My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 255 Heroic Martial Arts
"It is indeed fine wine, thank you, Duke."

Li Jiancheng no longer sat so upright, his sleeves were slightly disheveled, he held a wine cup in his hand, drank it all in one gulp, letting the wine flow down from the corner of his mouth, he looked quite unrestrained, which pleased Yuwen Shu greatly!
Yuwen Shu was not a person who cared much about etiquette. He was a rough and bold man who did not like to associate with scholars like Su Wei, and he would not gather famous people like Yang Xuangan. His speech was full of the unrestrained temperament of an old Xianbei nobleman.

Li Jiancheng realized this, so he simply made himself look more rugged.

The two then started talking about things in the Northwest.

"I was truly moved when I heard them recount the battles fought by Duke Xu on the frontier. I heard that Duke Xu defeated the Tuyuhun and made them flee in disarray. He is truly a role model for us all! I raise another cup to the Duke!"

Yuwen Shu was overjoyed and picked up his wine cup to drink it all in one gulp.

He smiled and said, "Nephew, there's no need to praise me like that. Our army is strong, while the barbarians are weak. It's not that I'm domineering, but rather that our national strengths differ!"

"No, throughout history, countless powerful nations have fallen. National strength is certainly important, but without a qualified commander, even the strongest nation cannot determine victory or defeat. The Duke, stationed on the border, played to his strengths and avoided his weaknesses. He did not concern himself with the gains or losses of a single city or place with the enemy, but gathered his troops to weaken their main force, bypassed key towns to cut off their flanks, and finally besieged their capital and annihilated the enemy chieftain! He can be called a famous general of our time!"

Yuwen Shu was somewhat surprised, "My dear nephew, you actually know about military affairs?"

He quickly realized his mistake and added, "I have often heard of my nephew's fondness for literature."

"The people of Heluo all call us frontier warriors. In any family of warriors, how could one not know about military affairs?"

"Hahaha! You're right!"

Yuwen Shu and Li Jiancheng talked for a long time, their conversation growing increasingly intimate, and Yuwen Shu felt quite fond of each other. Just then, Li Jiancheng suddenly let out a long sigh.

"Why do you sigh, my dear nephew?"

"My lord, I sighed for Lord Duan of the Ministry of War. Have you heard about his story?"

"Duan Wenzhen?"

Yuwen Shu asked curiously, "What's wrong with him?"

"The man beside him, Husi Zheng, is arrogant and domineering. He repeatedly bypasses Lord Duan and acts recklessly. Lord Duan is such a hero, yet he is bullied by such a villain. Previously, my brother behaved rudely at the Imperial Academy, and this Husi Zheng did not inform Lord Duan. Instead, he made a decision in private to arrest my brother."

Yuwen Shu suddenly realized, "I know about Husi Zheng's affairs."

"I've also heard that Lord Duan wants to retire and return to his hometown."

Yuwen Shu shook his head. "That's impossible. Duan Wenzhen is still very healthy. Husi Zheng can't control him."

“But I heard that the Ministry of War only obeys Hu Sizheng’s orders. Duan Gong cannot command them. When Duan Gong went to the Emperor to impeach him, the Emperor only reprimanded Hu Sizheng and did not interfere.”

Yuwen Shu gave a wry smile. He hesitated, knowing full well that this was a tactic of checks and balances, but he couldn't openly discuss it with Li Jiancheng. He sighed, "There's nothing we can do about it."

Li Jiancheng looked at Yuwen Shu and lowered his voice, "Duke Xu, this really worries me."

"For me??"

Yuwen Shu looked at Li Jiancheng in disbelief.

"What does this have to do with me?"

"How do Duan Gong's military achievements compare to those of Xu Guogong?"

"He is not as good as me."

How does his reputation compare to yours?

"Not as good as me."

"And what about his ability to lead troops into battle?"

"Naturally, they are not as good as me."

Li Jiancheng nodded, "His Majesty's favor towards you has surpassed that of everyone else. Duan Wenzhen is only capable of so much, yet he already has such a troublesome villain as Husi Zheng by his side. This is truly worrying." Upon hearing Li Jiancheng's words, Yuwen Shu was jolted awake.

Neither Yuwen Shu nor Li Jiancheng explicitly stated their intentions, but both understood each other's meaning. The emperor cherished checks and balances, and Duan Wenzhen had been surrounded by villains like Husi Zheng. Therefore, Li Jiancheng was far superior to Duan Wenzhen in terms of his own power and influence.
Yuwen Shu hesitated for a moment, "You mean, Su Wei?"

