My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 347 Immunity
"Fear?"

Yang Guang narrowed his eyes. "They are afraid I will punish them."

Su Wei was quite helpless.

If the emperor had listened to me even once during this past year or so, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

How could the generals not be afraid when they joined forces to do such a thing? The emperor wasn't exactly magnanimous.
Yang Guang was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "What should we do now?"

Su Wei hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the most important thing now is to appease them. We must not show any intention to punish them. In my opinion, the best way is to reward them, issue an edict to appease the soldiers in various places, admit that they were misled by Pei Yun, and completely define this matter as Pei Yun's fault. The generals are absolutely innocent!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Guang flew into a rage once again.

"I have already said it once. Do you expect me to bow down and admit my mistakes? If so, where is the dignity of the emperor?!"

"Lord Su, don't you know what kind of people they are?"

"Learn from the past! If I bow my head and admit my mistake, they will make even more outrageous demands tomorrow!!"

Su Wei shook his head. "Your Majesty, the generals have no intention of rebelling. Many of the generals of the Twelve Guards are loyal to Your Majesty. Even the Duke of Xu has no intention of rebelling. He is only concerned with self-preservation."

"They hesitated, not wanting to harm His Majesty, yet fearing His Majesty's punishment."

"At this time, we should appease them as soon as possible and issue an edict declaring their innocence!"

Yang Guang gritted his teeth, "But will they trust me if I do this?"

Su Wei narrowed his eyes and pondered for a long time. "I have another idea."

"You said."

"Since Your Majesty intends to reward these generals, why not change the content of the rewards?"

"Your Majesty may grant them iron certificates of immunity from death. Those who have rendered first-class merit will be exempt from death twice, and their sons from death once; those who have rendered second-class merit will be exempt from death once."

In the Han Dynasty, the "iron certificate with cinnabar inscription" was merely a symbol of status. However, during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Xianbei rulers added a special privilege of immunity from death in the style of the nomadic people. This certificate allowed officials to avoid the death penalty and was an essential item for protecting their homes and residences.

This thing is a guarantee from the emperor to his ministers who have committed serious offenses. He uses his own reputation to assure them that he will not punish them for their past actions, and they can continue to be loyal to him with peace of mind.

This was the first thing Su Wei thought of.

He said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, there is only one general in the court whom we need to be wary of."

"That is Li Xuanba, the General of the Vanguard."

"This man was arrogant and unruly in his youth, completely different from the other generals. He was rebellious, conceited, and ambitious!"

"The generals are hesitant now because they are afraid of being punished and have no choice but to obey him. If Your Majesty can pardon all the generals and put their minds at ease, I am certain that these people will collapse."

"Definitely??"

Yang Guang turned his head to look at Su Wei.

Su Wei said with utmost seriousness, "It must be so."

"Your Majesty, do not be fooled by their current gathering. In reality, they are fraught with conflict. Yu Zhongwen and Yuwen Shu are both from Guanzhong, yet they are estranged from each other. Yu Zhongwen previously coveted military provisions, and when his son begged Yuwen Shu for help, Yuwen Shu ignored him, thus creating enmity."

"Zhang Jin had previously opposed Yuwen Shu's appointment of his own confidants, which led to Yuwen Shu reprimanding him in person and causing him to lose face. As a result, they stopped having any contact."

"Yu Zhongwen and Jing Yuanheng had a falling out when they were vying for the position of general in Tuyuhun."

"Most of these people are like this. If it weren't for that treacherous Pei Yun, they would never have gathered together. Besides, they were all promoted by His Majesty and have received great favor from him. They don't want to see the world in chaos, nor do they dare to be disrespectful to His Majesty."

"If this plan fails, Your Majesty, please punish this old minister first!"

Upon hearing Su Wei's words, Yang Guang hesitated for a moment, then quickly stepped forward to help Su Wei up. Yang Guang's eyes were a little red. "Only in times of crisis do we know the true worth of a minister. I listened to Pei Yun's slander and was disrespectful to Lord Su. I should not have done that!"

Su Wei had almost been beheaded by Yang Guang before.

