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

Traveling south from Danzhou, a distance of only a hundred miles, the weather suddenly changes.

Once you enter Guanzhong, the scenery and customs are naturally different.

This Guanzhong Plain, stretching for eight hundred li, has been the foundation of imperial rule since the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties. Although it suffered from the chaos of the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, its rich heritage remains.

If the Lüliang Mountains are the tug-of-war between the northern frontier and the Central Plains, then the northern edge of the 800-li Qin River Plain is the key to Guanzhong.

Shen Lie and his group of over five hundred men crossed the Zhuoshui River and bypassed the Jushui River, finally catching sight of the rammed earth city walls of Yaozhou City.

The establishment of Yaozhou was originally a product of Li Maozhen's separation from Jingzhao Prefecture at the end of the Tang Dynasty in order to guard the northern gateway to Guanzhong.

Located at the junction of the Guanzhong Plain and the Weibei Plateau, this place, though lacking the grandeur of Chang'an, is indeed a strategic pass guarding the passage southward from Yanzhou, and is known as "the northern shield of Sanyuan and the southern lock of Chang'an".

Shen Lie, the Defense Commissioner, was nominally in charge of Yaozhou, but in reality, the title of Defense Commissioner held a surprisingly large and complex position.

According to the official rules of the court at that time, he was not only required to be stationed in Yaozhou, but also to oversee the six counties under his jurisdiction: Huayuan, Fuping, Sanyuan, Yunyang, Tongguan, and Meiyuan.

Within this territory spanning hundreds of miles, Shen Lie was a local tyrant who controlled military, political, criminal, and tax collection.

However, a title is ultimately just a title.

In this chaotic era of the Five Dynasties, a title without the support of military power was worth less than a piece of straw to wipe one's bottom.

At this moment, the atmosphere in Yaozhou City was extremely strange.

Before Shen Lie arrived, the highest-ranking official in Yaozhou should have been the military governor of Shunyi.

But now that the Han Dynasty has just been established, Liu Zhiyuan is busy proclaiming himself emperor in Taiyuan. How could he have the mind to place his confidants in Guanzhong?

Thus, the position of Shunyi Military Governor has remained vacant to this day.

This is where Liu Zhiyuan's skill in manipulating power lies.

He gave Shen Lie a substantive post as a defense commissioner, but left the position of military governor vacant.

The meaning is self-evident.

If you, Shen Lie, can establish a firm foothold in this Guanzhong region, then the position of Jiedushi (military governor) will naturally be yours.

The position of Defense Commissioner is real; you're tasked with killing and carrying out tasks. The position of Military Governor is nominal; you're kept around to see how you perform before being rewarded.

The city gate was right in front of us.

The drawbridge was not yet erected, and the city gate was half-open.

The officials, powerful figures, and local bullies of Yaozhou City were mostly hiding in the city towers, coldly observing this dusty and weary procession.

In their logic, there are only two paths for a new official to take office.

If it's a fierce tiger, then everyone will bow down and pray for peace and wealth.

If he's an easy target, then this cold shoulder and show of force will be readily available. In three to five months, he'll be reduced to a clay idol only fit to drink tea in the back office.

At this moment, Zhao Kuangyin rode his horse to the side of Shen Lie. He looked at the half-open city gate and did not order the seizure of the treasury. Instead, he gently stroked his horse's mane.

"Brother Shen, this city gate is quite interesting."

Open halfway, close halfway—this is a test of our courage, and also a test of our discipline.

"If you charge in at full speed now, the people inside will be afraid, but they will be resentful. If you walk in slowly, they will laugh, and you won't be able to collect a single grain of tax or grain from now on."

Shen Lie took a deep breath; he knew all too well the intricacies of the matter.

During these five dynasties, due to the high degree of fragmentation of local power, if a newly arrived official could not quickly establish his authority through decisive and ruthless actions, he would lose his value in the eyes of other officials.

"stop!"

