Chapter 123: The First Graduates Of Hexi Military School
Go to the Great Desert to sell alcohol?
Moreover, it has to be someone trustworthy.
So, narrow the scope as much as possible, best to find someone from the Li Family tribesmen.
The Old Master, as the current Li Family chieftain, knows each tribesman the best.
After pondering lightly for a moment, he said: “Let Li Erguzi go.”
“He stayed in the Great Desert for two years before and is quite familiar with it there.”
“Moreover, that kid’s temperament and personality take after his grandfather, very slick, perfectly suited for doing business.”
Hearing the Old Master’s words, Li Xiao pondered lightly: “Stick Uncle?”
Then he nodded lightly and said: “That could work.”
“Although a bit slick, he’s also quite reliable.”
Most importantly, Li Xiao trusted him!
The Li Family is also considered a fairly large family in Hexi Fort.
The first-generation ancestor was named Li Qiming, a Yan Yun native, who came to the Northern Frontier following Yelü Dashi’s Western Expedition.
Afterward, Li Qiming had three sons.
The eldest son was Li Xiao’s great-grandfather.
The great-grandfather then had four sons, who were the Old Master and his three brothers.
However, the Second Master died young long ago, leaving only the three brothers.
By the fourth generation, it was Li Dahai and his seven brothers.
Now, Li Dahai and Old Fifth died in battle, leaving five brothers.
Three chiliarchs, two centurions, all holding high positions.
And Li Ergun’s name is Li Erguzi.
He is from the Li Family’s second branch, that is, the grandson of the Old Master’s Second Uncle.
The brothers of this generation in the second branch are named after trees.
The boss is called Li Dagen, the second is Li Ergun, the third is Li Sanzhi.
Li Dagen and Li Erguzi are blood brothers, but their temperaments are completely different.
Li Dagen inherited the Li Family’s personality, steady and honest, resolute and unyielding.
But Li Erguzi has been a slacker since childhood, with a slick personality, taking after his grandfather’s side.
However, in Li Xiao’s view, Li Erguzi having this personality is not necessarily a bad thing.
A family needs some brothers with different temperaments and personalities.
Among the Li Family, there are already plenty of brothers like Li Dahai who are tough-tempered, steady, and honest.
Li Ergunzi’s existence is like a “turbid current” in the Li Family’s fourth generation.
Some jobs are really suited for someone like him.
……
Not long after, Western Wind Fierce’s distillation work was completed.
A total of two hundred jars were produced.
Ten jars per cart, loaded onto twenty horse carriages in total, prepared for transport to the Great Desert.
This is just the first batch; there are at least five hundred more jars still being brewed afterward.
“Sixth Uncle, after arriving at Bieshibao, first go to the Governor’s Mansion to visit Xiao Tula Duo.”
“Leave him two carts of Western Wind Fierce as a gift.”
Before departure, Li Xiao instructed Li Dashan and Li Erguzi.
Because it was the first time going to the Great Desert, and they also needed to visit Xiao Tula Duo.
So, Li Xiao asked Li Dashan to lead the team there, because he knew Xiao Tula Duo.
In the future, Li Erguzi would need to go alone.
“Understood.” Li Dashan nodded lightly.
With Xiao Tula Duo’s influence, this batch of alcoholic beverage should sell quickly, and the task of acquiring grain and cotton wouldn’t be too difficult.
Moreover, besides this alcoholic beverage, Li Xiao also gave Li Dashan some copper coins.
From this war, the gold, silver, and copper coins he obtained amounted to about five thousand strings.
Later, Xiao Simo rewarded another ten thousand strings.
Li Xiao was now a rich man.
So he took out two thousand strings and gave them to Li Dashan.
All to be used to buy grain and cotton.
They must transport all these supplies back to Jin Prefecture before the heavy snow blocks the roads.
Then, Li Xiao looked at Li Erguzi and said: “Second Uncle, your task is to quickly familiarize yourself with the Great Desert situation.”
“Make contact with those restaurants; in the future, our alcoholic beverage will need to cooperate with them.”
“Also, reach out more to those traveling merchants, best if you can sell our goods to them.”
Li Erguzi nodded heavily upon hearing this: “Don’t worry, Da Long.”
“If it’s about charging into battle and fighting, I might not compare to Dashan.”
“But when it comes to doing business, ten Dashans couldn’t compare to me.”
Li Erguzi said with a chuckle.
In his thirties, fairly tall, not particularly sturdy, from afar he really did look a bit like a stick.
“Alright, with you two, I’m at ease.”
“This batch of goods is entrusted to you.”
Li Xiao nodded lightly and said.
After watching their departing figures disappear, Li Xiao turned his head to look at the little buddies behind him.
“Lads, had enough fun?”
“Today is the first day; prepare to start learning.”
Hearing Li Xiao’s words, Er Hu, Thin Monkey, and the others immediately wilted.
They wailed like ghosts crying and wolves howling.
“Nooo, Da Long Ge, we just ate breakfast.”
“Let’s run another lap on horseback!”
“Or how about cutting grass instead.”
“Or go down to the river to catch fish?”
In fact, by this time, all the families’ grain had long been harvested, and the winter pasture grass was mostly stored.
