The banquet has officially begun, so what will happen next will probably be more about the "drinking table culture".
In particular, at this banquet, there are not only people from Qi Dynasty, but also many envoys from other countries. Some things can be ignored, but the wine table is equivalent to another battlefield. You must not be timid and cannot lose, especially after drinking a few more glasses and getting a little tipsy, you may not be so under control and will inevitably fight.
It’s just like at the card table. No matter how generous you are in normal times, you will have to haggle over every little bit at the card table and there is no room for negotiation.
At the beginning, it was fine and relatively civilized. At most, people would toast each other, and the scope was relatively small. But when the toast crossed national borders, everything seemed to change.
Even though various performances are still going on, few people go to enjoy them.
Especially when Mu Bei's enemy Liu Qian came over to Mu Bei and the others with a wine jar in his hand, and dropped the wine jar on the table with a thud, causing the plates on the table to jump.
"What's the matter? King Dingbei is not dead or disabled, but he has become a womanizer. Why do you use such a small cup to drink wine? When we fought in the past, I respected you as a man. You are not a coward, you are a coward." He threw two big bowls on the table. I don't know where he got them from. He filled them up and picked up a bowl and gulped it down. "A man should drink like this. King Dingbei, don't let people down."
From the moment he appeared on the scene, Mu Bei no longer had the elegant aura of a nobleman. His eyes were filled with cold sharpness, and his whole body gave people the impression of being strong and powerful, like a humanoid weapon with a sharp blade out of its sheath.
It was so terrifying that the people around him couldn't help but step back.
At this moment, people clearly realized that Mu Bei was indeed the iron-blooded general who guarded the northern gate of Qi Dynasty and made it difficult for Liu Qi to advance. Even though he was far shorter and stronger than the general of Qi Dynasty, under the impact of momentum, this man had an ugly face and contempt on his face, but his eyes were solemn and even a little afraid. Mu Bei, the King of Dingbei, was a mountain that they could not cross.
Mu Bei stood up, threw away the small cup in his hand, and tilted his head, "Come here, bring two jars of wine."
The two young eunuchs moved swiftly, each holding a jar, and ran over in small steps.
Mu Bei slapped the seal on the wine jar and said, "What's the point of drinking from a bowl?" He pushed a jar over and knocked over the two bowls of wine. "Just drink it." Without any more nonsense, he grabbed the mouth of the jar with one hand and the bottom with the other, then he lifted it up and started drinking from it in big gulps. His heroic spirit and innocence also revealed a sharp edge.
The other party probably didn't expect that Mu Bei not only accepted the challenge, but also turned the tables on him.
Due to its geographical location and the cold weather, Liuqi's wine industry is relatively developed. Due to the lack of food, most of the wine produced is milk wine. Good milk wine is mellow and strong, with a strong milky flavor and a light sweetness in its spiciness. People who are not used to it may not be able to accept it, but the people of Liuqi naturally like the taste very much.
Ninety-nine percent of the Liuqi people are good at drinking. As long as they have the conditions, they will start drinking since childhood. Perhaps it is engraved in their blood and bones. Alcohol is less harmful to children. For this reason, alcohol is not banned in the Liuqi army. On the contrary, if they are allowed to drink to their heart's content, it will enhance their combat effectiveness.
Mu Bei's opponent was better than most of the Liuqi people. He never thought that he could not beat the Qichao people in drinking contests. He had been defeated most of the time when fighting with Mu Bei, so he did not believe that he could lose in drinking.
He picked up the jar of wine and started drinking, determined to make Mu Bei fall down after drinking. He would be able to get his revenge on the battlefield, and cooking at the table would be no problem. He wanted to make this "skinny boy" drink so much that he would vomit as soon as he smelled the wine!
Although Mu Bei's physical condition seems to have fully recovered, it is not actually the case. It will take time for him to get back to his peak state. During this process, he should abstain from alcohol. Mu Bei knew he couldn't escape it before, and he was still embarrassed and worried that Xiaocao would be angry. However, before entering the banquet, he received a hangover medicine sent by Xiaocao, telling him that if he took the hangover medicine in advance, he would not die from drunkenness even if he was choked to death by drinking.
This medicine is not only used to sober up, but also can minimize the damage caused by alcohol to his body.
