My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 364 The Old Strategist

The two brothers rode their horses along the road. Li Shimin looked at his younger brother, who was wearing armor and riding skillfully, and said with a smile, "Do you remember when we were in Xingyang? You couldn't ride a horse and always had Old Man Liu carry you while you rode. Now your riding skills have improved a lot."

"By the way, can you ride and shoot now?"

"can."

"Okay, okay, from now on we can go hunting together!"

As Li Shimin spoke, he looked around and then asked, "Third brother, on my way here I heard many rumors and various misconceptions, and I don't know which one to believe."

"What exactly happened in Liuhe City?"

Li Xuanba frowned. "The emperor ordered us to go to our deaths, so Duke Xu and I led the generals in a military remonstrance, killing Pei Yun, Wei Xuan, and Fan Zigai, and forcing Mai Tiezhang to commit suicide. We took Yang Guang hostage and took control of the affairs of the court. Most of the generals of the Twelve Guards are on our side, and Duke Su is now in charge of the important affairs of the court."

Li Xuanba casually uttered a terrifying statement.

Li Shimin was stunned for a moment.

"what???"

Li Xuanba asked curiously, "Could it be that this wasn't among the rumors you heard on the road, Second Brother?"

"There's really no such thing. At most, they say the generals disobeyed the imperial edict, Pei Yun was killed, and the emperor was taken hostage. This is the first time I've heard of such a thing. So, Yang Guang is now..."

"That's right, he's trapped inside his carriage and can't see anyone."

Li Shimin fell into deep thought.

After thinking for a long time, he asked, "So what are your next steps?"

"Let's return to the capital first. With Lord Su taking the lead, the officials will not dare to disobey."

"Once we return to the capital, let the emperor stay there, and we will govern the country ourselves."

Li Shimin frowned. "I'm afraid it won't work."

"Oh?"

"Why?"

"The news can still be kept secret for now, but there are too many people involved, and it will leak out sooner or later. It's impossible to hide it. And once it leaks out, I'm afraid Lord Su's edict will not be accepted so easily."

"Besides, you know Yang Guang's character. He is not the kind of person who knows when to advance or retreat. He will definitely find a way to cause trouble again."

"Previous rulers usurped the emperor's power and ruled themselves. These were young emperors who lacked confidants and sufficient prestige both inside and outside the court. As a result, the country fell apart and local powers grew stronger."

"But the situation is different now. The emperor is not young, nor is he without loyal followers. His previous prestige is still there, the country is unified, and the regions have not reached the point of separatism."

"Even for those young emperors, there were still people willing to do things for them one after another; it goes without saying that Yang Guang was no exception."

"Once you arrive in Zhuojun, I'm afraid the court will try to stop you. There's not much grain left in Zhuojun, and the court's major granaries are still in the hands of the court in Luoyang. The families of the Xiaoguo Army are also in Guanzhong."

“Once the court chooses to take action, all the resources you have will be wasted. No matter how capable the Xiaoguo Army is, it will collapse as long as the court can hold out for a while.”

"Your idea was untenable from the start."

Li Xuanba looked at him, "The emperor is in our hands."

"The emperor is not important."

"There are so many ways. Several of the emperor's sons are in Luoyang. Not to mention others, there's the Prince of Qi. Do you remember him?"

“If the court officials issue an edict saying that you conspired with Duke Xu and Su Wei to murder the emperor and then installed Prince Qi on the throne, then you will have nothing left.” Li Xuanba was stunned for a moment. “The generals of the Twelve Guards were also involved.”

"That's what I wanted to say. These generals are not a monolithic group. Duke Xu's prestige is very high, but he absolutely cannot make the Twelve Guards obey him unconditionally. There are quite a few prestigious generals in the country. These people are related to him. They were previously piled up in Liuhe City because the situation was critical and they had no choice but to do so. But once they can return to their own territories, they will have many more options."

Li Xuanba gritted his teeth, "Second brother! Come with me!"

Before Li Shimin could say anything more, Li Xuanba led him away quickly.

