My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 369 Luo Yi
But now that they are going back to Zhuojun, this conflict is somewhat unavoidable.

Given Li Jing's character, he would never agree to kidnap the emperor, no matter what.

Yuwen Shu summoned Li Xuanba to his side again to discuss the issues of the frontline army and the generals.

"Li Jing has sent people to inquire about His Majesty's affairs on several occasions."

“He knows best what we’ve done, and he’ll definitely get the news to Lai Huer, Pei Shiju, and the others. Besides, we’ve killed a lot of people before, so he must be on guard. It won’t be easy to call him over and arrest him alone, and his confidants in the army won’t accept it.”

"After killing Fan Zigai, there were already defectors. If we kill Li Jing too, alas..."

Yuwen Shu had a headache. He looked at Li Xuanba and asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

Li Xuanba solemnly said, "We can only delay for now. Li Jing is a skilled warrior, and we must be prepared. We can continue to delay, saying that we will apologize after returning to the capital. With the emperor in our hands, Li Jing will not dare to act rashly. Once the granaries fall and our logistics are secured, it will be useless for him to mobilize any number of troops."

Yuwen Shu gently stroked his chin.

Zhuojun, the main camp outside the city.

Li Jing, the Right General of the Martial Guard, sat in the high seat, surrounded by numerous generals and lieutenants of the Right Martial Guard.

Li Jing sized them up and slowly said, "Yuwen Shu may be going back on his word."

"Back in Liaodong, he swore to us that he would only eliminate villains and would never be disrespectful to His Majesty. In Liuhe City, the generals agreed that when they returned to the country with the army, they would all apologize to His Majesty and let him decide their fate. They would never have any thoughts of rebellion."

"But Yuwen Shu's army is marching very slowly, as if he is delaying. He has not gathered any manpower to pave roads along the way. How can the carriages pass? How can Your Majesty tolerate this?"

“In recent days, I have sent envoys seven times to pay homage to His Majesty, but Yuwen Shu has said that His Majesty is unwell and refuses to allow them to meet!”

"We must be prepared for this!"

Li Jing spoke solemnly, while the generals sitting in front of him looked completely bewildered.

They exchanged a few glances, both able to see the surprise in each other's eyes.

So you actually believed that everyone would kneel down and beg for forgiveness from the emperor after returning to China?

Should we say you're upright but pedantic, or should we say you're naive and ignorant?
Since everyone has committed a capital offense, why would they obediently stick their heads out for the emperor to behead?

General Pei Renji said helplessly, "General, I have something to say."

Pei Renji rose to prominence by following Li Jing in suppressing rebellious rebels in Qian'an, making him one of Li Jing's old subordinates. During the campaign against Tuyuhun, he also fought alongside Yuwen Shu, both of whom were his superiors, which put him in a difficult position.

Li Jing looked at Pei Renji. He knew Pei Renji's bravery and therefore valued him.

"What does Pei Lang have to say?"

"General, now all the generals have dismissed their troops and sent them home. The Imperial Guards are escorting His Majesty back to the capital. Our soldiers also want to return to their hometowns as soon as possible, but we are forcibly keeping them here. The soldiers are very resentful about this. The Right Martial Guard's military headquarters are mostly located in the Hexi region. The Imperial Guards want to return to Guanzhong, but our soldiers' homes are not in Guanzhong."

Li Jing asked seriously, "Does General Pei want me to obey Duke Xu's orders and lead the soldiers back to Hexi?"

"General, please forgive my bluntness, but if Duke Xu truly harbors rebellious intentions, with our current strength, can we defeat him? Moreover, His Majesty is still in the army; can we afford to take action against them?"

"If we really go to war with them, we'll become the rebels. In my opinion, it's better to withdraw first, recuperate, and wait for news from Luoyang."

Li Jing shook his head and slowly said, "If we just retreat like this, what will happen to His Majesty?"

"If we're not around, they'll have no more scruples, and if they really do something to harm His Majesty..."

Pei Renji lowered his head helplessly and remained silent.

