The apricot garden originally belonged to that family, but now it belongs to Li Zhi.
After Li Zhi leaves, the apricot gardens here will be owned by the government. The government will send a large number of ripe apricots to Luoyang every year. Although apricots are soft, difficult to transport, and easy to rot, it doesn't matter, even if they are rotten
A basket of paste must be sent to Luoyang, because this is the royal rule.
It is a way to declare sovereignty.
Of course, the government officials were not stupid enough to send fresh apricots to Luoyang. Li Zhi would easily be beheading them if they did so, and they would most likely be made into dried apricots, preserved apricots, and candied fruits and sent there.
When Li Zhi entered the apricot forest, there was not even a single fallen leaf in it, and the ground was splashed with water so that there was no dust. The giant bear happily turned somersaults on the ground, then stood up and grabbed the apricots with its paws to eat.
Li Zhi was watching with disdain as the stupid bear stuffed the green apricots into his mouth.
The giant bear chewed so deliciously that Li Zhi's saliva came down first. Then, the giant bear spit out the sour apricots in his mouth and his saliva couldn't stop flowing.
After kicking the drooling giant bear, Li Zhi looked at the yellow apricots on the treetops and pointed at them. Immediately, four or five swift eunuchs jumped up the tree.
When these people climbed up to the treetops, they saw a person already on the treetop not far away.
The leading eunuch was startled, and without saying a word, he flew towards the man from the tree.
Li Chengxiu's body is very flexible. Although the wound on his crotch is still a little obstructive, the tree climbing skills he learned in southern Yunnan still give him a good opportunity to move around in the garden.
Li Zhi stood under the tree with his hands behind his back and looked at the chasing people on the top of the tree. Li Si came over and looked up with Li Zhi. After looking at it for a moment, he said to Li Zhi: "Father, how is my little brother?"
Li Zhi looked at Li Chengxiu, who was being oppressed by the eunuchs and had almost nowhere to run, and asked, "Is this Li Ji's youngest son?"
Li Si looked at Li Zhi's face and said, "Yes, yes, silly."
Li Zhi shook his head and said: "You can't be stupid to be hidden like a treasure by your father-in-law. Why, has he become a disciple of your master?"
Li Si hurriedly said: "No, bring me here and let Father take a look before we discuss it."
Li Zhi said nothing, but his displeasure was clearly evident.
So, when Yun Jin came to greet him, Li Zhi pressed Yun Jin's head and said, "This is a fool."
Li Sidao: "Yunjin is not stupid."
Li Zhi sneered and said, "If I weren't stupid, I would be willing to marry you? The most important thing is that I seem to like you very much."
Li Si cried "Wow" after hearing this.
Seeing Li Si crying, Yun Jin broke away from Li Zhi's control and hugged Li Si, who was half a head taller than him, for a while to comfort her. She also used her handkerchief to wipe Li Si's tears and nose.
Li Zhi looked on with disgust, and then his eyes fell on Wen Huan and Di Guangsi, who were pretending to be wooden people.
"You are a gentle son, aren't you?"
Wen Huan immediately opened his mouth, showing a standard eight-tooth smile, nodded repeatedly without saying anything, and deliberately moved his head closer so that Li Zhi could pinch it and play with it.
Li Zhi was not surprised when he came to the door. He raised his hand and pinched Di Guangsi's fat face and said: "This one is stocky."
Di Guangsi smiled honestly and said: "I, Aye, said that only by having a good body can you serve the Tang Dynasty better."
Li Zhi curled his lips and said, "This is not what you, the honest man Aye, taught you. It's more like Yun Chu said something he didn't mean."
When Di Guangsi heard this, he said aggrievedly: "What I, Aye, often say is that a real man should put state affairs first."
Li Zhi smiled when he heard this, patted Di Guangsi's fat face and said, "Okay, okay, just treat what you said as the truth."
