Alright, who told me to flatter him so perfectly? It's hard to refuse such enthusiasm, so let's just drink.
Although Lü Bu's reputation later on wasn't great, that was after Zhang Fei, the Third Lord, badmouthed him at Hulao Pass. For now, having a drink shouldn't be a problem. Besides, Fei Qian was also very curious about Lü Bu. How did a man with such extraordinary martial skills, who in the early Three Kingdoms period had gathered top-tier strategists, generals, soldiers, and equipment—essentially a "four-stream warlord"—end up on the path to ruin?
Historically, if Lü Bu and Chen Gong had worked well together, they would have been unstoppable.
Chen Gong excelled in overall strategic planning. Historically, he was the type who, given enough time to think, would deliver a grand plan. For example, when Chen Gong finally made his move after biding his time, he struck Cao Cao hard, almost crippling him...
Lü Bu, on the other hand, was the king of the battlefield. In one-on-one or even one-against-many situations, as long as the enemy didn't have enough soldiers to overwhelm Lü Bu's martial prowess, the outcome was certain: they would be beaten to a pulp...
Moreover, at this point in time, the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, and the Baima Yi Cavalry were the only three large-scale cavalry forces in the Three Kingdoms. It was like everyone else was still using primitive guns and cannons, while Lü Bu's forces were already driving tanks. That's how it felt...
But even with such advantages, they still fell in the end...
But that's a story for later.
Right now, Lü Bu was extremely happy. He had finally met someone who understood him. Imagine a former poor loser suddenly transforming into a rich, handsome man, yet having no one around to show off to. It had been driving Lü Bu crazy.
Zhang Liao and Gao Shun had been assigned by Li Ru to train the newly incorporated troops from He Jin's forces—one at the city's training ground and the other at the camp outside the city. Both had been promoted from military captains to miscellaneous generals.
Lü Bu, being a bit thick-headed, didn't realize that Li Ru had deliberately split them up to prevent the Bingzhou faction from becoming too cohesive. Lü Bu just felt that while he used to worry about not having money for drinks, now he had money but no one to drink with... He had tried inviting Li Su a few times, but after showing off too much, even Li Su stopped coming...
So when he ran into Fei Qian—well, more accurately, almost collided with him at the corner—Lü Bu eagerly grabbed him and dragged him off for a drink, eager to show off.
Originally, Lü Bu wanted to go to the largest restaurant in Luoyang, the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, where they could have some Hu dancers perform a few spins to warm up, followed by some entertainment with courtesans—
This startled Fei Qian, who quickly told Lü Bu that he had just completed his teacher's ceremony yesterday and held a banquet at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. If he were to go carousing with courtesans today, it wouldn't look good...
Lü Bu thought about it and agreed, though with some regret, changing the drinking location to his new residence.
Lü Bu's current residence was originally the property of the former Commandant of the Upper Army, Jian Shuo, in the Buguangli district. After Jian Shuo's clan was massacred, the property was confiscated by the state and left vacant. When Lü Bu arrived, Dong Zhuo generously gifted it to him from the state treasury, along with a large number of servants and maids.
As soon as Lü Bu dragged Fei Qian into the residence, he shouted for his servants to prepare a feast. He also sent someone to fetch Zhang Liao and Gao Shun, saying he had met a new young friend and wanted them to come see...
Fei Qian grumbled inwardly, 'I'm not some zoo animal to be put on display. What kind of talk is this? Should we charge admission too?' But from Lü Bu's tone, there was no hint of belittlement. Instead, it felt like Lü Bu had just achieved something new and wanted to show it off to his friends.
Soon, the feast was set up in the rear hall, which surprised Fei Qian a bit.
Although Lü Bu's original wife was still in Bingzhou and hadn't arrived yet, so the rear courtyard was empty except for Lü Bu, there were no concerns about female family members. However, setting the feast in the rear hall instead of the side hall showed that Lü Bu didn't treat Fei Qian as a guest but more like family.
At this point, Fei Qian felt a bit guilty about fooling Lü Bu. It seemed Lü Bu was the type of person who was straightforward and sincere in relationships, somewhat like the nomadic tribes on the grasslands. When they treated you well, they did so wholeheartedly, without any stinginess. Of course, such people also couldn't tolerate even a grain of sand in their eyes. If they discovered you had deceived them, the love they once had for you would turn into hatred...
Since he was here, he might as well make the best of it.
Following the habits of modern banquets, Fei Qian naturally raised a cup of wine to toast Lü Bu, then gulped it down—after all, the alcohol content in Han Dynasty wine was low, like juice mixed with alcohol, and it still had some unfiltered impurities.
Lü Bu was immediately impressed. He had been a bit worried that Fei Qian would be like those pretentious scholars he had met, who ate slowly and even raised their little fingers delicately... But today, Fei Qian had no such pretensions and even had a bit of the boldness of a military man...
Lü Bu also poured the wine down his throat, frowned—not because the wine was bad (Han Dynasty wine was just like that)—but because the cup was too small. One cup didn't give him any feeling, so he ordered the servants to replace the cups with bowls.
In modern times, one way to drink less at a banquet is to talk more. Having spent years in the workplace, Fei Qian understood this well. He found an opportunity to ask Lü Bu about his exploits in Bingzhou, killing the Xianbei, which happened to hit Lü Bu's sweet spot—these were stories he had wanted to tell but never had an audience for.
Lü Bu talked animatedly, gesturing wildly, while Fei Qian listened with great interest. After all, these were details that couldn't be found in historical records.
Fei Qian occasionally asked questions about parts of Lü Bu's story he didn't understand, nodding along. Whenever Lü Bu's bowl was empty, Fei Qian, without waiting for the maids, would pick up the wine jug and refill it himself.
Lü Bu didn't stand on ceremony either. In high spirits, he drank the bowl in one gulp, wiped his mouth casually, and continued his story...
Then Fei Qian, smiling, poured him another bowl...
And Lü Bu drank it again...
By the time Zhang Liao, who had been training troops at the city's drill ground, arrived, Lü Bu was already seven or eight parts drunk. At Fei Qian's request, he grabbed a spear and started showing off his martial skills in the courtyard—
Lü Bu's skills truly lived up to his reputation as the strongest warrior of the Three Kingdoms. Fei Qian estimated that the spear must have weighed at least thirty or forty pounds, but in Lü Bu's hands, it was like a small stick. He could wield it effortlessly with one hand, and as he swung it, the wind it generated filled the courtyard, almost blowing Fei Qian's sleeves into his face...
If Chen Gong hadn't been naturally slow and hadn't been thrown off rhythm by Cao Cao's scheming, leading to mistakes in his actions and causing Lü Bu to doubt him later, Lü Bu wouldn't have fallen so quickly... There's strength in numbers, after all...