My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 262 Thousand Oxen Guards
Li Yuan led Li Xuanba out of the palace and got back into the carriage.

Li Yuan looked helplessly at his son, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

If I hadn't said those things to Zhao Yuanshu back then, the Sage probably wouldn't have thought of appointing Xuanba as a Thousand Ox Guard.

Neither father nor son spoke, and the carriage moved forward slowly. Li Yuan felt a headache coming on. Just then, Li Xuanba spoke up, saying, "Grandpa, don't worry, I won't cause any more trouble."

“Alas, I am not worried about that. It’s just that the Sage travels very frequently. If you are to serve as a Thousand Ox Guardian, you will have to follow the Sage to various places. You are still young, how can you withstand such travel?”

Li Yuan felt somewhat guilty, but Li Xuanba said, "Father, don't worry. I heard that the Thousand Bulls are divided into left and right offices. The left office is for accompanying the emperor, while the right office is for guarding the garrison. I'll just say that I don't know how to ride a horse and ask for a job in the right office."

"The job in the Right Office isn't easy either. You're on duty for at least three hours a day, wearing armor and moving around constantly. Most people can't endure that hardship, which is why sons of noble families mostly go to the Left Office, while sons of respectable families mostly go to the Right Office. I'm afraid of you."

"Grandpa, I can endure hardship."

Looking at Li Xuanba with a smile on his face, Li Yuan remained silent for a long time.

When the father and son returned to the mansion, Li Yuan hurriedly found Lady Dou and told her about the incident.

As expected, Madam Dou was very angry, but she did not blame Li Yuan. Since things had come to this point, the only thing to do next was to pave the way for Li Xuanba, so the two began to plan.

Li Xuanba didn't need to worry about these things. He went directly to his elder brother and told him what had happened. Li Jiancheng was discussing important matters with Wei Zheng and then ordered Li Shimin to be summoned. The group also began to plan inside the house.

"Big brother, this is great news!"

Li Shimin spoke first, "I have heard that there are many fierce warriors in the Thousand Ox Guard. They are all from Guanzhong and are known for their bravery and strength. If Xuanba can befriend these people and use them as his helpers and internal agents in the future, what is there to worry about in achieving great things?"

Li Jiancheng glared at him. "It's not that easy."

He looked at Wei Zheng and asked, "Lord Wei, what do you think?"

Wei Zheng looked at Li Shimin in surprise for a moment, then turned to Li Jiancheng and said, "My lord, whether this matter is good or bad, since Yang Guang has given the order, there is no possibility of reconciliation or change."

"We can only send you there first, and temporarily entrust yourself to serve you."

Wei Zheng looked at Li Xuanba and said, "There is only one thing I hope Your Excellency can be patient and not get angry. Under no circumstances should you offend Yang Guang. The position of Qianniu Beishen is usually not long. If you can endure for a few years, you will be transferred to Yingyang Prefecture."

Li Xuanba nodded. "I understand."

Li Xuanba looked at Li Jiancheng and said, "Brother, if I go to the palace, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle things outside personally. I hope you can take over the administration."

Li Jiancheng waved his hand, "With Wei Jun here, what are you worried about? Let Zhang Du and Wei Jun assist you. They can help manage external affairs while you are busy. With Wei Jun's talent, there shouldn't be any problems."

Li Xuanba thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay."

Wei Zheng paused, he really hadn't expected the young master to value him so much. He had only been with the young master for a short time, yet he was already entrusted with such an important matter. Wei Zheng hesitated for a moment, but did not refuse. He immediately stood up and said, "Young master, if you want to do this, I have a request."

"Oh?"

Li Jiancheng asked, "What is the request?"

"Please grant me, Your Highness, the authority to oversee all affairs, with Lord Zhang as my advisor. Furthermore, please personally inform Lord Zhang to obey my orders."

"Ah!"

Before Li Jiancheng and Li Xuanba could speak, Li Shimin snorted coldly. He looked at the Taoist-looking fellow in front of him with disdain in his eyes, "Zhang Du has followed Xuanba for many years. What merits do you have? How dare you let Zhang Du assist you in doing things?"

Wei Zheng said solemnly, “I am not vying for power and profit, but the affairs of the various villages are very important. If we cannot work together to make a decision, and delays occur, it will surely cause harm. If you cannot give me full authority, I am afraid I will fail the young master and the lord.”

Li Shimin looked at Li Jiancheng and said, "Brother, I would like to report this matter to you privately."

