Zhenguan: I, Dou Fengjie, will not be the first cuckold.

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

The court audience was cancelled, and most of the ministers escorted Li Shimin westward. Ten thousand soldiers from the Left Guard stood in formation at Kunming Pool to welcome him, their banners clearly visible.

General Xue Wanjun of the Left Guard, General Ashina Zhong of the Left Guard, and Li Anyan, the Lieutenant General of the Left Guard, stood ready and bowed to Li Shimin in military salute.

Among the twelve guards of the Southern Palace, the Left Guard was of a middle position, and their strengths were roughly the same.

Dou Fengjie, the head of the Court of State Ceremonial, was also going to participate in this grand hunt, and incidentally take charge of the foreign rulers, chieftains, and envoys.

Receiving the salary of a ninth-rank official while doing the work of a third-rank official, Dou Fengjie felt he had made something of himself.

Ah Lu walked lightly, carrying Dou Fengjie as if he felt no weight, so steady that Dou Fengjie didn't even need to adjust his posture.

A black donkey emerged from among a thousand fine horses, truly attracting everyone's attention.

Dou Shang and Dou happy carried bows and arrows and swords. The three-stone bow, one Hu Lusheng arrow, and one Hu Lu armor-shooting arrow were hung on A Lu's victory hook. The specially equipped lacquered spear was steadily and clanging on the victory hook.

The lacquered spear can be understood as a cavalry lance, used exclusively by cavalry; its variant is the horse lance.

Wooden gun, that is, a long gun used by infantry.

Armor-piercing arrows are a type of military arrow with a slightly shorter range but strong armor-piercing capabilities.

Dou Fengjie wore a leather armor under his official robes, the weight of which was negligible.

Those infantry armors and mountain armors, weighing forty pounds, were a particular test of endurance.

After glancing at the generals assigned to the Left Guard, Dou Fengjie inwardly grumbled.

Xue Wanjun was Xue Wanche's elder brother. When they were exiled, the brothers stood on opposite sides, which was in line with the principle of dispersing and serving each other.

In terms of martial arts skills, the brothers are about the same, and their tempers are equally volatile, but Xue Wanjun's reputation is slightly lower than that of his younger brother.

Ashina Zhong, a Turk, was the younger cousin of Ashina Duobi, the Khan of the Eastern Turks. He was the one who persuaded Ashina Duobi to surrender to the Tang Dynasty at a crucial moment. He married Princess Dingxiang, the stepdaughter of Emperor Taizong of Tang.

That's right, the Princess of Dingxiang was born to Consort Wei and her ex-husband Li Min, and she was still granted the title of Princess.

Li Anyan was different. As a general, he was the one who actually commanded the troops and was also a former subordinate of Prince Xi Yin, Li Jiancheng. Was Li Shimin really not afraid that Li Anyan would suddenly rise up and cause trouble?

Flags fluttered and war drums thundered.

The archers of the prefecture fired their arrows at the target a hundred paces away. Although not every arrow hit the deer's navel, at least they all hit the target body.

"They'll all use bows with a single stone!"

Dou Fengjie chuckled.

The archers in this prefecture are probably the best of the entire Zuotunwei.

Dou Fengjie could tell that several archers felt their bows lacked power, which affected their performance.

"kill!"

Ashina Zhong led his cavalry out at breakneck speed, each spear piercing a wooden figure, yet without pausing, he drew his sword and slashed at the next row of wooden figures.

I wonder what material the wooden figure is made of. I hope it's not a counterfeit or substandard product.

A group of wild boars, startled and disoriented, charged toward the army.

Li Anyan commanded with composure, and his infantry, armed with long spears, formed ranks and charged forward. The wild boar, weighing several hundred pounds, was no match for them with just a few shots.

"The combination of wooden spears is ingenious; no wonder the Tang Dynasty was able to defeat the elite Turkic cavalry with its infantry."

"King of Gaochang, how many Tuyuhun soldiers do you think will have to die to break this spear formation?"

Dou Fengjie smiled and threatened Murong Xiaojun.

Murong Xiaojun put on the veil with a grim expression and refused to speak to Dou Fengjie.

The veil was a mosquito-proof suit worn by Tuyuhun men, and could also be considered a type of gauze hat. It was later introduced to the Central Plains and became a favorite outfit for women who loved beauty.

