After drinking a glass of wine, Qin Mubai also felt a little burning, but he immediately filled up another glass of wine, stood up, walked to Li Ji, and said, "Uncle Li, I would also like to toast you a glass."
"Okay. But I don't have the capacity of your Uncle Cheng. Let's just have a quick drink." Li Ji raised his glass with a smile and took a casual sip. Qin Mubai raised his neck and drank it all. , his face also turned red, and he said: "Uncle, you can do whatever you want, but I, the junior, have to do it first out of respect."
"Good man! Second Brother Qin, your Sanlang is a good man!" Li Ji stroked his slender beard, looked at Qin Mubai with a smile, and nodded in approval.
"You two brothers are laughing at your useless dog." Qin Shubao laughed happily and raised his glass, "Brothers, I respect you again, let's do it!"
The three old friends of Wagang, who had known each other for decades, laughed loudly and drank a glass.
Cheng Zhijie became a little confused after drinking two large glasses of wine in a row. He shook his head, his face was as red as a monkey's butt, and his eyes were a little straight.
"What the hell kind of wine is this...it only took two glasses and it knocked me out!"
This made everyone laugh again. The atmosphere at the table became relaxed, casual and intensely joyful.
After three rounds of drinking, everyone, including Qin Mubai, was a little tipsy. It was obvious that Qin Shubao, Cheng Zhijie, and Li Ji had an unusual friendship. The three of them had gotten acquainted twenty or thirty years ago. They have been fighting side by side and sharing life and death together since they were in Gangzhai. Their friendship is extraordinary.
Especially Cheng Zhijie, he was like a brother to Qin Shubao. The two of them once left Wagang to live with Wang Shichong. At the same time, they joined Li Shimin and became the fierce generals of the Xuanjia Cavalry, the strongest force under Li Shimin's command. They fought side by side in blood for more than ten years. Li Shimin After succeeding to the throne after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, the two men respectively served as the left and right Longwuwei generals, responsible for commanding the imperial guards to suppress the capital.
It can be said that the two have been sharing life and death together since they were teenagers, and their relationship is even better than that of biological brothers.
"How come two good brothers, who have been serving as officers and soldiers abroad all year round, meet up to come back to Chang'an together and still have time to see me, an old loser?" Qin Shubao asked them after the wine was half drunk.
Cheng Zhijie took the words and said: "Second brother, you don't know yet? Last year, Li Jing and others led the troops to pacify Tuyuhun and won a great victory. Not long ago, Master Wang returned to the court. As the New Year was about to come, the emperor issued an order We held a banquet in the palace to celebrate the success of Li Jing and others, and brought back all of us generals who were serving as officials abroad!"
"Oh, that's right." Qin Shubao nodded calmly, but his eyes suddenly dimmed a bit.
Even the generals who were sent away were called back, but no one came to invite me, Qin Qiong!
Li Ji seemed to have noticed Qin Shubao's emotional fluctuations, and smiled slightly: "Second brother, actually, I am here today, firstly to visit my second brother and reminisce about old times, and secondly to invite you to a banquet with me. Emperor. Your Majesty said that if this grand event was without Brother Qin, it would lose a lot of flavor. Because no one can forget that Brother Qin was the most powerful general in the Palace of Qin back then, and the famous iron-blooded God of War in the Tang Dynasty! "
"Haha, Mr. Mao, you have become more and more talkative in the past few years since you became an official!" Qin Shubao laughed loudly and said, "Well, Brother Yu, thank you very much. Come, let's have another drink. !”
When Qin Mubai heard this conversation, he couldn't help but think: Cheng Zhijie is outspoken and outspoken, while Li Maogong is careful and tactful... In official circles, it is often the tactful people who get along well.
Li Ji is now the governor of Bingzhou, in charge of almost all the military power in Shandong of the Tang Dynasty (not the current "Shandong Province", but the vast area east of Mount Wei), and almost a quarter of the army in the Tang Dynasty. Holding it in his hand, it can be said to be a pillar of the entire dynasty, supporting half of the country in the east and north, and suppressing all the Yi and Di tribes in the north from tampering with it.
In contrast, Cheng Zhijie was just an ordinary distant governor, although he was named General Zuowuwei.