Chapter 177 Hunting Rewards
There were many nobles in and outside Huazhou City, and there were many people riding horses and wandering around the city.
Dugu Xin was already the coolest guy when he was young. He became more powerful in middle age, and he became more graceful besides being handsome. His subordinates were all dressed in fine clothes and rode on horses on the streets, which had a great effect on the streets. They soon attracted many people to follow and watch, and there were endless people on the left and right sides of the road who greeted him loudly.
Dugu Xin was in a bad mood at the moment, and ignored most of the greetings. He pursed his lips slightly, frowned deeply, and was so cold that people were intimidated, so that many children of the powerful who planned to follow him were discouraged and did not dare to follow him.
But many people still looked at the procession and talked about it, and said proudly: "Dugu Kaifu is worthy of being the face of our Beizhen. He is so majestic and dignified, just like a god! The horses following him from Hexi are really enviable. I wonder when we can find them in Guannei City?"
Some people also noticed Li Tai in the team: "Who is the handsome boy behind Dugu Kaifu? He looks familiar, but I can't remember which family he is from. Although he is not as majestic as Kaifu, he is also eye-catching and unforgettable. No wonder Dugu Kaifu took him as a close follower..."
Li Tai was quite famous in the officialdom of the Western Wei Dynasty, but he mostly interacted with the old generation of the time. He had a weak presence in daily life. It can be said that he was high-profile in work and low-profile in life.
In Huazhou City today, there is no stable circle of dandies to exchange information. Those families who have become rich since their ancestors often settle in Chang'an. These new rich second-generations who have not yet entered the officialdom are a little unfamiliar with Li Tai.
But he does have the quality of being unforgettable, and some people recognized him at first sight: "The young man's name is Li Boshan, a newcomer from Guandong. He was a student of Heba Taishi before, so he was well taken care of by Dugu Kaifu."
"This is old news. Li Boshan is not a vulgar young man who relies on others' power. Therefore, Taishi's family business is entrusted to him, and the children of Heba family have to rely on him for their livelihood. In the review a month ago, he was even awarded the title of Grand Commander. Although he is not very old, his own position is beyond the reach of the old people in the current situation!"
Some well-informed people loudly show off their new knowledge. After hearing this, the people around them can't help but be surprised and suspicious, and their eyes looking at Li Tai from afar are full of envy.
The children of Beizhen admire achievements and power. For them, the existence of Li Tai is simply the goal of a happy life and a model of success at a young age.
Various discussions inevitably spread to the team. These spectators did not think it was rude to discuss others in person. They did not restrain their voices. Some even pointed at Li Tai and shouted at him to do a big jump.
Li Tai was secretly happy when he heard these discussions, but he was also a little shy. After all, he had not recovered from the embarrassment just now. He looked at Dugu Xin's expression from the side with a guilty conscience.
Dugu Xin rode his horse out of the city from the south gate without looking sideways. When he got out of the city, he looked back at Li Tai and said, "I didn't know that Li Lang was so popular in the city. Don't hold back when you go hunting later. Do your best and don't let the people down!"
At first glance, these words sounded like an elder's encouragement to the younger generation, but in such an atmosphere, Li Tai tasted a hint of anger, and lowered his head and laughed dryly, "The audience doesn't judge right from wrong, and rumors are inevitably exaggerated. If it weren't for the tour of the government, the people might not know me..."
Dugu Xin seemed not to hear Li Tai's words, and glanced at his waist and then said, "It turns out that there is a knife but no bow, which is nothing. My family has been herding horses for generations, so naturally there is no shortage of good tools. Come on, give Li Lang a bow!"
These words were a little emotional, and Li Tai could only sigh in his heart, what your family has been for generations has nothing to do with me, and what my family has been for generations is not something I can choose, why are you getting emotional?
He only dared to say this in his heart, but he didn't dare to provoke Dugu Xin again. Under Dugu Xin's gaze, he took the horse bow and Hulu handed by his subordinates, hung them on his waist, and said: "I dare not refuse the elder's command. I will show my ugliness and hope you can tolerate my clumsiness."
"It's clumsy or clever, don't say it too early. It's arrogant or humble, people can tell."
Dugu Xin said this again, and seeing a team of knights coming here on the road, he turned his horse's head and went to the west of Huazhou City.
In early winter, the fields are bleak, and more than ten miles away from the city, the scenery in the field is even more desolate.
There are many hunting teams in the wild, and Dugu Xin's team is full of style, which is particularly eye-catching. Some people avoid them from a distance, not daring to disturb the interest of the powerful nobleman, while others order their servants to disperse to find prey and drive them to the front of Dugu Xin to add to the fun.
Swoosh!
An arrow flew out, nailing a slightly fat fox rabbit to the ground. Seeing this, the people nearby applauded and praised Kaifu's excellent archery.
Dugu Xin smiled, waved his arms to the left and right with a little reserve, and raised his hand to point at his subordinates who were about to shoot, but looked at Li Tai.
Li Tai knew that he was being targeted, so he could only hold the bow and draw an arrow. After the arrow feathers were on the string, he aimed slightly and shot the arrow straight at a rabbit running several feet away.
As soon as the arrow came off the string, he knew it was not good. The bow was a weapon that was much more intimate than the sword and spear. The slightest difference in the feel could have a great impact, so he subconsciously hooked another arrow and continued to draw the string.
