While inwardly admiring the various elegant buildings in the palace, Wu Feng was also thinking about several questions that were likely to be raised at today's banquet. There is no such thing as a good banquet, since someone has already laid out a banquet to treat him so grandly. After sitting down, in addition to the superficial gratitude, I am afraid that there is more need to discuss the next situation and direction.
Sanssouci Palace, like palaces in other countries, is located in the center of Merlington, the capital. It does not occupy a large area, but its architectural art is quite unique. The entire palace is divided into two parts. The first half is of course an office area for discussing government affairs. The second half separated by a high palace wall is the harem of Archduke Allen.
Today, it seems that Archduke Allen is too happy, and even set the location of the banquet in the harem, which is usually difficult for even ministers to set foot on. Perhaps he thinks that the guests who need to be entertained are too important, and this is necessary to show his strength. Respect and gratitude.
After passing through the grand gate of the harem, four guards wearing luxurious ceremonial armor stood up and raised their halberds to salute the distinguished guests. Wu Feng casually talked and laughed with several of his subordinates and walked past under the leadership of the receptionist. To be honest, He was not interested at all in this kind of false etiquette that obviously imitated some countries in the Western Continent. Although this kind of thick armor was brightly colored and looked majestic, it was not practical at all. However, as an infantryman, he held on to what should have been used by heavy cavalry. The euphorbia looks even more out of place, but of course it is barely passable when used to show off its power.
However, when Wu Feng entered the harem, he was shocked by the oncoming building. This was a typical Baroque building. The elegant and generous circular colonnade looked light and lively, and there was a quiet and impressive fountain in the middle. The pool makes the summer heat instantly disappear.
In the center of the fountain pool is a lifelike semi-female statue full of maternal glory. She protects the little boy under her ribs with one hand, and seems to be blocking the water spray from the surrounding fountains with the other hand. The water column comes from the surrounding toad sculptures. Dozens of vivid toads with different expressions are shaped like real things. The whole scene looks so harmonious and natural, which makes people feel relaxed and happy.
As Wu Feng's pace slowed down, Cui Wenxiu, Kang Jianguo, Song Tianxiong and Sha Lang behind him also slowed down. The guidance officer in front seemed to have noticed the change. When he turned around, he found that Wu Feng After noticing the strange situation, he proudly introduced: "Master Li seems to be also interested in the architectural sculptures of the Western Continent? This was designed and built by famous artists from the Western Continent who spent a lot of money to design and build it. Your Excellency, you have really good eyesight."
"Oh?" As if he had just woken up from his dream, Wu Feng shook his lips slightly and said with a wry smile: "Well, it is indeed the work of a famous artist. The colonnade and fountain sculpture alone are probably worth tens of thousands, right?"
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such an authentic Baroque building. Well, it seems that the colonnade still has a soft and delicate flavor of Ionia. At this moment, Wu Feng’s heart seemed to fly back to the time when he was studying in Heidelberg. , even his mind seemed to be in a trance. Fortunately, the guidance officer's words called him back from his wandering. Even several subordinates behind him noticed their boss's gaffe.
"Yes, the Grand Duke is very fond of Tanghe art in the East and the architecture of the Western Continent. This is why the Grand Duke specially sent people to the Western Continent to hire architectural designers hired by the Famini Empire to design this. Even the construction workers are from the Western Continent. Please come back." Seeing that Wu Feng was indeed very interested, the usher hurriedly gave him a detailed introduction: "These building materials are all made of high-quality marble, and the sculptures were selected from Marston Heath as required. The fire jade on it is finely carved, white and greasy with a hint of ruddy color, and it looks just like the skin of a real person."
Seemingly not interested in what materials to use for construction, Wu Feng nodded casually. This sculpture is a scene in the mythology of the Western Continent - Latona (Latone) protecting her child. After Latona gave birth to her son Apollo for the god, She was expelled by the Queen of Heaven and had no choice but to beg for food from a farmer. The farmer spit on her. The God was furious and turned these ignorant farmers into toads. This sculpture is not common in the Western Continent, but there is one on the campus of Heidelberg University. When studying at Heidelberg University, Wu Feng loved to rest and read there in the evening, enjoying the rare joy after a tiring day. . The faces of my classmates and friends seemed to be a little blurry, but at this moment they became clear again, flashing through my mind like pictures.
At this time, even the guide could see that the sculpture in front of him seemed to have touched something hidden in a corner deep in Wu Feng's memory. A group of people were waiting quietly aside, waiting for the man with a changeable expression. Wu Feng wakes up from a dream.
After a long while, Wu Feng waded out of the long river of memory, glanced lightly at the waiting people around him, and said: "Well, everyone has been waiting for a long time. Let's go. The Duke and the others are probably impatient. ." After saying that, he took the lead.
The group of people exchanged glances with each other and said nothing. They didn't know what kind of nerve their boss had been touched. He actually stood here for a long time beside the broken sculpture that he couldn't understand. It was just that he couldn't tell. Whether the mood is good or bad, I can only follow it quietly.
