My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 312 Wang Bodang

Guancheng.

In an ordinary house in the city, four or five young scholars stood.

They were engrossed in an academic discussion when the door opened, at which point they stopped talking. A man dressed as a scholar walked out, looked at them with a calm expression, and said, "You've arrived so early."

Everyone hurriedly bowed and paid their respects.

"teacher."

The scholar then had everyone sit down, took out a yellowed book, sat at the front, and began to lecture a few people.

The lectures weren't particularly profound, and couldn't compare to those of Liu Xuan and Liu Zhuo, but for these younger disciples from disadvantaged backgrounds, it was enough. Many problems that had troubled them for years were easily solved, and the disciples were all delighted.

After finishing their lectures for the day, the disciples rose one by one, thanked the scholar, and left.

"Berdan, stay here for a moment."

As soon as the scholar spoke, a young man stopped. This young man was handsome and strong. He looked at the scholar respectfully and said, "Teacher!"

The scholar gestured for him to close the door and then followed him into the house.

The two returned inside and sat down again.

This scholar was named Liu Zhiyuan. He claimed to be from Nanjun. He traveled around the area visiting famous mountains, lecturing on the classics and teaching students. Many people had heard of his name, and some people of commoner origin came from afar, wanting to learn from him.

Wang Yong, who came from Wei County, came here because of his reputation to learn from Liu Zhiyuan.

Wang Yong, courtesy name Bodang, was a chivalrous man in his youth, spending his days with wandering knights and being fond of fighting, which earned him a bad reputation. Later, he reformed himself and decided to study. Although his family was relatively well-off, he could not find a teacher willing to teach him. Later, he learned that there was a great scholar named Liu Zhiyuan in Guancheng who was very knowledgeable and never cared about a student's background when teaching. So Wang Yong came to seek refuge with him and studied for some time.

Looking at the disciple in front of him, Liu Zhiyuan couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

This Liu Zhiyuan was none other than Li Mi, who had fled to avoid Yang Xuangan.

Yang Xuangan was unusually proactive at the time, seemingly about to launch a rebellion. He actively confronted Li Yuan and their actions made Li Mi's scalp tingle. Unwilling to follow him to his death, he fled overnight.

But after he fled, Yang Yue stepped in and managed to stabilize the situation. Li Mi hid for a long time but did not hear any news about Yang Xuangan's rebellion, which made Li Mi very embarrassed.

He held no official position but had a noble title. His family had always told him that he was traveling and studying, and that he could return. However, Yang Xuangan and Li Mi had been thinking about this for a long time and had prepared to return to Luoyang several times. This situation continued until yesterday.

Just yesterday, Li Mi learned of a major event.

The emperor dispatched a million soldiers to prepare for a distant expedition against Goguryeo.

After the news of the troop deployment spread, the local area was in an uproar, and military governments in various places began to set off one after another. The large-scale forced labor for the people also began. Just to build a camp in Zhuojun that could accommodate a million troops, hundreds of thousands of laborers were needed. Moreover, grain had to be transported there in advance. For a time, forced labor was conscripted in various places, with Hebei and Shandong being the most severely affected.

Of course, the Central Plains were not spared either. Officials were mobilized everywhere, people fled in tears, more and more people refused to perform corvée labor, and thieves became rampant. The turmoil in the country had been personally initiated by the emperor.

Li Mi has given up on his plan to go home; he now has a new idea.

He planned to check on the Li family's preparations first before making a final decision.

Looking at his teacher, Wang Bodang had learned a great deal from Li Mi during their time together. In Wang Bodang's eyes, although his teacher was not from a prominent family, his talent and abilities were first-rate, and his demeanor was unmatched. Wang Bodang had never seen such a temperament in anyone else. Therefore, Wang Bodang had great respect for him.

But today's teacher seemed a bit strange, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Wang Bodang then said, "If Master has any instructions, please just say so, and this disciple will do his best to carry them out!"

