Before evening, guests came into Anthony's residence one after another. Anthony changed his usual style of welcoming guests in the courtyard and instead stood at the gate with a smile on his face, greeting every guest and appearing particularly cordial.

Since the original intention was to crack down on Woolley, Anthony naturally included Woolley in his invitation. Moreover, Anthony did not want to explicitly push Woolley out of the aristocratic social circle of the Seneca city-state. Firstly, the time was not right, and secondly, doing so would make him seem too petty.

What Anthony did not expect was that Woolley arrived faster than he expected. Less than half of the guests had arrived when Woolley arrived. Not only that, he was also very enthusiastic. The carriage stopped when it was still dozens of steps away from Anthony, and then he walked into Anthony's residence. When he greeted Anthony at the door, his smile was so bright that Anthony almost thought he had misunderstood Woolley these two days.

"Your Excellency, Governor, please greet the other guests. I'll go in and chat with some friends." After saying this, Wu Lai walked into the residence with a smile.

The pergola for entertaining guests was quite large. Wu Lai estimated that the height of several of the pergolas was more than fifteen cubits. In order to keep out the cold, the opening of the pergolas was facing away from the wind and the leather curtains on both sides were tightly covered. A small pot of charcoal fire was placed every few steps under the long table in the pergola. Although it could not make the pergola as warm as spring, it did drive away some of the chill. After a while, after the guests had some wine, they would naturally not feel cold anymore.

"It's been so many years, and they still don't know how to improve it." Wu Lai frowned, because he suddenly thought that if hundreds of guests came to the Baishi Building, they would probably have to build a few such awnings.

Wu Lai sat down casually at a seat in the pergola on the left, and soon two young nobles came over to chat with him. When Wu Lai heard the introduction, he knew that they were either from the Tongji Alliance, so he smiled slightly and started to greet them. This approachable attitude made the two young nobles overjoyed.

Before nightfall, all the guests arrived. After listening to the report from the butler who was accompanying him and checking the name list, Anthony felt so proud. Every invitation was sent out correctly and all the guests were present, except that his legs were a little numb from standing.

"Master, we can start now." A butler hurried over.

"Let's get started," said Anthony, rubbing his cheeks which had become a little stiff due to the breeze.

After a few shouts, dozens of slaves divided into several rows and began to serve the meal. Anthony walked into the pavilion with a smile on his face. Accompanied by two nobles, he walked towards the main seat. When Da Yi, who was sitting next to the main seat, saw him coming, he also stood up and greeted him with a smile...

In the pergola on the right, Ivan took advantage of the cover of his neighbor's figure and quietly watched Wu Lai who was chatting and laughing in the distance.

Anthony sat down on the main seat and nodded slightly. The first butler on the side behind him immediately raised a shiny copper bell and rang it. Ring, ring, ring, ring...

Anthony stood up with a smile on his face, stretched out his hand, and picked up a glass of wine from the table in front of him. The guests immediately stopped talking and waited quietly. As usual, Anthony, the host of the banquet, had to say a few words, including a toast and the purpose and significance of the banquet.

"My dear friends!" Anthony said loudly, raising his glass. "Tonight..."

"Your Excellency, Archon!" A voice suddenly interrupted Anthony.

Anthony was surprised, and the guests were also quite surprised. They all looked in the direction of the voice and saw that Wu Lai had stood up.

"Your Excellency, Archon, I have no intention of offending you." Wu Lai raised his voice as he walked away, "But I suddenly feel a little unwell, so please understand that I have to leave with great regret."

Before he finished speaking, whispers were already heard everywhere. Wu Lai's behavior was obviously a little strange. On the one hand, Wu Lai looked calm and composed, so how could he not look uncomfortable at all? On the other hand, even if he was really unwell, he chose to make the announcement during Anthony's speech, which seemed like an intentional attempt to disrupt the situation.

Wu Lai walked towards the exit calmly, not even looking at Anthony. He had come here to cause trouble today, so he naturally understood why Anthony was so anxious to invite Wu Lai to a banquet. If it were the previous situation, Wu Lai would definitely choose to be tolerant and retreat first, but it was not possible now. The Tongji Alliance framework had just been set up, and Anthony had hit him head-on. Showing weakness would not only discourage the members, but also make Anthony and others even more arrogant...

Wu Lai stopped at the exit, no, just paused for a moment, then coughed and walked out.

Immediately——

"Your Excellency, Archon, I just remembered that I have some things to do at home..."

"Your Excellency, I am very sorry..."

"Your Excellency the Archon..."

As if it was an agreed agreement, nobles kept standing up to apologize and said they had to leave early. They either had no expression on their faces or looked apologetic, but they spoke firmly and left decisively.

What the hell is going on? Anthony and his loyal fans are all confused.

Stand up one by one, then stand up another...

Apologies, lame apologies...

But after a short while, nearly half of the people in the three pavilions left. Yes, nearly half left. Of the more than 300 nobles that Anthony had invited, only about 170 or 80 were still sitting still. There were so many people leaving at the same time that the exit became congested...

This was like a farce, no, for Anthony, it was a complete tragedy. All the hard planning and preparation, all the confidence and determination to win, were defeated by Woolley's cough.

"He must have made an appointment..." Anthony thought to himself, his teeth chattering, but what's the use? Dayi patted Anthony on the shoulder and sighed quietly. As a soldier, he despised Anthony's dumbfounded and helpless look, but he also felt sorry for Anthony. A genuine member of the Supreme Noble Council and an old noble was slapped in the face by a young rookie on his own territory, and the slap was so loud.

