395: Yang Xi

"Brother Li, it has been many years, you are looking more spirited than ever!" Yang Xi laughed softly.

"Stop messing around, Marquis Feng asked you to show us around." Li Mu said directly: "This is Cavalry Commandant Lin Yue, this is Cavalry Commandant Zhao Yun, these are Aruhan and Yang Dengshan, all are Gentlemen of the Household, all are your colleagues."

"I dare not, I dare not, your subordinate, Gentleman Yang Xi, greets the two lords and the two colleagues!" Yang Xi saluted and laughed.

The Cavalry Commandant is a subordinate of the Grand Commandant, one of the Nine Ministers; the Cavalry Commandant is a subordinate of the Cavalry Commandant; and these Gentlemen are subordinates of the Cavalry Commandant.

Although on the surface it only seems like a one-rank difference, they cannot directly become Cavalry Commandant.

Lin Yue and the other also returned the salute. Lin Yue really did not know that Yang Xi was General Yang Xiong's own brother. Lin Yue's impression of him was only that historically, when Xiang Yu committed suicide at Wujiang, Yang Xi was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Chiquan for his meritorious service in killing Xiang Yu and seizing one of his thighs. But that was not the most important thing; the most important thing was his descendants!

His descendant, Yang Chang, rose to the rank of Prime Minister during the Western Han Dynasty. Everyone knows that the Yuan family of the late Eastern Han Dynasty held the title of "Four Generations and Three Excellencies," but Yang Xi's descendants, the Hongnong Yang clan, were also "Four Generations and Three Excellencies" during the Eastern Han!

Furthermore, Yang Xi's fifteenth-generation descendant, Yang Yuanshou, rose to the rank of Sima in the Northern Wei Dynasty. His son became the governor of Taiyuan Prefecture, and his grandson, Yang Lie, rose to the rank of General Longjiao in the Northern Wei. Yang Lie had five sons, the eldest of whom was Yang Zhong, one of the Eight Pillar States of the Northern Zhou. Yang Zhong's son was Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, and his grandson was Emperor Yang of Sui.

It can be said that because of one of Xiang Yu's thighs, the destiny of an entire family was changed forever!

Facing such a legendary figure, Lin Yue used the Art of Recognizing People to check his attributes.

[Name: Yang Xi, Official Position: Gentleman, Might: 75, Intelligence: 72, Command: 73, Politics: 77, Charm: 76]

His five attributes were very balanced. His Might was about the same as Lin Yue's, just a little rookie.

"The two lords, please follow me." Yang Xi led the way.

"Actually, this job of ours is not as tiring as one might imagine. After all, it cannot always be us guarding Your Majesty..." Yang Xi said tirelessly.

Through his words, Lin Yue understood his duties as Cavalry Commandant.

That was during the Great Court Assembly: "All Gentlemen holding weapons shall stand below the palace; none may ascend without an imperial decree."

As Cavalry Commandant, Lin Yue was, unsurprisingly, also required to hold a Great Halberd and stand below the palace.

Under his command were three Cavalry Commandants: Li Mu, Zhao Yun, and Wang Yi, who traveled with Your Majesty.

There were also about two hundred Gentlemen; these men were all Cavalrymen, the cavalry responsible for security whenever The First Emperor traveled.

However, these Gentlemen were quite different, subdivided into Gentlemen of the Household, Gentlemen, and Outer Gentlemen. The former awaited imperial edicts within the Forbidden Palace and spent their days and nights with The First Emperor, while the Gentlemen patrolled within the palace, and the Outer Gentlemen remained outside the palace.

For them, their status determined how often they could see Your Majesty.

These Gentlemen were mostly the descendants of meritorious officials, young men from good families across the land who were skilled in martial arts or well-read, or young military Generals from various armies. Generally speaking, however, the descendants of meritorious officials were the most numerous.

