My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 58 Tell the truth
"I do not know anything about the art of using a hammer."

Liu Xuan said earnestly, "Back then, I was accused of moral misconduct and dismissed by the Sage. When I returned home, I had no money and was penniless. My disciples were even worse off. I couldn't find anyone to help me. Just then, Young Master Jiancheng came to me and said he wanted to teach Third Young Master martial arts."

"Although I know nothing about martial arts, I agreed to stay at your residence for the money."

Li Yuan was somewhat surprised, not expecting this fellow to speak so frankly.

Liu Xuan said earnestly, "Perhaps you also know that Sanlangjun has an extremely high talent in classical studies. I have taught many disciples, but few can compare with him. He can draw inferences from one instance and understand things without books. Most importantly, he can put the principles he has learned into practice."

"I wish to stay in your residence and teach the Third Prince the classics."

"This is not for money. I am willing to return all the tuition fees given by the steward. As long as the Duke gives me a small house to live in so that I don't go hungry, that will be enough."

Li Yuan paused for a moment, looking at Liu Xuan. He knew that Liu Xuan was very skilled in classical studies, but with classical studies, it wasn't enough to just be good at it yourself. The biggest benefit of classical studies was the reputation it brought, but unfortunately, this person had a very bad reputation.

Xuanba could learn something from him, but it would also damage his reputation, since those who studied the classics already looked down on people from the Guanzhong region.
Seeing Li Yuan frowning and deep in thought, Liu Xuan spoke again, "I know what the Duke is worried about."

"It's simply because I'm afraid my reputation will implicate Third Master."

"However, in my opinion, those stupid scholars in the world are not scholars at all. They can only be rampant for a while, but they cannot last."

"The scholars in the north only know how to bury themselves in the writings of the sages, analyzing them word by word, but they cannot express their own ideas. The scholars in the south only know how to talk about profound and mysterious things, but they don't even know what they are saying."

"The North and South were unified, but their classical studies were not consistent. Neither was practical; they could neither solve current problems nor predict future trends. Even their summaries of the past were far from accurate!"

"My scholarship, on the other hand, connects the North and South, drawing on the experience of the past hundred years to create a completely new school of thought capable of governing the world."

“I come from a very humble background, so they all fear my teachings and dare not refute my classical studies. They can only talk about my family background and personal morality.”

“Third Prince is different. He is your son and has the blood of the Li, Dugu, Dou and other great clans.”

“I am too old to live to see the day when this absurd doctrine is destroyed, but Xuanba is still very young.”

"If he can learn my teachings, in the future, it won't be a question of whether others will accept him, but whether he will accept others!"

"He will inherit my school of thought, become the greatest Confucian scholar in the world, his classics will become mainstream, and all scholars will become his disciples."

These words were so powerful that even someone as composed as Li Yuan almost had a glint of fire in his eyes.

Since the imperial examination system was implemented, the importance of classical studies was once again elevated.

Isn't the teacher of all scholars the teacher of all officials?
But Li Yuan quickly regained his senses and asked, "What did you mean by saying that classical studies were being destroyed?"

Liu Xuan gave a wry smile. "Why does the Duke need to ask so many questions?"

"When the sage asked whether corvée labor could be implemented, the scholars in the north found a few sentences about benevolent governance in the Analects and repeated them over and over, explaining them word by word. The scholars in the south talked about prophecies and ghosts and gods, racking their brains to make their words beautiful and moving."

"Such scholarship produces people who are incapable of governing the world. If the world falls into chaos again because of the inaction of these people, then such scholarship will naturally be abandoned."

“Classical studies are not static; if they cannot adapt to the times, they will be abandoned and replaced by other schools of thought.”

Li Yuan's eyes gleamed with a peculiar light.

He stared at Liu Xuan for a long time, "Your words alone are enough to warrant your beheading."

“If I were afraid, I would have joined Zhao Yuanshu in submitting a petition, and I wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.”

Li Yuan laughed again, "Zhao Yuanshu has only just arrived, how come the whole city already knows about her?"

"Your Excellency is unaware of this, but this man does not eat grains and has an unbearable stench. I could smell the stench on him when he was still in Henan County."

"Hahaha~~"

When Liu Xuan was still in the court, Pei Shiju, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, informed the emperor about the situation in the Western Regions and persuaded him to wage war in the northwest. However, there were many anti-war factions in the court who believed that the country had already carried out two large-scale corvée labors and that it was not appropriate to think about fighting abroad at the moment, but to allow the people to have a chance to recuperate first.

Otherwise, even if we win a war against foreign powers, the gains will be difficult to preserve.

However, the emperor was ambitious. He did not only want to wage war in the northwest, but also set his sights on all the border territories beyond the Sui Dynasty. At that time, the debate on agriculture and sericulture in the court was the most intense. Liu Xuan wrote to the emperor, advising him to reduce corvée labor and taxes, not to rush into war, and to first appease and win over the barbarians and Hu people.
Not long after, Liu Xuan was dismissed, demoted to a commoner, and was expelled from the capital without any salary.

