The night in Assam comes half an hour later than the night in the capital of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, while the officers and soldiers holding on to Highland Zero struggled to fight with the British and Indian troops swarming into the position, the people in the capital were enjoying the evening time.
At this moment, the Tonghui Hotel on the west side of Tongjimen Avenue was filled with joy.
Eighteen floors above ground, two floors underground, reinforced concrete frame structure, double eaves on the top of the mountain, gray and beige exterior walls, window lattice with grooves and wells, and dazzling neon lights, this is the "Chinese style" that has troubled architects in later generations. The dilemma of how to fit perfectly into “modern architecture” is solved quite well here.
In fact, the designers of Tonghui Hotel were also troubled by the fact that the large roof with angled eaves was difficult to fit in with the expected 36-story high-rise building. It was like wearing a big hat. Finally, after obtaining the approval of investors, they simply Change your thinking - instead of being nondescript, it is better to switch to a low-height, large-area form.
Therefore, the current Tonghui Hotel is only 72 meters high, but it covers a large area. It coordinates well with the double-eaves Xieshan Mountain. The style of the whole building is very calm and generous.
In fact, it is not owned by the imperial court, but is an asset of the Duke of Guizhou.
Because of its special nature, the imperial court likes to hold some less important, semi-public and semi-private banquets here; as for serious state banquets, you have to go to the Imperial Hotel in Xiyuan of Mochou Lake.
Cars were driving in and out, waiters were coming and going, but the hotel seemed extremely lively at night.
In the lobby, the ground was covered with a large blanket with exquisite patterns. There were probably hundreds of reporters, and the spotlights were flashing amidst the sound of "squeaking".
Officials and generals, wealthy businessmen, celebrities and socialites, poets, writers and other celebrities gathered here. They came to "prepare" the victory of the British and Indian troops in the Battle of Uszang. This kind of dinner to celebrate the victory is for most people. This is the first time for people. After all, this is the Ming Dynasty that has hardly fought wars except for some border frictions and minor conflicts in decades.
In fact, many of the big guys and celebrities attending the dinner did not care about the situation ahead. Compared with the border war far away, how to detect Ming's future strategic plan in a timely manner is more important, and changes in policies are the benefits. The key.
If you follow the policy, pigs can take off even if they stand in the wind; if you go against the policy, even the money tree will be blown away by the wind.
"The road is terribly congested and slow. This so-called Mercedes-Benz is not as comfortable as the previous Rolls-Royce Phantom."
A lady wearing an off-white stand-up collared gown, a purple gold-woven skirt, cloud shoulders, and imported pointed stiletto heels was complaining, and there was also a lady next to her who was complaining.
"Yes, and this wine is really weird."
Cheng Han, who was almost late because he took an extra phone call before setting off, happened to pass by. Hearing this, he couldn't help but sigh. As the chief officer of the Staff Office of the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion, he was actually not willing to make a decision when the world was still uncertain. Come to this party.
He knew very well that the current situation on the front line was still unclear - the 12th Division was constantly being attacked by air attacks during its retreat, and at the same time several brigades and regiments of British and Indian troops were entangled with it; although the 34th Division retreated smoothly, its ammunition was exhausted. Not much left.
The air strikes made the already difficult logistics supply even worse. A light infantry division consumes at least 180 tons of supplies per day. If a medium-intensity battle is to be maintained, it will cost about 300 tons.
Two divisions equal 600 tons, but now it would be good to be able to send a total of 200 tons to the front line. Due to the bombing, a large amount of materials are backlogged in Lingzhi and cannot be sent.
In addition to the frontal battlefield, a mixed force of British and Indian troops in the northwest may also continue to advance eastward at any time. The current reason that prevents them from continuing deeper is that a battalion is desperately blocking it.
It can be said that before the third mixed brigade joins the battle, anything can happen!
So now Cheng Han's mind was not on the banquet at all. His mind was filled with the shape of the sand table and the scene of the soldiers on the front lines fighting bloody battles.
Although the complaints made by several ladies and socialites just now were just ordinary complaints, but at this moment, Cheng Han felt a little helpless and sad?
He glanced around. Except for a few generals, most of the people were smiling, and a joyful atmosphere filled the entire lobby. Everyone was wearing gorgeous and dignified attire, including broad robes that were not commonly seen on the streets. Big sleeves are now worn by everyone.
Suddenly, this ancient saying suddenly appeared in his mind: The warriors are half dead in front of the army, but the beauties are still singing and dancing under the tent.
However, Cheng Han's thoughts were immediately interrupted because the banquet started.
The handsome man hosting the dinner smiled and said into the microphone: "Gentlemen and ladies, here are..."
Everyone stopped talking and looked at the stage.
A piece of official script with gorgeous rhetoric but no nutrition was spoken with great emotion by the host. People present nodded their heads or clapped their hands in applause.
Later, under the guidance of the waiters, they took the elevator one after another to the specially prepared twelfth floor, which was extremely spacious and had dozens of tables arranged in total.
The carved ebony Eight Immortals table, the chairs engraved with complex patterns, the cold and hot dishes arranged in an orderly manner, and the male and female waiters whose figures and appearances were carefully selected all indicate that the people attending the banquet have extraordinary status.
After the banquet started, people kept coming to get close to Cheng Han. They didn't want to miss the opportunity to talk to the military boss. Just toasting made Cheng Han shirk and refuse more than a dozen times, which made the latter even more nervous. Dissatisfied.
Not long after, an officer walked over quickly and whispered a few words. Cheng Han immediately put down his chopsticks, stood up, and went to a corner, where he took several messages and browsed them.
One of them is the detailed battle report reported by the 1st Battalion in Demaji to the Lingzhi headquarters. It was first forwarded to the Uzbeg Governor's Palace in Lhasa, and then was uploaded to the Grand Governor because the mission of the 1st Battalion was too important. Mansion.
After reading, Cheng Han, whose expression remained unchanged, thought for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and then walked to his seat.
But just as he was about to sit down, the words about "profiting from financial changes" coming from three tables away made him unbearable. He said "I want to say a few words" to the waitress next to him, and the latter quickly ran away to inform him.
Knowing that he was going to speak in person, the organizer of the banquet was just thinking about how to get this military boss to speak. Unexpectedly, he was dozing off and gave him a pillow? I couldn’t ask for it.
Cheng Han, who looked as usual, walked slowly to the high platform in front of the hall and glanced calmly around the people present.
After a moment, he said in a nonchalant manner: "You all seem to be very concerned about the situation on the front line, and your patriotism is evident. But the specifics... I can't reveal it. I can only say that the situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly. Instead of holding a banquet to wish victory, It’s better to pay homage to Taigong Jiang and ask for his blessing, right?”
After saying a few brief words, he stepped off the stage, walked straight out from the middle and left the hall, leaving behind a group of officials and celebrities looking at each other.
——————————-
[First of all, I admit that the foreshadowing is a bit long. My dilemma is: if the war is too short and the results are too few, it may not be able to support the rationality of the protagonist's growth. All in all, the elements of a historical novel will be there, and there will be about ten chapters left for the war plot, so forgive me. 】