Most of the generals were exhausted and reluctant to fight their comrades, so their faces all looked grim.

Li Jing simply looked at them, remaining silent for a long time. “Gentlemen, the world has endured hundreds of years of turmoil, and it is difficult to achieve unification. If we leave and something happens to His Majesty, the number of people who will die will be greater than those who die on the Liaodong front.”

"We are all generals of the nation. How can we stand idly by and watch chaos unfold?"

"Besides, which of us didn't get to where we are today because of His Majesty's appreciation and promotion?"

"General Pei, back then you were a confidant of the King of Han and were implicated in such a serious crime as treason. Wasn't it His Majesty who pardoned your crime and promoted you back to the rank of General? Have you forgotten His Majesty's kindness to you so quickly?"

Hearing this, Pei Renji dared not raise his head.

"His Majesty has always been very kind to the soldiers of the Right Guard, rewarding them on numerous occasions and bestowing upon them continuously. Now that His Majesty is in danger, are we to leave first?"

Hearing Li Jing's advice, most of the generals lowered their heads and remained silent, but one of them stood up.

"General!!"

Li Jing looked up at the general.

This man was also a lieutenant under Li Jing, and his name was Luo Yi.

Luo Yi was also a rough and uncouth warrior from the Guanzhong region. His father had served as the Left Gatekeeper General. After he grew up, he naturally entered the military and began to fight. He was fierce, skilled in riding and archery, and fought bravely. He was promoted many times for his merits and rose all the way to the rank of Tiger General.

On this expedition, he served under Li Jing.

However, Li Jing and he simply couldn't get along, and they ended up arguing several times.

The main reason was that Luo Yi had a very bad temper and was cruel, typical of the Guanzhong warriors. Li Jing disliked him very much. When Luo Yi dealt with his soldiers, Li Jing would stop him.

But Li Jing wasn't one to hold grudges. Seeing Luo Yi stand up, he remained very polite, "What does Young Master Luo have to say?"

Luo Yi was tall and had a thick beard; his appearance alone was quite intimidating.

"General! With our limited forces, we have no chance of winning against Duke Xu. They won't be in a hurry; they can just keep delaying. Because of His Majesty, you dare not make the first move. Are you suggesting that our entire army follow the Imperial Guards all the way back to Luoyang?"

"Or are we going to stay here and wait for the imperial edict from Luoyang? Should we accept Lord Su's edict or not?"

"If you ask me, the current situation is extremely unfavorable for us. There's no need to hesitate; let's evacuate first. As for the important matters of the court, let them handle them themselves. We'll follow whichever edict is in force!"

Li Jing roared in fury, "You scoundrel!! Do you think everyone is such an opportunistic scoundrel as you?!"

"Someone is coming!!"

Just as Li Jing was about to give the order, Pei Renji and others hurriedly stepped forward to plead for mercy.

"General, Luo Lang has always been straightforward. Please forgive him for the sake of his many military achievements!"

Everyone pleaded for mercy, but Li Jing angrily said, "I should have killed you, you villain, but considering your past merits, I will spare your life. Twenty strokes of the cane!"

Luo Yi stood there, his anger reaching its peak.

The soldiers escorted him away, and moments later, the sound of clubs could be heard outside.

Luo Yi was pinned to the ground, enduring the soldiers' beatings without uttering a sound, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

You old bastard, I was giving you well-intentioned advice, and not only did you not listen, you even dared to hit me?!
Fine, fine, I'll definitely kill you, you old bastard!
Luo Yi was carried back to his camp. Enduring the excruciating pain, he summoned his trusted men.

"Li Jing is a hypocrite, seeking only fame and fortune! When the emperor sent us to our deaths, he dared not say a word. Now that we've returned home, instead of thanking Duke Xu and Duke Zhao, he's plotting against them in secret! I will never allow such behavior!"

"I need someone to go to Duke Xu's place and explain the situation here. I'm willing to obey his orders, kill Li Jing for him, and abandon the darkness for the light!"

(End of this chapter)