Chapter 227 Happy Night
On a rainy night, north of Yongwei City, the Dingbei Army camp.
The lights in the big tent were on, and Su Mo was straightening the collar of Xiao Beiheng who was standing in front of her.
Xiao Beiheng's hair was neatly combed and meticulously tied atop his head, secured with a jade hairpin. He wore a gorgeous crimson robe and a jade belt around his waist. From the belt hung a pure white jade pendant made of pan-glazed glass, with three tassels dangling from it.
Clothes make the man, and saddles make the horse. He was already handsome and tall, and with a little dressing up, he was comparable to a dragon and phoenix among men.
"Beiheng, you usually don't like wearing bright red, why did you choose this color today?"
"I have thoroughly defeated Xiao Zhuo. On such a festive occasion, isn't red a very appropriate color?" Xiao Beiheng smiled and raised his hand to admire the intricate and exquisite patterns on the edge of his sleeve. "Since you are attending the banquet, you should also dress festively."
Su Mo put her hand down, turned away awkwardly, and said, "Do I have to participate?"
"I've invited the Second Prince and Xiao Kai to the banquet with their families, and I'll need your help dealing with those women," Xiao Beiheng said, reaching out and gently turning Su Mo's chin so she was facing him. "You look so unhappy it's almost written all over your face. Are you worried about Shen Yuexi?"
"No," Su Mo shook her head, "She is Xiao Zhuo's wife, what does it have to do with me?"
Xiao Beiheng put his hand down and said with a smile: "It's no secret that you like to associate with her."
Su Mo's eyes lit up, and she mustered up the courage to say, "Do we really have to kill Xiao Zhuo and her? They've been completely defeated and can no longer hinder us."
"To cut the grass, you must remove the roots." Xiao Beiheng reached out and pinched his collar, stretching his neck to make himself more comfortable. "Besides, this is what my father wanted. If I let him go and let him return to the capital to help Emperor Yongde, wouldn't I be ashamed of my father?"
Su Mo lowered her head and said, "Maybe they have already escaped."
Xiao Beiheng sneered and said, "I'm not a loser like Emperor Yongde. I've laid a tight net to the north, and the Second Prince and Xiao Kai's army are blocking the south. They fled from Yongwei City on horseback, and their escape range is limited. Now it's raining heavily, so they must find shelter first. They can't get far."
As he was speaking, a soldier entered the tent and saluted, saying, "Your Highness, the Second Prince has led his troops in the rain and is heading towards the capital. He said he must rush to defeat the murderer of his mother and will not be attending the celebration banquet."
"This prince knows," Xiao Beiheng nodded slightly disappointedly, "Then what about Prince Jing's son Xiao Kai?"
"Prince Jing's son Xiao Kai will be here shortly."
After ordering the soldier who reported the news to retreat, Xiao Beiheng looked towards the north.
"Haha, revenge for his mother's murder? What a high-sounding excuse. He's in such a hurry to go to the capital, is he just afraid that my father will take it before him? He's overestimating his own abilities, and with his limited abilities, he actually wants to compete with my father."
"Although the Second Prince's army is a patchwork, it still has 50,000 men. If they really go to the capital, my father might find it difficult to deal with them," Su Mo said, taking the cloak. "Why don't we march immediately instead of stopping here to hold a celebration banquet?"
"Defeating Xiao Zhuo is a great joyous occasion, how can we not celebrate it? Although it is not perfect without the second prince, it is enough. Let's go." Xiao Beiheng said as he took Su Mo's hand.
The two of them left the tent, with umbrellas held for them by their left and right. A red carpet was laid out on the ground leading to the banquet tent. Music and drums played everywhere.
Xiao Beiheng led a group of military generals to the gate of the camp and saw the Jingzhou army's convoy parked at the gate. Xiao Kai and Shen Lan had just got off the car.
Xiao Kai, clad in heavy armor, with the Yanque sword hanging from his waist and his right eye tightly wrapped in white cloth, limped forward, followed by several armored Jingzhou generals.
Chen Lan, dressed in an exquisite and gorgeous plain dress, followed behind him. She was smiling, but her face was pale, as if she had no blood.
"Haha, General," Xiao Beiheng welcomed him from afar with open arms. "General, you are so brave and invincible. You were defeated first and then won. You completely defeated Xiao Zhuo in one battle and won 30,000 surrendered soldiers. This is truly an unprecedented achievement."
Xiao Kai clasped his hands together and replied, "Your Highness, you are very polite. I was invited by the King of Qi to join forces with His Highness to defeat this bandit. However, since Your Highness occupied Leshan, he immediately sent my wife back. I am deeply grateful."
"No, no," Xiao Beiheng said with a smile, "it was your wife who wanted to come back on her own, and I only sent troops to escort her here. It's just a small favor, not worth mentioning."
The two parties came into the big tent and took their seats, host and guest. Xiao Beiheng took the main seat at the top, Xiao Kai took the secondary seat at the top, and Su Mo went to greet Chen Lan.
