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

Li Yin remained silent for a moment.

He stroked his beard, pointed to the white hair at his temples, and sighed.

"I am forty-eight years old this year. In recent years, my food and lodging have been poor, and I am weak and sickly. I am afraid I don't have many years left to live."

Finding a wealthy military governorship to enjoy one's retirement seems like a good choice, but I always feel that the world is ever-changing, and there is no truly secure place in the world.

Li Rui nodded.

That's true, because the Later Jin Dynasty will fall next year!

Li Yin pressed down on Li Rui's shoulder and said in a deep voice.

"It's not hard for me to seek a peaceful life, but I have a son and a daughter, and it's difficult for them to survive in this chaotic world."

Li Rui, you have potential and will surely achieve great things in the future! That's why I want to help you succeed!

It turns out they saw his potential and wanted to invest in him.

Li Rui breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew he was outstanding, so he was terrified of Li Yin saying anything.

If you don't abandon me, I'm willing to take you as my godson!

Since the late Tang Dynasty, the practice of adopting sons has been very popular.

For example, Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang, Li Siyuan, Emperor Mo of Later Tang, Li Congke, and the current emperor, Shi Chonggui, all ascended to the throne through their adopted sons!

Li Rui didn't want to be anyone's son.

To Li Rui's surprise, Li Yin chuckled and said the next thing.

"You came from the Righteous Army and made great contributions in the army. What's more, we both have the surname Li. Isn't this heaven's will...?"

Li Rui was startled and quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

"The general intends to cultivate me, and if I succeed in the future, I will certainly not forget the general's kindness."

Li Yin opened her mouth, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

He had indeed just wanted to adopt Li Rui as his godson.

After all, how could one not be tempted by such an outstanding young man?

However, judging from Li Rui's expression, it was clear that he was unwilling.

Li Yin had no choice but to give up and nodded.

"Good, it's enough that you have a grateful heart. I will submit a memorial to His Majesty to request merit for you. It just so happens that I don't need to be transferred to another town, and I can continue to protect you in the Righteous Army."

Li Rui was somewhat moved by what had been said.

With Li Yin's support, they can better develop their power.

Just as Li Rui was about to take his leave, Li Yin asked again.

Are you married?

Li Rui had no choice but to politely decline.

"General, have you forgotten? Before we went to war, you personally let me choose three wives."

Li Yin shuddered violently!

I was filled with remorse!

Damn!

At the time, Li Rui was just a lowly assassin. Who knew this kid would be so powerful?

On his first battlefield, he achieved so many extraordinary feats!

I knew earlier...

I should have just married my daughter to him instead of giving him his wife!

However, Li Yin, being a seasoned veteran, still persisted and asked again.

"It's alright. Men have many wives and concubines. As long as the principal wife is in the right position, everything is fine."

The implication was that he wanted his daughter to become Li Rui's legal wife.

Unfortunately, after looking at Li Yin's appearance, Li Rui firmly shook his head.

"General, a man should carry a three-foot sword to report to the emperor and protect the people. Let's put aside our personal feelings for now."

Li Yin's lips twitched, and he was speechless.

What the hell is this? Report to the King!

You were just asking for territory and raising your own army!

They practically had "I'm going to rebel" written all over their faces, yet they still managed to report to the emperor!

And what did you mean by looking at my face just now?

Just because I'm ugly, does that mean my daughter will be ugly too?

Li Yin curled his lip, cursing inwardly.

"You brat, just you wait! You'll regret rejecting my daughter today!"

……

Chanzhou, the emperor's temporary palace.

After receiving the report of the great victory from the front, the four prime ministers worked together and quickly drafted a list of rewards.

All that's left is for Emperor Shi Chonggui to stamp his approval.

Shi Zhonggui unfolded it and examined it carefully.

The majority of the credit naturally belongs to head coach Du Chongwei.

Although this guy only cared about running away, he almost directly caused the defeat.

But he was the commander-in-chief and the emperor's uncle, so he had to take the credit.

Secondly, Ma Quanjie, Li Shouzhen, Fu Yanqing, and An Shenqi.

Next, Huangfu Yu, Zhang Yanzhe, Wang Rao, Wang Qing, and Li Yin.