This group of lads basically had no proper work to do.
So, Li Xiao assigned them a task.
Learning to recognize characters.
But as soon as this was mentioned, the lads grumbled, preferring to do chores rather than sit down to learn.
But at this moment, Li Xiao seemed to transform into a heartless teaching director.
With a cold face looking at this group of guys, he snorted: “No use talking; today, no one leaves until you’ve learned ten characters.”
The reason Li Xiao wanted these youths to learn to read and write was to prepare for the future.
They were all people who grew up with Li Xiao, his most reliable backbone for the future.
But merely training their riding and archery, martial arts, and fighting abilities was far from enough.
That would just make them brutes.
To become a qualified general and commander, or even to govern a region in the future, knowing how to read and write is the most basic ability.
Of course, what Li Xiao taught them was not the current Chinese characters, but later simplified Chinese characters.
The Chinese characters of this era were all traditional Chinese characters, very troublesome; even Li Xiao found them headache-inducing to learn, which led to the extremely low literacy rate in this era.
And later Huaxia had proven the success of simplified Chinese characters, which greatly helped improve literacy rates.
Soon, Li Xiao brought them to a patch of soft sand and started teaching from the simplest.
“This is another way to write ‘one’~”
Li Xiao used a wooden stick to draw the shape of the Arabic numeral ‘1’ on the ground.
Regardless of whether India invented this writing method, from now on, this would be a way to write numbers in Chinese characters.
It has nothing to do with Indians or Arabs; it was invented by Li Xiao.
In a quarter of an hour, Li Xiao taught these youths how to write numbers.
Although very simple, there were no shortages of dim students anywhere, of course, along with some top students.
“Wei Xuan wrote the best; you all should learn from him.”
Li Xiao specifically praised Wei Xuan.
All around the same age, after Wei Xuan’s injuries healed, he gradually integrated into Li Xiao’s circle of Hexi youths with the Sanhe Fort youths.
However, Li Xiao gradually discovered that Wei Xuan was truly talented.
Although average in martial prowess, his understanding of military strategy was much deeper than the other youths, and when recreating battle formations, he always offered unique insights.
Now, Li Xiao discovered yet another talent of his.
Stronger learning ability!
Hearing Li Xiao’s praise, Wei Xuan said, somewhat ‘flattered’: “Everyone wrote pretty well; mine isn’t anything special.”
Suspecting Li Xiao was trying to make him enemies.
Just like a teacher praising a good student; the poor performers would definitely be unhappy.
Wasn’t it just because a couple days ago, he wouldn’t let him talk to his sister!
“Good is good; no need to be modest.” Li Xiao said dominantly.
Then he had Wei Xuan take his place to teach the youths who still couldn’t write to keep practicing.
This guy had become Li Xiao’s teaching assistant.
A few days later, the chiliarchs and centurions from the various fortresses in Jin Prefecture all received Li Xiao’s orders.
“What?”
“Have us bring bedding and daily necessities to Hexi Fort to learn?”
Li Sanhe looked at Iron Head who came to deliver the message, with a face full of shock.
After Xiao Simo’s army left Jin Prefecture, Li Xiao simply stopped hiding that army.
He directly ordered those eleven hundred-plus soldiers to enter Jin Prefecture.
They occupied the grassland originally belonging to the three Geluolu divisions, turning it into their territory.
This unit’s designation was Golden Mountain Chiliarch Army.
Li Sanhe was the chiliarch of the Golden Mountain Chiliarch Army.
But he hadn’t expected that just after bringing his whole family to settle in North Mountain, Li Xiao’s orders came next.
Ordering him to bring five centurions under the Golden Mountain Chiliarch Army to Hexi Fort for learning.
“Iron Head, tell me honestly, what exactly does the Governor want us to do back at Hexi Fort?” Li Sanhe’s stern face asked.
Iron Head looked gleeful, chuckling: “Third Uncle, I told you, it’s to go back for learning.”
The suffering these youths had endured was finally someone else’s turn.
“Learn what?”
“At my age, what more is there to learn?” Li Sanhe asked puzzled.
Iron Head chuckled again: “Learning to recognize characters.”
Li Sanhe immediately widened his eyes, shocked: “What the heck? Have me go back to learn to read?”
“What is Da Long thinking?”
Iron Head said: “Da Long Ge’s orders are like that; not just you, half the centurions from the other chiliarch armies have been called back to Hexi Fort.”
“After your batch finishes learning, the remaining centurions go next.”
“Rotating through; no one can escape.” Iron Head said with a chuckle.
Li Xiao’s intention was to take advantage of this winter with no warfare to gather the backbone forces from his five direct chiliarchs under him, sending them in batches to Hexi Fort for learning.
Ordinary soldiers don’t need to know characters, but these chiliarchs and centurions must.
At the same time, what these backbone forces learn is not just simple characters.
Li Xiao would also impart his combat experience from later times to them, and have them share their own combat experiences with each other.
Learn together, progress together.
So, what Li Xiao set up in Hexi Fort was not just a school.
More accurately, it should be a military school.
“Hexi Military School!”
And Li Xiao’s lads under him, as well as those chiliarchs and centurions, were the first batch of students at Hexi Military School.
