A lowly soldier becomes king, I slaughter my way through the late Tang Dynasty!

A letter from Li Yin was placed on the table, and Niu Ben was furious when he read it!

It is clearly stated above that none of the six brave men who sacrificed their lives in the capture of Mancheng received any compensation!

Moreover, all three hundred men of the Trapped Camp must be captured and executed.

The reason given was disobeying military orders.

Fortunately, thanks to General Fu Yanqing's strong intervention, Commander-in-Chief Du Chongwei was spared the death penalty for the Trapped Camp, but there was absolutely no possibility of him being rewarded.

Niu Ben cursed angrily.

"That dog is Du Chongwei! The brothers are soldiers of the Righteous Army, and they obey the orders of the commander."

"Even the commander didn't reprimand us, so why does this worthless commander want to execute us?!"

Li Rui chuckled and revealed the truth in a single sentence.

"He stole his credit."

Although Du Chongwei was appointed by the emperor as the commander-in-chief of the northern expeditionary force, his troops came from various regional military governors.

When a military force wins a battle, the credit goes to the regional military governor (jiedushi).

Du Chongwei was afraid that others would steal his credit, so he did not allow the army to be divided and everything had to be done under his command.

Even though a seasoned general like Fu Yanqing repeatedly suggested attacking Mancheng, Du Chongwei still disagreed.

Because the conquest of Mancheng was Fu Yanqing's achievement. If Mancheng was really that important, then it was still Fu Yanqing's achievement.

If all the credit goes to others, how can I get promoted and make a fortune?

Li Rui and his men acted on their own initiative and successfully occupied Mancheng with a brilliant victory.

When it comes to the credit later, it will all be attributed to Li Yin, the military governor of Yiwu Army, and will have nothing to do with Du Chongwei.

Therefore, when Du Chongwei heard about the great victory, his first reaction was not joy, but anger.

After listening to Li Rui's explanation, Niu Ben suddenly understood!

Scratching his head, Niu Ben remained silent.

"Then we fought for nothing, didn't we?"

Li Rui laughed.

"How can you say we got nothing for nothing? We got six hundred good men, and so much gold and silver—isn't it all ours?"

Upon hearing this, Niu Ben immediately beamed with joy.

After successfully recruiting 600 Manchu soldiers, Li Rui launched a vigorous campaign to overthrow local tyrants and distribute land in the city.

During these seven years of decline, the powerful and wealthy people in the city helped the Khitans bully the common people.

Li Rui ordered the confiscation of every single one's home!

The land and grain were distributed to the people, while the gold, silver, and other valuables went into Li Rui's own pocket.

Furthermore, 30,000 bolts of silk and 70,000 strings of cash were found in the homes of high-ranking Khitan officials, especially Mo La!

It's easy to imagine how much this guy exploits ordinary people on a daily basis!

Li Rui looked at the piled-up wealth and said to Niu Ben.

"If Du Chongwei refuses to provide compensation for the fallen soldiers, then we will provide compensation ourselves."

Niu Ben's expression changed slightly, because privately providing relief was a capital offense equivalent to treason!

The reason is simple: whoever treats the soldiers well, the soldiers will remember their kindness and will be willing to risk their lives for them in the future.

Li Rui is once again winning people's hearts and raising his own private army!

Niu Ben had no choice but to think to himself that he must report this matter truthfully to the general in the future.

At that moment, soldiers entered the room.

"Li Fengshi, Commander Niu, we have captured a group of people in the city who claim to be merchants from the Kingdom of Khotan."

The Kingdom of Khotan?

Isn't it in the Western Regions? Why is it in Hebei?

Li Rui glanced at Niu Ben, who waved his hand dismissively.

"Go and take a look, I still need to go to the training ground to practice."

Li Rui nodded, and led Zhang Yaozu to an inn.

Meanwhile, inside the inn, a group of people dressed in Western Region attire were filled with anxiety.

"I'd heard the Central Plains dynasties were always at war; I shouldn't have come!"

"What if we don't come? How many years has it been since we last traded with the Tang Dynasty in the Central Plains? If we don't come soon, will we all starve to death?"

