Kill the enemy and get a wife? I'll single-handedly slaughter my way through the Northern Barba

Night fell, in the banquet hall of the imperial palace.

With a broad smile, Minister of Rites Yin Li introduced the evening's delicacies to the northern barbarians.

"Your Highness Nanmuhe, tonight's dishes will include not only the delicacies of my Great Qian, but also the specialties of the Northern Barbarians."

"Roasted whole lamb, hand-pulled mutton, blood sausage, and more are all available."

"I hope His Highness Nammuhe will enjoy himself to the fullest."

Don't be fooled by the fact that the two sides argued endlessly at the peace table, but once they stepped off the table, they became polite and courteous again.

Nanmuhe looked up and laughed: "I have long heard that the people of Daqian have a wide variety of delicacies, so I'll take this opportunity to try them."

"Your Highness, thank you for your hospitality."

Nanmuhe raised his cup and said, "This cup of wine is a toast to His Highness Prince Qin, and also to everyone present! Please!"

King Li Yan of Qin raised his cup and drank with everyone.

The first day of negotiations yielded no progress, which was of no great consequence.

Everyone present knew perfectly well that it would take at least ten days to half a month to achieve a complete peace negotiation.

Therefore, after heated debates at the peace table, everything returned to a harmonious atmosphere.

After a few drinks, Nanmuhe turned his gaze toward the officials of the Great Qian Dynasty.

"Your Highness, I have heard of your and General Zhang Liao's reputation even while I was far away in the country."

"I, Nanmuhe, have the utmost respect for heroes in my life, General Zhang. This cup of wine is a toast to you!"

As he spoke, Namkh stood up, his eyes fixed on Zhang Liao.

Since taking his seat, Zhang Liao has only drunk one cup of wine.

His health is not as good as before, and he should not drink too much alcohol.

However, since Nanmuhe himself stood up to offer a toast, Zhang Liao could not refuse to give him face.

He then picked up his wine glass and stood up with Zhang Lu's help.

"Your Highness, you flatter me. This cup of wine is offered to Your Highness!"

Bayan Mengke, Nanmuhe, and others observed Zhang Liao's demeanor and actions.

Nanmuhe was a martial arts expert, and after observing for a while, he was able to determine that Zhang Liao's physical condition was indeed not good, and he was not faking it.

In the Battle of Niujiaoyuan, Zhang Liao was able to fight despite being poisoned by Lu Qingqing, a disciple of the Northern Barbarian National Preceptor. He must have used some method to stimulate his body's potential.

This caused Zhang Liao's health to deteriorate rapidly, rendering him unable to fight on the battlefield anymore.

Nanmuhe felt a weight lifted from his heart, knowing that Zhang Liao was still alive and well enough to guard Zhenyuan City.

For the Northern Barbarians to break through Zhenyuan City is truly a distant prospect.

After drinking the wine, Nanmuhe burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Your Highness, I am in high spirits today. How can we have wine and meat without dancing?"

"I have brought musicians and dancers. How about they come up and perform for the three princes?"

King Li Yan of Qin nodded slightly.

Prince Li Zhen of Jin asked with great interest, "Excellent! I've heard that the Hu Xuan dance of the Northern Barbarians is exceptional. I wonder if the dancers know it?"

"meeting!"

Nanmuhe laughed even more heartily: "The dancers I brought are most skilled in the Hu Xuan dance!"

With fine wine and delicious food, and amidst singing and dancing, the atmosphere of the banquet gradually reached its climax.

After another round of toasts, Wang Xun, the Minister of War of the Northern Barbarians, stood up.

"Your Highnesses, tonight's music and dance alone are not enough. Why not add some excitement and have a contest of both civil and military skills?"

Wang Xun's "comparing civil and military skills" was a form of entertainment in the banquets of the Northern Barbarian court.

Typically, a noble person would offer some gold or silver items as a prize, and others at the banquet would compete to see who could win the prize.

The competition is divided into civil and military events, and the specific events are not fixed and will be determined based on the situation on site.

Gu Lie, the Minister of Rites of the Northern Barbarians, chuckled and advised Wang Xun, "Minister Wang, the two countries are enjoying a pleasant banquet; why bother with literary and military competitions?"

"If our country wins against the Great Qian Dynasty, wouldn't that make the three princes lose face? That's inappropriate, inappropriate!"

Wang Xun and Gu Lie worked together to elevate the civil and military officials of the Great Qian Dynasty.

If they don't accept it, it means they're afraid of the northern barbarians.

Having lost the upper hand in terms of momentum, if the Northern Barbarians bring this up during tomorrow's peace talks, the Great Qian will lose face.

