Snow had started to fall from the sky, making the illusionary Mount Hua seem even more ethereal.
A bowl of strong wine was splashed on the lamb on the grill. The flames jumped up, showing a hint of blue in the red.
Li Longji cut off a piece of lamb and put it in his mouth. He chewed a few times and nodded in satisfaction. He was very satisfied with the meal.
On the other hand, the people of the countries and ethnic groups around the Great Tang had different expressions.
Some of them had already accepted their fates after witnessing the might of the Great Tang. As they listened to the music from the ship, they relaxed, drinking wine and eating meat. They no longer worried about the future, nor did they have the heart to worry. Their own race truly couldn't withstand another round of bombardment.
People like Ke Tuyu kept glancing at Zu Zan and Moji Lian, hoping that the Tubo and Turks could be more manly and work together to fight against the Great Tang.
Moji did not eat the meat. He just drank half a bowl of strong wine from time to time. It was a very good wine. The weather on the grassland changed too quickly. Hot and cold alternated frequently. If everyone could drink the strong wine of the Great Tang, they would not have to worry about the cold at night.
Moji, who thought that he could hold his liquor, drank a few bowls of wine. His body warmed up, his ears turned red, and his eyes became a little blurred. He seemed to have returned to his tent in the Turks. There was fire and meat, and there was light singing and dancing.
He smacked his lips twice, not in the mood to think about other people's matters. His hand touched the unsharpened sword on his leg as he sat cross-legged. He praised, "Good sword, truly a good sword. The one who obtains this sword obtains the world. The sword has two edges. One edge can lead thousands of armored cavalry, invincible in battle. The other edge can scatter money all over the sky, not worrying about spending.
When the sword is retracted, the four seas are at peace. When the sword is unsheathed, snow falls. Hmm, the grassland is too cold. I wonder if it can warm up. Yes, warm up. Find a mountain to hide from the wind. "
At first, the people around Moji thought that he was really praising the sword in his hand. They looked at the sword, but could not see what was good about it.
Only after hearing the latter part of his sentence did she realize that he wasn't talking about the sword in his hand, nor was he talking about the sword in his hand. Instead, he was talking about the sword in Li Longji's hand. Naturally, he was referring to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, who were huddled together and whispering something to each other.
Zhang Xiaobao's abilities were obvious to all. No matter where he went, he was a hen that laid golden eggs. Countless spies sent to the Great Tang had long ago reported back on the deeds of Zhang Xiaobao. The Great Tang's national treasury was no longer lacking in money. With the existence of the bank, if necessary, one could mobilize ten million strings of cash at any time.
With so much money, he could easily crush someone to death. More importantly, wherever his family went, the lives of the common people would be improved. Many of the officials of the Great Tang weren't stupid, and with his family's methods in front of them, they began to learn. Even if they couldn't compare to his family, they were still much better off than before.
When she smiled, her two dimples would appear. At first glance, people would think that she was a lady from a big family. Only those who knew her would understand what kind of existence she was.
Although the generals guarding the borders of the Great Tang were always able to win battles and quell rebellions, those were still small battles. Wang Juan only fought one battle, and that one battle was enough to make Tubo suffer greatly.
As for quelling rebellions, she had never done so. However, there were signs in Feng Province. Some people wanted to cause trouble, but Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan sent some people over. In total, there were less than five hundred people. All the signs were extinguished by themselves, and no one dared to provoke her.
The main reason was that the generals taught by the war in Tubo had already shown her ability. Those generals were now guarding a region and managed the army like it was made of iron. However, every time someone praised them, they didn't dare to accept the praise and only said that they were far inferior to Cuckoo.
The Great Tang only had two people, one civil and one military, to suppress the Great Tang's borders until no one dared to act rashly.
That's right, this was a real double-edged sword. Don't let it fall on you, otherwise, there would be no return.
Everyone had their own thoughts. For a moment, the voices gradually quieted down, leaving only the sound of the wind, the crackling of the firewood, and the sound of stringed and bamboo.
Li Longji didn't persuade others to eat the meat. He ate happily by himself. Just now, someone had passed on Mo Jilian's words, which made him deeply agree.
"Lishi, you've worked hard." Li Longji suddenly cut a piece of meat, stabbed it with a knife and sent it to Gao Lishi.
Gao Lishi was shocked. He looked at the Emperor and didn't understand what he meant. Why did he cut a piece of meat for him? Should he eat it or not? Could it be that he wanted to stab him to death?
Thinking in his heart, Gao Lishi opened his mouth.
