The afterglow of the evening sun was shining faintly, and Jinling City was still bustling with activity. There are a dazzling array of wine shops and teahouses on the street, which is the best time to make a living. There are many small vendors in the surrounding open space preparing for evening business. The streets are bustling with people, including those carrying burdens, driving carts and pulling goods, and many men and women stopping to admire the scenery of the Qinhuai River. This noisy and peaceful scene often gives rise to the illusion of being in the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
At this time, Li Yuan's mansion was closed, and there were even soldiers patrolling back and forth, quite implying that strangers should not approach. Entering the palace, candles were already lit under the brightly colored eaves of the pavilion, and there was constant noise.
As he was about to go on an expedition the day after tomorrow, Li Yuan specially asked Liu Jiangsheng and Xu Kuangheng to go to Beiyuan and Tianyin Mountain respectively, and invite Luo Erhu, Wumu Teqin and the commander of the Wei Sheng Army in Beijing to his house. In addition to giving them a good reward, After all the hard work of the brothers for many days, it was a rare gathering before the expedition. After all, in a battlefield, the coming and going of several people was unpredictable.
The three brothers entered the backyard first, and after chatting with Mr. Liu for half an hour about family issues, they quickly came out to greet the guests. Wang Jingyao played the role of housekeeper today, and together with her younger brother Wang Jingguo, they also ran errands, leading a group of maids and servants who were busy running back and forth to deliver messages.
Li Yuan had already put on the royal purple robe and was sitting on the main seat with a smile on his face. When he saw that the time was almost up, he stood up and shouted: "Everyone!"
When everyone at the table saw Li Yuan speaking, they quickly stopped making noise and looked at Li Yuan.
"I, Marquis Yu, have taken the liberty to invite you all to my residence. Firstly, I want to share my friendship with you, and secondly, I want to toast to the Western Expedition in the future! It's a rare gathering tonight! Please don't be restrained, eat and drink well, and have a good time. Go back! But don’t be greedy and harm yourself, otherwise you will miss the important event of the expedition. I, the Marquis of Yu, are ruthless in military law!"
"I'd like to thank you in advance, brother!" Luo Erhu was the most excited about the banquet. Perhaps he had been holding back for a while in Tianyin Mountain, so he took the lead and called out the general.
The big black man roared, causing everyone to relax and replied cheerfully in unison: "Thank you, Yuhou!"
Then, just watching Li Yuan beckoning for the banquet to begin, Wang Jingyao hurriedly ordered the maids to start working, and within a short time, they were serving delicious wine and delicacies.
Almost all of the people attending the banquet today were military generals. It was rare for them to take off their military uniforms, which made me feel very happy. Except for a few of his own brothers, the rest were all Li Yuan's subordinates. Although he was a little reluctant at first, Li Yuan took the initiative to lead Luo Erhu and Liu Jiangsheng around to greet them enthusiastically. While these generals stood up to thank them, they also spontaneously developed a good impression of their new boss. Banquets and banquets can naturally bring people closer together, and soon the banquet turned into a sea of joy, with cups and cups interlaced, filled with laughter and laughter.
"Bang!" Suddenly a wine bottle was knocked on the table. Wang Jingyao hurriedly picked it up and put it on the table, then ordered the maid to wipe away the pouring wine.
Li Yuanzheng was having a lively chat with Wu Mu Teqin. Hearing the sound, he turned his head and glanced at Wang Jingyao. It was obvious that her face was still a little nervous, so she smiled and said, "Sister Yao, please stop being busy. Come sit down and eat together for a while?"
Wang Jingyao showed a shy smile and said: "No need, how dare you spoil Li Lang's good mood? You continue to eat well, this is what we women should do, we can eat later!" Then he rushed there He went to another table, inspected it, and then asked the maid to go to the kitchen to order the food.
Seeing Wu Mu Teqin glance at Wang Jingyao mysteriously, and nod to Li Yuan, Li Yuan smiled helplessly and said: "Why, we Han women should be virtuous! Keep drinking!"
"Haha! Yu Hou is very lucky! However, my Uighur woman is also first-class! Although she is a little bigger, her hands and feet are just as diligent, and she can also ride a horse and shoot an arrow!" Ebony Teqin took the photo with pride. Beat your chest.
Li Yuan couldn't help but burst into laughter, and then said cheerfully: "It turns out that Brother Wumu is so big! If our brothers attack the Khitan in the future, how about I find you a Khitan woman?!"
Then he pretended to be mysterious and whispered: "Don't worry, my wife will definitely not know about it then!"
Wumu Teqin was stunned for a while without replying, then he finished the glass of wine with a gulp. Perhaps he was intoxicated by the wine, and then he said bitterly: "It's okay to be small..."
"Haha!" Li Yuan had long heard Luo Erhu mention that Wumu Teqin was in Tianyin Mountain, and as soon as he mentioned his wife, the seven-foot-old man showed fear on his face. It seemed that what he said was true.
