Li Yan and Li Derjian were playing chess, with Wang Xiaojie standing behind them, feeling a little bored.
He originally thought that Li Yan came back to establish his authority and let the Duke of Wei, who had not paid enough attention to him but was now in a state of decline, take a good look at him.
But in fact, Li Yan kept a low profile all the way into the mansion, and there was no conflict at all.
However, this alienated attitude made Duke Wei's family very uncomfortable.
Li Derjian asked him to go to the ancestral hall to worship and then brought him to the backyard. The father and son didn't say ten words in total and started playing chess.
Li Yan was good at playing Go and did not refuse. He just took the opportunity to look at this cheap father.
Li Jing's eldest son is already over sixty years old. Counting the time, he was almost fifty years old when he gave birth to his sixth son.
Not surprisingly, there is a famous rumor on the Internet in later generations. After Li Yuan was forced to abdicate, he gave birth to children in the harem for fun. He was in his sixties and had his concubines give birth to more than a dozen sons and more than a dozen daughters for him.
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This is false. In fact, after Li Yuan ascended the throne, he gave birth to a total of thirty children, which can be counted as the time when he became the emperor. But it is not just that time period, most of the children were born when he was the emperor.
And this is already remarkable, because Li Yuan ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor at the age of fifty-two. A man of that age could be said to be strong and prosperous as he gave birth to thirty children.
In comparison, Li Derjian gave birth to a child in his fifties, which was too inferior.
The Duke of Wei, who inherited the title of Li Jing, had gray beard and hair, a thin figure, a somewhat haggard face, but his eyes were very peaceful.
After winning a game at this time, Li Derjian nodded slightly: "Liu Lang, your chess style is upright and upright, but also flexible. It's very good!"
Li Yan said: "It's mainly because of my mission. Sir, I'm coming back to recognize my ancestors and return to my clan. Can you lend me the power of the Duke's Palace?"
Li Derjian laughed: "You are so rude!"
He said sternly: "You are the blood of my Li family, and the Duke of Wei will naturally support you. As long as you ask for something, I will give up this old face and run around, and I can also get three or five strong reinforcements for you!"
Li Yan said: "Thank you, sir."
Li Derjian said: "Between father and son, if you talk like this, you are too alienated. Don't be in a hurry. Take your time."
Li Yan looked at the good-tempered Duke Wei, imagining how he used to be so high-spirited, and felt a little nostalgic.
The title of Duke of the Kingdom can be said to be high. After all, it is from the first rank, and the due treatment will not be lacking. However, since there is no specific position, it can be said to be low.
If Wu Minzhi were not a relative, but had a powerful aunt like the Queen of Heaven, few people would take advantage of him, the Duke of Zhou.
And what about the Duke Wei's mansion now?
Li Derjian's eldest son and third son have all died of illness, and the remaining ones are Erlang, Silang and Wulang, and there are also three legitimate daughters who are married and are not in the house.
Erlang is a doctor of Taixue, with a rank of six, that is, the teacher who teaches the students of Taixue. After Li Derjian dies, he can inherit the title of Duke of Wei.
Shiro is the right-hand person of Beishen, and is under the sixth rank. This position is similar to that of Senniu Beishen. Historically, it was merged with Senniu Beishen during the Xuanzong period.
Goro is the chief historian of Habayashi. From the sixth rank, this position is the chief of staff of the imperial army. If you are good at it, it is good, but if you are not good at it, you will just mess around.
The youngest, Goro, is already in his thirties, and his future is obviously gone.
There is no way, who made Li Derjian and Li Chengqian get so close back then.
Was he able to survive the turmoil of the prince's rebellion because my name was Li Jing, he even retained the title of Duke of Wei, and his children were all arranged to become officials. What else did he want?
But in fact, Li Derjian's son still had a sixth-grade official position in his generation to cope with one or two, and the next generation, such as several grandchildren, were already idle at home.
As for the title, it is not safe either.
In the Tang Dynasty, the title of the clan was reduced by the clan, and each generation became worse and worse. Theoretically, the princes who were not from the clan were hereditary and could not be replaced. However, after being passed down for several generations, if there was no merit, they would gradually be demoted, and finally they would disappear from the public.
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The Li Jing family in history probably disappeared like this.
Li Yan's appearance was really an unexpected surprise.
In Liangzhou, Li Yan relied on his identity as Li Jing's direct grandson to open up the situation. When he arrived in Chang'an, the Duke of Wei, who had not spoken out in court for a long time, could naturally use him to rebuild his influence.
After all, Li Jing's connections are still there. Once the Weiguo Palace regains its momentum, Li Yan can also benefit. This is a virtuous circle between families.
However, what Li Yan is currently concerned about is actually the more practical team.
He was really not polite at all: "Sir, did Xu Da, who caught up with me that day, ever follow General Su?"
Li Derjian nodded: "Not bad!"
Li Yan's eyes lit up: "How many such soldiers are there?"
Li Derjian said: "There are more than a hundred people, Liulang, do you want them to do something for you?"
He shook his head: "I'm afraid not. Most of these people are disabled and can only do some miscellaneous tasks. There are only a few who have not lost their martial arts skills and are agile."
Li Yan was stunned for a moment, then understood something, and looked at Li Derjian with a different look: "When the number of people was at its highest, how many veterans did you have?"
Li Derjian said: "More than five hundred people."
Li Yan didn't quite believe it and said to Manager Qi, who was standing nearby: "Old Qi, can you show me the service roster in your house?"
