At dusk, the hall of Dingguo Palace was lit up with lanterns and filled with guests.
The banquet hosted by the Duke of Dingguo for Zhang Yanling was being held in a lively manner. The British Duke Zhang Lun, the young prince Zhu Lin of the Duke of Chengguo, as well as some of the regimental battalions and the leaders of the Fifth Army Governor's Office and the Marquis were present.
The earls were also on the list.
The glossy mahogany long table was filled with delicacies and delicacies. The maids of Duke Dingguo's mansion shuttled between the halls, bringing all kinds of dishes and drinks to them like a flowing stream.
At the side of the hall, a pair of male and female musicians of more than ten people performed the music of silk and bamboo. Although the honorable men and women present were not listening at all, they were conscientious and meticulous in playing the music of silk and bamboo.
On the main seat, Xu Guangzuo sat in the middle, with British Duke Zhang Lun and Protector Zhang Yanling on his left and right. The rest of the people sat down in order, except for those who did not come, such as Protector Zhu Huiyang, Wuhou Xue Han and others.
Besides, the people here are the mainstream members of the Xungui Group.
Baoguo Gong Zhu Hui, Yangwu Marquis Xue Han and others had differences of opinion because of Zhang Yanling's proposal to donate acres of land to become a shareholder of Daming Sea Trading Company. They refused to take shares, which caused a lot of irritation. But in fact, Zhang Yanling and others
People have no intention of forcing them, it's just their own grudges.
Xu Guangzuo had invited them a few days ago for this banquet to honor the Protector Zhang Yanling. However, Zhu Hui originally lived in the capital and led the Xuanfu from afar. This morning, he left for the Xuanfu to handle military affairs.
However, Xue Han, Marquis of Yangwu, and Zhu Zhen, Marquis of Yongkang, said they had suffered from spring cold and were unable to recover from illness.
However, Wu Hao, the Gongshun Hou, and Li Yu, the Fengcheng Hou, who also did not participate in the shares, were both included. These two people are well versed in the way of dealing with the world, profit belongs to profit, and face belongs to face. If you don't come to such an occasion, wouldn't you be secluded from the honorable center?
Amid the commotion, the banquet began. Xu Guangzuo, as the host, raised his glass and stood up and said: "Everyone, today we, the family of our honorable relatives, are gathered here to celebrate the victory of the protector of the country in his overseas expedition. We will not come back from today's banquet until we are drunk.
I have made careful arrangements, not only are the food and wine of the highest quality, but the famous singer Zhang Xiaowan from the capital will also sing a ditty later."
"Hey, Zhang Xiaowan? You are lucky today. This girl is very popular now. I heard that her voice is as beautiful as the sounds of nature and she looks like a fairy. I heard that she has a bad temper and most people can't even entertain her. Up.
When the Marquis of Ciyuan Mountain celebrated his birthday, he wanted to invite her to come and contribute a large sum of money, but she refused. Or is Mr. Ding Guogong so proud that he can even invite her?" Zhu Lin said in surprise.
Everyone looked at Zhu Lin speechlessly. This boy's favorite thing is to go to romantic places. After so many years, he has not changed his problem.
"I've seen this Xiaowan before. She has a first-class figure and a first-class singing voice. I heard that she has a very eccentric temper. She sings for free if she likes it, but if she doesn't like it, she won't change it. I didn't expect Duke Dingguo to do so.
It’s really a shame. It seems that Jiang is still wiser, not only in leading the army, but also in this regard, we younger generation still need to work hard. Hahaha." Zhang Lun laughed.
All the nobles laughed together when they heard this.
Xu Guangzuo spat: "Zhang Lun, you little bastard, did you arrange this for me? I just sent someone to invite me, and she agreed. I have never seen Zhang Xiaowan. I just heard that she is famous. That's nonsense.
, tear your mouth apart."
