The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 206 The Envoy of the Imperial Guard

Outside the Xihua Gate of the Imperial City, the towering vermilion walls cast a huge shadow, resembling a lurking giant python lying on the ground.

A bullock cart laden with boxes and bundles sat silently in the vast shadows.

The old servant driving the carriage was hunched over, his withered hands gripping the reins tightly, but his neck was stretched upwards, his cloudy eyes fixed on the towering city gate and the fluttering flags on the city tower.

His throat bobbed slightly involuntarily, a silent tremor in the face of imperial power and majesty, a mixture of awe and profound reverence.

Li Chuyun's family members stood beside the oxcart.

His wife, Wu, was wearing a slightly worn indigo dress, with a few stray hairs falling from her temples. Her face showed undisguised weariness, revealing the fatigue from the long journey.

She held a child of about five or six years old tightly by the hand, afraid that this unfamiliar and imposing place would frighten the child.

The little boy, Li Jilong, was holding a slightly faded cloth tiger in his arms and wearing a neat and clean blue cloth jacket and trousers.

Unlike other children who are mischievous and active, he was unusually quiet. His small face, slightly reddened by the wind, had wide, dark eyes that were curiously looking around.

On the other side of Wu's house stood a young girl who was just beginning to take shape, about ten years old, wearing a light blue thick cotton shirt.

The girl's features vaguely resembled her mother's, her fingers nervously twisting the sash around her waist, her tightly pursed lips revealing her inner unease.

Her eyes, like those of a startled fawn, cautiously surveyed the majestic palace walls before quickly darting past the soldiers in gleaming armor who passed by.

Not far away, in the shadow of the palace wall, two burly men were chatting in hushed tones... They were Li Yi's personal guards, sent to the inn to bring Li's family to this place on Li Yi's orders.

"crunch-"

Suddenly, the heavy side gate on the side of the palace wall swung open inward with a sickening sound, abruptly shattering the frozen silence.

Li Yi's tall figure appeared first, his crimson brocade robe standing out in the sunlight, instantly becoming the focus of everyone's attention.

Upon seeing this, the armored soldiers guarding the palace gate immediately put their hands on their swords and bowed in salute, their posture as respectful as wheat stalks bent by a strong wind.

Xu Sheng appeared half a step behind Li Yi, followed by Li Chuyun and the three Tangut officers.

Finally, a dozen elite guards emerged, their movements swift and silent, as precise as if they had practiced countless times, naturally forming an inward-curving arc.

These personal guards, meticulously trained by Li Yi, had long since ingrained the instinct to protect their commander and anticipate crises into their very bones, and their tactical skills were comparable to those of professional guards in later generations.

The group surrounded Li Yi in the center, forming an invisible security network that covered all directions.

Upon seeing his family, a hint of relief flashed in Li Chuyun's eyes. He bowed his head to apologize to Li Yi, then hurried toward the oxcart.

After a brief, reassuring conversation, Li Chuyun's wife, Wu, took her children and immediately followed her husband to where Li Yi was standing.

Li Yi had paused slightly, his calm gaze sweeping over them.

His gaze swept briefly over Wu, then lightly swept over the girl whose fingers were so nervous they almost twisted her clothes.

Finally, the focus shifted to the small figure nestled against its mother's legs, tightly embracing the cloth tiger.

Li Yi's heart stirred slightly: This child in front of him must be Li Jilong, the famous general of the Northern Song Dynasty in history.

At this moment, Li Chuyun had already led his family members to approach.

Wu immediately curtsied and said, "This humble servant, Wu, greets Commander Li!"

"Please rise, Madam Wu, there's no need for formalities," Li Yi said gently, raising his hand to help her up.

His gaze immediately shifted to the uneasy young girl, and Madam Wu quickly tugged at her daughter's sleeve: "Why aren't you paying your respects to Commander Li?"

The girl then curtsied, her voice barely audible: "This humble servant... greets Commander Li."

Li Yi smiled slightly and praised, "This must be your daughter, right? She is so pretty and gentle. Li Duya is truly blessed!"