As the saying goes, "There is no such thing as a good wine or a good banquet." On the very first day of the peace talks, signs of conflict between the Northern Barbarians and the Great Qian were already emerging.

Yin Li, the Minister of Rites during the Qianlong era, was a seasoned official who had been through many ups and downs in the bureaucracy. He could tell at a glance what kind of wicked scheme the two were plotting.

He smiled slightly upon hearing this: "Lord Wang, Lord Gu, we in the Great Qian Dynasty also enjoy comparing our literary and martial skills during banquets."

"Since the two of you wish to compete, our Great Qian will naturally not refuse."

"What are your thoughts, Your Highnesses?"

Prince Qin, Li Yan, and the second prince of the Northern Barbarians, Nanmuhe, exchanged a glance and burst into laughter at the same time.

"allow!"

"allow!"

Both Li Yan and Nanmuhe were confident that their side could win.

According to the rules, the winners should be the ones with the highest status present, namely Prince Qin, Li Yan, and Nan Muhe.

After a moment's thought, Li Yan had an idea.

"When I came of age, I was favored by my father, the Emperor. In addition to the golden crown bestowed upon me by the Emperor, I was also given a jade lotus flower hair ornament during my coming-of-age ceremony."

"Although I have not worn it for many years, I always keep it with me and remember my father's love."

"I will now use this as a prize; whoever wins will receive it!"

Li Yan's prize was undoubtedly substantial, demonstrating the considerable effort he had made to gain the upper hand over the northern barbarians.

Li Yan's prize money and the weight of the soldiers suddenly put pressure on Nanmuhe's side.

Nanmuhe's eyes darted around, and he said, "Your Highness Prince Qin is magnanimous, and I cannot be petty either."

"I acquired a divine steed half a month ago. Its voice is like that of a lion or a tiger. It is a divine steed that is only seen once in a hundred years."

"Whoever wins, I will award him this prize as well."

After speaking, Nanmuhe looked at Li Yan.

"Your Highness, for this competition of civil and military affairs, let's each set our own questions. Your Highness will set the 'civil' question, and I will set the 'military' question. What do you say?"

cunning!

King Qin, Li Yan, snorted inwardly. Both he and Nan Muhe were martial artists, yet Nan Muhe had seized the initiative.

"Alright!"

King Li Yan of Qin smiled slightly and said, "I will now give you the topic of the character '侠' (xia, meaning chivalry/knight-errant), and all of you present will compose poems or lyrics on this theme."

"Whoever can compose a good poem that impresses everyone will win the prize."

Nanmuhe narrowed his eyes slightly, a sly glint in them.

He smiled and said, "Very well, Your Highness the King of Qin has chosen 'chivalry' as your theme, and I will choose 'strength' as ​​mine."

"Let's test our strength! Whoever is stronger will win my divine steed, the lion-tiger!"

With the prize money announced, both sides were eager to compete.

Lin Feng asked Li Ping'an and Lü Zheng in a low voice, "Are there really fine steeds in the world that roar like lions and tigers?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ping'an hesitated for a moment: "The Northern Barbarians have always been known for producing fine steeds. When I was young, my father told me that there was a divine steed on the grassland called 'Lion Tiger,' whose voice was like that of a lion or tiger, which was quite extraordinary."

"It is said that it has the blood of a real dragon in its body, and is the offspring of a real dragon and a fine horse from the grassland."

"However, this kind of divine steed is unruly and difficult to tame, and only one appears every few hundred years."

"There is a horse tomb in the capital, said to be the divine steed ridden by the founding emperor, the Lion and Tiger Divine Steed."

Lu Zheng perked up and said, "Nanmuhe is really willing to spend a fortune. If we win against his divine steed, won't he be so angry he'll vomit blood?"

Lin Feng's eyes darted around as he said, "It's not that easy. Nan Muhe is known as 'strong enough to lift a cauldron,' why would he let someone take away his prized steed?"

"In my opinion, Nanmuhe will most likely take the field himself and win the match."

As the three of them were whispering, a young man stepped out from behind Yin Li, the Minister of Rites of the Great Qian Dynasty.

He had a broad face, a fair complexion, and no beard. He came out and bowed.

"Your Highness Prince Qin, Your Highness Nanmuhe, I, Zhen Bing, a junior official in the Ministry of Rites, humbly offer this poem as a starting point for further discussion!"

Zhen Bing was appointed as a junior official in the Ministry of Rites at a young age. He was a man of great literary talent and was quite well-known even in the capital of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Seeing him step forward, King Qin, Li Yan, smiled and said, "Very well, Lord Zhen, please!"