Before the three of them could reach the gate of the West Crossing Courtyard, the second young master Shimin had already greeted them from a distance. Seeing this, Liu Hongji and the warrior Xun hurriedly stepped forward to clasp their fists and bow. However, Li Shimin held their arms one by one.
He apologized repeatedly: "The people of the world behaved in such a rude manner that the cold weather caused the two brothers to go back and forth. If you don't scold me, you are taking advantage of me. Don't be so polite again!"
Because it had just snowed, the generals and staff in the mansion seldom came out. Only four people were polite to each other at the entrance of the large west courtyard. The cold white wind made people's clothes rustle, but it could not be blown away.
The enthusiasm between host and guest.
"As the Second Young Master said, Shi Xun and I are both walking in Tang Gong's Mansion. This is a sign of humiliation..." Liu Hongji smiled and shook his head, his elbows still sinking. He has always been cautious in doing things, even though he and the Li family brothers are brothers.
, but never lacks etiquette in front of everyone.
"This is the West Cross Courtyard, not the main hall. Brother Hongji, please don't be polite to me. Otherwise, if we pass the threshold behind you, I will have to pay my respects to my brother with a big gift!" Li Shimin put more effort into his hand.
, forcefully held Liu and Wu's bodies upright, and said with a smile.
"Second Young Master, you are joking!" Liu Hongji couldn't bow down, so he had to raise his fists together between his eyebrows, shrugged twice, and then gave up.
"People say that the second young master has extraordinary magnanimity. When we meet him today, he is much better than his uncle!" The warrior Xun, who straightened up, glanced at Changsun Wuji secretly and thought to himself. Since Li Xu left the food protection army,
, Li Shimin rarely went to the army. He had not been in contact with him for several years, and he was not sure what the temperament of this young man who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth was. But the polite words of the other party sounded very helpful, and they were not like assisting him at all.
Some people's eyes grow to their scalp.
While he was commenting secretly, he heard Li Shimin continue: "Back then, my second sister and I went to the grain protection army every day to watch Brother Shitong and Brother Zhongjian perform military exercises. It was not until later that we had to interrupt because we had to take care of the housework for my father.
Now when I think about that scene, everything seems like yesterday.”
Youdao said a kind word to warm the winter. Although he knew that the other party was speaking politely, Samurai Yu still felt warm in his heart, as comfortable as if he had drank half a kilo of old wine. Because he was born in a businessman, he was in Li Mansion
He has always been invisible to everyone. Except for Tang Gong Li Yuan, Crown Prince Jiancheng and his immediate boss Liu Hongji, basically no one else is willing to take the initiative to talk to him. Occasionally, colleagues speak, usually in a commanding tone, shouting and calling.
Arrogant. Li Shimin chatted for a few words today, but he didn't show any airs. He was so excited that he even had the urge to sell his life to the other party.
"I think many brothers in Huaiyuan Town still remember the scene when the Second Young Master waved the flag and cheered for us in the army!" When mentioning the past events many years ago, the expression on Liu Hongji's face became much warmer. The Second Young Master was only fourteen years old at the time.
Zhongjian was less than sixteen, and that winter was equally cold, but all that was left in the snow were happy memories.
Now the second young master is seventeen, and will be eighteen after this year. He is full of domineering, and the look on his eyebrows no longer shows the appearance of the naughty boy who was unwilling to admit defeat and chased people all over the school to compete. But if he had a choice, Liu Hongji
I prefer the naughty boy who is obsessed with martial arts and the art of war, rather than the heroic young hero in front of me.
Liu Hongji could be unscrupulous as he was a brother to the martial arts idiot back then. On a par with the domineering second son of the Li family now, Liu Hongji wondered if he didn't have the courage to cause himself so much trouble.
"Yes, if everyone is here, things in front of you will be much easier to worry about!" Li Shimin shook his head and sighed. He didn't mean it, but the sigh made both Liu and Wu feel tense.
Eight hundred warriors marched eastwards, but less than forty returned. The sudden fire changed many people, including three of the four of them.
The dead cannot come back again, but those who survive by chance have to remember the lessons of blood. They cannot leave their own future to those who are not responsible. This is one of the reasons why the warrior Yu has not been promoted. He does not
Dare to get too close to Jiancheng again, even though the other party is the direct heir of the Li family.
"Is there anything else that embarrasses the second young master? This kind of situation is rare!" Liu Hongji asked with a slight smile.
"Brother Hongji is making fun of me again. Didn't I learn half of my skills from you? Could it be that Brother Hongji also has many hidden secrets that make me confused when doing things?" Li Shimin asked with a smile,
The slightly complaining tone elicited a knowing laugh.
