My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 308 Targeting?

Pei Yun sat inside the carriage and headed towards the training ground.

Yang Xuan rode his horse, following behind Pei Yun.

Logically speaking, Yang Xuanzong should not need Pei Yun to personally escort him to his new post. However, Pei Yun still brought him along. In name, the two went their separate ways, with Yang Xuanzong going to take up his post and Pei Yun going to appease him, and they were not related. But in reality, Pei Yun had more complex considerations.

Yang Xuangan said that his younger brother was at odds with Li Xuanba, but that was just a lie to help his brother rise to power. If he hadn't said a few nice words for him, how could they have started fighting?
When their carriages arrived at the training ground, they were no longer stopped like before when Zanwu was there. Li Xuanba and several of his officers came out to greet them.

Since Pei Yun came by imperial decree, we cannot be disrespectful.

Yuan Li's face was flushed. Standing behind Li Xuanba, he looked at Pei Yun with a strange expression.

The sage's orders were already conveyed yesterday.

Many people were dismissed. In addition to the local officials, Yuan Li's title of Guoyi Langjiang was also removed. It was said that Yang Xuanzong, the Huben Langjiang, would replace him, but there were no other arrangements for Yuan Li. Yuan Li could only stay in the new army as Youfu Zhizhai, which was neither here nor there.

“General Yuan, I should have gone out to drive them away myself. It was because of my orders that this happened.”

Li Xuanba felt a little guilty.

One of the main reasons Yuan Li was dismissed was that he condoned his soldiers beating officials.

Upon hearing Li Xuanba's words, Yuan Li simply shook his head. "General, this has nothing to do with your orders. It's Yang Xuanzong who's here, and he's here for you. I don't care; I'll be transferred soon anyway. But General, you should be careful. This Yang fellow is no good."

“This guy used to rely on his father to extort money from many military officers. He would demand bribes from us and refuse to promote them if we didn’t give them the money. He would even maliciously suppress us.”

Yuan Li's eyes were somewhat cold. "They say they'll use people from the Right Treasury to form a new army, but in the end, aren't these the same people still the officials? They say it's all about one person making decisions, but in the end, they still keep some scoundrel around to annoy people."

Yuan Li was already quite dissatisfied.

Li Xuanba could only console him, saying, "Don't say any more of this. I'll find a way to recommend you again."

As the two were talking, the carriage in the distance stopped.

Pei Yun stepped down from the carriage with a smile, his expression friendly, showing no sign of hostility.

"General Lee!"

"Imperial Censor Pei."

"General, you are truly accomplished at a young age! Back in Jiangdu, I predicted that you would achieve great things, and it has indeed come true. At such a young age, you have already begun to command such a large army, which is truly enviable."

As Pei Yun spoke, he ordered someone to hand over the various rewards he had brought to Li Xuanba, so that he could distribute them to the soldiers.

Pei Yun successfully carried out the emperor's order to appease the emperor.

Then, he pointed to Yang Xuanzong standing to the side, "This is the newly appointed General Guoyi!"

Yang Xuanzong looked at Li Xuanba in front of him and felt somewhat embarrassed.

Pei Yun frowned. "General Yang, General Li will be your superior from now on. Why haven't you paid your respects to him yet?"

Yang Xuanzong, his face dark, bowed to Li Xuanba again, "General."

Everyone could see his reluctance.

Pei Yun was very angry. He said, "His Majesty is preparing to use troops. He thought that as the son of a good general, you would be able to put aside your prejudices and work together. Why do you seem so unwilling? If you continue like this, I will petition His Majesty to remove you from your post, so as not to affect the morale of the army!"

Yang Xuanzong could only bow again, "Your subordinate greets the General!"

Li Xuanba watched Pei Yun's performance quietly.

Li Xuanba disliked neither of the two people in front of him, but if he had to pick the one he disliked the least, it would definitely be Pei Yun.

"You call yourself the son of a military family? Don't you know any of the rules of the army?"

Pei Yun was reprimanding him when Li Xuanba interrupted him, "Lord Pei, the General of the Righteous Army is my deputy, and I will take charge of him. Governor Pei need not interfere or sow discord."

Pei Yun's expression turned slightly cold. He looked at Li Xuanba and said, "General, although you are young, you should be careful with your words. I am here on orders."

