My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 374 Housing Scheme
“Father, Sanlang is on his way back to the army, and Luoyang will definitely try to stop him.”

"I have already made an agreement with Erlang to let him seize the granary and use it for Sanlang's army."

Li Jiancheng told his parents everything that had happened and his plans. Li Yuan and Lady Dou listened attentively. Li Yuan stroked his chin and said, "How many troops does Erlang have? Those large granaries are different from ordinary county granaries; they won't be easy to capture."

"Erlang doesn't have many soldiers around him, but I have already ordered the mobilization of soldiers from various mountain strongholds. Wild Buffalo Mountain is very close to these granaries and has a large number of soldiers available. The enemy doesn't know our strength. Yang Jian has a lot to do now. Even if he sends people to protect the large granary, there won't be too many people. I think Erlang is capable of taking it down."

"Although the Xiaoguo Guard's army is still advancing slowly, Duke Xu has already dispatched elite troops from the Left and Right Wing Guards to speed up their advance and join up with Erlang."

"If we can capture a large granary, things will be much easier, and the army won't have to worry about running out of food."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan was no longer worried about the army's situation. He frowned and said, "These things are all fine, but Luoyang should not be so easily handed over to Yang Jian."

“Grandpa, that’s what I’m thinking too. Please have Grandpa and Grandma go with Zhang Du to Wild Ox Village first. I will lead people into Luoyang and contact the ministers in the country as soon as possible. Before Yang Jian can react, we should take the initiative!”

Madam Dou was very worried, "How can this be allowed?"

"Within Luoyang, I'm afraid no one has more power than Yang Jian. Pei Shiju is a spineless coward, and Yang Jian is cruel and inhumane. Doing this is really too dangerous."

Li Yuan nodded. "What you say makes sense."

"I think it's better for you to lead the group to Wild Buffalo Mountain to oversee the overall situation, while I go to Luoyang."

"I can easily meet with any minister in Luoyang, and I can do far more than you can."

"Grandpa!! No! How can I let you take such a risk?"

Both father and son wanted to go and were unwilling to back down, leaving Madam Dou in a state of great inner turmoil.

If possible, she hoped that neither of them would go to Luoyang.

The emperor took away the army from the whole country, and only Yang Jian, who served as the governor of Henan, still had soldiers in Luoyang. He was responsible for the defense of the imperial city and the security of the granaries. There were not many soldiers, but Yang Jian had great personal influence. Within Luoyang, he could summon thousands or even tens of thousands of warriors to serve him at any time.

Even among high-ranking officials, many were willing to follow him.

This fellow is wicked and vicious; if you fall into his hands, it's destined to be a bad thing.

However, Madam Dou also understood that their thinking was not wrong. The imperial court in Luoyang was equally important, and at this stage it might even be more important than the court in Suwei, since the granaries and armories were all located in Luoyang.

Madam Dou finally spoke.

"Husband, please don't argue with Dalang. This is also Dalang's filial piety. He doesn't want you to take risks. Whether it's persuading the officials in Luoyang, taking over the granary, or dealing with the army behind us, we need an experienced person to coordinate the overall situation."

"My husband is the most suitable candidate. Although the children have accomplished great things, they still need your advice and support from behind the scenes."

Upon hearing Lady Dou's words, Li Yuan was speechless for a moment.

The room became somewhat quiet.

Li Yuan remained silent for a long time before looking at Li Jiancheng. "Then you should be careful. I only have two things to tell you."

"Yang Jian is absolutely not to be contacted. Don't even think about persuading Yang Jian. Everyone knows that Yang Jian's ambition to become emperor is well known. As soon as he finds out that the emperor has been kidnapped, his first reaction will be to seize the court and do everything he can to force the army to kill his father, and then formally ascend the throne as emperor."

"Also, don't believe any of Pei Shiju's promises. That old scoundrel is not a trustworthy person; he's only thinking about self-preservation."

"Ugh"

Li Yuan sighed deeply, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

Madam Dou stood up. "I'll go prepare some food."

Lady Dou excused herself and left, leaving only the father and son in the room. Li Yuan looked at his son, his lips trembling slightly, "My previous harshness towards you was not..."

