Chapter 93

Under the guidance of a servant, Lin Yuan and Chen Fei arrived at the Mengxian Tower, the most luxurious restaurant in the capital, accessible only to high-ranking officials. Song Qing and Wu Dacheng were both provincial governors, so they had reserved the entire top floor.

Lin Yuan and Chen Fei ascended to the top floor and saw that more than a dozen people were already waiting for them. The servant introduced them one by one. Chen Fei, who was not well-versed in history, barely remembered any of the names, but Lin Yuan was different.

These names were all significant figures in modern Chinese war history. There was no need to mention Song Qing and Wu Dacheng. Among the dozen or so people present, there was also Jiang Guiti, the commander of the Gui Army, who had previously led the troops stationed in Lüshun. Although his seniority was not as high as Song Qing and Wu Dacheng, he was a former leader of the Nian Army, a peasant uprising force that the Qing court considered rebels. However, Jiang Guiti was a close confidant of Prince Senggelinqin of Mongolia. Even though Senggelinqin had passed away long ago, no one dared to underestimate him.

Another notable figure was Liu Kunyi, the Viceroy of Liangjiang and the Minister of South China Trade. In the history Lin Yuan knew, during the later stages of the First Sino-Japanese War, Liu Kunyi, as an imperial envoy, led the troops of Wu Dacheng and others to counterattack the Japanese army. He was also a fierce general of the Xiang Army. His position as the Viceroy of Liangjiang indicated his status in the court. In the Qing Dynasty, the Viceroy of Liangjiang oversaw the military and administrative affairs of Jiangxi, Jiangsu, and Anhui provinces, which were the wealthiest regions of the Qing Dynasty, contributing one-third of the annual tax revenue to the imperial treasury.

Why was he called the Viceroy of Liangjiang? Originally, Jiangsu and Anhui were one province called "Jiangnan Province," so they were collectively known as "Liangjiang" with Jiangxi. Later, due to the excessive wealth of Jiangnan, the Qing court split it into two provinces.

The other people present were also high-ranking military officials.

Although they were all high-ranking officials, Lin Yuan was nominally their superior, so they had arrived early at the restaurant to wait for him. However, they all harbored resentment towards Lin Yuan, believing him to be a mere charlatan who had somehow deceived the Empress Dowager and the Emperor into granting him military power.

This was actually one of the reasons why Empress Dowager Cixi had appointed Lin Yuan to lead the troops. Seeing Lin Yuan's extraordinary abilities, she wanted to test him. Even if he failed to reclaim lost territories, she was not worried about him declaring himself king.

Lin Yuan knew that if he did not win their respect today, he would not be able to fight the war effectively in the future!

Liu Kunyi stood up first and said, "Heaven has blessed our great Qing by sending us Lin Yuan. This is truly a blessing for our great Qing. Without further ado, let's drink to our heart's content!"

He then shouted to the outside, "Waiter, bring the wine."

A voice responded from outside, and the door opened. Several waiters, each carrying two jars of wine, placed one jar in front of each person and then left. Liu Kunyi lifted a jar with one hand, bit off the stopper, and raised the jar, smiling, "Drink!"

Everyone responded, standing up. Lin Yuan also stood up. They all drank for a while. To stay alert, Lin Yuan rarely drank, which put him in a difficult position. He glanced at Chen Fei, thinking, "This guy always claims he can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. Let's see if he can help me out."

At that moment, Chen Fei also drank with the group. Lin Yuan reluctantly took a few sips. Seeing that Lin Yuan had not drunk much, Song Qing immediately looked down on him and exchanged glances with a few others, planning to get Lin Yuan drunk. When Liu Kunyi sat down, Song Qing stood up, holding a jar, and said with a smile, "Lin Yuan is only twenty-eight years old, truly young and talented! When I was twenty-eight, I hadn't even achieved any rank!"

Lin Yuan was not surprised by his sudden outburst. He knew that many of these people were from military backgrounds and had not received much education, so he could not expect them to be refined.

Song Qing led everyone in another round of drinking. Then Jiang Guiti stood up and said with a smile, "When I was in my twenties, I followed the old prince in fighting the Nian rebels. One night, I led a few brothers to raid the Nian camp and cut off ten heads. When we returned, the old prince rewarded me with a war saber."

His expression darkened as he continued, "Alas! The old prince is no longer with us. Let's drink!"

Everyone cheered and drank again. Wu Dacheng stood up, holding the jar upside down and showing that it was empty. He shouted to the outside, "Bring more wine."

When the new jars were placed on the table, Wu Dacheng stood up, bowed to Lin Yuan, and said with a smile, "Mr. Lin, I, Wu Dacheng, would like to toast you!"

Lin Yuan also stood up and smiled in response. Wu Dacheng drank half a jar in one go, while Lin Yuan only took a sip. Wu Dacheng laughed, "What? Mr. Lin, are you not giving me face?"

Everyone chimed in, "That's right! Drinking so little, you look like a little girl."

Lin Yuan bowed and said, "I am not good at drinking. Let my brother drink a few cups on my behalf."

He then looked at Chen Fei. At that moment, Chen Fei wobbled to his feet, pointed to a reclining chair, and slurred, "I'm a bit tipsy. I'll go lie down over there." He then staggered to the chair and fell asleep.

This made everyone even more delighted, as they waited to see Lin Yuan's embarrassment. Lin Yuan had no choice but to drink half a jar, and everyone cheered.

At this point, Liu Kunyi laughed, "Don't just drink. Let's have some food!" He gave the order, and a variety of delicacies were brought in, and everyone began to feast.

This was actually a trick by Liu Kunyi and the others. Those who have drunk alcohol know that even if you drink a lot, you won't feel drunk immediately. It takes some time for the dizziness to set in. This can be explained by modern biology: when you drink alcohol, it stays in the digestive system, such as the stomach and intestines, and the alcohol has not yet entered the bloodstream, so it doesn't reach the brain, and you don't feel the symptoms of drunkenness.

So Liu Kunyi and the others wanted to serve food to wait a while and then see Lin Yuan's embarrassment!

Just as Lin Yuan was at a loss, his hand touched a bottle in his pocket. The bottle contained medicine given to him by Zhang Hua. This medicine was specifically designed to stimulate the production of two enzymes in the body—alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase.

The reason people get drunk is that the body cannot quickly metabolize alcohol (ethanol) into carbon dioxide and water. The metabolism of ethanol requires two enzymes—alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase. These enzymes determine a person's alcohol tolerance.

By this time, Lin Yuan was already feeling a bit dizzy. He quickly said, "Excuse me for a moment," and walked out.

The people in the room, all experienced drinkers, could tell that Lin Yuan was already quite drunk. They chuckled, thinking that Lin Yuan would soon be unconscious.

Lin Yuan went outside, took a few pills, and the medicine quickly produced the two enzymes. The ethanol in his body was rapidly converted into carbon dioxide and water, and he felt much more清醒.

Lin Yuan returned to the room confidently and laughed loudly, "We can't keep drinking like this. Drinking from jars, no one knows how much we drink. Waiter, bring large bowls!"

Unaware of his plan, everyone agreed. Lin Yuan smiled to himself, "I'll make you all pay for this!"

Next episode preview: Will Lin Yuan be able to defeat everyone at the table? What other tricks will they use to make things difficult for Lin Yuan?

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