Looking at the three majestic and sturdy generals, Zhu Li nodded with satisfaction and sighed, "Brother Han is indeed a man of insight. With these three warriors as his assistants, guarding Xuzhou is like adding wings to a tiger. Brother Han is so lucky!"
"No, no, no matter what, I can't be compared with the general." Han Zhi turned his head, glanced at Long Qie and the other two, and said politely with a smile.
He has always been proud of being able to recruit these three people under his command; now that he has received Zhu Li's affirmation, this military god in history is naturally very happy.
"General, I'm afraid you don't know it yet. There is a saying among the people that there are ten famous generals in the world, and Heshuo alone accounts for four of them. It can be seen that Heshuo, your home, is a place where talented people and brave generals gather."
"Hmm, is there such a rumor?" Zhu Li was surprised and suspicious. He had never heard of this statement.
"General, it is true." Long Qie, who had been looking at Zhu Li eagerly, suddenly spoke.
"Wu Dao, the loyal and martial general of Heshuo, single-handedly conquered the 24 states that were originally the vassal protectorate. Wherever his banners pointed, the people retreated. Although Bohai was vast, no one dared to challenge him."
"General Wu Dao is a man of both civil and military talents, and he is a role model for our generation." Long Qie praised with envy.
"Gao Su, the mighty general of Heshuo, rode his horse to Hejian, looked down upon all the Di tribes, and crossed the northern border with his sword, attacking without defending. In terms of achievements, how many people in the world can compare to him?"
"General Gao Yuan, the Lieutenant Colonel of Heshuo, led 3,000 men into battle, defeating all who stood in his way. He made the traitor Li Quanzhong throw away his armor and flee in panic..."
... ...
Long Ju knew all the generals of Heshuo like the back of his hand, and he talked about them in great detail, without missing out any one of them.
From the other party, Zhu Li learned that people like Wu Dao, Gao Su, Gao Yuan, Lu Fengxian, Zhao Zilong, Huo Qing, Zhou Dewei, Shi Yan and others had already become famous throughout the world and were popular in the Tang Dynasty.
The merits and achievements of these people have been praised by countless people and envied by countless generals.
However, it is no wonder that they are famous throughout the world; since ancient times, the most talked-about deeds are the famous generals who confronted foreign races.
Once these heroes win a major battle, their names will be passed down through the ages and recorded in history.
Heroes such as Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, Yue Fei, and Xue Rengui, the reason why they are recorded in history and sung by people is because they fought for the nation and were naturally passed on by word of mouth by the common people.
In response to Long Ju's envy, Zhu Li kept nodding and being polite. After all, he felt very proud when others praised his subordinates.
While Zhu Li, Long Qie and others were having an animated conversation, a complete commotion had broken out in front of Liu Hanhong and Gu Yanlang's stall.
The person who caused the commotion at the Silver Stage was Zhou Ran.
At this moment, he was eloquent and extremely angry, as if Gu Yanlang owed him money: "Aren't you here just to show off your wealth? Aren't you here to throw money?"
"I gave you face and came to support me and get paid, but you said you have no money. Why are you showing off your wealth if you have no money?"
"Show off your wealth until you have no money left. Oh my god, can you please stop embarrassing yourself?"
"Aren't you afraid that everyone in the world knows that your Dongchuan Manager Gu is a notorious poor guy?"
"You are poor but still pretend to be poor..."
... ...
At this moment, there was only one sound left on the entire silver table, that of Zhou Ran's shameless insults. If Gu Yanlang was nearby, he would have probably vomited blood.
As he spoke, Zhou Ran unceremoniously took the gold bucket used to hold the silver coins and held it in his arms.
His greedy appearance would make even Grandet of later generations kneel down and beg to be his disciple.
It has to be said that the gold barrels were quite large. Zhou Ran could only hold one in his arms at best, and he held one in his hand. He looked at fourteen with a look of deep resentment, and it was obvious that he felt that his arms were too small.
Especially those bright little eyes, like two little pearls, radiating an incomparably dazzling light.
The sixteen delicate ladies on the stage naturally could not stop him from this act of almost robbery, but the Dongchuan guards stationed below the stage were dumbfounded and didn't know what to do.
Gu Yanlang strictly ordered that the money should be given as gifts, but people did not wait for him to give it and came to snatch it directly. What should he do
As for Liu Hanhong, the situation was equally chaotic.
When the two little girls, Wenlan and Yangguang, saw that they didn't get to eat anything good, they immediately became interested in the stoves made of gold and precious jade.
As the idea came to their mind, the two sisters immediately changed their careers from being little foodies to working part-time as female bandits. They rushed up to rob people's stoves, and their madness was even more brutal than the Japanese invaders who entered the village in later generations.
Whether it was Zhu Li who was watching the fun, or Yuchi Jin and Guan Yu, none of them could bear it anymore.
Yuchi Jin immediately told Xie Tian and Xie Di to hurry over and call the two little girls back; while Guan Yu told Zhou Ran's new wife Yu Cuiwei to go up on stage and pull Zhou Ran down.