The more Li Yuan looked at Liu Xuan, the more he thought he was a good person.

He waved his hand dismissively, "Go and call Xuan Ba ​​over!"

Manager Liu quickly left from a distance. Li Yuan stood up, walked a few steps to Liu Xuan's side, took his hand, and led him to sit down next to him.

“I am a rough man and not well-versed in the classics. In the past, I only heard people say bad things about Mr. Liu and actually believed it to be true. Today, after meeting him, I realize that the rumors are untrue. If Mr. Liu does not mind my previous rudeness, please stay and continue to teach my child.”

"I will certainly not treat you unfairly."

Liu Xuan was taken aback and quickly stood up to bow, "Thank you, Duke!"

"Oh, there's no need for that! To be honest, I also despise Zhao Yuanshu. From now on, you will not only have to teach my children, but you will also have to stay by my side and help me fill in the gaps in my knowledge. I have always lacked someone like you who understands the classics and knows etiquette!"

"If I encounter anything I don't understand in the future, I'll ask you for help anytime, okay?"

Li Yuan made his intention to recruit Liu Xuan very obvious, and Liu Xuan immediately sensed something.

This Duke of Tang seems to have some different ideas.

He hurriedly bowed and said, "Yes, sir!"

Li Yuan then began to talk to him. Li Yuan was quite eloquent, and his ability to make friends was simply an enlarged version of Erlang. This old military nobleman was able to chat fluently with a great Confucian scholar like Liu Xuan. Even if he didn't understand some things at all, he could still keep up with the other party's conversation and prevent any awkward silences.

After waiting for a while, Li Xuanba and Zhang Xutuo arrived together.

Li Xuanba was surprised to find his teacher there, and quickly bowed to greet him.

Li Yuan understood the situation by observing his son's attitude.

“Xuanba, your teacher was originally going to leave, but I managed to persuade him to stay and continue teaching you the classics. From now on, you must respect your teacher as you respect me, listen to him, and study hard.”

Li Yuan gave many instructions, and Li Xuanba nodded repeatedly.

With Li Yuan's approval, the two officially established a master-disciple relationship. Only then did Li Yuan instruct Steward Liu to settle Liu Xuan in a safe place. Steward Liu's attitude towards Liu Xuan naturally changed, and he led the way with a smile.

Only Zhang Xutuo and Li Xuanba remained.

Li Yuan smiled and asked, "Zhang Jun, you've really had a hard time these past few days. My son is rather dull."

"He is not dull-witted; Third Young Master is a prodigy, exceptionally intelligent. What's rare is that he is kind-hearted, and at such a young age, he already understands righteousness and can distinguish right from wrong."

Zhang Xutuo had a very high opinion of Li Xuanba, which was not only an affirmation of his talent, but also an affirmation of his character.

Li Yuan was so happy he couldn't even open his eyes.

Zhang Xutuo then said, "However, I still have things to do in Qi County, so I must take my leave."

Li Yuan's smile vanished immediately. "Why can't we stay a little longer? Alas, I've been busy with the bandits these past few days and haven't been able to spend much time with them. Those bandits in Xingyang are ruthless; they've even occupied Wild Ox Mountain and set up a stronghold. The mountain roads are really difficult to traverse."

Li Xuanba was taken aback. Zhang Xutuo suddenly asked, "Duke, do you have a map?"

Li Yuan didn't hide anything, taking out a map from under the table and placing it in front of him. "Does Zhang Jun have anything to teach me?"

Zhang Xutuo lowered his head and observed carefully for a long time. "Among the bandits, there are people who know military strategy and are extremely familiar with the local area. This Wild Buffalo Mountain is known for its rugged terrain. I'm afraid you will have difficulty annihilating them all with just your local militia."

"However, it's not impossible."

Li Xuanba spoke up at this moment, "Grandpa, the people of Wild Buffalo Mountain are mostly ordinary people who can't survive, they are not thieves."

Li Yuan frowned. "Attacking government officials is not thievery, it's treason! They must be eliminated! Even if it means reporting to the authorities and summoning the Eagle Guard, I will still get rid of these scoundrels! This is a matter for you, sir, don't interfere!"

Zhang Xutuo clearly shared the same idea. He stared at the map for a long time before expressing his thoughts.

"If the Duke wants to annihilate this gang of bandits, the only way is to use the method of dividing and attacking them."

"Do not mention the bandits yet, do not alert them, pretend nothing has happened, and remain complacent."

"The thieves can only rely on the terrain to defend themselves. Duke, you should recruit more local militia, divide them into five groups of three hundred men each, and have them secretly gather at Chicken Horn Pass, giving the villagers no chance to warn you. Then, act quickly!"

"One group will guard Chicken Horn Pass, a vital passage down the mountain to various villages. Holding this pass will cut off the bandits' connection with the local area. Another group will guard Divine Eagle Pass, a key route to the northwest, which will cut off the bandits' retreat. A third group..."

P.S.: I've seen many people urging me to update, but please don't worry, I plan to release it on the 26th, and there will be a big update then.

(End of this chapter)