Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 108 Questioning
Also in Jingkou, also full of guests.

The difference is that one is in the outer city and the other is in the inner city.

The lights in the pavilion were bright, and seven or eight women in bright red gowns were dancing quickly on the wooden corridor. The bells hanging from their waists made a crisp "ding-dong" sound, which intertwined with the "clang-clang" sound of their wooden clogs.

The sound of the bells is brisk, while the sound of the clogs is heavy, which complements each other and creates a unique flavor.

"This dance is called the Clanging Clogs Dance. It was created by Xi Shi. I have been searching for it for many years and finally brought it back to the world. What do you think?" Wang Gong sat in the chief seat, feeling very proud.

The pavilion was filled with distinguished guests, including Wang Xin, Wang Xun, and Wang Mi from the Wang family of Langya, Xie Qing and Xie Yan from the Xie family, as well as Xi Hui, Yu Kai and others.

Almost every one of them is an important figure. The military power and territory of these people combined far exceed that of the emperor and the Sima Daozi brothers.

Forty years ago, this group of people could even decide who would be the emperor when they got together.

But now it is different. Xie An and Xie Xuan took the initiative to hand over power, making Sima Yao the only emperor with real power after the migration to the south.

The only one who seemed out of place was Liu Laozhi, who was sitting at the lower table.

He shouldn't have been here, but as the chief general of the Northern Army, he was still invited by Wang Gong.

"Among the outstanding figures in Jiangzuo, you are the best." Wang Xin was the first to offer compliments.

"That's too much. The most romantic man in Jiangzuo must be Lord Anshi. How dare I compete with Lord Anshi?" Wang Gong still had self-knowledge. Xie An had been famous for a long time and had the merit of planning the Battle of Feishui. All the scholars and common people in Jiangzuo admired him.

So far, Wang Gong has had few outstanding political achievements except for being the brother of the current queen.

But now that we've started, we can't stop.

Wang Gong didn't care about money, but only about reputation. He turned his gaze to Wang Mi and asked, "What do you think, Zhiyuan?"

Wang Mi was good at commenting on people, so on this occasion, he naturally had to say something like, "Your Excellency is as pure as a willow in the spring moon, standing tall and straight, with an unparalleled integrity."

Wang Gong was a handsome man in his forties, but he was as handsome as a teenager.

The evaluation of Chunyueliu is quite appropriate, and "standing tall and straight" describes his upright character.

Every word touched Wang Gong's heart.

"Zhiyuan has a keen eye!" Xi Hui and Yu Kai followed suit and praised him.

Everyone in the hall laughed.

However, one person's voice was particularly loud, drowning out the laughter of Wang Gong and everyone else. Wang Gong frowned and looked up, and saw Liu Laozhi sitting at the lower seat.

Wang Gong summoned him here to show his strength to Xie Qing, Xi Hui and Yu Kai, not because he really thought highly of him.

On such occasions, demeanor was of the utmost importance. Liu Laozhi was a warrior with a fierce appearance, a reddish-purple complexion, a beard like a spear, and eyes as deep as lightning. Even if he did not look like a Hu person, he looked like a rough man.

People like Wang Xin, Xi Hui, and Yu Kai had done nothing for the country or the people, but they all sat at the top seats. Liu Laozhi had made many military achievements and was famous throughout the world, but he could only sit at the last seat.

No one looked at him straight in the eye, and one could tell the attitude of the noble families towards him.

Wang Gong immediately became displeased, "Why is Daojian laughing?"

Liu Laozhi bowed and said, "Your Excellency is a celestial being. I admire you deeply."

"Dao Jian, you're too serious. Why have you been hesitating in Pei County during this Luoyang battle?"

It depends on who is doing the flattery. Wang Xin, Xi Hui, and Yu Kai were all famous scholars and came from prominent families. Liu Laozhi came from a military family, but military families were also from humble backgrounds. Wang, Xie, and Yu Xi were not in the same league.

Not to mention a military family like Liu Laozhi, even Zhou Qi, who conquered Jiangnan three times, was ostracized and looked down upon by the aristocratic families.

There is also Tao Kan, who supported the Jin Dynasty and helped Sima Rui ascend to power. He also came from a humble family, held military power, and was marginalized by Wang Dao...

