My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 214 Meeting
Outside Luoyang City.

Li Xuanba stood at the intersection, surrounded by a large group of people.

Li Xuanba looked at these people and said helplessly, "Brother, you didn't need to come with me. I could have greeted them myself."

"That can't happen!"

Yang Hao said, "You've helped us so many times, but you refuse to accept the gifts we give you. At least let us show our appreciation. Besides, we've all heard of Young Master Jiancheng's great name and have wanted to get to know him for a long time. This is a good opportunity."

Everyone echoed in agreement.

Today, Li Xuanba came out of the city to welcome his family. After so much time, Li Jiancheng finally arrived in the capital with the rest of his family. Some time had passed since Li Xuanba and Li Yuan entered Luoyang.

The weather is starting to get hot.

Li Xuanba had become very close to his classmates at the Imperial Academy. After several exams, those who were not suitable to continue their studies were forcibly expelled by Yang Wang. Those who remained were at least those who had studied in the past and could write something.

Yang Wang's actions also aroused dissatisfaction among some ministers.

They slandered Yang Wang before the emperor, saying that he solicited bribes from people at the Imperial Academy.

Yang Wang, who also had a fiery temper, took the essays he had written about failing the previous exams and presented them to the sage, asking him to read them and demonstrating to the sage through his actions why he wanted to expel those who had failed.

After reading these articles, it's unknown what Yang Guang thought, but he never inquired about the Imperial Academy again, leaving the decision to Yang Wang.

The sage has been in a good mood lately.

After Li Yuan arrived at the front line, he quickly made use of his advantages. He arrested many officials who were embezzling public funds and appointed people he trusted more to take charge of these matters. With Li Yuan in charge of the rear, the war at the front went more and more smoothly.

Previously, Yuwen Shu had led his generals Liang Yuanli, Zhang Jun, and Cui Shi to fight against Tuyuhun. They defeated Tuyuhun at Mantou City, killing more than 3000 of their men. Taking advantage of the victory, they then captured Chishui City.

The remnants of the Tuyuhun army retreated to the Qiuni River.

After Li Yuan took office, he promptly supervised the delivery of grain and military supplies, providing excellent support to the army at the front. Yuwen Shu then launched another campaign and won a great victory at Qiunichuan, where Tuyuhun was stationed!

In this battle, he almost crippled the Tuyuhun. He captured more than two hundred of the major nobles who could be named, including their princes, ministers, generals, and local officials. He captured almost all of them, and his spoils amounted to nearly ten thousand.

The Khan of Tuyuhun was defeated by Yuwen Shu and fled in panic, all the way to the vicinity of the Great Snow Mountain, not daring to look back.

Meanwhile, the Tuyuhun tribes in various parts of the northwest were terrified and submitted petitions to surrender, unwilling to fight Yuwen Shu any longer. Yuwen Shu accepted more than 100,000 surrendered tribes at one time. Yuwen Shu continued to send troops to advance and pursue the remaining remnants who were unwilling to surrender. His vanguard army marched all the way to Shanshan and Qiemo in the Western Regions.

When this news reached the emperor, he was overjoyed.

He has no time for anything else now; he's already packing his things, preparing to head to the Northwest.

The Sui Dynasty had achieved such a great victory, expanding its territory to the Western Regions. For Yang Guang, who was determined to restore the mighty Han Dynasty, there was no better news than this. The Emperor was already prepared and would probably be heading to the Northwest in the next few days to inspect the newly acquired territories with Yuwen Shu and others. No one knew where he planned to go on this trip.

The young people in Luoyang have been talking about this a lot lately.

Yuwen Shu's reputation soared.

Many scholars who previously thought this man was cruel and corrupt now admit that he was indeed quite capable in combat, greatly enhancing the prestige of the Sui Dynasty.

As for the sage, he probably already adores Yuwen Shu to death.

The nobles around Li Xuanba are now passionately discussing Yuwen Shu's war.

Most of the second-generation descendants still respect the sage, even though the sage's previous corvée labor was indeed terrifying and he stripped many people of their titles. In terms of civil administration and military achievements, he really did have something.

They valued education and now defeated the Tuyuhun, expanding the territory of the Sui Dynasty.