The banquet started in a joyful and joyful atmosphere, with people drinking and drinking; the fragrance of flowers and shadows on the temples were flowing through the air. The gorgeous, graceful and slightly provocative court dance made Wu Feng's generals so excited that even the well-informed Wu Feng had to admit that the old guy Allen had no ability to govern the country, but in the In terms of enjoyment, he is no less than any king.
After thirty years of drinking, over five flavors of food, with hot ears and red face, it seems that all topics have become easier to talk about. In addition to the generals brought by Wu Feng, Jieluoke is also accompanied by the Minister of Military Affairs Lan Meng and the Royal Jieluoke family guard. The head of the corps, the corps leader Duke Barings, and Qin Feng, the reinforcement commander of the Tanghe Empire who assisted Duke Barings in defending the city, were naturally excluded. While Archduke Allen and Duke Lanmont frequently persuaded Wu Feng to drink, Barins was also under siege from his allies. Wave after wave of alcohol-inducing orders continued to push the banquet to the climax, and almost everyone They all seem to have forgotten that most of the territory of Jerok is still in the hands of the Kaman people, and they are enjoying this rare relaxation.
"Master Li, the Kaman people have strong soldiers and horses, and they are powerful in the Eastern Continent. They are also kings and hegemons among the Liberian countries. Lan Meng has met many well-known people in the world, but the combat effectiveness of the Kaman army really puts Lan Meng to shame. , I met Mr. Li’s Northwest Army yesterday and realized that the saying that the strongest has its own strong hand is absolutely true. It’s no wonder that the strong Skamans suffered a bloody blow in front of Mr. Li. Lan Mengshi sincerely Admire, come, Mr. Li, you and I have a drink!"
The drunken Minister of Military Affairs, whose face was red and intoxicated, seemed to be in a good mood, and he had a few glasses of wine with Wu Feng. Although Wu Feng was not good at drinking, but with his internal strength, he could handle more than ten glasses of wine, and he happily obeyed, and one glass was golden in color. The best champagne was drank down in one gulp.
"Haha, my dear nephew, you have so many brave generals under your command, all of them are excellent in both civil and military affairs. No wonder both the Luobi people and the Luzon people bow their heads in front of them. Now you have defeated Maili, who is known as the two pillars of Kaman. This thing You are well-deserved to be called the number one military commander in the mainland. Come on, I’ll toast you with a drink!” The smiling Archduke Allen wiped away his melancholy from the past few days and raised his glass with great interest.
"Your Majesty, you are too flattering. My nephew's gang are all warriors who don't understand current affairs. They can't be called both civil and military. They just go to the battlefield. It's a life-and-death struggle. No one can retreat. It's just a fluke that we won a few battles, too many to count." Wu Feng knew what the two old foxes had in mind, and he pushed the topic away lightly, "Although the Kaman people retreated north, their strength has not been lost, and they can return at any time. There may be a comeback, Maili is as cunning as a fox, it would be extremely difficult to take advantage of him."
Allen and Lan Meng quietly exchanged glances, and the Minister of Military Affairs smiled heartily and said: "Yes, Mr. Li, you and the Grand Duke will soon be a family. If a family does not speak two languages, this Jeroke thing is Regarding your matter, the Jiama area has been in the hands of the enemy for several years now. The local people and gentry are looking forward to returning day and night; and now Fanlin is besieged by the enemy and is in danger. If we don't help quickly, I'm afraid we won't be able to escape the clutches of the Kaman people. Ah. But the empire is powerless at the moment, so our hope can only be pinned on you. Please be sure to support us again."
With sincere words and expectant eyes, Wu Feng, who was paralyzed by alcohol for a while, almost agreed. Fortunately, Wu Feng has never been in the habit of deciding important matters easily. After pretending to think deeply, he was actually carefully planning how to deal with it.
"Grand Duke, Mr. Lanmeng, it's not that Li Wufeng is unwilling to help your country regain its mountains and rivers. I can understand your mood. Who wants to see his people sobbing and sinking under the clutches of the invaders, just like Mr. Lanmeng said just now, Jieluoke and Northwest should belong to the same family. No one needs to separate you and me. Jieluoke's affairs are naturally Northwest's affairs, which is also my Li Wufeng's affairs. However, the current situation and next plan need to be carefully analyzed and discussed, Kaman People have returned to the north, but they still retain an army of hundreds of thousands. Including the troops stationed in Fanlin and Jiama, the number exceeds 200,000. Do we now have the strength to eliminate or defeat them?" There is no proposal to directly veto, Wu Feng also had a look of indignation on his face, but he cleverly raised his question at the end.
Hearing what Wu Feng said, Grand Duke Allen and Duke Lanmen couldn't help but look at each other with extremely disappointed looks on their faces, especially Allen's cheerful face immediately darkened, even those who were trying to persuade each other to drink. Several generals also felt the change in the atmosphere here and quietly lowered their voices.