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

"Was it Young Master Li in person?"

Zhao Hongyin was a spirited middle-aged man with bright, piercing eyes.

She is 46 years old this year, but looks about 30.

"This humble one, Li Rui, greets Commander Zhao."

"Oh, no, you flatter me. General Li is renowned throughout Hebei, with numerous military achievements. He is truly a young hero."

"Commander Zhao, you flatter me. Please come inside and have a seat."

"please."

After exchanging pleasantries, the two men sat down in the simple barracks.

Li Rui carefully examined Zhao Kuangyin's biological father; he did have a rather masculine appearance.

Judging from his appearance, Zhao Kuangyin himself must have been a handsome young man.

Zhao Kuangyin should only be 19 years old now, right?

Similar to myself.

Li Rui smiled slightly and asked.

"I wonder if Commander Zhao has a son named Kuangyin?"

Zhao Hongyin was taken aback. He had come to Li Rui's door because he had something to discuss, but he didn't expect Li Rui to ask about his son as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Well, indeed, I have two sons, the eldest named Kuangyin and the second named Kuangyi."

Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Kuangyi.

Later, Zhao Kuangyin became Emperor Taizu of Song, and Zhao Kuangyi changed his name to Zhao Guangyi to avoid using the same character as his given name.

That is, the same Emperor Taizong of Song who later caused the donkey cart to drift.

"Commander Zhao's family is full of outstanding talents."

Zhao Hongyin was stunned by the praise!

He really didn't know how to start a conversation.

Even if it's just polite conversation, shouldn't you at least compliment the person?

Who would praise someone else's son right off the bat?

Besides, his two sons, the elder of whom, Zhao Kuangyin, was only 19 years old and lived a secluded life at home, without any official rank or fame.

The youngest, Zhao Kuangyi, was only 6 years old!

How does it have anything to do with dragons and phoenixes?

However, Zhao Hongyin was very pleased with Li Rui's words, regardless of whether they were true or not.

"Hahaha, what dragons and phoenixes are there? I only hope that my two sons can have half of General Li's demeanor, that would be enough."

As he spoke, Zhao Hongyin, fearing that Li Rui would continue to steer the conversation toward his son, quickly added.

"I came to visit because I found this."

Zhao Hongyin took out a piece of black cloth from his pocket. It was of excellent quality and made of top-grade materials.

Unfold it and you'll see an embroidered gyrfalcon with outstretched wings!

Niu Ben exclaimed in surprise.

"Isn't this the gyrfalcon flag that Li Rui cut down?"

Zhao Hongyin smiled and nodded.

"Indeed, the story of General Li cutting off the Khitan emperor's divine banner has spread throughout the army, and everyone praises General Li for his bravery and invincibility."

However, with so many people, opinions become conflicting, and some people don't believe it at all, since they haven't seen the gyrfalcon flag that was cut down.

Until noon the day before yesterday, my men found this flag somewhere on the battlefield, which is enough to prove that General Li's story of beheading the divine banner in battle is true.

As he spoke, Zhao Hongyin pushed the divine banner in front of Li Rui.

"This item is General Li's spoils of war, and it should be returned to its rightful owner."

Niu Ben was overjoyed at the sight!

These days, he has heard no shortage of jealous sarcasm and ridicule.

Many people don't believe that Li Rui's flag-cutting incident is true!

If Niu Ben hadn't brought back Yelü Bali's head, some people probably wouldn't have believed the story of Li Rui capturing and killing Bali!

it's good now.

The sacred banner has finally been found!

Niu Ben snatched the flag, excitedly rushed out the door, and shouted loudly.

"Bring the flagpole! Hang this flag at the camp gate for Grandpa!"

Let those gossipy old women see for themselves whether the story of our Li Feng slaying the Khitan banner in arrow formation is true or not!

Li Rui wanted to stop it.

Being too flamboyant is not his style.

But doing so would also enhance his reputation, so Li Rui simply ignored it and let Niu Ben cause trouble.

It was only Yelü Antuan who suffered, being bound outside.

This young future prime minister saw his emperor's sacred banner being hung as a trophy at the gate of the enemy camp.

The grief and bitterness in my heart were endless.

"Thank you, Commander Zhao, for sending the flag."

"It is only right. This battle was won thanks to General Li's outstanding achievements, which boosted the morale of the army."

Li Rui chatted with Zhao Hongyin for a while longer, and they became more familiar with each other.