Zhang Lun smiled and said: "Dingguo Gong is getting stronger and stronger, who doesn't know? Don't cover it up? This is not a big deal. Brother Yande, you have to remind your father to take good care of yourself. All pink and white are skeletons. Hahaha."
"
Everyone laughed again. Xu Yande got up angrily and wanted to hit someone. Everyone laughed and made a fuss.
Zhang Lun loves to joke. He has a close relationship with several princes and young princes, and they are not shy about talking. In fact, they are just joking, and there is nothing taboo about it. Just like this, the atmosphere at the table became lively, but the topic was biased.
.
Zhang Yanling couldn't help but said: "There are talented people from generation to generation. I haven't been in the capital for more than a year, and I didn't expect Zhang Xiaowan to show up again. It seems that everyone is not idle. There is nothing wrong with the romantic affairs in the capital."
Mastered everything big and small.”
"Isn't that right? Yanling, you have been out for more than a year, but you have suffered a lot. A new girl has changed in Cuiping Building, and three new buildings have been opened in Mingyufang. I will take you to go shopping someday, otherwise you
It's really darkened. Now if you go out and say you don't know Zhang Xiaowan, won't people laugh at you for being a country bumpkin?" Zhu Lin said with a smile.
Before Zhu Lin could finish his words, he was stared at with murderous eyes by the Xu family father and son. Only then did he realize that he was saying this in front of his father-in-law and brother-in-law, and he was probably not looking for scolding. He quickly smiled and shut up.
Xu Guangzuo pretended to be angry and said: "Are you serious anymore? If you make trouble again, I will order Zhang Xiaowan to go back."
"No, no, no, just shut up." Zhang Lun, Zhu Lin and others waved their hands quickly.
Xu Guangzuo spat and continued: "In addition to inviting Zhang Xiaowan to sing, you also saw that the musician invited to play today is the musician from the Jiaofang Division. This person is Mo Danian, the chief of the Jiaofang Division. I believe you
I’ve heard of it too.”
Xu Guangzuo pointed to the musicians in the corner. A thin old man in a green robe stood up and held his hands in his hands: "Dear lords and uncles, I am a little man, Mo Danian. Today I can lead the twelve musicians of the Jiaofang Division to protect the country.
It is an honor for me and others to play music and catch the wind. If there are any mistakes, I hope they will be corrected."
Everyone handed over their hands. Mo Danian's name was well known to everyone. He was a famous musicologist in the Ming Dynasty. He was an official in his early years and was involved in a corruption case and was dismissed from his post. However, his musical attainments were extremely high. His works include "The Theory of Qin" and "Taihe Zheng".
Music Score" "Pipe"
He is regarded as a leader by those who are good at music in the world. He is especially good at playing the piano and pipa, and is known as Mo Qianshou. This means that when he plays the piano and pipa, it is like having a thousand hands.
No matter how complex the song is, he can handle it with ease.
"Please sit down, everyone. You have worked hard today. I will give you generous gifts when you come back." Xu Guangzuo said with a smile.
Mo Danian bowed to thank him, turned around and sat down.
Xu Guangzuo continued: "Of course, if there is music and singing, there will be dancing, and the dancer in my house will perform a dance. As always, today will be lively and joyful. Yanling was fighting overseas before, and Zhu Chenhao
This guy rebelled again and made people panic. Now that everything has been resolved, you should relax and unwind."
Everyone applauded in unison. Indeed, the Ming Dynasty has been in turmoil again since last summer. The nobles who are used to it do not dare to have banquets and gatherings at this time. The time is not suitable. At this time, we can finally relax and relax.
"Come, let's drink this cup together, congratulate Yanling on her triumphant return, and wish me peace in the future and long-term prosperity for my country."
Everyone raised their glasses and drank the wine in one gulp. They each showed the bottom of their glasses and then sat down. The maid next to them stepped forward to pour the wine.
Zhang Yanling stood up, picked up the wine glass and said, "Yanling would like to thank my father-in-law and everyone. Here's a glass to you all. My gratitude is all in the wine."