"Grandpa, I know."

“You don’t need to worry about me. Although Yang Jian is ruthless, he is just like his grandfather. He is arrogant and conceited. No matter how many people he has, if the leader is not good, it is still useless.”

"I will not die at the hands of such a despicable person." Li Yuan nodded.

The family rarely gets together, and they ate together again. Li Yuanji was very curious about the current situation, so he sat down next to Li Jiancheng and asked him a lot of questions. Li Jiancheng didn't say much, but just told him not to upset his parents.

This same energy he had before Li Xuanba went to war made Li Yuanji unable to help but complain.

After finishing their meal, Li Jiancheng bowed to the two men again before deciding to head to Luoyang to handle important matters.

Li Yuan remained seated, while Lady Dou, holding her son's hand, escorted him outside.

"My son, never act recklessly when things happen. Always prioritize protecting yourself. If anything happens to you, I cannot live on."

As Madam Dou spoke softly, she took out a jade pendant from her bosom.

"Your jade pendant was given to Xuanba. Although this jade pendant is not as good as yours, it was a gift from my uncle. I am giving this jade pendant to you in the hope that my uncle can protect you and help you accomplish great things."

Li Jiancheng's expression was solemn as he accepted the jade pendant. "Mother, I understand."

My mother's maternal uncle was Emperor Wu of Zhou. My mother respected and loved this uncle very much. When Li Jiancheng was still very young, my mother liked to use his stories to inspire herself. She said that he dealt with powerful ministers and destroyed powerful enemies, and was unparalleled in the world. However, he believed the nonsense of those alchemists, took the elixir of immortality, and died young, which allowed the villains to take advantage of him.

Li Jiancheng strode away from there, while Madam Dou stood at a distance, waiting until her son was far away before she shed tears.

Wei Zheng and Fang Xuanling were now by Li Jiancheng's side, with the knights who had come with him following behind.

The group walked outside, discussing their next steps.

Wei Zheng spoke extremely quickly.

"Young Master, Yang Jian is still unaware of the news, which is our most advantageous moment. Our first priority should be to go to Pei Shiju and let him know about the major events at the front. If we can persuade him, the court officials will surely stand on our side. In this way, Yang Jian will be all alone and will not be able to cause any trouble. I think that we should offer Pei Shiju benefits and make him feel fear!"

As Li Jiancheng listened to Wei Zheng's advice, Fang Xuanling, who was on the other side, frowned.

After being conscripted, Fang Xuanling worked at the Imperial Guard. Over the years, he provided Li Jiancheng with a lot of military equipment. Li Yuan pretended not to know anything and let Fang Xuanling handle the matter.

Fang Xuanling had long since become a member of this rebel group and could not escape it.

Li Jiancheng noticed Fang Xuanling's expression.

Fang planned and Du made decisions.

Wei Zheng was better at governing local areas and was known for his integrity, but Fang Xuanling was known for his stratagems. One was like Xiao He and Zhou Chang, and the other was like Zhang Liang and Chen Ping. They were completely different characters.

"Mr. Fang, what do you think?"

Li Jiancheng asked the question.

Fang Xuanling was taken aback, "I..."

"Now that things have come to this point, I hope Mr. Fang will not hesitate and will speak his mind, whatever his thoughts may be."

Fang Xuanling made up his mind and said, "Young Master, I don't think seeking out Pei Shiju is a good choice."

"Given Pei Shiju's character, if we can't persuade him, he will definitely turn on us and tell Yang Jian about this. At that time, we will be in danger. Moreover, we don't have many people in Luoyang, but Yang Jian's power is enormous. Pei Shiju is a shrewd person. Will he support us when we are at a disadvantage?"

"Therefore, it is too dangerous to seek out Pei Shiju first. I think we should strengthen our strength first, and then seek out Pei Shiju when we are able to compete with Yang Jian."

Wei Zheng frowned. "In Luoyang today, who can rival Yang Jian?"

Fang Xuanling laughed, his eyes bright.

"The Duke of Chu, Yang Xuangan."

(End of this chapter)