According to the legend, Genghis Khan, the first emperor of Yuan Dynasty, once led his army for an expedition in a severe winter. Due to urgent military situation, the soldiers had no time to do the cooking. Hitting upon an idea in emergency, they butchered sheep, cut the mutton in half-frozen slices with saber, and put them into pots filled with boiling water. The deliciousness of the mutton boiled instantly made the soldiers feel their spirits buoyed up and, therefore, defeated the enemy quickly with redoubled courage. Since then, the way of cooking instant-boiled mutton spread far and wide in China.