Li Chuyun quickly bowed and replied, "My daughter is of humble origin and does not deserve such praise."

Li Yi did not respond to the humble words, but instead moved his gaze downwards, looking with great interest at the child beside Wu's legs.

He then leaned down slightly and asked in a soft voice, "Young man, what's your name?"

What started as a curious peek by a young child now felt as if a mountain had collapsed when the tall, purple-robed figure looked down upon him.

The invisible pressure that rushed towards him made his small body instinctively shrink back, his little hands hugging the cloth tiger in his arms even tighter, and his whole body hiding deeper behind his mother's warm legs.

Li Jilong only showed half of his face, and his big, round eyes reflected a hint of unease.

His lips moved, but no sound came out.

Li Chuyun's heart skipped a beat, fearing that his son would be disrespectful or offend him. He quickly stepped forward and scolded in a low voice, "Jilong! How did your father teach you? Why don't you quickly answer Li Dushi's question?"

Li Yi waved his hand: "It's alright, it's normal for children to be shy."

After saying that, he stretched out his large palm and placed it on Li Jilong's head, which was combed into a small bun, and gently rubbed it. The texture was fluffy, like that of a newborn animal.

In fact, Li Jilong himself is more famous in history than his father, Li Chuyun.

After all, Yelü Xiuge, the "God of War of Liao" who forced "Donkey Zong" to flee in a chariot during the Battle of Gaoliang River, had suffered great losses twice at the hands of Li Jilong, and even almost lost his life.

Not to mention that Li Jilong had defeated Li Jiqian, the founder of the Western Xia Dynasty and the founding emperor of Western Xia, on several occasions.

This level of gold content would be considered quite high even in the early Northern Song Dynasty.

Of course, Li Jilong is still just a chubby little boy, and it is still unknown how much he will grow up to be.

However, due to the filter of historical records, Li Yi did have some hope for Li Jilong in front of him.

He chuckled and said, "Your name is Li Jilong? That's a good name... I hope you will study diligently in both literature and martial arts in the future, serve the court when you grow up, and make great achievements in the future, so that you will not be inferior to your father."

Such intimate actions and words surprised everyone present, who couldn't help but glance at them sideways—because everyone could see that this powerful emperor brother-in-law seemed to be quite fond of the child.

Listening from the side, Li Chuyun was moved and quickly bowed his head, saying, "I am deeply grateful for Governor Li's kindness... My son is young and ignorant, and to have received such high praise from Governor Li is a blessing bestowed upon the Li family in our past lives! I only hope that he will live up to Governor Li's teachings today and not disgrace our ancestors. That would be a great fortune."

Li Yi smiled slightly, withdrew his hand, the expectation between his brows disappeared, and he regained his usual composure.

He straightened up and instructed Xu Sheng, who was standing solemnly to the side, "There are some larger rooms in the newly built barracks nearby. Take Li Duya's family there and choose a spacious one, and make sure they are properly settled."

Xu Sheng clasped his hands in acceptance of the order and immediately prepared to depart. The old servant driving the oxcart began to urge it on, while Wu Shi led her daughter and Xiao Jilong along beside the cart.

Before leaving, Li Chuyun bowed deeply to Li Yi: "I will never forget the kindness of Commander Li. Although I am shallow in talent and lack virtue, I am fortunate to have this wretched life. From now on, I will repay this kindness with my whole heart and soul!"

His words were extremely earnest, almost like a vow.

Li Yi reached out and patted his shoulder, saying, "Lord Li, you flatter me. As long as you do your best and perform your duties well, and don't let anyone criticize me for appointing an incompetent person to the palace guard, that's enough."

Upon hearing this, Li Chuyun nodded emphatically, then bowed again before turning to catch up with his family.

Watching the group disappear from sight, Li Yi turned to the three Tangut officers: "From now on, you three will stay by my side and will no longer need to guard the barracks. Starting today, you will reside temporarily in my residence, and your clothing, food, and actions will all follow the regulations for my attendants." This was a signal that he was including them in his inner circle of confidants, and their treatment would naturally be far superior to that of ordinary soldiers, making it a more promising career path than becoming officers in a regional military command.