Mu Bei felt a little warm in his heart, feeling extremely comforted. Then his eyes darkened and he suppressed the emotions surging in his heart.
Without any worries, he fought hard. It was not just because he wanted to beat Liu Ganren, but also because before, sometimes when he couldn't control himself, he couldn't even drink to drown his sorrows. He could only endure the torment in his heart. Now he can let go completely and vent those suppressed emotions.
The others toasted and drank, but they were relatively restrained. Only Mu Bei drank too much and attracted more and more people's attention. Many people were shocked. They didn't expect that King Dingbei could drink so much. Especially after he was reinstated, he often got together with his colleagues, and he basically didn't drink at all. You can imagine how surprised he was at this moment.
The jar of wine was consumed, and with a thud, Mu Bei placed the empty jar heavily on the table, knocking over several plates. Mu Bei wiped his mouth, only the corners of his eyes were stained with a hint of red, but his eyes were extremely clear, and it seemed that the jar of wine had no effect on him at all.
The people around him applauded and shouted "King Dingbei is so generous".
The general of Liuqi then finished drinking and put the wine jar down heavily. He glanced at Mu Bei and was extremely surprised. Mu Bei seemed to be calmer than him. He thought it was impossible and calmed himself without showing any fear.
"The wine you drink in Qichao is for women, it's very bland. If you have the guts, come and get a jar of our Liuqi wine."
Kumis is the specialty of Liuqi. Naturally, the Liuqi delegation brought a lot of it on this trip. In addition to the birthday gifts for Emperor Xuanren, they also brought some for their own drinking. Just like people from other countries may not be used to their kumis, they may not necessarily like other kinds of wine.
Mu Bei didn't even move his eyelids. "Yes." It was a light word, but it carried a lot of weight.
Mu Bei's attitude directly angered the other party. He originally wanted to ask someone to get a small jar, but he directly changed it to a large jar.
Mu Bei's eyes were calm at this moment, with a composure that showed no change even if a mountain collapsed in front of him. It seemed that no matter what happened, he could deal with it calmly. There was no outward momentum, but instead, he was like an invisible, indestructible wall, standing still and blocking any wind and rain.
Fan Wuguo nudged Wei Tingyu with his arm and also looked over here, "I didn't expect that King Dingbei can drink so much. It shouldn't be like this. Alcohol is forbidden in the army. When he was in the Northern Frontier, as the commander-in-chief, he should set an example. After he came back from being injured, he also abstained from alcohol. He can't be born to be so good at drinking, right?"
Wei Tingyu glanced at him with a look that seemed to say he was an idiot, which irritated Fan Wuguo greatly.
Fan Wuguo gritted his teeth and sneered, "Mu Bei is your..." love rival, "Didn't Prince Wei say anything?"
Wei Tingyu didn't want to talk. He could guess that Xiaocao must have given Mu Bei some kind of medicine. He could also guess that the person who received the medicine was definitely not just Mu Bei. However, he still felt unhappy. He could ignore others, but Mu Bei was too special.
Fan Wuguo also knew that with Wei Tingyu in such a dead look, there was no hope of any reaction from him, so he pulled Wei Tingyu up and said, "Come on, let's go and take a look." He did not give Wei Tingyu any chance to refuse.
Fan Wuguo was used to being unreasonable, and when he was blocked by someone in front of him, he pushed the person away without any hesitation. The person who suffered from his "poisonous hands" was unhappy a moment ago, but after seeing that it was him, he obediently moved aside. It's not that everyone was afraid of him, but mainly because they didn't want to cause trouble.
I just got the Liuqi wine, and after opening it, it has a different flavor.
Mu Bei and Wei Tingyu looked at each other. They were both strong men in their respective fields. Originally, they had the possibility of becoming close friends, but because they liked the same person, it was embarrassing. It was destined that even if they did not become mortal enemies, they could not live in peace.
This glance, perhaps only they can understand each other's emotions.
Mu Bei retracted his gaze. It was obvious that his mood had worsened after seeing Wei Tingyu. His eyes revealed a hint of emotion. The unlucky general of Liuqi became the target of anger. He picked up the jar of wine and curled the corners of his mouth silently, with obvious mockery. In the eyes of the general of Liuqi, it naturally turned into disdain for him. How could he tolerate this
Compared to milk wine, Mu Bei was naturally more accustomed to Qi Chao's wine. However, it was not that he disliked milk wine, and it was not the case that he could not drink it.