Everyone raised their glasses and drank another glass. After two or three glasses of wine, the already lively atmosphere at the banquet heated up again. Then they drank and drank, you toasted me, I toasted you, and everyone started eating and drinking.
After being busy for a while, Zhang Lun said with a smile: "Brother Yanling, I heard that this overseas battle was very brutal. The enemy was outnumbered and the battle was very difficult. Although we know some things, we don't know the details. Can you tell us?
explain."
"Yes, tell me about it, brothers. I heard that there are over a hundred Folang robot warships and tens of thousands of troops. How did Brother Trillium defeat them all the way? We are all sweating for you." Zhu
Lin said loudly.
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Actually, it's nothing. I don't think I have much to say, but since you are interested, it doesn't hurt for me to say something."
At that moment, Zhang Yanling narrated the battle process of this year and a half, focusing on the important battles. Zhang Yanling had no intention of showing off, because there was no need to do so in front of this group of people. But even so, the fierceness and danger of the battle still stunned everyone. Especially the few
It was a dangerous surprise attack, and when the enemy was outnumbered, everyone looked nervous and sweat appeared on their foreheads. Even though they knew that the danger would eventually be saved, their hearts were beating nervously.
After he finished speaking, everyone was silent for a while, with admiration on their faces.
"Brother Yanling is really the best among our Ming army. This kind of battle will probably be recorded in the history books. Compared with the major battles in history, it is not inferior. It is amazing." Zhang Lun praised.
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "This is all due to the bravery of the soldiers and the dedication of their lives. In addition, our Ming Dynasty Armada is better than the Ming Dynasty because of its strong ships and powerful artillery. We actually have the upper hand in terms of weapons, equipment and personnel quality. But my personal plan is not worth it.
One thing to mention. After reviewing the game, I found that there were many mistakes and rash mistakes. If luck had not been on my side, it might have been a different ending."
Xu Guangzuo shook his head and said: "Don't be too modest about Yanling. Our army is obviously at a disadvantage. In any case, there are only seven armored ships and thousands of soldiers. The Fo Lang machine is not a vegetarian, and the Fo Lang machine cannon is a powerful firearm.
.It is difficult to compare the strength of the two sides. It can be said that this battle was entirely the result of your skillful use of troops. I rarely praise others, but this battle of Yanling is enough to leave a name in history. Only the people who lead the army know the difficulties."
Zhang Yanling smiled and said nothing. With today's banquet and Xu Guangzuo's attentiveness, Zhang Yanling knew that she had completely conquered this selfish father-in-law.
"What's annoying is that Yanling is facing such a difficult battle, and the court also intercepted two of his new warships. Not only that, before the final battle, the sea transferred a ship and Zhang Yin, who was good at fighting, almost ruined this war.
A victory. What a nonsense. Just thinking about it makes me angry." Zhu Lin said loudly.
Xu Guangzuo hurriedly said: "Zhu Lin, there is no need to talk about these things."
Zhu Lin glared and said, "Am I wrong? It was the son of a bitch Jiang Bin's idea. When Yanling came back, he beat him up, which was really satisfying. This son of a bitch deserves to be beaten."
Zhang Lun said coldly: "Jiang Bin is indeed getting more and more excessive. He is about to sit on our heads and shit. We have to find a way to punish him."
"Yes, we can't let him continue to be so arrogant. Damn it, our regiment and camp have been humiliated by him." Zhu Lin cursed. What Zhu Lin was talking about was that the regiment and the foreign army lost in the competition. This matter is true.
Let Tuanying lose face.
Xu Guangzuo saw that the topic was not good. There were many people talking here, and someone might leak the news, so it was not appropriate to say more. So he hurriedly said: "Drink and drink, there is no need to talk about these things. We won't talk about unhappy things today. Butler, please Zhang Xiaowan
Come in and sing."
The housekeeper hurriedly agreed and bowed out. When everyone heard that Zhang Xiaowan was coming to sing, they all fell silent and turned to look at the door.