After stuffing the meat into Gao Lishi's mouth and letting him bite, Li Longji kept the knife and showed a rare warm smile.
"At that time, if Lishi hadn't discussed with me and said that the experts of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan couldn't be easily moved, I really couldn't help but bring them into the palace."
Li Longji said the reason with emotion.
Gao Lishi understood. So that's how it is. It seems that the Emperor is a little scared. If he really did it, not to mention the fact that there was no Xiaobao and Cuckoo's combined swords, he was afraid that the experts of the Zhang and Wang families would be forced to leave.
No matter where they went, as long as it was not in the Tang Empire, today's Sword Competition of Mount Hua didn't exist. Even if there was a Sword Competition of Mount Hua, no one knew where it would be, but it would definitely not be in the Tang Empire.
Thinking about this, Gao Lishi said modestly, "Your Majesty has already made a decision. Otherwise, why would you hang the portraits of Xiao Bao and Cuckoo in the palace? Your Majesty, I see that Xiao Bao seems to have just roasted a chicken. Why don't … "
"Well, you're right. Go." Li Longji's eyes also looked at Zhang Xiaobao from time to time. When he saw Zhang Xiaobao take out a chicken from under the fire, even if he didn't know why he did that, he guessed that it must taste good.
At this moment, Zhang Xiaobao, who was hiding and trying to be inconspicuous, didn't expect that Li Longji still had his eyes on him, even if he gave up the opportunity to show off.
He took out the Beggar's Chicken from under the fire, blew off the seal, tore off a wing, and handed it to Wang Juan. "Eat, eat, eat more. Hong Qigong liked this. It's been six years, right? This cooking wine has been in the cellar for six years. The wild chickens in the mountain are thinner, but it smells better than the chickens at home. "
"You only know how to eat. In case Tubo and Tujue don't agree to join the Tang Empire and war is coming, you don't even have time to prepare. How can you have the leisure to cook a chicken and leave a good lamb untouched?"
As Wang Juan talked about Zhang Xiaobao, she took the chicken. Looking at the dry mud on the ground, she was stunned. Then she asked Zhang Xiaobao, "Did you kill the chickens in Feide Chicken Farm? Six million of them died in one night. "
"Don't be afraid. They definitely don't dare to fight the Tang Empire. It's winter now, and they'll definitely win. They … What did you say about Feide Chicken Farm? I don't understand. "Zhang Xiaobao looked away as he spoke, not looking at Wang Juan.
Wang Juan burst out laughing, "Don't deny it. Today, I realized that I have never heard of anyone carving words on the mud when cooking Beggar's Chicken. Moreover, the words carved were Hong Qigong. According to the information, the Feide Chicken Farm once found dried mud with these three words. How do you explain that?"
"Oh, there's such a thing. Damn, it makes me angry. That Zhou guy not only deducted the wages of the workers in the surrounding villages, but also didn't dispose of the chicken feces properly, causing the entire village to smell bad. He even used industrial raw materials to raise chickens. I stole a few to eat, but the more I ate, the more it tasted wrong. Back then, the chase was fierce, and I was in a hurry to run into the mountains. Otherwise, I would have poisoned him to death too."
Zhang Xiaobao replied confidently.
"Then do you know how much tax the local area would have to pay without his chicken farm? How are the villagers who can still get some wages living? "
"I don't know. I only know that the villa of the county magistrate's family is very beautiful. Hurry up and eat. Why are you still talking about the past? I don't like to hear others praising my achievements. How about I choose a village here and open a gutter oil processing plant? It can solve more employment problems. I can't stand people who are greedy and don't do practical things for the people. "
"So, you can be greedy if you do practical things?"
"At least that's what I think. Come, follow me. Take the chicken and don't eat it first."
As Zhang Xiaobao spoke, he pulled Wang Juan to a place where there was no one in the distance.
"Xiao Bao, where are you going?" Behind them came Gao Lishi's affectionate voice.
"Father, I'm going to relieve myself with Cuckoo." Zhang Xiaobao subconsciously moved the chicken to a place where Gao Lishi couldn't see.
"What are you talking about? Who's going to relieve themselves with you? Take it out. "Wang Juan reached out and poked Zhang Xiaobao.
Zhang Xiaobao looked at Li Longji with disdain. He took out the chicken and said to Gao Lishi, "Father, this chicken has been torn apart and eaten …"
"It's okay, it's okay. When His Majesty eats, he always lets his subordinates taste it first," Gao Lishi said embarrassedly. He took the chicken and rushed back as fast as he could.