Although Qichao and Liuqia did not trade in the alley, there were quite a few merchants walking on both sides and selling all kinds of things. Because of the demand, the behavior of these merchants, although prohibited on paper, was actually turned a blind eye. Qichao and Liuqia had reached a tacit understanding, but they supervised more strictly in secret and never allowed the existence of spies.
In this case, Mu Bei had naturally drunk milk wine before.
The strong, spicy, and slightly sweet milky wine slid down the esophagus into the stomach...
The sound of gulping continued, and the Adam's apple kept moving. It was clearly water that he was drinking, not wine.
After drinking half a jar of milk wine, Liuqi's general felt a little shaky. The jar of wine in his hand fell down once. When he saw Mu Bei's situation, his eyes, which had turned red due to the stimulation of alcohol, became even redder. He would never give in easily!
To Yu Mubei, this jar seemed to be no different from the previous one. In the second half, General Liuqi felt more and more strained. Not only was his body shaking, he could hardly hold the jar of wine. His consciousness gradually became blank, double images appeared in front of his eyes, and he was shaky all the time.
Mu Bei stood as straight as a bamboo and was very steady. Even when Fan Wuguo bumped into him from behind, his body did not shake. He tilted his head with clear eyes, and it seemed that he could handle two more jars without any problem.
Fan Wuguo couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, "I didn't know you were such a drinker. I won't dare challenge you to a drinking contest in the future."
Mu Bei thought to himself, you are overthinking it, it is not true. Personally, I think he drinks much less than Fan Wuguo. Under normal circumstances, if two of them were to drink in a competition, he would most likely not be able to drink more than Fan Wuguo. It's just that he has a cheating tool now.
Mu Bei won the victory surely, but General Liu Qia refused to admit defeat even though he was already confused. He kept shouting that he wanted to drink more and drank more, gulping down the drink one mouthful after another.
If he continued to drink like this, he might die. Xiao Yu, the second prince of Liugan, naturally would not allow this to happen. He bowed to Mu Bei and said "a huge capacity", apologized to Mu Bei on behalf of the general, and admitted defeat cleanly. He would wait until the general woke up and let him apologize - after all, this drinking contest was not in vain.
Xiao Yu had the general carried back, but the drunkard was very strong and was still acting crazy. Three or four people couldn't control him. He kept yelling, "Mu Bei, where's that bastard Mu Bei? Come on, I want to drink with him for another 300 rounds. I can't beat him in a fight, but can I drink more than him? Where's the man? Drink more..."
Obviously, even if Mu Bei was plotted against in the end, and even if Mu Bei was almost killed, however, because Liuqi's losses in that battle were far greater than Qi Chao's, and the plot against Mu Bei was not the credit of just one person, this Liuqi general did not admit in his heart that he had won that battle. He could not show it on his face, but he was always resentful in his heart.
But it's really embarrassing to shout it out now that I'm drunk.
Xiao Yu looked extremely bad, perhaps because he had never been drunk before and he didn't know that the people under his command were of this character.
He was so rude and disrespectful. Looking at Mu Bei, he didn't even frown. The gap was too big and he felt even more embarrassed.
Because they couldn't control the people, the situation became a little chaotic for a while.
"Get out of the way—" The woman's clear voice seemed to carry a bit of majesty.
The people surrounding him subconsciously made way. Xiaocao stood in front of General Liuqi. The other party didn't recognize him, but there was a figure in front of him. His vague consciousness was still looking for Mu Bei, so he pounced on him directly.
Wei Tingyu and others suddenly became anxious, but they saw Xiaocao moved a step nimbly, and when the other party pounced on him, he raised his hand and gave him two needles in the neck. The originally crazy man became dull, his body swayed, and then fell to the ground with a thud. The moment before, everyone hissed and felt pain for him, but the next moment, he actually fell into a deep sleep, which was speechless.
"Carry the man away." Xiaocao said in a calm voice. She was just worried that the drunkard would ruin the birthday party, otherwise she would not have come down.
"Thank you, Princess Anguo."