Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 612
"Leadership in the middle, leader in the middle!"

Hearing someone talking behind him, Wang Wenzuo turned his head, and was surprised to find that the person calling him was a handsome boy of fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing a bright yellow round-neck short robe, with a purple goldfish hanging from a silver belt around his waist, but he was the sixth son of the Son of Heaven. Empress Wu's second son, Pei Wang Li Xian.I saw the other party smiled at me with some embarrassment, and said: "Wang Zhongling, you are the elder brother Youwei who led the Zhonglang General. General, commanding the internal soldiers, also known as the leader of the army, so I call you the leader of the army, right?"

Wang Wenzuo laughed at Li Xian's bookish words: "It's okay, His Royal Highness Pei can call me whatever he wants. However, what I command is the soldiers of the Eastern Palace, not the soldiers of the Son of Heaven, so call me the leader of the army." Some words are not true. His Royal Highness usually calls me Sanlang, and some people call me Wenzuo!"

"That's true! Then I'll call you Sanlang too!" Li Xian smiled after thinking for a while, "That sounds closer! By the way, I once heard from my elder brother that you have never lost a single battle since you led the army." ,real or fake!"

"Don't dare to be His Highness the crown prince!" Wang Wenzuo laughed and said, "It's just a fluke!"

"Lucky?" Li Xian showed a sly smile: "Then why are others not so lucky? That year you led your brother's polo team to defeat the Forbidden Army at the North Gate, and I was also in the stands, so don't try to lie to me!"

"How dare you!" Wang Wenzuo hurriedly argued: "The difference between polo and fighting in battle is more than a matter of miles? If you treat polo hunting as a battle, you will probably suffer a big loss!"

"That's true!" Li Xian showed a dignified expression: "At the beginning, Guo Daifeng took these two things as real and fought the war, always boasting, but as soon as he went into battle, he lost in a mess and killed so many people!"

"Guo Daifeng? He is good at polo and hunting?" Wang Wenzuo was taken aback for a moment, and then he remembered that this was not after he cheated Xue Rengui's famous general?

"Yeah!" Li Xian nodded, and his expression became dark: "Not only is he polo hunting, but his calligraphy and poetry are also very good, so he was very famous in Chang'an, and his father and mother also admired him." I value him very much and regard him as a thousand-mile steed. The last time I appointed him as Xue Rengui's lieutenant general was to let him practice and practice, but I didn't expect—"

"Hey!" Wang Wenzuo sighed. He could understand Li Zhi's mentality at that time. Although both civil and military skills should not be neglected, military talents, especially commanders who can command large armies, are much rarer than Zaifu's talents. It will take ten years for Zaifu to destroy the country, but only one afternoon for the commander-in-chief to destroy the country.More importantly, it is difficult to establish trust between the monarch and the commander, so the best situation is that the monarch can select the commander from relatives, court playmates, domestic slaves or other small circles, and the most ideal is Han Wudi She married a beautiful woman from a humble background, and she received two gifted generals as a gift.After Li Zhi ascended the throne for more than ten years, he found that the group of famous generals left by his father was gradually withering, so he naturally wanted to find a successor in the small circle, so he chose Guo Daifeng.

The sound of singing and dancing brought Wang Wenzuo's thoughts back from the unpleasant memories. He picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and the maid at the side immediately filled it up.The moon has not yet fully risen, and the tables in front of us are already filled with various delicacies, and the aroma of fine wine and women's makeup has been scattered and elegant. The guests are exchanging glasses and talking cordially under the light. A night full of singing and splendor, representing the future of the empire, showing the wealth and power of the Tang Dynasty, just like a blooming peony.

From the perspective of territory, there has never been such a vast empire on earth. Thanks to Wang Wenzuo, the eastern territory of Datang has included the Korean Peninsula, the Japanese Islands, the Ryukyu Islands, and a large area of ​​Liaodong. Along the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan, the Qiandao Islands, Heilongjiang, Songhua River and other big rivers, go upstream to search for gems, gold, pearls and high-quality fur. There are already seasonal settlements at the mouths of these rivers, and there are abundant fish that migrate. Humans, trade with the natives along the rivers, and fertile lands all attracted immigrants.