Shen Lie raised his whip and gave the order.

Inside the city gate, several trembling county magistrates and registrars, along with a group of powerful local tyrants from Yaozhou, finally shuffled out reluctantly.

Behind them followed dozens of local militiamen, their hats askew and their long, rusty spears gleaming in their hands, looking like a flock of ducks waiting to be slaughtered.

"Sun Ping, Prefect of Yaozhou, greets Defense Commander Shen." The old man leading the group chuckled twice, cupped his hands in greeting, but kept glancing at the cavalry behind Shen Lie.

He is weighing the options.

To determine how many horses and armor were among these five hundred men.

Shen Lie didn't even dismount.

He coldly looked down at Sun Ping, directly interrupting the other's prepared long speech.

"Prefect Sun, I have been ordered to garrison Yaozhou. I need to see the household registers, grain reserves, and armory records of the six counties of Yaozhou at the city gate within half an hour. Whether they are from the prefectural government or from the homes of local gentry, bring them all out."

Sun Ping was stunned.

The powerful figures who had originally planned to watch the show were also stunned.

Is this blatant robbery?

"My lord, this...this is somewhat against the rules, isn't it?" A powerful local lord couldn't help but step forward, his voice laced with threat. "In the Guanzhong region, it's always the case that old friendships are reminisced before official business is discussed. The accounts of the six counties of Yaozhou are complex and numerous; let alone half an hour, it would take half a month..."

"Rules?" Shen Lie sneered, tapping his sword sheath lightly against the saddle.

"My rule is military law. At this moment, although the Khitan troops have retreated, there are still many fleeing remnants."

If I cannot see the accounts, I can only conclude that Yaozhou City has been infiltrated by the remnants of the Khitan.

To ensure the stability of Guanzhong, I wouldn't mind following the methods of the Khitan remnants and thoroughly plowing through the city, both inside and out.

The entire room fell silent.

Shen Lie was telling them: either cooperate with me and acknowledge my authority as the defense commissioner, or we will work together as officials and civilians.

If you refuse me, then I will label you as traitors and rogues, and simply use my sword to flatten you.

This is an attempt to establish authority through murder!

Zhao Kuangyin looked at Shen Lie, a look of admiration flashing in his eyes.

This is what he admires about Shen Lie: seemingly kind, but actually possessing the clearest understanding of power and violence.

He gently spurred his horse to sit beside Sun Ping, tapping the iron whistle lightly against his thigh.

"Prefect Sun, every second the shadow moves in half an hour, every bit of life is lost. If Your Excellency were to draw your sword, my staff would no longer recognize Sun Ping or Li Ping."

This is the lower limit of the game.

When one side shows the determination to overturn the table, the other side can only pray that the dishes on the table don't break too badly.

Sun Ping glanced at the soldiers supporting the distressed forces behind Shen Lie, then at the pale-faced local tyrants beside him, finally swallowed hard, and said in a trembling voice, "Quick...quick! Bring all the registers, seals, and warehouse keys to the city gate!"

With Sun Ping's order, the defensive logic of Yaozhou City collapsed instantly.

For the next fifteen minutes, Shen Lie still did not enter the city.

He stood on horseback, with five hundred soldiers behind him in a fighting stance.

If the historian were here, he would surely have written the four characters "威震关中" (meaning "powerful and awe-inspiring in Guanzhong").

Half an hour has passed.

Boxes of yellowed booklets and keys were piled up at the city gate.

Those officials who had originally intended to wait and see were now kneeling tremblingly by the roadside.

Shen Lie turned to look at Zhao Kuangyin.

"Brother Zhao, I'll trouble you to take fifty men and go to the armory with these keys. If any weapon doesn't match, arrest the clerk who led the way."

Zhao Kuangyin laughed loudly and turned his horse around: "Don't worry, my lord, I'm an expert at this kind of accounting work."

Shen Lie then spurred his horse and slowly crossed the city gate.