knife

Chapter 88 Shooting yourself in the foot

The large reception room was packed with generals from both sides.

On the large table in the middle, the wine bowls stacked like a pagoda made everyone who entered the room gasp in surprise.

The bottom layer has ten bowls, then they are stacked up in a sequence like nine, eight, seven, and six.
There were a full fifty-five bowls of wine.

The two parties inspected each other's wine jugs and each chose someone to pour wine for the other.

The wine bowl was naturally filled to the brim, almost overflowing.
Even just one extra drop for the other person!

Perhaps the other person will collapse on this extra drop.

When masters clash, the difference is only a hair's breadth.

However, no one believed that the two bettors could finish drinking all fifty-five bowls of wine.

Even if it were water, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to drink it.

The two gamblers standing on either side of the table formed a stark contrast.

Xiao Dongwei, over eight feet tall, with a burly build, a single, gleaming eye, and a conspicuous black eye patch, looked like a fierce and menacing figure standing there! A smile played on his lips, as if victory was within his grasp.

Opposite him, Xia Zhi, who had removed her armor and was dressed in red, had a single braid. The long braid was coiled on her head and wrapped with a red silk handkerchief. Although she was tall for a woman, she was less than seven feet tall. She was slender with a waist that could be encircled by one hand. Without armor or a sword, she stood there looking pitiful.

Xiao Dongwei paid no attention to the murderous, or perhaps contemptuous, gazes of the bandits across the room.

A bunch of dead bandits!
This is military strategy, you know?

Play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses! Attack where the enemy is weak and avoid their strength!
Seize the enemy's weakness, strike hard and never let them get away!
I'm thirty-six this year, and I've been immersed in alcohol for over twenty years. My whole body has been baptized by alcohol, and my iron stomach makes alcohol helpless. Little girl across from me, have you had any drinks?
Hahaha!
You made me choose it.

This is called asking for trouble.

Seeing Gu Xiaoman's dissatisfied expression, and then looking at Fang Xiaomao standing nervously beside Xia Zhi, ready to make a move at any moment, Xiao Dongwei was extremely satisfied.

No one is allowed to use internal energy to neutralize the alcohol. Anyone who dares to do so will be considered to have lost!

This was a request made by Xiao Dongwei.

"Please!" He pretended to put his hand on his chest, bowed slightly, and invited Xia Zhi to drink first. His head was slightly lowered, but he couldn't hide his smile.

He looked up, but his smile froze.

Because the girl in red opposite had already finished the top three bowls, drinking them down like a whale sucking in water, without even taking a breath!

This girl has some talent!

Xiao Dongwei put aside his slight disdain, picked up the last bowl of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.

One bowl after another, and another bowl after another.

The cheering noises inside gradually subsided until there was complete silence.

Not only Xiao Changche's subordinates, but even the generals of the three bandit battalions on this side were stunned at this moment.

Is Xia Zhi able to drink so much alcohol?

I've never seen this before!
Where did all those bowls of wine go?
At this point, Xiao Dongwei also realized that something was wrong.

I was already getting a little tipsy, and waves of heat were washing over me. Even the things in front of me seemed to be swaying. Why hadn't that little girl across from me fallen over yet?

And it seems that his complexion hasn't changed much!

He picked up another bowl of wine, brought it to his lips, and gulped it down. As he put the bowl down, a cold laugh came from across the table: "General Xiao, what are you doing? Raising fish? Drink it all up!"

Xiao Dongwei looked down and realized there was still some wine left in the bowl.

He gritted his teeth and drank every last drop of the wine in the bowl, even making a point of showing the bottom of the bowl to Xia Zhi.

"Again!" a loud voice came from the other side. "Whoever falls first is a coward!"

Watching Xia Zhi leap onto the table and sit cross-legged, holding a wine bowl in each hand, Xiao Dongwei was secretly delighted. "She can't hold on anymore, can she? Is the alcohol taking effect? ​​She's about to go crazy!"
Come on, drink faster, don't give the other person a chance to sober up.

Judging from the eager look on the little cat's face, he must know that the little girl is about to give up.

"Commander Xia, let's do it!"

"Commander Xia, let's go again!"

"Xiaxia, girl, drink!"

"Little girl, you're not allowed to hang around in front of me. Sit tight and get ready!"

"Hey, Xia Zhi, no cheating! Why are there two of you drinking?"

Xiao Dongwei's roar came from inside the house.

The generals of Xiao's army all lowered their heads, watching as their general's clothes were wide open, revealing his chest full of black hair. His black eye mask was thrown on the table, and he was holding a wine bowl in one hand, but he was swaying and staggering. Although he was still drinking, more than half of the wine was spilled on the ground.

On the other hand, the young girl opposite her sat cross-legged as steadily as a mountain. She had been drinking quickly earlier, but now she was drinking slowly and methodically. However, although she looked slow, the alcohol was going down quickly.

Seeing that Xiao Dongwei had already drunk half a bowl of wine, the woman in red got angry. In a flash, she slid from the opposite side to Xiao Dongwei. Fang Xiaomao reached out but missed, and watched helplessly as Xia Zhi reached Xiao Dongwei, grabbed his ear with one hand, picked up the bowl of wine with the other, and forced it down his throat.

Not only did he pour the wine down his throat, but he also picked up another bowl of wine and poured it directly into his mouth.

Everyone in the room was stunned.

Xiao Dongwei's men wanted to rescue their general, but seeing the current situation, they were too embarrassed to go.

Xiao Dongwei, who looked like a bear, was being forced to drink alcohol by the woman in red.

At this point, the big bear was clearly no longer fully conscious.

"We concede!" Finally, a mature-looking general from Xiao's army jumped out, looked at Gu Xiaoman, and said, "We've lost!"

