My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 102 Is this still about controlling bandit groups?

Li Xuanba always felt that his second brother's intentions were not simply to make friends with scholars.

But he couldn't directly question his elder brother. He also had many things on his mind that he couldn't tell others, and perhaps his second brother felt the same way.

Li Xuanba then agreed.

Li Shimin appeared quite happy, his eyes unusually bright, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Not long after Li Xuanba arrived, the guests began to arrive one after another.

Most of these guests were children from wealthy families in Guancheng. The Zheng family was the only one in Xingyang that could be considered a powerful clan. However, there were many smaller families besides the Zheng family. They may not have produced any high-ranking officials, but they had been scholars and farmers for generations, and had produced county magistrates and other officials, as well as famous scholars.

The Zheng family would not deliberately bully them. They usually tried to win them over and promote them. If they encountered an outstanding disciple, they would even arrange a marriage between them, since they were all from the same hometown and needed to support each other.

They mostly followed the Zheng family, so like the Zheng family, they didn't really like Li Shimin and others. The people of Guanzhong and Guandong didn't get along very well, and this wasn't a new phenomenon; it had been like this for a long, long time.

Zheng Yuanrui's earlier invitation to the two to a banquet broke down this barrier and allowed everyone to get to know the Li brothers.

Now, Zheng Yuanrui and the others dared not go out and were still waiting for the emperor's decree. Li Shimin then summoned these people to a banquet in his brother's name.

Everyone had a good impression of Li Xuanba. Moreover, Li Yuan had done a lot of things in the county, which made everyone a little scared. The Zheng family could no longer stand out, so they hurriedly came to the banquet and treated the two men very differently.

Li Shimin warmly welcomed the guests, taking the seat of honor and arranging seats for everyone.

Although there were no dancers or musicians at Li Shimin's banquet, it was far from deserted. There was plenty of food and drink, and Li Shimin was eloquent and never neglected anyone. When he told some interesting stories, everyone laughed together.

The crowd quickly relaxed and began to talk to Li Shimin.

Li Xuanba sat next to his elder brother, smiling but saying nothing.

People would occasionally steal glances at Li Xuanba, their eyes lingering on the golden mace at his waist. But when they noticed Li Xuanba's gaze sweeping over them, they would quickly look away, not daring to meet his eyes.

In the past, they only knew that Li Xuanba was very knowledgeable and someone they could befriend.

Recently, they heard something else: that this seemingly frail young man had killed a large bull with his bare hands.

Li Shimin chatted with them for a few minutes, then shifted the topic to classical studies.

His academic level has improved significantly recently. He was able to hold his own against several scholars in their discussions of the classics, which surprised everyone.

If the opposing force outnumbered Li Shimin and he could not win the argument, he would seek help from his younger brother.

What does Sanlang think?

Li Xuanba cleared his throat. "I think my brother is right."

The person who had been standing upright, ready to debate, became much more sober upon hearing Li Xuanba speak. Before Li Xuanba could even explain his reasoning, he changed his mind, saying, "Now that you mention it, Third Young Master, Second Young Master's words do indeed make some sense."

Li Xuanba didn't really like these kinds of banquets, but he couldn't resist his second brother's enthusiasm, so he had to stay and keep him company. After a long time, when it was almost curfew, everyone finally said their goodbyes and left.

These sons of noble families were not too afraid of the curfew, after all, they had just come from the banquet hosted by the prefect's son, and probably no one would dare to punish them.

After finally seeing everyone off, Li Xuanba stood up and stretched his body. He would rather practice his hammer all day than attend this kind of banquet. The banquet was noisy and there was no serious debate. It was just mutual flattery and nonsense, which he didn't like.

Li Shimin knew that his younger brother didn't like these things, so he patted Li Xuanba on the shoulder.

"Thank you for your hard work. I won't let you suffer like this again. Today's banquet went very smoothly. From now on, I can manage on my own."

Looking at the smiling Li Shimin, Li Xuanba hesitated for a moment before speaking up to remind him, "Brother, I don't think these people are really capable. They only came because they are afraid of Father's power. I'm afraid there will be no benefit in befriending these people, and they cannot be entrusted with important matters."