It was so embarrassing. One was thrown from Yaozhou to Chang'an, and the other was thrown from Youzhou to Chang'an. Even if Yuchi Jin and Guan Yu were thick-skinned, they couldn't save their face.
The bustling farce seemed to be coming to an end after the two little girls and Zhou Ran were taken away by their "parents".
No matter how rich Gu Yanlang is, he can't spend money for long; no matter how sincere Liu Hanhong is, he can't "help" passers-by, but rare ingredients like bear paws and bird's nests are not readily available.
In the end, after such a fierce competition for wealth, even some of their tools were snatched away by others. These two big bosses of the Tang Dynasty could only grit their teeth and swallow their anger.
In the evening, Zhu Li rented a courtyard in Chang'an City.
Firstly, it was to accommodate his close followers. He did not have his own residence in Chang'an; although the accompanying army was stationed outside the city, there were still many people following him.
If one wanted to accommodate everyone, one inn would probably not be enough. Fortunately, Chang'an had idle houses for rent since ancient times, which saved him a lot of trouble.
Secondly, as a senior official, he has to interact with other senior officials, and Zhu Li cannot always bring guests to the inn.
Zhu Li could afford to lose face, but millions of people in Heshuo were unwilling to lose face.
After settling everyone, Zhu Li sent someone to invite Guan Yu and Han Zhi over; the purpose of the initiator of this spring search, as well as the possible actions of the various vassal states, must be discussed in advance.
Faced with Zhu Li's invitation, Guan Yu and Han Zhi naturally did not dare to neglect it, and immediately brought their important generals to pay a visit.
Guan Yu and his entourage included the couple, Li Tianfu and Zhou Ran, who came together; while Han Zhi only brought Long Ju and Ji Bu, who came in a hurry.
In the living room, as soon as the host and the guest sat down, Guan Yu and Han Zhi immediately greeted Zhu Li with the courtesy of subordinates.
Li Tianfu and Zhou Ran, who saw this scene, were naturally not surprised; but Long Qie, Ji Bu, Qian Muran, Qing Ruo and others were greatly shocked.
Let me ask you, does anyone in the world know that the Protector of Yaozhou and the Governor-General of Xuzhou are actually Zhu Li's men
These two forces are not small forces; even in the late Tang Dynasty when there were many vassal states everywhere, they were both extremely powerful forces among the top.
Yaozhou was originally the territory of Nanzhao Kingdom, so its power was naturally huge; as for Xuzhou, Han Zhi controlled more than ten states. Who in the world dares to underestimate it
Qian Muran and Qing Ruo were just surprised; but Long Qie and Ji Bu were extremely surprised. Han Zhi was under Zhu Li's command, so wouldn't they also become Zhu Li's subordinates
Thinking of this, the two of them were filled with a sense of heroism that soared to the sky.
For a minister to choose a king is like a daughter to choose a husband; only by choosing the right person can they have a bright future. Because of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Long Ju and the other two had fallen in love with Zhu Li at first sight.
Now that he discovered that it was the flood that had washed away the Dragon King Temple, he was naturally surprised.
After the pleasantries, the maids served wine and food, and the group toasted each other and exchanged pleasantries, appearing to be in great harmony.
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Zhu Li was preparing to discuss the matter of the spring search with Guan Yu and Han Zhi.
At this moment, Ji Bu suddenly stood up, walked to the middle of the living room, and bowed to Zhu Li and said, "General, I have admired you for a long time. It is a great honor to meet you today."
"I am so excited that I cannot help myself. I am grateful to the general for hosting a banquet. There are no musicians or dancers at the banquet. I am willing to dance with a sword to entertain the general. I hope the general will allow me to do so."
This sudden scene immediately stunned Zhu Li. When he looked at the huge sword on Ji Bu's back that was as tall as a person, his expression became a little uncertain.
Following Zhu Li's gaze, everyone naturally saw the huge sword on Ji Bu's back. The rough and unruly Zhu Ye immediately laughed out loud and said, "You ugly guy, you still want to dance with a sword? Your big sword is only good for scaring people, how can you dance with it?"
Such rude words naturally made Ji Bu extremely unhappy.
However, when I saw the person who spoke was kneeling at the upper left of the entire banquet, and his appearance was exactly the same as Zhu Li, I instantly knew his origin.
There are rumors among the people about almost all the generals who led troops outside Heshuo. As for the rumors about this second general, they are no less than those about other generals, because he is Zhu Li's younger brother, so he will naturally be mentioned and compared with his elder brother.
It must be said that Zhu Ya had a good reputation; in the Battle of Yizhou, Zhu Li defeated the 200,000-strong Di and Han coalition forces with a weak force of 30,000. In that battle, Zhu Ya had already made his mark.
Later, he personally led the Heshuo warriors, and with the assistance of Pang Honggu, put down the rebellion of Liu Rengong and captured Yingzhou, which won him a lot of praise. Generally speaking, he was a well-known man.