Li Derjian nodded. Manager Qi quickly brought the roster. Li Yan took it and opened it to take a closer look.
The military power of the Duke of Wei and that of the Duke of Zhou are really two extremes.
The Duke of Zhou's government counted the private slaves he had raised as part of the imperial service and forced the common people to pay for their services.
This cannot be regarded as Wu Minzhi's black spot, because many powerful people are doing this now.
The Duke of Wei's Mansion used its military force specifically to recruit military households. Those old soldiers who had retired from the battlefield originally wanted their sons to serve, but they were taken in by the Duke of Wei's Mansion to help save a labor force for their families.
During the period when the number was at its largest, there were more than 500 veterans. The extra people were not included in the service force and were maintained by the Duke's government. They also happened to help the disabled with work.
Wang Xiaojie's eyes behind Li Yan changed drastically, and he looked at Li Derjian with sincere respect.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! As the captain of the Zhechong Mansion, he knows very well that the treatment of the soldiers in the mansion has become worse and worse in recent years.
According to the military system of the government, soldiers who returned from victory should be rewarded with land, money and food. However, in reality, large numbers of military households fought for their lives on the battlefields of the Tang Dynasty, but did not receive the land, money and food they deserved. They returned home disabled and suffered a miserable end.
It's not that the lower classes are greedy, but that starting from the Gaozong Dynasty, the military system gradually collapsed.
This can't even be blamed on Li Zhi. It can only be said that the flaws of the system itself led to the inability of Fu Bing to succeed.
A few years later in history, in order to deal with Tubo, Li Zhi also held a recruitment ceremony in the Longyou area to recruit heroes for the Long March.
It is very possible that the original Li Yuanfang joined the army like that.
Seeing the change in his expression, Li Derjian explained: "Not only did I do this, but Duke Xingguo also did this."
Both Li Mi and Fang Xuanling who surrendered to the Tang Dynasty were granted the title of Duke of Xing, but Li Derjian was talking about Su Dingfang: "Before General Su died of illness, he was very worried about the future of these soldiers..."
Li Yan's eyes were bright: "If your Excellency had not done this and used the gold and silver property to manage the officials, relying on the support of the family, my brothers would not have become what they are now..."
Li Derjian burst out laughing: "You should stop saying this. In your eyes, a sixth-grade official position is not considered an official. This is too serious. Our family is still rich in money, so we will not starve ourselves. Yours
My brothers are not qualified to be officials, so they are in high positions, which is a disaster rather than a blessing."
His tone became complicated, and he said slowly: "My official career has come to an end, and I cannot continue the glory of Duke Wei. I can only try my best to do something, so that I can face my father when I am under Jiuquan."
Li Derjian is the son of Li Jing, and honor is also a shackle.
Li Yan quite likes these shackles.
"To my grandfather! To my father!"
At this moment, he stood up solemnly and saluted Li Derjian sincerely. When he looked around again, he felt something.
This is the Duke Wei’s mansion left by Li Jing!
When Li Derjian saw Li Yan respecting him and saluting him because of this incident, he was a little relieved: "It is true that there are only a few of these soldiers who can act as regular guards, but there are still many who are skilled in making bows."
Crossbows, Yuan Fang needs them, though they can be called upon."
As long as the armor is not hidden secretly, the court will not ask. Li Yan nodded repeatedly, picked up a pen and started to circle the names on the roster, and quickly selected fifteen people.
Soon, fifteen soldiers gathered. Li Yan looked at this group of veterans whose average age was over forty years old and said seriously: "Will you all join my command and serve as patrol soldiers?"
Xu laughed and said: "Xiao Lang, of course we are willing to work for you. If it is to serve the country loyally and defeat the barbarians, that would be even better!"
Others also smiled one after another, with light in their eyes.
Ordinary people are afraid of the battlefield, but for these veterans who have made contributions on the battlefield, the most memorable moment in their lives is the time when they fought with iron and steel.
"good!"
Li Yan nodded heavily and looked at Wang Xiaojie: "Xiaojie, go practice with them."
Wang Xiaojie touched his head: "Liu Lang, I am in my prime, there is no need to compare..."
Li Yan smiled and said: "You win first and then talk about it. You don't have to hold back. I will keep an eye on you and prevent you from getting hurt!"
Wang Xiaojie walked out reluctantly, but seven veterans who still had martial arts skills looked at him carefully. After a while, Xu Dadao said: "There is no need for seven people. We only have three people, and we can deal with this military guard."
Wang Xiaojie was not happy anymore. He stretched out his arms and stretched out his horns: "Seven of you, come together!"
Then he was beaten.
Li Yan watched Wang Xiaojie hesitate and soon fell into a one-sided situation, and smiled slightly.
There is an arrogance in this guy's bones. It is not obvious when he is currently in a low position, but as his power increases in the future, he will become a defiant, arrogant person. It is normal.
If Li Yan is not prepared to completely wear off this edge, then he is not Wang Xiaojie. What he wants is to use this edge for himself.
Wang Xiaojie and the military force of Duke Wei will become his first team and must be trained well.
Just as he was admiring the mingling among his men, an internal guard came outside the house and asked to see him, bringing a message from Qiu Ying.
After hearing this, Li Yan raised his eyebrows:
"Is Wu Minzhi crazy?"
***The author has something to say***
Thank you to the book friend "Giving the boy fat for free" for the reward.