My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 350 I had no choice but to
Liuhe City.

Inside the small courtyard beside the tent, there were no outsiders left. Li Xuanba sat alone, with Yang Xuanzong and Qin Qiong sitting opposite him. Several trusted soldiers brought from Xiaoguo stood at the door.

Yang Xuanzong's face was flushed, and he was extremely excited, looking eager to try!

He had long known that his general was not a loyal subject, but his elder brother refused to believe him, even saying that the general was trying to deceive him. Now what?

This big thing is almost done!

Let's see what my brother has to say when I get back!
When my uncle was still alive, he told them to maintain a good relationship with the Li family, and he was right!
Yang Xuanzong was in high spirits, only thinking about achieving great things as soon as possible, while Qin Qiong seemed somewhat uneasy in comparison.

"General, although we are in charge of the city, our soldiers are far away in Liaodong. Whether it is the Garrison, the Martial Guard, or the Imperial Guard, they are all other people's troops and cannot be relied upon."

Qin Qiong spoke first, saying seriously, "The Xiaoguo Guard should be in charge of the major affairs in the city, and the rest of the troops should leave. This should be the most important thing to do first."

Yang Xuanzong was taken aback. "You think someone is going to attack us?"

Li Xuanba finally spoke, "Now is the most dangerous time."

“The generals each have their own ideas. They only gathered together because of the situation. Once they relax, are divided, and are appeased, our situation will become extremely dangerous.”

Yang Xuanzong leaned forward and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"General! Give the order! I'll do whatever you say!"

"If all else fails, we'll go and kill Su Wei! That will leave no room for compromise!"

Li Xuanba gently shook his head. "Let's wait for news from Duke Xu. Things might take a turn for the better after he meets with the Emperor."

"If we can truly get Suwei to work for us, then our great undertaking will succeed."

Yang Xuanzong asked worriedly, "What if the Duke of Xu wavers?"

"Probably not. He's experienced and knowledgeable, and he's done so much together; he has nowhere left to retreat."

Qin Qiong was about to ask another question, but Li Xuanba stopped them.

Then Li Xuanba raised his head, his expression arrogant, and said, "Whether we succeed or not, at least we have saved those 300,000 soldiers. They will never be sent to their deaths again. Even if we fail and are beheaded by the emperor, they will still live."

"Is it worth exchanging the three of us for 300,000 soldiers?"

Qin Qiong laughed, "A life for a hundred thousand, it's worth it!"

In all his years, Yang Xuanzong had never felt so heroic or bold. Hearing these words from Li Xuanba, he felt no fear, but rather even more excited. "A true hero! It was worth it!"

Li Xuanba suddenly stood up, gripping his golden mace.

"let's go!"

"Here!!"

Li Xuanba strode out of the courtyard, followed by many soldiers. They mounted their horses and quickly disappeared from sight. Along the way, the Left Guard and the Martial Guard were stationed. When they saw Li Xuanba, the captains ordered them to let him pass.

The officers looked at Li Xuanba with a different kind of fervor, a kind of burning desire.

After the emperor was protected, the generals in the army wrote letters to the generals in various regions, informing them of the absurd military order. In their letters, they stated that the only way to resist such a chaotic order was for everyone to unite and submit a petition together.

Thus, the news spread from the high-ranking officers to the lieutenants and colonels, and then quickly throughout the army.

Even the Right Guard under Mai Tiezhang's command knew about this.

The soldiers were indignant and furious at such an order.

This million-strong army left their hometowns to fight in this godforsaken place, and it has been such a long time since they left. They have not gained much military merit, but their casualties are getting heavier and heavier. And most importantly, their rear is on fire.

The enormous corvée labor and taxes completely overwhelmed the people in the rear. Large numbers of rebel armies plundered and captured various places. The first to suffer were the military households. Generals and officers were relatively better off, but officers like captains and platoon leaders began to receive frequent letters from home, all saying how fierce the bandits outside were, how the military households in nearby counties were being massacred, and so on.