Without any protective barriers, galloping on horseback in Tuyuhun, one is easily pockmarked by mosquitoes.

Not only Murong Xiaojun knew this, but Murong Fuyun also knew that as long as the Tang Dynasty took it seriously, Tuyuhun would be nothing more than a piece of meat on a chopping board.

The problem is that Murong Fuyun has a strange self-confidence, believing that the Tang Dynasty will only condemn him.

It's like a bratty kid waving a branch in front of a strong adult, always thinking that the big fool in front of him wouldn't dare to hit him.

The speed that nomadic peoples were so proud of was no match for powerful bows and arrows, well-coordinated gun formations, and high morale.

Tuyuhun never dared to say that they could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Turks, especially since the Turks had been destroyed and torn apart by the Tang Dynasty in one battle.

A flock of startled geese flew overhead, and Dou Fengjie instinctively grabbed his three-stone bow, nocked a raw arrow, and fired at the flock.

The bowstring snapped, the arrow shot, and two wild geese landed on the ground.

Dou Fengjie was stunned. When did his archery skills improve to such an extent that he could shoot two eagles with one arrow?

Dou Shang spoke slowly, "The other one was shot by His Majesty."

That's right!

Li Shimin was a master archer, and shooting a goose was as easy as turning his hand.

Cheng Yaojin couldn't help but exclaim in praise, "Duke Zan's archery skills are quite impressive!"

Hou Junji, the Minister of War and Duke of Lu, was somewhat embarrassed, as archery was precisely his weakness.

Imperial Censor and Duke of Song, Xiao Yu, scoffed, "Not bad."

The ministers burst into cheerful laughter.

Who doesn't know that Xiao Yu's archery skills resulted in ten arrows all missing their mark?

Murong Xiaojun became increasingly terrified.

He was close by, so he naturally knew that Dou Fengjie, the middle-aged man in charge of the business, used a three-stone bow!

If Dou Fengjie were truly enraged, it would be easy for him to ambush and kill him with a hidden arrow.

"I never imagined your archery skills had become so advanced." Li Shimin rode up to Dou Fengjie's side, his tone revealing a hint of intimacy.

"Your Majesty, I wish to present the first hunted prey to you. Good things come in pairs, so Your Majesty may present a pair of geese to the Emperor Emeritus." Dou Fengjie dismounted from his donkey and bowed in response.

"These are the words of a loyal and filial subject; Your Majesty, please accept my advice." Secretary Wei Zheng promptly raised his hand.

Li Shimin sighed, "I want to fulfill my filial duty, but I don't know how to please the Emperor Emeritus. I hope these two geese can help him forgive past grievances."

It's unlikely that the emperor can be appeased. He was a powerful emperor who was forced to retire. Can two geese really vent his anger?

Believe it or not, Li Yuan would still sing "I really want to live another five hundred years"?

"The wild boar is startled!"

Amidst the panicked cries, a wild boar weighing over 300 pounds, covered in pine resin and mud, with tusks like knives and several arrows stuck in its rump, charged towards Li Shimin, its hooves kicking up dust.

Although it was still fifty paces away, few could stop it.

"Your Majesty, be careful!"

Cheng Yaojin, holding a sword and shield, stood protectively in front of Li Shimin.

Tang Jian dismounted, drew his sword, and prepared to fight the wild boar to the death.

Dou Fengjie thought to himself, "Li Shimin is truly cursed by wild boars; there's always a wild boar opposing him."

With a powerful bow and an arrow nocked, Dou Fengjie released the bowstring and sent the arrow hurtling towards the wild boar's head like a meteor.

With a soft thud, the arrow pierced the wild boar's forehead, half of the arrow shaft disappearing into it, and bright red blood splattered all over the ground.

The wild boar fell to the ground in shock, letting out a half-squeak.

Murong Xiaojun shuddered, feeling a sense of empathy.

He had a feeling that Dou Fengjie's arrow had not shot a wild boar, but Murong Xiaojun, the King of Gaochang of Tuyuhun!

In the distance, Li An'an, a general clad in gleaming armor, narrowed his eyes slightly and sighed inwardly.

Although he had long known that Li Shimin was surrounded by many fierce generals and that a mere wild boar could not get close to him, he never expected that it would be Dou Fengjie who made the move!