Li Jing teased Li Jue for a while, then handed him the official document jointly issued by the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War.
The so-called "appointment certificate" is a combination of an ID card and an appointment letter.
The text not only describes Li Jue's height and appearance, but also his background and the official position he is about to assume.
Although the establishment of Sanglin Zhechong Prefecture was a decision made on a whim by Li Shimin, all the necessary procedures were followed, fully demonstrating the court's respect for this eight-year-old Zhechong Commandant.
"Am I a Commandant of the Vanguard?"
"And he's a fourth-rank military officer!"
"Elder Mu, I'm only eight years old this year. Isn't it a bit too much to directly appoint me as a fourth-rank military officer?"
Is that too much?
"Isn't that going too far?"
Upon hearing this, Li Jing smiled meaningfully, thinking to himself, "You should be a first-rank prince, it's already a disservice to you to be a mere fourth-rank military officer."
If you were really made a common soldier, where would His Majesty put his face?
"Alright, don't overthink it."
"This official position is granted according to your title. You are a baron of the Tang Dynasty, so what is the point of being a fourth-rank military officer?"
"Furthermore, the position of Zhechong Duwei only grants the authority to train troops, not to command them. When it comes to actual combat, you will be scattered and reorganized!"
"Oh oh oh!"
When Li Jue heard the old man say this, he immediately felt much more at ease.
"Young man, I've helped you deal with the Princess of Changsha and also taken care of the Zhechong Prefecture for you. Now you can become my disciple, right?"
"this……"
"Alright, since you're so sincere, I'll accept you as my master!"
Upon hearing this, Li Jing was so angry he almost twisted his nose out of shape.
"You brat, don't make it sound so difficult. Do you know that the number of people in Chang'an who want to become my disciples could fill the entire Zhuque Street!"
"If you're not willing to become an apprentice, there are plenty of others who are!"
Li Jue was not easily intimidated, and immediately retorted upon hearing this.
"Then why don't you go and take on some apprentices? Why are you always targeting me!"
"I……"
Upon hearing this, Li Jing was so angry that he blew his beard and glared at them.
"I didn't think much of you, I only have eyes for you, you little rascal, hahaha!"
"Now that you're an official, you'll soon be preparing to establish the Zhechong Prefecture. Do you understand what that means?"
"I...I don't know anything about these things..."
"Furthermore, are you familiar with recruiting soldiers, training them to understand the Tang Dynasty's drum and gong commands, as well as flags and signals, military titles, military merit rewards, top-tier rewards, middle-tier rewards, and bottom-tier rewards, and the nine ranks of military merit, the rotation system, and so on?"
"I……"
Upon hearing this, Li Jue immediately knelt down and bowed.
"Disciple greets Master!"
Seeing this, Li Jing was as happy as a monkey, almost jumping up and down on the spot.
After much scheming and painstaking effort, I finally managed to tame this little guy! Hahaha!
"Okay, okay!"
"Go home and cook me a couple of dishes first. After I've eaten and drunk my fill, I'll teach you all this knowledge, hahaha!"
Upon hearing this, Li Jue immediately felt like he had been tricked.
Could this old man be a foodie?
Although Li Jue had serious doubts about Lao Mutou's skills, he still asked the aunt next door to cook a few dishes for Lao Mutou and brought him a jar of twenty-year-old aged wine that had just been cooked yesterday.
After a few drinks, Li Jing started boasting and gave Li Jue a detailed account of the duties and operations of the Zhechong Prefecture.
To put it simply, the Zhechongfu was a local military camp, mainly responsible for managing the household registration, training, and comfort of the lower-level soldiers on behalf of the imperial court.
The actual task of leading troops into battle had nothing to do with the Zhechongfu (military command). They only needed to conscript soldiers according to the needs of the imperial court, and then hand them over to the generals temporarily appointed by the court or the commanders of the marching routes, who would then reorganize them into units and lead them to the front lines to kill the enemy.
It sounds simple, but for Li Jue, he also had to personally take charge of recruiting, selecting, and finalizing the roster, which was then submitted to the court for filing.
Therefore, his workload was enormous. Not only would he not have time to complete the homework assigned by Old Li, he probably wouldn't even be able to learn the horse spear from Master Yu.
The first step was site selection, in preparation for establishing the Zhechongfu military camp.
Li Jing led Li Jue around the Sanglin Manor, then pointed to a small hill with a rather high elevation.
"This is fine!"
"Old Mu, this place isn't in Sanglin Village. It seems to belong to the Changsha Princess's family. Is this a suitable place for us?"
Li Jing snorted coldly upon hearing this.
"Zhechong Prefecture belongs to the imperial court, not to your Sanglin Village. Why should it take over your Sanglin Village's land for free?"
"Furthermore, the purpose of establishing the Zhechong Prefecture is to protect the Li Tang dynasty, so it is only natural for us to take over the Li family's land!"
"Old Mu, what you said makes a lot of sense!"
"Hmph!"
"This is nothing! I have plenty of reasons to follow!"
After selecting the location to establish the Zhechong Prefecture, Li Jing directly ordered a sign to be nailed there, indicating that the land had been requisitioned by the imperial court.
"I see you're quite skilled at building houses, so I'll leave the construction of this Zhechong Mansion to the people of your Sanglin Village!"
"The imperial court has allocated a total of three thousand strings of cash this time, and I will give it all to you. As for how much is left, that depends on your abilities!"
"There's only one thing: the barracks must be built sturdily, and the drill ground must be level!"
Upon hearing this, Li Jue immediately understood that Old Mu was giving him an opportunity to make money.
However, Old Mu underestimated him a bit. If he wanted to make money, he had plenty of ways to do so, and he wouldn't be eyeing the government's meager funds.
"Don't worry, Elder Mu, I will definitely complete the task with high quality and quantity!"
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