In truth, Lin Yue felt it was unrealistic to rely solely on them to protect The First Emperor. Although they were loyal, their combat power was not high. Yang Xi was only a High-level Military General and had not even touched the threshold of a Third-rate Military General, and he was still a historically famous figure. One could assume the others' levels were even lower.

Although about a thousand Gentlemen were enough to handle ordinary people, could anyone capable of breaking through heavy sieges to assassinate The First Emperor be ordinary?

Therefore, while these Gentlemen were responsible for advising on political affairs, guarding the Emperor's safety, and serving the Emperor's daily needs, to put it bluntly, being a Gentleman was largely a springboard into officialdom!

Because they were often by the Emperor's side, it was easier to gain the Emperor's favor, giving them more opportunities than others to obtain higher official positions or serve in important government departments.

Figures like Li Si, General Meng Tian, and Li You had all served as Gentlemen.

Later, there were also the Western Han Dynasty's Li Guang, Gongsun Hong, Dongfang Shuo, Sima Xiangru, and Huo Guang.

From the Eastern Han, there were Cao Cao and Yuan Shao; from the Tang Dynasty, the Prime Minister Zhang Jiuling, and poets like Wang Wei, Cen Shen, Wei Yingwu, Li Yi, Han Yu, Zhang Ji, Liu Yuxi, Liu Zongyuan, Bai Juyi, Yuan Zhen, Li Deyu, and Du Mu—all had backgrounds as Gentlemen.

Even the role of Imperial Bodyguard held by Heshen in the Qing Dynasty was one such position.

Thus, most in this group of Gentlemen were able to go far in their careers!

"Actually, my lord, you do not need to worry. Usually, there is nothing to be busy with. High Minister Meng Yi treats people kindly; you only need to be careful of Marquis Feng." Yang Xi comforted him, then said with a nervous expression: "Remember, remember: when on duty at night, you must not fall asleep. Even if you doze off, do not let Marquis Feng see you, otherwise, we will be in for a rough time!"

The Generals nodded slightly.

"There is nothing else. Normally, we only need to be on high alert when Your Majesty travels; otherwise, it is fine. By the way, Lord Lin, when traveling, you must act in coordination with the Director of the Chariot Office, the Chariot Officer, and the Colonel Household General. The Director of the Chariot Office is Lord Zhao Gao, who is responsible for managing Your Majesty's carriage and also handles matters concerning the imperial seals and tallies, so you must never underestimate him." Yang Xi winked at Lin Yue, secretly reminding him.

"Many thanks," Lin Yue said with a salute.

The Director of the Chariot Office was subordinate to the Grand Coachman, one of the Nine Ministers; to put it bluntly, he was the one who drove the horses.

But at any time, it is the same: driving horses depends on who you are driving for. It is just like the secretaries and drivers of leaders in later generations; who would dare to provoke them?

Moreover, in ancient times, the person driving horses for the Emperor had to be the confidant of the Emperor's confidants!

Because with the slightest carelessness, while the coachman might not be able to do you good, he could certainly do you harm!

During the Spring and Autumn period, when the State of Song attacked the State of Zheng, Hua Yuan, a four-dynasty veteran who presided over the military and political affairs of Song, distributed meat soup to boost the Soldiers' morale before the battle. However, he missed one person—a coachman who was unknown at the time but would go down in history: Yang Zhen!

Yang Zhen harbored resentment and, before the battle began, drove Hua Yuan straight into the Zheng army, leading to the capture of the commander-in-chief!

Both states were in an uproar. Such was the power of a coachman!

Therefore, this position could only be held by a trusted confidant!

Of course, it would be even better if it were an experienced driver with superb skills.

For example, the imperial driver of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, was Xiahou Ying. He was not only loyal but also a highly skilled driver who repeatedly helped Liu Bang escape death and turn danger into safety, eventually being enfeoffed as a Marquis and holding the rank of Grand Coachman!

This was why Yang Xi reminded him: although Zhao Gao and Lin Yue held the same rank of Cavalry Commandant, their statuses could not be mentioned in the same breath.

He hoped Lin Yue would not offend him.