第一百七十五章 被太监吊打

Lu Da had served as an official under Zouma Chenshou, so naturally he had no fondness for this position.

Li Kou said, "This is a time when people are needed. I guess Brother Lu Da won't stay long in the inspection position, but that's just as well—more leisure time is perfect for drinking. My small stall is about to launch some snacks in the next few days. Brother Lu Da, if you have nothing to do, you can come and find me, and I'll treat you to a drink."

Here is the translation to English, with the original HTML tags preserved:Lu Da asked curiously, "Big Brother, you don't drink yourself, but invite me specially to drink. How disagreeable! Why not find someone to accompany you in drinking?"

"I can oblige," Yan Keshi slipped out from the side.

At this moment, the horns sounded loudly within the city. At the head of the procession was the imperial envoy's entourage, followed by the personal guards of Tong Guan. The two rows of troops, front and back, marched to the sound of drums and horns, signaling the arrival of the Chief Military Commissioner's residence. The vanguard had already reached the East Gate, displaying a truly grand spectacle and formation.

Li Kou said nothing, watching Zhe Yanzhi mount his horse, bid farewell to everyone with his hands clasped, and then gallop off towards the east without a word.

Wang Xiaoyi looked back at Li Kou, only to see Li Kou bidding him farewell with clasped hands, a smile on his face. Wang Xiaoyi's heart warmed at the sight. He turned his head and spurred his horse forward, galloping away at full speed.

"Da Lang, although Wang Xiaoyi has skills, he is just a craftsman in the Military Weapon Depot. Why be so polite to him?" Yang Keshiqi asked.

"Having one more friend may lead to one more path in the future," Li Kou naturally wouldn't say that he had his eyes on the weapon arsenal of the Song Dynasty emperor.

He didn't know much else, but he remembered his sister mentioning that the weapon arsenal of the capital's imperial guards during the Northern Song Dynasty eventually fell into the hands of the Jin army. The renowned "Buren Jia" (infantry armor) belonged to the Iron Butchers, who were under the command of Jin Wushu, the mortal enemy of Marshal Yue.

Therefore, he set his sights on the weapons arsenal of the Song Dynasty emperors.

Making friends with Wang Xiaoyi today might mean having half of the Armory Depot in the future.

Moreover, Wang Xiaoyi himself is a skilled artisan, and a military craftsman at that.

Yang Keshi no longer asked further questions, merely assuming that Li Kou had a meticulous mindset.

The ceremonial guard had passed in the front, followed by armed warriors wielding halberds and battle-axes in the rear. It was merely a ceremonial procession, yet they were clad in heavy armor, with the armor plates reflecting the sunlight, creating an illusion of dazzling brilliance.

Li Kou shook his head internally. Regardless of the combat effectiveness of such a ceremonial guard, they looked very imposing. If he were to fight against such a troop, he could rely on his three hundred well-trained light infantry to annihilate three thousand armored cavalry.

All show and no substance, pretty useless.

After the procession, there were more teams carrying various colored flags, which was quite useful, but for Tong Guan, it merely demonstrated his status and authority.

After reading the "Seven Military Classics," Li Kou realized that battlefield commands in this era relied entirely on flags for communication. Different colored flags had different uses, and the various orientations of the flags conveyed different meanings. This almost changed Li Kou's understanding of ancient battlefields, making him re-realize the crucial role that daily training, represented by marching in formation, played in the effective communication of battlefield commands.

Here is the translation with the original HTML tags preserved:Behind the colorful flags, Tong Guan emerged slowly, wearing a red robe and golden armor, riding a pure white horse from the Western Regions. Accompanying him on one side was Zhe Keshi, and naturally on the other side was Liu Zhongwu.

Afterwards, the troops and civilians of Weizhou, as well as the personnel from the Granary Department, followed closely behind. The Judicial Department also followed suit, and further behind were the three sections and six divisions of the Pingliang County Yamen. Although the term "three sections and six divisions" was not used in the Song Dynasty, it was already a common designation. All the offices under the routes, prefectures, states, armies, counties, and bureaus were organized in this manner.

However, behind the main squad, there was a regular army unit of the Imperial Guards, but the large carts in the middle being escorted were undoubtedly the "captured goods" of Tong Guan in Weizhou.

After the guards passed by, Tong Guan came to Li Kou and his group.

"What brings you here?" Tong Guan first saw a large cart with deep wheel ruts. He smiled, knowing it was a gift sent by Li Kou. He was very satisfied in his heart, so naturally, he didn't scold or blame them. Instead, he asked in a rather amiable manner.

