sized up Zhiming Sili. This person was younger than he looked. He was about 30 years old, looked rather ordinary, and had a thin and small figure. He was not as big as he had imagined.
Wu Ning did not stand up to welcome him. He merely made a gesture of invitation. The other party was only a general. Even if the Great Khan came, he wouldn’t greet him with full honors.
Zhiming Sili sat down opposite Wu Ning. As soon as he sat down, he said, “May I know why you invited me here?”
Wu Ning shook his head and blew at the tea foam in his teacup. Then, he took a sip and said, “Nothing much. I’m just curious about what you look like, the third-ranked general of the Turks.”
Zhiming looked at Wu Ning with a frown. He found that he could not see through the emperor. He had always been able to guess the motives of the others, no matter who they were or even their Khan. However, he could not read the young emperor in front of him at all.
Wu Ning looked at Zhiming Sili’s frowning face and smiled. He poured a cup of tea for him and said, “You look like I’d attack you the next second.”
Zhiming Sili took a sip of the tea and said, “Didn’t you call me here just to kill me?”
Wu Ning shook his head mysteriously and continued sipping his tea.
Zhiming Sili couldn’t figure out what Wu Ning wanted to do, so he could only drink tea with him.
In the afternoon, someone brought a pot and placed it in the middle of the table. The pot was filled with uncooked food.
That pot looked very strange. There was a pot on the top and a charcoal fire on the bottom. The soup in the pot kept bubbling.
Wu Ning picked up some food and placed them into the pot. That’s right, this was the hot pot that people on Planet Blue liked to eat.
When the dishes were cooked, Wu Ning scooped them up and placed them into Zhiming Sili’s bowl, motioning for him to try them.
Zhiming Sili hesitantly picked up a chopstick and put it into his mouth to taste. Soon, he felt as if his mouth was on fire, and he kept fanning it with his hands.
Wu Ning looked at the comical Zhiming Sili and smiled. Then, he continued putting more food into the hot pot to boil. When the dishes were done, he picked up a chopstick and put it into his own bowl.
He asked Zhiming Sili if he still wanted it. Zhiming Sili nodded without hesitation and said yes. Although the spiciness of the chili and the numbness of the pepper made him uncomfortable, he couldn’t stop.
Then, Zhiming Sili snatched Wu Ning’s job of cooking and came to serve the soup dishes himself.
Wu Ning put in more food and brought in more dishes. As he ate, he asked, “Zhiming Sili, what do you think about this dish from my country?”
Zhiming Sili couldn’t speak because of the spice. He just nodded and said, “What is this dish called? I’ll ask them to try it when we go back.”
“This dish is called hotpot,” Wu Ning said mysteriously on purpose.
“Hotpot?”
Wu Ning nodded. “That’s right, it’s a hotpot. The most important thing about this hotpot is its seasoning. If the seasoning isn’t good, then no matter what food is cooked in it, it won’t taste good.”
“Then how do we make this seasoning?” Zhiming Sili asked with a huff.
Wu Ning shook his head. “This hotpot is our secret recipe. If you want to know, you have to join us.”
Although this hotpot was delicious, Zhiming Sili still shook his head firmly. “Hmm, forget it. Although this hotpot is delicious, I will never betray my country for the sake of mere food.”
Wu Ning was not discouraged. He had originally hoped that hotpot would be enough to make Zhiming Sili submit to another country.
However, this seed of distrust had to be planted in the heart of the Turk.
So, on the first day, hotpot.
On the second day, boiled beef, kung pao chicken, and mapo tofu.
On the third day, spicy and sour fish, beer duck, and blood curd.
On the fourth day, because he had eaten Sichuan food for three days in a row, Wu Ning couldn’t stand it anymore, so he switched to Lu cuisine.
On the fourth day, crystal shrimp dumpling, sweet and sour carp, and scallion braised sea cucumber.
In the same tea house, Zhiming Sili picked up a sea cucumber and shook it twice up and down. It looked very delicious.
Zhiming Sili swallowed hard and asked Wu Ning, “What is this? It’s so black. Is it edible?”
Wu Ning smiled and picked up a sea cucumber and put it into his mouth. He chewed twice and the fresh fragrance of onions and sea cucumber exploded in his mouth.
Seeing that Wu Ning was enjoying it, Zhiming Sili also took a bite of the sea cucumber. After all, the dishes that Wu Ning had taken out these days didn’t taste bad.
Zhiming Sili took a bite and his eyes widened. He felt that this thing was unexpectedly delicious. He never expected something that looked so weird to taste so good.
After Zhiming Sili had tasted it, Wu Ning introduced it to him, “From the eastern half of the mountain, the main ingredients are sea cucumber and green onions. The sea cucumber is fresh, soft, and fragrant. The green onions have a strong aroma. After eating, there is no excess gravy. The green onions have a mellow fragrance and are rich in nutrients. It nourishes the lungs and the kidneys.”
Zhiming Sili did not care about Wu Ning’s introduction. He devoured a sea cucumber in a few seconds.
Then, the two of them ate and chatted as if they had been friends for years. If the other party were not the emperor, he would definitely treat him as a close buddy.
Zhiming Sili ate as he looked at Wu Ning’s face, thinking to himself.
After so many days, through their conversation, Zhiming Sili found that Wu Ning was not as ignorant as he had imagined. On the contrary, he was very knowledgeable and could chat about anything. No matter what he talked about, Wu Ning would be able to follow up with a conversation.
Although he knew that it would be disadvantageous for him to come to have a meal with the emperor, he couldn’t resist the allure of the food and Wu Ning’s personality..