The winter feast did not last very late, and before the time came, Luo Kaixian, who was on fire in his heart, retreated first, and the rest of the Lingzhou people and the congratulatory guests also dispersed one after another, because although the bonfire was blazing, the riverbank in winter was still too cold.

According to the initial arrangement, the wedding ceremony is divided into three days, the first day is the bride and groom's wedding day, and there is no banquet, the second day is the day when the groom meets the guests, and the third day is the day when the groom returns with the bride.

It's just that when everything comes to Luo Kaixian, the main general, there will always be some differences because of his identity. Including his temporary decision to entertain the guests, it was not formal, but it also expressed sincerity, which is understandable.

The next day, the day of the reception. Luo Kaixian couldn't leave his bride alone - he had to meet with many visiting guests, which he had to do as a general, whether it was because of etiquette or practical communication problems.

Meeting guests is not what Luo Kaixian likes to do, because he has too many things to be busy, and he doesn't like to be bound by this kind of "ushering in", so as long as he is not a key or important guest, Li Zheng will take people to take care of it.

Meeting guests is a must, because there are many guests, how to arrange the order of this detail is also very important, favoritism over the other will cause trouble, the importance of strength and weakness will also leave a bad impression of sycophancy or arrogance, in this era of relying on word of mouth to deliver news, few people can not care about the evaluation of others.

Luo Kaixian is a different kind of guy, he is not a businessman who wanders between different forces, nor is he a so-called diplomat who can endure humiliation, he is a general who controls tens of thousands of strong soldiers and has the ability to determine the direction of regional tranquility.

He is the quintessential proponent of the belief that power determines everything, so his choice for the question of sequencing that is a headache for others is "me-oriented"!

What does it mean to be "self-centered"?

In short, it is centered on "me", I who is close to me will be valued, and those who are far away from "me" will be rejected by "me"! To sum it up in an idiom, it is "distant and close relatives", not "priority".

Then the next sorting is simple, and the small clan leaders who Luo had collectively convened before were ranked first. The reason is that most of the small tribes around Lingzhou have begun to cooperate with the Lingzhou camp, or use medicinal grass, fur, wood and the like to exchange iron, livestock, food, or pay labor to get a basic chance of survival here in Lingzhou.

According to the economic theory of later generations, the small tribes around Lingzhou are becoming the providers of basic materials and human resources for the Lingzhou camp, and they are also becoming the first consumers of the Lingzhou camp's products.

To put it more simply, the Lingzhou camp did not use swords to force people to submit, but it co-opted all the people around them who wanted to survive at the economic level, and this range was silently expanding.

One side is a person who is moving closer to oneself, and the other side is a visitor whose identity is unclear and whose intention is unknown, is there any need to consider which is more important?

Even if the Zhao and Song dynasties were recognized as the most powerful regime in the East at the moment, and even if the Tibetans were known as having the most courageous and savage warriors, what did Luo Kaixian care?

So, on the morning of the second day of the wedding, a long queue began to form outside the living room of the Lingzhou lord, and one by one the small clan leaders who had changed into new windproof and cold-resistant robes entered the meeting room in order, and accepted the summons of Luo Kaixian, who was sitting on the throne of the inner hall, just like meeting the king of a city-state.

For Luo Kaixian, who was sitting in a high position, there was nothing unacceptable about all this - human beings have never been equal, even if it was difficult for him to return to the era of "equality of all beings" everywhere.

Luo doesn't like to "usher in", but that doesn't mean he's not good at handling the trivial matters of interpersonal communication. On the contrary, every small tribal leader can hear his words of approval, guidance, or rebuke when he walks out of the parlor, and when these small tribal leaders step out of the parlor, the onlookers will see the elated or upright or red faces, and they will find that the eyes of those people are full of respect and reverence.

In fact, it was not at all difficult for Luo Kaixian to win the trust and conquer the leaders of these small tribes, whether it was force or wisdom, he was in the position of crushing others.

However, those who do not understand the reasons or have not yet had deep contact do not see it that way.

Among them are the Tibetan people from the Qingtang Dynasty.

In the large guest house, the highest grade, and the hall with thick floors inside, more than a dozen Tibetan men sat in a group, discussing the difference between the land of Lingzhou and their own residence.

