"He wouldn't say. He said Constable Yang recommended that he come to you, Master, and that he'd explain once he met you," Li Quan said, shaking his head.
Tang Wen went straight into the reception hall.
He found a man of about thirty seated inside, wearing a pale blue cloth robe. He had a round face, and although his clothes were plain,
he radiated an authority that needed no anger to make itself felt as he sat in the chair, like someone who had spent years navigating official circles.
"My lord!" At the sight of Tang Wen, the man looked briefly startled, then rose and cupped his fists in greeting.
"May I ask your name?" Tang Wen asked with a nod.
"I'm Li Liao, Yang Yun's old classmate and close friend. We passed the Martial Jinshi examination together. He wrote this letter. Please read it first." Li Liao took out a letter and handed it over.
Tang Wen accepted it, tore it open, and began to read.
Greetings, my lord Count!
Li Liao is a close friend of mine, a native of Sea Saint City. We studied together for ten years and passed the Martial Jinshi examination in the same year.
One year, we encountered bandits and fought shoulder to shoulder, killing eighteen of them.
That was the year we became sworn brothers. After passing the examination, however, he went to Jade Province Prefecture and rose through the ranks to become a Hundred-Household Commander in the Jade Province Garrison Command, holding Principal Sixth Rank. He made more of himself than I did.
Unfortunately, the year before last, he offended Chen Wangde, the military commander of Jade Province. He was framed, dismissed from office, had his property confiscated, and spent half a year in prison.
After his release, he came to me, but it is not convenient for me to keep him here either.
Thus, I have written this recommendation to ask whether he might earn his bread in your service.
He is an upright man. His offense against Chen Wangde last year was also over a woman named Song Yuanyuan, who worked at a music house, selling her performances but not her body.
Chen Wangde took a fancy to the woman, but Chen Yuanyuan swore she would die rather than submit. My sworn younger brother intervened to save her, leading to his present circumstances.
Of course, accepting him would carry some risk for you, my lord.
After all, Chen Wangde hates him to the bone. He left Jade Province and came to our Linghai precisely to avoid further retaliation from Chen Wangde.
Although we belong to different provinces, officials collude with one another. Please consider this carefully before deciding, my lord.
Still, Li Liao is highly skilled in martial arts, even better than I am.
You lack a commander who can take overall charge of the Personal Guard Army. He would be a suitable choice.
Please think three times before deciding, my lord, lest this cause unpleasantness between us brothers later.
After reading the letter, Tang Wen gently set it on the table. "Lord Li, please sit."
"I'm no longer a Hundred-Household Commander of Jade Province. Please call me Li Liao, my lord," Li Liao said.
"Brother Li, please sit," Tang Wen said again.
"Give me a straight answer, my lord Count. Yes or no? If it's no, I'll turn around and leave," Li Liao said.
"Do you have any family?" Tang Wen asked.
He activated his popularity eye and glanced at the popularity above Li Liao's head. It stood perfectly straight, pointing skyward.
Tang Wen could even sense a trace of disdain within it.
It seemed the man looked down on him somewhat.
After all, he had once been a Principal Sixth Rank Hundred-Household Commander, with over a thousand soldiers under his command.
"Yes! My wife, children, and parents, along with the men devoted to following me-thirty-six people in all. Every one of my men is a capable fighter who has been to war and killed the enemy," Li Liao said with a nod.
"Where are they now?" Tang Wen asked.
"They came with me. They're just outside," Li Liao said.
"Li Quan, invite them in!" Tang Wen said.
"I'll go." Li Liao went out and soon returned with a group of people.
"My father, Li Xian; my mother, Wei Ying; my wife, Zhang Qin; my eldest son, Li Hui; my second child, my daughter Li Xia; and my third child, my son Li Tao. This is Song Yuanyuan, the music-house woman I rescued. She insisted on following me.
"She's sixteen this year, so my wife took her as an adopted daughter.
"This man is Wei Guang, formerly a Deputy Thousand-Household Commander of the Jade Province Garrison Command, and my wife's younger brother.
"This is Deputy Company Commander Chen Guang...
"These men of mine all have ninth- or eighth-grade martial skills.
"They were all implicated in my affair, brothers who were willing to follow me," Li Liao said, introducing them one by one.
"Song Yuanyuan, you're very brave," Tang Wen said.
"Thank you for your praise, my lord. I don't deserve it." Song Yuanyuan stepped gracefully forward and knelt in greeting.
"Mm, you all seem good. However, joining the Tang household means selling yourselves into its service," Tang Wen said with a nod.
