Liu Cuo said, "What! Commander Cao is here! Do you still want to rebel!"

Liu's opening remarks immediately placed Cao Xingyun on the high ground of power.

In reality, Cao Xingyun had no authority to deal with the new army, especially since Zong Ze, the pacification commissioner, was still in the military camp outside the city.

Zhang Jun immediately stood up and angrily said to Liu Cuo, "How dare you! What is your position, daring to reprimand the Emperor's new army here!"

Liu Cuo's expression immediately hardened, and he was about to retort, but he swallowed the words back.

Zhang Jun was of the same rank as Cao Xingyun, both being military commissioners, high-ranking officials in charge of a region.

No matter how outrageous Cao Xingyun was, Liu Cuo dared not openly confront Zhang Jun. If he did, the matter would escalate completely.

What? Which son of a bitch has his neck itchy since I just appointed him? Does he have a death wish?

Although Zhang Jun has not yet seized military power, he is clearly on the side of the new army.

Yue Fei brought a thousand elite troops with him to the banquet, displaying an aura of invincibility that could kill any god or Buddha in his path.

Zhang Jun had nothing to worry about anymore. Since the situation was already like this, he might as well report it to the central government afterward and let the marshal and the emperor make a decision personally.

For a moment, the atmosphere at the scene froze.

As soon as Yue Fei gave the order, the new army outside would draw their swords.

If Cao Xingyun gave the order, the Imperial Guards would inevitably besiege the New Army.

The local tycoons and gentry all turned pale and dared not utter a sound.

If the two sides were to actually draw their weapons today, Qinzhou City would be thrown into chaos even before the Jiaozhi rebels arrived.

Cao Xingyun's face remained calm, but his heart was in turmoil.

Today's banquet is, of course, meant to give the new army a taste of their power.

But unexpectedly, Yue Fei was such a strong-willed person, unwilling to show the slightest weakness.

Cao Xingyun absolutely did not want the situation to escalate to the point where the two sides actually fought, as that would be detrimental to him in every way.

Yue Fei is brave and might be captured right now, then we'll really be in a dilemma.

Cao Xingyun was unwilling, but he still gritted his teeth and angrily said to Zhu Shizhong, "Who gave you the audacity to slander your comrade! Guards! Drag Zhu Shizhong away and give him fifty lashes!"

Armored soldiers entered through the door and took Zhu Shizhong and the others away.

When he went down, Zhu Shizhong put on a very tragic appearance, as if Yue Fei and others were great villains.

Cao Xingyun angrily retorted, "Liu Cuo, you have openly offended our friendly forces. You deserve to be punished. I, the commander, will deduct three months' salary from your pay! Do you have any complaints?"

Liu Cuo quickly got up, walked over and knelt on the ground: "Commander Cao is fair in his rewards and punishments, and this humble servant is willing to accept the punishment!"

Cao Xingyun raised his wine cup again, revealing a friendly smile: "It was just a small misunderstanding. You all share the Emperor's burdens. With a formidable enemy at hand, we should unite as one. Come! Let's drink this cup again! Comrades, let's fight the enemy!"

Now that Cao Xingyun had stepped in to smooth things over, Yue Fei no longer needed to argue, and Zhang Jun also picked up his wine glass.

When the other generals of the new army saw Yue Fei pick up his wine cup, they also picked up theirs.

But this time, Yang Zaixing and the others refused to drink.

Seeing this, Cao Xingyun laughed and said, "Bring his wine cup over."

Someone took Yang Zaixing's wine glass, and Cao Xingyun drank it all in one gulp.

Without saying much, Cao Xingyun personally demonstrated that the wine was non-toxic.

Zhang Jun knew, of course, that the wine was not poisoned. No matter how bold Cao Xingyun was, he would not dare to poison the wine. Not to mention that this was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of his family, Zong Ze was still in the military camp outside the city at this time.

The new army is formidable, a fact now evident to all in the south. At least among the current Imperial Guards, there are none who dare to confront it head-on.

At most, it's like Cao Xingyun using his own territory to dampen the spirit of the new army.

After everyone drank another cup of wine, Cao Xingyun said with a smile, "Please enjoy your drinks, everyone. I am not feeling well today. I will rest for a while and then come back to drink with you all."

After saying this, he stood up and, as he walked, said to Yue Fei, "We will discuss the strategy to repel the enemy later!"

Yue Fei nodded in acknowledgment.

Next, the local tycoons and gentry came over to offer toasts.

Before coming, Zhou Chuanli had told Yue Fei and the others that today's banquet would surely be attended by wealthy gentry from all over Guangnan West Road, and that most of the New Army's provisions would be provided by these gentry, so they should drink the necessary wine.

For the past two months, Yue Fei and his men have been marching and fighting, and their meals have been very simple. Now, with all the fish, meat, and wine they've been given, they're finding it hard to keep up.

But there was no other way. Just as Zhou Chuanli said, the army still needed these people to provide food. Even if the Privy Council transported food from elsewhere, it would still take time.

The current war against Jiaozhi is not something that can be ended in just a few months.

So he really had to drink this wine to improve his relationship with this group of people.

Zhou Chuanli pulled a young man toward Yue Fei and said, "Pengju, let me introduce you. This is Ning Cuishan, the young master of the Ning family in Qinzhou."

"I have long admired the illustrious reputation of General Yue. To be able to meet him in person today is an honor beyond measure!"

"Young Master Ning is very polite."

Zhou Chuanli whispered in Yue Fei's ear, "The Ning family is a well-known and prestigious family in Qinzhou City. They are willing to give their full support to the imperial army!"

He patted Yue Fei on the shoulder, implying that Yue Fei should drink it well.

Then Ning Cuishan kept toasting Yue Fei. Several of Yue Fei's generals tried to stop him, but they couldn't. Ning Cuishan was a heavy drinker.

Others also kept toasting Yue Fei.

During the meal, Yue Fei left his seat and found a place to vomit.

He, Yue Fei, was invincible on the battlefield, but at the dinner table, he really couldn't hold his own.

"How are you feeling, Yue Shangguan? It would be better if you vomited it all out."

Ning Cuishan's voice came from behind.

Yue Fei shook his head helplessly, indicating that he really couldn't handle this situation.

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