Chapter 2: The Tiger Guard of the Xu Family

  The next day, Li Yu, who was strict in teaching and didn't care about wind or rain, thunder on cloudy days, only gave students a holiday on festivals, surprisingly gave the young children of the Xu family a day off, which made them cheer with joy.

  To be honest, the Xushi clan has never been good at producing intelligent and wise men, so most of them are simple-minded and their judgment about the future is also very vague. It wasn't until Cao Ren pacified Huai and Ru that he passed by the old residence of the Cao family in Qiao County and met him, and then was introduced into the Cao group.

  It was only after Yu's death that Xu Chu, as the pillar of the Xú family, gradually occupied an important position in Cao Cao's heart and truly became a trusted general.

  What Li Yu wants to do is to advance himself. Firstly, with Xu Chu as his top-notch general teacher, he can easily get opportunities in the Cao Group. Secondly, when the Cao Group really rises to power, various small mountain heads and hidden forces will emerge, and to stand out, one needs helpers!

  No matter what, Li Yu himself was clear that he was a lone wolf, unable to withstand all the open and secret attacks. At this moment, he and the Xu family were already one entity, sharing honor and shame together!

  Li Yu was very confident, he believed that his cultural accumulation of more than 2,000 years was enough for him to stand firm in this era. Although so, he had never underestimated the wisdom of the ancients, and underestimating anyone would have to pay a price! He remembered this point in his heart, and now what he wanted to do was to move the current head of the Xu family - Old Man Xu, and thus begin his plan!

  "Xǔ Chǔ! Elm wood bumps ah! Ah? Raise your arm a bit higher! The knife momentum must be fierce! This is the key to our ancestral knife method! Come again!" Old Master Xǔ, 51 years old, had an extremely loud voice, wearing tight leather armor, his white beard standing on end in front, holding a willow branch to sternly supervise Xǔ Chǔ's martial arts practice. Xǔ Chǔ was the most talented member of the Xǔ family clan and also the next head of the family, so he couldn't be treated leniently. Every day, apart from being bullied by Li Yù in cultural class, he was also bullied by his own father.

  Poor Xǔ Chǔ was sweating profusely as he wielded the Nine-Eared Eight-Ringed Elephant Nose Knife, tirelessly practicing his moves. If his martial arts skills had reached perfection two years ago, as his old man would say, he wouldn't have to work so hard in battle and might not have even escaped with his life. In the end, it was Li Yu who came up with a plan that shattered the various gangs of bandits.

  Sweat! Li Yu actually saw Xu Chu pulling nine cows to scare away the enemy in history, and then came up with this idea, which is completely a bad taste.

  "Good morning, old master!", Li Yu came to the courtyard of Xu Lao Tai with a smiling face. Actually, this place was not allowed for outsiders to enter; The ancestors of the Xu family had rules: the family's secret skills could not be shown to outsiders! Not only that, but also the rule of passing on to males and not females, and only passing on to the head of the clan, had slowly evolved. Li Yu, due to his special identity, plus his inability to even tie up a chicken, not understanding martial arts, and not practicing martial arts, was specially allowed to come here;

  The defeat of Ge Po's bandits made the Xu family reflect on their pain, what they lacked was a strategist like Li Yu, so he was treated with great respect and courtesy, a big head has great wisdom, since I didn't notice, finding a trustworthy one would do, wouldn't it?

  "Good morning, sir!", "Good morning, sir!" Not only did Xu Chu stop to give Li Yu his luggage, but even Old Man Xu returned the courtesy. No matter where there were knowledgeable people, they would be treated with respect; and as a teacher of all young and middle-aged people in the Xu family, Li Yu's status was even higher!

  China has a long tradition of respecting teachers and valuing education. In ancient times, there was the saying "people have three respects: king, father, and teacher". The "Lv Shi Spring and Autumn" states: "Born then carefully raised, died then respectfully sacrificed, this is the way to respect teachers." From this, we can see Li Yu's position in the Xu family clan.

  "Have you greeted the master?! Hurry up and practice martial arts, don't waste time! You're not young anymore!", a stern rebuke, Xu Chu muttered to himself and continued to practice martial arts, hoping to achieve great mastery.

  "Haha! Old Master, no need to be so polite! Let Xǔ also stay and listen! He's not young anymore, and he's about to become the pillar of our clan! Today I came here to talk about one thing!" Li Yu's expression turned from a smile to extremely serious, "A matter that concerns the future of the Xu family!"

  "What's going on? The world is gradually calming down, and my Xū family has also established its foundation in this Qiao County. What do you mean, sir?" Although Old Master Xū was not clever, he had a keen mind and sharp instincts, and he was extremely suspicious about what was happening.

