weaving

Dengfeng County, Luoyang Prefecture, Henan Province, Shaoshishan Yuzhai...

"Brother Ren, I haven't seen you for more than two years... You look stronger and more prosperous than before!"

As Ren Chen accompanied Ji Zhiying into the mountain stronghold, he smiled and said, "No... No, compared to you, brother Ji, you are still far behind."

He then asked tentatively: "Brother Ji, I heard from the brothers that you and Li Zongzhai have been recruited by the imperial court. You have enjoyed a lot of happiness in the past two years, right?"

"Oh... don't mention it."

Ji Zhiying didn't know what Ren Chen's position was now, so she didn't dare to tell him the truth. She just said perfunctorily: "After becoming an official, you are bound by your superiors and military rules and disciplines. How can you be as free as Brother Ren is now?"

Soon, they arrived outside the front hall of Yuzhai...

Ren Chen turned around and looked at the twenty personal soldiers behind Ji Zhiying, and said to his left and right: "Brother Ji brought all our old brothers. If you guys don't treat me well, don't blame me for not recognizing you with the whip in my hand."

The small leaders around him immediately agreed with a smile, and came forward one by one to invite the personal soldiers who followed Ji Zhiying into Yuzhai to sit in the side halls on both sides.

Ji Zhiying did not show any displeasure at this, but smiled and said to Ren Chen: "Brother Ren has prepared some delicious wine and food for us. I can't wait to smell the aroma of the wine and food."

Ren Chen said enthusiastically: "What else do we brothers have to say? We are brothers in life and death. If you and Li Zongzhai had not accepted the amnesty and surrendered to the court to become officials, how could I, Ren Chen, have the qualifications to speak in Yuzhai?"

After hearing what he said, Ji Zhiying's heart couldn't help but skip a beat, and he thought to himself: This kid Ren Chen is just not on the same page with us!

With this layer of caution, Ji Zhiying restrained himself during the banquet, but he still couldn't give up. He took advantage of the alcohol and continued to test: "Brother Ren, you now have tens of thousands of troops and are the overlord of western Henan. Will the King of Rebellion allow you to live freely here?"

"hey-hey……"

Ren Chen said with a sly smile: "Don't think that the King of Rebellion is powerful now, with many soldiers and generals, and looks powerful and majestic, but as long as he doesn't conquer Kaifeng Prefecture, he will not have the prestige to command the world!"

Ji Zhiying was stunned after hearing this, and asked carefully: "Brother Ren, what are you thinking in your heart?"

Ren Chen did not reply directly, but jokingly asked Ji Zhiying to sit in the guest seat, and filled his glass with wine. Then he said, "Brother, let's only talk about feelings today. Let's drink this emotional wine and reminisce about the past."

As he spoke, he raised his glass to toast Ji Zhiying. Seeing Ren Chen acting like this, Ji Zhiying didn't know what to say and could only raise the glass and drink with him.

Although Ren Chen was ranked behind Ji Zhiying when Li Jiyu was the dominant figure in western Henan, the situation is stronger than the people now. The Yuzhai seems to have expanded compared to the past. There are at least five to six thousand troops stationed here. With the twenty personal soldiers that Ji Zhiying brought with him, I am afraid they are not even considered a side dish here.

Ji Zhiying had no choice but to pretend to be polite. After the five dishes and three rounds of wine had been served, he took advantage of the alcohol and said tentatively: "Brother, let's be frank with you today. I just want to ask you one thing. Which side do you and the King of Rebellion support?"

Ren Chen's slightly flushed face revealed an evil charm. He stared at Ji Zhiying, and after a while he said coldly: "I won't help either side!"

"Why?" Ji Zhiying was surprised that he spoke so frankly and directly, and a trace of anger rose in her heart.

"Hey hey hey..."

After Ren Chen laughed, he said to him in a cold tone: "Ji Zhiying, I chose not to help you because of our old friendship. You should understand my difficulties and don't make it difficult for me." Ji Zhiying's expression changed several times. He suppressed his anger, forced a smile, and said: "Okay. Since you said so, I will never make it difficult for you again."

