When the pipa piece "Huanqin" played by Ethan Shen came to an abrupt end, everyone still felt a little unsatisfied.
There were also many joyful pieces of pipa music played by various countries during Anxi's rule, but when people carefully recalled them, they all felt that they were not as brisk and lively as Ethan Shen's pipa music, just like the difference between the charming and attractive Hu Ji and the bright and charming girl.
"Shen Lang, Shen Lang, after listening to the music you played, I am afraid I can no longer listen to other musicians' music. What do you think I should do in the future?"
Alexander Gao laughed and said that with Ethan Shen accompanying him, he was not afraid of losing face even if he went to Chang'an City.
"If the governor likes it, I will present the music score to him. Even if I am not here, the governor can ask the musicians to play it."
Although Ethan Shen has been learning pipa and erhu since elementary school, and he can play many other musical instruments, when it comes to playing skills, he is no match for those musicians who have made a living from these and have been immersed in them for decades.
Hearing Ethan Shen's words, everyone around him treated him seriously. Playing the piano and making music is ultimately a minor thing. This Mr. Shen is indeed ambitious. Several older staff members under Alexander Gao who had no hostility towards Ethan Shen could not help but think so.
Alexander Gao also smiled when he heard this, raised his glass to Ethan Shen and said, "A real man should have ambitions in all directions. This glass is for you."
"Thank you, Protector General."
Ethan Shen returned to his desk and drank the cup in one gulp. At this time, Alexander Gao called the musicians who were waiting outside to come in and play music. Although the music was not as stunning as the new music played by Ethan Shen, all those present were ready to fight with swords. In their hearts, such pleasant music and music were not as good as going into battle on horseback to gain fame and wealth.
During the banquet, many people toasted to Ethan Shen. Ethan Shen, who was well versed in this traditional culture, accepted all the toasts. He was born with a good tolerance for alcohol. When he was in school, he was often dragged by the principal to drink with the leaders. At the moment, it was just low-alcohol wine, so there was no way these people could get him drunk.
After a round of drinking, Ethan Shen was only slightly tipsy, but his eyes were still clear, which made Alexander Gao on the main seat even happier. He didn't expect that this Mr. Shen could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. He was probably even stronger than Feng Er. When he returned to Qiuci, with Feng Er on his left and Mr. Shen on his right, he would definitely hold a banquet to dampen the arrogance of Cheng Qianli and the others, and let them know that even in this wine country where there is a competition, he, Alexander Gao, can still defeat them.
Ethan Shen was a newcomer, and being in the limelight like this always made some of the old men under Alexander Gao unhappy, so they urged him to drink more and more frequently. However, they did not make Ethan Shen fall down after drinking, but got themselves drunk first.
"Come on, Mr. Shen, sit over there, don't bother with these drunk dogs."
Alexander Gao could not fail to see that some of his old men were targeting Ethan Shen, but what made him happy was that Ethan Shen actually drank those idiots down, which made him admire him very much.
Ethan Shen sat next to Alexander Gao. Although the two were almost twenty years apart in age, they were both handsome. Sitting together, they looked like two brothers, making the people sitting below envious and jealous.
As they toasted each other, Ethan Shen and Alexander Gao drank several rounds of wine before he pretended to be drunk and told Alexander Gao his fabricated identity and origin as a story.
"The governor may not know that although I was born in Jiangnan, I left home with my parents thousands of miles away when I was young and went to Suiye Town..."
In Ethan Shen's story, his father was a scion of the Wuxing Shen family. During the Kaiyuan period, he volunteered to serve as a guard and went to the Beiting Protectorate thousands of miles away. At that time, Suiye Town was controlled by the Tang Dynasty and the Turks. In the end, his father died on the battlefield, and his mother remarried with him to a wealthy Hu merchant in Hezhong. It was not until his mother passed away last year that he thought of returning to the east. However, he never expected that he would encounter Tibetans in Khotan, and all his followers were killed. Only he escaped on horseback and was finally rescued by the guards.
"These Tibetans are really abominable. One day I will lead a large army to attack them and avenge Shen Lang."
