My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 361 Yang Xuangan

"Grandpa, what kind of logic is this in treating the emperor?"

"Over the past few days, the Emperor's condition has been deteriorating; you can hear him vomiting from a great distance."

The army was resting. Yuwen Shu sat in front of a campfire, roasting meat in his hands. Yuwen Shiji sat beside him and pleaded his case.

Li Xuanba was also there, sitting opposite Yuwen Shu.

Hearing Yuwen Shiji's words, Yuwen Shu smiled and said, "At least he traveled by carriage. Many soldiers walked on such roads. What's wrong with letting him experience the hardships of the road? Besides, we've already taken the best road. What, can't he walk without laborers repairing it ahead?"

"What did he say about such a wise and virtuous emperor?"

Li Xuanba replied, "Personally leading an expedition a thousand miles away is something even the wise kings of old could not do."

"Yes, yes, that's it. He wants to personally lead an expedition thousands of miles away, to do what the wise kings of the past could not do. We're helping him!"

Yuwen Shiji's face turned completely red. "Father! Why have you come to this?!"

Yuwen Shu raised his head and looked at him. "When I was arrested, I was so scared that I vomited. Why didn't you try to persuade me then?"

"I tried to persuade him, and His Majesty promised that he would not punish my father."

"Then I promise you, I won't do anything to harm him."

Yuwen Shiji was so angry he couldn't speak. He looked at Li Xuanba beside him, "General Li..."

Li Xuanba held up the grilled meat in his hand. "Want some?"

Yuwen Shiji said nothing more, lowered his head, and left.

Yuwen Shu watched the other person leave with a sense of helplessness, then looked up and sighed.

"I have three sons."

"The eldest is foolish, the second is ruthless, and the third is weak."

"When Su Wei came to persuade me before, I was almost convinced. No matter how much power I have, which of these three fools can take my place?"

Yuwen Shu stared at Li Xuanba again and said resentfully, "If only I had another daughter!"

Li Xuanba did not answer.

Yuwen Shu ate a few more bites of the meat in his hand, and then asked, "Have you contacted your family?"

Only then did Li Xuanba, whose face was cold and indifferent, pause. He trembled slightly and shook his head gently.

"You've done so much, yet you haven't sent anyone to inform your family?"

Li Xuanba fell silent.

Yuwen Shu said helplessly, "Then you're going to scare your old father to death this time."

"I've always been a straightforward person, so please don't take offense. Your father probably wouldn't want to see what you've done. But it's hard to say, you'll be in a rather awkward situation when you get back."

“With your official rank, even your grandfather would have to bow to you when he sees you. What do you suggest we do? What if we promote your grandfather directly? There’s also your elder brother, the future Duke. You’re already a Duke.”

Yuwen said a lot, but Li Xuanba remained unmoved. He said, "They will all understand me."

I've met your older brother; he might understand you.

As Yuwen Shu spoke, a sudden pang of jealousy stirred within him. It wasn't jealousy of the brat in front of him, but rather jealousy of his elderly father, who was far away in the capital.

Look at other people's sons, then look at your own... Sigh, what else can you say?

Yuwen Shu cleared these thoughts from his mind and said seriously, "Our next step is to return to Zhuojun. Zhuojun is actually fine. There are no ministers here, and no one to be wary of."

"However, once we return to Zhuojun, what happened before will no longer be able to be concealed. There are millions of people, dozens of generals alone, and countless ministers and officials. The news will definitely spread. Long before we return to the capital, all kinds of news will have spread to all parts of the country."

Yuwen Shu's expression turned solemn.

"There are five people I am currently wary of."

"The first one is Lai Huer."

"Although Lai Huer was defeated, his prestige is still very high. I dare not say that I can definitely defeat him. In the south, he can mobilize the most troops. The generals in the south are more willing to listen to him. He is also a loyalist of the emperor."

“He will definitely be suspicious of the previous edict, so we can’t let our guard down against this guy.”

