Qin Mubai had long heard of Hou Junji's arrogance and isolation. But without contact, I really wouldn’t know that he is so arrogant.
For ordinary people, it would be really unbearable.
The words he just said were so unpleasant that he, including Qin Shubao, actually called everyone in the Lanzhou Governor's Mansion a loser.
But Qin Mubai didn't take it seriously at all. After being an official for several years, he had seen many people and experienced many things. He knew people like Hou Junji quite well.
In a word, people like him seem complicated and difficult to get along with, but they are actually very simple. Putting aside his arrogant and surly appearance, he is actually much easier to get along with than those politicians and scholars who appear to be loyal, gentle and gentle.
"Hou Junji, you said that tyranny is worse than cunning, and tigers are worse than wolves. This does make some sense." Li Daozong was also very calm and said calmly, "However, it is often easy to talk about it, but difficult to put it into practice. You are cunning, the enemy More cunning than you. Do you think that the two Khans of the North and South of the Western Turks and the Gaochang Kingdom are fools? "
Qin Mubai heard that Li Daozong was helping him persuade Hou Junji to join his army.
"What's wrong with having a high eye and a low hand?" Hou Junji sneered completely unmoved and said, "I'm not the Governor of the Western Regions or the Governor of Lanzhou! I'm only responsible for telling you what to do. It's your business."
"Why can't you do it? Why bother to point fingers and make it look embarrassing?" Li Daozong replied politely.
"Ha! That's interesting!" Hou Junji suddenly burst out laughing and said, "Don't you just want to use aggressive tactics on me? It's useless! - Take the food and wine on the table as an example, even though I can't cook , but you always have the ability to taste, right? Oh, why don’t you say that the cook’s food is not delicious? Do you have to ask me to go to the kitchen in person and cook it better than others? King Jiang Xia, you are such a fierce general? Fa Dang is not clever at all.”
Li Daozong was speechless for a moment, and could only helplessly shake his head and smile bitterly: "You are really smelly and hard, I don't want to bother talking to you anymore!"
Qin Mubai smiled and said: "Your Majesty, senior brother, there is no need for you to argue. Three feet of ice will not be frozen in a day. Things in the Helong Western Region have been backlogged since the Sui Dynasty, and they cannot be solved overnight. Qin thinks that his abilities are indeed limited. My senior brother said that I am weak in martial arts and martial arts, and I do admit that when it comes to marching and fighting, I am far inferior to my two senior brothers and you, the prince. In this position, I can only do my best. In the final analysis, Qin can only do his best to have a clear conscience."
"Well said." Li Daozong glared at Hou Junji with disdain and said, "Hou Junji, even if the cook's cooking skills are average, but if you don't like the food he cooked with sincerity, then you won't eat it. There is no need to ridicule others, right? The kind of people I admire the most in my life are those who do their best, and the other type of people I hate the most are those who talk eloquently, regardless of whether they have real skills or not, but they are not practical. They can't do anything useful, and they still attack and slander those who are dedicated to doing things. They succeed more than they fail. It's really hateful! This kind of people are destined to never see anything in their lives, because they are only good at talking nonsense. Nothing more to offer!”
"Li Daozong, what are you talking about!" Hou Junji, who had a hot temper, was finally irritated. He sat up and pointed at Li Daozong and yelled, "Hou is in despair now, but back then I was invincible on the battlefield! How can the country of the Tang Dynasty be invincible? Today, Hou Junji also has a share of the credit! - What kind of person do you think you are, a prince who has never learned any military skills and relies solely on his bloodline to gain a reputation? How dare you argue with Hou about military affairs in front of me? ?"
"Arrogant!" Li Daozong shouted, "How could I ever put you in my eyes?"
"You two, please calm down!" Qin Mubai hurriedly stood up and stood between the two of them, saying, "How can you cause chaos in your own family before they start fighting? Since you two are both in Lanzhou, you are my guests in Lanzhou and also the pillars of Lanzhou. . If the pillars and stones collide, the building will collapse!"
"Humph!" Li Daozong and Hou Junji each snorted coldly, returned to their seats and sat down.
At this time, Qin Mubai clearly saw Li Daozong wink at him, and he immediately understood.
So he said: "However, since both of you are convinced and Qin is unable to persuade you, there is a way."
"You tell me." Hou Junji said, squinting at Qin Mubai with a livid face.
