latelenovela Chapter 195 Grand Parade
Chapter 195 Grand Parade
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Zhao Yue was furious. This Liu Zezhong was truly stupid as a pig, repeatedly making foolish mistakes. If the other party were so easy to deal with, how could a prefectural magistrate and three county magistrates be sitting here obediently? However, considering the decorum and face of an official, he did not reprimand Liu Zezhong on the spot, lest he become a laughingstock for the Qiongzhou garrison. He simply suppressed his anger and said calmly, "Magistrate Liu is drunk. Be careful what you say."
Liu Zezhong was seven or eight parts drunk and didn't notice Zhao Yue's displeasure. He was about to say something more when the county magistrate of Lingao interrupted him, "Come, come, Lord Liu, we are officials from the same prefecture and neighboring counties, so we will inevitably have to help each other in the future. I'll toast you." After a cup of wine, he finally shut him up.
Wei Bocheng, the magistrate of Danzhou, noticed that the atmosphere at the table was a bit off and raised his glass to urge Liu Zezhong to drink. After drinking a few more cups, Liu Zezhong felt dizzy and collapsed onto the table with a thud, unconscious.
Seeing that he was drunk and unconscious, the other three secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Wei Bocheng asked inquiringly, "I heard that this time, in addition to the prefectural city and the three counties of Chengmai, Lingao, and Danzhou, Changhua also received the invitation. I wonder why Changhua County did not come?"
Zhao Yue felt increasingly hot from drinking, so he loosened his collar and said, "Changhua Magistrate Lu Gengyu probably thinks that with the Changhua Thousand-Household Garrison behind him, he doesn't need to worry about what others think..."
Wei Bocheng suddenly realized that Changhua County was a garrison town with more military households than civilians. Although Liu Ye had been appeased and became a soldier, and couldn't openly attack the county town, the difference in having troops made all the difference. Unlike them, if Liu Ye turned against them, they wouldn't even have a chance to resist.
As a witness who had closely observed the entire process of Qiongzhou Camp's rise, the magistrate of Lingao County did not believe that a mere thousand-household commander could withstand Liu Ye's thunderous attack—provided that Liu Ye abandoned his status as a soldier and openly attacked the county town. The several thousand garrison troops in the prefectural city could not defeat a few hundred people, the tens of thousands of soldiers in Guangdong could not defeat a thousand or so people, and even the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Guangzhou City were helpless. A shabby thousand-household commander was not even enough to fill their teeth.
He glanced at Zhao Yue, but the magistrate frowned and remained silent, clearly not believing that Changhua County's choice was correct.
Liu Ye slowly sipped his wine, his eyes fixed on Zhao Yue's table. Seeing Liu Zezhong passed out drunk, Zhao Yue and the others wore stern faces, secretly chuckling to themselves, "Tonight is just a warm-up; the real show is tomorrow. You'll all have a good look then."
While undercurrents were swirling at the banquet, Liang Xiaoming had already left his guests behind and returned to the bridal chamber. Pushing open the door, he saw the bride frantically putting her veil back on; she probably felt stuffy earlier and, seeing no one around, took it off to get some fresh air.
Liang Xiaoming chuckled, sat down next to her, and put his arm around her shoulder.
"My wife, I can finally call you my wife rightfully..."
A crisp voice came from behind the veil: "It's more natural to call her Ru'er."
"If you like, I will still call you Ru'er, and you can still call me Xiaoming. However, today is our wedding day, and according to our Han customs, I have to call you Niangzi, and you have to call me Xianggong."
Liu Ru chuckled, lifted a corner of her veil, and gave him a playful glare: "Husband, according to our Han customs, what are we going to do next?"
Although when Zaiyezi moved to Nanyuan, he and Liuru chatted and quickly fell in love, and he also liked Liuru very much.
That glare left Liang Xiaoming bewildered and dizzy. He swallowed hard and reached for the wine pot on the table. "It seems like it's time to drink the nuptial wine next..."
A bright red veil was suddenly placed over his face, and Liu Ru pushed him onto the bed. "But I heard that tonight is called the wedding night. Shouldn't we be having our wedding night next?"
Liang Xiaoming was instantly aroused by those words. Determined to prove himself a man, he lifted the veil, turned over, took the initiative, hugged Liu Ru, and pinned her down.
Liu Ru smiled radiantly, her snow-white skin glowing with vitality in the candlelight.
Liang Xiaoming leaned down and kissed her, and Liu Ru gently closed her eyes.
Just before their lips met, Liang Xiaoming suddenly pictured a woman with long, jet-black hair and snow-white skin.
He shook his head, trying to completely shake the image out of his mind.
"Farewell! We are no longer in the same time and space, and I am about to begin my new life..."
The candlelight in the room was extinguished, and the room was filled with the warmth of spring.
The day after the wedding banquet was the real show that Liu Ye had arranged for Zhao Yue and the others.
The Qiongzhou garrison had announced early on that a military parade would be held today, and invited representatives from the prefectural government and magistrates from neighboring prefectures and counties to attend, as well as allowing ordinary people to watch.
It's in the Chinese people's nature to love watching the excitement. As the year draws to a close, people have nothing else to do, so they bring their wives, sons, and all their families to come and watch the excitement.
I heard the parade route started from Bofu, entered the county town from the west, then passed through General Street and the east, finally arriving at the Ma'ao barracks. The people gathered early on both sides of General Street, waiting for the procession to arrive. While waiting, the crowd buzzed with discussion:
"What exactly is the procedure for this military parade? Is it just a few ordinary soldiers walking along this route?"
"I can tell you're a bumpkin, you don't know anything. My uncle's second son works at an arms factory, and I heard from insiders that the highlight of this military parade is the real-life drills, and everything else is just a prelude."
It was past dawn, and by the time of Chen, there was still no movement. Some people began to get anxious, peeking around and looking around. Some even ran to the west gate to wait.
At three quarters past Chen hour, someone called out, "They're here, they're here..."
The sound of orderly footsteps rang out, and soldiers in red uniforms appeared at the far end of General Street, each carrying a gleaming Patriot rifle.
Qiongzhou was a remote and poorly equipped region, and its military defenses were largely based on the defense against pirates. The people of Lingao County, and indeed the entire Qiongzhou Prefecture, rarely saw any real troops. Although the Battle of Bofu was fierce, the common people dared not approach, and naturally had no chance to witness the imperial army's elite forces. Now, seeing such a well-disciplined force, everyone was inexplicably excited. This was their own Lingao army, the only one of its kind in the entire Qiongzhou Prefecture.
The column marched in two lines, moving slowly through General's Street. Every soldier's gaze was resolute, fixed straight ahead. The bayonets of their spears gleamed in the sunlight, almost blinding the onlookers. Their synchronized steps merged into a single sound, making it seem as if not hundreds or thousands of people were advancing, but rather a single individual.
The Qiongzhou Battalion's drill training was basically the same as the grand military parades of later generations. It must be said that this kind of drill and military posture is the most suitable for Chinese people. Although the drills trained by Liu Ye and Liang Xiaoming, two laymen, cannot be compared with the grand military parades of later generations, in the eyes of people in this time and space, the visual impact of such uniform clothing, neat steps, and a forest of long guns is extremely shocking.