  "The old master said that the world is at peace? Not so! This chaotic world has just begun! Li Yu sighed: "In a chaotic era, human life is cheaper than a dog's! If you don't want to starve and suffer, you must make plans ahead of time! Although the Yellow Turbans are gone, their remnants still exist, like the bandits on Mount Ge. As local bandits and outlaws continue to emerge in various places, the imperial court's troops are already exhausted. At the beginning of this year, Emperor Ling of Han adopted the suggestion of Liu Yan, the governor of Yi Province, to grant the provincial governors (刺史) concurrent military and administrative powers to strengthen control over the provinces. Some provincial governors were also promoted to state shepherds, who were either members of the imperial family or high-ranking officials."

  "It must be said that this was a foolish plan, he made the state officially become a first-level administrative region, although it was beneficial to suppress local rebellions, but also caused the governors and magistrates who held local power to separate and no longer be subject to imperial control, just like Liu Yan in Shu, who proposed this suggestion, wasn't using Zhang Lu's Five Pecks of Rice sect to separate and occupy a region!"

  Xu Lao Tai Ye and Xu Chu were unclear about what was going on, but Li Yu saw their puzzled expressions and didn't care because he hadn't finished speaking yet.

  "When the emperor is indulgent and tyrannical, he favors eunuchs and sells official positions, exhausting his imperial aura. Recently, there have been rumors that he has fallen ill and cannot get up, and he is also hesitant about choosing a successor to the throne, which will inevitably lead to great disaster! I observe the celestial phenomena, the emperor's star is dim, while the stars of heroes all over the world are shining brightly, it seems that as soon as he dies, the world will be in chaos!" Li Yu fully demonstrated his thick-skinned characteristics, and after a round of nonsense, Old Man Xu and Xu Chu were confused.

  After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, people all over the world had already lost trust in the imperial court. They only prayed for a meal to eat and a peaceful day to live, and they no longer cared about the life or death of the emperor, nor did they respect him. Therefore, Li Yu's words, which were enough to bring down his family and clan, did not stir up too much commotion.

  "In Master's opinion, where should Mr. Xu be? Please call me! Great kindness and virtue, will be repaid later!" Mr. Xu finally felt a sense of crisis, he asked anxiously, like a drowning person grasping for a lifeline, and bowed down to Li Yu, Xǔ also bowed down together with him, he believed that since the teacher said it out loud, there must be a way to solve it;

  "What's going on, old master? I, Li Yu, was given a meal by the Xu family when I was in dire straits! How could I not think of the Xu family's interests?" As Li Yu helped up Old Master Xu, he secretly felt pleased with himself. Ha ha! This is what they call having an aura of dominance, will the newcomer kowtow to me now?

  "Please listen to me carefully, old master!" The three sat on the stone bench, and Li Yu talked incessantly: "The most important thing for the Xus to stand firm in a chaotic world is to have vision and be useful!"

  "What does that mean? I didn't quite catch it?" Xu Chu scratched the back of his head, he was this kind of person, sometimes steady and dull, sometimes passionate and brave, sometimes playing some clever tricks.

  "Adults are speaking! Children should not interrupt! Listen carefully!", Mr. Xu scolded discontentedly, and Xu Chu could only maintain his natural stupid expression;

  Li Yu said that the duck pear is very big, he and Xu Chu are similar in grade, and even smaller!

  "Cough, cough! The key to the problem is that when the world is in chaos, we must choose a good leader to follow! This person must have charisma and courage! Can swallow the world! Pacify the chaotic world! And now it's not chaotic yet, so there's no need to rush. As long as Old Master trusts my vision, I will naturally find a bright future for the Xu family!" Li Yu said solemnly, and Old Master nodded repeatedly, still having faith in Li Yu's abilities;

  "The second is - to be useful! What does it mean to be useful? In a chaotic world, there are only three ways: literature, morality and martial arts! This point has been possessed by Master Xu since long ago. Xu Chu is brave and fierce, can be called a fierce general!" Hearing his teacher's praise for the first time, Xu Chu was overjoyed, grinning from ear to ear, smiling foolishly;

  "But that's not enough! The Xus have many people, and relying solely on Xu Chu's strength to make a name for himself is quite difficult. Xu Chu is a fierce general, but he's not invincible; he's only suitable as a bodyguard! Therefore, I think we should organize the young and brave warriors of the Xu family into a team, train them, and turn them into the ultimate shield for the future ruler of the world! We can move him with loyalty and bravery. As long as we do this, the Xus will rise to prominence soon! In the future, they may even be enfeoffed as marquises or become high-ranking generals!"

  Xu Zhongkang's face lit up with a smile as he said, "The kindness you've shown me, sir, is etched in my memory forever!"

  "Old Master, there's no need for that! From tomorrow on, gather all the brave warriors of the Xu family! After Wen finishes his lecture, it's time to teach martial arts!"