My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 50: Please, please, don't let them fight!
The official road was almost unrecognizable.

The large-scale corvée labor imposed by the sage after he came to power not only destroyed the people, but also caused great damage to the local infrastructure.

The official road became riddled with potholes, and the protective forests on both sides were almost gone, making the road exceptionally desolate.

From a distance, it was just a large expanse of gray, not at all like the beginning of spring.

Suddenly, knights came galloping along the official road.

These knights were incredibly fast and fully armed. Even while charging at full speed, they maintained their formation and marched side by side, kicking up clouds of dust that formed a thick, yellowish-brown fog along their path.

A moment later, the knights who had been leading the way reined in their horses and stopped.

The others gradually slowed down and gathered together again.

The newly appointed Minister of Agriculture, Zhao Yuanshu, also reined in his horse. He looked disheveled, and almost fell off the horse the moment he did so. A burly man next to him quickly reached out and helped him up.

Zhao Yuanshu looked gratefully at the taciturn, burly man, "Thank you, Magistrate Zhang!"

Then, he glared angrily at Li Yuan, who was casually looking around.

"Duke! We've now entered Xingyang territory. Can we stop and rest now?"

"Send two people to the city and have them come and pick you up!"

According to the plan, they were supposed to have another seven or eight days' journey ahead, but Li Yuan said that agricultural and sericultural matters could not be delayed and that they had to hurry back to take care of things.

He coaxed and tricked Zhao Yuanshu into running with him at full speed.

Zhao Yuanshu believed his nonsense and ran like this for two days, feeling like he was about to die.

His legs had completely lost feeling, and he didn't know how he was still able to sit on the horse. He had no appetite at all and was even about to vomit bile!
Li Yuan turned to Zhao Yuanshu and praised her with a smile, "You truly deserve to be called a fierce general who followed the Duke of Chu in suppressing the rebels! After several days of forced marches, even my brave soldiers are starting to feel the strain, yet you remain so energetic!"

Zhao Yuanshu hesitated, then waved his hand helplessly, "Please, Duke, don't mock me. Quickly send someone to inform the people in the city."

Li Yuan was in high spirits, and the forced march of the past few days seemed to have no effect on him. He looked in the direction of Guancheng and said with a smile, "The reason I came in such a hurry is firstly to take advantage of the fact that the bandits have not yet grown too powerful and to wipe them out in time."

"Secondly, I want to see if things in the county have been delayed while I was away."

"If we send someone to inform them now, wouldn't that give them time to prepare?"

Zhao Yuanshu truly couldn't see through the person in front of her; why did he act on such a whim?
However, this was the other party's territory. Although Zhao Yuanshu had come on the emperor's orders, she did not dare to have any conflict with Li Yuan, so she decided to endure it.

Li Yuan did not continue on his journey. The forced march over the past few days had exhausted both the horses and the men. He decided to set up camp here to rest before continuing his journey to the city.

Li Yuan retained strong habits of the Guanzhong military aristocracy, disliking staying in official post stations and preferring to camp on his own.

A knight set up a campfire and prepared to cook. Li Yuan sat on the ground, looking at the campfire in front of him, and chatted loudly with the prefect surnamed Zhang next to him.

This prefectural magistrate was not from Xingyang, but from Qi Prefecture. He had just taken office and happened to be going the same way. Li Yuan had heard of his reputation and was a sociable person, so he suggested that they travel together. The magistrate declined several times, but Li Yuan could not persuade the enthusiastic Duke of Tang, so he had no choice but to set off with him.

"If you ask me, a man of Zhang Jun's talent should be serving in Yingyang Prefecture. This minor position of Prefectural Assistant is a waste of his abilities."

Prefect Zhang replied earnestly, "I dare not accept such praise. I have not rendered any merit, and I am already humbled to be given such an important position."

"What are you afraid of? Look at this Lord Zhao. He was promoted for his meritorious service in suppressing the rebels, just like you. He is not afraid, so why are you afraid?"

Zhao Yuanshu simply kept a straight face, pretending not to hear.

