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Chapter 103 Entering the City for a Banquet

  Chapter 103 Entering the City for a Banquet

  Tian Shizhong coughed a few times before responding, "The great young master has arrived, and Tian should have gone out of the city to welcome him from afar. However, recently the frontline battles have been frequent, and the Jin army's scouts have been causing trouble, so Tian had no choice but to be cautious."

  "Oh, so it seems that General Tian has indeed been loyal and dedicated to his duties." Yue Yun's mouth curled up slightly at the corners, with a hint of mockery in her smile.

  Tian Shi Zhong said with a respectful face: "When Tian Mou first came to this place for work, it's better to be more careful!"

  "General Tian has done his duty so well that I, the commander-in-chief, am deeply impressed. When I return, I will certainly report to our superior and record a merit for General Tian." At this time, Yue Yun said calmly: "Now please ask General Tian to open the city gate and let me enter the city to visit my old comrades-in-arms from the former army."

  Tian Shizhong chuckled and said in a drawn-out tone, "Well, isn't this inconvenient? It so happens that the officers of the vanguard have all been arranged to be stationed at the four Wei cities. If the young master wants to see them, please go to the Wei city."

  "Oh, I see." Yue Yun's expression was one of surprise, but he immediately said nonchalantly: "It seems that it's really not convenient, however, since the sky is still early, Yue has heard that General Tian's sons are all brave warriors in the vanguard of the army, and Yue has long wanted to make their acquaintance. General Tian, please open the city gate! Let this commander also treat your brave soldiers!"

  At this time, the personal soldiers behind Yue Yun carried five large red boxes and appeared in front of Tian Shi.

  Tian Shizhong was taken aback by this, it was beyond his expectation. He had originally thought that after Yue Yun heard about the people of the vanguard in Weicheng, he would go to one of the four Weichengs. But he didn't expect him to actually suggest rewarding his own troops.

  However, the request made by Yue Yun is reasonable. As the son of a marshal, he has arrived here and wants to reward his troops as the governor of Xiangyang, which is also normal.

  When he was under Zhang Jun, Zhang Li, the son of Zhang Jun, often inspected and entertained various armies to get close to the relationship between the generals and soldiers. If you insist on not letting him in, you really can't find any reason to refuse. But if you let these hundreds of people in like this, you will worry that he is unfavorable to yourself.

  Yue Yun saw him hesitating, and smiled as he said: "The commander also knows that the army entering the city will cause a lot of disturbance to the people, so I'll only bring a few box-carrying guards with me, and won't cause more trouble for General Tian. I still need to go visit my old brothers in the four garrison cities later."

  Tian Shizhong's tense expression relaxed as soon as he heard this. If only a few people came in, it wouldn't be too worrisome. Moreover, if he insisted on not letting Yue Yun enter the city, he would surely become suspicious. Although there were only a few hundred men by his side, who knew how many more were behind him? The Beiyuan army led by Yue Yun was also the most elite unit in the Yue family army, and it was not something that ordinary soldiers could match.

  Moreover, looking at the trunk, it seems to be quite heavy, and I don't know what kind of valuable items are inside.

  The generals beside Tian Shicong were also thinking that the box shouldn't be filled with silver or gold, right? Anyway, Yue Yun only brought a few guards carrying boxes in, even if there was some conspiracy, couldn't his three thousand men take them down?

  Yang Boson asked in a low voice: "Governor Tian, will you let Yue Yun come in?"

  Tian Shizhong glanced at the officers beside him, seeing that they all had expectant and slightly greedy eyes. He couldn't help but let out a slight sigh, then turned to face the city below and said: "Since the young master has such a gracious intention, how could Tian dare not comply?"

  Having said that, he turned to the officer beside him and said, "Open the city gate and let the young master and his party in!"

  The officer guarding the east gate went down with a delighted face and opened the city gate.

  Tian Shizhong straightened his collar and walked towards the city wall. He also gave Yang Bosen a wink, and Yang Bosen understood, immediately waving his hand to signal a group of trusted military officers to surround Tian Shizhong with utmost vigilance as they walked to the city gate to welcome him.

  He was afraid that if he went forward alone to pay his respects, Yue Yun would give him a cold shot and it would be all over. After all, Yue Yun's bravery in the Yue family army was renowned, known as "Winning Officer", and crowned with the title of "Bravest of All". It seemed that he had never lost a battle, and they were all hard-won victories of fierce fighting.