Li Shimin smiled, then suddenly asked:
"Third brother, how do you manage the local militia under your command? How do you handle the distribution of food and weapons, daily expenses, and calculation of military merits?"

Li Xuanba hesitated for a moment and said, "These things were done by Zhang Du and others. I don't know anything about them."

“Yes, you have a group of ready-made military officers under your command, so you don’t need to worry. But I don’t.” “I don’t have a good teacher like you, and I can’t find people like Zhang Du to help me.”

Li Xuanba frowned. "Brother, do you perhaps want those people from earlier to help you? Brother, I don't think they're capable at all."

Li Shimin interrupted him again, saying smugly, "Of course I know what kind of people they are, but scholars are different from warriors. Recruiting warriors is simple; just provide them with good wine and meat. But what about scholars? If I want to recruit some scholars to work by my side, I must first enhance my reputation."

“These people come from wealthy families and are naturally unwilling to work under me. However, if we befriend them, many scholars will come to know me. In the future, at my banquets, there may be talented people willing to work for me. These people from Guandong all regard us as warriors who do not know etiquette and should not be befriended. This is not appropriate.”

Li Xuanba said, "If Second Brother is short of men, I can provide them."

"No need!"

Li Shimin still wore that confident expression.

"I have my own way of handling things, so just focus on your business. If you encounter any difficulties that you can't overcome, come and find me!"

Li Shimin once again instructed his attendant to escort Li Xuanba home, as he had other matters to attend to there.

Sitting in the car, Li Xuanba seemed to be deep in thought.

The second brother seems to have discovered something.

What I've done probably won't be able to hide for long.

The next day, Li Xuanba got up very early and was just about to exercise when Liu Xuan rushed over.

He pulled Li Xuanba into the study, closed the door, and placed many articles he had written overnight in front of Li Xuanba.

"Look, these are the general outlines I've drawn up based on the village's situation. They're still not specific enough. I need more detailed information to refine them."

Li Xuanba curiously took the article and began to read it.

"The three elders??"

Li Xuanba was taken aback after just one glance. The very first sentence of the article made him almost lose his composure: 'Five households form a bao, five bao form a li, and within five li, an official school is established, with three elders responsible for education.'

The first two are normal, as they are the systems implemented during the Sui Dynasty. For every five households, there was a headman of the village, and for every fifty households, there was a headman of the neighborhood. However, the system of appointing three elders for every five hundred households did not exist. There were no three elders in the Sui Dynasty. However, there were official schools. The Sui Dynasty had county schools responsible for specific cultural education, while the township heads and neighborhood heads were responsible for the moral education of the people.

Liu Xuan cleared his throat and said with a serious expression, "Isn't the decline of morality due to the inability of village officials to fulfill their duty of education? The people in the village have left the city and are exposed to the elements. If someone instigates them, they will become notorious bandits who harm the people. We should choose an elderly person who is over fifty years old, with education and morality, to take on this position. On the one hand, it is to educate the people, and on the other hand, it is to supervise the other officials."

Li Xuanba knew that the Three Elders of the Han Dynasty had the right to submit petitions directly.

Before he could ask any more questions, Liu Xuan picked up the article and continued, “Look, I have divided the governance of the countryside into three parts.”

"The first type is those who are spontaneously appointed by the people, not as official positions, but more like servants, such as these three elders, the village head, and the granary management office that I want to establish."

"The second category is the duties of officials, such as the village head in charge of household registration, the patrol officer in charge of public security, and the clerk in charge of record-keeping."

"The third is the official."

Liu Xuan became increasingly agitated as he spoke, and he didn't forget to criticize the current system of the Sui Dynasty: "In the countryside today, even if one official is in charge of many clerks, the division of labor is unclear, and the people have nowhere to appeal when they suffer. Issuing corvée labor is much more convenient, but the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages."

"Also, regarding the official positions in this county..."

"Ahem, Master, there aren't that many people. It's not necessary to consider a county-level official position yet."

"Let me tell you about something else, let's talk about the law."

The more Li Xuanba listened, the more he felt something was amiss.

Is this still what you call cracking down on counterfeit goods?
(End of this chapter)