The third year of Zhonghe, mid-April.
Li Keyong returned to Hedong with the credit of defeating Huang Chao.
When passing through Bianzhou, he was invited by Zhu Wen. The person who came to deliver the visiting card claimed that Zhu Wen had set up a banquet in Bianzhou city to celebrate the success of the Hedong army.
Li Keyong could not refuse, so he asked his two younger brothers Li Kening and Li Kexiu to lead the army ahead; he made some preparations, and the next day he went to the banquet with his generals Shi Jingsi, Yuchi Jin, Li Cunzhang and others, and 300 soldiers.
It is worth mentioning that Yuchi Jin, who went by the alias Han Jin, was recommended by Shi Jingsi and treated as a distinguished guest by Li Keyong, who always kept him by his side in the hope that he could persuade Yuchi Jin to serve him.
In Li Keyong's eyes, Han Jin is of great importance.
There are many brave generals in the Hedong army, but very few can defeat Yuchi Jin in a one-on-one challenge; the key is that Han Jin is not only the bravest of the three armies, but also has an amazing brother.
Li Keyong had heard about Han Zhi a long time ago. He was indeed a man of character. He was able to cheat Chen's 8,000 guards into working for him and annex Li Hanzhi's nearly 30,000 men with his help, relying on his mere commoner status. Such a feat could not be accomplished by an ordinary person.
Moreover, according to the latest news, Han Zhi has killed Shi Pu and Chen and took control of Xuzhou. He has 70,000 soldiers under his command and is extremely powerful. Even he dare not underestimate him.
Just as Zhu Wen was aware of the threat posed by Li Keyong to him, Li Keyong was also wary of Zhu Wen. It was always better to be prepared by keeping something in hand.
If he could capture Han Jin and then catch the big fish Han Zhi, it would undoubtedly be like planting a nail in Zhu Wen's back. Why wouldn't he do it
Bianzhou, later Kaifeng, was governed by Junyi County, and the county seat was Bianzhou City.
At the city gate, the dignified, rough and high-spirited Xuanwu Jiedushi Zhu Wen, led a large number of civil and military officials, waiting there in a bustling crowd, patiently awaiting the arrival of Li Keyong.
At this time, Zhu Wen was still wary of Li Keyong, but also grateful to him. Although Li Keyong helped him wipe out Huang Chao, resolved the crisis in Chenzhou, and allowed him to complete the task entrusted by the Tang court, he was still worried that Li Keyong had ill intentions towards him.
However, Jingxiang's advice to him was to stabilize the Li family and make friends with the prime minister in order to seek promotion and expansion. Therefore, he pretended to hold a welcoming banquet for the Hedong Army.
In the distance, there was a huge cloud of dust and a group of cavalry came rushing over.
Before the people arrived, a cold and murderous atmosphere was already overwhelming. The leader was a man about 28 or 29 years old, with a single eye. He was none other than Li Keyong, the commander of the Shatuo people, the current governor of Hedong, who controlled the twelve wealthy states of Hedong.
Around Li Keyong, there were a dozen generals surrounding him like stars surrounding the moon. The most conspicuous among them was a handsome general with a small mustache, wearing silver armor and a broadsword.
This man was on the left side of Li Keyong. On his left and right sides, there was a big man as strong as a bear and as fierce as a tiger. Even Li Keyong's subordinates such as Shi Jingsi, Li Cunzhang, and Li Cunxin could only follow behind him or beside him. It can be seen that his status was definitely not ordinary. The other generals of Hedong seemed to want to protect this man and Li Keyong in the middle.
When Zhu Wen saw Li Keyong, he cupped his hands and laughed from a distance, saying, "Haha, the general manager rode his horse and wielded his sword, he was invincible, and the thief Huang Chao was vulnerable. Now he has won a great victory and returned in triumph. I have already prepared some wine to welcome the general manager and celebrate his success."
As the saying goes, one should not hit a smiling person. Zhu Wen greeted him with a smile. Li Keyong naturally knew how to be polite. After he got off his horse, he laughed in return and said, "Haha, General Zhu, you are too polite. The one who benefits the most from Huang Chao's surrender should be General Zhu. We are only fulfilling our duty as subjects by guarding the country and suppressing the rebellion."
The two of them seemed to be friendly on the surface, but in fact they were not. Li Keyong looked down on Zhu Wen, who came from a bandit background; while Zhu Wen was pretending to be nice, wanting to temporarily befriend Li Keyong, the strongest warlord, so as to gain a chance to catch his breath. His words were insincere.
After some pleasantries, the two sides walked hand in hand into the county town and went straight to the Governor's Mansion, where there was a banquet that Zhu Wen had specially prepared for Li Keyong.
In the banquet hall of the Governor's Mansion in Junyi County, the host and guests had just taken their seats.
Maids came in an endless stream, carrying wine cups, serving dishes and tea. In addition, everyone present greeted each other, toasted and complimented each other. For a moment, the place was very lively, as if one was drinking with close friends and a thousand cups were not enough.
In the open space in the middle of the hall, actors and dancers were already competing to dance, creating a beautiful and peaceful scene.
Amidst the leisurely music, Zhu Wen raised his glass to Li Keyong, and then said with emotion: "Since the first year of Qianfu, Wang Xianzhi from Zhencheng rose up in rebellion. The whole country was in mourning, the whole country was in flames, the common people were displaced, and the vassal states fought against each other. There were so many heroes at that time. Now, General Li has brought the prestige of killing Huang Chao. I want to ask the world, who is the real hero and hero who deserves to be called a hero?"
