Early the next morning, Tang Gong Li Yuan publicly commended the two heroes who donated horses to the country in the name of the captain of the marching treasurer, and recommended them as the brigade commander of the treasury protection team and the chief of the grain supervision team within the scope of his authority.
.Liu Hongji and Li Xu thanked the treasurer for his promotion, and after receiving their clothes, armor and equipment, they officially became members of the Sui army.
After arranging a day of casual affairs, Li Yuan immediately sent his confidants to follow Liu and Li to the farmhouse in the suburbs, and drove all the horses into the military camp except for the injured Heifeng and their mounts. Among the more than ninety horses, fifty
One of them is a Turkic army horse, and the other 40 or so horses are also rare horses in the Central Plains. After seeing it, the officials of Huaiyuan Town all had their eyes shining with envy. They all said that Tang Gong had an unexpected blessing, and he actually came before the army.
I can get so many good horses before going on the expedition.
Li Yuan had been in the officialdom for so many years, so he naturally knew what everyone was thinking. He immediately ordered people to pick out thirty war horses with the purest bloodlines and the most exquisite skeletons, and ordered people to feed them with fine feed alone. They were prepared to prepare for the arrival of the army.
, presented to the current Holy Emperor in the name of the meritorious descendants and the good sons of the Great Sui Dynasty. The rest of the war horses waved and were left to be picked by the officials and soldiers under his command.
Everyone cheered and immediately rushed into the herd of horses. In an instant, nearly seventy good horses were divided up. As for Li Yuan, the chief officer, not even a single horseshoe nail was caught. After the completion, Hongji and Li Xu became angry.
Unjust, he whispered privately that the officials had no conscience, but Li Yuan just laughed it off.
Later, someone took Li Xu and Liu Hongji to the military camp for resettlement. The two of them were officers recommended by Li Yuan personally, and they were also the former owners of all the officials' mounts, so they were looked down upon wherever they went. They were responsible for controlling the flag.
The soldier surnamed Wang who joined the army personally led people to free up two large rooms for the two warriors to "rest" temporarily.
"Thank you for your kindness, General Wang. We are new here, so it is better to live in a tent. We will not break the rules here and bring unnecessary trouble to General Wang!" Liu Hongji is experienced in doing things. As soon as he saw the size and structure of the house, he hurriedly
decline.
"It doesn't matter, we are all good brothers. Winter is coming soon, and the land outside the Great Wall is cold and dry. How can we people live in tents? Just move in, and if you need anything, go to Lao Qi and ask for it. He
Responsible for everyone's food and clothing expenses!" Wang Canjun patted Liu Hongji on the shoulder, acting enthusiastic like an old friend he hadn't seen for many years.
"Well, thank you, General Wang!" Liu Hongji heard what Mr. Jun said, so he had no choice but to accept the friendship. He turned around and took out a stolen Turkic scimitar from his luggage, and held it in both hands and presented it to Mr. Wang.
"Brother Liu, what do you mean?" When General Wang saw the handle of the sword inlaid with gold and jade, his expression immediately changed and he asked while hiding back.
"General Wang has been in the army for many years, and he must like to collect some weapons. My younger brother got this from the Turks, and it is not very easy to use. It is better to give it to General Wang, so as to help the general kill the general and capture the flag!" Liu Hongji explained with a smile. This weapon
He had retrieved the knife from the body of the Turkic general who was shot to death by Li Xu, and he had been reluctant to use it. Now that he was new to the country, he urgently needed to accumulate contacts, so he had to take it out for emergency purposes.
"Good brother, I accept your wishes. But since I was a child, I have never touched a knife!" Wang Junjun smiled bitterly, shook his head, and pushed the knife back into Liu Hongji's hand.
At this time, not only Li Xulu was stunned, but Liu Hongji was also as confused as a monk named Zhang Er. When Wang Junjun saw them stunned, he smiled and quickly added in a low voice: "Not only me, we at least have
There are more than a dozen people who don’t know how to use a knife. If you really want to make friends, after closing the camp gate at night, everyone can sneak out and drink together. Although this is a borderland, the Tianxiang Tower in the city..."
Wang Canjun raised his thumb with a look of intoxication on his face.
Hearing this, Liu Hongji immediately put away his sword and said with a smile: "General Wang, does he have a lover there? Is he from Mohe or Khitan?"
"Go, you are not talking about anything!" When mentioning women, Wang Junjun immediately became familiar with Liu Hongji, punched him, and laughed and cursed: "That Mohe girl is dark and thin, you can touch her in half
Nightmare of the Moon. Not to mention that big Khitan girl, she is fat, but her waist is thicker than a bucket. How can we brothers be so tasteless? We want to enjoy the flowers..."
He looked up at the soldiers who were busy packing bags for the two officers outside, and lowered his voice and said: "There are a few prisoners' daughters over there who are well-educated and sensible. It's better for us to take care of the business than to let her be left behind by those who support her."
Plowing black hands and pinching..."
Li Xu shook his head when he heard what he said was obscene, and walked quietly outside the house. Liu Hongji quickly became familiar with this person, and after some romantic chats, he gradually figured out the details here.