Upon hearing that she had conceded defeat, the woman in red laughed heartily and poured another bowl of wine down Xiao Dongwei's throat. She then jumped back onto the table, did a side spin, and landed back down. She poured a bowl of wine into her own mouth before pointing at Xiao Dongwei and saying, "A bet is a bet!"

"I can still drink!" Xiao Dongwei roared and tried to walk back to the table, but after spinning around a few times, he finally collapsed heavily.

By this time, of the fifty-five bowls of wine, only the last layer remained.

Xiao Bu carried Xiao Dongwei outside. Many people saw the woman in red drinking wine on her own and couldn't help but feel a pain in their teeth.

It seems that General Xiao has fallen into the enemy's trap this time.

The summer solstice is like a barrel of wine.

Our general is avoiding the real threat? It's obvious they're using a ruse to lure you in!

Then they utterly annihilated their own general, losing so badly they had nothing to say.

The key issue is that he not only lost the game but also gained a bad reputation!

This matter must be kept under a gag order; it cannot be discussed!
However, these bandits probably won't help General Xiao cover it up.

How sad!

Xiao's troops retreated instantly, leaving only the bandits inside the room!

"Stop drinking!" Fang Xiaomao pressed down on the wine bowl.

"Who are you?" The woman in red looked at Fang Xiaomao with somewhat unfocused eyes, asking the question while her hand clenched into a fist, ready to punch him. "Trying to control me?"

Fang Xiaomao sighed, blocked the punch, and snatched the wine bowl from the woman in red.

"Give it back!" the woman in red screamed, her hands flying out with a series of powerful punches.

"I knew it would turn out like this!" Gu Xiaoman sighed, then she and Fang Xiaomao attacked from the left and right. After a few moves, the woman in red fell straight onto the table and fell fast asleep.

"If the young master finds out we let Xia Zhi drink like this when he gets back, we're both in big trouble!" Fang Xiaomao said.

“This has nothing to do with us. It was Xiao Dongwei who chose it. Besides, this unnumbered warehouse is full of good stuff!” Gu Xiaoman said, “For the sake of your great cause, it’s forgivable to have a drink once in a while!”

"Report this matter to the young master when he returns!"

"I think it's more appropriate for the two of us to go together!"

Fang Xiaomeng and Gu Xiaoman exchanged a glance, then reached out and clapped their hands together, thus finalizing the deal.

Xia Zhi can drink a lot, and once she starts, she doesn't stop easily. Once she's drunk, she gets drunk easily, and when she's drunk, she doesn't behave well and likes to beat people up!

Fang Xiaomao is a little nervous today because she's afraid Xia Zhi will get drunk and beat someone up!

In any case, Xiao Dongwei is now an ally!
"No one is allowed to tell anyone about this!" Gu Xiaoman stared at the officers of the Third Battalion of the Heaven and Earth Camp in the room. "Anyone who spreads rumors will have their tongue ripped out!"

"As ordered!"

Everyone in the room nodded hurriedly.

The day after the drinking contest, Zhang Ruo, escorted by Yuan Rong and Yuan Tong with a troop of knights, stepped into Bao Ping City.

Standing outside the city, looking up at the row of heads of the Yan clan members hanging on the city wall, he once again witnessed the lawlessness beyond the pass.

Speaking of which, Yan Shengke was also a prefectural governor appointed by the imperial court!

But now, Xiao Changche and his gang of bandits killed them without warning, not only killing them but also wiping out their entire clan and seizing their territory.

This is the area outside the Great Wall!
Strength reigns supreme!

Fortunately, this territory was eventually handed over to Xiao Changche for management, which made Zhang Ru feel a little better.

"What a pity, we brothers missed such a great battle!" The Yuan brothers sighed. Although they had joined the army, Xiao Changche had arranged for them to be Zhang Ruo's bodyguard captains, responsible for Zhang Ruo's safety.

Xiao Changche no longer wants to kill Zhang Ruo, but there are still people who want to kill him!

The bounty in Tai'an City has never been cancelled, and Commander Linghu is probably plotting something himself!

If Xiao Changche doesn't make a move, it's possible that he'll send a few people to help him!
In the end, Xiao Changche will be the one to pay the bill, won't he?
Therefore, Zhang Ruo still needs a few capable assistants by her side.

The Yuan brothers were undoubtedly the best candidates.

He was familiar with Zhang Ruo and trusted her.

He has a wealth of experience in the martial arts world.

He's not quite up to par when it comes to fighting on the battlefield, but dealing with assassinations of these demons and monsters is a piece of cake for him.

Xiao Dongwei finally sobered up, but he had a terrible headache and was walking unsteadily.

"Where is Xiao Cheqi?" Zhang Ruo glanced at Xiao Dongwei with dissatisfaction. As a general in charge of troops, he actually drank recklessly after the victory and got himself into such a state. His self-discipline was really too poor.

"Xiao Cheqi has something to do and has gone out!" Xiao Dongwei could only give a vague answer.

"How could he be so foolish as to not be there for such an important event?" Zhang Ruo was even more furious.

“Scholar Zhang, anyway, the general said that after you arrive, this whole affair will be handed over to you, and you will be in charge!” Xiao Dongwei said, “Baoping Prefecture is now ours.”

Zhang Ru pondered for a moment, then pointed to the bandits who were carrying things out: "Where are those people?"

"We'll manage the administration, they can do the business!" Xiao Dongwei said. "From now on, our two companies will cooperate and make money together!"

Hearing Xiao Dongwei's words, Zhang Ru glared at him irritably, then turned and walked inside, saying, "Inform me as soon as the General of Chariots and Cavalry returns!"

(End of this chapter)