Chapter 1 A Banquet in the Han Mansion
The spring breeze blows in the willows, the vanilla is faint, the crescent moon is shy, and the stars are bright. The South Gate Street of Handan City is wide and leads directly to the palace. There are few pedestrians on the street and the lights of the houses are dim. , there are occasionally a few restaurants, the sound of pianos and harps can be heard, and it is deserted.
In front of a very ordinary mansion on the street, there is a bustling crowd. Carriages are parked on both sides. It is obvious that many dignitaries have come. The gate of the mansion is very ordinary, but the door is very wide and has no threshold, making it convenient for carriages to travel. , if it were not for the four golden characters "Wu'an Jun's Mansion" engraved on the wooden plaque on the door, it would be difficult to think that this is the residence of Li Mu, the general of Zhao State and Wu'an Jun.
Li Mu was a soldier for most of his life. He did not seek fame and was loyal. He attacked the Xiongnu in the north, destroyed the rogues, defeated the Eastern Hu, and conquered Wu Sui and Fangcheng of the Yan Kingdom. His military exploits were outstanding. He often rewarded him with the rewards he received. The soldiers who had been fighting for many years had defeated the Qin army in Feicheng not long ago. Today they returned in triumph. King Zhao was granted the title of Lord Wu'an. Li Mu hosted a banquet in honor of the ministers and soldiers who came to congratulate him.
Colored lanterns are hung high in the courtyard, and the guests and guests are sitting on the floor in brocade attire. Li Mu, dressed in brocade robes and Hufu, with sword-shaped eyebrows on his temples and a face as sharp as a knife, is sitting at the head of the throne, drinking and chatting happily, and accepting the guests. Congratulations.
After drinking, a sturdy general stood up, holding a big bowl in his hand, with tears in his eyes, and said loudly: "In the battle of Changping of Zhao State, we lost 400,000 soldiers. As a result, Zhao State had ten houses and nine empty houses. All the villages were lonely and widowed. The Zhao people Cry, the people of Qin laugh, and the earth grows hairy. This is a great shame and humiliation. Now General Li leads us to kill a hundred thousand people of Qin. It is a shame to avenge the past. It is really pleasing to the people. At the end of the day, I will give General Li a bowl and drink it all! , this sturdy man is Sima Shang, the Zhao general who fought with Li Mu.
Li Mu drank the strong wine, stood up and said sadly: "Although I have killed one hundred thousand enemies today, I have only settled the hatred of General Hu, but I have not killed General Huanjue of Qin. How can we calm him down by letting him escape?" The humiliation brought about by the Battle of Changping, I am really ashamed to be honored by my king’s favor and be granted the title of Lord Wu’an!”
A handsome military officer opposite Sima Shang smiled slightly and said: “You don’t have to, Lord Wu’an!” I'm too humble. I dare to ask which general in the world today can defeat the tiger and wolf divisions of the Qin army. My king is wise and appoints virtuous people. This is well deserved. The Zhao State has General Li, which is a blessing to the people. It is a blessing to the Zhao State. Lord Wu'an is the leader. I am responsible for the revival of Zhao State. If we continue to attack Qin, I will be the vanguard at the end."
Li Mu cupped his hands and said: "General Zhao's pride, Li noted, it is just that our Zhao State has been fighting for many years, and the people are in dire straits! , If you want to attack Qin, you are like a sheep entering the tiger's mouth, holding on to the land, recuperating and recuperating, and returning the country to me when the army is strong and the horse is strong!"
Sima Shang drank another bowl alone and sneered: "That's it! I'm afraid that some people have urinals with gold rims and good mouths, but when they see the Qin army's flag, they are so scared that they pee!" After hearing this, everyone laughed, knowing that Zhao Cong knew nothing about leading troops, and he should have led troops to support the Hu. The general retreated before the battle, causing General Hu to fight alone and die on the battlefield. King Zhao not only did not punish him, but instead shifted all the responsibility to Hu Zhe. King Zhao also commended Zhao Cong for this.
Hearing Sima Shang's sarcasm, Zhao Cong turned pale and glared at Sima Shang: "If I hadn't preserved strength for Zhao, how would you have the soldiers to attack Qin? How could you let the entire Zhao army die under the strong crossbows of the Qin army?" After speaking, he threw the wine cup on the table.
At this time, the swarthy young man next to Sima Shang smiled and said: "General Zhao is aware of his shame and then bravely endures the humiliation. I admire his magnanimity. Come and give me a toast to General Zhao!" As soon as these words came out! , everyone laughed again.
After hearing this, Zhao Cong said angrily: "Li Zhong, you have committed the crime below and are arrogant. If it weren't for General Li's favor, I would take you to see the king today!"
Li Zhong chuckled and said, "You're right, I don't see a villain like you who only flatters others!" Seeing this, everyone stopped laughing immediately.
When Zhao Cong heard this, he became furious, stood up, drew his long sword, pointed it at Li Zhong, and shouted angrily: "If I don't kill you today, it will be difficult to understand the hatred in my heart!"