According to the military regulations of the Sui Dynasty, grain, grass and baggage are important objects of protection, and incompetent officers are not allowed to assume the position of supervising grain for the army. And the grain supervisors need to be equipped with "good soldiers and strong generals" under their command. As long as the grain and grass are protected, "good soldiers and strong generals"
"They can be regarded as having made meritorious service to the country. They don't have the risk of going to the battlefield, and they can earn the capital to gain promotion to a higher position in the future."
Therefore, since the Sui Emperor issued the conscription order, those officials and officials with some small connections in their families have been crowding into Huaiyuan Town. Although Tang Gong Li Yuan's current official position is small, he has "hidden dragons and crouching tigers" under him.
If you pull out a fire chief, he might be the son of the county magistrate. (Note 11)
"Okay, tonight Zhong Jian and I will have a drink at Tianxiang Tower to meet all the brothers!" Liu Hongji made a generous promise after getting close to Wang Canjun.
"There is no need for you two to contribute money. We can't take your horse for nothing. You two can come out empty-handed tonight, and we, the older brothers, will wash the dust for these two good brothers!" Wang Junjun smiled.
, replied while patting his chest.
After all, Liu Hongji was also a child of an aristocratic family and knew the importance of socializing with others. He smiled and thanked Wang Canjun for his kindness. At night, Li Xu couldn't help but refuse and dragged him onto the horseback.
The military camp, which seemed to be heavily guarded during the day, was extremely loosely guarded at night. When the colonel in charge of the camp saw Liu and Li, he moved the barricades without asking. The soldiers patrolling outside the camp were even more lazy.
Hearing the sound of horse hooves, I couldn't bear to hold up the lantern.
"This is not an official army!" Li Xu followed Liu Hongji and said angrily. In his dream, the Sui army could not be the legendary mighty and benevolent army, at least it was a place where orders and prohibitions were enforced. Unexpectedly, at night
After closing the camp gate, he and Liu Hongji could still sneak out without hesitation.
"What do you think of the officers and soldiers?" Liu Hongji turned back from his horse and asked in a low voice.
"At least, at least like the Tiger Cavalry under General Luo Yi!" Li Xu thought for a while and replied in a low voice. The impression on the first day of joining the army had a great impact on him. At this moment, he was not only disappointed, but also disappointed. In contrast, Bu
The impression left by the captain on his mind became even more profound, so profound that he wished he could immediately become a member of the Tiger Cavalry.
"Brother, listen to me!" Liu Hongji led the war horse and warned Li Xu very solemnly: "Things in reality will never be the same as you think. If you don't have the power to change, you have to find a way to adapt.
.Only when you adapt can you move up step by step. Otherwise, you will always be stepped on!"
After saying that, he grabbed the horse's belly and quickly rushed into the endless night.
Is this what I want? Li Xu looked at it confusedly. It was pitch black everywhere, and except for the military camp behind him, there was no human fireworks. The late autumn night wind came over the mountains from the north, blowing through people's clothes.
It made my body feel cold and cold.
"With this damn weather, it's probably going to snow!" Tang Gong Li Yuan said in a low voice after listening to the sound of the wind outside.
"It's snowing, and dad happened to take me hunting. I shot a duck yesterday, and I might be able to shoot a deer tomorrow to feed dad!" Li Yuanji came up, hugging Li Yuan's neck and shouted.
"Yuanji, don't be ridiculous. Dad came back after a long day of exhaustion!" Li Waner, who was pouring tea for her father with her own hands, scolded with a straight face. Li Yuanji turned around and made a face at his sister. Instead of letting go of his hands, he hugged her.
Tighter.
Mrs. Dou stepped forward with a smile and hugged her son who would never grow up. She had already sent the servants out. At this moment, there were only Mr. and Mrs. Tang and Jiancheng brother and sister in the room, so the atmosphere in the room was particularly unusual.
Warm.
Mrs. Dou cherishes this warm feeling. It is outside the Great Wall that the family can gather together and talk quietly for a while. If it is in the Central Plains, the husband has endless social activities and there are six or seven concubines at home.
and a dozen other people's children. As a standard good wife, she can't even show the slightest complaint.
"Dad, it's true, you can only take care of Liu's brother. Why go to such trouble for a stupid farm boy!" Seeing that her brother hadn't received the lesson he deserved, Li Waner immediately passed on her suppressed anger to others.
.
"Do you really think that Li Zhongjian who came with Hongji is a stupid boy?" Li Yuan smiled and shook his head and asked his children. Helping Liu Hongji and Li Xu clear their identities is easy to say, but in private it is
A lot of things need to be done. Especially for these war horses of unknown origin, all traces related to the Turks must be erased as soon as possible. Li Yuan is a meticulous person and does not want to make any mistakes in the process, so he has been busy for a whole day and sorted out all the traces.
Only when the details are worked out can I feel confident arranging my subordinates to carry out the execution.
"That man is clearly a fledgling fool. He doesn't understand anything, speaks timidly, and has no heroic spirit at all! At most, he can shoot arrows better, with good accuracy and power!" Li Waner put down the copper pot and commented with a smile.
