My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 20 is far inferior to me

Chapter 20 is far inferior to me
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Li Shimin spoke first.

"Brother, I've heard that things are not very peaceful outside the city lately, and even our farm has been robbed. Is that true?"

The farm owned by the Li family in Xingyang was actually a government-owned farm, as the government implemented a land grant system inherited from the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Different officials were granted different amounts of land, which, in simple terms, meant that officials were responsible for a plot of public land in the area, serving both as a form of supervision and a reward.

Li Jiancheng glanced at his younger brother, "You're certainly well-informed."

"This dog."

Li Jiancheng originally wanted to say something very harsh, but thinking of his younger brothers' age and fearing they might talk nonsense outside, he restrained himself. "The current situation is indeed not good. The scale of the corvée labor levied by the imperial court is too large, involving millions of people, and the urgency is too great, resulting in the deaths of many laborers and the proliferation of bandits."

“Villages, caravans, and post stations outside have been looted, but the officials are busy with corvée labor, and there are not enough troops in the city.”

"The imperial court has just issued an edict ordering officials in all regions to quell the bandits within the month."

Li Shimin grinned, a hint of displeasure in his eyes. "Why is this man always in such a hurry? Within a month? There are only thirteen days left. Xingyang is fine, but what about those counties in more distant locations? It's questionable whether we'll even see his edicts within this month. What is he thinking?"

"Be careful!"

Li Jiancheng warned him, "Be careful what you say, lest you cause trouble."

"Brother, I know, I never say that in public."

“However, elder brother, this farm of ours is all thanks to the sage, bestowed by the sage. If it falls into the hands of bandits, wouldn’t that be bad for Grandpa?”

"Moreover, it's the busy farming season right now, and bandits are rampant outside. The counties are in turmoil, and who knows how many people will starve to death next year."

"I have an idea."

"Oh?"

Li Shimin cleared his throat. "If my elder brother permits, I would like to gather twenty strong servants, equipped with horses and bows and arrows, to lead them on patrols outside the city, to kill bandits and protect the farms. My elder brother has many affairs to attend to within the household and cannot personally go into battle, but I am willing to lend a hand."

"Bad words!"

Li Jiancheng was a little angry. "You're getting more and more absurd. You're just a little kid, and you're thinking of leading an army to suppress bandits?"

"Brother! I'm not young anymore. In the past, which noble family's son didn't go to war when he was just over ten years old? Oh, brother, I'm not talking about you. I can ride a horse, shoot an arrow, and have studied military strategy. I'm just a bandit."

"That's impossible. Let's not talk about this anymore."

Li Jiancheng abruptly interrupted Li Shimin.

Is he crazy to send a ten-year-old brat to guard the house? If his parents found out, wouldn't they break his legs?
Besides, is fighting a war something you should be doing?

According to Li Jiancheng, the second son's greatest strength was winning over famous officials and governing local areas, following the path of Liu Bei. Do you think you are Xiang Yu?
Fighting is something the fourth brother excels at!
I heard that Li Shimin has been reading indoors these past few days, which made Li Jiancheng quite pleased, thinking that he had finally found his place. I didn't expect him to start causing trouble again now. Could it be that my arrival has changed some things? Twisted the timeline of history?

Li Shimin immediately looked at Li Xuanba.

Please speak up for me!

Li Xuanba sighed, "Those thieves outside were originally honest and kind farmers, forced into labor service. If only we could find a way to appease them."

Li Shimin shook his head. He dared not refute Li Jiancheng, but he dared to refute Li Xuanba.

"impossible."

"Not to mention that they have now become thieves, killing and robbing everywhere, even those laborers who have not yet become thieves cannot be appeased."

"A large number of people have died, which has angered the court. They have ordered the arrest of the powerful families who usually love the dead. Now they dare not contact these people. Anyone who dares to take them in would be making an enemy of the emperor. It is even less likely that the government will intervene."

Logically speaking, in the past, when there were fugitives, local powerful families or large clans like the Zheng family would be willing to send people to make contact, since these families had ample farmland and needed labor.

However, it's not so easy to say about those who evaded corvée labor. They could easily get into trouble, and the current emperor is not someone who is easy to talk to. The risk is too great and not worth it.

Li Xuanba frowned. "If we don't appease them, they will become bandits, and the number of bandits will only increase. No matter how we fight them, we can't get rid of them. Benevolent governance won't work, and bandits won't disappear. To eliminate bandits, the important thing is to let the people live, not to kill them."

Li Yuanji listened to their conversation without saying a word.

In front of his older brother, he was quite obedient, showing none of the domineering behavior he displayed outside.

"How can we save them? How can we keep them alive?"

Li Shimin retorted, "Do you know what crime it is to harbor a deceased person? Father already has many enemies. If someone were to take this to court, it would bring immense trouble upon Father!"

Li Xuanba frowned even more deeply, but did not refute him further.

Li Shimin continued, "We are powerless to solve this matter of corvée labor. Instead of wasting our energy on these meaningless things that are destined to be unfinished, we might as well do something within our power. Xuanba, isn't that what you said in class?"

"The matter of the thieves is something that can be resolved and is meaningful. First, breaking up the thieves can protect our own village and put our parents at ease." "Second, breaking up the thieves can protect the other innocent people and prevent them from being robbed."

"Does the inability to resolve the issue of corvée labor mean we should refrain from doing anything we can do?"

Li Shimin spoke very quickly, with a resolute expression and a tough attitude.

Li Xuanba was taken aback for a moment, then nodded, "Second Brother is right."

Having persuaded Li Xuanba, Li Shimin quickly turned to Li Jiancheng and pressed his advantage, "Brother, please let me go. My archery skills are already second to none. If you don't believe me, we can go to the horse farm right now. Even many soldiers acknowledge my archery abilities."

Li Jiancheng said seriously, "I will send someone else to organize a guard team to protect the village."

"This kind of thief business is none of your business, you little kids."

"Especially you! Shimin!"

"At such a young age, he's always thinking about doing such important things. Look at the third brother, he wouldn't do that!"

Li Jiancheng still did not agree to Shimin's request. He asked his younger brothers to focus on their studies and stop having any more wild thoughts. Their father was coming back soon, and they should behave themselves and not cause any trouble before he returned.

When the three brothers left the east courtyard, only Li Yuanji was happy, while the second and third brothers were somewhat silent.

The second son, in particular, looked utterly dejected.

"My older brother doesn't trust me."

Li Xuanba spoke up, "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I feel this matter is too dangerous. Second brother, you are still young."

Li Shimin rolled his eyes at him. "What, are you older than me? And you dare to lecture me?"

"That was not what I meant."

Li Shimin suddenly clenched his fist, his eyes becoming resolute.

"No, we can't just give up like this. If my brother won't give me men, then I'll gather them myself!"

"I will gather fifty riders to defeat the bandits and bring peace to the people, so that my brother will understand that he can no longer treat me like a child!"

After hearing this, Li Yuanji pointed at Li Shimin and burst into laughter.

"I think you've really gone mad!"

"You're going to form a new guard?"

"Gather your own men? Gather your own horses? Gather your own weapons? And then lead them out of the city to kill the bandits?"

"Hahaha~~"

Li Yuanji laughed so hard he almost choked.

"If you can do that, I'll take your surname!"

Li Shimin ignored this fool; his expression remained unchanged, unaffected. He looked directly at the third son.

"Xuanba, how about it? Want to join me?"

"To become the first person in my army to slay the traitors?"

Although Li Xuanba did not mock him like Li Yuanji, he was also stunned at this moment.

"Second Brother, is this really something we can handle right now?"