Chapter 3 Difficult to Drink Wine
In May of 884 AD, on the official road fifty li southwest of Bianzhou (modern-day Kaifeng)Chen Jingshi saw that the atmosphere was not right, and hurriedly said with a smile: "Master Zhu, shall we enter the city first"
Zhu Wen laughed loudly: "It's like seeing Li Sisheng every day for three autumns. I have neglected the supervising general..." 。Turning to Ge Cong, Zhou commanded: “Come now, Tong Mei, let everyone start blowing and drumming, to welcome Li Sicong into the city!”
Amidst the sounds of suonas, drums, and gongs, a group of young men and women were dancing welcomingly 。Looking at this grand scene, Li Ke's mood also relaxed. With a wave of his hand, he personally rode three hundred elite cavalry, escorting a small sedan slowly into the city. 。Zhu Wen looked at these elite cavalrymen in black armor, looking at the large hooves of their riding Dabei wild horses, he couldn't help but envy, but his face didn't show it. Instead, he turned to Li Kuang and asked: "My dear brother, you came here with your family" He pointed at the grey sedan chair with his hand. 。Li Ke said with a hearty laugh, “This is just about eliminating the bandits of Huang Chao. It's not a battle against elite soldiers and generals. Calling it a war is an exaggeration; it's more like sightseeing and enjoying the scenery. My wife has limited experience, so I brought her along to broaden her horizons. In the future, she can use this experience to support me and raise our children.” 。Zhu Wen and the Yellow Turban generals behind him, upon hearing Li Ke use's unrestrained denigration of Huang Chao, were even more furious. 。Zhang Gui'ba and Ge Congzhou looked at each other, both nodding silently. Then they turned to look at Zhu Wen together. 。Zhu Wen, after rebelling against Huang Chao, had fought the troops of Daci multiple times. So when Li Kekui spoke those words, Zhu Wen didn't find them particularly jarring. 。But at a glance, he saw the grim expressions on his generals' faces and immediately had another thought. He summoned Li Ke to enter the city and proposed: "Brother Ke, you must be exhausted from riding. Please rest first..." 。"When the time comes for my official ceremony, brother, I will specially come to invite you to have a good drink at Taiping Building. It's a way of welcoming you back and letting you relax after your travels. What do you think"Li Ke smiled and said: "I love good wine above all else. I wonder what kind of wine my brother has prepared"Zhu Wen despised this man who was obsessed with alcohol, but he still smiled and said: "Although it's not a rare vintage, rest assured, brother, the wine will definitely be enjoyable." 。In the great storm caused by Huang Chao, Bianzhou was relatively lightly affected. 。Zhu Wen settled Li Ke with a line in the inn called "Shangyuan Yishi." It was adorned with ornate details like drooping eaves and prominent brackets, exuding both ancient elegance and luxurious grandeur befitting a five-star establishment. 。Unfortunately, Shi Jingcun had to go to the clinic for treatment. Luckily, he found another lodging near the clinic. 。He Guihu looked at Shi Jingcun leaving and couldn't help asking: "Siku, could it be that General Shi really doesn't appreciate women"Li Ke use heard the sound and "poof" spat out the tea in his mouth, laughing loudly: "He has a wife and children in Anqingbu. You say he doesn't appreciate women Those two kids, crawled out from between stones"Zhou Dewei smiled: "Eleven is just good at shooting but not good with women." 。"He Huihuoluo nodded hurriedly. Zhou Dewei turned to Li Ke and said, "Sir, don't forget that eleven will be at your side tonight." 。Li Ke sighed: "Drinking even requires so much fanfare." 。Zhou Dewei said, "When entering the city, there was always a clash of words, and tonight's banquet is sure to be even more unusual. " 。As Zhou Dewei had expected, the atmosphere at that evening's banquet was indeed unusual. 。Well, as a renowned international brand, KFC should be the perfect choice for a lively and unforgettable feast. 。But after Li Ke got drunk, he couldn't hold his tongue. He boasted loudly about his brilliant record of defeating Huang Chao six times in six battles, completely forgetting that Ge Congzhou, Zhang Guiyi, and Huo Cun, those generals who surrendered to him, were originally under Huang Chao's command. 。Listening to their former rival act so arrogantly, Ge Congzhou and the others' faces flushed red and white, they couldn't stomach another sip of this wine. 。
Even Zhu Wen couldn't stand it anymore.
