"Come, come, come..." Xiao Ran smiled, holding the foaming beer glass steadily with both hands, and greeted the second generation beside him one by one, "Drink, drink!"
The wine glasses clinked in the air, making a crisp sound and splashing a few drops of wine. He tilted his head back and took a big gulp, letting the refreshing and slightly bitter taste spread on his tongue. He stopped talking and did not mention the wedding again.
Speaking of this wedding, Xiao Ran had thought about it before. In his spare time, he would often picture the scene of the wedding day in his mind, with red silk all over the sky and joy everywhere. How could he organize it in a way that was both polite and novel, not out of the ordinary?
But as soon as the thought came to my mind, I realized that the wedding date was still far away and I had many things to worry about right now, so I put the idea aside for the time being.
Glancing at the table, Xue Rengui was sitting upright with his brows lowered, exuding a humble and introverted temperament, which was somewhat similar to Qin Huaiyu; then he looked at Cheng Chumo, who was sitting with his legs spread wide, laughing and talking at the top of his voice, and his every move and gesture was full of Cheng Yaojin's bold, unrestrained and carefree spirit.
"Your Highness, do you know when we will send troops to the Northeast?" Cheng Chumo came over in a hurry, lowered his voice, his eyes rolling around, his face full of anticipation.
The last time he followed Xue Rengui to the battlefield, he really tasted the sweetness of military merit. The glory of returning victoriously and the honor of being promoted to a higher position made him want to try it again.
Qin Huaiyu and the others had sharp ears, and they immediately sat up straight after hearing what was said. Their eyes were all fixed on Xiao Ran, and there seemed to be two small flames burning in their eyes.
Yes, others may not be aware of the military and national affairs, but everyone knows that Xiao Ran is close to Li Shimin. Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun both live in Xiao Ran's house, so they might know the inside story.
Xiao Ran put down his wine glass, tapped his fingers on the table, thought for a moment, and whispered, "There's no specific time for this yet. Tubo and Tuyuhun have just been purged, and the army is exhausted, so we need to slow down a bit. But in my opinion, it won't be long, it will be soon..."
Xiao Ran had other plans in mind and prepared a different "gift" for Li Shimin.
It is not difficult to defeat Goguryeo. The key is that while dealing with Goguryeo, it would be easy to deal with Japan at the same time.
The Tang Dynasty is now at its peak of national strength and is more than capable of dealing with these two, but Xiao Ran still wants to do something big. He is thinking of asking Yao Xinyi to connect with those arms dealers to get some warships that were eliminated during World War I and World War II. Even if they are ordinary large ships, in this era of limited navigation capabilities, it is still a dimensionality reduction attack.
He even thought of the name of the fleet's ships, "Zhenyuan", just to pay tribute to his ancestors.
"Your Highness, please help me when the time comes!" Fang Yiai could no longer sit still, rubbing his hands with an anxious look on his face.
Today, the Tang Dynasty is in its prime, with powerful soldiers and horses. It is really like having its hands in its pockets, not knowing who its opponent is.
Several second-generation soldiers have witnessed with their own eyes the power of overheated weapons on the battlefield. With one shot, smoke billows and rocks fly. No matter how solid the enemy camp is, it can tear a big hole in it in an instant. It can be called a "killer weapon" on the battlefield.
"Our current weapons are too scary. If the enemy has them too, I don't know how to deal with them." Cheng Chumo smacked his lips, still feeling a lingering fear.
"It's a bit of a bully, but don't take it personally." Xiao Ran's eyes sternly, his voice rising slightly. "It's a world where the strong prey on the weak. If they had this thing, they wouldn't show mercy when they hit us. If we fall behind, we'll be beaten. There's nothing to say."
"That's right!" Qin Huaiyu picked up the wine glass and waved his hand, "Cheers!" Everyone raised their glasses and drank it all.
Just as the noise had settled down, the little princess came running over like a cheerful little deer, clutching a bottle of Wangzai milk, followed by a group of chattering children. "Little sir, do you have any fish?"
The little princess blinked her big eyes and asked in a baby voice.
"Oh no, I haven't caught anything yet." Cheng Chumo scratched his head and smiled awkwardly, revealing two big white teeth.
"Lao Mo, let me try." Xiao Ran became interested.
"Your Highness, come here!" Cheng Chumo stood up quickly and handed Cheng Yaojin the fishing rod with both hands. The rod body was shiny, and it was obvious that it was a good thing that its owner often played with.
A group of children gathered around them instantly, crunching their snacks while staring at Xiao Ran and Qin Huaiyu intently, making the hairs on their backs stand on end. The originally relaxed atmosphere froze in an instant, and most of the conversation became quiet.
Qin Huaiyu was staring at the float intently when suddenly the tip of the rod sank. His eyes lit up and he quickly lifted the rod. A palm-sized fish was swung up and its tail fluttered on the grass.
The little princess took a closer look and pouted, "This isn't enough!"
"This fish is too much!" Fang Yiai was impatient. He took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves. "Look, I'm going to catch it!"
"I'm coming too!" Cheng Chumo was not willing to be outdone, so he jumped into the shallows. It was noon, the sun was warm, and the river water was not cold.
"These two little bastards scared my fish away!" Cheng Yaojin stomped his feet in pain. Looking at the muddy water, he beat his chest and stamped his feet. The nest he had carefully made before was all in vain.
Fang Yiai and Cheng Chumo were really good at it. Soon, a big fish was thrown ashore with a "pop".
The little princess was quick-witted and without a word, she pounced on the fish and hugged the slippery big fish tightly with both hands. Her face was dirty, but she smiled with her eyebrows curved: "Hehe! What a big fish!"
"Sizi!" Li Lizhi walked over quickly, frowning slightly, "Your clothes are dirty!"
The little princess waved her hand nonchalantly, pointed her index finger into the river, and said crisply, "My dear, I want to play too."
She is a good swimmer and has great water skills.
"Mingda, it's cold here. If you get sick, you'll need an injection." Xiao Ran quickly dissuaded her. How could he dare let the little princess go down to the river? It would be terrible if she caught a cold.
"Let's go back and play again!" Princess Yuzhang also agreed with a smile.
A lot of people came one after another. Everyone has gotten used to it in the past two years. Whenever there is a party at Xiao Ran's place, everyone likes to join in the fun.
When it comes to food and drink, Xiao Ran is never stingy, and Li Shimin is happy to see it. It's lively with so many people around, and they are all familiar faces, so it's comfortable and relaxed.
As it approached noon and the sun was high in the sky, the roasted whole lamb and the barbecue grill were put in place one after another.
Princess Yuzhang took a group of children to play handkerchief throwing and tug-of-war on the grass. The children's faces were rosy and the sounds of laughter and playfulness could be heard one after another.
But after playing for a while, the rich and mellow aroma of roasted whole lamb wafted over. The color was golden, the skin was shiny, and the fat was sizzling. The little princess' eyes lit up, she swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and stood straight by the fire with her little friend, unable to move.
Taking into account the large number of people, Xiao Ran specially ordered the preparation of several roasted whole lambs. Generals like Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde had amazing appetites, so if more was not prepared, it would not be enough.
On weekdays, Xiao Ran often troubled these uncles, and the second generation were often ordered around by him. This time, he treated it as a dinner treat, and everyone ate to their heart's content.
Looking at the roasted whole lamb, a group of children scratched their heads and ears with greed, and couldn't wait to eat it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