Li Mi looked at the young man before him. Li Mi had met many people in recent days, and this young man was one of the few whom Li Mi could approve of. He was brave and intelligent, and most importantly, he had good character. "Bo Dang, there is something I think we should no longer hide."

"Master."

"Actually, my name isn't Liu Zhiyuan at all. My name is Li Mi, and I come from a prominent family in the Guanzhong Plain."

Wang Bodang was taken aback. Although he had never heard of this name before, he had heard that a noble family from Guanzhong named Li had rebelled, implicating his entire family. He couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, did you come here to seek refuge?"

"Not really. Back then, I just felt that I was out of touch with reality, so I went into hiding and traveled to different places to study, wanting to see the local conditions for myself."

"Bethany, what do you think of the state of the world?"

Wang Bodang pursed his lips, not daring to speak.

Li Mi said with a smile, "Just speak your mind. I won't blame you for whatever you say."

Wang Bodang frowned and said angrily, "Since Master has asked, I will not hide anything from you. Master, when I first came to you, I actually wanted to change my ways, study hard, and become a good person to protect our clan. But now, I no longer have such thoughts."

"The government started arresting people yesterday. It's been a whole day, and the crying of women and children in the alley hasn't stopped. There's been a lot of corvée labor these past few years, and it's already hard to collect the money. Now they're torturing people like this. Master, I'm not going to become a respectable person anymore. I want to gather my old friends and fight these scoundrels."

In front of Li Mi, Wang Bodang was relatively restrained and did not start cursing.

Wang Bodang's thoughts at that moment were also the thoughts of many young people. Because of the previous forced labor, everyone was almost unable to survive, like a house on the verge of collapse. This expedition has completely demolished the house.

This has nothing to do with the outcome of the war. When Yang Guang decided to launch a million-strong army, he had already overturned this crumbling house. Even if he were to defeat the enemy and behead Gao Yuan, nothing would change.

Li Mi laughed, "The idea is not bad, but how can these wandering knights and thieves accomplish great things?"

Li Milue raised his head. He didn't think much of this kind of person. They were good at small-scale fighting, but if they went against the court, they would be doomed. To achieve great things, he had to get rid of thieves and wandering knights, have nobles to lead the way, have generals from military families to help them, and recruit more scholars to advise him. Only in this way could he have a chance of winning.

Wang Bodang paused for a moment, then asked, "What does the teacher mean?"

Do you know Qingzao Village in Yeniu Mountain?

"Of course I know! Who doesn't know the famous Qingzao Village? But the teacher just said that thieves are not capable of great things."

"Ha, who told you they were thieves?"

Li Mi gazed into the distance. "I have witnessed their power and know very well who is behind them. Bodang, I intend to go to Qingzao Village to investigate their strength. I'm afraid it's not appropriate for my own men to go with me; they would be exposed as soon as they arrive. You have many friends, and I'm sure you know someone there as well. What do you say? Would you like to come with me and take a look?"

Wang Bodang scratched his head. "I do know someone, but what exactly does the teacher want to see?"

"Naturally, we'll see if they can accomplish great things. If they are well-prepared and have a chance of winning, I'll take you back to Luoyang and introduce you to a benefactor. If they are not, we'll secretly escape and find someone else, or we can do something great ourselves."

Wang Bodang roughly understood his teacher's thoughts, and he nodded solemnly, "I am willing to go with you, teacher!"

"On this trip, I cannot use my real name. I will use the name Liu Zhiyuan. You can tell your friends that I want to go up the mountain with you to avoid corvée labor."

"Here."

"In addition, we must be prepared to escape. If things don't go our way, we need to be able to leave in time. If we are detained by them, then we'll be in trouble."

"Teacher, don't worry. I have many friends who went to Wild Buffalo Mountain a long time ago. They even wrote to me before, urging me to come up the mountain with them. I have quite a few friends there. If things don't go well, there shouldn't be any problem in protecting you and getting you away."

"it is good."

(End of this chapter)