They fight on the front lines, while their families are massacred in the rear. Who can tolerate this?
Just as things were starting to feel amiss in military camps across the country, and soldiers began to glare fiercely at their commanders, a second piece of news arrived.

The second piece of news said that Pei Yun, who issued the order, had been killed, and the emperor had rescinded the order.

The soldiers calmed down a bit, and then came the third piece of news.

The generals believed it was time to withdraw; they couldn't linger any longer. This was like heavenly news to the soldiers, who were overjoyed and eagerly awaited the emperor's official decree ordering their withdrawal.

The military camps outside the city have already begun preparations for withdrawal.

Among the many reports, Li Xuanba's name was repeatedly mentioned. Some said he killed Pei Yun, some said he stormed the camp and forced the emperor, and some said he grabbed Su Wei by the neck and made Su Wei order the troops to retreat.

Various versions of the story circulated in different places. Since the soldiers had nothing to do anyway, they gathered together to talk about things in the city. This kind of gossip spread the fastest.

Those soldiers who knew about Li Xuanba then began to talk about Li Xuanba's past.

It is said that he once subdued a bull demon on Wild Buffalo Mountain, and that he once killed a dragon in Ryukyu.

The generals initially only intended to intensify the soldiers' resistance by spreading the news and force the court to retract its orders. However, as the news spread, it brought Li Xuanba into the spotlight. This brave warrior, who defied the imperial edict to save an army of soldiers and was the first to breach the city, saw his prestige in the army soar. Despite being just a minor general, his prestige surpassed that of the elderly generals.

Li Xuanba led his men unimpeded to the east of the city.

This is the small courtyard where Yuwen Shu was once imprisoned.

But now, this place is holding a different person.

Wei Xuan, Minister of Justice.

This man was also a nobleman from the Guanlong Group. He was well-read, capable of governing local areas, and also skilled in military campaigns. He was quite capable.

When Li Xuanba had previously advised everyone, only this person did not listen and was subsequently imprisoned.

When Li Xuanba barged into the courtyard, Wei Xuan was standing blankly in front of a withered tree, his eyes lifeless.

"Duke Wei".

Li Xuanba spoke up.

Wei Xuan then slowly turned around and looked at the young man in front of him.

Wei Xuan appeared calm, showing no sign of anger.

"It seems that General Li has accomplished his task."

Wei Xuan said slowly.

Li Xuanba did not answer. “Lord Wei, I have always admired you. Although you cannot stand up and advise the emperor, your ability to govern is well known. You have been in the court for many years, working diligently and without committing any evil deeds.”

"The world is in chaos, bandits roam freely, and the front lines have suffered such setbacks. I would like to ask Duke Wei for his help."

Wei Xuan was taken aback. "Help the General? Does that mean aid the General in rebellion?"

"It's not exactly treason, it's just telling him to stop giving orders recklessly. We generals are all rough men, and the affairs of governing the country should be handled by you. The officials in the court all respect Duke Wei. If Duke Wei is willing to help, we can quell the chaos in the country within three years."

“Reduce taxes, stop the forced labor, let the people go home, and open the granaries to help the people affected by disasters in various places.”

"If this continues for three years, the current chaos will be quelled."

Wei Xuan said softly, "General, your idea is not bad. However, it is not something a subject should do to take the emperor hostage and handle important matters on his own."

Li Xuanba narrowed his eyes. "It's that same old excuse again."

"Can't you see the situation on the ground, or can't you see the emperor's evil deeds? Or do you simply not care about any of these things? You don't care if the world is destroyed, or if the people and soldiers die tragically, as long as you can preserve your innocence?"

Wei Xuan hesitated, as if he wanted to speak.

Li Xuanba gripped the golden mace in his hand and looked at the other person.

"Lord Wei, think carefully, which is more important, the world or your reputation?"

Wei Xuan looked at the golden mace in his hand, his breathing gradually became erratic, and then he closed his eyes in despair.

"Bang~~~"

(End of this chapter)