While they were talking, Li Chengxiu, who was unable to escape, was caught by a group of military eunuchs, tied tightly and brought to Li Zhi.
Li Zhi first looked up and down at the young man in front of him, and then said indifferently: "What do you want your grandfather to say to me?"
Li Chengxiu knelt on the ground with one knee, and someone was holding the back of his neck so that he could not lift it up. He struggled twice, then knelt on both knees and said loudly: "Please give the soldiers in southern Yunnan a way to survive!"
This sentence was obviously beyond Li Zhi's expectation. He coughed lightly and said, "What did you say?"
Li Chengxiu said loudly again: "Your Majesty, the Zhechong Mansion in southern Yunnan does not treat its servants as human beings. They will consume them and die at will. Please give them a way to survive for the sake of them being people of the Tang Dynasty."
Li Zhi said indifferently: "Your father's reputation in the military should be enough for you to accomplish this matter. Why would you sacrifice the near and seek the far?"
Li Chengxiu said: "My father's power can only be used for a moment, not for a lifetime."
The frost on Li Zhi's face receded a little, and he waved his hand and said: "Even so, you should complain to your superior officer instead of directly filing a complaint. Li Chengxiu, do you know what you are doing?
You are impeaching your superiors for indulging in human lives. If you file this complaint, no matter whether it is true or not, you will be punished first."
Li Chengxiu tried his best to raise his sweaty face and said with difficulty: "Wei Chen is willing."
Li Zhi looked at Li Side, who was comforted by Yun Jin and was eating apricots, and said, "What is the opinion between your master and Mr. Ying? Since he has come to me, it means that the two of them disagree, right?"
Li Si took a bite of an apricot and said: "Your Majesty said that using criminal prisoners and married sons-in-law as servants is the law of the country. The reason why criminal prisoners are used is to reduce the consumption of national funds by criminal prisoners. The use of married sons-in-law is because they corrupt human relations."
The ritual and severe punishment can serve as a warning to those who come after you.
Master said that national laws cannot be taken lightly. There are reasons why such laws were enacted when the country was founded. It must have been a decision made after considering the pros and cons. Do not think that the whole country should be judged just because of one person, one thing, or one place's deviation.
The laws and regulations are not good."
After listening to what Li Si said, Li Zhi said to Li Chengxiu: "Did you hear clearly? Whether it is what Ying Gong said or what Yun Chu said, it is exactly what I want to say to you.
Although you served in southern Yunnan and made many meritorious deeds, you often contradicted the superior officer on the matter of serving as a servant. Even after the superior officer made a decision, you still tried your best to refute it.
A person like you is not suitable to be a soldier of the Tang Dynasty, so just take off your armor and study hard."
Li Chengxiu said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, please have mercy on the soldiers..."
Li Zhi said angrily: "What I just said was in vain, right?"
Li Chengxiu kowtowed repeatedly and said: "My servants saved me twice, and I regret that I only had one life to repay."
Li Zhi was so angry that he laughed back and said to Li Chengxiu: "Since you are so affectionate, I will let you go to the servant camp as a captain and let me see how you lead the servants."
Li Chengxiu kowtowed again: "Thank you for your grace!"
Li Zhi snorted coldly and walked away, and the giant bear that had been drooling followed closely, looking back at Li Si, Yun Jin, Wen Huan, and Di Guangsi from time to time. It vaguely appeared from here.
The four people smelled the terrible smell that was unique to Yun Chu.
General Wen Wen took away one of Yun Chu's horses, proudly kneaded the two chess pieces in his hand and said, "Do you know the origin of Li Chengxiu's words for the servants?"
Yun Chugong stepped forward to let the soldier cross the river, and said calmly: "I have seen Li Chengxiu's merit list in the Ministry of War. He has twenty-seven enemy heads in the list, and he also has the merit of being the first to board.
