Chapter 8: Gathering Together in Joyous Celebration

  December 13, 1915

  The heavy snow has just cleared up, and the sunshine is everywhere.

  The governor's mansion, the Hami Wangfu, and even the entire Xinjiang aristocracy were still immersed in the joy of celebrating Yuan Shikai's ascension to the throne.

  At noon, in the southeastern mountainous area of ??Zhangjiakou County, a long line of horse-drawn carriages and camels, loaded with old men, women and children, as well as all kinds of daily necessities, sang and laughed, slowly moving forward in the mysterious Duanhun Gorge.

  Mu Hailin was fully armed, with two guns holstered at his waist, riding ahead alone, looking quite relaxed.

  Mu Haitao, dressed in a deep brown cavalry combat uniform, held an 80% new Russian-made Mosin rifle on his shoulder with his right hand, riding a tall horse with full attention as if facing a great enemy. He led a group of people and horses, including Kurban, Wumuer, Zidake and others who had come with him yesterday, all fully armed, following behind the main team to guard against danger.

  For some reason, Uyghur beauty Irina, who was still opposed to it yesterday, also appeared in this horse team, just behind Mu Haitao, and occasionally even made a few jokes with Mu San Ge.

  The Tang Dynasty, which had received the news early on, naturally opened the city gate wide and stood at the foot of the Tangjia Fort mountain, quietly waiting for the arrival of the guests.

  In the sky, "Tangjia Fort No. 1" was suspended at an altitude of five hundred meters, slowly moving forward, with a tens-of-meters-long bright red banner hanging from the cockpit, on which were written six golden large characters: "Tangjia Fort welcomes you".

  Obviously, the Tang Dynasty has put to use the armed robots that have just been dressed in artificial biological skin, arranging these cold-blooded guys to stay on airships, which can create momentum and also serve as surveillance.

  In order to show off his majestic and heroic image as much as possible, Tang Chao changed from the "Western cowboy" outfit he wore when meeting with Mu Haolin yesterday, and had Xiaomiao rush to make him a Northern Navy winter uniform general's attire overnight.

  Unexpectedly, Tang Dynasty's current stature, with a height of 1.85 meters and a weight of nearly 90 kilograms, wearing this slightly flashy Beiyang general's uniform, indeed has a bit of a dignified appearance. More than three years of intense training have also given Tang Dynasty an air of professionalism and sharpness that is faintly discernible on his body.

  If there's one thing to be said against him, it's that Tang had no soldiers by his side, lacking the grandeur a general should have.

  Although the kittens' armed robots had put on artificial biological skin, the Tang Dynasty did not yet have the courage to let these shocking and astonishing guys appear in front of outsiders.

  From the square at the foot of the castle to the first and second gates, all the snow was cleared by Tang Dynasty's arrangement of engineering robots overnight, in order to bring vitality and popularity to the entire Tangjia Castle, Tang Dynasty was also kind-hearted.

  As Mu Haitao rode the last horse into the city, the first gate of Tangjia Fort, those two thick metal gates, closed again, temporarily cutting off the connection between Tangjia Fort and the outside world.

  Lofty and solid city walls, majestic city towers and steep cliffs are perfectly integrated, which can be called a masterpiece of the gods, making all the old and young gentlemen who see this breathtaking sight.

  Irina, who had been following Mu Haitao all along, exclaimed while looking around: "Allah is above, what kind of person has such a big handwriting? Third brother, take a look quickly, there are machine gun bunkers! There are eight machine gun firing holes in the city wall on both sides, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! My god! Eight heavy machine gun bunkers, if these heavy machine guns fire at the same time, no one in this pot city can escape! Who designed this, it's simply too vicious!"

  "Hahaha, it's indeed a bit poisonous for our enemies!" Mu Haitao laughed loudly with great satisfaction: "Irina, remember from now on, this is the new home of all brothers in Iron Cavalry Alliance!"

  "Haha, Irina, aren't you worried at all about the legendary thousand-year-old curse?" Zhi Daku asked with a smile as he turned his head to look back at Irina from his mount.

  "You're all not afraid, why should I be!" Irina glared at Zhi Daku with a bad temper.

  Soon, all the horse-drawn carriages and camel teams passed through the Wengcheng Gate and arrived at the large square in front of the foot of Tangjiabao Mountain.

  At this time, the leading Mu Hailin had ridden his horse to stand in front of Tang Chao, who was standing with his back to him. Ten meters away, he lifted his leg and dismounted, walking big steps closer, then stood at attention, raised his right arm and gave a Beiyang military salute, shouting loudly: "Boss, the Mu family has eighty-three mouths to feed, and thirty-nine brothers from the Iron Rider Alliance have come with me to report for duty, please give us instructions!"