After all, he rose from the ranks of Huang Chao's army. 。Ge and Zhou were willing to submit to Zhu but not to Li, an important reason being that they had both once served under Huang Chao with Zhu Wen. 。Now listening to Li Ke use the words "nest robber" and "that scoundrel," I feel really uncomfortable. 。Then, he changed the subject and asked:
"Brother-in-law, why don't your white-robed warriors drink"
Shi Jingcun had been standing behind Li Kuang with his sword drawn. Although his swordsmanship wasn't as good as his spear skills, he was still a renowned swordsman and could handle himself well enough.
Before Li Ke could answer Zhu Wen's question, Ge Congzhi let out a strange laugh:
“The prime minister probably doesn’t know, this white-robed general has never been fond of wine and women
"It's harder to get him to drink than a nun!"
Li Ke was taken aback, thinking to himself, "This verbal battle has started again" He didn't know that although Ge Congzhou was both scholarly and martial, he was unfortunately narrow-minded. >>> 。"A wisteria vine in Shandong, don't disturb it unless you have something to do," refers to him. 。Wang Fandui was forced to surrender to Zhu Wen in the Battle of Wangu, which had always been a source of humiliation for him. Today, Li Ke used this wound to tease and provoke him repeatedly, causing Ge Congzhou's anger to reach its peak. However, as the chancellor seemed intent on maintaining peace, he could only swallow his anger. 。Now, following the lead of my companion's questions, I could say a few cutting words and let out a little sigh of annoyance. 。
Zhang Guiba, standing nearby, wielded a well-maintained rusty silver spear, earning him the title "Silver Spear General." He was also one of Huang Chao's Five Tiger Generals. However, he claimed that his ancestor was Zhang Liao from the Three Kingdoms period.
There's this wealthy old man, everyone knows him and respects him. 。Just like Ge Cong, he also surrendered to Zhu Wen after Wang Mandu's surrender. He had long been unhappy with Li Ke use laughing at Huang Chao tonight. 。But everyone is now a Tang Dynasty soldier, it's reasonable to scold Huang Chao, and Zhang Guibao can't vent his dissatisfaction for this. 。At this moment, Ge Tongmei started to make a joke, getting drunk and laughing loudly: “Don’t like wine and women I wonder if this young master has problems above or below”Zhang Gui's younger brother, Zhang Guihou, immediately chimed in, “Wouldn't it be that he can’t do either”A group of Bian army generals burst into laughter. Zhu Wen hurriedly said with a smile, "Quiet down! He doesn't like wine and women but is good at gunnery!" Turning to face Shi Jingcun, he asked, “I heard that Gongzu is still the world's first divine marksman”After sending Li Kuang-you and others to Shangyuan Yi to rest their horses, Ge Congzhou explained in detail Li Kuang-you's subordinates again. 。But Zhu Wen, looking at the young man before him, still couldn't quite believe his eyes. 。Or, it's also to heat up the atmosphere on-site. 。As expected, the generals seemed to have all been stung by hornets and jumped up together. 。As the saying goes, "There is no first in literature, and no second in martial arts." Besides, a spear is not some kind of esoteric weapon. Even if generals themselves dislike using spears, most will still be able to wield them. 。Now that they're saying a "First Divine Shot" has fallen from the heavens, curiosity and envy are secondary. The main feeling is that this guy is way too arrogant. 。Only to hear Zhang Gui'ba coldly say, "Grand Uncle Gongzu, with this sobriquet, could you possibly feel at ease"
This was a visit to curse! Shi Jingcun glanced at Li Kuang-yu.