Let's talk about it. The four of them had entered the lobby of the west courtyard without realizing it. Li Shimin was martial by nature, so even in the lobby dedicated to entertaining guests and meeting with subordinates, the decorations used were weapons. The largest room in the room,
The most eye-catching piece of furniture is a weapon rack made of pear wood, with various long soldiers horizontally placed on it. Diagonally above the rack is a row of wall hooks, with more than a dozen horizontal knives of different widths hanging on them. From short to long
It is long, and the closer it is to the master's seat, the closer it is to actual combat. The innermost handle abandons the shape of the Central Plains horizontal sword, and is one foot longer and two inches wider than the horizontal sword used in ordinary battle formations. It has a beautiful arc from head to handle. Although it is separated by
The sword is covered with a thick scabbard, but it still seems to have a bit of edge.
"These are the weapons I have used since I was a child, and I couldn't bear to give them to Yuan Ji, so I put them all here!" Li Shimin asked everyone to take a seat, while pointing to the weapons that occupied half of the room and introducing them.
"The second young master must have mastered martial arts!" When the subject of martial arts was mentioned, Liu Hongji also became somewhat interested. He could see that the horizontal sword closest to Li Shimin's seat was made based on Li Xu's weapon. Li Xu's sword
The sword is a mixture of Hu and Han, suitable for people with a certain physical strength to fight on the battlefield. Regardless of the weight of the blade and the style of the sword, it is not suitable for the practice of a nobleman like Li Shimin. Unexpectedly, since the second young master received Li Xu's guidance,
, I actually persisted in practicing for three years. Instead of trying something new for a while and then throwing it away.
"Compared with Brother Hongji, I'm definitely still far behind. But if you ask Uncle Qian for advice, you can occasionally win!" Li Shimin smiled and said modestly.
The Uncle Qian he refers to is Qian Jiulong, the commander of the Li Mansion's bodyguards. This man was born in the green forest and killed countless people when he was young. Therefore, he is extremely experienced in the battlefield. An ordinary warrior can perform more than a dozen moves in front of this old man, and he is already considered an expert.
However, Li Shimin could occasionally win, and his martial arts skills were naturally far superior to those of the guards in the mansion.
However, it was not Li Shimin's bravery that shocked the warrior Xun. The folk customs of the Sui Dynasty were strong, even more so in Guanlong. In a family of military generals like Tang Gong Li Yuan, it was rare for the sons of the family not to be good at martial arts. What surprised the warrior Xun was the other party.
He actually still had that scimitar. As far as he knew, the scimitar was copied by a blacksmith in the army based on Li Xu's scimitar. Because he couldn't find the same meteorite in his hand, the result was just a defective product. It looked like it was a defective product.
The sharp edge must be revealed. In fact, it is a bit of a waste to use it to chop firewood.
While he was in shock, he heard Liu Hongji say again: "The second young master is joking. How can Hongji have the nerve to show off his little ability!"
"Call me Shimin, brother Hongji, this is my yard, you came here often back then!" Li Shimin's voice came from beside him, not loud, but always unexpected.
"The second young master was still underage back then, so the general can regard him as his younger brother. Now the second young master is on his own in the house..." Samurai Yu saw Liu Hongji blushing and explained awkwardly.
He understood Li Shimin's painstaking efforts, and also understood Liu Hongji's difficulties. So he did not dare to speak, and could only watch as the two sides were endlessly involved in the matter of the same title.
"If you are alone, can't you be Brother Hongji's younger brother?" Li Shimin put the tea bowl in his hand heavily on the table and asked with his eyes widened. "Is it possible that I keep getting older, but Brother Hongji's age keeps getting lower?
"
"Second Young Master is joking, Hongji..." Liu Hongji cupped his hands and persisted.
"Call me Shimin. No matter how old I am, I always regard Brother Hongji as my biological brother!" Li Shimin added seriously.
Liu Hongji couldn't resist him, so he had to agree. "In this way, Hongji will ask for help again. But only behind others. If you are in front of others, please don't force Hongji to be disrespectful!"
"Are you in front of people or behind people right now, brother Hongji?" Li Shimin looked at Liu Hongji, his eyes full of smiles.
"Of course you are the queen, Shimin, you weird guy!" Liu Hongji was forced to breathless, and he cursed with a smile after a long while.
"How can you peel off this square and thick layer on Brother Hongji's face without resorting to some extraordinary means?!" Li Shimin was like a child who had stolen candy, with traces of pride in his laughter. Turning his head, he looked at the warrior Xun again, "Shi
Brother Tong…….”
