Chương 376: Drinking

He paused, then continued:

"The warlords of Guandong have all surrendered, leaving these local officials leaderless. Those who can be persuaded to surrender should be persuaded; those who know what's good for them will be given official positions. Those who don't, just beat them into submission!"

"It's not difficult. I'll give you three months to firmly grasp the four provinces of Kanto. Any questions?"

Xue Rengui and Su Lie immediately clasped their hands in greeting and said in loud voices:

"Your humble servant obeys! Rest assured, my lord! Within three months, I will deliver all the official seals of the four prefectures of Guandong to Luoyang!"

Xue Rengui added:

"Anyone who dares to resist will be beheaded by this humble general with a single halberd strike. I will not fail my lord's trust!"

Gongsun Zan, Qu Yi, Zhang He, Yu Jin, Xu Huang, Yuwen Chengdu, Cheng Yaojin, and Huang Zhong also stood up to accept the order, each of them rubbing their hands together, their eyes full of excitement.

Cheng Yaojin chuckled and said, "My lord, I, Old Cheng, have finally gotten to fight a battle! Don't worry, I'll make those brats cry for their parents!"

Liu Ce smiled and helped them up, then pointed west:

"Xu Da and Li Ji, listen to my command!"

Xu Da and Li Ji calmly rose, knelt on one knee, clasped their hands in greeting, and said, "Your subordinates are here!"

"I order you two to lead the remaining Second Army, 20, 000 elite cavalry, to rest for a few days before advancing westward to recapture Liangzhou! And while you're at it, take down those two warlords, Ma Teng and Han Sui, as well!"

Liu Ce said solemnly:

"The western front is crucial to the stability of Guanzhong, so we must proceed cautiously and steadily. We must not only capture Liangzhou but also hold the western front; we must not allow the foreign tribes to take advantage of the chaos. Any questions?"

Xu Da and Li Ji, equally composed, clasped their hands in a fist salute and said firmly:

"Your humble servant obeys! Rest assured, my lord! I will certainly pacify Liangzhou, capture Ma Teng and Han Sui alive, and fortify the western defense line, ensuring that my lord has no worries about the rear!"

Li Ji added, "Although the Xiliang cavalry are fierce, I am confident that I can subdue them. Upon my triumphant return, I will present Ma Teng and Han Sui to my lord!"

Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong also accepted the order, their expressions solemn and confident.

When Zhang Fei realized that he wasn't involved, he immediately became anxious.

He jumped up and shouted:

"Brother! What about me? What am I supposed to do? You can't leave me idle in Luoyang!"

He stamped his feet in frustration and said:

"I want to go to war too! Either I'll go to Guandong with Rengui, or I'll go to Liangzhou with Tiande! I can fight either way! I'll take them all down with one spear each, I guarantee I'll stab those bastards to death!"

Seeing his flustered and pale face, Liu Ce couldn't help but burst into laughter:

"Yide, don't be impatient! You'll have plenty of battles to fight!"

He patted Zhang Fei on the shoulder and said:

"You, along with Yunchang, Zilong, Wenyuan, and Fengxian, will lead the main force of the First Army and follow me to Luoyang, where you will coordinate operations from the center. Wherever support is needed, we will go!"

He paused, then smiled and said:

"Once they've secured both the east and west flanks, we'll lead our army south and unify the world. You'll definitely be in the vanguard position then!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei immediately burst into laughter.

He scratched his head and chuckled:

"Alright! What you say goes, brother! I'm ready to go south with you and turn the world upside down!"

Everyone in the hall burst into laughter.

They were all eager to get started, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

At this moment, Xi Zhicai suddenly spoke up:

"My lord, when we attack Yu Province, what should we do with Liu Chong, the King of Chen, who is in the state of Chen?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ce paused for a moment.

He remembered his cousin.

Prince Liu Chong of Chen was his cousin according to seniority.

During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Chen was able to hold out entirely thanks to Liu Chong and Chancellor Luo Jun.

Although this person also participated in the campaign against Dong Zhuo, he always took supporting the Han Dynasty as his core stance and never did anything bad.