"I have ten thousand soldiers and horses in Yifu, all of whom are elite Yueqi selected from the sixteen guards." Qin Mubai said, "Due to the hasty formation of the army, the army was short-lived and lacked training. Since you two are both military strategists, For those who are successful, it is better for each person to select half of the army for training. On a certain day, Qin will hold a military lecture in the governor's office and conduct a field test. Whoever leads the best troops will win, how about it
"Cavalry warfare is exactly what I am good at." Before Hou Junji could speak, Li Daozong said first, "In the early years, your Majesty's Xuan Tiejia was commanded by me. When it comes to the tactics of cavalry warfare, except for Li Jing and Your Majesty, I have I am not inferior to anyone. Hou Junji, if you are afraid and cannot afford to lose face like this, kneel down and kowtow twice, go back to Liangzhou and get drunk, don’t be an eyesore here!”
"What a joke!" Hou Junji sneered. "How dare you, a man with a rough background, mention cavalry warfare in front of me? What happened to Li Jing? When he wrote the book of war and discussed cavalry warfare, he still asked Please accept my opinion. Li Daozong, don’t say that I disrespect you as a relative of the emperor. If you lose this time, come and get into my crotch! If I lose, I will let you do whatever you want!”
Li Daozong raised his eyebrows and made an angry decision: "When someone comes, I will serve you with pen and ink and issue a military order!"
"Right now!"
Qin Mubai snickered from the side.
Is this called one willing to fight and the other willing to suffer? Li Daozong made it clear that he was trying to provoke the general, so Hou Junji followed the donkey's lead and got into the trap. After all, Hou Junji still wanted to join us, but he was too reserved to open his mouth and face.
Li Daozong is really smart. He used such an extreme method to give Hou Junji a step to step down - which can be regarded as a great help to me!
When they were young, the two of them made a military order and gave it to Qin Mubai, the middleman, for safekeeping.
"I have been away from Youzhou for half a year, but I haven't trained for a while. Starting tomorrow, Qin Mubai, you allocate five thousand elite cavalry to me, and I will train them outside Lanzhou City. Within a month, you will see results." Li Daozong said.
"I will practice here, and everyone can see it, for twenty days." Hou Junji glanced at Li Daozong and said in a low voice, "Qin Mubai, I only ask you for a word. Any disobedient general will be killed." If you can't do it, you can tear it up now."
Without saying a word, Qin Mubai took off the sword from his waist and held it to him, saying, "With this as a letter of faith, no one in the Yi Mansion dares to obey orders."
"Farewell." Hou Junji grabbed the sword and walked out without looking back.
Qin Mubai and Li Daozong looked at each other and smiled bitterly, and breathed out together.
"My lord, I have really wronged you today. Qin Mubai is both ashamed and grateful, beyond words." Qin Mubai cupped his fists at him.
"Oh, we don't have to be like this between us." Li Daozong smiled heartily, "After all, am I not doing it for my daughter?"
"Oh?" Qin Mubai was stunned for a moment, "How do you say this?"
Li Daozong laughed and said: "Do you think I, the king, really don't know what you are thinking? You are in charge of Lanzhou now, and the matter of granting marriage and making peace has also fallen on you. But you are thinking from the bottom of your heart. There are a million people who are unwilling to marry. In this way, the possibility of Yan'er marrying to Tubo is much smaller. Since there is no marriage, this war must be won, otherwise you and I will be in the court. There is no way to explain it - what Hou Junji said is actually correct. There is indeed a wild and unruly wolf general under the command of the Governor of Lanzhou! He, Hou Junji, is exactly such a character. Not only can he destroy a city and charge into battle, he also has an excellent view of the overall situation and the ability to stand alone. He is really your indispensable right-hand man!"
"The one who knows me is the King of Jiangxia!" Qin Mubai said with a smile, "Hou Junji and Su Dingfang, I want to make full and special use of these two figures. I am definitely not as good as them in marching and fighting. The prince has helped me today. My big deal, I don’t even know how to persuade Hou Junji.”
"Forget it, what's there to thank you for?" Li Daozong said with a meaningful smile, "Don't Hou Junji just want to lose face and lack a step? I just give him a step to go down. Everyone is a sensible person. It’s okay if you already know everything, why do you have to expose it?”