"Was His Majesty ordered to send you to sow discord?"

"Hehehe, is General Yang criticizing His Majesty?" "General Yang."

Li Xuanba suddenly spoke, and Yang Xuanzong was taken aback, but still subconsciously replied, "Your subordinate is here!"

"Send Imperial Censor Pei and the others out."

Li Xuanba gave the order, then turned and left.

Yang Xuanzong gritted his teeth and looked at Pei Yun beside him. He remembered his brother's instructions not to offend Pei Yun and to be respectful to him. But he was not a person who could endure. Recalling Pei Yun's repeated reprimands, he finally put on a stern face and said, "Imperial Censor Pei, since His Majesty's gift has been accepted, please leave."

Pei Yunqi almost burst out laughing.

But he didn't react; instead, he turned and went back into the carriage.

His expression remained calm.

Yang Xuangan's decision to send his younger brother into the new army is undoubtedly a move to compete for power with Li Xuanba. These two dukedoms will inevitably clash sooner or later, so there's no need to rush.

Yang Xuanzong chased Pei Yun away before returning to the training ground.

The people in the training ground all looked at him with rather indifferent eyes.

The main reason is that when Yang Su was still alive, he was even less human than Yuwen Shu is now. He openly solicited bribes. Except for the eldest son, Yang Xuangan, who didn't participate, the other children were also corrupt and took a lot of things. If you were promoted by accepting gifts like Yuwen Shu, that would be good. Unfortunately, Yang Su would suppress you if you didn't give him gifts. He was not the same as Yuwen Shu.

Moreover, these people were all summoned by Li Xuanba, and they didn't find it easy to get along with this person who was clearly at odds with their general.

Yang Xuanzong still remembered his purpose in coming. He first focused his attention on the military officers, and decided to win them over first.

When he entered the main general's tent, Li Xuanba sat in the seat of honor, with officers such as captains and brigade commanders sitting on either side.

Li Xuanba didn't take Yang Xuanzong seriously at all, let him sit down, and then continued to tell the story to everyone.

"His Majesty's rewards are quite generous. You have all received a lot of rewards. Don't squander them all; at least save some. As for mine, you can take them and distribute them to the soldiers. Although their families have been exempted from corvée labor, their taxes over the years have been heavy. These days, every family has a hard time. Let them send the money back to their families."

As Li Xuanba spoke, he looked at Yang Xuanzong.

"General Yang, you are new here. First, familiarize yourself with the situation here before taking over any other matters."

"Here."

Li Xuanba then dismissed everyone, and Yuan Li and Qin Qiong hurriedly followed him, clearly having something to report.

Yang Xuanzong looked at the officers who had risen, smiled, and walked out with them, saying, "Gentlemen, from today onwards, we are comrades. If you have time, you are welcome to come and sit with me."

Yang Xuanzong acted very enthusiastically, but the military officers almost ignored him, and none of them answered before leaving in a hurry.

Yang Xuanzong wasn't embarrassed; he had only just arrived and would have his chance sooner or later.

After preparing his belongings, Yang Xuanzong returned to his residence and began to rest.

Yang Xuanzong had a wonderful dream. In the dream, he assisted his elder brother, accomplished great things, and became a great general respected by everyone.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The sudden sound of war drums startled Yang Xuanzong awake. He looked around and saw that it was still dark. When he walked to the door and looked outside, he found that the soldiers were gathering in the training ground and forming ranks.

Yang Xuanzong knew what this was about to be practiced, and his face showed a bit of helplessness, but he didn't care. He turned around and lay down on the ground again, wondering if he could reconnect the dream.

"General!"

A soldier rushed into the tent, startling Yang Xuanzong. He looked up at him and asked, "What's wrong?"

"The general requests that you come out and form ranks for training."

"Huh? Drills?"

Yang Xuanzong frowned immediately. So this is how they want to mess with me? Do they think I'm ignorant about military affairs? What kind of general goes and trains soldiers? This is clearly aimed at me!
Yang Xuanzong cursed inwardly, but still put on his armor and walked out. When he got outside, the soldiers had already begun their drills.

Yang Xuanzong frowned and looked around. "Where are the generals?"

"The one running in the lead is it."

(End of this chapter)