Liu Laozhi had his merits, but they were not as great as those of Zhou Qi and Tao Kan. Suppressing the poor and the local powerful families in Jiangdong had always been the specialty of the wealthy and powerful families of the overseas Chinese clan.

"My Lord, Murong Shao has 8,000 elite cavalry stationed in Dongping, and is eyeing Huaibei. I dare not act rashly."

"Murong Shao has only 8,000 cavalrymen, while you have 20,000."

This sentence directly exposed Wang Gong's lack of knowledge of military affairs.

Liu Laozhi's advance into Pei County had actually tied down part of Zhai Wei's forces and Yan's southern troops, preventing them from making any rash moves and creating an opportunity for Zhu Xu.

But what Wang Gong saw was that Huan's old general Zhu Xu was in the limelight, while the Northern Army was hesitant to advance and had not achieved any success...

You know, back then, Liu Laozhi led 5,000 Northern Army troops and dared to cross the Luojian River, severely damaging the 50,000-strong Di Qin army. And with 20,000 troops, he dared to cross the Yellow River and repel Murong Chui...

Now, with 20,000 troops, not even a little-known Murong Shao dared to send out.

Wang Gong was very dissatisfied. The emperor sent him to Jingkou, commanding the Northern Army, and he needed military achievements...

Everyone looked at him, and Liu Laozhi's purple face became uglier, but he didn't know how to explain to a man who knew nothing about military strategy and was only good at idle talk.

No matter how I explain it at this time, I will be reprimanded by Wang Gong...

Fortunately, Wang Mi came to the rescue at this time. "The Suolu cavalry is formidable. Murong Shao is the son of Murong Ke and should not be underestimated. They are holding their ground and are invulnerable. Moreover, Commander Zhu defeated Murong Yong and Zhai Liao, which greatly boosted the morale of the Jiangzuo army. General Liu also played a role in containing the Suolu."

"Dao Jianding must take this as a warning. Next time, you must not hesitate and be afraid of the enemy like a tiger." Wang Gong pretended to be magnanimous.

"I will keep it in mind and will not let you down in the future. Please forgive me for not being able to join you due to military duties." Liu Laozhi's face flushed red and his eyes were full of grievance. He knew that he had become the target of public criticism and he could not stay in this banquet no matter what.

Everyone in the pavilion, except Wang Mi, watched coldly.

"Go ahead." Wang Gong did not try to persuade him to stay.

Liu Laozhi bowed to everyone and left the attic.

Wang Mi said softly, "Liu Laozhi is a formidable opponent, and he has deep roots in the Northern Army. Since you have just taken up your post, you should make a sincere friend of him."

Wang Gong was unconcerned. "These warriors are so proud of their achievements that they don't know how high the heavens are, how deep the earth is, and how high and low they are. I am just trying to curb their arrogance. Everyone, please remember the rebellions of Su Jun and Zu Yue."

The rebellion of Su Jun and Zu Yue was actually caused by Yu Liang's aggressiveness...

Of course, Wang Gong did not think it was Yu Liang's fault. He just felt that these military men who held military power should be suppressed.

If Liu Laozhi was not still useful, he would have been demoted for the crime of delaying the advancement of Pei County.

Wang Mi smiled slightly, knowing that Wang Gongcheng was too stubborn, and stopped trying to persuade him.

"Today we will only talk about wine and romance, not military affairs or state affairs. Come on, everyone, drink up!" Wang Xin raised his glass first.

"Everyone, drink this cup to the full."

Wang Gong's expression eased slightly, and before he had even finished his glass of wine, a servant arrived and said, "Your Majesty, there are two warriors from the north, claiming to be from the Wang family of Taiyuan, and have come to seek refuge with us."

Wang Gong's brows, which had just lowered, furrowed again.

It would be fine if he was a famous scholar, but since he is from the north and a warrior, I feel extremely disgusted with him.

The key point is that these two people kept saying that they were from the Wang family of Taiyuan, which was a reminder to Wang Gong that the Wang family's ancestral home was also in the north.

In this kind of situation, surrounded by high-ranking families like Wang, Xie, Yu, and Xi, and with Wang Gong having just taught Liu Laozhi a lesson, the arrival of two warriors was truly inappropriate...

"My Taiyuan Wang family has been migrating south for eighty years. We have no relatives in the north. Come, drive them out of the house!"

(End of this chapter)