My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 346 It's not us who should be protecting ourselves.
Inside the large tent, there was complete silence.

Even Yuwen Shu was startled at this moment.

While everyone was still thinking about how to protect themselves, Li Xuanba suddenly changed the subject, asking how the emperor should protect himself.
The elderly generals sat at a distance, sizing up the young man before them, and the more they looked, the more awestruck they became.

What kind of son did Li Yuan have?

"Audacious" doesn't even begin to describe him. With such courage and ambition, if this guy had been born eighty years earlier, wouldn't he have been on par with Yuwen Tai and Gao Huan?

Upon hearing Li Xuanba's words, the generals and ministers immediately fell silent.

That's the end of the sentence; there's no way to continue.

Yuwen Shu cleared his throat and said, "General Li, things haven't gotten to that point. The generals all know what's good for them. If we work together, no one will dare to punish us. As for what you said..."

"Governing the world is not so easy."

"Governing the world is nothing more than each person performing their own duties!"

Li Xuanba interrupted Yuwen Shu, but Yuwen Shu didn't think there was anything wrong with it. No one treated Li Xuanba as a child or a general anymore. Although Yuwen Shu was in charge of this important matter, everyone knew who the real leader and executor was, and everyone also knew who the greatest contributor was.

Li Xuanba looked at everyone.

"Gentlemen, self-preservation is not our concern; that is someone else's concern."

"We have three issues to consider right now."

"The first one is the war with the Goryeo people."

Everyone looked at Li Xuanba and listened to his story. Li Xuanba said solemnly, "This campaign against the Goryeo people should have been a natural success, just like the campaign against the Tuyuhun. The climate in Tuyuhun is also harsh, and they also have elite soldiers, civil officials and fierce generals. However, we only used more than 100,000 people to wipe them out completely, and the bandit chieftain fled in a sorry state!"

"This campaign against Goryeo has been thwarted at every turn. To this day, we haven't even been able to defeat the main force of the rebels!"

"This is all because of someone's terrible command! To show off his authority, he summoned a million-strong army here, and for some bullshit 'balance,' he forbade us from attacking independently, resulting in heavy casualties!!"

"Autumn is approaching, and a million soldiers and millions of laborers are still on the front lines. The country is in a state of disarray and on the verge of collapse. Food consumption is enormous, and there are also cases like Pei Yun's. The situation is critical."

"So, should we continue fighting or not?"

Li Xuanba looked at everyone.

Yu Zhongwen shook his head. "We can't fight. In this situation, the longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for us. We initially promised a quick victory, but it's been over a year already. The soldiers are furious. They miss their homes terribly. Rebels are rising up in the rear, and their families have been affected. Morale is low. If we continue the war and advance steadily, the soldiers will mutini before we even reach the enemy's capital."

Yuwen Shu nodded, "When the soldiers first set out, they were all thinking about making meritorious contributions. But if we keep them here, they will only want to go home. If we try to keep them here any longer, there will definitely be a rebellion. That's why I said we should withdraw the troops."

Li Xuanba said, "Then the first thing, which no one has any objection to, is to let the soldiers go home and let the laborers go home."

Upon hearing this, even the generals breathed a sigh of relief.

During the expedition against Goguryeo, Yang Guang single-handedly destroyed his prestige in the army and the trusted confidants he had supported. The generals found the front line unbearable, let alone the soldiers. They suffered the loss of their families and loved ones, and everyone had grievances!

After the first expedition ended, rebellions began to occur among the generals, who disobeyed orders and refused to follow commands. By the time of the second expedition, the generals were almost all in a state of resistance. By the third expedition, things had completely collapsed. Even the imperial guards, whom the emperor had personally supported, wanted to kill the emperor. It was no longer a matter of military remonstrance; it was tantamount to regicide.

Li Xuanba then said, "The second matter concerns the officials in the court."

"During this campaign, the Minister of War died of illness, the Censor-in-Chief who concurrently served as the Minister of Personnel rebelled, the Minister of Works fell ill, and the Minister of Justice was implicated in the rebellion. The officials in the Secretariat suffered heavy losses, resulting in many vacancies."