Li Xuanba's destination was naturally the place of Duke Xu, Yuwen Shu.

The three of them rode off together on horseback.

When Li Xuanba brought Li Shimin over, Yuwen Shu was still a little confused. He didn't even know when this kid had arrived. He looked at the handsome young man in front of him and couldn't help but nod slightly. Judging from his appearance alone, he was someone who could accomplish great things!

Although Yuwen Shu felt that this young man was a bit too young, he was still quite polite to Li Xuanba.

"I've heard Xuanba talk about his second brother many times before, saying he's all-powerful. Today I've finally met him!"

"Truly extraordinary! He's destined for greatness!"

Yuwen Shu offered a few perfunctory compliments. Li Xuanba's brother had just arrived, and he had already brought people to see him, which showed his respect for him. Yuwen Shu was very pleased and was about to reward the young man when Li Xuanba spoke first: "Duke Xu, my second brother has some opinions on our plan."

Yuwen Shu was somewhat displeased.

Li Xuanba was just one of Yuwen Shu's accomplices. His contributions and performance made Yuwen Shu disregard his age and be willing to discuss important matters with him. But who was Li Shimin? A mere child who hadn't even grown his first hair, yet he dared to tell me what to do?

Yuwen Shu said with a stern face, "Such a major matter should not be discussed with others by Xuanba."

Before Li Xuanba could speak, Li Shimin immediately smiled and said, "What Duke Xu said is true. If you want to accomplish great things, the first thing you must do is be cautious and not talk too much. This matter is all my fault. I shouldn't have asked. Xuanba has always been kind and filial, and he wouldn't dare to lie to me. From now on, I will instruct him not to talk about these things with outsiders."

"Oh."

Yuwen Shu remained somewhat indifferent, and reluctantly asked, "I wonder if Second Master Li has anything to say?"

Li Shimin cleared his throat and summarized what he had told Li Xuanba earlier, recounting it in the most concise way.

Yuwen Shu initially looked down on it, but as Li Shimin analyzed the situation one by one, and talked about the situation in various places, the officials' reactions, the location of the granaries, the transportation of the armory, and the road problems, Yuwen Shu's expression became more and more serious.

He couldn't help but interrupt Li Shimin, "I now serve the emperor, and the court officials are by my side. I can command hundreds of thousands of troops. How come I've become so worthless in your eyes?"

“Duke Xu, you serve the emperor, but the emperor is not young and incompetent, nor is there no one willing to fight to the death for him. The court officials are by your side, but there are also many ministers in Luoyang, and the country's money and grain are in their hands! You can now command hundreds of thousands of troops, but they all depend on the grain from the rear, and their families are also in the hands of the court in Luoyang.”

"In that case, isn't your current situation quite perilous?"

Yuwen Shu wiped his sweat and looked the young man beside him over again. He stared at him for a long time and asked, "Who taught you all this???"

"This is not some profound knowledge. The reason why Duke Xu did not see it was simply because he was in a chaotic situation and hoped that the bandits would not dare to resist. Therefore, he did not think it through. But how can a person who wants to achieve great things think about things in a positive light? I believe that when doing something, one should first consider the worst-case scenario and then make preparations. Only in this way can one be sure of success."

At this moment, Yuwen Shu felt as if he were asking a white-bearded scholar from the Central Plains for advice, rather than talking to a young boy. He subconsciously asked, "So what should we do?"

"Duke Xu, you are a seasoned warrior, and military strategy is your forte. Why don't you use the principles of military strategy to resolve the current situation?"

"You mean"

"The art of war speaks of many principles, but to defeat the enemy, the preparations are actually quite simple: sufficient food, good weaponry, and brave and fearless soldiers are all that's needed."

"Instead of trying to force those people to bow down, you should strengthen yourself first. The first step is naturally to obtain sufficient food. You cannot rely on supplies from those whose stance is uncertain!"

"The Duke of Xu must own at least several of the major granaries and armories in various regions, right?"

(End of this chapter)