When Li Zhong saw Zhao Cong drawing his sword, he immediately drew his sword and said loudly: "Zhao Cong, I have long disliked you. Today I will cut off your legs so that you can escape instead of running away!"
Li Zhong is the number one general under Li Mu. He is not afraid of death. How can he be afraid of Zhao Cong's threat? He suddenly becomes angry and nervous.
Li Mu shouted angrily: "How dare you, tonight is a thank you banquet, Li Zhong, how can you be so rude!" He stepped forward to apologize to Zhao Cong and said: "General Zhao, please calm down. It's my fault for teaching my son, Li Zhong." I apologize to the general!" He turned to Li Zhong and said angrily: "You bastard, you still haven't apologized to General Zhao!"
Li Zhong glared at the general for a long time, then walked to Zhao Cong angrily. , turned his head and said: "I talked nonsense while drunk and offended General Zhao. I hope General Zhao will forgive me!" Zhao Congjian still pointed at Li Zhong and looked coldly.
Sima Shang scolded at the side: "Damn it, why didn't you take it out on me? Don't toast me and eat as a fine. It's shameless. If you want to get out, get out of here. Don't let me look at you." ! ”
Li Mu shouted: "Stop!" He said to Li Zhong: "You said dirty words, kneel down and apologize!"
Li Zhong's veins popped out in anger, and he knelt down with a "pop" sound. The ground, two bricks under his knees were shattered by the shock, and he said: "I said something dirty, I hope the general will forgive me!"
Li Zhong was originally a man under fifteen years old who was released by the Qin army during the Battle of Changping. As a young boy, his father and elder brother were killed by the Qin army, and he hated the Qin army deeply. He was brave and good at fighting under Li Mu's tent, and Li Mu adopted him as his adopted son.
Zhao Cong put away his sword and said coldly: "The general came here to congratulate Mr. Wu An. Unexpectedly, the general's mansion was so arrogant that he did not welcome the general. He swept away Mr. Wu An's elegance. The general will remember it. In my heart, since this is the case, I will say goodbye!" He rolled his sleeves and prepared to leave.
Li Mu did not want to make an enemy, but when Zhao Cong showed no mercy, he said, "General Zhao, stay here. Someone is coming and will pull out the rebellious son Li Zhong with twenty army sticks!" As soon as he finished speaking, two big men walked up to Li Zhong. , wanting to drag Li Zhong out.
Sima Shang shouted: "What are you doing? I already apologized, why are you beating Li Zhong!"
Everyone also tried to persuade him. Zhao Cong saw the opportunity and said: "No need, don't disturb Mr. Wu An's drinking pleasure!" "
Li Mu said angrily: "Bring me out quickly and beat me hard, don't you dare to disobey my order?" Upon hearing this, the two big men raised Li Zhong, who was gritting his teeth, and walked toward the door. Go outside.
At this time, I heard a person behind Li Mu say with a smile: "General Zhao, please calm down. I have heard that Lord Wu'an has strict military discipline, loves his soldiers like sons, and rewards and punishments are measured. Why not sit down, drink and enjoy "What is Lord Wu An's way of running the army?"
The speaker is wearing the official uniform of the prime minister, with cold eyes, plump eyes, a mustache, and a strong body. He is the prime minister of Zhao Guo Kai. He was favored by the King of Zhao and had a weird personality. He made slanderous remarks and forced Lian Po away. At this time, he spoke with ill intentions.
Li Mu originally wanted to drag Li Zhong out to hit a few military sticks to show off, and give Zhao Cong a chance to step down, but he didn't expect Guo Kai to say this, and thought to himself: "People say Guo Kai is cunning, and it is true." His face was as dark as water, After a moment of silence, he shouted outside the door: "Bring Li Zhong in, enforce the law in the courtyard, and police officers!" After saying that, Li Mu took Zhao Cong back to his seat and sat down. He walked to the main seat and sat down. At this time, the two big men After escorting Li Zhong back, Li Zhong was lying on the ground. The two big men raised their military sticks and hit Li Zhong on the buttocks. Even though he had strong muscles, every time the sticks came down, his skin was torn and blood was flying everywhere. , Li Zhong was sweating profusely in pain, clenched his teeth, and finished the beating with twenty army sticks without saying a word.
Sima Shang and some loyal people wanted to skin Guo Kai and Zhao Cong alive. They all stared with anger and clenched their fists. However, due to Li Mu's majesty, they He didn't dare to step forward to stop him.
Guo Kai laughed and said: "Jun Wu'an's strict military laws are an eye-opener for me. It's just that the military stick doesn't seem to hurt when hit. Otherwise, why can't you hear the scream of pain? Could it be that Li Zhong is made of iron, haha!"
Sima Shang shattered the table with a palm and cursed angrily: "Guo Kai, don't bully others too much. General Li will let you, but I, Sima Shang, will not tolerate you. Bao, if you don’t feel any pain, you might as well give it a try. I’m sure you’ll cry for your father and mother and knock your ass-licking tongue off the ground!”
