My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 270 Liuqiu
"Form ranks!!"

Yuan Li called out again.

The soldiers filed out and quickly formed a battle formation, appearing before Yuan Li.

Yuan Li looked at his subordinates in front of him with a slightly complicated expression.

"Gentlemen, there is some incredibly good news."

"His Majesty is preparing to attack Liuqiu and has already conscripted dozens of soldiers from the Eagle Banner. Now, he wants you to serve as military officers and command this force!"

"This is your chance to earn merit, and it is also a test for you. If this battle goes smoothly, then what happens next is self-evident to everyone without me having to say it!"

The fact that the Sage wanted to form a new army was not a secret at all. The soldiers of the Right Army often talked about it, and now they all understood Yuan Li's idea. They were all very happy and started chatting with each other.

Yuan Li looked at them and said again, "However, there are a few things I still need to remind you of."

"The commander-in-chief this time is Chen Leng. We may have had disagreements in the past, but this time, as we fight alongside Chen Leng, we must not disobey his orders. Whatever he says goes. Even if he orders you to call me Yuan Li a dog, you must still do it! No hesitation allowed!"

The soldiers burst into laughter. In reality, because Yuan Li was in charge of the drills, they often insulted him in private. Yuan Li himself knew this, which was why he said it on purpose.

Yuan Li added, "Furthermore, this time we will be going to sea to fight. We are all northerners, and many of us may never have seen the sea. Do not bring shame to the northerners. Even if you can't hold on, you must die on the warship. You must not ruin the reputation of the Right Prefecture!"

Everyone agreed again.

"The general and I can't go with you. You all come from the same prefecture, so you must look after each other and help those around you. Try to bring back as many people as possible."

"Here!!"

Yuan Li gave a few instructions and told them to prepare. Then, his gaze was fixed on Li Xuanba. He wanted to say something, but hesitated for a moment before turning around and walking to Sima Dekan's side.

"General, is Xuanba also going on the expedition? How old is he? Twelve? Thirteen?"

"He's too old for corvée labor, how can we let him go?"

Sima Dekan glanced at him. "This is the Emperor's order. We all have to go. The Emperor even reprimanded me, saying that I was afraid of the Duke of Tang, that I wasn't fair to my soldiers, and that I favored Li Xuanba. What, do you want me to go and advise the Emperor?"

"Don't be afraid, he's already taken on all the training."

Yuan Li sighed, "Training is training, and fighting is fighting. They are completely different things. This trip and the round trip will probably take nearly a year. How can the child suffer like that!"

"Oh? When did you become so kind?"

“If it were someone else’s child, they would just die and that would be it. But Xuanba has been with us for so long, he’s practically one of our own brothers. How can we just stand by and watch him go to his death?”

"Don't worry about it, you can't control it anyway. Even the Duke can't control it, let alone you and me. Chen Leng isn't stupid, he won't send him to his death, so you can rest assured."

The next day, Li Xuanba followed his comrades to report to Chen Leng.

Looking at the strong and brave men in front of him, Chen Leng understood to some extent why the emperor had sent them with him. But when he saw the short man in the crowd, his heart was filled with bitterness.

He only just realized that he had been tricked by Pei Yun.

His words had a very strong backlash, making it impossible for him to protect Li Xuanba. He could only treat him as an ordinary military officer.

But if something happens to this kid, what will happen to the Duke of Tang?
Chen Leng took a deep breath, prepared himself mentally, and without saying anything more, decisively ordered them to follow him to Dongyang.

The knights set off quickly toward their destination.

Luoyang.

"Pei Yun!!!"

"You bastard!!"

Li Yuan stood up, kicked over the wooden table in front of him, and was furious to the extreme.

Li Jiancheng hurriedly stepped forward, took the letter, and his expression changed drastically after just one glance. The letter was written by General Sima Dekan, and it only mentioned one thing: Li Xuanba had been transferred to Dongyang with Chen Leng to go to sea to attack Liuqiu.

