My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 66 A Memorial to the Sage
"Hu~~"

In the courtyard, Li Xuanba was wielding his spear.

He thrust, poke, or swing the spear, the movements in his hands constantly changing, expansive and fierce.

Zhang Xutuo and Liu Xuan were both in the courtyard. Looking at his posture, Zhang Xutuo smiled and nodded frequently, while Liu Xuan wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Li Xuanba continued his training, while Zhang Xutuo glanced at Liu Xuan beside him.

"I had heard of Master Liu's great name before, but I never expected that he was also proficient in martial arts."

Liu Xuan panicked immediately.

Is this brute trying to have a match with me?

He looked at Zhang Xutuo's thick arms and thought, "If this guy were to fight me, he could probably rip my head off in one move."

Liu Xuan was extremely flustered, but he didn't show it at all. He raised his head, looking like a master, and said, "I have studied hard since I was a child and read extensively. There is everything in books. What kind of martial arts can't be found in books? It's just that people who don't read don't know it!"

The reason why Liu Xuan has fallen to this point has little to do with his moral standards, but mainly because his character is simply too wicked.

In the past, there have been people with poor character who were still elevated to the position of great Confucian scholars, but Liu Xuan's problem was a genuine character flaw.

"He was impetuous and competitive, quite witty, often boastful, and fond of belittling his contemporaries, which made him a disgrace to those in power." This is a fair assessment of him.

He looks down on almost everyone, even when he's panicking inside, he still puts on a brave face and insists on pretending and bragging.

Hearing him say that, Zhang Xutuo was not angry. He said very seriously, "I heard Xuanba talk about Lord Liu's training methods. They are indeed very good. He does not rush to teach skills, but first trains the body. He trains his disciples in the way of training an army. I have never thought of doing this before. Lord Liu is truly extraordinary."

Seeing that Zhang Xutuo was easy to talk to, Liu Xuan calmed down and laughed, "Your spear technique is not bad either. It's clearly battlefield spearmanship, with wide and sweeping movements. Unfortunately, there's just one thing..."

"Oh? What do you think is wrong, Master Liu?"

"You've forced these mounted combat techniques into foot combat, making them neither fish nor fowl."

Upon hearing Liu Xuan's words, Zhang Xutuo held him in even higher regard; this man was indeed formidable!
He explained, "It's not that I'm hiding anything, it's just that Sanlangjun is too young, and I was afraid that riding a horse would be too dangerous. So I changed it to the way it is now. However, this can also help with the training and is good for him."

“Since you’ve already taught him, why hold back? If you don’t have time to teach him, just write down the techniques for horsemanship and give them to me. When he’s older and has learned to ride a horse, I’ll teach him on your behalf.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xutuo readily agreed to the request.

When Li Xuanba finished practicing this set of spear techniques, he was more tired than running twenty laps in armor. Every part of his body ached, sore and sore. Just thrusting and swinging the spear required a great deal of strength. Li Xuanba couldn't even imagine how someone like Zhang Xutuo could ride a horse, wear armor, and fight the enemy with a spear.

Zhang Xutuo was very satisfied with Li Xuanba's performance.

Seeing Li Xuanba panting heavily, Zhang Xutuo spoke up.

"Xuanba, I'm leaving tomorrow."

"In the past few days, I have taught you all the moves I could."

"From now on, you must train diligently."

Upon hearing Zhang Xutuo's words, Li Xuanba still struggled to stand up and bowed to Zhang Xutuo in gratitude.

"Thank you, Master Zhang. I will never forget your instructions!"

Zhang Xutuo said earnestly, "I have heard that you are also very good at studying. It is a great fortune for the country to have a young man like you. Since you were born into a noble family and have received the emperor's favor, you must work even harder and strive to become a marquis or prime minister in the future, or guard a region and serve the country!"

When Zhang Xutuo said these words, Li Xuanba's expression also became much more solemn. "I am determined to take the world as my responsibility."

Zhang Xutuo, with an air of righteousness, happily helped Li Xuanba up and then bid him farewell.

Liu Xuan and Li Xuanba escorted him to the door, and Zhang Xutuo told them to stay, as he needed to pay his respects to Li Yuan first. He also told Liu Xuan that he would send someone to deliver the techniques of horsemanship before leaving the next morning.