Without removing his armor or sword, Xiao Kai said to Xiao Beiheng, "Sir, do you know that the Second Prince has already raised an army overnight?"
"I know. He's anxious to avenge his mother and won't be attending the banquet." Xiao Beiheng nodded. "We're not in a hurry. Let's enjoy ourselves tonight as host and guest."
The curtains flickered, and servants brought in a variety of steaming, fragrant dishes like water and placed them on the table in front of everyone.
Xiao Beiheng said to the generals of the Dingbei and Jingzhou armies, "Gentlemen, today is a happy day. Don't be restrained. Eat and drink to your heart's content until you are drunk."
Everyone had been fighting for several days, and now with fine wine and delicacies in front of them, and with the host Xiao Beiheng giving the order, they immediately let go of their stomachs, clinked cups and glasses, and the bowls and chopsticks clattered, and the room instantly became noisy.
When the servant was about to place the dishes on Xiao Kai's table, Xiao Kai raised his hand to stop him:
"No need, I brought my own food this time. I'm from Jingzhou and I love spicy food. I can't get used to the bland taste of you Anzhou people, haha."
After saying this, he raised his hands and clapped them together, and immediately a general from the Jingzhou army came in from outside the tent and brought in the dishes.
Lin Kui, who was sitting at the bottom, glanced at Xiao Beiheng. Xiao Beiheng waved his hand disapprovingly and said, "That's fine. The general likes spicy food, and we don't have any here. This Mr. Lin is my aide. He has a collection of wines that I've treasured for many years, and I can't even taste them. Today is a great day, and I'll enjoy it with the general."
Lin Kui stood up and said, "I have already prepared fine wine for your two highnesses. Today's celebration banquet is incomplete without wine. Let's drink three cups. Come, serve the wine."
The curtain was lifted, and a beautiful maid came in with a tray in her hands. On the tray were two jugs of wine and two jade cups.
"This wine is called red wine. The longer it's stored, the mellower its flavor becomes," Lin Kui said with a smile, stepping forward and taking a pot from the tray. "I only serve it when I'm entertaining guests. This wine should be served in a luminous cup, but luminous cups are hard to find, so we'll use jade cups instead."
Xiao Kai saw Lin Kui pick up the wine pot and suddenly said, "I think the other pot is good. I want that one."
Lin Kui was stunned for a moment, then laughed heartily and said, "Both pots are filled with fine grape wine. General, do you think the other one is more exquisite?"
"Yes, it is exquisite, haha." Xiao Kai laughed, "Just give me that pot."
Lin Kui stopped his hand in mid-air and looked at Xiao Beiheng.
Xiao Beiheng smiled, raised his hand and waved, saying, "Tonight is a great day. Mr. Lin, since the general wants it, just give him another pot."
Lin Kui nodded, put the wine jug back in his hand, and said to Xiao Kai, "General, I offer this jug of wine to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Do you want this one?"
Xiao Kai stretched out his hand and said, "No need for Mr. Lin to get it, I will get it myself."
After he finished speaking, without waiting for Lin Kui to speak, he reached out and took the pot of wine and a jade cup he mentioned, placed them on his own table, and sat down again.
Lin Kui smiled and shook his head, then presented another pot of wine and a jade cup to Xiao Beiheng. Behind Xiao Beiheng, an old man dressed as a servant came forward to pour wine for him.
At this time, the musicians in the tent played victory music, and the people below were drinking and eating voraciously, and the atmosphere was very lively.
Xiao Beiheng picked up the jade cup filled with wine, gestured to Xiao Kai with a smile, and said, "General, please."
Xiao Kai picked up the jade cup, but without touching his lips, he said to Xiao Beiheng, "This wine smells a bit sour. Please drink first, my lord."
Xiao Beiheng laughed heartily and said, "The general looks rough, but I didn't expect him to be such a careful person. I am not very good at seeing things, so I didn't realize that the general had such abilities."
"Although I'm big and strong, I'm not stupid." Xiao Kai also laughed.
Xiao Beiheng drank the wine in his cup in one gulp, gestured to Xiao Kai with his empty cup, and said, "This prince has already drunk, maybe the general will drink now?"
Hearing this, Xiao Kai stretched out the wine in his hand to the table, tilted the jade cup, and the amber grape wine flowed into a thin stream and sprinkled on the ground in front of the table.
"I cannot drink this wine. I should pay tribute to the soldiers of the Jingzhou Army who died in battle."
"The general is very considerate of his soldiers," Xiao Beiheng sighed as he looked at the spilled wine, "It's just a pity that this fine wine, which has been treasured for many years, has been lost."
They were talking there, and Su Mo, who was standing next to them, picked up her wine glass and said to Shen Lan, "Sister, let me toast you too."
The corners of Chen Lan's mouth twitched, forcing a smile. He held up the wine glass with both hands, but he was trembling and spilled a lot of wine in the glass.
Su Mo was curious. She put down her wine glass and reached out to hold Chen Lan's wrist. As soon as she touched Chen Lan's wrist, Chen Lan suddenly retracted his hand.
