Late Tang

The sky is getting dark and night is coming.

The lights on the Wuhu Fort are lit up, the smoke is curling up, and the voices of the people are squealing, just like usual.In the hall of the town general's mansion, several tallow candles were lit early, making the whole hall illuminate like daylight.A banquet was being held in the bright hall. After Wuhu Island was under full control, Li Jing personally sent people to invite all merchants on the island to the banquet.The small merchants participated in the open-air banquet outside, while the shopkeeper representatives of the big caravans with status and background entered the hall to have the banquet.

The banquets are very rich, and there are many excellent cooks in the logistics of the army. Not only can they cook a large pot of dishes, but they can also cook a lot of delicious banquet delicacies.However, there is no merchant who can eat all the delicious food at the moment.They all sat there silently, motionless.If it weren't for the attitude of the soldiers who went to invite them to be too 'enthusiastic', they would have been unwilling to come to this banquet.

When Li Jing and the generals came in, those merchants stood up quickly, but they didn't know how to greet them.After a long time, these people didn't say a word. Li Jing smiled slightly, pressed his hands on them, and signaled everyone to sit down.

The reconnaissance school lieutenant Li Wei broke in, strode to Li Jing's seat, and said loudly without any disguise: "Our army has completely controlled the Wuhu Islands, and all the five main islands are under the control of soldiers and horses. All the soldiers and horses have surrendered, and the people and merchants have obeyed." He had just returned from the interrogation room, with his sleeves rolled up in the cold weather, his hand on the horizontal knife, his face full of ferociousness, and the merchants who were watching Heartbroken.

"Any news about the fleet?"

"I have sent my brother to the north on a speedboat, and it will not be long before there will be news. General, according to your instructions, our ships have been hidden. On the surface, everything is as usual on the five islands, and our wharves have ambushed our ships. The crossbowmen, the throwing cannons and the ballista are also in place."

Li Jing asked someone to pour him a glass of wine, and the bloody red wine was poured into the crystal clear luminous glass collected by the former owner of Wuhu Castle.Since Shamen Town brewed Wuliangye, a distilled liquor, all the generals on the island fell in love with this spirit.However, Li Jing likes Datang's fermented wine a little bit. The alcohol content is not high, but the taste is very good.Especially during the war, he has to stay sober and can't drink strong alcohol. Drinking some wine is a good choice.

After the wine was served, a team of soldiers from the logistics capital brought a famous sea dish, dried carp with cod.

This is a famous dish left over from the Sui Dynasty. It is said that it was invented on sea ships. The codfish is used as carp, the skin and bones are removed, the lean meat is taken, cut into strands, dried in the sun for three or four days, and packed in a new white porcelain bottle without water. It is filled with mud and sealed, and it is still the same as fresh fish after fifty or sixty days.When you want to eat, take out the dried carp and wrap it in a cloth, put water in the urn, soak it for three quarters, drain the water with the cloth, put it on a plate, spread it with finely chopped fragrant leaves, mix it thoroughly and eat it, it tastes like freshly caught fish.

This dish is famous all over the world. In the past, at any banquet, if the host presented this dish to the guests, the guests would praise it.But today, even though such delicacies are in front of him, they can't attract anyone's attention at all.Those merchants had no appetite, and the generals in Shamen Town also had no appetite.

Lin Wu, Wang Zhong and other Salmon Town officers were all sipping honey water. Li Jing had ordered before the banquet that all officers and soldiers were not allowed to drink alcohol and must remain sufficiently alert.Honey water replaced fine wine, and they drank cup after cup with nervous brows.Those merchant representatives were even more straightforward, all of them sat in a dignified manner, and no one even took a sip of wine.

Li Jing didn't seem to see everyone's reaction, and was very happy to taste the famous dish of Tang Dynasty.He has eaten this dish no less than ten times, but he is still not tired of eating it. Every time he entertains guests, he must appoint the chef in the logistics center to serve this dish.

The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat depressing. Among the business representatives, a young master who was not yet an adult couldn't stand the tense atmosphere and cried softly.Li Jing asked someone to send a large glass of Wuliangye to the thin and elegant boy with a little fluff on his face, and asked him to drink it all in one gulp, passed out drunk and sent someone to send it back.

"Tears," he said to the merchants in the hall with a smile after the woman was taken away, "as people often say, they are women's weapons. Crying is just a woman's performance. Men bleed, sweat and not cry , swords belong to men, don't they?"

"A man has to be a man, and he can't bear this kind of little guy who looks like a child molester. Inviting him to drink is not to cut his throat, cry and cry, which is annoying and spoils the atmosphere. "Wang Zhong said a little irritably, there was no news from Zhendonghai for a long time, which made him a little worried.If Zhen Donghai was defeated by Feng Ming and the others, it would be a big trouble. "Isn't it just to let you spend some military expenses? It's not that you want to rob your wives and children. Why do you pick and choose? If you don't want to give it, do you want to keep it for Feng Zhang? General, let me see, just send someone to copy it." Counting all the warehouses on the island, they are really a bunch of thieves, toasting and not drinking."