"The second one is Pei Shiju."

“He is the minister who stayed in the capital and is in charge of the grain supplies in various places. This fellow seems honest and kind, but he is actually cunning. He must be able to see the general situation. If he wants to target us and cut off the grain supply, it will cause a big problem as well.” “Then there is Yang Xuangan.”

"This guy has always had ambitions and has been colluding with many people in private, wanting to achieve great things. I'm not sure how he will react if he finds out about the situation here. He has many confidants in the army, and even the general next to you is his brother."

"The fourth is Li Jing. He is also a staunch supporter of the emperor. Although he participated in our important affairs this time, it was to protect the soldiers. I dare not say whether he will continue to stand on our side in the future. Guo Rong, Zhang Jin, Cui Hongsheng, Jing Yuanheng and the like are mostly close to him. If he unites them, we will be in trouble."

Li Xuanba listened to him very attentively, but after Yuwen Shu finished talking about those four, he stopped talking.

Li Xuanba asked, "And the fifth one?"

"Your grandfather."

"He controls the nation's arsenal, and the weapons and equipment sent to us were all donated by your grandfather. Whichever side he's on, that side doesn't need to worry about weaponry. If he's on the other side and cuts off our weaponry supply, we can't just temporarily grab craftsmen to forge them, can we?"

Li Xuanba shook his head, "Grandpa wouldn't do that."

"Then you should try your best to get him on our side. Seriously, if your grandfather can stand on our side, then the armory will be in our hands. With an army and an armory, we won't have to worry about anything else."

"By the way, don't write letters. It's best to have a trusted confidant deliver them. If letters fall into the wrong hands, they will harm all of us."

Li Xuanba hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "Actually, the Duke doesn't need to worry so much."

"Oh?"

"I am not unprepared. I have some provisions, some craftsmen, some warhorses, and everything else I need."

Yuwen Shu burst into laughter, pointing at Li Xuanba.

"Just as I suspected!! I knew from the start that someone like you was either extremely loyal or extremely... cough, you really did have a plan all along!"

Yuwen Shu spoke, but then shook his head.

"But what good is being prepared? You're a tough kid, good at fighting, but when it comes to preparation, there are so many things involved. How much preparation can you make? How much food and supplies can you get out? How many weapons and horses can you get out?"

Li Xuanba pursed his lips. "I don't know either. I'll have to ask my trusted confidants."

Yuwen Shu simply smiled and didn't take those words to heart.

Everyone is resting.

General Yang Xuanzong was sitting in front of the campfire, boasting about his experiences to several captains, when suddenly a soldier walked over quickly, stood beside him, and whispered a few words to Yang Xuanzong.

Yang Xuanzong was taken aback and quickly stood up.

"Wait for me a moment!"

Yang Xuanzong walked quickly outside, and after walking for a long time, he finally ran into a group of people.

The soldiers escorted those people to Yang Xuanzong.

Upon seeing Yang Xuanzong, the newcomer's face was filled with grievance, and he burst into tears, crying out, "Second Brother!!"

The visitor was Yang Xuanzong's younger brother, Yang Xuanting.

Upon seeing him, Yang Xuanzong was taken aback, then stepped forward to wipe away his tears. "What are you doing here?"

"Second brother, it was eldest brother who sent me!"

"When I heard about the defeat at the front, I thought something had happened to my second brother."

"shit!"

Yang Xuanzong cursed, then looked at the soldiers and confirmed his brother's identity. The soldiers stopped making things difficult for him, saluted, and left.

After the soldiers left, Yang Xuanting quickly straightened his expression and asked, "Second Brother! What exactly happened at the front?"

"On my way here, I heard some rumors, like about a rebellion or something."

Yang Xuanzong paused for a moment, frowned, and fell into deep thought.

"Second Brother??"

"Is there something you can't even tell me? My elder brother sent me here to discuss important matters with you!"

"event??"

Yang Xuanzong looked at him in astonishment.

(End of this chapter)