My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 297 Qin Qiong
Ministry of War.

Li Xuanba strode in, followed by Yuan Li, and behind Yuan Li were four fully armed soldiers.

The soldiers at the gate dared not stop them and quickly let them pass.

The Ministry of War wasn't particularly luxurious, but it occupied a vast area with a continuous stretch of buildings. Just walking around it would probably take quite a while. Given its size, it also housed a considerable number of officials. The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works were probably the two busiest departments in recent years. Minister Yuwen of the Ministry of Works was rarely home, as his son, Yuwen Rutong, was very close to Li Xuanba.

As for Minister Duan of the Ministry of War, well, he's quite idle. He rarely goes out, not because he doesn't have much to do, but because someone helps him with those tasks.

"Hahaha~~"

"General Li is indeed a promising young man!"

Shortly after Li Xuanba entered the Ministry of War, a man walked briskly toward him. The man's face was full of smiles, and he looked like a kind elder. This man was none other than Hu Sizheng, the Vice Minister of War who had close ties with Yang Xuangan.

Husi Zheng was no good; he had previously tried to capture Li Xuanba to curry favor with the emperor.

For this reason, he did not hesitate to offend Yang Xuangan and take advantage of Yang Xuanzong.

However, when Duan Wenzhen stepped forward, he not only did not gain any benefit, but was also taken away by Yang Guang and reprimanded. It was only because he was able to effectively restrain Duan Wenzhen that the emperor did not dismiss him from his post, and after punishing him, he was allowed to continue serving as a vice minister.

However, Husi Zheng lost much of his authority. Many officials in the Ministry of War abandoned him and followed Duan Wenzhen instead. Husi Zheng's position became somewhat awkward. Duan Wenzhen also disliked him, and Yang Xuangan became somewhat indifferent. He felt as if he had lost everything.

Li Xuanba politely bowed to the other party, "May I ask who you are?"

"I am Husizheng, Vice Minister of War. General, there's no need for such formalities. I have been acquainted with the Duke of Tang for a long time."

Upon hearing this name, Li Xuanba immediately lowered his hand. "Are you the one who sent people to my residence to arrest me and take me back to the Ministry of War?"

Husi Zheng paused for a moment, "Ahem, General, that's all a misunderstanding. I was just following orders, not acting out of personal motives."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Xuanba walked right past him without even glancing at him. Li Xuanba casually grabbed someone, asked him where Minister Duan was, and then had that person lead the way.

With a dark expression, Hu Sizheng chose to compromise in the face of Li Xuanba's rude behavior.

He turned around and quickly walked to Li Xuanba's side again. "General, I've come to take you to see the Minister. The Minister knew you were coming yesterday. He is very fond of you, General, and has often said he wanted to meet this young hero."

Li Xuanba completely ignored him, but this Husi Zheng was really shameless. He ignored the hostility shown by Li Xuanba and stayed by his side, talking non-stop.

"Step aside."

Li Xuanba didn't speak, but Yuan Li spoke first. He grabbed Hu Sizheng and pulled him aside.

Husi Zheng was, after all, a high-ranking official and a minister in the court. Being dragged away so rudely made him angry, but when he looked at Yuan Li, this fierce and burly man with a face full of scars, he calmed down his anger.

He was a respectable man, a scholar, and it was not worth arguing with such a warrior. Most of these warriors were uneducated barbarians who disregarded etiquette and would attack without warning. If he were beaten here, he would be punished later and would lose face.

Husi Zheng could only smile and stop following, watching Li Xuanba leave.

After watching Li Xuanba leave, Husi Zheng muttered under his breath, "That madman from the Li family! I'll deal with you sooner or later."

For the Ministry of War, forming a new army was the most profitable thing to do.

Whether it's arranging manpower, weapons and equipment, or food supplies, there are countless ways to make money and gain favors. Husi Zheng wanted to win over Li Xuanba because he wanted a share of the profits, but now it seems that this kid is not easy to talk to.

He had to find a way to sneak in; he couldn't just watch everyone else feast while he couldn't get a single bite!