  "Heh heh, no need for formalities, just glad you're here." Tang Dynasty casually returned a military salute to Mu Hailin, then smiled and walked towards the group of old men and women who were still getting into formation.

  About three meters away, Tang stopped in his tracks and scanned the faces of the crowd with a loud voice: "Welcome everyone to Tang's Fort, from now on, this will become our new home. We are all one family, since we are one family, we naturally don't speak two different languages. I think you've all traveled so far, you must be tired, and I won't say any more nonsense. Old Mu, take everyone up the mountain, into the fort! Settle down!"

  Mu Hailin caught up from behind, clapping loudly and laughing loudly: "Thank you boss!"

  "Thank you boss!"

  "Thank you boss!"

  Mu Haitao, Kurban, Wumuer and Qi Dakuai etc. followed with loud laughter and cheers.

  They all shouted together, and all the men, women, old and young also followed with loud shouts of "Thank you boss".

  In the Tang Dynasty, Mu Hai Lin led a large team of people along the flat and spacious cement road, chatting and laughing as they walked up the mountain. After more than ten minutes, when this group arrived at the main castle of Tangjia Fortress for the first time, they saw that the castle was even more majestic than the city walls and towers they had seen before, especially the hidden heavy artillery fortifications on top of the castle, which left them all with their mouths agape, wide enough to swallow an egg.

  The drawbridge over the moat had long since been lowered, and after leading everyone into the castle, Tang had left all the arrangements to Mu Hailin. Anyway, with the current scale of the Tang family's castle, it was more than enough to accommodate over a hundred people.

  Listening to the castle's noisy shouts, laughter, and even children's crying, Tang Dynasty's heart inexplicably gave birth to a kind of unprecedented happiness.

  It's been over three years since I arrived in this era. The loneliness and depression in Tang Dynasty's heart are beyond anyone's understanding.

  Although having a high-tech artificial intelligence base, the Tang Dynasty has had the capital to have a foothold in this strange era, but the Tang Dynasty can't integrate itself into this era after all, always feeling like an outsider, and there's no way to understand the principles and stance of people in this era.

  Tang Dynasty was well aware that in order to make himself no longer feel lonely, he had to quickly integrate into this era and become a part of the Republic's society. Otherwise, Tang Dynasty could be certain that he would become increasingly apathetic towards life, his mind slowly becoming distorted and abnormal, until he became a madman who wanted to destroy the entire world!

  Loneliness can sometimes become a poison, slowly eroding one's inner world.

  Now it's all right, I can finally live a normal life! Looking at the two little ones chasing and laughing in the reception hall, Tang felt a lot of emotions.

  Before long, Mu Hailin and Mu Haitao accompanied several white-haired elderly people walking in from outside.

  The Tang Dynasty, seeing this, didn't dare to be slow, and hastily got up to welcome them. For elders, the proper etiquette should still be followed.

  "Boss, let me introduce you." Mu Hailin supported a pair of elderly couples in their sixties and said to Tang Chao: "This is my father, Mu Changqing. This is my mother, Bai Xiuzhen. Dad, mom, this is the great benefactor of our Mu family, Tang Chao, Boss Tang."

  Young Tang, I've seen two venerable elders! Tang Chao cupped his fists and bowed deeply to the two seniors.

  "It's not deserved, it's not deserved." Mu Changqing took two steps forward and lifted Tang Chao up. With tears flashing in his old eyes, he said excitedly: "For over a thousand years, the evil curse that has been shrouding our Mu family is finally gone! Mr. Tang, I'm representing all the ancestors of the Mu family to kowtow to you!"

  The old man was about to kneel down and kowtow to Tang Dynasty.

  Tang Dynasty hastily stepped forward, stretched out both hands and held Mu Changqing up, "Uncle Mu, what virtue does this young one have, how dare he accept such a great gift from you! You're going to shorten this young one's lifespan!"

  "It's deserved, it's deserved." Mu Changqing said repeatedly: "Mr. Tang, you not only helped the Mu family break the thousand-year-old evil curse, but also let us move into a fairy mansion that even royal families can't afford, letting our descendants have a peaceful and carefree place to live, I should give my respects to the old man with a bow!"