……

at the same time.

Chanzhou, hundreds of miles away.

Emperor Shi Chonggui of the Later Jin Dynasty claimed to be leading the expedition in person, but he stopped moving after reaching Chanzhou.

At this moment, reports of great victories from the front lines had not yet arrived.

On Shi Chonggui's desk, there was only one letter from Ma Quanjie.

This was precisely the case when Li Rui was besieged in Mancheng, and everyone suggested sending troops to rescue him, but Du Chongwei acted arbitrarily and refused to send troops.

Fu Yanqing and Ma Quanjie were forced to write a letter to Shi Chonggui in the rear, hoping that Shi Chonggui would issue an order for Du Chongwei to send troops.

Looking at it now, there's obviously no need for that.

Because the war has ended.

However, Shi Chonggui was unaware of the news from the front lines, and he had been worrying about this letter for several days.

"My esteemed ministers, tell me, how should I respond?"

Standing before Shi Chonggui was the entire civil service of the Later Jin dynasty.

Privy Councilor Sang Weihan, who is also the current chief civil official, is extremely capable and loyal.

He answered with his hands clasped in respect.

"Your Majesty, I believe that we must warn the generals at the front not to act recklessly."

The Khitan state is strong, while our dynasty is weak. If we suffer a major defeat, our nation will collapse!

Vice Chancellor Li Song, who had some knowledge of military affairs, retorted with his hands hanging down.

"I believe we should send troops to rescue Li Rui as soon as possible. Although Li Rui is just a lowly assassin, his actions have greatly boosted the morale of the army."

If we let it fend for itself, the soldiers at the front will inevitably feel disheartened, and their morale will be completely destroyed. Therefore, we must send troops.

Sang Weihan thought for a moment, then stepped back.

"What you say makes sense, but I still think it's not wise to risk a fight against the Khitan for a mere three hundred men. It's best to defend the city."

San Vihan's thinking tended towards conservatism because the country was devastated by years of war and simply could not afford a major defeat.

Li Song was also conservative, but he understood better how to fight, so he insisted on rescuing Li Rui.

In his view, if Li Rui didn't come to the rescue, the army's morale would collapse, making victory even more difficult!

The two held differing opinions and presented their own versions of events.

Behind the two were Prime Ministers He Ning and Zhao Ying.

However, they didn't participate in these arguments; they just focused on doing their jobs well.

Listening to their opinions, Shi Chonggui felt that both of them had a point!

This is why he hesitated for several days and couldn't reply to Ma Quanjie.

They were being rather indecisive.

But now, Shi Chonggui slammed his fist on the table, having made up his mind.

"Li Rui needs to be saved!"

Besides the morale issue mentioned by Li Song, Shi Chonggui had another idea.

Li Rui is a man of great talent!

Since his accession to the throne, he has refused to submit to the Khitan and has always dreamed of sweeping away the humiliation suffered by the Central Plains.

They even want to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun!

To achieve all this, we need talent, we need top-notch talent!

And isn't Li Rui just that kind of person?

With such a talented person right in front of us, how could we not help?

Seeing the emperor's gaze, Sang Weihan knew perfectly well what the emperor was thinking.

He sighed.

"Your Majesty, Li Rui has demonstrated both wisdom and courage, and is indeed a talented individual. It is a pity that he has died."

But with the army currently locked in a stalemate with the Khitan, wouldn't it be even more regrettable to sacrifice thousands or even tens of thousands of soldiers for the sake of Li Rui?

Shi Zhonggui's heart skipped a beat, and he hesitated again.

It seems that's really true!

If Wan Da's army were to launch a rescue operation for Li Rui, they would be routed by the Khitan cavalry in the open field, suffering tens of thousands of casualties...

That mere Li Rui doesn't seem to be worth tens of thousands of troops!

Li Song was speechless.

Indeed, no matter how talented Li Rui is, in the current environment, he cannot withstand the risk of the annihilation of tens of thousands of troops.

Just as the scales in their hearts were tipping in the direction of "not saving Li Rui".

A joyous shout came from outside the door.

"Your Majesty! A great victory at the front! Our army has beheaded over ten thousand and achieved a resounding triumph!"

Li Rui of the Righteous Army captured and killed Yelü Balide, the king of the Yishi tribe of the Khitan, and also killed one of the Khitan emperor's banners in battle!

The Khitans have retreated north! A great victory!!