Su Wei had previously said that there were many bandits in the area, so the emperor asked Pei Yun about it. Pei Yun said that Su Wei was just talking nonsense and trying to attract attention, and that there were not that many bandits in the world.

The emperor was furious, so Pei Yun secretly gathered a lot of evidence against Su Wei, hoping the emperor would kill him directly.

Yang Guang ultimately couldn't bear it and told Pei Yun to put it aside for now and deal with it later. They had even been planning to dismiss Su Wei and his entire family.

If Li Xuanba hadn't suddenly launched a coup, Su Wei would have been expelled from the court upon his return.

Su Wei may or may not know.

Yang Guang, holding Su Wei's hand, said through gritted teeth, "I saw through Li Xuanba's intentions long ago. Once I've appeased the generals, he'll be the first one I kill!"

Su Wei was shocked and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty! This is absolutely not allowed!"

"This iron certificate of immunity from death should be given to Li Xuanba first. Moreover, His Majesty must not touch him. If His Majesty punishes him, the other generals will be terrified and there will be no need for Li Xuanba to lead the way. The world will be in chaos!"

Yang Guang pursed his lips.

It seems the only option is to take revenge slowly.
"Alright, we'll do as Master Su says."

"Your Majesty, we cannot fight Goryeo this time. We must evacuate as soon as possible. I will first go and appease these generals, so that Your Majesty can prepare for the evacuation."

"The war has progressed to this point; how can we give up so easily?"

Yang Guang was still somewhat reluctant. He had paid such a high price for this great battle, and now that victory was within reach, how could he easily withdraw?

Su Wei pleaded, "Your Majesty, the soldiers have been away from their homes for a long time, and there are many casualties every day. If we force them to stay here, it may lead to even more serious consequences. At that time, I'm afraid even Yuwen Shu will not be able to control them."

Yang Guang finally regained consciousness.

"Very well, Minister Su, I'll leave these matters to you. If you can appease the generals and resolve this crisis, I will certainly not let you down!"

Su Wei took a deep breath.

"Your subject will certainly do his utmost!"

When Su Wei walked out of the emperor's place, he looked at the soldiers around him and felt increasingly uneasy. When he walked out of the camp, he met General Duan Da. By this time, the army inside and outside the camp had changed. Mai Tiezhang was still there and refused to leave, but he only had a few dozen soldiers left with him.

His army had already been forcibly sent back to the training ground by Yuwen Shu.

Seeing the lone Mai Tiezhang, Su Wei felt a pang of sadness and walked towards him.

"Lord Su, how is His Majesty?"

Mai Tiezhang asked.

This silent old general actually knew everything; he just didn't know what to do.

Su Wei nodded. "No need to worry, General Mai. Go back to the drill ground and reassure the soldiers, telling them not to believe the rumors."

Mai Tiezhang nodded, glanced in the direction of the camp, and then turned and left.

Duan Da then stepped forward with a smile, his expression arrogant. "Lord Su, I have been waiting for you for a long time. Duke Xu invites you."

Duan Da was good-looking, with a nice beard and a tall stature, but his talents were not that great.

Su Wei glanced at him and asked calmly, "Does the Duke of Xu know about your secret sale of warhorses during your campaign against Tuyuhun?"

Duan Da's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he trembled, unable to utter a word.

Su Wei then gestured for Duan Da to lead the way.

Looking at Duan Da, who had become quite obedient, Su Wei remained silent.

The emperor certainly made mistakes, but if we were to go back in time and let these people rule the country, things would be even worse.
Pei Yun is bad, but at least he can get things done. But what about the people who launched the coup?

Those generals from the Guanzhong Plain were corrupt, seized farmland, and installed their cronies in power. They were pure military men, committing all sorts of evil deeds and completely lacking in moral values. They didn't even bother to hide their actions. If they were really put in power, what kind of mess would they make of the world?
Thinking of these things, Su Wei's body involuntarily hunched over a little more.

He is seventy years old this year.

I've been through countless ups and downs in my life, and even at this age, I still can't find peace.

I just hope I can successfully appease them this time.
(End of this chapter)