He thought for a moment and said:

"Chen King Liu Chong is my cousin by seniority. Moreover, he has always taken it upon himself to restore the Han Dynasty, unlike those other warlords who are just trying to take advantage of the chaos. When we go to attack Yu Province, we can bypass Chen."

He added:

"After we take Yuzhou, send someone to Chen to inquire after him. Tell him that my cousin is here and that he can rest assured that Chen is still his fiefdom and I will not touch it."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

This arrangement is appropriate, as it neither compromises righteousness nor harms the feelings of kinship.

...

After the meeting ended, Butler Wang came in.

He bowed and said, "Your Highness, the banquet is ready."

Liu Ce smiled and stood up, saying:

"Alright! Let's go get some drinks!"

The group filed out and headed towards the banquet hall.

The banquet hall was brightly lit, and the aroma of wine and meat filled the air.

The table was laden with fine wines and delicacies, including lamb legs, beef, fresh fish, and seasonal vegetables—a dazzling array.

Liu Ce sat in the main seat, with the others seated on either side.

He raised his wine cup and said:

"Come, gentlemen, let's raise this glass to the land we've conquered!"

Everyone responded in unison and drank it all in one gulp.

Next came a lively celebration banquet, with toasts and laughter filling the air as everyone enjoyed themselves immensely.

Zhang Fei, holding a wine cup, approached Liu Ce and said, "Brother! I toast you! Congratulations on capturing Luoyang and pacifying Dong Zhuo!"

Liu Ce smiled and bumped hands with him.

Cheng Yaojin chimed in, "My lord! I also toast you! When I get to Guandong, I'll definitely chop off a few more heads for you to enjoy with my wine!"

Everyone laughed.

Afterwards, Zhang Fei, carrying a wine cup, went around looking for people to drink with. He first approached Guan Yu, saying, "Second Brother! Drink!"

Guan Yu stroked his beard, smiled, and downed his cup in one gulp.

Zhang Fei then called to Zhao Yun, "Zilong! Drink!"

Zhao Yun smiled and drank a cup with him.

Zhang Fei then called out to Dian Wei, "Old Dian! Drink!"

Dian Wei smiled憨厚ly, picked up the wine cup, and drank it down.

Zhang Fei then called out to Xu Chu, "Old Xu! Drink!"

Xu Chu was even more ferocious; he downed the whole bowl in one gulp and then wanted another.

Cheng Yaojin, also carrying a wine cup, darted around the room, sometimes drinking with Qin Qiong, sometimes with Yuchi Gong, and sometimes approaching Yuwen Chengdu to say:

"Chengdu, come on, let's have a drink!"

Yuwen Chengdu smiled proudly, picked up the wine cup, and drank it down.

Lu Bu, carrying a wine jar, challenged Xue Rengui to a drinking contest:

"Rengui! Let's drink until we drop tonight!"

Xue Rengui accepted the challenge with a smile.

Su Lie chimed in from the side, "Fengxian, don't you dare fall down first!"

Lu Bu glared and said, "Me, kneel down? What a joke!"

Xu Da and Li Ji sat together, slowly drinking and chatting about the war in Liangzhou.

Guan Yu stroked his long beard, slowly sipping his drink, occasionally clinking glasses with Zhao Yun.

Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong stayed by his side, occasionally chiming in with a few words.

Huang Zhong was old and didn't like to make a fuss. He held his small wine cup and watched the young people having fun with a smile.

Gongsun Zan, Qu Yi, Zhang He, Yu Jin, Xu Huang, and their group also found their own companions to drink with, creating a lively atmosphere.

On the civil officials' side, Guo Jia was already so drunk that he was staggering and had to be supported by Xi Zhicai to avoid sliding under the table.

Jia Xu sat motionless, sipping his tea slowly, his face bearing an unchanging calm.

Cheng Yu was quite uninhibited. He first played a drinking game with Li Ji, and after losing a few cups, his face turned red.

Behind them, Jia Xu and Cheng Yu sat together, leisurely sipping wine and discussing the state of the world.

The entire banquet hall was as lively as during the Chinese New Year.

...