Vast ocean.

As night fell, tens of thousands of Han soldiers lit bonfires along the southern shore of the lake.

The flames, stretching for nearly thirty miles, formed a continuous line, illuminating the night sky with extraordinary brilliance and color in their reflection on the lake.

The soldiers sat around the campfire, holding wine jars in their left hands and lamb legs or grilled fish in their right, drinking and feasting to their hearts' content.

Beside a bonfire in the center, Liu Hong sat on the ground, holding a wine cup in his hand, and kept raising his cup to drink with the young generals beside him, such as Lü Bu, Huang Zhong, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian.

After a few drinks, Liu Hong's cheeks were flushed red in the light of the campfire.

Since ascending the throne, Liu Hong has rarely drunk alcohol; even at the New Year's Eve banquet, he only takes a small sip.

But tonight, sitting by the vast lake, he felt more relaxed and carefree than ever before, and he no longer hesitated to drink.

Liu Hong picked up his wine cup and looked around. He immediately spotted Cao Cao, who was busy grilling fish by the campfire.

"Come, come, Mengde, stop busying yourself there and come drink!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I'll be done in a minute!"

Upon hearing Liu Hong's greeting, Cao Cao wiped the sweat from his brow and flipped the grilled fish over the fire a few times.

Smelling the enticing aroma, Cao Cao smiled with delight, then carried the grilled fish to Liu Hong.

"Your Majesty, this was roasted by me personally. Please try it; it's delicious!"

"Hmm, not bad, it smells delicious! Mengde, you've put in a lot of effort, I must have a good taste!"

Upon hearing Cao Cao's words, Liu Hong smiled broadly, then took the grilled fish, lowered his head, and took a bite.

"Mmm~, not bad, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, very delicious!!"

After taking a bite of the fish, Liu Hong couldn't help but praise it repeatedly.

"Hehe, Your Majesty, this fish was caught by me personally in the lake, and I chose the fattest one!"

Upon hearing the emperor's praise, Cao Cao chuckled and looked at Liu Hong with a smug expression.

"That's not right, Mengde. I remember when we were fishing, only Wentai, Fengxian, and Hansheng went into the water. You seemed to have stayed on the shore the whole time."

Just as Cao Cao was eagerly awaiting the emperor's praise, Liu Bei, who was not far away, said with a wicked smile.

“Exactly, I don’t know who was it that said on the shore that they were afraid of water, that they were too weak to go down…!” Sun Jian chimed in.

Xi Zhicai also said with a smile, "However, although Mengde is afraid of water, he has very sharp eyes. As soon as the fish came ashore, he snatched the fattest one!"

"you……"

Upon hearing the sarcastic remarks from Xi Zhicai, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian, Cao Cao's face flushed red, and he opened his mouth, unable to utter a word.

"Haha, alright, no matter what, Mengde roasted it himself, so he put his heart into it. Let's punish him with three cups of wine!"

Seeing that Xi Zhicai, Liu Bei and others were all targeting Cao Cao, Liu Hong laughed and spoke up to help them out.

"Your Majesty is right, I am willing to accept the punishment!"

Upon hearing the emperor's words, Cao Cao's face lit up with joy. He quickly picked up a jar of wine and poured it into a cup.

He knew that the reason Xi Zhicai and Liu Bei were targeting him was because he had deserted the group without permission and gone to Juyan, leaving them behind.

If we can't satisfy them today, they'll probably talk about us for the rest of our lives.

Soon, Cao Cao downed three cups in front of everyone, and a blush appeared on his dark cheeks.

"Zhicai, Xuande, Wentai, now that we've had our drinks, you're not allowed to target me anymore!"

Xi Zhicai laughed and said, "I forgive you, but whether Xuande and Wentai will forgive me, I don't know!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao turned to look at Liu Bei and Sun Jian.

Liu Bei raised his eyes and said, "If Mengde drinks three more cups, I will forgive you!"

"good!"

Cao Cao readily agreed, then filled his wine cup and downed three more cups in a row.

After a few drinks, Cao Cao opened his slightly tipsy eyes and looked at Sun Jian, "Wentai?"

Sun Jian: "Let's drink three more cups, and then we'll let this matter rest!"

"no problem!"

Cao Cao nodded, then picked up the wine jar again and poured the wine into the cup.

Watching Cao Cao try his best to salvage and maintain relations with his colleagues, Liu Hong, sitting to the side, nodded imperceptibly.

Although Xi Zhicai, Sun Jian, and Liu Bei were only making things difficult for Cao Cao for their own amusement, Cao Cao's willingness to admit his mistakes demonstrates his ability to mediate.

This shows that Cao Cao was indeed capable of being a prime minister.

After downing three more cups in a row, Cao Cao's face showed signs of intoxication.

Cao Cao shook his head, then looked at Xi Zhicai and the other two, and said with a smile, "Today I have drunk nine cups in a row. No one is allowed to mention the past again!"

"Haha, Mengde is so generous, we are not petty people either!"

Sun Jian laughed loudly, then picked up his wine cup and looked at Xi Zhicai and Liu Bei.

"Zhicai, Xuande, let's toast Mengde together, and the four of us will remain as usual!"

"Okay, as usual!"

Xi Zhicai and Liu Bei responded in unison, then stood up, picked up their wine cups, and drank them down in one gulp.

"Okay, okay!"

Seeing the harmonious atmosphere among Cao Cao and his companions, Liu Hong couldn't help but applaud.

Although the talented people under his command each have their own thoughts and often compete with each other in secret, they can work together and put aside past grievances when facing certain issues.

The harmonious and progressive atmosphere among his subordinates deeply pleased Liu Hong, the monarch.

Liu Hong stood up, glanced at the group of officers, and then said with a smile, "When I was in Juyan, I said that when I arrived at the Han Sea, I would drink with all the officers and soldiers until we were drunk."

"My lords, please follow me to offer a toast to the soldiers!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!!"

The generals all agreed, and then each carrying a wine jar, they followed Liu Hong toward the campfire.

Upon seeing the emperor and his officers approaching, along with dozens of soldiers celebrating around the bonfire, they immediately stood up and looked at Liu Hong with reverence.

Liu Hong smiled and looked at the soldiers, then raised his wine cup: "Gentlemen, there's no need to be nervous. I'll drink with you all!"

"It is our greatest honor to drink with Your Majesty!"

An officer excitedly raised his glass: "To Your Majesty!"

"Respectfully, Your Majesty!!"

The dozens of soldiers also raised their glasses excitedly and shouted in unison.

"Haha, good, let's do it!"

Liu Hong laughed loudly, then picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Following closely behind Liu Hong were generals such as Lü Bu, Huang Zhong, Cao Cao, and Sun Jian.

After downing a cup of wine, Liu Hong said a few words of reassurance to the dozens of soldiers before heading toward the next campfire.

Wherever Liu Hong went, he was greeted with excited cheers.

As night fell, everyone in the army, from Liu Hong to ordinary soldiers, was completely drunk, truly drinking until they were thoroughly intoxicated.