In the western border of the Tang Dynasty, although the failure of Dafeichuan prevented the Tang army from controlling the surrounding areas of Qinghai Lake, the two guards of Anxi and Beiting still controlled the vast land in the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, as well as the roads leading to Central Asia and Qinhai. By observing the trade routes on the grassland, the empire can not only obtain rich economic returns, but also obtain a large number of servants to enhance its military strength.In fact, most people at that time did not regard the failure of Dafeichuan as the apex of the expansion of the Tang Dynasty. They generally believed that this was just a trough of the expansion wave of the Tang Dynasty. It will not be long before the Tang army will make a comeback.

And the people in this room are just a handful of people at the top of this glorious power pyramid. Wang Wenzuo couldn't help but feel a little dazed. Can rule billions of people in such a vast land.

"Master!" Sancho whispered in his ear: "Duke Zhou is here, he will come in right away!"

"Duke Zhou? He's here?" Wang Wenzuo frowned subconsciously and looked towards the door. Although it was completely dark outside, countless candles and oil lamps still illuminated the hall like daylight.The guests who had already arrived were arranged in their respective seats. After the male guests and ladies who were entering the door announced their registration and official positions in the loud voice of the Yang family's housekeeper, they were led by the gorgeously dressed maids through the spacious front hall to the in front of your seat.The hatchback is full of musicians, including drummer, qin player, pipa player, flute and Xiao.

"Zuo Sanqi's regular servant, Hongwenguan's bachelor, Zhou Guogong, the prince's guest, and the school secretary's permanent resident Jianwu (He Lanmin's permanent resident) are here!"

The loud voice of the head of the Yang family echoed under the dome of the hall.

"Mr. Wu is very handsome tonight!" A middle-aged lady not far away covered her mouth and exclaimed. The girl next to her blushed and stared at Wu Minzhi standing at the entrance of the hall for a moment. Face.He was wearing a purple tight-fitting short robe and a Shu brocade cloak with the background pattern of riding and shooting deer hunting. The jade crown was elegantly worn on the slightly curly hair, and the slightly pale face was even more morbidly beautiful.Even Wang Wenzuo had to admit that this man was handsome and impeccably dressed, not to mention the women in the hall, countless eyes were focused on his face, as if there was a magnet on it.

"Cousin Helan is always so handsome! If only I were so handsome!" Li Xian sighed.

Wang Wenzuo couldn't help laughing when he heard this. He turned his head to comfort the half-grown child, but found that the future princess was also staring at Wu Minzhi, his eyes clearly full of longing and love.

"Damn it, doesn't this guy know what the occasion is tonight? Even His Royal Highness wants to steal the limelight!" Wang Wenzuo muttered in his stomach. The wine offered by the house is genuine.

Wu Minzhi was sitting on the right hand side of Prince Li Hong, next to another official from Shangshu Province, and six or seven seats away from the Crown Princess.

"The person who arranged the position in the Yang family is not so stupid as to be hopeless!" Wang Wenzuo thought to himself, and he took a sip of wine: "Otherwise, if something ugly happens, it will be too late for you all to cry!"

Wu Minzhi may be the latest important guest to come. After he sat down firmly, the host of the dinner stood up. He raised his glass to thank all the guests for coming, and then wished His Highness the Crown Prince good health and the two His Majesties a happy birthday Long and long, the world is peaceful.After the prayers were finished, he drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.The whole hall raised the wine glass and shouted in response, and then he announced the official start of the banquet. Like others, Wang Wenzuo drank the wine in the glass, and the others hurriedly filled it up.

At this time, the maidservants brought mutton and mustard cakes in a water basin, which was a common dish in the upper class of Chang'an at that time, and the chef of the Yang family sprinkled a lot of pepper and onions in it.Wang Wenzuo had been busy all afternoon, and just now he only drank and didn't eat anything, so he broke open the mustache and ate the mutton soup. a feeling of.

"Do you like this dish very much?" Li Xian on the side didn't do much, he asked the maid to remove the mutton from the basin on his table almost intact, and looked curiously at Wang Wenzuo who was eating vigorously.

"I'm hungry, everything is delicious!" Wang Wenzuo took out a small comb from his sleeve and stroked his beard full of cake crumbs: "Of course, Yang's mutton soup is also very good!"

"Then have you ever been hungry?" Li Xian asked curiously, his eyes shining brightly.

"Well, needless to say when I was in my hometown, I was starved when I went to attack Baekje!" Wang Wenzuo sighed: "At that time we were surrounded by Baekje rebels in the city, food was scarce, and a mouse had to be sold Dozens of meat are good!"

