My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 315 The Cruel Expedition

"It's you!!"

Wang Erzhi's expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly drew the sword from his waist.

When Li Mi disguised himself as a villager and tricked Li Xuanba into going to Zheng's private mine, Wang Erzhi was also present. He was one of Liu Xuan's disciples and later stayed in Qingzao Village, where he is now the county magistrate.

From the moment Wang Erzhi met Li Mi, he felt that Li Mi looked very familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

Now that Li Mi had said that, Wang Erzhi instantly remembered the other party's identity.

Li Mi was not afraid, but Wang Bodang jumped up and stood in front of him.

Xu Maogong looked completely bewildered. He had maintained this expression ever since he entered the mountains, and it remained unchanged until now.

"Someone is coming!"

At Wang Erzhi's command, several soldiers appeared at the gate, all armed with crossbows.

Li Mi shook his head. "County Magistrate Wang, is this how Qingzao Village treats its distinguished guests? I came here sincerely to join you, why treat me like this?"

Wang Erzhi was furious. "You almost killed my husband back then! How dare you come seeking refuge with me now?!"

"I was ordered to do it at the time, and I had no choice."

"I heard that you intend to carry out important matters here and recruit heroes from all over the world, so I came to join you. What's wrong with that?"

Wang Erzhi loathed the man before him. He vividly remembered what had happened back then. He took a deep breath and sheathed his sword. “Lord Liu, your situation is different from others. I’ll trouble you to stay at the county office for now. We’ll discuss your arrangements when the magistrate returns.”

Li Mi's eyes lit up completely.

He clapped his hands, "Good, good, very good."

Li Mi looked at the astonished Wang Bodang beside him and said, "This is truly a place where heroes can accomplish great things!"

Xu Maogong was reassigned elsewhere, while Li Mi and Wang Bodang were placed under house arrest in the county government office. The next day, Zhang Sengyuan returned to the county government office and learned what had happened. He first met with Xu Maogong and then went to see Li Mi.

Li Mi was led to a study where Zhang Sengyuan sat in the seat of honor, with several soldiers standing on either side.

Zhang Sengyuan had served as an official in the mountain stronghold for many years, and he had undergone considerable changes. He was becoming more and more like a real official, having lost his initial naivety and immaturity. Like Li Xuanba, he had also matured a lot.

"Liu Gong? Liu Zhiyuan, is that your name?"

Zhang Sengyuan asked curiously.

Li Mi remained calm. He looked at Zhang Sengyuan and said, "Of course not. I am not here to seek refuge with Magistrate Zhang."

"Oh?"

“The county magistrate is very prestigious here, but he is not enough for me to seek refuge here. I have come here to seek refuge with the prince of Tang. I would like to trouble the county magistrate to introduce me to him.”

Zhang Sengyuan was taken aback. "What, a prince of Tang?"

"My lord, do not worry. I am not here to test you. You may bind me and take me to see the young master. Just send someone to inform the young master that Li Mi, the great-grandson of the Duke of Wei, the grandson of the Duke of Xing, and the son of the Duke of Pushan, requests an audience with the young master!"

Luoyang, Li Mansion.

With the army about to set off, the Imperial Guards were also given a rare period of rest, which allowed them to take the opportunity to say goodbye.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Xuanba returned to his own residence.

Inside the lobby, the whole family sat neatly together.

Li Yuan sat in the upper seat, and Lady Dou sat beside him.

Li Jiancheng, Li Xuanba, and Li Yuanji sat on either side of their parents.

Li Xuanba rarely returned home, but everyone's faces were not very happy, because Li Xuanba had come back to say goodbye, as he was about to go to the front lines with the emperor.

Going to war is no child's play, especially since the destination is Goryeo, which is thousands of miles away.

Li Yuan remained silent for a long time. "I thought we would go on the expedition together, but His Majesty ordered me to stay behind and cooperate with the Ministry of War officials at the front to mobilize military equipment. I can't go to protect you."

“These Koreans are different from the Ryukyu people. You must not underestimate them, and you must not be reckless. Do not ask to fight in front of the emperor. If you can avoid fighting, then do so. If you can stay by the emperor’s side, do not go anywhere else.”

