My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 168 Changes
Sages are always decisive and efficient in their actions.

After he decided to return, the entire entourage began to speed up their journey back. They traveled along the imperial roads, and Yang Guang had no interest in seeing anyone or his other confidants. He simply kept telling them to speed up.

No one knew what had happened, but this wasn't the first time someone had rushed back; there were precedents. So no one panicked, and the Sage hurried to Luoyang.

Of course, the news of the emperor's return to Luoyang had already been sent to Luoyang the moment the emperor got up.

Just as the emperor was rushing towards Luoyang, Zhang Du and his entourage returned to Loufan County.

Having had that experience before, the return trip was significantly faster.

When Zhang Du went there, there were more than forty people, but when he returned to Dade Farm, only half of them remained.

The other half remained in the cities along the way.

They accomplished quite a lot on this trip!
Dade Farm.

Outside the farm, numerous houses appeared, almost forming a large cluster. They surrounded the farm, creating a simple village. The village was surrounded by fences, and people could be seen herding cattle and sheep, women carrying water, and children.

When Zhang Du and the others arrived here, they could hardly recognize them.

Is this still our farm?

Zhang Du and the others rushed over without prior notice, so when they arrived, everyone was still busy with their own things.

Many farmers are busy clearing abandoned farmland, mainly removing the rubble from the surface.

Qu Qiusheng was startled when he saw the village that had suddenly appeared.

"Lord Jun really does keep his word! He said he would build a village here, and now there really is one!"

Zhang Du laughed, "It seems quite a few people are willing to pledge allegiance to you, my lord!"

As soon as they entered the village, they were spotted by their companions. Upon seeing Zhang Du's arrival, they were quite excited. After exchanging a few words and learning that the Lord was in the farm, Zhang Du and the others dismounted and quickly headed towards the farm.

After walking a few steps, they saw a group of people gathered in the distance.

They saw a person sitting in the high seat, surrounded by a large group of people. The person sitting in the high seat was Zhang Du's junior brother, who was currently expounding on the teachings of the sage.

"What I just said is the consequence of being moral and being immoral. A person without morality, even if they may be powerful for a time, cannot last long."

After he finished speaking, several farmers below couldn't help but sigh, "The Sima family really deserved it!"

"He made an oath but didn't keep it, so he deserved to be killed, and his descendants were all wiped out. It's a pity that he implicated those innocent people."

"Yeah yeah."

Listening to their words, Zhang Du already understood what his junior brother had told them.

He looked at his junior brother who was leading the way and said with some concern, "Aren't you guys being a little too blunt?"

"This goes beyond the scope of lecturing, doesn't it?"

“Brother, there’s no need to worry. Telling these historical stories is merely to verify the sage’s teachings. It’s still about the sage’s principles and doesn’t go beyond the scope of the Dao.”

Zhang Du still had a frown on his face.

If lectures are not kept secret and are too frank, they can easily cause trouble for the ruler.

It seems I need to gather my fellow disciples and have a serious talk with them about what I should and shouldn't say.

The Dade Farm already had high walls, and several people were guarding the gate. When they saw Zhang Du, they were very happy and quickly bowed to greet him. Then, Zhang Du followed his junior brother into the farm.

At this moment, the Lord was also sitting in the farm, surrounded by many people, and he was also expounding on the teachings of the sages!

When Zhang Du saw Li Xuanba, his pace quickened as he hurried toward the Marquis.

Upon seeing Li Xuanba, Zhang Du was no longer afraid of anything!

Li Xuanba hadn't noticed him yet, and was earnestly lecturing to those around him.

"So, we must get rid of Yang Guang!" This was the first thing Zhang Du heard when he arrived.

Zhang Du shuddered for a moment, but quickly regained his composure. He looked to the side and saw that Qu Qiusheng's face was pale; he looked like he was about to faint from fright. Zhang Du supported him, and it took Qu Qiusheng a long time to recover.

"Not only Yang Guang, but also those who are attached to him and bring disaster to the world must be eliminated. If these people are not killed, the world cannot be well-governed!"

"Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, the chronic problems of the world have been embodied in these people. Changing dynasties without eliminating them is a waste of effort. My teacher once said that the problems of the world cannot be solved by killing a tyrant; all the treacherous villains must be killed."

Those around him listened intently, nodding in agreement.

Only then did Li Xuanba notice Zhang Du and the others. He immediately smiled, and everyone followed Li Xuanba's gaze to Zhang Du. Li Xuanba stood up and said, "Let's stop here for today and continue tomorrow!"

Everyone agreed, then rose, bowed, and dispersed.

"Commander!"

"Old Master Qu".

Li Xuanba greeted them with a smile, and Zhang Du and Qu Qiusheng bowed in greeting. Before Zhang Du could speak, Qu Qiusheng spoke first: "My lord! I have heard that the matter was accomplished in secrecy! You are leading us to achieve great things, how can you go around talking about it like this? If even one person goes out and leaks the secret, wouldn't that bring an immeasurable crime upon you?"

Li Xuanba looked at Qu Qiusheng. When Zhang Du wanted to take him away, the two of them discussed whether or not to involve Qu Qiusheng. Li Xuanba thought it was entirely possible. Now it seems that he was right, Qu Qiusheng has already joined in.

He explained with a smile, "You don't need to worry. Those who can come to this farm to listen to my lectures are all trustworthy people who can be entrusted with important matters."

"With so many people relying on me now, I won't be careless."

Zhang Du then said, "Old Master Qu, why say so much? Isn't what you, Lord, said the truth? The people in this manor have all done great things with you, Lord. How could they not know the truth?"

Qu Qiusheng looked at Zhang Du blankly. "That's not what you said outside!"
Li Xuanba met with his other fellow disciples and then followed Zhang Du and the others into the courtyard.

Zhang Du quickly began to recount what had happened along the way.

He spoke in great detail, covering the situation in almost every place, and finally mentioned being followed and how those people were killed by Shan Xiongxin.

After listening to their story, Li Xuanba sighed and said, "You've suffered so much!"

"Zhang Tuanzuo!"

"I, your humble servant, am here!"

"I hereby appoint you as the Chief Secretary of the Marquis's Residence. From now on, you will follow me and participate in political affairs."

Zhang Du's eyes widened, and he quickly bowed, saying, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty!"

Li Xuanba then looked at Qu Qiusheng, "Old Master Qu."

"Your subject is here!"

"You are hereby appointed as the Vice Minister of the Revenue of the Marquis's Residence!"

Qu Qiusheng bowed tremblingly, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty!"

Qu Qiusheng was not quite clear, but Zhang Du understood very well. The Marquis had directly adopted the form of establishing his own government, which was the most popular way for powerful ministers in the past to govern the country directly through their own government. Many of the official positions in the government corresponded to the official positions in the imperial court, and powerful ministers could directly use the official positions in the government to replace the imperial court in its operation.

Li Xuanba frowned and said very seriously, "After you left, many more people came to rely on us. To achieve great things, money and provisions are indispensable. Old Master Qu, you must pay close attention to this matter and manage the businesses in various places well for me."

"Here!"

Zhang Du was also somewhat excited at this moment, and he asked, "My lord, when shall we launch our uprising?!"

“Our plans have only just begun, we cannot be impatient. When the sage built the Fenyang Palace, a large number of people died north of Loufan.”

"What I mean is, could we gather these people together and relocate them to the vicinity? Winter is just around the corner, and if no one takes care of them, these dead people may not survive."

Zhang Du hurriedly said, "My lord, please entrust this matter to me. I have been to many places and am familiar with the terrain of various places. I will gather them together and settle them in one place! When I met Zhai Rang, he told me that he set off from Yeniu Mountain and encountered many bandits and many dead people along the way."

"I believe we can gather all these people together, have them stationed in various places to expand our power, and when the time is right, let them raise troops from different locations to occupy counties and prefectures, so that the enemy cannot defend both front and rear!!!"

(End of this chapter)