"We shouldn't have come to Hebei. The Central Plains states and the Khitans were at war, and we just happened to run into them!"

"Oh dear, where is the owner?"

"By the window."

"Be careful! The owner is beautiful; don't let any villains from the Central Plains see her, or you'll be in for a lot of trouble!"

By the window, a woman with exotic features was lost in thought, seemingly oblivious to the anxious businessmen downstairs.

She was extremely beautiful, with a high nose bridge and deep-set eyes, possessing a unique charm compared to women from the Central Plains.

The woman stared at the street, lost in thought.

Perhaps they are longing for their homeland? Or perhaps they are worried about war and how to ensure their safety?

Perhaps it's the latter.

After all, she knew she was extremely beautiful.

If they fall into the hands of those common soldiers, their fate will be extremely tragic!

Suddenly, an argument broke out in the street.

It turned out to be a group of soldiers from the State of Jin who had eaten several bowls of noodles from the shopkeeper but didn't want to pay.

"Get lost! I rescued you from the clutches of those Khitan dogs, and you dare ask for money after eating just one bowl of your noodles?"

"Oh, sir, my family of five depends on the money for a few bowls of noodles to make a living."

"Oh ho, what does your family size have to do with grandpa!"

"Sir, even some Khitans who come to eat noodles have given money before, so please give them a little something."

"How dare you! You old turtle, are you implying that I'm not even as good as a Khitan dog!?"

After a roar, the soldier drew his sword, which frightened the old man so much that he fell to the ground, trembling.

Upon seeing this, the woman frowned and was about to shout to stop it.

Then it suddenly occurred to me that I was still in danger, so how could I possibly care about the affairs of the Central Plains?

Just then, a whoosh came from the street corner!

"ah!!"

The soldier, who was holding a knife and about to kill someone in the street, was pierced through the thigh by a white-feathered arrow!

The soldier was in excruciating pain, clutching his bleeding thigh, and roared in terror and rage.

"Enemy attack! Enemy..."

Before he could even yell the second enemy attack, a knife was already at his neck.

The soldier was immediately terrified and broke out in a cold sweat. When he looked up and saw the man with the knife, he roared angrily.

"Zhang Yaozu! You fucking dare to touch me?"

Zhang Yaozu snorted coldly, stepped aside, and revealed the person behind him.

The soldier who was arrogant one second ago instantly turned into a subservient fool the next.

"Li...Li Fengshi!"

The soldier's face turned deathly pale, sweat visibly beaded on his forehead, and he trembled uncontrollably.

"I...I made a mistake! Li Fengshi, I know I was wrong, I promise I'll do better next time..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Rui said calmly.

"Kill him."

Zhang Yaozu swallowed hard, then steeled his resolve and slashed down with the knife!

Scalding blood spurted out, staining most of the noodle stalls on the street red.

The noodle stall owner was so frightened that he stood frozen in place, not daring to even breathe.

The other soldiers who refused to pay were terrified. They hurriedly reached into their pockets and threw almost all their money in front of the noodle stall owner before kneeling down in unison.

"I admit my mistake!"

"I'll never do it again!"

"I...I..."

Li Rui glanced over and reprimanded.

"Get out! Go find Commander Niu himself and give him twenty lashes!"

The soldiers, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, kowtowed in gratitude and slunk away.

Li Rui helped the old man up and gently comforted him.

"The old man has been frightened. It is my fault for not managing his subordinates properly. Take this money and use it to buy some food and clothing for your family."

The old man, clutching the silver coins, suddenly realized what was happening, and tears welled up in his old eyes.

"Thank you, General! Thank you, General!"

Li Rui patted him on the shoulder and said to Zhang Yaozu.

"Find two people to hang the corpse at the camp gate as a warning to everyone: anyone who dares to bully the people again will be beheaded!"

"Here you go!"

After giving his instructions, Li Rui walked to the inn, pushed open the door, and entered.

But they didn't realize it was right there on the second floor of the inn.

The exotic woman was staring at him blankly, her eyes blinking.

"The Central Plains... actually still have men like this?"