Sure enough, the front arrow was powerful and hit the rabbit several feet in front of it. The splashed dirt and grass fragments fell on the rabbit's head, scaring the rabbit to jump up more than a foot. Then an arrow shot out from behind, piercing the rabbit through the arrow and then deeply inserted into the ground.
The cheers from the left became louder, but Dugu Xin's followers, who were closest to him, did not say a word and just looked towards their lord.
"Yes, although it is not a direct hit, continuous arrows require more finesse."
Duguxin nodded slightly, raised his hand to signal his troops to come forward to retrieve the prey, and then said to Li Tai: "A man can be lazy and unlearned, but he cannot be ignorant and incompetent. Although we have met several times before, I still I haven't figured out why Grand Master favors Li Lang alone. Now that I see your skills, I have no idea.
It is inevitable that one's ambitions will fall when one lives in peace, especially those of you and other nobles, who are often unable to make a living sensitively and are unable to survive in chaos. Although they may appear prosperous, they will wither in the frost. Ease and enjoyment is a deep-rooted evil in human nature. Li Lang, you have to endure double the hardships of ordinary people instead of guarding graves. Your ability to have such skills is even more worthy of appreciation. "
Li Tai was targeted along the way, and finally heard a few words of praise from Dugu Xin. He was flattered for a moment: "The Taoist people share the same fate, and it is common sense in the world to feel danger and recognize difficulties. Thieves and ministers are rampant, and there is no way to explain it." Reason, the king's business is hunting in the west, and he can only use his strength to rectify it.
Dugu Kaifu and other examples of morality in the world are still diligent in royal affairs, unwilling to abide by their old honors and only want to enjoy themselves. How can the younger generation and others who have been sheltered dare to settle for leisure? It is the duty of one's life to strive for progress and live up to great achievements! "
After hearing this, Dugu Xin showed a slight expression of relief, and pointed to the fleeing fox and rabbit prey in the field and said: "There are many clever words in the world, but if you want to know people, you must observe their actions. Daxingtai Soldier Talisman will teach you, But wondering if you should expand the department is useless.
I will not rely on my strength to drive. If I shoot something in the wild today, I will give you an elite soldier, armor, horse, weapon, and staff! Just throw your words at this and the crowd will testify. How much you can get depends on your skills! "
Li Tai was overjoyed when he heard this. He came to visit this time just for this matter. He was originally worried that Dugu Xin might have a grudge because of the previous incident and would not be willing to help him anymore, but he didn't expect that the price was clearly marked and he refused to give himself hundreds of dollars. Is this elite armed man worthy of the opportunity given by Dugu Xin?
"There aren't many prey here, so go somewhere else where there are fewer people. Put away your bow and don't let me misunderstand that I am stingy and want to make things difficult for you."
Seeing that Li Tai was eager to try, Duguxin gave instructions to his subordinates.
So the group of people left this open area in the countryside that had been hunted countless times and turned to the Shangyuan slopes to the west. It's just that Dugu Xin's popularity was too high, so there were still many people following him, and thousands of people gathered in front and behind.
Li Tai had no time to care about anything else at the moment. He was holding a bow in one hand and twisting arrows in the other. He would immediately look at any disturbance in the wild, lest he miss any prey.
Because of the real encouragement, his archery level has also skyrocketed. At first, a few arrows missed the mark, but gradually he became more comfortable and almost every arrow hit the mark. Without any distractions, he reached behind Hu Lu but found nothing, only to find that he had already shot more than twenty prey.
"Would you like to take a break?"
Although the horse bow is soft and labor-saving, shooting dozens of arrows is still a big burden on the arm. Duguxin saw that Li Tai's right arm was already shaking a little, so he spoke to the side.
Li Tai had no time to answer, raised his hand, took a Hulu filled with arrows and replaced it, then rode forward to find a new target.
After seeing this, Dugu Xin shook his head and sighed, turned to look at the onlookers around him and said: "This person's name is Li Boshan. He is a junior of mine who is friendly to me and a rookie in the Taifu. I will take advantage of my free time today to go hunting and take a test on him." My shooting skills, please bear with me and help this guy drive things ahead!"
After hearing the words, everyone agreed in a loud voice, and then dispersed in the mountains and fields. Soon many prey were driven over from all directions. Li Tai did not need to worry about searching anymore, he only had to draw his bow and shoot forward.
At first, Dugu Xin was still enjoying Li Tai's hunting with great interest, but when he saw more and more prey picked up, but Li Tai was still as tireless as a human-shaped fort, the relaxed smile on his face gradually faded.
"Okay, stop, no more cum!"
Seeing that Li Tai's physical strength was gradually exhausted, and his body became shaky from the horse to the ground, but still refused to stop, Dugu Xin finally couldn't help but stepped forward, took the bow from Li Tai's hand, and held it up He sighed and said: "Although my son is brave, he must not be overly aggressive! Three hundred armored horses and equipment will be sent to your village tomorrow. A little is not enough to express my feelings, and I can't bring out more!"
After releasing all his strength in one breath, Li Tai was a little unsteady on his feet, and his arms were almost unconscious hanging by his side. However, he also understood that even if he shot until his arms were useless, he would not be able to shoot 300 prey that day. He nodded and said: "Thank you, thank you Dugu for opening the mansion..."
"Skills may be short, but friendship is long. You are still so tenacious, kid. If you are captured when you go to battle next year to seize the treasured sword, I won't be able to spare you!"
Duguxin pushed Li Tai to his step forward for support, looked at the saber and said with a somewhat disgusted voice.