"Hehe, the prince is wise!" Qin Mubai almost laughed so hard that he seemed to be a villain, and said, "But if Prince Wu loses to Hou Junji in the future, is it possible that he will really get into his crotch?"
"Why, you think I will definitely lose?" Li Daozong deliberately put a straight face on his face and snorted, "You look down on me, don't you? Even if Hou Junji is a veteran of Li Jing's disciples on the battlefield, Benzi, a general who was born halfway and went wild. You may not be afraid of him anymore! - Let’s see, just give your troops to me tomorrow!”
"Your Majesty is personally taking action, so Qin must rest assured!" Qin Mubai laughed and said, "I've made a profit, I've made a profit. I have the Prince and Hou Junji training my troops for me. Lanzhou's soldiers and horses, why worry about becoming a tiger and wolf division?"
"In the end, you're going to take advantage of me!" Li Daozong laughed and punched Qin Mubai's chest twice. He was in a good mood. He said: "I cannot praise Hou Junji's temperament and moral character, but he is indeed a rare general. He is especially good at training soldiers and horses and running in the field. In the early years, when we followed the King of Qin to fight together, he personally trained He led a group of troops and fought forward without hesitation. After more than a hundred bloody battles, he made great achievements. This group of troops also became the elite of the Qin Palace. It can be said that Hou Junji reached the top in his life. "My lord, it was all achieved with his sword and spear on the battlefield. It is genuine. I have no choice but to accept this with all my heart."
"The prince is broad-minded and upright, and Qin admires him." Qin Mubai said, "Hou Junji's advantages are as clear as his disadvantages. Now that Lanzhou is employing people, he is indispensable. As for his shortcomings, I will pay attention to guard against them. ”
"That's good." Li Daozong nodded and said with a smile, "To achieve great things, you must first trust and employ people without trusting them. You have done a good job at this point. To be honest, I am not as good as me in the military. Hou Junji. No matter what the outcome of this competition is, you and I don’t have to worry about it. The key is to seize this opportunity to completely capture Hou Junji and make him work for you.”
"What the prince thinks coincides with what he thinks in his heart." Qin Mubai said, "Tomorrow he will be training soldiers and horses in the governor's mansion. I want to see for myself what makes him outstanding."
"Well..." Li Daozong nodded with a smile and said, "When treating Hou Junji, you should be lenient rather than anxious when dealing with Hou Junji. As you said, he is a peerless magic weapon. How to use it will determine whether it is good or evil. A human heart. Mu Bai, you have to keep this in mind."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty." Qin Mubai said, "Although Hou Junji is very difficult to get along with and uncontrollable, Qin admits that we will live up to him, and he will live up to me."
Li Daozong frowned slightly, his eyes were deep, and he nodded gently and said leisurely: "I hope so!"
The hanging moon fills the west tower like a hook, and the night is already deep.
After leaving the military camp to see Li Daozong back to his home, Qin Mubai took a long breath and rushed to the backyard of the Governor's Mansion.
In the middle of the night, did Mei Niang fall asleep again without waiting
When I returned to the house, I saw that everything was dark and dark, except for a chrysanthemum oil lamp burning in my bedroom.
Qin Mubai suppressed his excitement and knocked gently on the door, "Meiniang, are you asleep?"
No one responded.
"Did you really fall asleep?"
After knocking a few more times, a sleepy female voice came out, but it was not Wu Meiniang, "Who is it?... Is it General Guye who is back?"
Qin Mubai frowned in confusion, opened the door and walked in.
I saw two Wu Meiniang's personal maids standing up from the table and hurriedly saluting. Looking at the situation, these two little ladies had just fallen asleep.
"Why is it you? Where is your employer?" Qin Mubai looked over and saw no one, so he asked.
"whee!"
The two women snickered together and said, "General, please don't worry. How about you take a shower and change clothes first?"
"Shower and change clothes? What tricks are you doing?" Qin Mubai said confused.
"Come on! Come on, my uncle, General, please!"
The two little girls were also very familiar with Qin Mubai, so they pulled him out of the bedroom and stuffed him into the bathroom. This bathroom was specially built for Princess Gaoyang when she was here. It actually looks like a swimming pool. At this time, it has been filled with hot water and full of moisture. There are also many flower petals scattered on the water, and the fragrance of flowers is astonishing.