  "Uncle Mu, Hai Lin has already thanked you on your behalf." Tang Chao gave Mu Hai Lin a stern look and chuckled: "Uncle Mu, I've said it before, we're one family, and one family doesn't speak of two families. In this world, I don't have many relatives left, from now on, you and Aunt Mu are my relatives, and in the future, there will definitely be times when I'll need to trouble you both."

  "Children, are your parents not around?" Upon hearing Tang Chao say this, the two elderly individuals were slightly taken aback. Bai Xiuzhen's eyes suddenly showed a warm and caring expression as she asked anxiously.

  Missing his parents from before crossing over, Tang couldn't help but feel a little sad, and nodded gloomily, "They're all gone, all of my relatives are no longer here."

  Everyone in the hall was speechless for a moment, and Tang Chao saw that the atmosphere was not right, so he quickly put on a smile and laughed: "Heaven is fair, there are gains and losses. I'm lucky to have established the Tang family fort here, heaven must take away some things that belong to me. If I lose my relatives, I can find them again, look, now so many people come to the Tang family fort, it's enough to show that I have a fate with your Mu family, you can all be considered my relatives."

  Mu Haolin knew that the Tang Dynasty had already given him enough face, and his inner feelings were indescribable. He didn't know what to say, so he just chuckled and nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, boss is right. From now on, our Mu family will be one with you."

  Next, Mu Hailin introduced other members of the Mu family to the Tang court, including his elder sister Mu Haixia and her husband Zhang Dengke, second brother Mu Haiwei, third brother Mu Haitao, elder uncle Mu Changhe, third uncle Mu Changyuan, and eleven other cousins.

  The eighty-three mouths that came from the Mu family, only twenty-six were direct relatives, and the rest were all maidservants of the Mu family. From this, it can also be seen that the Mu family is a big household with many people.

  Large households generally have accountants, and the Mu family is no exception. Many things only need to be given a general direction by Tang Chao and Mu Hailin, and the old accountant will naturally arrange all sorts of trivial matters in an orderly manner.

  The Tang Dynasty, apart from setting aside the six rooms on the floor where they lived as a forbidden inner zone, handed over all the remaining rooms and courtyards to Mu Hailin for arrangement.

  The Lao Mu family has moved the whole family this time, bringing all the things they brought with them, making the entire Tangjia Fort seem lively and extraordinary, with a high morale.

  Mu Haolin was meticulous in handling matters, knowing that Tang Chao might not like to be disturbed. He temporarily made a warning sign with the words "Inner courtyard forbidden area, outsiders are not allowed to enter" and hung it at the entrance of the small Western-style house named "Xinhua Building" by Tang Chao. Moreover, he specifically instructed all members of the Mu family that anyone who had not been authorized was strictly prohibited from entering Xinhua Building, and violators would be expelled from Tangjia Fortress.

  The Tang family's castle is so big that it has some secrets, which is reasonable. The Mu family, from old to young, all agree and understand this. Even Irina, Kurban, Zidagui and others think this is normal.

  Tonight, at the Tang family mansion, a flowing banquet was held, with one after another of fragrant roasted whole sheep and bowls of hand-picked meat, making everyone's appetite open wide.

  A vat of old cellar wine was brought up, and a group of bold and uninhibited men all got drunk, even Mu Haolin was a bit tipsy. Only Tang Chao was drinking while being depressed. Because no matter how he drank, as the host, Tang Chao couldn't feel any intoxication at all, probably that damn physical constitution was playing tricks on him, wanting to relax and get drunk properly wasn't possible.

  Tang Dynasty, who was depressed, didn't know that his astonishing drinking capacity had already scared the good men of Tie Ji Meng, even Irina, who was known for never getting drunk from drinking, became restrained and didn't dare to be presumptuous in front of Tang Dynasty again.

  It's rare to be happy, and the Tang Dynasty didn't take it to heart when these bold men on the vast grasslands took turns provoking each other at the wine table. The true temperament of a big man is revealed, and the Tang Dynasty likes to deal with this kind of pure brother, without so many twists and turns.

  For the only woman at the wine table, Tang Dynasty also gave considerable respect, although this charming Uyghur beauty was like a butterfly in flowers, fluttering among the big men, with charming eyes, flirting and quarreling, changing emotions suddenly, with a bit of recklessness.

  As she watched the Tang Dynasty bowl being drained, nearly all of the Han men from the Iron Riders' Alliance were either sprawled across the table or lying on the ground. Irina was secretly shocked, but also stirred up a competitive spirit.