"Bandit, he's just a bearded man. Let's wait. When he's full, we'll dig out the other chicken. Come, let's talk about our future plans. After we take over Tufan and Tujue, we have to use them."
Zhang Xiaobao took two bites of the chicken claw and sat back down with a face full of regret. He shouldn't have saved his favorite chicken thigh for last.
Li Longji quickly swallowed the two chicken thighs, raised his head, and said to the people in the oppressive atmosphere, "Everyone, tell me, how should I sharpen my sword?"
"It's here." Everyone felt a chill in their hearts. They looked at each other, but no one was willing to speak first.
Seeing that no one was speaking, Li Longji shifted his gaze to Zu Zan.
Zu Zan really hoped that he could become invisible and not be discovered by others. Seeing that Li Longji was forcing him to say something, he lifted the sword in front of him and looked at Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao first.
He didn't see the two of them looking at him. What he saw was that the two of them were talking excitedly for some reason. From time to time, Zhang Xiaobao even pointed to the west. No matter how he looked at it, he felt that he was referring to Tufan. Wang Juan, on the other hand, smiled and waved her little fist, as if she was promising something to Zhang Xiaobao. Zhang Xiaobao gave Wang Juan a thumbs up and nodded vigorously.
Could it be that they want to make a move on Tufan? Zu Zan thought to himself.
Clang, clang, clang ~! Just as Zu Zan was hesitating about how to reply, the sound of the Hu Jia and Ma Tou Qin on the ship stopped and changed to the continuous sound of the pipa string sweeping.
It was a very familiar sound. Even without the first few verses, he could still recognize it. The current song was called Ambush on All Sides. Each sound was more urgent than the last.
A scene that Zu Zan didn't want to recall suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Report, our army has surrounded the Tang army at the Jinchuan Mountain Range, waiting for news of victory … Report, the villagers of Mo Le Village have been slaughtered, and the enemy is nowhere to be found … Report, our army has lost traces of the enemy on Jinchuan Mountain Range, and we have suffered heavy losses … Report, we have found out that the Tang Dynasty's reinforcements are from the logistics camp in Yizhou … Report, our army's 15,000 soldiers are all dead, requesting for reinforcements … Report, our army's second and third reinforcements are blocked, and our logistics are cut off … Report, our army's provisions in three areas have been burned to ashes, requesting for more food … Report, this summer locusts are a disaster, I'm afraid we won't be able to harvest anything … Report … Report …"
"Zan Pu, Zan Pu, His Majesty wants you to have a sword competition." Just as Zu Zan was recalling the scenes, he heard the soft voice of the Princess of Jincheng.
"Sword competition? Yes, sword competition. He wants to invite you to the Sword Competition on Mount Hua. " Zu Zan murmured and shook his head vigorously. He looked at the sword in his hand and sighed to the sky. Two streams of tears flowed out of his eyes. He held the sword up high and knelt on the ground. He replied dryly to Li Longji, "I'm slow-witted, Your Majesty, I'll do as you say."
"Sigh ~!" More sighs sounded almost at the same time. However, when he suddenly closed his eyes, he seemed to have aged ten years.
He didn't want to blame Zu Zan and say that he was timid. After all, he had been to Tubo before and understood the current situation in Tubo. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had stationed 30,000 soldiers and countless horses at the front line of Jinchuan Mountain, waiting for the war to start. In addition, there were troops flying in the sky, long spears that could decide life and death in 300 steps, and thunderous cannon fire. If it were him, he wouldn't have the courage to challenge Li Longji.
Li Longji's brows relaxed. He nodded and said to Zu Zan, "What you said is exactly what I want. I'll give you the surname Li and reward you with ten thousand bolts of silk and ten million dollars."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Zu Zan's voice trembled. He bowed to the ground and didn't get up for a long time.
Li Longji then looked at Mo Jilian. "Mo Jilian, do you have anything to say?"
"I, I want to go back and discuss." Mo Jilian couldn't make the decision and could only reply like this.
At this time, Wang Juan suddenly interrupted, "Your Majesty, I ask for your order to send Mo Jilian back to the Turks. I'm going to Feng Province to train the soldiers and do some exercises. On the way, bring along the cannons and see if the horses are afraid of the sound of cannons."
"I thought about it again. I'm willing to listen to Your Majesty's order to sharpen the sword." Mo Jilian looked at Wang Juan and quickly expressed his position. He meant that he couldn't make the decision for the Turks, but he was willing to submit.
Li Longji wanted to laugh out loud, but he restrained himself and looked at the others.
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