But such a person is actually a boor who has the habit of hurting others with his words. Anyone with a little bit of common sense would not do that. If not a boor, what else could he be
"How dare you!" Without waiting for Ji Bu to change color, Zhu Li shouted at Zhu Ya.
The Huaihua general had a frosty face. He turned his head suddenly and looked at Zhu Ye. He immediately said seriously: "Apologize to General Ji Bu, immediately!"
Zhu Li's scolding frightened Zhu Ya so much that he shrank his head and looked at his elder brother tremblingly; he was Zhu Li's younger brother, and he was not married yet, so Zhu Li would not be shy about scolding him.
Zhu Ya knew that he had said something wrong again. Although he was a little reluctant, he still stood up, clasped his fists and bowed to Ji Bu properly, and said dejectedly: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called you ugly. I was wrong. I apologize to you, brother Ji Bu!"
"Actually, you're not ugly at all; well, you're just a little ugly!"
"puff"
"puff"
... ...
It would have been fine if Zhu Ya hadn't added the last sentence, but after he added it, the people who were drinking and watching from the side immediately burst into laughter.
Regarding Zhu Ya's apology, Ji Bu originally planned that as long as the other party said something polite, he would immediately let the matter go. Even if he didn't give face to the other party, he had to give face to Zhu Li.
However, after hearing the guy's next words, the words he was about to say were stuck in his throat and he could no longer utter them.
At the same time, his eyes blinked violently, his face turned fierce, and he just stood there in a daze, not knowing what to say.
"Hahaha, brother Ji Bu, you are so handsome and heroic. I like you very much. You are obviously a formidable warrior. It would be a blessing for me to see your swordsmanship today!" Zhu Ya's words almost made the situation awkward. Guan Yu laughed quickly and looked at Ji Bu with expectation.
Zhu Li naturally understood Guan Yu's rescue.
He looked at Guan Yu gratefully, then turned his head and glared at Zhu Ya fiercely, then turned to Ji Bu and said sincerely: "General Ji Bu is quite chivalrous. My brother is rude, please don't take his words to heart. Zhu is here to apologize to the general on behalf of my brother."
Before Zhu Li finished speaking, he immediately stood up and bowed respectfully to Ji Bu as an apology on behalf of Zhu Ya.
Zhu Li's behavior came from the heart; this move not only moved Ji Bu, but also Han Zhi, Guan Yu and others who were sitting on the side, all looked solemn and admired.
As the person involved, Ji Bu quickly stepped aside, not daring to accept Zhu Li's courtesy, and said hastily: "General, there is no need to do this. This kind of courtesy is absolutely unacceptable to me."
"Besides, although the Second General is outspoken, he speaks the truth, and is indeed an open-minded gentleman..."
"That's right, I'm just telling the truth, that ugly... ... uh, no, brother Ji Bu, from now on, you are my Zhu Laoer's brother!" Before Ji Bu finished his words, Zhu Ya immediately agreed.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Li narrowed her eyes and gave him a cold look, which made him calm down.
With this little episode involving Zhu Ya, Ji Bu's interest dropped by a few points; however, since he took the initiative to ask for the task, it must have been something unique.
After Zhu Li agreed, Ji Bu immediately appeared on the field and wielded the giant sword that was as tall as a person.
Looking around, he saw a huge sword that must have weighed several hundred pounds at least, but he was juggling it in his hand like a wick.
As the saying goes, "a heavy sword has no edge, and great skill does not require effort." Ji Bu's weapon, the Jufeng Sword, is obviously a blunt instrument, and it adopts the approach of overcoming skill with force and using bold and aggressive tactics.
Looking at the field, Ji Bu, with a sword in his hand, was like catching a dragon.
Wherever you look, you will see mysterious light like a curtain, sword shadows like fog, the sword moves with the wind, and the world turns upside down.
When the sword dance is performed to the extreme, it seems to be able to break the mountains and rivers and shatter the universe. Everyone who watches it is fascinated and amazed.
All those present who had good eyesight clapped their hands in admiration, even Zhu Li was no exception, his eyes sparkled with wonder and he sighed endlessly.
After Ji Bu finished his dance, everyone cheered loudly, making this famous Chu-Han general's face flush with excitement. Even the slight unpleasantness between him and Zhu Ya disappeared.
Sword dance to celebrate, wine to talk and have fun.
Ji Bu's appearance and performance indeed greatly brought everyone closer together and made this impromptu gathering even more lively.
Just as Zhu Li was about to continue what he had not done before, a tender and affectionate voice began to flow: "Since General Ji Bu has presented such a wonderful sword dance to you, as the host, you naturally cannot fail to express your gratitude."
The person who spoke was Qian Muran, who had been standing beside Zhu Li like a lady. As her voice came out, everyone looked over.
As soon as I saw this slovenly waitress with a foot-long snot, no matter how good my appetite was, I almost vomited.
Qian Muran ignored everyone's gazes and continued, "Muran is ordered by the old lady to be the general's attendant. Why don't you let Muran dance for everyone to show your courtesy as the host?"