Chapter 30 Meeting an opponent in chess

After following Li Yuan back home, Li Yuanhui, who was the younger brother at home, naturally wanted to say hello to his brothers.

The eldest brother is still the same as always, behaving like a son of a wealthy family, with a neat appearance and polite manner.

The second brother was tall and slender, and he was dressed very well. He was very handsome, a handsome man, worthy of the description in the book: "a dragon with a phoenix's appearance, a symbol of the sun and the sky."

Especially, there seems to be a sharp sword hidden between the eyebrows, extremely sharp.

He hasn't grown a beard yet. If he had, he would probably look somewhat similar to Emperor Taizong of Tang in the TV series "The Zhenguan Reign".

As for the third brother, he was also very handsome, but his physique was a bit like the strongman that Huo Yuanjia fought. He was too big and strong. He was almost a head taller than Li Yuanhui, and the two were only a year apart in age.

As for the other brothers, they were all born out of wedlock and were not even qualified to attend the banquet held in the main hall.

At the luncheon, Li Yuanhui told his brothers about what he had seen and heard in the army. He also did not forget to introduce Liu Xuanji to his brothers. Li Yuan raised his glass frequently.

The eldest and second sisters-in-law were also at the table. At that time, there was no strict separation between men and women as in later generations, and it was normal for women to enter the house and meet outsiders.

The eldest sister-in-law Zheng Yuan is about the same age as the eldest brother, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, dignified and beautiful, about ten years older than Li Yuanhui. Since the death of their mother Dou, this eldest sister-in-law has truly lived up to her role as a mother, especially taking good care of the younger brothers Sanlang and Silang.

The second sister-in-law, Gao Ning, was born in the Gao family of Bohai. She was extremely beautiful and the same age as the second brother, which would be the age of high school students in later generations. Now she is a married woman.

The third brother has not married yet, he just drinks and eats meat silently.

When drinking, Li Yuan pointed at Li Yuanhui and said, "You brothers are no match for Si Lang now. You need to work harder in the future."

After Li Yuan finished speaking, the eldest brother just smiled in response, not caring at all. However, the second brother looked a little unhappy. As for the third brother, he showed no emotion at all and it was impossible to tell what he was feeling.

Li Yuanhui was a little flustered by this speech, and hurriedly said a few humble words. "I am blessed by my ancestors. The talents of my brothers are ten times better than mine. They will definitely become generals and ministers in the future."

Li Yuan was even happier when he heard this. At the palace gate, he was still thinking that he should not be too nice to Si Lang, otherwise this kid would be too proud and difficult to discipline.

Now the wine got in his head as soon as he took a sip. When he saw Silang, he was humble and started to praise him even more.

Li Laosi has begun to worry that several years later, in a palace in Chang'an or Luoyang, his second brother will hold up a glass of wine and ask his father: "Aye said that Silang is better than us brothers. Now let's see who has the bigger family business?"

That's very awkward. Not just a background board?

I hope my second brother has forgotten all this, otherwise it will be recorded in history books and it will be embarrassing for thousands of years.

After the banquet, Li Yuanhui, who was a little tipsy after drinking some wine, first settled the guest, Liu Xuanji, and then returned to his own courtyard.

Lying on the long-missed bed, I closed my eyes and let the experiences of the past two months pass through my mind like a quick tour.

Then he fell into a deep sleep.

When he finally fell asleep, he kept muttering this sentence: "No one in the world wants more of you, you are such a dog."

What he said to Tan'er, the maid who was taking care of him, was incomprehensible, and what kind of drunken talk was Silang saying?
Li Er was also a little drunk. Among his brothers, he had the worst alcohol tolerance. He returned to his yard slightly staggering, and then half-leaned and half-lay on the couch.

His wife Gao found him a little amused when she saw him like this. "Who are you angry with? Why are you unhappy to see Silang in the limelight? Are you jealous? Jealous?"

Li Er sat up immediately after hearing this and said, "Why should I be unhappy? My fourth brother has made great achievements, and I, as his elder brother, am not jealous."

Gao smiled and said, "Really?"

Li Er looked at his wife's smiling face and said helplessly, "Well, it's a little unfair, but I'm not jealous. My future achievements will definitely not be worse than Si Lang's. No matter riding, shooting, martial arts, or military tactics, Si Lang can't catch up with me. But his luck is too good. I haven't even entered the officialdom yet, but he is already a Tiger Guard General."

In the military system of Dayan, above the colonel in the central army was the Lang Jiang, who commanded a battalion of soldiers, with a minimum of two thousand and a maximum of three to five thousand.

According to the type of troops, they are divided into Huben, Zhechou and Yingyang, which are more powerful than general generals of miscellaneous titles.

He was also granted the title of county marquis, which could be passed down for three generations.

Li Er already felt a sense of urgency at this moment. Anyone with blood in his veins would have a desire to compete. It was impossible for him to feel a bit upset about being outdone by his useless younger brother.

This is not jealousy, but the feeling that I have wasted my time and have achieved nothing.
Gao Ning, sitting on the couch, rubbed his forehead with his hand, and then said, "There is a long time to come. A gentleman does not fight for a moment but for a lifetime. In the future, Silang may still need to rely on you, his second brother. As a brother, you must be magnanimous."

