"My dear nephew, please take a seat. Life in the military camp is different from life at home. The tent is a little simple, and the food and wine are rougher. I hope you will bear with it." After Zhu Ping'an entered the tent, the Duke of Wei smiled and stretched out his hand to invite Zhu Ping'an to sit down, saying modestly.
This tent is still simple? The food and wine are still coarse?! Upon hearing this, Zhu Pingan took a glance at the luxurious and comfortable decoration inside the tent. The chairs were covered with tiger skins, a corner of the bed was revealed behind the screen of a tiger descending from the mountain, silk bedding was faintly visible, antique shelves, book shelves, and wash basin racks were all made of huanghuali wood, dragon and tiger table lamps were hung on poles, and there were blue and white porcelain decorations, etc. It was more comfortable and enjoyable than living at home... He took another glance at the dazzling and mouth-watering food and wine on the table and couldn't help but smack his lips. If it were in the 21st century, this would be considered a presidential suite or a Manchu-Han banquet!
The three of them sat down as host and guest, with Zhu Ping'an sitting at the end respectfully. He took the initiative to pour wine and add vegetables and meat to the pot.
"Haha, my dear nephew, you are here today to take a look at my Zhenwu Camp. What do you think?" Duke Wei asked proudly during the banquet.
How about Zhenwu Camp?!
Zhu Ping'an recalled what he had seen and heard along the way, and couldn't help but twitched the corner of his mouth. If he was really honest, it was all show and no substance. The equipment of the Zhenwu Camp was really good, with not only strong bows and crossbows but also muskets and cannons, but the soldiers' appearance and discipline were not good, and their spirit and energy level seriously did not match the level of their equipment.
Zhu Pingan glanced at Duke Wei, who looked very proud and expected to be praised...
The Duke of Wei sent me military equipment and invited me to dinner. How could I express my conscience and say these things
But lying is not my style, so I'll just talk about the good parts and ignore the bad parts.
Zhu Pingan thought for a moment, then looked at Duke Wei seriously and replied, "Based on what I have seen and heard along the way, the Zhenwu Camp is well-equipped, the soldiers are strong, and the supplies are sufficient. It has the potential to become a strong army."
Note that the last word "资" is the "资" in "capital", not the "姿" in "姿容". Zhu Ping'an read it out with the most standard pronunciation at the end of the words, and also emphasized the tone.
Zhu Ping'an was telling the truth. The equipment of Zhenwu Camp was really good, from strong bows and crossbows to muskets and cannons. The soldiers of Zhenwu Camp were really strong, each of them was tall and strong, and it was obvious that they were carefully selected. The supplies of Zhenwu Camp were also really sufficient, and the warehouses were filled with food, fodder and equipment... ...
Note that Zhu Ping'an's concluding sentence refers to "the resources for a strong army" rather than "the posture for a strong army."
If we say "the posture of a strong army", it means that Zhenwu Camp already has the posture of a strong army. In short, Zhenwu Camp is already a strong army. However, "the resources of a strong army" is different. "The resources of a strong army" means that Zhenwu Camp already has the capital to become a strong army. It just has this capital and the conditions to become a strong army, not that Zhenwu Camp is already a strong army.
People always hear what they want to hear. This is an unshakable truth since ancient times.
Although Zhu Ping'an's pronunciation was standard, Duke Wei still misheard "强军之资" as "强军之姿".
After hearing this, Duke Wei was overjoyed. His smug face blossomed like a flower, and he smiled brilliantly. He took the initiative to raise the cup and gulped down the wine that Marquis Linhuai had tried to persuade him to drink several times before. He wiped his lips and laughed modestly, "The posture of a strong army! Hahahaha... My dear nephew, you are too kind. It's not that good. There is still a certain distance from being a strong army."
Zhu Ping'an smiled but said nothing.
"You still know that we are still some distance away from becoming a strong army like Zhenwuying." Linhuai Hou took a piece of lamb brain and sneered.