Upon hearing Li Shimin's words, Wei Zheng immediately got up and went out to wait.

After he left, Li Shimin said, "Brother! We absolutely cannot agree to this. It will alienate our old friends. If he's unwilling to do it, then let me do it. I don't need Zhang Du to obey me completely. I don't need him to cause so much trouble!" "Alright!"

Li Jiancheng interrupted him, and for a moment, both of his younger brothers looked at him. Li Jiancheng became hesitant and couldn't make up his mind.

He said slowly, "In that case, Wei Zheng will take overall charge, and Zhang Du will be in charge of supervision. Both of them can report directly to me."

"Here."

Li Xuanba returned to the courtyard and gathered Zhang Du and Wei Zheng together to explain important matters to them.

Zhang Du was somewhat displeased with Wei Zheng, but what he disliked was Wei Zheng's disrespect for his lord. Now that Wei Zheng was respectful to Li Xuanba and showed no contempt, Zhang Du no longer harbored his original hostility. After all, Zhang Du was a learned scholar, not one of those crude and vulgar warriors. He chatted with Wei Zheng for a few words and showed him rapport.

Li Xuanba temporarily entrusted important matters to the two of them, allowing Wei Zheng to oversee the affairs of all the villages from his residence outside the city, ensuring the continued operation of the Ba Mansion.

The next day, Li Xuanba got up very early, met with Li Yuan and Lady Dou, and after listening to their instructions, Liu Chounu escorted him to the palace.

At the entrance of the palace stood a tall and handsome man.

Upon seeing Li Xuanba, the man quickly stepped forward, smiled, and bowed, "Is the visitor the Marquis of Bocheng?"

"Indeed, may I ask who you are?"

"I am Sima Dekan, Right Guard General!"

"My lord serves under my command."

"Meet the General!"

Li Xuanba hurriedly bowed in greeting, and Sima Dekan returned the greeting with a smile, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes. Sima Dekan, the Imperial Guard, held a fourth-rank official position, while Li Xuanba's title of Marquis of Bocheng was a third-rank position. After the emperor ascended the throne, he reformed the official ranks, linking titles with ranks: a king was a first-rank official, a duke a second-rank official, and a marquis a third-rank official.

Therefore, Li Xuanba's rank was higher than Sima Dekan's, and moreover, Sima Dekan had a Duke behind him.

Sima Dekan was genuinely unwilling to take on such a subordinate. This guy was young and had a powerful background. If something happened to him, could he handle it?

Sima Dekan, however, did not show it. He smiled and led Li Xuanba inside, saying, "The Right Palace doesn't have many people. They take turns on a daily basis. They are usually responsible for patrolling the main hall and protecting the Emperor. I'll take you to collect your armor and the Thousand Ox Knife first, and then I'll take you to see your colleagues."

"The Duke has already sent someone to find me, so you don't need to worry, my lord. No matter what happens inside, you can tell me. All my brothers will take good care of you."

"Thank you, General!"

The empire was divided into many military prefectures, and this Qianniu Beishen was one of them, called Beishenfu. This Sima Dekan was a Langjiang of Beishenfu, just like Chai Shao. Of course, this military prefecture had a special nature, with relatively few troops, and was specifically responsible for the emperor's safety.

Li Xuanba received his armor, but he could only wear the smallest size, which was slightly ill-fitting on him. He then received the Thousand Ox Blade, a special weapon that only the Thousand Ox Blade user could use. After changing into the armor and picking up the weapon, Li Xuanba's appearance changed drastically, and he really looked like a warrior. However, he was still too young.

Sima Dekan then took him to see the captain in charge of the patrol and instructed that man to take good care of Li Xuanba.

Li Xuanba began his first inspection tour of the palace.

This job was not what Li Xuanba had imagined. He was responsible for the emperor's safety but could not see the emperor. He patrolled the few palaces closest to the emperor, following a fixed route. Many of his colleagues were newly promoted men from good families in Guanzhong. Although they were not of high birth, they were all strong and burly warriors.

Li Xuanba followed behind them, looking somewhat comical.

These colleagues weren't very close to Li Xuanba, and they weren't willing to talk to him.

After the emperor ascended the throne, because he did not trust the nobles, he specially promoted some good families from Guanzhong to serve as guards of the Imperial Guard. He even intended to set up a separate mansion for these people to expand their ranks, but this is only a plan at present.

This separate prefecture was called Xiaoguo.

Li Xuanba officially became one of the first military officers of the future Xiaoguo Army.

(End of this chapter)