Ethan Shen's story was told in bits and pieces, and Alexander Gao could only hear it vaguely due to his drunkenness, but he believed it in his heart. This was because during the Kaiyuan period, after the Beiting Protector General Gai Jiayun won a great victory in the expedition against Suiye Town, he left a small number of troops to cultivate land and guard the border. At that time, the imperial court would give the meritorious soldiers who died in the battle three or four ranks of honorary titles as a reward to their descendants.
That night, after the banquet, Alexander Gao pulled Ethan Shen to sleep on the same bed with him, while the rest of the people were driven down the mountain to live in the military tent. Although Ethan Shen was a little uncomfortable, he still gritted his teeth and slept with this handsome old man. Fortunately, Alexander Gao's alcohol tolerance was average, so he only talked to him for a few words before falling asleep, so he didn't feel too embarrassed.
The next morning, when Alexander Gao got up, he found that the bed beside him was empty and there was no sign of Ethan Shen. After leaving the temple, he saw Ethan Shen practicing with spear.
"Protector General."
"Don't worry about me, just keep practicing."
Alexander Gao originally thought that Ethan Shen was not good at martial arts, and that his armor, swords and spears were just for show. But now it seems that Ethan Shen's martial arts are not bad. The fine steel spear makes a piercing whistling sound when it is stabbed out with full force, which shows that he has worked hard.
A guard nearby brought hot water. Alexander Gao washed himself and rinsed his mouth with willow salt. He continued to watch Ethan Shen practice spearing while holding a bowl of millet porridge. Only after Ethan Shen had put away his spear in exhaustion did he put down the bowl of porridge and asked, "Is Shen Lang's spearmanship a family tradition?"
"It's not a family tradition, I just practiced a few moves with my father."
Ethan Shen's Xinyou swordsmanship is complete, but the spear stabbing technique he practiced is purely for practical use, and there is no so-called move.
"You have practiced the spear well, but it is only for fighting on foot. You cannot use it on horseback. When we reach Qiuci one day, I will teach you the martial arts for fighting on horseback."
When Alexander Gao was young, he was a famous general for his bravery. He often rode his horse to charge into the enemy camp and capture the generals and flags. However, as he grew older and his position became higher, he was no longer needed to charge into battle. His martial arts skills inevitably became weaker and not as good as before. Now, seeing Ethan Shen in his prime, he couldn't help but feel itchy and wanted to train him into a general with both civil and military skills.
"Thank you, Protector General."
Ethan Shen was overjoyed. The spear skills he had practiced were only basic. He had no confidence at all that he could use them correctly on the battlefield. It was truly a pleasant surprise for him to be taught martial arts by Alexander Gao.
"By the way, Protector General, this child is an attendant that I accepted in the temple. Please allow him to accompany me."
Hearing Ethan Shen's words, Liam became nervous and from time to time he looked up to steal a glance at the rather majestic Protector Gao.
"Since you are my follower, you should take him with you. However, once you arrive at Kucha, you cannot stay in the army."
Alexander Gao looked at the little bald man with a layer of stubble on his head, stretched out his hand and stroked his back and said, Ethan Shen quickly agreed. Now is the prosperous time of the Tang Dynasty. Not to mention the four towns of Anxi, even the other military towns have no young soldiers. Only young men who are over 20 years old can become warriors in the army.
When the sun was high in the sky, Ethan Shen said goodbye to Abbot Liam and Fan Maxwell Fa, and followed Alexander Gao down the mountain. His armor was naturally left on the carriage, and he only carried the long sword with a green sheath, which even Alexander Gao liked very much, on his waist. He rode a white horse and walked side by side with Alexander Gao.
At this time, early spring was about to pass, and most of the snow on the road had melted, moistening the earth. Large green meadows could be seen everywhere, without any trace of the desert in later times. Ethan Shen was admiring this rare scenery on his horse, thinking about something in his heart.
During the Tang Dynasty, the global climate was warm and humid. Not only the Anxi land, but also the Qinghai Plateau where Tubo was located had a warm climate, abundant snow and water, and was covered with arable fields and pastures. This enabled Tubo to become a strong country, with people and livestock multiplying and thriving. It was able to compete with the Tang Dynasty for Longyou, Hexi, and the Western Regions in Hezhong. Even if it suffered a heavy defeat, as long as it retreated to the plateau to recuperate for a few years, it could continue to compete with the Tang Dynasty for hegemony.
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