An hour later, Lin Yu and his group arrived at Wang Zhonghou's headquarters.
In the military compound, in a simple courtyard, Wang Zhonghou had already ordered people to prepare a banquet.
"Haha, Governor Lin, we should have had this meal a long time ago, but it's been delayed until today. It seems the Du family's daughter is quite charming, making you linger!"
As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I heard Wang Zhonghou's hearty laughter.
Lin Yu hurriedly went to greet him, smiling and saying, "General, are you teasing me again? This was purely accidental. But this time, I brought an old friend with you. Can you tell who he is?"
Lin Yu made way for him, and immediately an elderly man dressed in a Tang suit walked over.
Wang Zhonghou was stunned for a moment, then stood frozen in place.
Du Wensheng also froze for a moment, revealing a complicated expression, his eyes trembling incessantly.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but his throat seemed to go hoarse, and he couldn't utter a word.
Du Wensheng took the initiative to walk over and grab his hand, saying, "Old brother, you've gotten old!"
Du Wensheng burst into tears, "General, I can't accept your calling me 'older brother,' I feel guilty!"
Wang Zhonghou smiled and shook his head, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Look at what you're saying. So many years have passed, those things are no longer even in the newspapers, why bother remembering them! We're all old now, and most of our old buddies are gone. The fact that we're still alive is a victory. When you're free, you should often get together with me and chat, reminisce. I'm a northerner, and I'm almost bored to death in the south!"
Wang Zhonghou joined the revolutionary work early on. When he was over fifty, he was transferred to the south. He didn't have many friends in the south, and because of his eccentric personality, he couldn't get along with some of the local generals. Now that he has reached his current position, he feels even more isolated and lonely, with no one to talk to.
Therefore, I value my friendship with Du Wensheng very much.
Unexpectedly, due to certain events, their relationship ended and wasted so many years.
Wang Zhonghou couldn't help but sigh, "I still remember when I first came to the South, I was unfamiliar with the place and the people. I wandered around the streets and alleys and got into trouble. If it weren't for you, I would have died at the alley entrance!"
When he first arrived in Nanjing, he was riding his bicycle alone through the streets without any guards when he happened to see a group of hooligans harassing a young girl. He stepped in to help.
Unexpectedly, this gang of thugs turned out to be members of the triads. They brought a group of men to corner him in an alley, armed with dozens of gleaming machetes.
Fortunately, Du Wensheng happened to be passing by and rescued him; otherwise, he would probably have been the first general in history to be killed by thugs.
Wang Zhonghou was a man of strong emotions, and he immediately wanted to become sworn brothers with Du Wensheng.
At the time, Du Wensheng was a big boss in the Green Gang, so how could he possibly respect a guy who had fallen on hard times?
Then a convoy of military vehicles pulled up in front of the Du family's house. The entire Du family was shocked.
From then on, the two families maintained contact. Wang Zhonghou didn't care about the other party's identity or what others in the army said. He acknowledged Du Wensheng as his elder brother.
Du Wensheng waved his hand and said with a wry smile, "Let bygones be bygones. But this is indeed the best thing I've ever done in my life! My ancestors have done a great service by saving you, General Du!"
"What you say is a great kindness, I will never forget it. Old brother, you must come often in the future, play chess with me, have some tea. I'm getting old, who knows when you'll have to attend my funeral!"
"Haha, that means you joined me first. I'm older than you, but I'm not as vigorous as you are!"
"Come on, my body is covered in old injuries. I've only survived this long because of sheer willpower!"
Lin Yu watched the two old men joking around and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. This Wang Zhonghou was truly a trustworthy person. He knew how to repay kindness and had high emotional intelligence. He took the initiative to lower himself and, knowing that the other party felt guilty about what happened back then, mentioned the other party's life-saving grace, thus bringing the two closer together again.
No wonder he rose to the position of regional military governor; he certainly has a knack for it.
Wang Zhonghou glanced at Lin Yu and said, “Governor Lin, I am even more grateful to you for bringing this old friend to me. The three of us are really kindred spirits. We are friends despite our age difference. We must have a good drink together later!”
Lin Yu nodded with a smile, "Then it will definitely be a night of drinking until we're both drunk!"
“Well said! Someone, bring me that bottle of Lai Maotai. It’s been stored for thirty years. Today, to welcome Governor Lin and to celebrate my reunion with my old brother, let’s open it!”
A thousand cups of wine are not enough when drinking with a bosom friend!
The drinking session was naturally very enjoyable.
One bottle of Lai Moutai was not enough, so they opened seven or eight more bottles of Feitian Moutai.
I must say, those two old guys have an unfathomable capacity for alcohol; they're definitely top-tier drinkers. After downing two jin (1 kg) of liquor, their minds were still perfectly clear.
Lin Yu, needless to say, drank as if he hadn't drunk anything at all. In fact, he drank the most.
Wang Zhonghou kept toasting Lin Yu, seemingly trying to get him drunk.
Lin Yu could easily see that the old man was clearly trying to get him drunk. However, he wasn't going to drink for nothing. Having come to Jinling, how could he leave willingly without making a profit?
Du Wensheng was a shrewd man. After drinking for a while, he pretended to be unable to hold his liquor and asked someone to take him away to rest.
Only Wang Zhonghou and Lin Yu remained at the dining table.
"Hehe, Governor Lin, I didn't expect you to have such a high alcohol tolerance at such a young age. It's comparable to my own when I was young. I remember when I was your age, I was just a legion commander. Back then, dozens of regiments were in an exercise. I didn't win the exercise, but afterwards when we were drinking, I knocked everyone down. Since then, none of those guys dared to stand up to me!" Wang Zhonghou proudly recounted his past.
Lin Yu nodded and smiled. "The old general is a hero, and his drinking capacity is naturally beyond question. However, I, Lin, have never lost when it comes to drinking. How about we have a contest today and see who can last the longest?"
Wang Zhonghou quickly waved his hand, "I won't drink anymore, I can't deny I'm getting old. I was already pushing myself to the limit in this round, I admit defeat, okay? Someone, bring the food up!"
With a helpless expression, Wang Zhonghou waved to his deputy, Fang Zhonghe.
Fang Zhonghe quickly took a tray covered with a red cloth and handed it to Lin Yu.
Lin Yu's eyes flashed, "General, this is..."
Wang Zhonghou smiled and nodded at him twice, "Don't play dumb with me. You got me all drunk just for this stuff, didn't you?"
brush!
As he spoke, he suddenly ripped off the red cloth, revealing a tiger- and leopard-shaped iron artifact in front of Lin Yu.
The inscription above is a line of elegant traditional Chinese characters: "Central Army Tiger Tally"!
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