The master and apprentice stood at the door, watching the general stride away.

Liu Xuan stood at the door, staring at Zhang Xutuo's departing figure, then glanced at Li Xuanba beside him, his expression quite complicated.

"This person is not bad, it's just a pity."

"Teacher, what's a pity?" "Nothing, go back to your studies."

"Here!"

When Zhang Xutuo came to find Li Yuan, Li Yuan was still sulking.

A perfectly good achievement just slipped away like that.

Zhang Xutuo also participated in the operation that day and was quite understanding of Li Yuan's feelings.

However, Zhang Xutuo had no idea who had leaked the information, as this was not something he should be involved in.

Upon learning that Zhang Xutuo would be departing the next day, Li Yuan, though reluctant to part with him, could only send him gifts again to express his affection.

Li Yuan then asked about something that was troubling him.

“Sanlang kept pestering me, trying to persuade me to leave the local militia outside. He had been leading those men for a few days and was a little reluctant to part with them.”

"Therefore, I sent people to check on the situation of the local militia."

“At present, the local militias in Xingyang are in disarray and brutal. In the small town of Guancheng alone, there are as many as thirteen militia groups. Some of them are organized by local magnates, some are organized by villagers, and even a few merchants are so audacious that they dare to organize their own militias, claiming to protect their goods, but in reality, they are doing some shady business.”

"I intend to make some changes, but I'm afraid it will cause controversy. What do you think, Mr. Zhang?"

Zhang Xutuo immediately said, "What the Duke thinks coincides with my own thoughts."

"I also saw many local militiamen on the road. Although I didn't get as much detail as you did, I still had a general understanding of their situation."

"The Duke is a pillar of the nation. In this situation, we should truthfully report to the Emperor and let him make a decision."

Li Yuan pursed his lips.

A petition to the Sage?
It seems this kid doesn't quite understand what kind of person the Sage is. The Sage can only report good news and not bad news. If he were to tell him that local bandits are rampant and the local militia are in disarray, Zhao Yuanshu would be going back tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow he would have to be transferred to a small border prefecture as governor.

He could only nod to indicate that he understood, and did not continue the topic.

Since they had to travel the next day, Li Yuan did not invite Zhang Xutuo to eat meat and drink wine again, but sent someone to take him to rest.

After Zhang Xutuo left, Li Yuan sat in his seat and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

This world is truly absurd.

There are so many things happening in the local area, but I can't manage any of them or do anything about it.

Who knows if, after he has rallied the local militia today, rumors will circulate that Li Yuan is secretly recruiting soldiers tomorrow?

Today, the promotion of agricultural tools is seen by the sages as using strange and ingenious tricks to win over the people and have ulterior motives? Even worse, some people like to associate these things with witchcraft. If someone were to perform a ritual at home, using strange sacrificial implements to invite cat spirits to harm the sages, could they bear it?
After returning to his residence, Zhang Xutuo began to write furiously.

He first wrote down the techniques used in mounted combat, then carefully drew diagrams, and finally even added some of his own battlefield experience.

These things didn't take up too much of his energy.

After finishing writing these, Zhang Xutuo took a deep breath, picked up the paper and pen again, and began to write something else.

"I have been ordered to take up my post and have witnessed the calamity caused by the local militias."

He actually started writing a memorial to the emperor. According to his rank, he was not qualified to submit a memorial directly to the emperor. He had to follow the proper procedures and submit it through the various levels of government. In his current situation, he would be punished.

Zhang Xutuo was not afraid. He had seen the Duke's behavior earlier. He was not stupid. The Duke was probably unwilling to submit a memorial. Of course, he would not hate the Duke because of this. However, the situation of the local militia still needed to be explained to the Emperor.

In Zhang Xutuo's view, the local militia were no longer able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of protecting the area, and had even become a new scourge. Although Yingyang Prefecture had many militia, they could not be used by the local people, and now there were many thieves. If the situation was not corrected in time, it would definitely cause big problems.

As a subject, one cannot help but share the emperor's burdens.

Even if he was punished for it, Zhang Xutuo didn't care.

His official position was originally given by the sage, and he has been dutiful and responsible. Even if he is dismissed from his post for a crime, there is nothing wrong with it!
(End of this chapter)