The wild boys who came back from outside the Great Wall left a very deep impression on her. They were not like the usual handsome boys from aristocratic families. Instead, they were like a green mountain pear. They smelled a little tempting, but once you look at the surface, you can tell the taste.
It won't be too good.
"Since Brother Liu took the initiative to bring him to join us, he must not be a common person!" Li Jiancheng shook his head and disagreed with his sister's opinion.
"He is actually quite thoughtful, maybe because he has seen less of the world. My arrow almost deceived everyone except dad!" Li Shimin also shook his head and sided with his brother. He can win in the competition.
In his eyes, a person who plays a good role in making the opponent happy without showing any signs of compromise will definitely not be the stupid boy that the second sister said.
"Your father and I were not much better than him when I first entered the court as an official." Li Yuan looked at his wife affectionately, smiled and expressed his opinion to his children. "At that time, the civil and military officials in the court were all about age.
My elders are more scheming than me. I was so frightened that my legs were shaking, and I managed to hold on until I could finish answering the late emperor’s question! When I got home, your mother took the court clothes I had changed out of, and twisted them with her hands.
A puddle of water was squeezed out."
Mrs. Dou's hand quietly reached over and took her husband's big hand. Indeed, her husband was also a young boy at that time, but everyone has to grow up. No matter how young the pear is, it will eventually mature and sink.
The branches are bent by the ground. I am considered happy because I can witness its youthfulness and taste its maturity. Although when I am young, I feel the youthfulness alone, but when I am mature, there are several people who share it with me.
"That man is a farmer, how can he compare with daddy!" Li Yuanji raised his eyes and protested loudly.
Li Yuan turned around, patted the youngest son's head gently, and gave guidance in a low voice: "Actually, it's almost the same. You were born into a wealthy family, you just have a little more experience than others. Experience can make up for it, but a person's talent and
But the backbone cannot be repaired. From my point of view, this person is a piece of raw material, he just needs to be polished. The world is about to be in chaos. One more person in our Li family will help in the future. If we can keep him
Come down, it will be a rare and good help!"
"The world is about to be in chaos!" Such words came from Li Yuan's mouth, and they had a completely different weight than those spoken by ordinary people. The Li brothers and sisters fell silent and thought for a while before the eldest son Jiancheng spoke again.
Bring it up.
"In my opinion, our Li family can treat him kindly and make friends with him with kindness. He is a loyal person, otherwise he would not take the initiative to share the responsibility of setting the fire with Brother Hongji!"
"I'm afraid he doesn't know how to be grateful. Yesterday, my father promised to recommend him to be the leader of the team, but he didn't even say thank you!" A whole day had passed, and Li Waner was still worried about the stupid boy's rude behavior yesterday.
"Weren't he afraid of dragging us down? Brother Liu has already explained it!" Li Jiancheng smiled generously and said a good word for Li Xu. Since his father wants to win over this person, he will have to put some thought into it. If it is true in the future
In these troubled times, that boy had excellent archery skills and was said to be good at martial arts. If he stayed in the Li family, he could at least be used as a strong soldier.
"If you're not grateful, then kill him. If you don't use him for me, I will kill him!" Li Yuanji jumped off his mother's knees and said in a ferocious manner. Maybe it was because he was too young and didn't know what killing was.
. He said the word "kill" as if it were a play, extremely relaxed.
"Who taught you this!" Li Yuan asked sternly with a straight face.
Seeing that his father was angry, Li Yuanji was so frightened that he immediately hid behind his mother. While hiding, he whispered: "It is said in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty that if the father feels something is wrong, the child will change!"
"Master, he is still a child!" Mrs. Dou smiled and smoothed things over for her son. She stretched out her hand to pull Yuan Ji out from behind and put it on her knees again. "What's wrong? You taught me little by little. Why do you stare at me all the time?"
!”
With his wife by his side, Li Yuan knew that he couldn't teach his children a lesson. He sighed helplessly and said, "You've been used to it, and you always mention killing. I don't have any abilities, so I will inevitably bring trouble to the family in the future!"
"What kind of trouble can a ten-year-old child cause? Besides, isn't he giving you advice?" Dou touched Yuan Ji's head lovingly and defended her son in a low voice.
She personally gave birth to four sons for Li Yuan. The eldest son, Jiancheng, was mature and generous, and was a talented man who kept his business. The second son, Shimin, was magnanimous and a hero who could gain a foothold in the world. The third son, Xuanba, was frail and sick and stayed in his hometown without bringing him out. Therefore,
Mrs. Dou gave all the love she should give to her two sons to her youngest son. Although this younger son had a bad temper, he was smart and eager to learn, and he made rapid progress in martial arts.
"Shimin, what do you think?" Li Yuan ignored Yuan Ji and turned his attention to Li Shimin, who didn't talk much but had a strong sense of propriety in his actions.
"This man has a simple temperament and little experience, but his mind is not simple!" Li Shimin, who had been silent for the whole time, analyzed slowly. "There is a saying that goes well, a gentleman is straight and can be bullied..."
He smiled and stopped talking. He looked at his father, his bright eyes full of pride. (To be continued)