"Well then, don't rush off. Come with me to Xingyang first. I'll personally host a banquet for you, have a few meals and some wine, and then you can take up your post!"

"I dare not bother the Duke any longer."

"What's the big deal! Just do as I say!"

Li Yuan held the other person's hand.

Li Yuan valued the person in front of him quite a bit.

This prefectural official was named Zhang Xutuo. He was very brave and upright, and Li Yuan liked him very much.

However, this man didn't seem easy to befriend; he hadn't gotten too close to Li Yuan along the way. Li Yuan had some meat brought over and roasted it over the campfire. While eating the meat with Zhang Xutuo, he chatted with him about family matters, trying to build a closer relationship.

"Once you get to my house, you can meet my children. My wife went back to her parents' home, and my daughter went with her. So, only four rascals are left at home."

Li Yuan spoke of his children with great pride.

"My eldest son, though somewhat frivolous, is broad-minded and adept at winning people over. As a result, many wise men and warriors are willing to associate with him, and he is surrounded by talented individuals, earning him a stellar reputation."

"My second son, though somewhat reckless and belligerent, is both scholarly and martial, and precocious. At such a young age, his speech and manners are no different from an adult's. Everyone who has met him praises him."

"My third son, though frail and sickly and gentle in nature, is an excellent student. Many masters of classical studies have praised his talent. Moreover, he is kind-hearted and compassionate. In all his years, I have never seen him argue with anyone, nor would he dare to harm even an ant."

"I also have a daughter, who is also very intelligent and skilled in both literature and martial arts, and is in no way inferior to her brothers."

At this moment, Li Yuan showed no airs of a duke and was simply a kind old father, talking about his children with his friends. Zhang Xutuo's expression was no longer as resistant as before, perhaps he was also thinking of his own children. Even Zhao Yuanshu was attracted by his words and couldn't help but lean in to listen.

"Didn't the Duke just say he had four sons? Why didn't he mention your fourth son?"

Zhao Yuanshu asked curiously.

Li Yuan remained silent for a long time, his face turning slightly red.

"He's still young, let's not talk about that. Zhang Jun, how many children do you have in your family?"

This time, Zhang Xutuo didn't refuse. They also talked about their children, complaining about how disobedient the kids were and lamenting the hardships of being a father. When they got to some funny parts, they couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"When we get back to the city, I'll show you my kids!"

Sanshi Village.

Two people were hanging from a large willow tree at the entrance of the village, their bodies covered in injuries.

These two men were naturally the local soldiers brought by Li Xuanba.

Outside the two of them, there were many people sitting in twos and threes. They sat casually on the ground with their heads drooping and their weapons lying around. They chatted idly. Judging from their appearance, no one would mistake them for local militiamen; they were practically bandits.

Right in the middle of this group of militiamen, several of the stronger men sat around one of them.

"Commander, I still think we should release the prefect's son and the duke's son. How can we afford to offend them? If they want to harm us, it's just a matter of a word."

These men all looked quite frightened.

But the regimental commander sitting in the very center was not flustered at all.

"What are you afraid of?!"

"Our Great Sui Dynasty has its own laws and regulations. So what if he is the son of a Duke? Without official rank, title, or documents, he dares to organize local militia to plunder everywhere. How is this any different from rebellion?"

Hearing what the comrade said, the men were still quite afraid.

"That's what they say, but they're the children of a duke. If they get angry, they might really kill us. I wonder if anyone would dare to stop them."

The regimental commander laughed, his eyes narrowed. "I'm not afraid of him getting ruthless, I'm afraid of him not getting ruthless."

He looked to his left and right, gesturing for them to come closer.

He whispered, "If he really brings people, don't be afraid. Try to make them make a move, but just one thing: don't fight back!"

"If you are injured or crippled, someone will take care of you! If you die, your family members will also be taken care of!"

"Things have come to this point, the person has been arrested, there's no other way!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked even more terrified.

They've realized something. This doesn't seem to be a matter between local militia.

Before they could reply, the ground trembled slightly, and they saw dust billowing in the distance as a large group of knights rapidly approached.

(End of this chapter)