Yeli Dalai, Mi Qinbo, and Ximu Wutai bowed and said, "We will obey the Commander's orders! We will certainly do our utmost to protect the Commander, even at the cost of our lives!"

……

After dealing with the affairs of Li Chuyun's family, Li Yi did not rest and immediately led his men to inspect the various military outposts in turn.

Many troops have just returned from their campaigns with the emperor and are currently resting. The military affairs in the remaining camps are relatively well-organized, so Li Yi doesn't need to worry about them too much.

Immediately afterwards, he rode straight to Longjin Bridge to inspect the progress of the construction project.

Adhering to the idea of ​​making the best use of people, Li Yi has dispatched all three of his advisors and assigned them all tasks.

Among them, Zhao Pu and Luo Yanhuan were responsible for supervising the construction of Longjinqiao Street Market... Luo Yanhuan had been punished by Wang Pu before, but now he has fully recovered, so Li Yi temporarily transferred him from Kaifeng Prefecture to his side.

This street renovation was an official project undertaken in collaboration with the government. As the military patrol officer of the government, Luo Yanhuan was entitled to take on the responsibilities of patrolling for security and mediating civil disputes, which was perfectly legitimate and no one could find fault with him.

As for Chu Zhaofu and Wang Renzhan, they were assigned to the outskirts of the city to guard Li Yi's own experimental area, which was still under development.

As soon as we approached Longjin Bridge, the pungent smell of lime and the dust filling the air hit us.

Upon learning that Li Yi was coming, Zhao Pu and Luo Yanhuan immediately put down their work and rushed over as fast as the wind.

Upon meeting, Zhao Pu's face showed a mixture of anxiety and helplessness. As he bowed, he began to speak: "General, those laborers are truly infuriating. We repeatedly told them to be careful and not to let the unused cement get wet, but cement still often gets soaked and becomes as hard as stone, making it unusable! How can such precious materials withstand such losses?"

Before he could finish speaking, Luo Yanhuan immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute and chimed in: "Those steel bars and wires that were transported here are worth as much as their weight in silver. Some people actually had the audacity to try to steal them. If I hadn't stumbled upon them, they would have been caught red-handed. Last night, I caught several of these stupid thieves with their dirty hands and handed them all over to the government office for strict punishment according to the law!"

Listening to the two of them, Li Yi felt helpless and had no good solution.

Cement is a relatively new product, and it's likely that apart from Li Yi himself, no one can understand it for the time being.

All the technical specifications were passed down orally from him, and even the master craftsmen in the Imperial Workshop only had a superficial understanding of them.

Not to mention expecting illiterate laborers to strictly adhere to any operating procedures.

As for theft, it's an unsolvable problem... In any era, there will always be people who will take risks for profit.

Li Yi could only reassure them, "These things are hard to prevent, so we can only try our best to avoid them. You'll have to work hard during this time. You need to pay more attention to things here. His Majesty is waiting to see the grandeur of this place after it's completed."

Zhao Pu and Luo Yanhuan quickly bowed and agreed.

Afterwards, accompanied by the two men, Li Yi inspected the riverbank.

Near the bridgehead, in the core area, the foundation pit several meters deep has taken shape. Strong men are chanting slogans as they tamp down the foundation, the muffled sound of wooden mallets hitting the ground like the beating of drums.

The gray-blue bricks and stones were laid layer by layer along the lime lines, with the gaps filled with sticky mortar. At the support positions around the perimeter, steel bars as thick as a baby's arm were tied with wire and fixed upright with wooden templates.

These so-called steel bars and wires are actually quite different from the mature technology of later generations, and can not even be considered steel bars and wires in the true sense.

After all, this era simply couldn't produce technologies like hot rolling, cold rolling, and cold drawing; it could only rely on molten iron casting and manual forging.

Thanks to some progress made in the iron smelting furnaces on the outskirts of the city, steel with a reasonably acceptable carbon content, flexibility, and plasticity was produced.

Even so, the pass rate was pitifully low, and in order to ensure sufficient strength, the cast steel bars were extremely thick.