In his letter, Sima Dekan explained the reasons for these events, all because Chen Leng had stirred up trouble in front of the emperor. He had wanted to plead for leniency but was reprimanded by the emperor. He hoped that the Duke would not blame him, as it was not that he was unwilling to help but that he had no other choice.

Li Jiancheng frowned. "Xuanba is going to the battlefield??"

"This was definitely Pei Yun! Pei Yun did this! Chen Leng was closest to him!"

As Li Yuan spoke, he glared angrily at Li Jiancheng, "I told you long ago that you shouldn't have taken things from the armory! But you wouldn't listen, and now look what's happened, Pei Yun's counterattack! If anything happens to your brother, I will never let you off the hook!"

"Grandpa, if we submit a petition now, is it still too late?"

“If we submit another petition now, we’ll really be forcing your brother to his death! If the Sage reads our petition, he will surely inform Chen Leng to send Xuan Ba ​​as the vanguard and make him the first to fight!”

Li Yuan was so angry he wanted to grind his teeth and strangle Pei Yun right then and there.

Li Jiancheng comforted him, "Father, please don't be impatient. I've heard that Chen Leng is quite cautious and doesn't dare to provoke others. I think even if Pei Yun gave the order, he wouldn't dare to send Xuan Ba ​​to his death so easily. Besides, Xuan Ba ​​is brave."

Li Yuan simply kept a straight face and remained silent.

Li Jiancheng lowered his head, his eyes filled with sorrow. "It's all my fault. I was too hasty. I shouldn't have rushed into this and angered Pei Yun."

Li Yuan remained silent for a long time before putting away the letter in front of him and looking at Li Jiancheng. "Keep this matter a secret for now. Don't tell anyone, not even your mother. If your mother finds out that Xuanba has gone to the battlefield..."

Li Jiancheng nodded slightly.

Li Yuan sat back down and fell into deep thought. After thinking for a long time, he suddenly remembered something, "Zhang Zhenzhou in the south... Quickly, send someone to write him a letter!"

Dongyang Yingyang Prefecture.

When Chen Leng arrived with his many soldiers, Zhang Zhenzhou was already prepared and led several officers to greet him.

When Zhang Zhenzhou met Chen Leng, he introduced the Yingyang Prefecture officers from various places behind him to Chen Leng. Chen Leng smiled and nodded, indicating that he had met them.

Although Zhang Zhenzhou was not tall, his fierce appearance made him someone not to be underestimated.

After Chen Leng met with the many military officers, Zhang Zhenzhou finally spoke, saying, "We started building warships and making preparations last year. Currently, the soldiers and warships have been assembled and are ready to set sail at any time."

“I previously escorted Zhu to Liuqiu, so I can serve as the vanguard.”

"it is good."

"The sage meant that the sooner the better."

"Your Excellency may not know this, but although Ryukyu is a small country, it has quite a few soldiers and small boats. If they rely on the terrain to defend themselves, I'm afraid we will have difficulty landing. I think we can first send a group of people disguised as merchant ships. Merchant ships often come and go here, and the locals are used to it. After landing, we can launch a surprise attack, kill the soldiers stationed there, and then the main army can land and attack their capital."

Zhang Zhenzhou gave off a very assertive vibe, and Chen Leng couldn't find a chance to interject.

His words made Chen Leng feel as if he was making all the decisions, which made Chen Leng slightly dissatisfied. He said, "We can't rush to decide on this battle. We need to consider it carefully."

Zhang Zhenzhou immediately said, "The main problem is the extremely strong sea wind. If we don't think about it quickly and send out troops soon, we may encounter big trouble. The sea wind and waves are different in different seasons."

"I'm from the south, so I know a bit about the climate and storms."

Chen Leng interrupted him.

Zhang Zhenzhou seemed to realize something and quickly saluted, "That's not what I meant. I'm willing to obey the general's orders."

Seeing that Zhang Zhenzhou chose to back down, Chen Leng's expression softened a bit. "Well, let's reorganize the army first. The men I brought are all elites from the Sage's side. They can serve as military officers to assist me in commanding the army. Let the soldiers form ranks and train for a while."

"We'll send troops overseas next month!"

"Here!!"

(End of this chapter)