  Lotus steps lightly, slender waist twists, Irina gave Tang Chao a flirtatious glance while walking, her right hand holding an old wine jug, her sensual and ruddy lips bursting into a string of silvery laughter, slightly showing a bit of a drunken queen's coquettishness. She came to Tang Chao's side again, her body tightly leaning against his arm, her left hand's orchid-like fingers lightly pointing towards Tang Chao's belly, giggling and saying: "Boss, what is this belly made of? How can it hold so much wine?! I've counted for you, in total you've had ninety-four bowls of strong liquor... Ah my goodness..."

  Before she could finish speaking, Irina let out a cry of surprise and her feet flew out from under her, sending her tumbling to the ground.

  Tang Dynasty subconsciously stretched out his arm and wrapped it around Irina's slender waist, Irina then probed with her left hand, hooked Tang Dynasty's neck, and squeezed into his arms.

  "Thank you, boss." Irina whispered in Tang's ear, "You've been alone in this huge castle for so many years, don't you feel lonely? Do you want to find someone to accompany you at night?"

  Tang Dynasty hastily pushed Irina away, in this situation, Tang Dynasty did not dare to provoke this charming and enchanting elf, otherwise it would inevitably leave a laughing stock for the big brothers of the Iron Rider Alliance.

  "Irina, I think you've had enough to drink, stop drinking." Tang Dynasty reached out and took the wine jug from Irina's hand, lifted it up and drank directly from the spout in one gulp, finishing half of the jug before putting it down. He looked at Irina with a smile and said: "Your wine, I'll drink it for you."

  "Haha, saucy vixen, you're done for!" Qi Dakuai pointed at Irina from afar, then slammed his hands on the table and burst into uncontrollable laughter.

  "Haha, you sly fox, it seems like this trick of yours doesn't always work!" Mu Haitao chimed in, laughing loudly as he clapped his hands on the table and stamped his feet.

  "Get out! I'm really toasting the boss, not as dirty as you think!" Irina stood with her hands on her hips, her apricot eyes wide open, staring at Qi Dakuai and Mu Haitao and others, scolding them with a smile.

  Watching Irina laughing and joking with a group of men, Tang Dynasty couldn't help but shake his head and smile.

  "Boss, don't look at her usual **** appearance, actually, no one dares to be true with her." Mu Hailin appeared beside Tang Chao without knowing when, and whispered with a smile: "I heard my mother say that Irina is still a virgin!"

  "Isn't that right, she's still a virgin?" Tang Chao stared at Irina, who was sitting on Mu Haitao's lap and pouring wine for him, and couldn't help but blurt out.

  Perhaps it was too unexpected, Tang's voice couldn't be suppressed, so that the few people present who were sober could hear.

  Irina, sitting on Mu Haitao's lap, turned her head and laughed wildly at Tang Chao: "Want to know if I'm a virgin? Boss, you try it out and you'll know, huh?" As she spoke, she also batted her big eyes and gave him a flirtatious glance.

  "Come on, come on, boss! Give it a try!" Qi Dakuai started leading the cheers.

  "Boss, give it a try!" Mu Haitao also shouted loudly.

  "Give it a go, boss!" Kurban yelled out in his stiff Mandarin.

  "Give it a try!" "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

  "Give it a try!" "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

  “……”

  The men with clear eyes and half-awake faces all clapped their hands on the table in unison, shouting loudly to cheer on the Tang Dynasty.

  "Hey brothers, spare me!" Tang Chao's face turned red as he raised his hands in surrender and took off in a hurry without waiting for anyone's response.

  This way, the men of Tieji Alliance laughed and shouted even more wildly.

  "Hahahaha, I'm sure of it, boss is still a rookie!"

  "That's right, boss might really be a young chick!"

  "This is unbearable! No way, we have to think of a way to get the boss a woman, let him taste what it's like to be with a woman."

  "Hey, hey! You guys are talking about the boss like that in front of me? Isn't that a bit too much?! Irina had her left foot bent and resting on the chair, holding a sharp boning knife in her hand, tapping it lightly against the edge of an empty large soup bowl, as if she was ready to defend Tang's face."

  "Sly fox, you can't have really taken a fancy to the boss, can you?" Mu Haitao asked Ilyina with great surprise.

  "That also depends on whether the boss takes a liking to her!" Qi Dakuai seemed completely unafraid of Irina, who was furious.

  "In my opinion, only the boss is worthy of Irina!" Umar stood up to help Irina, "Our Uyghur flowers can only be picked by a true eagle."

  "How boring!" Irina slammed the sharp knife onto the table, gave everyone a frosty stare with her powdered face, and left the seat.

  Recommendation, thank you everyone!!