"Mrs. Chen, have you caught a cold?" Su Mo looked at Chen Lan's pale face in surprise.
Shen Lan shook his head and said, "No...no."
Su Mo didn't believe it, and while Chen Lan wasn't paying attention, she suddenly reached out and pushed up her right sleeve. An arm wrapped in a bloodstained white cloth immediately caught her eye.
Chen Lan looked at Xiao Kai in horror, quickly hid his arms under the table and lowered his sleeves.
Su Mo followed her gaze and whispered, "Xiao Kai?"
"No, no, today is a happy day. I should...I should...toast the Crown Prince's wife." Chen Lan gritted his teeth and reached for the wine jug on the table.
Su Mo stood up and said, "Mrs. Shen, please follow me out of the tent."
Chen Lan's lips trembled, and she shook her head repeatedly: "I must be with my husband, I can't leave him, I can't."
Su Mo did not argue, and turned back to the maids and said, "The general's wife is drunk. Please go to my tent to rest."
The maids understood, and two of them came up, carried Chen Lan and walked out of the tent.
Chen Lan turned around and shouted to Xiao Kai, "Husband, husband." However, Xiao Kai ignored her, as if he didn't hear her.
After Chen Lan left the tent, Su Mo came to Xiao Beiheng and Xiao Kai, bowed and said, "My husband, General. We women can't handle the wine, so we'll take our leave for now."
Xiao Beiheng was staring at Xiao Kai without responding, but just waved to her to indicate that he understood.
Su Mo glanced at the two people who were concentrating, and her expression suddenly became stern, as if she understood something. She turned around, walked on the red carpet in the center of the tent, and quickly walked out of the tent.
Xiao Kai poured out the wine, placed the empty glass on the table, and said with a smile: "This wine has been used to worship the dead, so I naturally can't drink it. Fortunately, I brought my own wine."
After he finished speaking, he raised his hands and clapped his hands. The Jingzhou general who had delivered the food earlier came in with a large wine jar and a large bowl.
"Haha, I didn't expect that the general would bring his own food and wine when attending the banquet." Xiao Beiheng and Lin Kui looked at each other and laughed.
Xiao Kai asked the general to pour him a full bowl, picked it up and drank it all in one gulp. He put the bowl on the table, wiped his mouth and said, "I've finished the wine, so let's get down to business."
"Oh, what's the business?" Xiao Beiheng sat up straight and pretended to listen.
"The King of Qi is currently attacking the capital. I demand that the Crown Prince leave immediately and return the three prefectures of Zhangwu, Leshan, and Nanping to me. I will take control of the two western states, and you and your father will become the Crown Prince and Emperor. This will be a great success for both sides. How do you do it?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the laughter and joy in the tent suddenly turned cold.
Everyone knew the meaning of this statement. Xiao Kai meant for Xiao Beiheng to give up the three counties of Liangzhou that had been occupied by the Dingbei Army.
The sound of rain outside the tent seemed particularly harsh at this moment. Raindrops fell on the top of the tent, as if countless war drums were sounding overhead.
Xiao Beiheng smiled and said, "According to the general's intention, do you want us to give up Liangzhou completely?"
"That's right," Xiao Kai said, his hands spread out on his knees. "Liangzhou has always belonged to Jingzhou. I lost over a hundred thousand men for this, and I paid the highest price. Naturally, it should belong to me."
Lin Kui interrupted, "General, please forgive my lies. If that were the case, wouldn't our army have come all this way and returned empty-handed?"
"How can you be empty-handed?" Xiao Kai laughed heartily. "If the King of Qi seizes the throne, Jingzhou and Liangzhou will be the first to support him. Isn't that enough? Exchanging the three counties of Xiliang for peace in the world is a great deal."
Xiao Beiheng nodded and said to Lin Kui, "I understand. The general's goal is to unify the two states. Liangzhou is adjacent to Jingzhou, so it should naturally be returned to him."
Xiao Kai was stunned at first, then laughed and said, "Your Highness is indeed a sensible person. So, do you agree?"
"Yes, this prince is indeed anxious to return to the capital to assist my father. There is no point in staying here." Xiao Beiheng nodded very sincerely, "I also want to finish what's going on here as soon as possible."
Xiao Kai said happily, "Then we can make a written agreement and have you and I sign it to avoid disputes in the future."
"The general is indeed a man of few words," Xiao Beiheng stood up and said to the outside of the tent, "Submit a letter."
Someone outside the tent brought in documents and pen and ink and placed them in front of Xiao Kai.
Xiao Kai looked down and saw that the document on the desk was not blank, but had already been written with several words. He was puzzled, and then he read it word by word, and he couldn't help but burst into anger.
The document clearly stated that Xiao Kai had to give up the entire Jingzhou to Xiao Beiheng and commit suicide as a token of his gratitude.
"Xiao Beiheng, how dare you tease me!"
Xiao Kai roared, tore the document in half, stood up and overturned the table.
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