"Ah? Then you have eaten mice?" Li Xian covered his mouth, his eyes were disgusted and curious.

"I didn't, because I broke out at the time and robbed a lot of Baekje people's food, but I saw others eat it!" Wang Wenzuo shook his head with a smile: "Later, when I was promoted to an official position, I never suffered from it again." hungry!"

"I read the letter left by Emperor Wen, which said that grandpa didn't remove his armor for eight days and nights during the Battle of Queshu Valley, and the gaps in the nail leaves were full of fleas!" Li Xian sighed: "Have you had this experience too?"

"How dare I compare with the late emperor!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "However, leading troops to fight and marching in armor, there are too many fleas on their bodies, and this is not a hardship!"

Li Xian nodded, his eyes were full of yearning, Wang Wenzuo smiled, this young man in the royal family is even more ignorant of world affairs than his elder brother, but this kind of innocence is really enviable!

At this time, there was a burst of crisp laughter from the opposite side of the seat. Wang Wenzuo raised his head and saw that Wu Minzhi's seat was surrounded by women not far away, to be precise, surrounded by all kinds of beautiful women, including married Women, there are also unmarried girls, and even widowed women, all of them have sweet smiles, and their eyes are full of enthusiasm, as if Wu Minzhi is their sun, and they are the moon and stars.

"Fortunately, our future princess is still in her position! Otherwise, the host of the banquet will lose all face!" Wang Wenzuo looked at the face of Siwei Shaoqing and Yang Sijian, obviously a bit ugly, but due to the identity of the host I can't say anything, I can only let it go, pretend I didn't see anything, and say something to His Royal Highness.Although his daughter stayed where she was, Wang Wenzuo could notice the woman's inadvertent gaze towards Wu Minzhi.

"It seems that the daughter-in-law of His Royal Highness will not be a fuel-efficient lamp in the future!" Wang Wenzuo sighed secretly.

A woman sitting at the end of Yang Sijian's sixth table on the left attracted his attention... She seemed to be the wife of a certain owner's family. She had a big belly after pregnancy, but it didn't affect the innate delicacy and love for her. The enjoyment of food and laughter.Wang Wenzuo watched her husband feed her, and they shared a wine glass, casually making each other intimate.Every time they kiss, the husband's hand will be gently placed on the wife's belly, thinking of comfort and protection.

"I hope His Royal Highness can do the same after marriage!" Wang Wenzuo sighed, and he drank the wine in his glass again. At this time, a new dish was served——a roast lamb, stuffed with mushrooms. , pine nuts, and eggs, Wang Wenzuo cut off a piece and stuffed it into his mouth. The delicious soup immediately overflowed from the corner of his mouth.

The sound of the music sounded from the corridor behind, and the plectrum of the lute played across the strings. The hall was filled with sweet rhythms. People put down the tableware in their hands, stopped talking, and listened to the beautiful melody. When the music ended, they cheered enthusiastically. Voice.

The second piece is the familiar melody, "The Music of the King of Qin Breaking the Array". The sound of the music ignited the fire in many people's chests.Wang Wenzuo didn't pay much attention to it, and ate steamed glutinous rice sprinkled with date paste, bean paste and honey.

Next, the dishes were served faster and faster, and the performances became more and more diverse. Wang Wenzuo ate and drank.When the music died down, three monkeys danced to the flute of a Western juggler while the guests ate stewed trout.Two jugglers, one on stilts, fought each other with knives and guns during the banquet, and the guests tasted roast pheasant and venison pancakes.The six dwarves either somersaulted or walked out upside down, while stepping on the plate with one foot to maintain balance, and together forming the Great Pyramid.Accompanying the show were chunks of lamb braised with arrowroot cakes and onions garnished with plenty of raisins and nuts, and freshly baked fish patties, scalding hot to the touch.

Finally, there was a show that interested Wang Wenzuo. A Hu monk who claimed to have mastered the power of fire walked into the hall. He manipulated two giant fire beasts, making the two shield-bearing warriors who accompanied him in the show miserable, and the maids served them. Bowls of soup, including wolfberry beef soup and lotus seed tremella soup.Then two sword-swallowing artists entered the hall and performed separately.A certain juggler twirled three long swords and three axes at the same time, and the blood sausage skewered on the spit sizzled on the table.The aroma was so enticing that Wang Wenzuo patted his stomach, but in the end he had to ask the maid to remove it.

(End of this chapter)