  Surrounded by his trusted officers, he walked to the city gate and made a bow with his fists to Yue Yun, who was riding his horse into the city: "The great young master has arrived, Tian Mou has failed to welcome you from afar, please forgive me!"

  Yue Yun approached within four or five paces of the enemy lines, then reined in his horse, dismounted and laughed, saying: "I, Yue, have come suddenly, General Tian's preparations are not yet complete, it is unavoidable."

  Yue Yun seems to be in high spirits today, with a bright and sunny smile on his face. He is wearing a suit of shining armor, with a flowing white silk cloak billowing behind him in the wind. On his head is a purple-gold helmet, making him look exceptionally handsome. His expression is one of leisurely elegance, as if he has come out for a stroll.

  Yue Yun bowed to Tian Shi Zhong and then turned to the ten soldiers following behind him, carrying five large red trunks: "Take all the trunks to the Governor's Mansion! I want to treat Tian's subordinates well!"

  Tian Shizhong immediately scolded a military officer beside him: "Hurry back to the governor's mansion! Tell the chef to prepare a fine wine and dinner for the young master! Also, tell the army's quartermaster to quickly prepare large fish and meat to entertain the brave warriors under the young master!"

  The officer received the order and immediately galloped towards the Governor's Mansion in Xiangyang City.

  Tian Shizhong was now walking at the very front, leading the way for Yue Yun and his party. Behind him and Yue Yun were the ten soldiers carrying boxes, followed by a large group of Tian Shizhong's trusted officers and soldiers. The more than three hundred Wei army officers and men who had come with Yue Yun only took a slight step forward, but did not enter the city, instead watching coldly as the city gate closed.

  Xiangyang, although located in the fertile land of Jing and Xiang, with thousands of miles of fields and abundant grain production. However, since the Jin army marched south, there have been continuous battles between Song and Jin. The scenery of this place is no longer like the fish and rice village 20 years ago.

  Moreover, at the beginning of this year, Jin troops invaded south and once reached Dengzhou, just a few dozen miles north of Xiangyang. Many local residents fled in panic until Yue Fei led his main force from Ezhou to garrison there, stabilizing the situation. However, many farming households missed the best time for planting, resulting in this year's grain yield being much lower than before.

  Yue Fei decided to make Xiangyang the base for the northern expedition against the Jin people, knowing that the soldiers in the army loved wine, so he strictly forbade drinking. Tian Shizhong had just arrived and didn't dare let Yue Fei grasp his handle, so he enforced the ban on wine more severely than several surrounding states. The soldiers under his command had been craving for a long time, seeing the governor-general finally showing mercy, they were overjoyed. Anyway, with Young Master Yue in front taking the lead, he also drank wine, wouldn't General Yue punish his own son?

  Tian Shizhong was now sitting in the banquet hall next to his own residence, having a drink with Yue Yun. However, although the huge stone hanging over his heart had finally fallen, he was still outwardly calm but inwardly tense, speaking much but drinking little, his small eyes gleaming with sharp light as he watched Yue Yun's every move, fearing that he would suddenly erupt in anger.

  Yue Yun, however, seemed completely unbothered, raising his wine cup and drinking with abandon, appearing utterly carefree.

  After the third round of wine, Yue Yunfang raised his cup loudly and said: "This cup is to toast General Tian and all the new generals who have arrived at our camp! With everyone's concerted effort, our camp can kill the Jurchen people like falling flowers and flowing water on the front line, and their corpses will pile up into a river!"

  The officers in the hall burst into laughter, and they also raised their cups to celebrate, the sound shaking the roof tiles almost upside down.

  Tian Shizhong, however, raised his wine cup and smiled: "Young Master, at present we are also under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Guard's rear camp. We're all family now, so Tian is truly humbled by this cup of wine!"

  Yue Yun burst out laughing, downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, and then said with a hint of intoxication: "General Tian, Yue here treats you like an old friend. I originally wanted to bring another five boxes of silver to reward the old brothers in the vanguard army myself. But time is pressing, and our commander has to go to Suizhou to rush for grain supplies. Let's just transport them together to your place, and you can distribute them as needed! However, General Tian must give Yue a reassurance - when can the Xiangyang grain be transported?"

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