"Please give me a bath!"
Two young ladies came to undress Qin Mubai.
"Wait a minute." Qin Mubai looked around in astonishment and asked, "Where is your boss?"
"Don't worry, after taking a bath and changing clothes, I will take my uncle to see my employer."
"Okay, okay, you go out and I'll wash myself." Qin Mubai shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Is it possible that you are still planning to take a bath with me?"
"My maid dare not..." The two women's faces suddenly turned red and they withdrew shyly.
Qin Mubai breathed a sigh of relief, shook his head and laughed, saying to himself: "What does Mei Niang want to do today, so mysterious? Forget it, don't worry about it. Let's take a bath and talk about it later!"
After taking a shower, Qin Mubai put on the new clothes that had been prepared nearby. This new dress was specially bought for Qin Mubai by Wu Meiniang when she went to the street today. It is a very close-fitting embroidered robe with piping and embroidery, a belt with green jade, and a purple-gold golden crown for hair. It is chic, neat, calm and generous, simple. But without losing the high-end and taste.
"Meiniang's vision and taste are always so unique and outstanding." Qin Mubai arranged his clothes and walked out of the bathroom with a smile.
But he found that a carriage was parked in front of him.
"Please get in the car, uncle."
"Where are you going in the middle of the night?"
"Uncle, don't ask any more questions. You'll know when you get here, hehe!"
Qin Mubai couldn't help but feel happy. When did Wu Meiniang like to be so mysterious
"Okay, let you go!"
After getting on the carriage, the carriage drove forward for about half an hour and stopped in front of a huge manor.
Qin Mubai got out of the car and looked up, "Qiongyu Villa"!
"It's strange. When did Lanzhou have such a villa? Even I don't know!" Qin Mubai said in surprise.
"Hehe, as the lord of Lanzhou, General Gu, there are things you don't know about, right?" The two maidservants smiled more and more mysteriously, and urged, "Please come in quickly!"
Qin Mubai's curiosity was already aroused, so he pushed open the ajar door and stepped into the courtyard.
The night is deep and the breeze blows, and the courtyard is as deep and vast as a forest.
Even though it was night, Qin Mubai could see under the moonlight that the elegance and elegance of this village were simply incompatible with the rough and wild nature of Lanzhou Military Town. Not only is it elegant in style, the corridors are exquisite, but it is also full of flowers that are fragrant and fragrant. In addition, many places are obviously newly built or renovated, and they are magnificent and noble!
"My dear, the luxury of this place can be compared with the Prince Consort's mansion in the capital!" Qin Mubai secretly exclaimed, "When did Lanzhou Military Town have such a mansion? It fell from the sky. ?”
At this moment, a circle of lanterns suddenly lit up in the air not far away, and they seemed to be floating in the air!
Qin Mubai walked over quickly in surprise, and then he saw clearly that there was a three-story mansion with a unique terrace built on the top of the house, and a circle of lanterns were lit around the terrace.
There is a large plaque on the door of the main hall of Hao House, which is called "Qionglou Yuyu".
"Dong-"
There is a sound of strings, and the clear sky breaks through!
"When will the bright moon come? Ask the sky for wine."
"I don't know what year it was in the palace of heaven, now and then..."
The distant and clear singing voice sounded leisurely along with the exquisite and beautiful piano music.
Qin Mubai was suddenly stunned!
Li Xueyan? Could it be Li Xueyan here
"I want to ride the wind back home, but I'm afraid that it's so cold in the high places..."
"No, it's Meiniang! It's Meiniang's voice!" Qin Mubai was surprised and happy, and then he remembered that Wu Meiniang had heard it once when he missed Yao'er playing and singing this song for the first time at his home in Chang'an. After that, this talented woman was able to play and sing along!
"Mu Bai, it's so cold up here. I'm so cold. Why don't you come up?" It was indeed Wu Meiniang's voice!
"coming!"
Qin Mubai ran away in a very shameless manner, but he asked in a hurry: "Where are the stairs?"
The two little maidservants laughed happily and pointed to the side: "My general, over there! ... The beautiful scenery of the golden sky, my general and my employer are a perfect match. I won't disturb you and take my leave! Hehe!"
Qin Mubai looked at them angrily and funny, and almost didn't spit out a sentence when it came to his mouth - If you don't leave, do you still want to see the live version of something? …