My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 138 Change of Mentality
Because of the land grant system, Li Yuan would have his own farm in whichever prefecture he went to.

Even in Loufan, it's no exception.

However, compared to the proper large farm in Xingyang, the farm in Loufan is a bit too outrageous.

Li Xuanba led Zhang Du and the others to this place.

The person in charge of managing this farm was a dark-skinned old official who stood uneasily beside Li Xuanba, introducing the farm in front of him.

This farm is unlikely to meet the requirements of the imperial court; its size alone is far from sufficient, and it does not meet the rank of a prefect.

The place is located north of Jingle, surrounded by a large wilderness with only some wild grass and pebbles growing haphazardly. The so-called farm is just a simple wooden fence that surrounds a large area of ​​farmland.

Inside the fence, only a few lonely thatched huts could be seen. The huts looked so dilapidated and cramped. In front of the huts were large tracts of abandoned farmland, and there were more than ten emaciated people staring blankly in this direction.

Zhang Du was furious after just one glance.

Zhang Du was usually quite gentle with the poor and those in distress, but this time, he felt it was a bit too much of a bullying. He grabbed the old official and pulled him in front of him, pointing at the dilapidated ground before him, and demanded, "This is the prefect's farm??"

"Zhang Tuanzuo, do not make a move."

Li Xuanba spoke first, and Zhang Du withdrew his hand. He looked at Li Xuanba and said seriously, "My lord, even if Loufan is poor, the prefect's farm could not possibly be like this. No matter where you are, the public fields granted to the prefect are always the most fertile and the best. I have never seen anything like this before."

Li Xuanba looked at the trembling old official.

The old official was dressed in tattered clothes, had dark skin, and was thin and small. He was quite frightened at the moment, trembling and unable to speak.

"Old man, do not be afraid. Tell me, what exactly is going on?"

Li Xuanba didn't seem as intimidating as Zhang Du. The old official trembled as he explained, "Previously, there were no public fields granted to the prefect here. This place wasn't originally the administrative center; it was just public land for the county officials. We only learned a month ago that the prefecture had been abolished, and there would only be one county from now on. This place has become one of the many public fields outside the administrative center. This is already the best we could find."

"If you want us to get it done within ten days, this is all I can do."

The old official spoke while wiping away tears.

The emperor acts on a whim, frequently changing prefectures and counties. For him, things are simple; he can just casually adjust the official positions. But for the lowest-ranking officials, each change is a huge test.

"The county magistrate has already come to inspect it. He said that after some time, a fertile piece of private land will be allocated and converted into public land for the prefect. We didn't expect you to arrive so quickly."

"This is a temporary order, it's too urgent, because we need to build a palace for the Sage, and there aren't many people left outside the city."

The old official tearfully recounted the hardships faced by everyone; they simply had no way to create a qualified farm within the stipulated timeframe, but failure to do so would result in punishment.

He also mentioned the tenant farmers. Because the emperor wanted to build a new palace, and there were far too few able-bodied men in the city, these government-affiliated tenant farmers were also captured and forced to go to the construction site. Cruelly, they didn't have much food and either starved to death on the way or at the construction site. The officials there probably wouldn't be kind enough to distribute food to everyone.

The old official became increasingly distressed as he spoke, and he wept uncontrollably.

Seeing someone of his age shedding tears in front of him, Li Xuanba felt terrible.

The farm in front of us was just a facade, a temporary measure. This small example reflects the larger situation throughout the Sui Dynasty. The emperor's orders became increasingly urgent, and people couldn't complete them, yet dared not say so directly. They could only pretend to have finished to appease the emperor, which gave him even more confidence to accomplish more in a shorter period of time, thus creating a terrible cycle.

Li Xuanba said, "I won't blame you, don't worry, this can't be considered your fault."

Zhang Du was somewhat angry. "My lord, even if it wasn't his fault, the county magistrate and the county assistant must have known about it! They can't say they were without fault. We should go back and report this matter to the Duke!"

"Grandpa should know."

Li Xuanba said, then looked around and said with a smile, "I think this place is quite nice too. It's boundless, flat and open. How pleasant it would be to ride a horse here!"

Zhang Du paused for a moment, then pointed to the thatched huts in the distance, "But can people live in those huts?"

"Didn't we build a drill ground in Xingyang? Why not just build another one?"

Zhang Du smiled wryly, "We are fine, we can live in that wasteland without any problem, I am worried about you, Lord." "Fine? If you can live there, why can't I? Make me a large courtyard in the very center, big enough to accommodate you all, how about that?"

"Hahaha, how dare I disobey the Lord's order!"

The old official stood there, stunned, watching Li Xuanba and Zhang Du chatting and laughing.

When the old clerk learned that the prefect's men were coming to take up residence at the farm, he had already made arrangements for his funeral. He thought that as soon as the prefect's men saw the public land, he would probably die there. But judging from their attitude, it seemed that they really intended to stay there?

Just as the old official looked bewildered, Zhang Du looked at him again and asked, "Old man! Is there a grove of trees nearby?"

"There aren't any nearby; it'll take a long walk."

"Then find a young man to show us the way!"

As Zhang Du spoke, he began to instruct the rest of the group, who dismounted and began to prepare.

The old official called out a few of the tenant farmers responsible for cultivating the land, and everyone immediately got busy. Accompanied by Liu Chounu, Li Xuanba walked slowly through the dilapidated farm, past the run-down thatched huts, and looked at the overgrown farmland across the way.

Li Xuanba's expression grew increasingly solemn.

He didn't say anything, he just walked slowly.

From south to north, from east to west, how miserable are the people of this world?
He had never met that cousin.

At this moment, a deep hatred for his uncle rose in his heart, a hatred stronger than ever before.

He saw with his own eyes the blood-soaked laborers outside Xingyang, the empty roads leading from Xingyang to Loufan, and the piles of corpses on both sides. He saw the people in the city who had run out of food but were forced to go to the next labor service point.
What appeared before him now was merely a hastily constructed small farm, yet it seemed to be the embodiment of all this tyranny.

Officials forced into their posts, shoddy projects, thin and numb people, and land overgrown with weeds.

Why have people been driven to this point?!
Is his palace really more important than the lives of hundreds of thousands of people?

Such a person is by no means a saint ordained by Heaven; he is a villain, a villain who should be executed.

"My lord?"

Liu Chounu suddenly spoke.

When Li Xuanba regained consciousness, he turned to look at him. Liu Chounu looked at him with some concern, "My lord, what happened?"

Li Xuanba was stunned. Only then did he realize that his fists were clenched tightly and even trembling.

He loosened his fist and then smiled, "It's alright."

"Old Liu, I'd like to practice shooting here!"

The militiamen led the tenants to clear away the rubble and debris in the farm. They demolished the dilapidated thatched huts, surveyed the surrounding area, and planned the location of the new courtyard.

These thatched huts are uninhabitable. After they are demolished, they will build a larger, more comfortable courtyard here that can accommodate everyone.

As they worked, they kept glancing back at the distance.

Over there, a young man was riding a tall horse, holding a spear bigger than himself, galloping back and forth across the open ground.

Liu Chounu followed Li Xuanba with some apprehension.

He didn't know why, but the lord seemed a bit irritable and angry today. He used to ride his horse very carefully, but now he didn't care at all. He boldly galloped away, and every thrust of his spear was with all his might. The sound of the spear cutting through the air seemed to be an attempt to vent all his anger.

(End of this chapter)