Chapter 36 Xiaoguo Army

Looking at the setting sun shining on the river, I can still see wild geese flying south in the sky.

Li San looked at the hesitant Li Si and kicked him into the river. With a splash, water splashed everywhere.

The water in autumn is very cold, which made Li Si, who was hit by the river water, much more sober. He did not care about the kick from his third brother. Of course, he could not win even if he cared.

"You really think so? Your body and hair are given by your parents. If your mother knew that you destroyed your appearance for such a thing, how could she rest in peace?"

Li Sanlang scolded mercilessly, and Li Si was ashamed of what he said.

"Isn't this your idea, Third Brother?"

"I was just joking with you, but you took it seriously?"

"I"

"Why don't you want to marry the princess?"

Li Si thought for a while before saying, "Third brother, in your opinion, can the Great Yan Dynasty last for a long time?"

Li Sanlang smiled when he heard this and said, "Silang, you are indeed hiding your incompetence and have a long-term vision. However, even so, this marriage will not harm you. Even if Great Yan does not exist, the royal family of the previous dynasty may not be implicated. Moreover, you are only marrying a daughter of the Murong family, so there is no need to worry about it."

Li Si knew that his third brother was very smart and scheming, but he never expected that he would be the first one in the family to realize that the Yan Dynasty was doomed.

Instead of dad and second brother.

Perhaps they could see some clues and were making some preparations and accumulations, but they would not be as sure as the third brother, nor would they tell these to Li Yuanhui.

But the third brother did not understand Li Si's concerns, and Li Si also felt that he was being too stubborn.

At this point, it is no longer feasible to keep a low profile and grow slowly until the establishment of the Tang Dynasty.

Even if he didn't marry the princess, the emperor would make some arrangements for him, either to serve in a local position or in the central army. It would be impossible for him to follow his father to Hedong and live in seclusion.

Even if my father can really go to Bingzhou to serve as the governor, then Li Si will definitely accompany him, which is the same as being a hostage.

It makes no difference whether you marry a princess or not.

As the most famous of the four sons of the Li family, there are some things that cannot be avoided just by wanting to.

After all, when the Li family started the rebellion in another time and space, few of Emperor Gaozu's sons and daughters were around. Jiancheng and Yuanji both ran back from Chang'an, and the fifth son was directly caught and killed.

Looking at the current situation, my eldest brother will have to stay in Luoyang or Chang'an.

Besides, for a time traveler, it would be fine if he didn't try to follow others in trying to dominate the world, but being so afraid of marriage is really a disgrace to his peers.

Disfigurement and broken legs are not necessary. It's not like I have to choose between life and death.

If you act with caution, seek good fortune and avoid danger, and be more alert, you should be able to avoid the murderous intent that follows the incident.

"I know, third brother."

Seeing that Li Yuanhui had figured it out, Li Xuanqing nodded, and the two brothers rode their horses back home.

After arriving home, Li Xuanqing said to Li Yuanhui, "Do you know what the aristocratic families did to form an alliance with the Murong royal family after our dynasty took control of the Central Plains?"

Li Yuanhui shook his head, not understanding why his third brother suddenly brought up this.

"You'll know then."

Li Xuanqing patted his shoulder again and said, "Go back and change your clothes quickly. You'll catch a cold if you're wet."

As the Li family rose rapidly, the trial of Yang Xun's treason case also came to an end.
A total of 30,000 people were implicated and killed, more than half of whom died unjustly. More than 6,000 were exiled to remote areas and their property was confiscated.

When Yang Xun attacked Luoyang, he opened the granaries to release grain to help the people.

When the emperor heard about this, he issued an edict: "Anyone who accepted rice from Yang thief should be buried alive to serve as a warning to others."

Thousands of people were killed in the south of Luoyang simply because they took a little rice distributed by Yang Xun.

Li Yuanhui also had a new place to go, the Xiaoguo Army. The so-called Xiaoguo Army was the army that the emperor recruited from Guanzhong as soldiers before the second expedition to Goguryeo, and they were called "Xiaoguo".

This new army, composed of brave men from Guanzhong and Longyou, was extremely powerful. The emperor also took a liking to the new army temporarily formed in Luoyang when suppressing the rebellion, and merged it into Xiaoguo.

After the merger, the entire Xiaoguo Army had more than 50,000 people.

There were ten battalions, all led by Tiger Guards, without generals, and directly under the emperor. Li Yuanhui was one of them.

Except for Li Yuanhui, the other nine Tiger Guards were all good fighters.

Dugu Qiuyu was a Xianbei nobleman who was known for his bravery when he was young. He followed Murong Ying in the Western Expedition to Tuyuhun. In the Battle of Wuding River, he captured three enemy chiefs alive and beheaded thirty-eight people at the age of only twenty-one.

Du Cai, born into the Jingzhao Du family, was 26 years old. He was good at horse riding, spear and shooting. During the expedition to Goguryeo, he led hundreds of elite troops across the Liaohe River, breaking through the Goguryeo army's defense in one fell swoop and opening a channel for the army to cross the Liaohe River to the east.