Li Xuanba simply listened quietly to their conversation.

A large group of people gradually appeared in the distance.

At the very front, knights led the way, and Li Xuanba recognized them at a glance—they were his elder brother's men.

The young men who had come with him also stopped talking about the war, their spirits high, and began to whisper about Li Jiancheng.

Li Xuanba hadn't expected that his elder brother was quite prestigious among these people. Many people said they wanted to befriend his elder brother, and they weren't just talking; they genuinely had that idea.

However, after witnessing the lives of these second-generation nobles in Luoyang, Li Xuanba understood why so many people liked to say that his elder brother was the cream of the crop among the second-generation nobles. Li Jiancheng soon rode his horse here.

Upon seeing Li Xuanba arrive with so many people to greet him, Li Jiancheng was taken aback for a moment. He quickly dismounted and greeted everyone with a smile.

The crowd returned the greetings; some knew Li Jiancheng, while others were meeting him for the first time.

"Big brother!"

Li Xuanba bowed to Li Jiancheng, who smiled and helped him up. Li Jiancheng then looked at the rest of the group and said, "Thank you all for taking care of Xuanba. I am truly grateful. In a few days, I will definitely host a banquet at my residence to entertain you all!"

"No need, no need, haha, young master, you don't know, it's not that we're looking after Xuanba, but that Xuanba is helping us. If it weren't for him, we probably would have been kicked out by Chief Instructor Yang long ago!"

Everyone laughed.

Li Jiancheng stayed behind to talk with everyone, and gestured for Li Xuanba to go find Madam Dou and the others.

Li Xuanba didn't leave. He looked at the rest of the group and said seriously, "Everyone, please wait a moment. I have something very important to tell my elder brother."

The crowd was somewhat surprised, but no one said anything.

Li Jiancheng led Li Xuanba aside and said helplessly, "Even if it's urgent, we should talk about it when we get to the mansion."

"Brother, we can't delay."

"Yang Xuangan is ready and is just waiting for my elder brother to arrive in Luoyang. I don't know when he will make his move, so I must inform my elder brother first and prepare accordingly."

"Your second brother has already told me about Yang Xuangan's matter."

“But there’s something else that my elder brother doesn’t know. The people I sent discovered that Zheng Jingang, who used to be by my elder brother’s side, is now in Yang Xuangan’s residence. He must know something.”

Li Jiancheng sneered, "No wonder."

Li Xuanba then said, "There is one more thing. Please forgive my sins, elder brother."

"I personally supported Qingzao Village in Wild Buffalo Mountain, as did the Loufan people. It was because of my poor judgment that my brother has gotten into all this trouble."

Li Jiancheng froze on the spot, stunned for a long time. "What did you say?"

"Big brother, this was not done by second brother, it was done by me, and it has nothing to do with second brother."

"I am willing to accept whatever punishment you give me, but please be prepared. Yang Xuangan has many cunning and treacherous people around him, so be prepared."

The news Li Jiancheng heard was quite shocking. He took a long time to process it before looking at his younger brother with a complicated expression.

"This is the secret you said you wanted to tell me??"

"yes."

Li Jiancheng hesitated, then said, "I'll tell you about this when I get to the manor! Go see Mother and the others! I'll go keep those people company first!"

"Here!"

Li Xuanba left quickly, while Li Jiancheng returned to Yang Hao and the others. He smiled and said, "I haven't seen my brother for a long time. There are some things he doesn't dare to say in public, afraid of being ridiculed."

Everyone laughed, and Li Jiancheng continued, "Gentlemen, why don't we talk as we walk? It's been a long time since I've been back to Luoyang. Has anything changed in Luoyang?"

Li Jiancheng walked forward with the group, chatting and laughing.

Li Xuanba hurriedly rushed back, and the first people he encountered were Li Shimin and Li Yuanji.

"Saburo!"

"Third Brother!"

The two spoke at the same time, then stepped forward with smiles. Li Shimin looked at Li Xuanba in surprise, clicking his tongue in amazement, "How long has it been? How have you grown taller again? Is the food in Luoyang so delicious now?"

(End of this chapter)