Zhu Wen looked at Li Keyong sincerely, with an expression of great admiration for him, and then continued: "Ask the world, who else dares to call himself a hero except Li Yaer? Today, let's toast to Li Zongguan, the greatest hero in the world."
"Cheers to Manager Li."
"Cheers to the number one hero."
... ...
Zhu Wen's words resonated with countless people, no matter they were pretending or sincere, everyone stood up at once, raised their glasses and shouted toasts. The generals from Hedong were especially excited. Those under Li Keyong's command flushed with excitement, as if they themselves were the number one hero.
Before he finished speaking, Zhu Wen finished the wine in a very heroic manner. The others followed suit and drank the whole bottle.
"Hahaha, General Zhu, you are too kind. I, Li, am ashamed." Li Keyong was in a very comfortable mood and laughed.
Although he looked down upon Zhu Wen in his heart, it must be said that Zhu Wen's flattery really hit Li Keyong's sore spot. Li Keyong made a hypocritical polite remark and immediately raised his head to drink up the contents of the jug.
Li Keyong accepted such obvious flattery as a matter of course, which shows his inherent arrogance.
If Zhu Li were here, he would be surprised. According to historical records, Zhu Wen hosted a banquet for Li Keyong, but the banquet ended in a bad mood. In the end, Zhu Wen almost killed the One-Eyed Dragon. But how come the atmosphere now seems to be quite joyful
This situation was mainly the result of Zhu Wen's deliberate promotion. He now had to be cautious because after Huang Chao's death, Li Keyong had become the biggest warlord in the world and he had no choice but to be careful.
However, someone at the banquet was unhappy with his behavior. She was not unhappy that Zhu Wen was flattering Li Keyong, but that Zhu Wen and Li Keyong got along too well.
This person is of course Yuchi Jin. Li Keyong and Zhu Li have an irreconcilable hatred. Li Keyong has harmed Zhu Li. Zhu Li's subordinate Meng Juehai, in a rage, tortured and killed Li Keyong's father. Such hatred almost doomed them to
The two cannot exist together in the world.
Zhu Wen had also framed Zhu Li and even threatened Zhu Li's parents, intending to kill Zhu Li unexpectedly and eliminate the trouble forever; these two people were Zhu Li's enemies, but now they were chatting and laughing, getting along harmoniously, which of course made Yuchi Jin unhappy.
Seeing this, Yuchi Jin raised his cup, faced Li Keyong and Zhu Wen, gestured from a distance, and said, "General Zhu is right. Huang Chao has been active in the world for many years and has met countless heroes. He is indeed a hero. Let's not talk about the distant past. In the battle of Chenzhou, even General Zhu personally attacked, and with the assistance of Chenzhou Governor Zhao, he still couldn't move Huang Chao at all. It can be seen that he is definitely not an ordinary person."
Having said that, Yuchi Jin turned to Zhu Wen and expressed a little apology. With Zhu Wen as a foil, and in front of him, he naturally had to express his apology.
Zhu Wen was very unhappy when he heard this. You know, there are some things you can say, but others you can't. Saying others is like slapping someone in the face, and hatred is created unknowingly.
However, when he saw the mustache general bowed and apologized to him after he finished speaking, he felt that the other party was quite tactful, so he smiled and showed his magnanimity.
To outsiders, it seemed that with just a bow and a smile from the two, Yuchi Jin had gained Zhu Wen's forgiveness. Those of Zhu Wen's subordinates who were dissatisfied with Yuchi Jin's words did not know how to say anything.
At this time, Yuchi Jin continued, "But when General Manager Li led his troops out of Jinyang and rode his horse and drew his sword in Chenzhou, tens of thousands of enemy troops were instantly wiped out. Wherever his flag pointed, everything was destroyed. This shows that among all the heroes in the world, only General Manager Li can be called a hero."
This flattery was so loud that it was a little unbearable. What Yuchi Jin meant was that apart from Li Keyong, no one else in the world was worthy of the word hero.
Think from Yuchi Jin's perspective, you, Zhu Wen, want to praise Li Keyong, right? Then I will help you praise him and make Li Keyong a rare figure in the sky and unparalleled on earth. Is that okay
Of course not. Not only Zhu Wen could not stand this, but also his subordinates. Although Zhu Wen took the lead in praising Li Keyong and did not mind others helping to praise him, you cannot fire a map cannon and kill countless people with one shot. Including him, Zhu Wen, is a cannon fodder. Would Zhu Wen be willing to do that
"Yes, Brother Han is indeed insightful." Li Cunzhang didn't care what these people in Bianzhou thought. When he saw Yuchi Jin was so supportive, he immediately agreed.
"The general manager is the best in the world. He is indeed not comparable to some nobody." Shi Jingsi, following Li Cunzhang, also quickly echoed.
... ... .
The generals of Hedong who attended the banquet with Li Keyong immediately echoed his opinion and were all proud of it, to the point of being a little carried away by their complacency.
Zhu Wen's subordinates were naturally indignant when they saw this scene, and they secretly held back their internal bleeding. When his godson Zhu Yougong saw Zhu Wen's expression, he immediately stood up and retorted: "Li Zongguan is a hero, but my governor is also a hero."
Zhu Yougong was Li Yanzhang, who once betrayed Zhu Li's parents. Zhu Wen liked Zhu Yougong because he was good at scheming. In addition, as Zhu Wen's adopted son, it was inevitable for him to attend such occasions. When he heard that his father was despised, how could he sit idly by and watch
When he saw someone from Zhu Wen's command jumped out to support Zhu Wen, Yuchi Jin was secretly delighted and snorted secretly, "You little guy, you finally can't hold it back anymore, right?"