My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 123 Eagle Banner Mansion

"Eagle-Soaring Prefecture??"

"What do these local affairs have to do with them?"

"Before I arrived, local officials asked Yingyang Prefecture to help suppress the rebellious people. With the autumn harvest approaching, how could the prefectural soldiers be willing? I don't know if that Yingyang general was paid or what, but he forcibly conscripted them, almost causing a mutiny!"

"Now the officials and officers involved have all been dismissed. They left quickly, but this mess has fallen into my hands!"

Madam Dou instantly realized the seriousness of the situation.

After the sage ascended to the throne, he also carried out a series of reforms to the army. Well, there was nothing he didn't reform. Currently, the army of the Great Sui Dynasty is collectively known as the Twelve Guards, which are similar to twelve military regions. Each military region has many Eagle Banner Offices, which are summoned together when there is a battle.

The number of people in Yingyang Prefecture generally ranges from about 800 to 1,500, and there are also different sizes.

The soldiers in Yingyang Prefecture were farmers in their daily lives. They participated in farming, but their household registration and taxes were not related to the local area. Their families were also military households and enjoyed special treatment. In addition to farming, they had to receive military training in the local area.

After the sage came to power, in order to ensure the quality of the soldiers, the duration of military training was shortened and it became more frequent.

Of course, while these people are farmers in ordinary times, they are different from real farmers. They are actually landlords, even if they are down on their luck. They all have their own farmland and property. Not just anyone can become a military household. These military households are selected from relatively wealthy families and are strong and healthy. Most of them do not need to work in the fields themselves, as others will help them.

They could gather horses and even shields on their own, eat and drink to their hearts' content, and actively participate in military training, so their combat strength was relatively strong.

They weren't all in the same place either; Eagle Banner Prefecture adopted a rotation system, with everyone taking turns going to Eagle Banner Prefecture for training and preparation for war.

Only after the autumn harvest, when the farming season is over, will the Eagle Banner Army gather its soldiers for large-scale, concentrated drills.

It's the busy farming season now, and it would be strange if soldiers were forcibly gathered under these circumstances. Even if they don't go to the fields themselves, they wouldn't leave home at this time, especially since the reason for the gathering is to suppress the people, which won't earn them any military merit.
Lady Dou immediately understood the reason for Li Yuan's distress.

The city is inhabited by deeply dissatisfied citizens, while outside the city stand deeply dissatisfied soldiers.

Whichever of these two explodes first, Li Yuan will have to explode as well.

Ultimately, the root of the problem lies with that sage who was bored and wanted to build palaces for fun.

Madam Dou quickly advised, "Husband, there's no need to panic."

"In my opinion, we should first deal with the problems of the people in the city."

“That’s the priority.”

Lady Dou then offered some advice, believing that although the soldiers outside were powerful and fierce, they were not under Li Yuan's command and had families and businesses. Even if they were dissatisfied, they were unlikely to rebel directly, so there was no need to worry too much.

However, the people in the city have already been driven to the brink of despair. If they are pushed any further, it could lead to a local rebellion and chaos in the prefecture and county, which would be a dereliction of duty on the part of the governor.

To solve this problem, we must first win over the local people and suppress their rebellious sentiments.

Lady Dou gave Li Yuan several plans.

Li Yuan had been thinking about some things these past few days, and the two of them had discussed it for a long time and had come up with a plan.

Li Yuan sighed and said, "I thought it would be a good thing to have you all come here so that your families could reunite. But now it seems that things are different here than in Xingyang. Something could happen at any time. Send someone to keep an eye on the children at home and tell them not to go out!"

"Especially the second son!! We must keep a close eye on him!"

"Let me settle things here first, then we can discuss this further. Perhaps you should take the children and go back first."

After the two talked for a long time, Li Yuan finally sent someone to call the children over.

He's very busy right now, he only gets to see the children briefly before having to go back to work.

Li Jiancheng arrived here quickly, but then the servants sent by Li Yuan returned with news that enraged Li Yuan.

The second, third, and fourth brothers, plus Li Xiuning, have already gone out to play.

"Go and bring him back to me right now!!!"

At this moment, the four people were walking briskly in Jing Le City, curiously looking around.

Li Shimin walked at the front. Although they had all come together, he acted as if he were the master of the place, even introducing the situation to his younger siblings. Li Xiuning and Li Yuanji were dismissive of this, and only Li Xuanba gave him face and was willing to listen.

The group continued forward, chatting and laughing.

But the road was eerily silent. In such a large city, there wasn't a single person in sight; it was deserted both in front and behind, which was strangely unsettling. Li Xiuning's expression grew increasingly grave.

She saw bloodstains on the roadside. The bloodstains were quite obvious and had a smell, indicating that they had been left not long ago. There were also burn marks on the surrounding walls.

The houses on both sides were tightly locked up, with no gaps showing.

But inside that tightly closed courtyard, it seemed as if something was watching them intently.

Li Xiuning turned around and exchanged a glance with Liu Chounu; both of them realized something.

Not only Li Xiuning and Liu Chounu, but even the most dull-witted Li Yuanji noticed something was wrong. The city was too quiet, like a ghost town. He didn't say anything, but just held his brother's hand tightly, his eyes filled with fear.

Li Shimin's voice grew softer and softer until finally, he stopped speaking altogether.

He took a few more slow steps and then stopped.

"We'd better go back first."

The group quickly turned around.

But after they turned around, several little children were standing in the distance.

Those little children appeared out of nowhere and blocked the road. Many of the tightly closed doors on both sides were now half-open, with people peeking out and staring at them.

Li Shimin saw the children and the blades they were holding.

Liu Chounu, along with Li Shimin's entourage, also gripped their weapons tightly at this moment.

These people stared at Li Shimin and his entourage in silence, their eyes revealing a kind of hatred and anger.

Li Shimin stood there, stunned.

He had met many people, whether in Guanzhong or Xingyang, but when they encountered them, they were all fearful and avoided them. No one dared to stand in front of them like that, let alone show such strong anger and resentment.

Li Xuanba took a few steps forward, and Li Shimin was shocked. Just as he was about to dissuade him, Li Xuanba spoke first.

He took out a wrapped-up pancake from his pocket.

Ever since he started learning martial arts from Liu Xuan, he was always hungry, so he got into the habit of carrying some food with him.

He opened the outer cloth, revealing the fragrant flatbread inside.

"Are you hungry? You can have this to eat."

Li Xuanba said calmly.

The doll stared at him for a long time, its eyes filled with confusion. Just then, a rough voice rang out.

"What are you doing standing here?! Blocking the way and not letting people pass! Go home! Go home!"

Then an elderly man came out of a house and shouted loudly. When the children saw him, they quickly ran away, and the adults who had opened the door to observe closed it again.

The old man limped up to them.

He spoke with a local accent, but if you listened carefully, you could still understand him.

"Where is this distinguished guest headed?"

Li Shimin spoke first, replying, "Old man, we've just arrived and were hoping to look around."

The old man nodded, then sighed deeply, "It's better not to look anymore, go home instead."

"It's not peaceful outside, you should go back soon."

The old man said a few words, then turned and went back into the house.

Li Shimin led his brothers and quickly headed towards the residence they had just left. After walking a short distance, they saw Feng Li riding towards them in a great hurry. Feng Li breathed a sigh of relief when he saw them, and then protected them and led them back to the residence.

Once he entered the mansion, Li Shimin's heart finally calmed down.

(End of this chapter)