As he spoke, he picked up the wine glass and drank it all. Seeing that he was so straightforward, Ren Chen also smiled and drank a glass of wine with him. From then on, the two of them avoided the topic of King Chuang and only talked about their previous experience of being thieves together.

In the blink of an eye, another half hour had passed. Ji Zhiying's face was already red. He raised his glass and said to Ren Chen, "Brother, let's drink this last glass. I have to go down the mountain and return to the camp before it gets completely dark. Let's say goodbye today."

Ren Chen did not pick up the cup immediately, but asked: "Brother, how about we stay in the mountain village tonight and go down the mountain after lunch tomorrow?"

"No." Ji Zhiying refused.

He went on to explain, "Brother will arrive in Dengfeng tomorrow morning. We have to go back to the camp to guard it. We also have to go to Dazhou Mountain to welcome him tomorrow morning."

Ren Chen was stunned when he heard this. After a moment, he blurted out, "Is Li Zongzhai also coming to Dengfeng?"

"Don't worry." Seeing that he believed it, Ji Zhiying secretly laughed at her trick and thought it was effective, but she said, "We are just passing through Dengfeng and we are not stationed here. Big brother will not take your Yuzhai."

Ren Chen felt relieved after hearing this, but his arrogance was not as strong as before...

From this we can see that the saying "a person's name is like the shadow of a tree" does make some sense. Ji Zhiying only brought up Li Jiyu's name, but Ren Chen was already feeling a little nervous.

Because of the fear of Li Jiyu's approaching arrival, Ren Chen did not dare to force Ji Zhiying to stay any longer. He took the cup and drank it all with him. Then they chatted for a while and got up to see Ji Zhiying off down the mountain and leave the village.

Neither of them wanted to be supported by their personal guards, and they walked unsteadily in front, followed by dozens of their personal guards. The scene looked a little funny.

Because Ji Zhiying had given instructions beforehand, none of the personal soldiers he brought with him drank alcohol. Now that they were about to leave Yuzhai, they were all on high alert, fearing that something might happen at the last moment.

Soon, they arrived at the first gate of the village. Ren Chen seemed even more enthusiastic at this moment than when he first met Ji Zhiying. He held Ji Zhiying's hand tightly, with an expression of reluctance to part.

The two of them walked more than a hundred steps down the mountain without realizing it. Seeing that they were far enough away from the gate of Yuzhai, Ji Zhiying held Ren Chen's hand tightly and said to him, "Although you are unwilling to follow me to submit to the court, our original feelings are still there. I don't have much else now, but I still have some weapons, armor and guns. After I ask Brother Li for permission tomorrow, I will send them to you, Brother Ren, to strengthen the momentum of our Yuzhai. What do you think?"

Even though Ren Chen now rules over a dozen adobe strongholds and claims to have tens of thousands of troops, most of them are young men armed with sticks and farm tools. There are less than 5,000 of them actually equipped with swords and guns, and even fewer who are wearing armor.

Hearing Ji Zhiying's words, he was immediately overjoyed and said, "Good brother, when you meet Li Zongzhai tomorrow, you must tell him that Ren Chen is just looking after the house for him. If Li Zongzhai is not happy with the court, he can lead his troops back to Yuzhai. We will still regard him as the Zongzhai and lead the eighteen camps in western Henan happily."

"Okay. I'll definitely convey what Brother Ren said to you."

"And..." Ren Chen grabbed Ji Zhiying who was about to leave and said, "Brother Ji, if you can really send us some swords, armor, guns and cannons tomorrow, I will never take them for nothing."

He added generously, "I will prepare some food and fodder for you, and give you some gold, silver and jade. I will give you some to honor your superiors. How do you think?"

“Hahaha…” Ji Zhiying pretended to laugh happily and said, “Okay, then it’s a deal!” (End of this chapter)