♂?，，

  The third watch is delivered.

  ———

  Since he had just received the invitation, Liu Feng closed his book, put on his Qingying sword, wore a layer of fine armor under his robe, and left the mansion with several close guards.

  Liu Qi did not invite him to the military camp in Beicheng, but instead went to a mansion near the east of the city. Compared with the solemn and majestic Taishou Mansion, this mansion was exquisite and elegant, exuding a soft and delicate atmosphere reminiscent of Jiangnan's green jade.

  As soon as he entered the mansion, Liu Feng heard the sound of the guqin and drums, the music was soft and gentle, it seemed like a beautiful woman was whispering sweet nothings in his ear, the hardships of studying for days were all swept away by this sudden and unexpected gentle melody.

  As he entered the main hall, everything was just as Liu Feng had expected.

  In the center of the hall, a bronze furnace was emitting wisps of blue smoke, and a faint fragrance wafted into the nostrils. Seven or eight geishas, dressed in alluring attire and with charming appearances, were dancing in a circle. On the couch in front, Liu Qi was lying down disheveled, enjoying fine wine and delicacies while watching the elegant dance with narrowed eyes.

  As the weaker side, Cao Cao's hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers could attack at any moment. In this situation, as the lord of Jiangxia, he should have been more restrained and focused on training his troops and pacifying the people. Instead, he indulged in romantic feelings and admired beauty.

  "A great war is approaching, and yet you still have such elegant pursuits, brother." Liu Feng reminded him tactfully.

  Liu Qi saw him coming, jumped up from the tiger bed, walked barefoot on the fiery rug, pulled him back to the tiger bed together, and smiled: "It's because of the great enemy in front of us that we should relax our mood, so that we can take action lightly at that time. This is called not neglecting both public and private matters."

  Although Liu Qi has the advantages of being straightforward and righteous, after all, the habits of a spoiled son are too heavy on his body, and he is not a person who can do great things. Suddenly, Liu Feng felt that Liu Bei's entrustment to secretly seize Liu Qi's military power before leaving seemed reasonable, if the great power of Jiangxia was in his hands, it would likely reduce the hope of victory by a lot.

  Although he had feelings in his heart, Liu Feng didn't reveal even a bit on his face. He smiled and echoed: "Elder brother's words also make sense. I wonder if elder brother sent someone to invite me, is there something important?"

  Liu Qi personally poured him a full cup of wine, and his eyes, filled with the red glow of wine, turned to the main hall: "Brother, have you forgotten? Last time on the Han River, I promised that once we reached Xia Kou, I would let you experience what it means to indulge in the beauty of flowers. Look at these beauties below, they are all my treasured darlings, carefully selected and stored away for many years. Ah Feng, take a look and choose whichever one you like, I guarantee she will serve you until you are enchanted to death, haha!"

  It turns out that when the big brother takes his little brother to play with women, it's really quite righteous.

  Before crossing over, Liu Feng was not as carefree as Liu Qi, but after all, he was a modern person and couldn't be more conservative than Liu Qi in terms of entertainment. Seeing pair after pair of charming eyes casting flirtatious glances, captivating his soul, Liu Feng's heart naturally began to flutter.

  It's just that Liu Qi doesn't have his father to answer to, so he can indulge in pleasure as he wishes. But for himself, who has a strict father at home, to follow Liu Qi and indulge in beauty at this special moment, if Liu Bei were to hear the rumors, wouldn't it be asking for trouble?

  Liu Feng could only force himself to hold back, his face twisted in a bitter expression as he sighed: "I appreciate your kind intentions, brother, but I also know Father's temper all too well - I don't dare invite trouble upon myself."

  Liu Qi's face revealed a hint of disdain: "What's there to be afraid of? Being fond of beauty is the nature of men, after all. Besides, this place is Brother's private residence, and apart from those closest to him, no one else knows about it. As long as we two brothers enjoy ourselves here and don't foolishly go around talking about it, how would Uncle even find out?"

  Liu Feng had originally intended to decline, but after some thought, he remembered that in the past, Xiao He had used bribery to pretend to be unambitious. If even ancient people did such things, then it wouldn't hurt for him to adopt a bit of so-called "bad habits".

  Thinking of this, Liu Feng changed his tone and smiled helplessly: "Since my brother is so enthusiastic, I also can't dampen my brother's interest. How about this, I'll just keep my brother company for a few cups."

  "That's right!" Liu Qi was overjoyed, waving his hand and saying: "Where is the music? Beautiful ladies, dance for me, my brother will like it, and there will be a generous reward."

  Liu Feng temporarily put aside his worries, listened to the soft music of the zither, and with Liu Qi in his arms, indulged in a night of revelry amidst the beauties, until late evening when he was already half-drunk.

  "Afeng, which beauty will you choose tonight? Just... just pick one..." Liu Qi's eyes were blurry from drinking, and his tongue was already tangled.

  "This one I want too, that one I also want." Liu Feng was also drunk, and with a sweep of his hand, he pulled two beauties from a group of surrounding women into his arms.

  "Wow, haha, brother is awesome."

  The two men each chose a beauty and were just about to return to their rooms to enjoy the pleasure of Wushan when suddenly a servant came in from outside to report that a small school had arrived from the North City barracks with an urgent matter of utmost importance, requesting an immediate audience with Liu Qi.

  Drunken Liu Qi stuttered: "C-call... call him in."

  Before long, a mailed officer rushed in, his face very serious, and hastened to the front, kneeling on one knee and saying: "I report to you, sir, that the rebel general Wen Pin has led his army south from Anluo, besieging Shiyang. The defending general of Shiyang has sent an urgent message asking for reinforcements. Please, sir, quickly dispatch troops to lift the siege."

  This news immediately dispelled half of Liu Qi's intoxication, and even Liu Feng's heart was shaken.

  There are two roads from Jingbei to attack Xiakou. One is from Xiangyang, which borders Nanyang Prefecture, going south along the Han River. The other is from Anluo County, which borders Runan Prefecture, going south along the Tuo River. Shiyang is an important stronghold in the lower reaches of the Tuo River and a gateway to Xiakou. If Wen Ping occupies Shiyang, Xiakou will be directly exposed to the blade of Cao's army.

  It is simply that, given the importance of Shi Yang, Guan Yu had previously dispatched a portion of his naval forces to patrol the waters near Shi Yang, and Wen Ping was able to complete the encirclement of Shi Yang without defeating Guan Yu's naval forces, which is truly inconceivable.

  Perhaps Guan Yu's water army has been defeated? But shouldn't they have sent back the news to Jiangling earlier?

  For a moment, Liu Feng was somewhat bewildered in his half-drunken and half-awake state.

  Liu Qi didn't think that much, he pushed the beauty in his arms away, stumbled forward with big strides, and shouted at the little school: "Where is the urgent report, bring it up quickly."

  "On a small body." Xiao wiped the sweat from his forehead, reached into his bosom and pulled out a volume of silk book, holding it with both hands: "Please, young master, take a look."

  Outside the open gate, a gust of wind blew into the hall, causing the flames in the four braziers to flicker. The cold air penetrated through his clothes and into his body, and Liu Feng couldn't help but shiver, his dizzy head clearing up a bit from the chill.

  In the no longer dim eyes, Liu Qi, who was drunk, leaned forward and reached out to take the distress letter from Xiao Xiao's hand.

  Suddenly, a terrible thought flashed through Liu Feng's mind, and he hastily shouted: "Be careful!"

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