"Haha, yes, the Zhenwu Camp is still some distance away from being a strong army, but your Jiang navy is even further away from being a strong army. It can be said that it is difficult to compare with them." The Duke of Wei chuckled and responded sharply.
"Are you saying that your Zhenwu Camp is stronger than my Jiangnai Army?!" Linhuai Hou glared.
"Of course, this is an indisputable fact." The Duke of Wei tilted his head 45 degrees, and at the same time, he unexpectedly stretched out his chopsticks to grab the mutton that Linhuai Marquis had prepared, snatched it and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it with big mouthfuls, smacking his lips exaggeratedly, and said triumphantly: "Good."
"What a bullshit. Humph, you are not only a letter thief, but also a flesh thief!" Linhuai Hou retorted.
"It's ridiculous. Shabu-shabu meat should be eaten by those who are virtuous." The Duke of Wei was very proud.
"Hmph, you can only take advantage of me with your mouth. You are a giant in words but a dwarf in actions. You have been like this since childhood. Let's take a look at whether it is a mule or a horse! Mr. Xu, do you dare to select 100 soldiers each? Let's compare our two armies and see whether your Zhenwu Camp is stronger or my Caojiang Navy is stronger!"
Marquis Linhuai snorted, put down his chopsticks, and proposed to Duke Wei that they select a hundred men from the two armies for a competition.
"Hmph, let's compete. Why not?" Duke Wei refused to admit defeat and said with pride and confidence, "Since our Zhenwu Camp was established, we have never been defeated. How could we be afraid of your small Caojiang navy?"
Huh?! Zhenwuying has never been defeated since its establishment?!
Zhu Pingan couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in surprise after hearing what Duke Wei said. Zhenwu Camp is so strong? ! Could it be that he was wrong? ! Although the military discipline and appearance of Zhenwu Camp were in disarray, their combat effectiveness was very strong? ! In history, there were also some armies with extremely poor military discipline but strong combat effectiveness.
Zhu Ping'an couldn't help but recall whether there were any hidden shining points in Zhenwu Camp that he had not noticed.
As Zhu Ping'an was recalling, he heard Linhuai Hou's laughter, "Yes, your Zhenwu Camp has never been defeated since its establishment, but your Zhenwu Camp has never won a victory either!"
ah?!
Zhenwu Camp has never lost a battle, nor has it ever won a battle?! Zhu Pingan was stunned, and looked up at Linhuai Hou in surprise.
"Hahaha, my dear nephew, you don't know. The Zhenwu Camp was established in the winter of the 24th year of Jiajing. His Majesty ordered the selection of elite soldiers from various camps and the most agile young men from Huai'an Prefecture and Yangzhou Prefecture, totaling 3,000 people. It was composed of meritorious officials as generals and used as coastal defense police. It has only been seven years since its establishment. Compared with our Caojiang Navy, their Zhenwu Camp is just a baby. The Zhenwu Camp was established not long ago and has not fought a battle so far. Of course, it has never lost a battle, nor has it won a battle. Our Caojiang Navy is different. This year alone, we have won several major victories against the Japanese pirates." Linhuai Hou said with a laugh, exposing the old secrets of Duke Wei, and at the same time did not forget to show off the battle record of the Caojiang Navy.
Duke Wei's face slightly turned red. When he heard Marquis Linhuai say that Caojiang Navy won a great victory over the Japanese pirates, he couldn't help but laugh, "How dare you say that? How dare you, Caojiang Navy, say that you have won several great victories against the Japanese pirates?! You are just picking on the weak and driving away a few lone Japanese pirates in small boats with great fanfare. You also call this a great victory?!"
"That's better than you! You are just a bunch of old soldiers. Have you ever driven away a lone Japanese pirate?"
Linhuai Hou retorted with a red face.
Seeing the two men acting like quarreling children, Zhu Ping'an could not help but smile bitterly. "Why are you so serious?" He stood up and poured wine for Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai respectively. He raised his glass and toasted to the two of them in an attempt to ease the atmosphere.
Just when Zhu Ping'an was about to say a toast, he suddenly heard a commotion coming from outside.
The three of them simultaneously looked outside the account.