My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 103 Liu Xuan's Past
Liu Xuan's articles contain a lot of information.

From the administrative system of household registration management to the laws that govern the people, it even includes military aspects.

Li Xuanba had no choice but to pour some cold water on his teacher's enthusiasm.

“Master, this mountain stronghold is not as well-established as you think. There is very little arable land, and everyone has to rely on hunting to make a living. In winter, the situation is even worse. That’s why I keep sending people to stockpile supplies, just in case something big happens.”

"Furthermore, we can't find any elderly and virtuous elders to educate them. There aren't many elderly or weak people in the mountain village, and we can't even find many literate people. We lack everything. Your ideas are all very good, but it seems impossible to implement them at the moment."

Li Xuanba recounted his current predicament one by one.

But this did not dampen Liu Xuan's enthusiasm; in fact, he seemed to become even more excited. He put away the articles in front of him and said thoughtfully, "It seems there are even more things to consider now."

"Agriculture, sericulture, housing, and trade"

Liu Xuan quickly stood up. "Xuanba, send someone to the mountain stronghold right now and have them send someone who knows the situation to meet me. I need to find out what's going on and then teach them what to do."

Li Xuanba bowed his head and agreed.

Li Xuanba probably understood why his teacher was so concerned. Every time he lectured on the classics, he would talk about his unfulfilled talents and his dissatisfaction with everything in the current court and the country. He wanted to test whether his ideas could be truly implemented.

However, this was a very good thing for Li Xuanba and the others.

As the number of people increased, the difficulty of management also increased. When Zhang Sengyuan sent someone to inform him of the situation, he mentioned that more and more conflicts and problems had arisen in the village, and even fights had occurred.

The current season is alright, but once winter arrives, the difficulty of survival will increase dramatically.

Liu Shi may lack practical experience in governance, but he has probably read more books than anyone else in the mountain stronghold. Li Xuanba believes that he can at least come up with some solutions to the problem.

Li Xuanba didn't dare to delay. He first sent Liu Chounu to Zhang Du to convey the matter to him.

Zhang Du also quickly sent people up the mountain.

Ten days or so passed, and the man Zhang Sengyuan sent finally arrived at the farm outside the city. He sent someone who was also a disciple of Liu Xuan to report the situation.

Upon learning of this, Li Xuanba quickly brought Liu Xuan along, and the two went to meet him.

It seems that Liu Xuan hasn't left the house for some time.

As he left the city again, his gaze remained fixed on the long-abandoned farmland outside, and he remained silent.

The Emperor's corvée labor in recent years has been quite excessive, with the number of laborers he mobilized starting at a million. Moreover, he frequently extended the construction projects indefinitely. For example, he previously summoned a large number of laborers to build the palace in Luoyang. Just as the palace was completed, the laborers thought they could go home, but the Emperor then ordered them to build the imperial road from Luoyang to Jiangdu.
“I used to be too afraid to go out.”

Liu Xuan suddenly spoke.

Li Xuanba was taken aback and looked at his teacher in confusion.

Liu Xuan continued, "The more books you read, the more you know right from wrong, and the more you want to do something, but you are powerless to do it. On the other hand, people like Zhao Yuanshu have not read many books and do not understand any principles. They do bad things with a clear conscience. They would probably be indifferent to these farmlands."

"I can't do anything, so I don't dare to come out. I don't want to see these things. I just stay at home, take on more disciples, earn more money, and tell them all the grievances in my heart."

For a moment, Li Xuanba was at a loss for words.

Liu Xuan looked at him and asked with a smile, "Do you know why I want to take you as my disciple?"

"I don't know."

"Firstly, your family is very wealthy. If I could become your teacher, I would have no worries about food and drink, and I could also take care of the other disciples."

"Secondly, you are a bit like me when I was young. When I was your age, I was just starting school and learned a lot of principles. I wanted to manage everything and often told those around me that when I grew up, I would definitely change everything. But I couldn't change anything; instead, I was changed by things."