Here is the content translated to English with the original HTML tags preserved:Yang Shihan bowed and said, "I dare not be ranked among you gentlemen. I am here to respectfully see off the Heavenly Messenger."

Tong Guan laughed, pointed his horse whip at Yang Shihan and said, "Do you think I don't know that the young master is returning to the capital today? Alright, alright, you young people have a deep friendship, so it's fitting to see him off from afar. But don't let it interfere with official duties."

Although Tong Guan said "official business" towards Yang Shihan, his eyes were looking at Li Kou.

Li Kou immediately understood and was delighted in his heart, realizing that the matter might be resolved.

Sure enough, Tong Guan pointed his horsewhip at him and said, "Li Da is young and promising. I have a few words for you, which can be considered as the Emperor's exhortation to you all. Come with me for a moment."

Zhe Keshi was furious in his heart, and Liu Zhongwu hurriedly pulled him down.

Tong Guan ignored him and turned to speak to Zhe Keshi: "Among this group of young people standing in the way, at first glance, I only noticed this Li Da. This young man, dressed in plain clothes, standing among the crowd, is a promising youth. I originally thought he was just a Pingyuan Superintendent, but unexpectedly, he turned out to be a Qingzhou Attendant. Now that he is working under you, Zhe Gong, in the future, he should not be like a fierce dog in a tavern, waiting for a gentleman to change suddenly. This is also a result of your painstaking efforts to cultivate him."

"Miss Zhe's outgoing personality may require more guidance from you, Mr. Tong, despite your sincere efforts," Keshi Huidao said.

Tong Guan nodded, "I will certainly give her some earnest advice."

After a few more words of encouragement with Liu Zhongwu, he mounted his horse and took his leave first.

Li Kou was completely puzzled. What was a "pale green youth"? What was a "fierce hotel dog"?

"Keep up," Zhe Keshi reminded in a low voice.

Li Kou also asked in a hushed tone, "Sir Zhe, do you have any other instructions?"

"There's no need. Just remember to let me know when you return," Zhe Keshi said, a smile finally appearing on his face. He greatly admired Li Kou's meticulousness. "If Erlang had even half of your attention to detail, I wouldn't be worried about his journey."

Here is the translation to English, preserving the original HTML tags:Li Kou turned around and asked his companions, "Do any of you know what 'Bitter Green Youth Hotel Fierce Dog' means?"

He always felt this wasn't anything good.

The others all shook their heads. Yao Pingkang guessed, "It probably means the emperor wants you to open a hotel and raise fierce dogs, so he bestowed you with a green robe. Yes, that must be it."

Several people nodded in agreement, and Yang Shihan, who looked like a scholar, also had a face full of approval.

If this explanation is true, it's simply outrageous!

What a bunch of fools!

Li Kou said angrily, "What use are you bunch of guys?"

Zhe Keshi and Liu Zhongwu burst into laughter, and the atmosphere instantly became relaxed.

Zhe Keshi said with a smile, "'Miserable green youth' means that although you are not wearing fancy clothes, your manner of speaking is extraordinary and your future is boundless. 'Fierce dog in the hotel' refers to me, saying that I should not let certain people block the path of talented young people trying to get ahead. As for 'Pingyuan Postmaster'..."

"Awful wine." Liu Zhongwu laughed, "The wine from Qingzhou official is naturally good." He reminded with a deep meaning, "Dalang, don't be like a girl who shows affection outwardly."

What kind of dirty slang is this again?

Li Kou was extremely annoyed in his heart.

Can one get by without studying?

He was beaten up so badly by a eunuch.

Although that fellow Tong Guan had a hint of showing off, he was able to converse fluently with Zhe Keshi and Liu Zhongwu, it seems that this person not only possessed the ability to flatter his superiors.

Here is the translation to English, with the original HTML tags retained:Li Kou bowed to Zhe Liu, turned around and mounted his horse, letting Zhu Wen and Huang Shu follow with the large cart, and the group followed the imperial envoy's guards to chase eastward.

Tong Guan seemed to have something to say to him, and he also had some business to attend to with Tong Guan.

It's just that he couldn't be sure whether Tong Guan's series of exhortations today would have the slightest effect on those officials in Weizhou.

There were many people coveting the treasures in his hands, and with Tong Guan's departure, these people were bound to become increasingly rampant.

It's time to leave the state office and hurry back to the stronghold in Beiyuan.