My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 380 The Daring One
Liyang Warehouse.

Soldiers were patrolling back and forth, and in one of the many houses in the southwest, two officials were drinking.

One person was wearing a long robe, and the other was wearing military uniform.

The two men frowned, having drunk a great deal of wine, their expressions showing great distress.

These two men were the warehouse supervisor and warehouse manager of Liyang Warehouse.

The man in the long robe was the granary supervisor here. His surname was Shi, and he was an official under the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Supervisor Shi picked up the wine, took a big gulp, and his face turned ashen.

He looked up at the warehouse supervisor in front of him. This supervisor, surnamed Lu, was a true military man who was in charge of commanding all the soldiers stationed here.

"Lord Lu, how could Lord Pei possibly plot a rebellion?"

"how can that be possible?"

The granary supervisor looked utterly despairing. “I put in so much effort and finally received a reward from Lord Pei. Because of his recommendation, I became the granary supervisor of Liyang. I thought I could make something of myself, but in the past year or so, I’ve been so busy that I’m dizzy. Every day I’m collecting and transporting grain, checking all the reserves one by one. Just the documents for transporting grain alone, I could read them all in a day without eating or drinking!”

"And now, it's said that Lord Pei plotted a rebellion and was punished??"

As he spoke, Ishikura Toku took another big gulp of wine.

Shi Cangdu was originally an imperial censor in Sili, a mediocre official with no great achievements or mistakes. When Pei Yun took office, he learned that those who went to seek his help had all received good positions, so he went to pay his respects as well. Pei Yun inquired about his background and learned that his hometown was in Wenxi County. He then accepted his offer and promoted him to Liyang Cangdu to take charge.

This place is an incredibly lucrative opportunity. If you have bad intentions, you can get rich through this granary. If you don't have bad intentions, you can also make a name for yourself in the war without even having to go to the battlefield.

Shi Cangdu was extremely grateful. He had many chores to do every day, but he persevered through them, hoping to get another promotion when the war ended. However, after waiting for more than a year, what he received was the rumor that Pei Yun had rebelled and been killed.

The despair in Ishikura's heart was indescribable.

He said sadly, "I really envy you. You don't have to do much in your daily life, and you won't be implicated in anything now."

“Bullshit!!”

Upon hearing his words, Supervisor Lu immediately began to curse, his face looking even uglier than Supervisor Shi's.

He picked up the wine jug and poured it into his mouth, then painfully wiped his lips.

"Damn it, do you know how many thieves are roaming around outside?"

"Several nearby counties have closed their gates, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving!"

"There are tens of thousands of thieves on the other side of the river alone!"

"We're surrounded by thieves, and nobody's coming to our aid! Everyone knows the grain from the north is piled up here. Countless people are watching this place; I'm too ashamed to sleep at night!"

"I only have a thousand men under my command. If a large number of bandits attack, how long can our defenses hold out, no matter how strong they are?"

Ishikura was taken aback. "These are all fierce warriors under your command, clad in armor and armed with weapons. Even tens of thousands of bandits couldn't easily defeat them, could they?"

"Ha, do you still think those thieves outside are just a temporary gathering of refugees? There are officers and weapons among them. They call themselves thieves, but they are actually rebels! If it were tens of thousands of thieves and refugees, I wouldn't be afraid, but they are tens of thousands of rebels, mostly from respectable families, tall and strong, with powerful and virtuous men and scholars leading the way. Aren't you afraid?"

"Besides, I was promoted by General Fan. General Fan has also been killed. Even if the rebels hadn't come, how could I have escaped?"

Ishikura suddenly burst into laughter, a mournful laugh.

"Then it seems we don't need to worry about being punished as accomplices. We might not even live to see the court come to punish us!"

Suddenly, Shi Cangdu's expression turned solemn. He raised his head and looked at Lu Cangjian in front of him. "Lord Lu, we are now guarding a great gold mine, yet we are going to die for something not worth it. Is it worth it?"

"Gold Mountain?"

Lu Cangjian sneered, "What, does Lord Shi want to dig up this gold mountain himself?"