“You don’t know, I’m not just an old scholar who only talks big; I’ve actually done things.”

Liu Xuan said earnestly, "Back when Emperor Wu of Zhou pacified the State of Qi, I was recommended and became the Household Registration Officer in the state, in charge of the household registration of a prefecture. Later, I became the Rites Officer, in charge of the education of a prefecture. I did a great job and even received several awards."

Liu Xuan reminisced about his youth with a faint smile. "Later, I was ordered to compile the national history, revise astronomical laws, and also served concurrently in the Inner History Department, where I examined the performance of various officials."

"But it's no use. No matter how well I do, how outstanding I am, I just can't get promoted. I do more work than anyone else, but I just watch my colleagues get promoted one by one while I stay in the same place and am even bullied by these bastards."

"These good-for-nothings dare to look down on me."

“I had more and more expenses, but my salary was getting less and less. I didn’t want to suffer anymore, so I hardened my heart and wrote some articles, claiming they were written by ancient people, in order to get a reward. No one found out, and I even received a lot of reward money. But soon, I was reported by my neighbor and arrested.”

Li Xuanba listened very attentively. This was the first time his teacher had talked about his past. Li Xuanba really didn't know that his teacher had served as an official in the prefecture and county and had participated in so much work.

My previous assumption that he lacked practical governance experience appears to have been wrong.

Liu Xuan then asked, "Do you know why my neighbor reported me?"

"I don't know."

“I got along very well with him, and he was having a hard time. After I received the reward money, I shared some with him to help with his household expenses. When he asked about the book collection, I told him the result, and he immediately reported me.”

Li Xuanba frowned. "This man is shameless."

"He probably thought, we all live in such poverty, how come I got such a big benefit, and he was resentful."

Liu Xuan continued, "After that, I didn't think about anything else. I just tried to make money and gain fame, keeping myself busy without knowing what I was doing. Later, I couldn't stand my life anymore, so I mustered up the courage to write a letter to the emperor to remonstrate, and then I was dismissed from my post."

Liu Xuan looked at Li Xuanba and said, “Your family is well-off, but some things are not necessarily related to family background. I can’t do many things myself, and I can’t sleep at night because of guilt. So I thought, I’ll teach you. If you can accomplish something in the future, I’ll feel better.”

"Your disciple is dull-witted."

"Do not."

Liu Xuan chuckled and pointed to the farm in the distance, "Didn't you just do it?"

"Haha, even you, as a disciple, are willing to do things without fear of punishment. As the teacher, I can't be so cowardly."

"You don't need to worry about this counterfeit matter."

"I've endured this my whole life, and now that I'm old, I can't go to my grave with this humiliation! I'll handle this matter of the mountain stronghold properly!!"

Liu Xuan's voice was loud and clear, and Liu Chounu, who was driving the carriage ahead, coughed, reminding them to speak more quietly.

When the master and apprentice arrived at the farm, the local militia leaders, all of whom were Liu Xuan's disciples, had already heard the news and came out to greet them.

Liu Xuan was very happy to see that these people were full of energy and dressed neatly. Surrounded by the crowd, they quickly entered the main hall.

The disciple sent by Zhang Sengyuan was also among the crowd, but he seemed somewhat restrained in front of his teacher.

After Liu Xuan finished exchanging pleasantries with his disciples, Zhang Du led everyone away, leaving behind his junior brother Cao Chi, who had come down from the mountains.

"Cao Chi, it's been a long time. I've heard you've accomplished something great lately, becoming the king of the mountains. Impressive!"

Liu Xuan's opening remarks were sarcastic.

Cao Chi blushed deeply and quickly knelt down, saying, "Teacher, it wasn't intentional; it was just..."

"Alright, I told them to send someone over, not to reprimand you."

"You bunch of good-for-nothings, you can't even read a book, how could you possibly manage such a large mountain stronghold?"

"Come on, tell me in detail about the counterfeit operation! Don't leave out a single detail!"

"Yes!!"

(End of this chapter)