My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 182: The Golden Hammer

After venting his anger, the Turkic Yabghu recounted the events in detail.

"I was afraid that if too many people gathered together, they would be easily discovered, so I had my men split into three teams, recruited some men, and disguised them as merchants. Unexpectedly, we were robbed as soon as we stepped into Loufan."

Hearing his words, Liu Kuang simply shook his head slightly.

“Yehu, this matter doesn’t seem to be targeted at you. During this season, many merchants trade with the Turks and then smuggle their goods back. Therefore, some thieves lay in ambush to attack these merchants.”

"Even if these merchants were robbed, they dared not report it to the authorities and could only swallow their anger."

"Why did you have to pretend to be a merchant?"

Ye Hu closed his eyes in anguish; he had no idea what was going on.

Ye Hu took a deep breath, looked at the two people in front of him, and said, "You must help me find the divine steed."

"Among these divine steeds, there is one that is entirely black, which was specifically requested by a nobleman. Even if the others are lost, this one cannot be lost. If it cannot be found, and it delays the Khan's important affairs, then everyone who knows about it will not survive."

Liu Kuang sensed the fear in the man's voice, and he exchanged a glance with his son beside him.

Then, he said with a troubled expression, "Yehu, it's not that we're unwilling to help, but this matter is really difficult to handle! You said this happened three days ago, and by now, these horses have probably already been transported to Hebei. After robbing merchants, those thieves usually sell their loot to Hebei, so how can we find them?"

Ye Hu, his face stern, was about to reprimand him, but seeing Liu Kuang's calm expression, he slightly withdrew his arrogance and forced a smile. "Lord Liu, we've gotten along very well over the years. I personally transported the goods here for every transaction, saving you a lot of trouble. Your family comes from Hebei, and the fact that you've been able to establish yourself here and become the most famous wealthy merchant is all thanks to my family's help."

"Now that I am in trouble, if you do not help me, even if the Khan does not punish you, I am afraid that no one will be able to cooperate with us so closely in the future. What do you think, Lord Liu?"

This Liu Kuang was none other than Liu Wuzhou's father.

He was originally from Hejian. Like other powerful figures who fled their hometown, he came to the border. He quickly rose to power on the border, which inevitably involved some shady dealings, such as colluding with the Turks.

His son, Liu Wuzhou, was also one of the most loyal henchmen of the Turks in history. He was even once granted the title of "Dingyang Khan" and almost changed his name to Ashina Wuzhou.

Liu Kuang sighed again, "I know everything Ye Hu said, but this matter is really difficult to handle."

Liu Shanbo, who was standing to the side, spoke up: "Grandpa, Ye Hu is a close friend of our family. No matter how difficult it is, we must help him!"

Liu Kuang looked at him and said, "Then you will help Ye Hu with this matter."

Upon hearing this, the Turk was very excited and quickly got up to invite Liu Shanbo to sit beside him. Liu Kuang claimed that he was unwell, left only his son, and hurriedly left.

Liu Shanbo sat down with this man and began to discuss the matter.

Liu Shanbo opposed his brother's association with bandits, but not with the Turks. At that time, the relationship between the Turks and the Sui Dynasty was still quite good. The Sui Dynasty only prohibited private trade with the Turks. The two sides had mutual markets, and Turkic merchants could trade normally within the territory of the Sui Dynasty. As long as they paid taxes in the market, it was not illegal.

There were also many people who interacted with the Turks on the border.

Liu Shanbo looked at the Yehu, a position in the Turkic people, similar to a prefect or governor, and often held by members of the royal family. Liu Shanbo then shared his thoughts.

"I've heard that some thieves have appeared in Loufan recently. Could it be the work of those thieves?"

"It shouldn't be. I went to check, and the weapons and arrows used by the thieves were definitely not theirs. Besides, my men included eight Turkic warriors, and they were all killed. Could an ordinary thief have done that?"

Liu Shanbo nodded and then asked, "Could it have been the work of the government troops?"

"Ye Hu probably also knows that the guards stationed here are even more ruthless than bandits."

"That's possible. What does Liu Jun think is the best way to retrieve these items?"