A sturdy man with a big waist and a round waist stood up, "Leader Bianba, does the person surnamed Luo look down on us?" Why did we arrange us in the back when we met the guests, is it because the gifts we gave were not expensive enough? Twelve white yaks! The Buddhas who are sent to Luo can be summoned! ”

"Losumba, sit down!" To the west of the hall, a man with loose hair under a soft hat with a thick fur cushion and a soft hat shouted loudly, and when he saw the latter obediently obeying his orders, he sat up straight and explained: "Those who are anxious can't drink hot soup!" Here in Lingzhou, we are guests, so we should abide by the rules of the host! And...... The owner here in Lingzhou...... It's powerful! ”

The people who can sit around in this guest house are either the chief's cronies and guards, or his confidants, so as the leader, Bian Ba does not shy away from what he says.

A thin man wrapped in a fur robe stood up, arched his hand and said: "Leader Bian Ba is right, the student thinks that the order of meeting guests arranged by Luo Kaixian is very mysterious, if we are arranged in the front, those small clan leaders will definitely think that Luo Kaixian values wealth and goods over talents, and it will be different to arrange us later, not only can you use the early summoning to win over the nearby small tribes, but you can also use the important things to arrange to appease us later...... Well, Luo Kaixian is definitely not a person with no martial arts, and when the leader of Bianba meets him in the afternoon, he must be very cautious......"

A guy with a hooked nose and a deep purpose who was obviously not a Tubo also stood up, "Leader of Bianba, although Mr. Ziming is reasonable, but he still failed to grasp the fundamentals, he wants to deal with the Liuhe Department (1), and he wants to deal with the Duo Governor (2), why do you have to ask for help from this Lingzhou?" The Buddhas on the plateau, Cao Wei (3), the general of the Eastern Song Dynasty, are far more powerful than this Lingzhou! ”

Bian Ba raised his hand to stop the Han man who was called Mr. Ziming who wanted to refute, and said in a firm tone: "Mofik, I will answer you for Mr. Ziming, whether my department is in the plateau Tibet or in Qingtang, it is an insignificant small department, you know, the Liuhe department has been oppressing us for many years, is the Buddha on the plateau really the Bodhisattva in the scriptures?" Not to mention the Eastern Song Court, if they didn't want to get a large number of horses, how could they support the Governor to continue to lead the Liuhe Division? The scholars and doctors of the Song Court are not cattle and sheep that eat grass, but greedy beasts that are more greedy than the wild wolves on the grassland! ”

Mofik has a square chin, and such people are said to be stubborn, and his next words prove it, "But...... Leader of Bianba, I have also been to the Song Realm, and I have seen those scholars who can't even catch a lamb, and they can be blown by a gust of wind, how can such a person be a beast? ”

"It is not the flesh and blood of man who is greedy and ferocious, but the heart of man!" Mr. Ziming didn't ask the leader to speak for him anymore, but opened his mouth and explained: "Mofik, I know that you are also a wise person, I wonder if you have seen the wolves on the grassland with your own eyes?" ”

"Of course I did, and I fought with wolves!"

"Well, I don't know if you've ever seen a pack of wolves with a small beast the size of a wolf cub on their back!"

“…… Of course I've seen it! "Mofik is a little impatient," Mr. Ziming said, "What's the use of that?" Hugh is going to miss the leader's big thing! ”

"No, no, I won't miss the chief's business." Mr. Ziming said calmly: "The Han people call the little beast on the back of the head wolf an embarrassment, and there is a commonly used word - embarrassment, that is, the kind of inconspicuous little beast that it says, its body is thin and small, but it can replace the existence of the head wolf, and it is the real mind of the wolf pack!" If you've ever seen that kind of wolf pack, Mofik, you'll know that a wolf pack with a wolf pack is far more cunning and ferocious than a wolf pack under the command of a lone wolf! ”

Mofik, who was still provoking before, was speechless, and his already pale face became a little miserable.

The remarks of several people made the Tibetan guards sitting around listen with relish, just as they listened to the bald monks tell the stories of the Buddhist scriptures.

The hall of the cabin sank into an atmosphere of whispered discussion.

"Bang bang!" A few gentle knocks on the door came, and then a voice that sounded strange but very loud to all the Tubo people followed into the hall, "Bian Ba guest, Luo Kai will invite the lord first!" ”

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(1) Liuhe Division, also known as Liuhe Division, is mainly composed of Tubo people, after the death of the Tang Dynasty to the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty in the area of Liangzhou, Hexi (now Wuwei, Gansu), the general commander is Pan Luozhi (the person who shot Li Jiqian to death).

(2) The Governor of the Priesthood, the younger brother of Pan Luozhi, was elected to rule the Liuhe tribe after his brother's death.

(3) Cao Wei, (973-1030) the fourth son of Cao Bin, a famous general in the early Song Dynasty, was born in Jiangmen, brave and strategic, and was the representative of the main battle faction of Jiangmen who attacked Hexi during the Song Zhenzong period.