Li Yuan's voice grew softer and softer. He probably knew in his heart that the emperor's painstaking efforts to build a large army were definitely not just for his own protection, but were to undertake the mission of going to war, and there was a very high probability that Yuwen Shu would lead the vanguard.
Recalling the outcome of the court's last expedition to Goguryeo, Li Yuan felt an indescribable worry.

His third son was his most beloved son, and he couldn't bear to imagine the consequences of losing him. Madam Dou was in no better mood either. This usually strong-willed woman was now forcing herself to hold back her tears in front of her children.

They couldn't stop them from going to war.

The atmosphere was somewhat somber.

Li Jiancheng spoke up, "Xuanba is not Erlang. He wouldn't act so recklessly. My lord, you don't need to worry. Even for your sake, he will take care of his health and would never do anything like charging into battle. Sanlang, right?"

Li Xuanba quickly nodded, "Definitely."

Li Yuanji was probably the only one who didn't worry about Li Xuanba, because he felt that there was no need to worry about his third brother; the one who should be worried was the Koreans who encountered him! He really wanted to go with his third brother and earn some military merits, but with his parents around, he didn't dare to ask.

Li Xuanba's promise did not put his parents at ease.

Li Jiancheng could only try to comfort them, "Xuanba is a member of the Imperial Guard. Unless absolutely necessary, the Imperial Guard will not go to war. They will probably just stay by the emperor's side. I don't think the emperor would dare to charge into battle himself. You don't need to worry, sir."

After Li Jiancheng offered words of comfort for a long time, Madam Dou finally suppressed her unease.

She began to give Li Xuanba instructions, giving him many, many instructions.

Although Li Yuan didn't say anything more, his expression wasn't very pleasant.

Madam Dou remained silent, pursing her lips, until Li Xuanba was about to leave.

Li Xuanba had already met Liu Chounu, Sanshi, and others.

They didn't know the specifics, only that Li Xuanba was going to war, San Shi gave Li Xuanba a talisman, and Liu Chounu even wanted to go with him, but Li Xuanba politely declined.

Time was of the essence, and there was still much to prepare. Li Xuanba bowed deeply to his parents, kowtowed, and then stood up and left the house.

Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji saw him off.

As the three brothers walked along the road, Li Xuanba spoke up, "Big brother, I've given all the instructions to Zhang Du. I'll have to keep a close eye on these mountain strongholds. People have already started to flee in various places, and the number of refugees will only increase. The same goes for thieves. The pressure on the mountain strongholds will be immense. We've been preparing for so long, and we've accumulated quite a bit of savings."

"Let's do everything we can to save as many as possible."

"I'll trouble you, elder brother, to comfort and console my grandfather and mother."

"Motoji."

"Third Brother!"

"You must study hard and not upset your family, understand?"

The more Li Yuanji listened, the more uneasy he felt. It sounded like someone was entrusting their final affairs to someone.
But his two elder brothers were in a hurry, and so were their words. He didn't have time to think it through and quickly agreed.

Li Jiancheng then spoke up, saying, "You don't need to worry about things at home or in the mountain strongholds. After the emperor leaves, I will focus my attention on the strongholds in various places and do my best to rescue those people. You must also be careful."

"To be honest, I don't have high hopes for this expedition. The Sui army is indeed powerful, but alas, we've been dealt with by such an incompetent man. With him around, the war probably won't go smoothly. Xuanba, you must not be reckless. Just stay obediently by the emperor's side and don't throw your life away for this absurd order, understand?"

"I know."

They arrived at the door, where Li Xuanba finally stopped.

He turned to look at Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, his expression solemn.

He bowed to his elder brother.

"Brother, then I shall set off."

Li Jiancheng let out a long breath. Even though he kept telling himself that his younger brother was invincible and could kill a million soldiers, and that no one could hurt him, he was still uneasy when it came time to actually set off.

He could only help his younger brother tidy up his clothes.

"Go and come back soon. I'll send someone to contact you."

"it is good."

Li Xuanba mounted his warhorse, glanced at his eldest brother and fourth brother, and then left.

Li Xuanba was not the only soldier who left home; soldiers from all over the country were mobilized, and every household saw off these pillars of the nation, praying that they would return alive.

Most of the soldiers had smiles on their faces, looking forward to cutting off more heads and bringing a better life to their families. Reluctant to say goodbye to their families, they embarked on the cruel expedition.

(End of this chapter)