"I think we should appoint a wise person as soon as possible to restore administration and prevent problems with supplies and logistics."

"Su Wei, the most senior official, is known throughout the land for his ability to govern and has a reputation for virtue. I personally believe that he can concurrently serve as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, overseeing the major affairs of the Six Ministries."

"The Duke of Xu has rendered great service. Now that the country is in trouble, it is precisely the Duke of Xu who needs to step forward. I believe that the Duke of Xu should concurrently serve as the Minister of War, in charge of important matters such as the mobilization of officers, logistics, and the dispatch of provisions!"

"He Chou, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, previously distinguished himself in the construction of the pontoon bridge. He is a very virtuous, capable, and reasonable man; he can be temporarily appointed Minister of Works!" "General Li, the Right Martial Guard, is a man of strong character and integrity; he can concurrently serve as Minister of Justice."

"General Jing, the Left Valiant Guard"

"General Tu Gong of the Left Garrison."

"General Yu, Right Wing Guard."

In front of everyone, Li Xuanba actually divided up the vacant official positions.

Everyone was stunned.

These damn official positions in the imperial court, you just give them away like that?? Is this really okay?? Isn't this a rebellion of the elite?
Of course, some people had shifty eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

Yuwen Shu, with a stern face, reprimanded, "How can we, the officials of the court, decide such matters here? We must obey His Majesty's arrangements! Besides, we are all rough men; how could we possibly handle so many things?"

Li Xuanba replied, "This is just my suggestion. In any case, some important departments cannot be delayed and must be put in place as soon as possible. If you all think my idea is inappropriate, we can invite Lord Su to come and discuss this matter in detail. As for how to do things, aren't the officials of each department all in the city? There is no need to worry about that."

The generals hesitated for a moment, and Yu Zhongwen slowly said, "This matter is too important to be decided hastily. Let's see Lord Su first and let him make the decision."

Li Xuanba nodded. "Alright, then there's only one last thing."

"That's Pei Yun's treason case."

Tu Wanxu was taken aback. "Wasn't this matter already resolved?"

Li Xuanba raised his head and said, "Although Pei Yun is dead, he has many accomplices. Not only among the million-strong army that accompanied him, but also in the court and in the provinces, there are countless people who colluded with Pei Yun and wanted to rebel! These people cannot be let go. They should be thoroughly investigated. How can we close the case so hastily?"

"Lord Xu, I request to be appointed as the General of the Valiant Guard to thoroughly investigate this case and apprehend those involved."

Yuwen Shu stared blankly at Li Xuanba for a long time.

"it is good."

"You'll be in charge."

Li Xuanba looked at everyone again, "These three matters have been settled, so there's nothing else important. Let's start with the first thing. All the generals can return to their camps and inform their soldiers that Pei Yun has been eliminated and that we will now be protecting His Majesty. After discussing with the generals, Duke Xu has decided to let the soldiers go home!"

"Here!!"

Inside the camp.

Yang Guang stared at Su Wei, who was kneeling in front of him, with a stern face.

Yang Guang glanced at the soldiers outside and sneered, "Was the Beishenfu (military headquarters) disbanded? Yuwen Shu left on his own, so why are there still his soldiers outside?"

Su Wei said helplessly, "Your Majesty, please do not be impatient."

"The generals had no choice but to do this."

“That Pei Yun is truly despicable. His suggestion was to order the soldiers to their deaths. Your Majesty is unaware that when the generals received this order, they were completely disoriented and did not know how to respond. The soldiers, on the other hand, were furious, believing that Your Majesty was forcing them to their deaths. The generals did this simply because they could not control their soldiers.”

Yang Guang was still very angry after hearing Su Wei's explanation.

"what about now?"

"I have already rescinded the order, and Pei Yun is dead. Where are my Imperial Guards? Why are there still those chaotic soldiers outside?!"

Su Wei hesitated for a moment, "Your Majesty, they are afraid."

(End of this chapter)