Guo Kai sneered coldly and said: "A reckless man, after winning a battle, he became domineering and unruly. Do you want to do the opposite?"
After hearing this, Sima Shang flew up and rushed towards Guo Kai. He said angrily: "I will kill you today and get rid of you, this sycophant!" He slapped Guo Kai with his palm.
Seeing Sima Shang coming at him in anger, Guo Kai recoiled in fright. He was really afraid that Sima Shang would risk everything and beat him to death with one palm. Seeing the situation, his entourage immediately protected Guo Kai, but they also felt guilty. Can you resist this palm?
Seeing that Sima Shang was about to rush in front of Guo Kai, Li Mu stepped forward, stopped Sima Shang, and said, "General Sima, haven't you made enough trouble?"
Seeing Li Mu's obstruction, Sima Shang said, He hurriedly stabilized his body and said angrily: "I have long seen that he is not pleasing to the eye. With such a treacherous person in front of the king, Zhao Guo will not be able to do well!"
Li Mu said angrily: "Still talking nonsense, come here, General Sima is drunk, send him back to his house!"
Sima Shang said: "I won't leave until I kill these two villains Let's go!" After saying that, he rushed towards Guo Kai again. Li Mu struggled to hold Sima Shang back and said: "Prime Minister, General Zhao, I have not taken good care of you and disciplined you carefully today. I have offended many people. I will definitely come to apologize in the future."
< br>Guo Kai and Zhao Cong couldn't sit still for a long time. If they don't leave now, how long will they wait? Guo Kai stood up, shook his sleeves, snorted coldly, and said: "You are welcome, Mr. Wu An, I will leave now!" He walked out of the gate with a puff of sleeves, quickly got on the carriage, and rode away quickly.
Seeing the two people leaving, Sima Shang looked out the door and said angrily to Li Mu: "Why don't you let me kill these two birdmen?"
Li Mu said angrily: " If you kill them both and still want to live, who will lead the army in the future?"
"It's worthwhile to kill them with your life. If these two birdies are not eliminated, there will be disaster!"
Li Mu said: "We are all ministers and generals of the Zhao Kingdom. We should focus on the overall situation. If the court There is disharmony in the hall, internal and external troubles, and the state of Zhao is in danger."
After saying this, he shook his head and sighed, and said to everyone, "Thank you for coming to my humble house. It's getting late. You should go back and rest!" They all left. It was originally a congratulatory banquet, but it ended unhappy. Sima Shang left after visiting Li Zhong, who was seriously injured in the backyard.
The breeze is getting colder and the house is quiet. Li Mu is sitting on a chair in the study, frowning, thinking sadly. At this time, Mrs. Qingli, wearing a purple skirt, dragging her teacup and teapot, walks on lotus steps After entering the study, he poured a cup of tea and said softly: "The general has returned from a tiring journey and is entertaining distinguished guests. It's better to rest early!"
Li Mu took back his thoughts, took a sip of tea, and sighed: "Today Offending Guo Kai and Zhao Cong will definitely cause trouble in the future. Hey, Li Zhong and Sima Shang caused trouble for me today."
Seeing Li Mu sighing, Mrs. Qingli said softly: "I thought that Guo Kai and Zhao Cong would be offended by the general sooner or later. The two of them were jealous of the virtuous. If the general gained power, they would inevitably be ostracized by them. Even if they did not offend today, they would still be He won’t say anything nice in front of King Zhao. The general has outstanding military achievements and is loyal. King Zhao should know this well.”
The name of this Qingli lady is Nalan Xue. She was originally a Hu woman. Li Mu captured Donghu. When I met her, she was good at music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Different from the Hu people, Li Mu took her as a maid and later as a concubine. She accompanied Li Mu on the battlefield and served her in every possible way. Although Li Mu loved Na Lan Xue, her clan members were all deceived. When Li Mu was killed, it was inevitable that he would have a grudge in his heart.
Li Mu said: "We can only hope so. I will go to the Prime Minister's Mansion tomorrow and give the luminous pearl to the prime minister. I will come to ask for forgiveness. I hope it can ease the relationship a little!" This luminous pearl was when Dong Hu was defeated. Na Lanxue found it.
After hearing this, Na Lan Xue trembled slightly, lowered her head, and whispered: "That night pearl has been...sold by my concubine!"
Li Mu said 'Ah' after hearing this. With a sound, he said: "What are you selling it for?"
Na Lanxue said: "In order to cure our disabled child, I sold it. I am really..."
Li Mu frowned and said: "The Night Pearl was discovered by Madam. Selling it Just sell it, I will think of other ways. You can go back to the house and rest. I will go to bed with Mrs. Wang tonight."
Li Mu has two wives, the main wife is Mrs. Wang, and the concubine is. Na Lan Xue, Mrs. Wang gave birth to two daughters who had not yet left the court, while Na Lan Xue gave birth to a son, but he was frail and sick.
After hearing this, Na Lanxue felt sad and walked out of the study lightly.
(End of this chapter)