"Selling ourselves?" At those words, Li Liao, his men, and his family all frowned.
"That's Master's rule. Everyone here has entered the Tang household.
"But Master Tang treats his servants very well.
"He gives us food and clothes, as well as an allowance for spending money. Each of us has even been allotted a room," Li Quan said.
"My lord, we don't need much of an allowance. We can join your Personal Guard Army and work for you," Li Liao said.
"Very well! Let's set aside the matter of selling yourselves for now. Work for me first. After ten days, if you feel it isn't worth selling yourselves into my service, you may leave.
"At that point, I'll give each of you ten taels of silver and two pecks of rice, and arrange transport to take you off the island."
Tang Wen turned to Li Quan. "Give them a few rooms. Take them to bathe first and get them settled. They'll eat with us at noon."
"My lord, don't waste your time. We will never sell ourselves! We won't trouble you any further. We'll leave right now," Li Liao said coldly.
"You'll certainly regret leaving," Tang Wen said.
"Regret it? Heh. The world is so vast-can there really be nowhere for me, Li Liao, to find a place? With my martial skills, I can earn my bread anywhere," Li Liao said with a sneer.
"The world may be vast, but what I have here is one of a kind. Brother Li, don't make grand claims just yet. Come along with me first, then decide whether to stay for ten days." Tang Wen smiled.
"Then I'd like to see just what you have that could make me stay, my lord!" Li Liao snorted, his temper stirred.
"Let's go to the bathroom first, use the facilities, and wash our faces. Then we'll take a look around," Tang Wen said. Zhan Dongwen and Li Quan acted as guides, taking them around to see the sights.
"Your privies really are excellent," Li Liao remarked when they came out.
"Even the privies smell sweet. What a wonder under heaven," Wei Guang said with a nod.
"Getting water is so convenient. That mechanism called a faucet is really useful. One turn and water comes out; another turn and it stops. The water is very clear, too, and tastes good," his wife, Zhang Qin, said.
But when Li Liao's group saw the enormous Stone and Sand Crusher roaring away,
with trucks dumping huge rocks onto a conveyor belt, and another belt carrying out uniformly sized crushed stone and fine sand after the rocks were pulverized, they were all dumbstruck.
"This mechanism is incredible. It can even crush rocks."
"If someone were thrown in there, they'd probably become a heap of bloody flesh in an instant."
"What are all these crushed stones and sand for?"
Li Liao's men began discussing it among themselves.
When they reached Crouching Dragon Lake, everyone was stunned by the immense scale of the work.
"Father, look! That Iron Horse is amazing. Such a huge rock came tumbling down with just one scoop."
"And that one! Look, it can lift rocks weighing over ten thousand catties."
"These iron wires have been woven into a mesh, and some mud has been poured over them..."
"Father, I also saw something called an electric lamp. Press it once and it lights up; press it again and it goes out. It's much better than a candle. So bright!"
In short, every member of Li Liao's party was like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, brimming with curiosity and exclaiming in wonder at every turn.
"My lord, I hear these Iron Horses and Iron Oxen of yours were all shipped back from the Western Lands?" Li Liao asked.
"Of course." Tang Wen nodded and looked again at the popularity above Li Liao's head. It no longer stood perfectly straight, but swayed slightly.
Tang Wen sensed a trace of amazement within it. This meant Li Liao's attitude had shifted a little.
Any change was good. It meant there was a chance of winning the man over.
"You are a man of great ability, my lord. You have my admiration." Li Liao cupped his fists.
"This is only the beginning. In the future, even more strange and wondrous mechanisms and Iron Horses will be shipped back," Tang Wen said with a smile.
"I borrowed your men's sabers and swords to examine them just now. They're all forged from excellent fine steel, better even than the weapons we used in the army," Wei Guang said.
"Especially those small crossbows. Their bolts may be small, but they pack quite a punch.
"They also have mechanisms fitted to them that make aiming easier.
"They're more likely to hit their targets, and their range is longer," Chen Fei said.
"Things from the Western Lands really are good. When I accompanied the marshal on a western campaign, I saw him use something once. They called it a Telescope. Holding it to your eye lets you see things more than ten li away, and very clearly, too," Li Liao said.
"That must have been a single cylindrical tube!" Tang Wen said.
"Yes, yes, a single tube. You could only look through it with one eye. But the marshal said a merchant from the Western Lands had specially presented it to the Imperial Clan. It was very expensive," Li Liao said with a nod.
"Li Quan, bring the Telescope," Tang Wen said.
Before you continue