If Li Si heard what his second sister-in-law said, he would definitely applaud. This is absolutely right. You have to be magnanimous and stand up.
Li Er was no longer angry after hearing Gao Ning's words. He put his hand on her shoulder and said with a smile, "Aning, you are really beautiful and intelligent. What else could a husband ask for with a wife like this? Hahahaha."

That's right, a real man should accomplish great feats, why would he argue with his brothers at home? The next morning, Li Er came to the martial arts arena at home as usual. This was his habit, getting up at 1 a.m. in the morning to practice bow and arrow and boxing in the martial arts arena at home.

But he found that there was already someone in the martial arts arena. It was indeed Liu Xuanji who came to his house as a guest with Silang.

At this moment, Liu Xuanji was holding the stone lock that Sanlang used for practicing martial arts every day. It seemed that he was holding it very easily, which surprised Li Er.

Sanlang is a man of extraordinary strength. Even when he was training his strength on weekdays, it didn't seem so easy for him to lift a stone lock weighing hundreds of pounds. This Liu guy actually has such strength. He must have been born with supernatural powers.

Seeing someone coming, Liu Xuanji put down the stone lock with some embarrassment, and said with a bow: "It's Erlangjun, I'm used to being in the army, I'll get up and practice, I'm really sorry to bother you."

Li Er came back to his senses and immediately bowed in return: "Brother Liu, don't mind. I am also used to practicing in the morning. Just now I saw Brother Liu lifting heavy objects with ease. You really have great strength."

On the battlefield, a general with this kind of strength must be able to defeat a hundred enemies alone.

And this kind of person was just appointed as a lieutenant for his meritorious service in intercepting Yang Xun.
Liu Xuanji saw that Li Jia Erlang was also a straightforward warrior, so he also said generously:

"On the way back to the army through the Qiaohan Road, I heard Silang say that you, Erlang, are unparalleled in riding and shooting, and can shoot an arrow through a willow leaf from a hundred paces away. I am also considered a good archer in the army, so I would like to ask Erlang for advice today. What do you think?"

Li Erlang became interested when he heard this, because he had never been defeated by anyone in archery.

"Okay, Brother Liu, please."

"Master, please."

Li Er took out two good bows that he often used and gave one to Liu Xuanji. The two of them shot three arrows at the target from eighty steps away.

An expert will know if there is one as soon as he takes action.

When both sides shot their first arrow, they knew that the other side must be a good archer.

Liu Xuanji, who was tall and had long arms, stretched out his arms with a very relaxed posture and fired three arrows in succession.

Li Erlang was not to be outdone. He drew his bow and shot his arrow with great speed.

After three arrows, a servant in the house reported the number and both of them hit the bull's eye.

Then there were three more arrows. This time, both of them shot much faster and they shot all three arrows almost at the same time.

Again, there was no winner, and all three arrows hit the bull's eye.
By the fifth round, after all fifteen arrows had been shot, the result was still the same.

But at this time, because of the fast shooting speed, Li Er's arms were already slightly sore. After all, he was only sixteen and had not grown up yet compared to Liu Xuanji, who was nearly thirty years old.

Liu Xuanji naturally knew this, and when he saw Li Er rubbing his shoulders, he felt that it would be a bit of a bully if he continued to compete, so he said, "My dear, you are a great archer. How about we call it a draw today?"

Li Er also knew that if he continued shooting, he might not be able to maintain his shooting speed and accuracy. Since the other party had given him a way out, he naturally had to back down.

"Brother Liu is straightforward. But the target is inanimate after all. How about we go to Yique Hunting Ground to compete in the autumn hunt in a few days?"

Liu Xuanji immediately agreed: "Okay, just as Erlangjun said."

"Caicaicai. Second brother and Brother Liu are both outstanding archers, rarely seen in the world!"

When the two heard the cheers, they looked up and saw Li Silang clapping and cheering. Hearing his praise, they smiled at each other.

Li Ershi felt that Si Lang was not so annoying after all. It turned out that he always praised me outside, saying, "My second brother is unparalleled in riding and shooting."
However, Liu Xuanji was impressed by the father and son and brothers of the Li family in just a few days. He thought that Duke Li was magnanimous enough to be able to make friends with a warrior like himself and chat and laugh with him.

The fifteen-arrow shooting competition with Li Erlang, the breathing of the two and the frequency of archery, is all a contest. You can tell a person by observing his shooting. This person must be a great talent.

Li Silang is a kind person and worth making friends with.

Li Si secretly thought that he was right. Old Liu was indeed a fierce general. When the Li family conquered the world in the future, with their old friendship, they might become a good story.

The third brother Li Xuanqing standing beside him also nodded to the two of them, and then whispered to the fourth brother who was still clapping his hands: "Silang, you made a good move. This Captain Liu is not an ordinary person."

Li Silang listened to his third brother's words, deep in thought.

It's not a creature in the pond? What is it? A dragon in the abyss like my second brother?

(End of this chapter)