But Li Ke was annoyed by the boasting of the generals of the Bian army, although he could not find a chance to speak out. 。At this point, seeing Shi Jingcun's gaze, he thought to himself, "Let's see how this man of few words will respond" After all, if things were exposed, he figured Zhu Wen wouldn't have much of a solution. With the 50,000 troops led by thirteen and Miao Qilie still blowing in the wind outside the city... 。Li Ke used the opportunity of raising a toast to say, “Ancestor, just tell them directly where this title of yours comes from.” 。"Shi Jingcun let out a cold snort: 'It's not that I, Shi Jingcun, am hoarding it. It's just that Meng Juehai, Deng Tianwang, and the other eighteen people declined to come as witnesses." 。"
A word was like a ladle of cool water poured onto burning charcoal. The banquet hall fell silent in an instant, and the surrendered generals from Bian's army, all former subordinates of Huang Chao, felt the chill. After all, Deng Tianwang, also known as one of Huang Chao's Five Tigers General, was well-known. Although Meng Juehai wasn't one of the Five Tigers, he was also a military leader respected for his bravery.
" 。>> 。Zhang Gui-ba's eyes bulged with rage, and he almost lunged forward to kill this arrogant fellow. Ge Congzhou reacted swiftly, grabbing him before he could act. 。
Li Ke used laughed out loud at the sight, spilling his drink: "Brother, your men can't win an argument so they want to resort to violence"
Zhu Wen was both embarrassed and annoyed, with a touch of jealousy mixed in: "Why wasn't this world-renowned sharpshooter a member of the Bian army" He pondered for a moment, then suddenly heard Li Ke use's teasing remark and burst into laughter:
"Younger brother, who doesn't enjoy a drink or two when soldiering It's perfectly normal to discuss martial arts after a few cups>>>" 。“Looking at Zhang Gui, he said: "Bing'ang, in two days when you are free, why don't you also spar with Gongzu" 。Zhu Wen casually tossed out two nonchalant remarks, defusing the tense atmosphere on the scene. 。But even with his deep cunning, he overlooked the short-statured He Huiguo standing beside him. 。Although He returned to the Khitan did not participate in the verbal battle, but his eyes kept rolling back and forth scanning the generals of the Bian army. At this moment, he elbowed Zhou Dewen who was sitting beside him and quickly exchanged a glance with Zhou Dewen. 。Zhou Dewei felt a chill in his heart—He's expression told him clearly that something was going to happen tonight!
Li Kuang seemed to find the excitement insufficient, glancing at Zhu Wen with a sneer, then stood up and raised his cup: "Brother, you are very generous today, Li is very happy!"
Zhu Wen thought Li Kuang wanted to toast with him, so he also stood up holding his cup. Unexpectedly, Li Kuang retracted his hand and said, "Where's your sister-in-law Is she breastfeeding"
Zhu Wen's outstretched hand was still holding the cup. Hearing Li Kuang's nonsensical words, there seemed to be some hidden meaning, making him feel uncomfortable. However, not knowing what the other party meant, he could only say smoothly: "Haha, Youzhen's child is almost ten years old, she doesn't need to be breastfed by her mother anymore..." 。“Since your sister-in-law is fine, why not let her join us at the table as well We can all have some fun together.” 。"What do you think, Mr. Zhu" This phrase wouldn't be out of place at a modern-day dinner party. 。But in the Tang Dynasty, women who attended such gatherings were almost all courtesans, at the mercy of wealthy men to be played with. 。So when Zhu Wen heard Li Kuang's words, he was almost enraged on the spot. Looking at his generals, each of them wore angry expressions. Especially Ge Congzhou, who seemed ready to draw his sword. 。Zhu Wen understood that launching an attack at this time was not the best opportunity. 。 。Why didn't you say so sooner, wise younger brother 。It's getting late today, dear brother. Why don't you stay in Bianzhou for a few days first Your elder brother will definitely prepare a sumptuous feast and invite your esteemed couple to join us. 。When the generals of the Bian army heard what their commander said, they were almost all so angry that their stomachs would burst. 。"Shi Xiang, you are truly a talent from Bianzhou. How can the Shatuo people be so brazen Shouldn't they be punished" Zhou Dewei was growing more and more afraid. 。elled and shook their authority." 。To trumpet Li Kuang's achievements in suppressing rebellion is not to make the Emperor waryAs if to prove his point, the Emperor's emotionless voice sounded again:"...