Then Ebony Special Qin looked around for a while, stood up and served Li Yuanman with wine, then leaned closer and whispered: "Commander, this expedition will definitely be a big battle! But we need Tianyin Mountain——"
Li Yuan immediately raised his hand to stop, shook his head and said solemnly: "No, the training time for Tianyin Mountain's army is too short, and it may not have much effect. And now that the time has not come, you must not show up, otherwise it will attract a lot of trouble." Woe! You must follow my military orders. All sergeants must continue to train strictly and not go even half a step outside Tianyin Mountain! This time the two tigers will go out with me, and everything will be done by Brother Wumu! As for the required money and food supplies, I have ordered Mr. Xu to Everything is well arranged in the mountains.”
Wumu Teqin nodded when he heard this, and replied solemnly: "I will obey the commander's order."
"Okay, don't be so formal. Since you are here for the banquet tonight, just relax!"
At this time, Liu Jiangsheng also came over with a smile. Since he went to Beiyuan for reorganization, Li Yuan rarely met him and directly pulled him to sit next to him affectionately. Then he filled two glasses of wine neatly and said with emotion: "Jiang Sheng, you and I haven't seen each other for many days. No matter what happens tonight, I have to have a few drinks! If I don't say more, I still say that you will always be mine." My dearest brother! This time we go to the battlefield together, I hope you and my brother will make great achievements again!"
"Brother Yuan, I'm different from you. I'm not very good at saying intimate things. But Brother Yuan, no matter where you go, I, Liu Jiangsheng, will follow you forever without saying a word! Brother Yuan, I still say the same thing, I believe you." As he spoke, Liu Jiangsheng punched Li Yuan on the chest.
It wasn't that Li Yuan was sentimental, it was just that when he saw Liu Jiangsheng's sincere and honest smiling face and heard the words "Brother Yuan, I believe in you" that had never changed since he was a child, his eyes blurred.
The deep affection cannot be expressed in words. The two brothers looked at each other and smiled, clinking glasses together and drinking down the drink.
...
Late at night, all the guests had already dispersed, leaving only the afterglow of the moonlight in the courtyard.
Li Yuan sat alone in the study, drinking tea to relieve his hangover, and thinking quietly.
Through several generals of the Holy Guard Army at the banquet today, he had roughly found out the current foundation of this army, and also solved some doubts.
The leader of the Holy Guard Army, Commander-in-Chief Li Jinquan, was from Tuyuhun. He had served Li Siyuan of the Later Tang Dynasty and Shi Jingtang of the Later Jin Dynasty. Five years ago, he had no choice but to lead his army south to attach himself to the Southern Tang Dynasty. Just like how he treated those surrendered generals in the past, Emperor Li Jing was both surprised and afraid of his arrival.
First, he was appointed as the envoy of the Wei Shengtong Army, and the army he brought was organized into the right wing of the Wei Sheng Army. Finally, he was appointed the Zhongwu Army Jiedu Envoy, planning to conduct a military expedition to the north, and then let him lead the right wing to garrison. On the border Shouzhou. What is ridiculous is that the jurisdiction of the Zhongwu Army is far away in Xuzhou, the Central Plains. It is just a false title. The so-called "planning to manage the north" is just an excuse to restrict him to the border of the Southern Tang Dynasty.
Therefore, the only army under Li Jinquan's control was the right wing of the Wei Sheng Army. In fact, they were still the soldiers and horses he brought back from the north. However, the money and food supplies were allocated by the court, and people's hearts were temporarily stable. But Li Jinquan could only bite the bullet and be trapped in a corner of Shouzhou. This was also the reason why Li Yuan failed to meet his so-called "boss" after taking office.
As for the ten armies on the left side of the Wei Sheng Army, more than 20,000 people were all descendants of the Jianghuai River. They were all stationed around Jinling. They originally only obeyed the orders of Li Chengyu, the deputy commander of the Wei Sheng Army who was also in Jinling. Li Chengyu had been transferred two months ago, and the deputy commander of the army was temporarily vacant. Now Li Yuan has been appointed as the Marquis of Yu, which means that this army will only obey Li Yuan's orders from now on, and will follow Li Yuan to conquer Chu in the future.
The generals of the Holy Guard Army in Beijing who were invited to the banquet tonight are naturally the descendants of Jianghuai in the left wing. Li Yuan also saw many familiar faces, such as Chai Kewu who was transferred from the Dianzhi Army along with Liu Jiangsheng, and the former soldiers in Bei Fan Renyu, the former controller of the Crane Army whom he met on the Yuan School Ground, and many veterans who participated in the war to destroy Fujian, can be considered as a group of generals with a lot of talents.
But the most basic element of an army is soldiers. When Beiyuan reorganized the Forbidden Army, Li Yuan had seen the elite soldiers transferred from the He Controlling Army. Naturally, he also saw with his own eyes some soldiers who were undisciplined and disorganized. They were really uneven. The overall improvement of the quality of soldiers cannot be achieved in just ten and a half days.
Thinking of this, Li Yuan was happy, but also faintly worried.