Duan Wuchen, a member of the Xianbei Duan clan, was the eldest son of Lingzhi King Duan Yihong. He was only 24 years old and served as a colonel during the expedition to Goguryeo. He led hundreds of his own troops to cover his father's retreat, blocking thousands of Goguryeo troops from advancing an inch, and finally returned safely.

Wei Xiaoju, a member of the Jingzhao Wei family, was the son of Consort Wei's elder brother. When he was only twenty-two years old, he took part in the campaigns against Tuyuhun and the Turks, made several contributions, and managed the army with strict discipline, which won the emperor's heart.

Li Cang, a member of the Longxi Li family, was Li Yuanhui's cousin. He was 26 years old and brave. He had served as the commander of the Dai County Zhenrong Army and had made great contributions in defending against the Turks. He once led dozens of cavalrymen deep into the grassland and captured hundreds of good horses.

Chen Leng, a native of Fufeng, Yongzhou, was born in a poor family. He was a fierce general in the army and was good at using a sword. When suppressing the rebellion of Yang Xun, he led his troops to the top in just half a day and captured the dangerous Hulao Pass in one fell swoop. He was also the oldest among the ten Tiger Guards, at the age of thirty-one.

Yuwen Jue, a Xianbei noble, was 27 years old when he participated in the expedition against Tuyuhun and made great contributions.

Liang Ping, a native of Jiangdu, Yangzhou, was 29 years old. He was the son of General Liang Meng, a brave and courageous general. He had served as a bodyguard of Murong Ying.

Murong Ling, a royal family member, 20 years old, cousin of Murong Ying, Prince of Jincheng, lost both his parents when he was young and was raised by the Queen. He was brave and courageous and followed the General Zhengdong to quell the civil uprising in Jizhou.

These people have one thing in common: they are young.

Compared with these people, Li Yuanhui was younger, not even fifteen years old.

Commanding 5,000 soldiers was equivalent to a brigade in later generations.

When Li Yuan brought Li Yuanhui into the palace to express his gratitude, Murong Ying still treated Li Yuanhui indifferently, almost the same as the last time he met the emperor. However, she was very warm to Li Yuan.

Li Yuanhui also figured it out. It was normal for a father-in-law to dislike his son-in-law.

After leaving the palace and returning home, Li Yuan had a rare heart-to-heart talk with his son.

"The Xiaoguo Army does not have a commander. Your Majesty leads it personally, but all military affairs are handled by the Chief Clerk Xue Ji. He is from the Xue family of Hedong, a close confidant of Your Majesty, and was once the Left Scholar of the Eastern Palace. After you join the Xiaoguo Army, you can consult him if you have any questions."

"Your twelfth uncle is a Tiger Guard general just like you, so you can take care of each other."

"Yuwen Jue's father was an official in the same county as me when we were in Guanzhong. I was a legal officer and he was a military officer. We worked together and you can get close to him."

"Chen Leng's benefactor is Wei Wang Murong Ding, but he is trusted by your majesty. Don't look down on him because of his humble origins."

"Although Wei Xiaoju is the nephew of Concubine Wei, his father Wei Hong and I have some grievances. When the saint conquered Tuyuhun, I was in charge of transporting food and grass in the rear army. Wei Hong missed the deadline, and I did not cover up for him. If I report it, he is narrow-minded and has been holding a grudge. So even if you are Princess Jinyang's fiancé, you must be careful of Wei Hong's son and be on guard against him."

"The Saint has hinted to me that he will probably ask me to lead the military affairs of Bingzhou after the new year. I am not in the court, so I will discuss matters with your elder brother."

"When you join the army and hold a high position, there will be those who will not obey you. You must be careful in dealing with them. Treat them with sincerity and courtesy. Do not choose people based on their family background. If there are those who cannot be influenced and are unruly, you should punish them with thunder and lightning. Kindness does not belong to the army."

"You made a good move by making friends with Liu Xuanji. He must be a man of great talent, not an ordinary person. I will ask someone to transfer him to your side. You can rely on him and treat him as a brother. He comes from a humble background, so you should treat him with courtesy."

Li Yuan talked to Si Lang for half an hour, which showed that he had good intentions. To this day, the youngest of the four sons was the one that worried him the most.

At the end, Li Yuan said with some emotion:
"You were going to get married after the New Year, what a pity your mother didn't get to see it."

Thinking of his first wife, Li Yuan's eyes became moist. He waved his hand and said, "Okay, stop being an eyesore here. Go away."

Li Yuanhui nodded and left. He was deeply moved by the love between Aye and A Niang. A Niang had passed away for several years, but Aye had never thought of remarrying.

In fact, Li Yuan was only in his early 40s and was one of the Nine Ministers. It was normal for him to remarry.

But when I think about the brothers and sisters I’ve had in recent years, it seems that there’s no need to be too moved.

Sure enough, men
(End of this chapter)