"It's my turn so soon?" Warrior Xun secretly complained in his heart. Before Li Shimin finished speaking, he quickly stood up and declined, "I don't dare to do this in a humble position. I come from a humble background and have no ability..." He followed the words nervously.
, but don’t know how to refuse the other party’s kindness.
"Brother Shitong, if you don't want me to force you like I force Brother Hongji, it would be better to sit down and call me Shimin!" Li Shimin was talking and laughing happily, but there was a tone that could not be refuted.
The warrior Xun looked at Liu Hongji as if to help him, and then turned to look at Changsun Wuji. He couldn't find any hints on the faces of the two men. He had no choice but to thank the second young master again for his appreciation, and then sat down with a smile.
"This time the two brothers were brought back together, do they really have something to support each other?" After spending a lot of effort to determine the names between them, Li Shimin finally turned to the topic.
"Want to hear the details!" Samurai Xun and Liu Hongji responded with their hands raised at the same time. They were both under Li Yuan's command. Without special authorization, Li Shimin could not have sent them to do anything. But the seemingly unrelated gossip just now had already divided everyone into each other.
The distance between them was extremely close, and as long as Li Shimin's request was not too outrageous, the two of them would not be able to shirk it in any way.
"It is extremely difficult to leave this matter to my younger brother. But if you let the two elder brothers do it, it is actually not a big deal." Li Shimin waved his hand and motioned to Changsun Wuji to get a piece of paper, "I suggested it during the discussion just now.
Seize the strongest among the refugees to serve as soldiers to prepare for bandits. After my father agreed, my brother gave me the specific tasks to be carried out. This is the relevant document, authorizing me to dispatch generals inside and outside the government at will."
What Changsun Wuji presented was a formal official document. The specific general idea was as Li Shimin said. The official seal of Tang Gong was stamped on the lower left, and below it was the private seal of the prince. With these two seals, Li Shimin could have directly
When ordering a general, there was no need to circle around as big a circle as before. But out of respect for Liu and Wu, he still settled on personal matters first and then entrusted them with official matters.
"I am willing to listen to the Second Young Master's orders!" Liu Hongji and the warrior Xun looked at each other, then stood up and saluted.
"Didn't you just agree to call me Shimin?" Li Shimin shook his head repeatedly, his brows showing a bit of sadness, "If I had known that I would be so boring when I grew up, I would have better not tied my hair back!"
"Shimin is absolutely right, the two of us are too locked up in our status!" Seeing that Li Shimin's lonely expression didn't seem to be fake, Liu Hongji sighed inwardly and responded.
"This is the best, two brothers!" After hearing Liu Hongji's words, Li Shimin's expression turned from anger to joy, and he ordered with a smile. "As for the selection and training of soldiers, except for my father, no one in our house can compare.
You two have rich experience. So I don’t want to be polite to the two brothers. The four of us will go straight to Hongde County early tomorrow morning and pick one from ten, no, we will use the energy to choose one from hundreds of miles to form a Huaiyuan town army.
There is no need to have many county soldiers like the grain protection army, five thousand are enough to make the heroes of Guanlong counties dare not move lightly!"
After all, he was only seventeen years old. When he talked about the elite army in his mind, he couldn't help but clenched his fists and his eyes were shining brightly. At that time, he was only fourteen years old and did not know how to distinguish the combat effectiveness of the army. However,
He has always been proud that the Li family once had such a brave team. Now he finally has a rare opportunity. He wants to recreate the glory of this team, for the sake of the Li family and for his own dream.
"The two of us will do our best!" Liu Hongji stood up again and handed over his hands. This time, he did not call Li Shimin the second son, nor did he guard against the other party's ulterior motives. The food protection army was the pride of his life, although Liu Hongji, who knew the military,
Understand that the team composed of cowards and young men who went to the battlefield to escape may not be more effective than the soldiers of the Sui Dynasty who conquered Liao for the first time.
But everyone here, including Li Shimin and the warrior Xun, only remembered the heroic deeds of that team and selectively forgot the original purpose of the brothers joining the food protection army. Because no matter what shady intentions everyone had at the beginning
He hid in the grain protection army with the purpose of hiding in the food protection army. No matter how everyone drank, fought, and made troubles and wasted money before entering Liaodong, in the last twenty days, everyone behaved like a man, an upright man.
Qi Po Ning who fainted at the sight of blood, Wang Yuantong who was so fat that he could collapse a war horse, Qin Ziying who couldn't even protect his own woman, Zhang Deyu who couldn't stretch his legs when he heard the shouts of death......Storm
Before the future, they all had the faces of cowards. But when the world collapsed, they proudly straightened their backs. (To be continued)