"How do we dig? How do we move it?" "With so much grain, where can we carry it? What place can we take it to? Will the soldiers listen to us?"

It's clear that Supervisor Lu had considered these things.

Ishikura Tokuichi frowned. "You can't command those soldiers?"

"Ha, their families aren't here, they'd never do anything with us. I'm not Yuwen Shu."

"Sigh, forget it. I've already sent word to Luoyang. We'll get a reply and reinforcements soon. If we can hold the granary intact and wait for the reinforcements to arrive, perhaps we can be pardoned."

The two fell silent again, and Ishikura continued drinking.

Just then, a soldier strode in.

"Warehouse supervisor!!!"

When Lu Cangjian saw the soldiers rushing in, he was startled and quickly stood up, exclaiming, "Have there been rebels?!"

"They're government troops! They look like soldiers from the Twelfth Guard."

"It seems... what does that mean?"

"A distinguished person, leading a hundred or so soldiers, walked this way. The soldiers in the arrow tower fired warning arrows, but they ignored them. Instead, they sent knights to hurl insults, demanding that the granary supervisor and granary manager go out to greet them."

"Nonsense! This must be rebels in disguise!!"

"Bring me my precious bow!"

Lu Cangjian sternly rebuked him, immediately reverting to his fierce demeanor. Although he also felt despair about the future, he was not the kind of person who would just laze around and do nothing. In recent days, groups of thieves had come to covet this great gold mine.

Some of them launched a strong attack, but although the soldiers of Lu Cangjian were few, they were mostly elite and had a large number of defensive fortifications. They killed many thieves and piled their heads outside as a warning to the rest of the bandits.

Some have tried to use treacherous schemes, such as disguising themselves as grain transporters, grain supervisors, officials, generals, or even imperial envoys. However, none of them have succeeded so far. He has experienced many years of war, rising from the lowest-ranking soldier to his current position, and has also gained the appreciation of Fan Zigai. He is not an incompetent person.

Lu Cangjian was already in a bad mood, and now he angrily walked towards the city wall. He absolutely could not show any mercy to these thieves. Only by killing enough of them could he deter the others. If they showed any weakness, they would be attacked by the surrounding thieves and torn to pieces in an instant.

When Lu Cangjian walked onto the city wall, the soldiers around him gripped their bows, most of them looking uneasy.

When Supervisor Lu looked down, he was immediately startled.

At this moment, a group of over a hundred people were gathered below the city gate. The leader was smiling and talking to those around him, showing no fear whatsoever!

In recent days, many thieves have disguised themselves and tried to get close, but none of them dared to go down to the city wall, because that would put them within range of everyone's shooting. Once they made a move, they would have no chance of survival. Those people were trying to deceive them, or they stood far away and only sent one or two people to deliver false information.

This was the first time he had ever seen so many people dare to walk directly to the foot of the city wall, facing so many arrows aimed at them, all so casually.

Moreover, the so-called nobleman looked so young. He was dressed in extremely gorgeous clothes, and was very handsome and dignified. The warhorse he rode was no ordinary warhorse either. Lu Cangjian, who came from a military background, could tell the value of the warhorse at a glance. Not only his warhorse, but also the warhorses of the warriors around him, none of them were ordinary, each one better than the last.

The nobleman also carried a bow on his back. The bow was strangely crafted and inlaid with various jewels, making it look more and more like an imperial bow that only the emperor could use.
The soldiers following him were burly and fierce-looking, dressed in luxurious clothes, their weapons and armor gleaming, and each of their warhorses could be exchanged for a large mansion in Luoyang.
Lu Cangjian stared wide-eyed; no wonder the soldiers dared not make a move and let them approach!
He took a deep breath, and his raging anger subsided considerably.

But he still dared not relax, signaling everyone to get ready, and asked loudly:

"Who are those below the city walls?!"

Upon hearing this voice, Li Shimin finally stopped talking to his attendants and looked up at the city gate.

"The son of the Duke of Tang! The elder brother of the Duke of Zhao!"

"Li Shimin is here!!"

(End of this chapter)