I was living in the Five Dynasties period, just after crossing the Zhongdu Bridge.

In officialdom, the phrase "promotion and wealth" is always read together.

However, in the Five Dynasties period, getting promoted often meant going to your death, while getting rich depended on whether you were alive to enjoy it.

Shen Lie's appointment as the Defense Commissioner of Yaozhou looked impressive, but it was actually a hot potato.

Shi Hongzhao, as the top general of Hedong, was naturally well aware of this.

This general, who had just made a fortune outside Daizhou City, was quite magnanimous about letting Shen Lie go to Guanzhong, and could even be said to be somewhat happy about it.

It's all about self-interest.

Although Liu Zhiyuan has now declared himself emperor in Taiyuan, he doesn't actually have many truly powerful cards to play.

While Hedong appears to have a strong and well-equipped army, it is actually comprised of numerous independent factions.

Although Shi Hongzhao held the prestigious position of Commander-in-Chief of the Martial Guards and would later become Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards, seemingly wielding immense power, this power still required the support of his subordinates.

Shen Lie is his man; that mark has already been placed on him.

Releasing such a capable, ambitious subordinate who had just made a great contribution, even to that godforsaken Yaozhou, would be expanding Shi Hongzhao's territory.

If Shen Lie gains a foothold in Guanzhong, then Shi Hongzhao's hand will have reached into Guanzhong. If Shen Lie is defeated, it will only amount to a commander and a few hundred new soldiers. Shi Hongzhao has calculated this better than anyone else.

Therefore, when Liu Zhiyuan's transfer order came down, Shi Hongzhao didn't hesitate at all, and approved it with a stroke of his pen.

But while he was quick to make accurate predictions, some people were upset.

This person was none other than Li Congxi, the Commander of the Pacifying and Protecting Command.

Li Congxi was suffering in his heart.

This army of Fuwei was a newly formed force, with a total of only two thousand men.

These days, recruits are easy to find, but capable combat personnel are hard to come by.

Shen Lie's departure not only took away his most capable commander, but also three hundred veteran soldiers who had seen blood.

This is like having a knife ripped out of Li Congxi's heart.

Although Fuweidu still maintains its facade after this departure, its spirit and energy will likely be significantly diminished.

If it were someone with a short temper, they probably would have already flipped the table and started cursing.

But Li Congxi is a soft-hearted person.

What could he say?

What do you dare say?

The transfer order was issued personally by the Emperor, and the person was appointed with the approval of Shi Hongzhao.

Although Li Congxi was also a commander, in front of those two big shots, he was nothing more than a high-ranking servant guarding the house.

As a result, Li Congxi avoided Shen Lie for the past two days, fearing that this jinx might try to extract something from him before leaving.

However, what you fear most is what happens.

The day before the army was about to break camp, Shen Lie still came to visit.

Moreover, this very act of opening the door is a potentially fatal deal.

"One hundred horses."

Shen Lie entered Li Congxi's tent and immediately made an exorbitant demand.

"Warhorse".

"puff!"

Li Congxi spat out the tea he had just drunk, not bothering to wipe it away, and stared wide-eyed at the shameless subordinate in front of him.

"Shen Lie, don't go too far."

Li Congxi took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound somewhat authoritative.

"Do you think these horses are like vegetables in a field? You think you can have as many as you want? In the battle of Daizhou, how many horses did we actually capture? Of those three hundred, some were dead or wounded; only about a hundred were still rideable!"

"Then I'll take them both."

Shen Lie didn't stand on ceremony and pulled up a chair to sit down.

"I'm not picky about food. I'll eat those who have only minor injuries, as long as they can walk."

"You..." Li Congxi was so choked that he almost passed out.

He realized that Shen Lie was clearly there to rob him.

Actually, Shen Lie had no other choice.

He went to see Shi Hongzhao.

Just the day before yesterday, Shen Lie went to the central army camp with a note and asked for a horse.

As a result, Shi Hongzhao simply had his personal guards hang up the curtain, declaring, "I am too busy with military affairs to receive guests."

Although Shi Hongzhao valued Shen Lie, he valued the family fortune he possessed even more.

These days, warhorses are a matter of life and death.

Ever since Shi Jingtang ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, the Central Plains lost its horse-breeding grounds.

The Khitans were able to swagger around because of their bowlegged legs and their warhorses.

Liu Zhiyuan was able to rise to power because of the thousands of Hexi horses he seized after killing Bai Chengfu.

Shi Hongzhao was also stingy.

Although he admired Shen Lie, asking him to take out a hundred warhorses from his own pocket and give them away would be more painful than cutting off his own flesh.

However, he couldn't refuse directly, since Shen Lie was someone he had sent out; being too stingy would make him seem petty and lacking in vision.

So, this commander played the blame game, tacitly allowing Shen Lie to come and cause trouble for Li Congxi.

Shen Lie understood the intricacies of the situation, and Li Congxi, having come to his senses, also understood.

Shi Hongzhao wanted to save face, Shen Lie wanted to save substance, but in the end, it was Li Congxi who was cut in the bud.

"Commander."

Shen Lie began to lay out the facts and reason, "Think about it, what kind of place is Yaozhou if I take these three hundred men? Zhao Kuangzan is in front, Hou Yi is behind, and there are Shu troops to the west. It's a place of constant warfare. If I'm all infantry, I won't even have a chance to run away if something happens."

"If these three hundred men are lost, it will be a loss of face for the government and for our Fuwei Capital."

"Moreover," Shen Lie changed the subject, hitting Li Congxi's weak spot, "I'm still your subordinate. If I can make a name for myself in Yaozhou with these hundred horses, when people talk about Fuwei Capital in the future, who won't give a thumbs up and say that Commander Li is a skilled commander?"

Li Congxi's face darkened, and he didn't respond.

He understands the principles.

But he just felt sorry for him.

Although most of the captured horses were inferior, they had at least seen some action.

He originally planned to keep them to form his own personal guard, but now, this kid has his eye on them all.

"That doesn't even require a hundred horses!" Li Congxi gritted his teeth. "I'll give you twenty at most, those are for you and your personal guards."

"What can twenty horses do?" This price was far from Shen Lie's expectations.

"Fifty horses," Li Congxi bargained through gritted teeth. "No more. Even if you stripped me bare, that's all I'd get."

"Eighty," Shen Lie said, raising the price on the spot. "I'll figure out the rest myself."

"Sixty!" Li Congxi slammed his fist on the table. "Any more and you can go ask General Shi for it!"

"make a deal."

Shen Lie agreed readily, and even expertly pulled out the transfer document he had already written from his pocket and pushed it in front of Li Congxi.

"Please use the seal, Commander."

Li Congxi looked at the paper that had been prepared long ago, and his lips twitched twice.

He suddenly had a feeling that he had been tricked.

This kid probably never expected to get a horse from Shi Hongzhao, nor did he really expect to get a hundred horses.

What he wanted were these sixty horses, and he wanted them so confidently, which made Li Congxi feel both heartbroken and forced to give them to him.

"Take it! Take it!"

Li Congxi grabbed the official seal, slammed it down, and then waved his hand dismissively, like shooing away a fly. "Get out of here! Take your men and get to Yaozhou! Don't let me see you again!"

Shen Lie put away the documents, stood up, and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for your kindness, Commander."