"Since it's inconvenient for you to come in person, let me do it. I'll set off tomorrow and go to Loufan myself. Even if they get the horse, I'm afraid they won't dare to use it themselves. Such a fine steed—how about this: I'll go there first to scout things out, pretending to be a horse buyer, and then contact my other friends."

Liu Shanbo shared his many thoughts, which deeply moved Ye Hu, who thanked him repeatedly.

"There's no need for this. However, I've seen you panic before when you lost your horse, but I've never seen you so flustered. Is the loss of this divine steed really that serious?"

Upon hearing Liu Shanbo's question, Ye Hu hesitated and dared not speak.

Liu Shanbo smiled and said, "It's alright. If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. I'm afraid I'll get into trouble."

"Sigh, you're willing to risk your life to help me, so why should I hide it from you?"

"However, Liu Jun absolutely must not tell anyone about this!" "Of course!"

"The Khan is dying."

"Ok??"

Liu Shanbo was taken aback and looked at Ye Hu in astonishment. Ye Hu gritted his teeth and said, "But the nobles in the court say that the Holy Khan wants to support someone else, and Lord Dujishi is very worried about this."

Liu Shanbo instantly understood everything. His eyes gleamed. "I understand. Don't worry, my family will do everything in our power to help Lord Duji! Within ten days, I will get to the bottom of this matter!"

"Thank you!"

The snow in Loufan had stopped, and Li Xuanba was finally able to go out.

He hurriedly went to Dade Farm, and because of his protection, neither the people in the farm nor the farmers living around it were frozen to death, which made Li Xuanba quite happy.

Just as he was about to give everyone another lecture, Li Jiancheng suddenly arrived.

Li Jiancheng was also wearing thick clothes, which made him look much more robust.

Li Jiancheng also brought a horse-drawn carriage with him this time.

As soon as Li Xuanba paid his respects, Li Jiancheng eagerly led him to the carriage.

"Xuanba, I've brought you a gift this time!"

"From now on, you'll never have to worry again!"

Li Jiancheng took his younger brother's hand and walked to the carriage. He pointed to the things on the carriage and saw two huge weapons on it.

Li Xuanba didn't even know what it was. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a golden melon hammer. However, this golden melon hammer was a short weapon, and the golden melon was only the size of a fist. Li Xuanba pursed his lips and looked at Li Jiancheng in astonishment at the two large hammers that Li Jiancheng had prepared.

"Look! The golden hammer of the drum!"

“I know it’s a bit small, but the craftsman won’t make a bigger one. Just make do with it for now. When you’re a bit older, I’ll make you a real, eight-hundred-pound hammer!”

"Eight hundred."

Li Xuanba's eyes were full of confusion. He looked down at the two huge, unidentified golden maces and remained silent for a long time.

"What, don't you like it?"

"Sigh, I knew this thing was a bit small."

"No, no, I like it very much!"

Li Xuanba hurriedly spoke, then reached out and grabbed the handle of the hammer with both hands. With Li Xuanba's effort, the hammer was finally lifted little by little. Li Xuanba's face turned red. After lifting it only a little, he slowly put the hammer back in its original position.

Then, he smiled and looked at his older brother.

"It works great! Thank you so much, brother!!"

Li Jiancheng laughed heartily, "I knew you could lift it! That old craftsman Cheng kept arguing with me, saying that no one could fight with this hammer! I told him you could lift it, but he didn't believe me. I asked him to hit a 400-pound hammer, but he absolutely refused!"

Li Xuanba quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead.

This sledgehammer is heavier than the stone lock he usually uses!

Moreover, because the golden gourd part was too heavy, it was really difficult to lift. If he tried to lift it by force, Li Xuanba felt that his wrist might not be able to support it.

But seeing his older brother beside him, who was extremely excited and proudly showing off to those around him, Li Xuanba still didn't say anything. He just smiled and nodded.

The warriors in the distance also looked bewildered, while Zhang Du stared at the two hammers with his eyes practically bulging out.

He knew that his lord was skilled at throwing hammers.

But if you throw this thing, won't people be smashed to pieces?
(End of this chapter)