Li Jiancheng laughed, "Lord Su is a kind and benevolent man, how could he possibly argue with Lord Yuwen?"

"I have heard that His Majesty intends to bestow upon Li Hun the title of Duke of Cheng and promote him to Grand Master of the Palace, but I do not know if it is true."

Yuwen Shu frowned immediately, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

Yuwen Shu had a strong aversion to his brother-in-law, Li Hun. Indeed, Li Hun's previous actions were unethical. Yuwen Shu had played a significant role in Li Hun's ability to kill and seize a title without being punished. Li Hun had promised to share half of his salary with Yuwen Shu, but then quickly broke his promise, turning his back on him and even forbidding his family from associating with Yuwen Shu.

If Yuwen Shu had fallen on hard times and his power had diminished, that would be one thing. But Yuwen Shu was clearly getting stronger every day, receiving more and more favor and rewards, and his military achievements were also constantly increasing. At this time, he turned his back on his promises, revealing the lingering influence of the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

Li Jiancheng was not talking nonsense. Before the previous prophecy about the Li surname appeared, that is, when Yuwen Shu had just won the victory, Yang Guang already had the idea of ​​promoting Li Hun. The title of Guanglu Dafu was just a transition. In history, Yang Guang promoted Li Hun to Right Xiaowei Dajiangjun.

As for why Yang Guang would promote Li Hun, who had not made any military achievements at the time and spent his days eating, drinking, and indulging in extravagance, to the position of Right Valiant Guard General, we must mention Yuwen Shu, the Left Guard General with whom he had a grudge. Balance!
Seeing Yuwen Shu's appearance, Li Jiancheng spoke again: "Duke, I came here not to sow discord between you and Li Hun, but to protect myself."

“That nursery rhyme really harmed my family. It was done by Yang Xuangan and others with the aim of ruining my family. People around me advised me to let someone else take the blame to protect my family, but I don’t want to do such a despicable and shameless thing.”

"But later Li Hun sent someone to find me and asked me to discuss important matters with him."

"When I found him, he actually suggested that we could frame the other ministers in the court with the surname Li and change the prophecy to resolve the crisis."

"I think this person is dishonest. He clearly wants to trick me into doing something so he can report me and make my family take the blame!"

“Such a wicked person is truly disgusting to me. I do not wish to associate with him. However, because of the matter of Shi Shu Hu Xi, I have no choice but to come and explain to Duke Xu. Just now, when I was talking with you, I felt very close to you. You treated me like a nephew and treated me with sincerity, so I can only tell you the truth.”

"This treacherous Li Hun has been a threat to my family, and I'm afraid he will also be a threat to the Duke in the future. It would be better to let him take the blame to resolve the trouble between our two families. What does the Duke think?"

Yuwen Shu stared at Li Jiancheng for a long time, then asked, "Aren't you afraid I'll report this to the Emperor?"

"The Duke is the head of all the noble families in Guanzhong at present! He is the best in the world in terms of both character and talent, and he would never do such a thing."

Yuwen Shu sighed deeply and shook his head repeatedly.

His gaze toward Li Jiancheng was rather complicated.

"Shi Shu Hu Xi, this matter is not easy to handle."

“It’s easy. Duke Xu, you may not know this, but there’s a power struggle between the two sons in the Turkic country. Shi Shu Hu Xi may have been captured by the other side. This is an outsider’s business, and we can’t interfere.”

Yuwen Shu laughed loudly, "Good, that's for the best."

"Li Hun, if the nursery rhyme is true, and there really is a traitor in the country, then it must be Li Hun without a doubt. Don't worry, I am very familiar with Anjiatuo. Leave this matter to me. However, what about Pan Dan?"

"Duke, I will handle Pan Dan's case."

"Okay, Jiancheng, from now on, you should come here often and have a drink with me."

"Transformation!!"

Yuwen Shu shouted, and the next moment, Yuwen Huaji walked in looking disheveled, bowing to his father in greeting. Yuwen Shu pointed to Li Jiancheng beside him, "From now on, the two of you should interact more. Treat Jiancheng as your younger brother, and don't be rude, understand?"

Yuwen Huaji hurriedly bowed to Li Jiancheng, and the two met.

Yuwen Shu then let the two of them leave.

After the two left, Yuwen Shu couldn't help but sigh. How wonderful it would be if this were his family's heir. Yuwen Huaji was so much older than him, but he was far inferior in both courage and talent. However, if he were to make Shiji his heir, he was worried that something like Li Hun's would happen to his family.

However, let's kill that bastard Li Hun first, and then talk about other things.

(End of this chapter)