"Anthony, there are guests here." Dayi reminded in a low voice.

Anthony nodded gently, and with some effort, he straightened his face and raised his glass: "Everyone..."

"I'm sorry, Lord Archon, I have something else to do at home, so I'll leave first..." A white-haired old man stood up, half-saluted, and walked with his head held high...

"And me, I suddenly remembered something..." Although his eyes were a little evasive, he also stood up and left decisively...

Then, the third, fourth, fifth...

Another 70 or 80 people left as if they had made an appointment...

Anthony stared blankly at the person who remained in the shed, and the wine glass in his hand began to tremble and shake.

Seeing that Anthony was getting angrier and angrier, Dayi wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.

Wu Lai, you are too cruel, Dayi muttered in his heart.

Not far to Anthony's left, Doggie sat with a bewildered look on his face, but he was already smiling brightly in his heart...

The carefully prepared banquet was shattered by a series of blows. Anthony not only lost face but also was in a bad mood. The problem was that after thinking about it all night, he couldn't think of a better way to fight back - Wu Lai seemed to be impeccable. He had neither bad habits nor evil deeds. Everything he did was legitimate. Most importantly, if anyone wanted to touch him now, they had to first consider the two hundred families that followed or depended on him.

In other words, it's not that Anthony doesn't want to move, but that he really can't move.

Anthony felt a little discouraged when he thought of this. After standing in front of the window for a long time, he sighed heavily and said to himself, "Seneca, are you going to get out of my control?"

…

On the fifth day after Anthony's dinner farce, at noon, Madame Leah, who was able to stand with difficulty, leaned against the window. Her eyes fell on Woolley, who was dressed in a fur mink coat, sitting in the yard in the snow. Beside him, Gauguin was holding an umbrella to shield him from the snow.

"Tina, what is Wu Lai doing?" Mrs. Leah asked, blowing on her hands.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

"It seems like he's waiting for someone. He's been waiting for a while." Tina pouted. "It's so cold, and he doesn't even know to wait in the house. This winter is the coldest in more than a decade, and this snow is also the heaviest."

"Yeah, who else can make him wait in the yard now? Someone from Assyria? Or someone from the legion?" Lady Leah knew that Wu Lai had slapped Anthony in the face. When she heard that two-thirds of the nobles in Seneca would rather offend Wu Lai than leave with Wu Lai, she was so angry that her teeth were itching. She didn't hate Wu Lai or Anthony, but she hated Tina for not living up to her expectations and not making any progress with Wu Lai. She hated herself for being confused for a moment and making a big mistake that delayed Tina.

"I don't know. It shouldn't be what you said." Just after Tina said this, there were orderly footsteps outside the Baishi Building. The snow was creaking underfoot, and it could be heard that at least nearly a hundred people were marching forward.

Hearing the footsteps approaching, a smile appeared on Wu Lai's face.

When there was a knock on the door, the footsteps suddenly stopped, and around Wu Lai, the only sound was the sound of wind and snow.

The gatekeeper slave opened the door, and a figure wrapped in a cloak walked in quickly. He went straight to Wu Lai, knelt on one knee, and then lifted the hood of his cloak to shake off the snow.

"It's Puya." Tina said to Lady Lea.

"Master, all members of the Daishan team have returned and are now lining up outside the door. Please give them your instructions." Pu Ya lowered her head and said respectfully.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work." Wu Lai laughed, stood up and helped Pu Ya, "I can't wait to see the results of your training."

"Please rest assured, young master. All members of the Daishan team have passed the assessment. A month ago, they have started the second phase of training according to your teaching materials." Pu Ya answered as she stood up.

"Okay! Let them in!" Wu Lai waved his hand and sat back in his chair.

Pu Ya smiled and took out a copper whistle from her bosom. She blew it three times quickly. Then footsteps were heard outside the door again. Nearly a hundred young men rushed in quickly, all wearing black cloaks, leather armor and leather boots, carrying a leather-covered wooden box that was two elbows long, one elbow wide and half an elbow thick.

They rushed in at a rapid pace, but their formation was not in the least disordered, with ninety-six men arranged in a row, sixteen in a row, and the front row stopped six cubits away from Woolley, and then the whole team listened, put down their suitcases at the same time, and knelt on one knee at the same time.

"Team Daishan, hello, young master! Give your regards!" the ninety-six young men said in unison, their voices sonorous and powerful.

"Okay, get up." Wu Lai raised his hand.

"Yes!" Ninety-six young men stood up at the same time.

"Team Daishan!" Pu Ya beside Wu Lai shouted loudly.

"Yes!" ninety-six young men answered in unison.

"Who is your master?" Pu Ya asked loudly.

"Mr. Wulagrin!" the ninety-six people said in unison.

"What is your mission?" Pu Ya asked loudly again.

"We will be loyal to the young master all our lives! We will protect the young master with our lives!" When the ninety-six young men answered, they all looked at Wu Lai at the same time, their eyes full of admiration.

Wu Lai smiled and nodded, then stood up and glanced at everyone...

"Tina, is this Wu Lai's private army?" Lady Leah's eyes were full of surprise.

Tina hesitated for a moment, then nodded uncertainly: "It looks like that."

"How come you don't know anything?" Mrs. Leah couldn't help but glare at Tina.

Tina pouted and wondered why Wu Lai was gathering his private army at this time?