Li Jing was only drinking the wonderful wine, it seemed that she didn't hear Wang Zhong's threatening words at all.The effect of these words is huge. The merchants who have been reluctant to express their views just now, and have been reluctant to hand over their military expenses, immediately turned pale with fright.They already knew the identities of this group of soldiers who suddenly captured Wuhu Island. They were also under the command of Daxie Village, and they were also the only Salmon Town Army in Daxie Village who did not obey Feng Zhang's command.

I heard that Xiaowei Wu and Feng Liulang led the fleet to leave before they planned to beat Li Jing, but they didn't expect that their old nest would be taken care of now.Listening to some of the meaning revealed in their words, it seems that the Shamen Town Army has still set up some kind of trap in the north, waiting for Captain Wu and the others.

It's really hard to imagine that Daxie Village is actually fighting with himself, this is going to be chaotic.The merchants were well-informed, and they all knew that there were people behind Li Jing. Feng Zhang's backer was Wang Jinwu, the tooth general of Qingzhou, but this Li Jing also had a lot of background, he was the backer of Jiedushi and Cui's family.It's unclear what the end result will be.But they knew that if Li Jing really wanted to attack them, it would not be impossible to rob them of their goods.Those who dare to raise troops to go to war, what else are they afraid to do?

Immediately, several wise old men immediately opened their mouths and expressed their willingness to spend a lot of money and food to serve the army.

"Ten percent, we only need ten percent of the money and food equivalent to the goods." Lin Wu said lightly from the side, "Actually, you don't have to feel sorry, if it wasn't for the general who tried his best to control the soldiers under his command, how could you not suffer any losses in the battle? If our soldiers hadn’t worked hard to maintain order and executed some rogues who wanted to take the opportunity to rob and make trouble, maybe your goods would have been gone long ago.”

Although a group of businessmen had been overwhelmed in their hearts, they still played their true colors as businessmen and began to bargain.Li Jing ignored this and let them discuss with several officials accompanying the army.

"Come on, if it weren't for us to restrain our subordinates, let alone your goods, even your wives and daughters would have been dragged and raped by those passionate and excited soldiers. After the battle, no matter how disciplined the army is. You are on the verge of breaking out at any time. You are just paying some money and food to comfort the soldiers, and you have many excuses, and you are really a profiteer." Wang Zhong listened impatiently to these people's increasingly shameful bargaining, and Shamen Township The military personnel accompanying the army are not their opponents at all.Let them go on talking, it is estimated that this [-]% will be said to be half in the end.

There was a rush of footsteps, and Li Wei went back and forth, "General, great victory!"

"But the news from the front line, tell me quickly." Li Jing stood up all of a sudden, saying that he was not nervous, that was just what he deliberately showed in front of everyone.In fact, this battle has a lot to do with it, but he has bet all his wealth on it, and he cares more about the result than anyone else.

"Good news, great news. Tieshan urgently reported that our army successfully lured the Daxiezhai fleet into the ambush at Tieshan Port, and lured Feng Ming and the pirates into the shortlist with more than a dozen ships. The first use of Shenhuo, the power is amazing, It sank eleven warships including Feng Ming's warship at one time, including a fighting ship. Afterwards, the enemy fleet fled, and another ambush of our army divided into two fleets to encircle the left and right sides. The exit was blocked, and many warships were sunk and captured. In the end, only eleven warships escaped from Daxie village. At present, the fleeing ships are heading towards us."

Li Jing was overjoyed, "Let's go to the pier."

Seeing Li Jing and other generals leaving, the merchants were terrified.They were all shocked by the news. When Feng Ming and Wu Qian set off, there were a total of fifty warships, especially among them were one building ship, two fighting ships, ten sea falcons, and eight warships. , Such a luxurious fleet was ambushed by Li Jing and only eleven ships were left to return?Even the building boats and fighting ships are gone?

"Zhang Dianshi, the old man has decided to use [-]% of all the goods on our island to serve the army."

"Me too, me too, and I am willing to contribute [-]% of the labor force."

"I'll have someone prepare it right away"

The merchants who were still bargaining immediately changed their tone, one by one scrambling to surround several officials, shouting loudly for the laborers who voluntarily took out 5000% of the goods.The head of a businessman's guard sneaked into the hall somehow, and shouted loudly: "Feng Liulang is back. Fifty ships with 1000 people went out to sea, and only eight ships came back with less than [-] people. My lord, Feng Liulang and him The people on this island don't know anything about this island yet. They were arrested as soon as they disembarked. All the people were captured, and only the remaining eight boats were taken. I heard that Captain Wu Qian died in battle. In Liaohai, only a few officers came back with Feng Liulang, but now they are all prisoners and are being escorted back to the castle."

This news stunned all the merchants in the hall. They might have doubted Wang Zhong's words just now, but now, they finally believe that not only did Li Jing take Wuhu Island, but he will also seal the squadron he sent. The whole army is gone.

This, Daxie village is really about to change.

Outside the hall of the town general's mansion, bursts of high cheers suddenly sounded. It was the Salmonella town army celebrating this great victory!

(To be continued)