Secondly, there are Yao Yuanfu, Liang Hanzhang, and others.

……

After looking through it all, it's quite obvious.

This list of war merits was arranged entirely according to rank!

Head coach Du Chongwei was completely out of sorts in this big game, but he still deserves the credit!

Infantry generals like Wang Rao and Wang Qing, who killed and captured tens of thousands of Khitans, could only be ranked third.

Yao Yuanfu displayed great bravery and made outstanding contributions in this battle, but due to his insufficient rank, he was relegated to the fourth class.

As for Li Rui?

Oh, not on the main list, on the next page.

Yes, no matter how much merit Li Rui made, it was useless!

You have a low status and no powerful backing!

Moreover, some of Li Rui's credit should be attributed to Jiedushi Li Yin.

Even so, including all of them, Li Yin can only be ranked third.

This standard for rewarding merit also reveals how corrupt the bureaucratic system of the Later Jin Dynasty was.

No wonder the Later Jin Dynasty perished!

More importantly, none of the five people, including the emperor and his ministers, felt that anything was amiss!

Historically, in wars, rewards were always given based on rank and status.

You disagree?

If you're not happy, go find those big shots who are in higher positions than you!

Let's see if they willingly give up their reward, or if they'll chop you up with a knife.

Of course, this battle was somewhat of an exception.

Because of Li Rui!

His military achievements are too dazzling!

If we don't reward them handsomely, it will discourage all the soldiers.

If the court is stingy after such a great and unparalleled achievement, who will be willing to serve the stingy court in the future?

However, Li Rui's status was too low, so it was inappropriate to bestow a large reward directly upon him.

So how should we reward them?

After reading it, Shi Zhonggui nodded.

"Indeed, I have also drafted the imperial decree for Li Rui. Take a look and see if it is appropriate?"

That's right, Shi Zhonggui's choice was a favor!

speak English:

Your military achievements are remarkable, but according to the rules, someone of such low rank cannot receive a substantial reward.

However, the emperor takes a liking to you and bestows upon you extra favors as a reward.

In this way, Li Rui can be rewarded handsomely, and he can also gain favor from the emperor.

Sang Weihan and Li Song frowned upon reading what Shi Chonggui had written.

"Grand Commandant? Commander of the Palace Guards?"

"Too high!"

"Li Rui is 19 years old and is not up to the task."

"I urge Your Majesty to rescind your order."

Sang Weihan simply felt that Li Rui was not qualified.

Li Song, however, believed that Li Rui was capable enough, but too young, and that it was not a good thing for him to suddenly rise to a high position.

Shi Chonggui was displeased that his ideas were not supported.

Seeing this, Li Song quickly said...

"His Majesty's desire to bring Li Rui to the capital to serve within the palace walls is understandable, but the position of Commander of the Palace Guards is far too high."

"How about demoting him two ranks and giving him the title of 'Right Commander of the Palace Guards,' and also demoting the Grand Commandant by two ranks and appointing him Grand Minister of Works?"

Sang Weihan frowned again.

"Commander of the Right Wing of the Crane Controlling Palace" is too high a title!

The palace guards were the emperor's closest personal guards.

"Konghe" was the designation of the infantry unit in the emperor's guard.

The Right Wing Commander is the highest-ranking officer of the right wing of the army.

This official position is equivalent to directly controlling half of the imperial guards within the palace!

Appointing Li Rui, who is only 19 years old, to this position is truly...

Sang Weihan was about to stop him, but Shi Zhonggui had already become impatient.

"It's settled then!"

soon.

An imperial edict ordering the troops to return to the capital, along with additional rewards for Li Rui, was sent straight to the front lines.

Originally, Li Rui and Li Yin had already made arrangements.

He sought the official position of Right Wing Commander of the Right Wing Army and remained in Dingzhou to develop the base area.

The result was completely unexpected.

Seven days later.

This imperial edict, personally written by the emperor, appointed Li Rui as the commander of the Imperial Guards in the capital.

This caught Li Rui completely off guard!

"A decree from His Majesty!"

Having traveled all the way from Chanzhou, the weary imperial edict, held in his hands, smiled and addressed Li Rui.

"General Li, there is no need to kneel. His Majesty has specially granted you permission to receive the decree while standing."