As for the forged iron wire, it is both thick and short because it cannot be drawn into shape and must be made one by one, which is really inefficient.

But in order for the "Tokyo's No. 1 Building" to be completed smoothly, no matter how expensive the construction cost, it must be done.

Meanwhile, on the flat ground nearby, dozens of laborers were mixing mortar, which contained crushed rocks, to increase the strength after pouring.

After discussions with the master craftsmen, Li Yi decided to use concrete pouring as the main method and wooden construction as a supplement to build this "Tokyo's No. 1 Building".

This ensures structural stability while saving considerable cement costs. Furthermore, the use of concrete for the main frame allows for ample space throughout the building, unlike tower buildings which only guarantee height but not space.

In addition, the plan also includes two adjacent annex buildings, which are located closer to the main building. The three buildings are connected by a circular corridor, and the hip roof, wing corners, and roof ridge form the overall floor plan.

Incidentally, a covered walkway will be built behind the building, and a long bridge will be constructed to cross the Longjin River and reach the other side. The bridge will be designed as a viewing platform to overlook the scenery on both sides of the river and the boats coming and going on the river.

However, this is only a subsequent expansion plan. If it were to be completed all at once, the amount of money required would be staggering. The most important thing right now is to finish building the main building.

To be on the safe side, the original height of the main building, which was planned to be more than ten zhang (approximately 33 meters), was reduced to eight zhang (approximately 33 meters). It was divided into five floors in total, and the uppermost floor, the pavilion, was entirely constructed of wood.

Even so, its height of over twenty meters, set against the backdrop of surrounding buildings, is still quite spectacular.

However, results will not be seen in the short term; it will take at least several more months, and that is only if there is sufficient funding.

Li Erniang's caravan has not yet arrived in Tokyo. Right now, the shopkeeper Li Quan has taken out all the money he has saved, but it is almost gone.

No matter when, time and money are always the most troublesome things.

After completing the inspection, Li Yi gave Zhao Pu and Luo Yanhuan a few more instructions, then mounted his horse and headed to his own construction site on the outskirts of the city.

The once barren wasteland has now been completely transformed.

The kilns and towering iron smelting furnaces tirelessly exhale scorching heat day and night, their crimson flames reflecting the sunset and billowing white smoke rising into the cold air.

The craftsmen bustled about amidst the smoke and firelight, carrying ore and fuel. The sounds of hammering and the roar of blowers mingled together, all working day and night to produce a continuous stream of cement and pig iron.

Li Yi found Zuo Congqin and inquired about the gunpowder, learning that several formulas had already been tested.

However, for gunpowder to truly function, whether it's a rudimentary matchlock gun or the envisioned iron-cased firebomb or thunder cannon, qualified steel and processing technology are essential.

Li Yi doesn't force things that can't be rushed; everything is in the experimental stage, and he'll let things develop naturally.

Li Yi and Zuo Congqin discussed the idea of ​​granulating gunpowder. Seeing that it was getting dark, he did not linger and hurriedly returned to the city with his personal guards under the cover of night.

When I stepped into my home, it was already late at night.

In the warm hall of the backyard, his wives and concubines were indeed waiting for him to come home for dinner. The family feast was cozy and dispelled some of the chill of the winter night.

After a warm family dinner, Li Yi was troubled about who to spend the evening with; having many wives and concubines at home could sometimes be a source of worry.

In the end, he still pulled Guo into the bedroom, after all, he couldn't forget his old love just because he had a new one.

A night without words...

The next morning, Li Yi went to work as usual, but as soon as he arrived at the Palace Guard Office, someone from the Privy Council came to inform him that on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the emperor would hold a suburban sacrifice at the Altar of Heaven to thank Heaven and Earth, to comfort the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and to pray for blessings for the second campaign against the Southern Tang in the spring.

Li Yi was temporarily assigned to assist the Court of Imperial Sacrifices in managing suburban sacrificial rites, and was given the "acting judge of the imperial procession," responsible for escorting the procession and coordinating armed guards.

At this time, there were only a few days left until the first day of the new year. Li Yi suddenly received this task and immediately became busy again.

(End of this chapter)