It's a pity that the head is the head of a barbarian, and the soldiers and civilians can't be distinguished. Therefore, the military merit is only one rank at most, and the first attack was just to pull out a satisfactory earth fortress, which barely counts as the first rank of military merit.
Based on the total number of heads and first boarding, the most he can upgrade this time is from brigade commander to general, and any higher level will be impossible."
Wen Wen stopped taking the chess piece and looked at Yun Chu and said, "I'm asking about the root cause."
Yun Chu said calmly: "What I'm talking about is the root cause."
Wen Wen thought for a moment and said: "General, you are the captain's personal general. He is responsible for destroying cities and villages before the battle. He can also be said to be a dead soldier. Are you saying that Li Chengxiu is not willing to take the position with the highest mortality rate in the army?"
Don’t forget, this is also the easiest position to achieve military success.”
Yun Chu looked into the gentle eyes and said: "Don't leave the army without soldiers, the regiment commander only has three hundred soldiers!"
Wen Wen looked at Yun Chu in disbelief and said, "Under the command of the Servant Colonel..."
Yun Chu nodded and said: "One thousand and two, which is equivalent to the soldiers under the command of Captain Zhechong."
"Are elite soldiers and servant soldiers comparable?"
"Compared with the young son of Duke Ying, is there any comparison with Captain Zhechong?"
"So, Li Chengxiu is now Han Xin's general, the more soldiers the better, right?"
Yun Chu spread his hands and said: "That's it. The equipment of servant soldiers is not as good as that of government soldiers, but the difference is only in armor. Since firearms appeared in military camps, armor is not that important, especially when it comes to kerosene bombs.
Servants without armor may still have a chance to survive, but soldiers wearing armor will only end up being burned alive if they are contaminated with kerosene bombs."
Wen Wen took a breath and said, "You mean Li Chengxiu saw it?"
Yun Chu nodded and said: "There is no other explanation other than this. If you want to say that Li Chengxiu spoke uprightly for the servants, to be honest, I don't believe it, not a single word."
After a moment of gentle pondering, he put down the chess piece and said: "Speak up for the servants. First, gain the favor of the servants. Then, by arming the servants, gain the love of the servants. Then, by irritating Your Majesty, you can gain the title of captain of the servants."
, and use this name to command troops again?
This is too ridiculous, as long as there is a problem in one link, his plan will fail."
Yun Chu put the chess pieces into Wen Wen's hands and asked him to continue playing chess, but said: "If he succeeds, he will soar into the sky and become a figure in the field of servants. If he fails...if he fails, do you think he will suffer additional losses?"
?
At least, the reputation of speaking up for the servants has been spread, and it has laid a solid foundation for him to slowly pursue his plans in the future... Go quickly, go quickly, don't pretend to be busy every time you are about to lose..."
Li Si was unable to eavesdrop on the gossip between Yun Chu and Wen Wen in Xingzi Lin, so he was full of sympathy for the newly minted servant captain Li Chengxiu in front of him.
Yun Jin pulled Li Chengxiu up, who was still kneeling on the ground, and said, "It doesn't matter, we are still young, and we have plenty of opportunities to start over."
Li Chengxiu stood up, patted the wet soil on his knees and said, "No, I succeeded. I have been planning for more than two years, and now I finally succeeded."
Li Si saw that Li Chengxiu was overjoyed and didn't seem to be sarcastic, so he asked: "What an official position is this, the Servant Colonel?"
"
Li Chengxiu said: "This Servant Colonel is different from other Servant Colonels."
Yun Jin said: "Is it because your Majesty personally assigned you as the Servant Colonel?"
Li Chengxiu laughed loudly and said: "There are too many people in Zhechong Mansion who can take charge of the servant camp. The captain, the left and right captain Guoyi, the other generals, the chief historian, the soldiers, the cao and the army can all easily command the servant camp.
Since I am your Majesty's personally appointed Servant Colonel, and I am also the youngest son of a British prince, I would like to see that short-sighted Servant Camp who dares to use me at will."