Led by the official, Li Xuanba walked all the way into a small courtyard. Duan Wenzhen, dressed in the clothes of an ordinary person, held an arrow in his hand, and a wine pot was placed in the distance. He was playing the game of pitch-pot.

"General Li Xuanba pays his respects to Minister Duan."

Duan Wenzhen looked at the child in front of him and suddenly laughed. "I've heard about you every day, saying you're incredibly strong and can eat several sheep in one meal. I thought you were a big, strong warrior, but I never expected you to be just a little kid." Duan Wenzhen smiled, but there was no malice on his face. He beckoned to Li Xuanba, signaling him to come to his side. When Li Xuanba approached, Duan Wenzhen continued playing the pitch-pot game.

He threw it quite accurately, and it went right into the mouth of the kettle.

"Try?"

Duan Wenzhen handed the arrow to Li Xuanba, who picked it up and threw it forcefully.

"Whoosh~~"

The arrow pierced the wine pot from the side and flew out with the pot in its wake, only stopping when it hit the courtyard wall.

Duan Wenzhen was dumbfounded.

He slowly turned his head to look at the doll beside him, scrutinizing him from head to toe. "Strange things, strange things keep happening."

He handed all the arrows to the official beside him and led Li Xuanba into the house, saying as they walked, "The military government in Licheng recruited a little kid surnamed Luo this year, hmm, about your age, right? He was impeached and brought to me, accused of embezzling funds by using a ten-year-old child to fill positions."

"Later, the general from that side sent a letter saying that although the child was young, he was tall and strong, could wear two layers of armor, and could ride a horse and shoot arrows at full speed. Seven or eight warriors could not defeat him. I did not believe it at first, but now I do. There really are many extraordinary people in this world."

"sit down."

Duan Wenzhen looked at Li Xuanba, who had sat down, and then sighed, "Actually, I don't really agree with the idea of ​​forming a new army. The country already has enough armies. Even the Imperial Guards are quite numerous. I really don't understand why we need to continue forming new ones."

"However, since His Majesty has given the order, I will fully support it."

"As you probably know, the officials in the court have long been eyeing the vacancies in the Imperial Guards, trying every means to gain some benefits. There are even more people with the same idea within the Ministry of War. So, I advise you not to look for people from other places."

"The best way is to look within the current army, observe their training, select reliable people from Guanzhong, appoint them as generals, and then build an army around them. In this way, things will surely succeed."

"It's best to ignore all of these people from the Ministry of War."

"This is my letter. Take this letter and go to the Duke of Rong. The Duke of Rong has many elite soldiers and generals under his command. Choose reliable people from among them to serve as officers, and no one can say anything about it."

Duan Wenzhen handed a letter to Li Xuanba.

He solemnly instructed, "His Majesty has entrusted you with such an important matter, so you must be careful. If anything goes wrong, it won't just affect you alone. His Majesty is very concerned about military affairs, do you understand?"

"Thank you for your guidance, Master Duan. I will remember it."

Duan Wenzhen laughed. He was very satisfied with Li Xuanba's attitude. So, he lowered his voice and said, "The Duke of Rong has the most valiant men around him. After you meet him, you can ask him to recommend some people to you."

"The Duke of Rongguo would absolutely not dare to recommend anyone. He wouldn't dare to interfere with the affairs of the new army. He would let you choose for yourself. You need to be discerning. The one he puts at the forefront is definitely not the best. Just look at the group of people around him. Whoever is closest to him, that's the one you should choose! The more he grits his teeth and tries to stop you, the more at ease you will be!"

"do you know?"

Li Xuanba stood there stunned for a long time before nodding.

"understood"

At that moment, Rongguo Gong Lai Huer, who was standing on the high platform watching the soldiers drill below, suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose. These past few days, traveling back and forth between various military posts, his body was starting to give out. It seemed he needed to rest for a few days.

He looked at the young man standing beside him.

"Shubao, you stay here and keep watch for now. I'm going back to get some sleep."

(End of this chapter)