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

Zhao Kuangyin's methods of settling accounts were as swift as his methods of killing.

The fifty soldiers of the Fuwei Capital shuttled back and forth between the armory and the granary, but the news they brought back was devoid of any joy.

The lamellar armor inside the armory had mostly rusted and peeled off, and the leather ropes inside broke with a single pull.

The shafts of long spears and lances have become brittle due to years of dampness.

As for the granary that was nominally enough to support a thousand people, opening the wooden door revealed only a nauseating, stale smell.

The so-called stored grain was mostly old rice mixed with sand and stones and discolored.

Let alone warhorses, even the toughest refugees would probably lose half their lives if they swallowed it.

The so-called treasury, in times of peace, is a good place for officials to embezzle, while in times of chaos, it is a shield to deal with superiors and shirk responsibility.

People like Sun Ping had already looted all the items that could be exchanged for hard currency during this period of transition between the old and the new.

This is the legacy that Liu Zhiyuan and even Shi Jin left to Shen Lie.

It's all just false heat.

Neither Shen Lie nor Zhao Kuangyin were particularly surprised by this situation.

These days, it would be a miracle if the local armories and granaries weren't empty.

No wonder Sun Ping knelt so readily at the city gate.

If Shen Lie were to actually strike outside the city, Yaozhou City probably wouldn't even last half an hour.

All the officials in the city have are a pile of messy accounts and a bunch of yamen runners who only know how to bully the people. Where do they get the confidence to go head-to-head with these five hundred fierce and ruthless Fuwei?

Sun Ping's way of life is the way this era should truly live.

When the emperor changes, the flags are changed; when the army is at the city gates, they open the gates and surrender.

As for the responsibility to defend the territory?

That's a luxury you can only dream of when you have the tools at your disposal.

However, the reason why Sun Ping and others made the exchange so readily was because they considered these things to be worthless.

Taking advantage of the new official's appointment, he dumped everything on Shen Lie, so that if the higher-ups questioned him later, this defense commissioner would take the blame.

This is a clever way of shifting blame.

"Good tactic."

Shen Lie muttered to himself, "They're only bullying me because I'm new here. If it were someone with a fiery temper, they probably would have killed someone tonight to vent their anger."

But this precisely proves Shen Lie's clear-headedness.

Killing is easy, but who will clean up this mess in the city?

Since Sun Ping and the others dared to hand over this empty shell, they must have been prepared to pay a price to avoid disaster.

So Shen Lie didn't get angry. He just had people pick out the gun tips that were still usable and put the rest of the mess away again.

······

The next day.

Shen Lie stood in the side hall of the government office, looking at the few broken pieces of iron armor that Zhao Kuangyin had thrown on the table, his face ashen.

The other party backed down at the city gate and handed over the key because they were afraid of dying, while leaving a pile of scrap metal in the treasury was to survive.

As long as Shen Lie wants to maintain his title as the Defense Commissioner, he has to rely on these locals to collect taxes and endure this absurd situation of overflowing coffers.

Shen Lie did not rush to summon the trembling officials; instead, he first changed into a new set of armor in the back office.

This armor was a gift from Gao Yan before his departure. It had been cleansed of blood and grime. Shen Lie wore a military officer's robe over it, with the right sleeve tightly bound and the left sleeve hanging down.

If this outfit were placed in later generations, it would be a typical example of a scholar wearing sleeveless clothes and a warrior wearing armor, which was the standard attire for a Confucian general during the Song Dynasty.

This was the scene that Zhao Kuangyin saw when he stepped into the courtyard.

"Excellent! What a fine appearance, what a young hero!"

Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but praise him.

"If Your Excellency were to walk down the Imperial Street in Bianliang in this attire, you would surely attract the attention of countless beauties."

"Brother Zhao is joking."

Shen Lie laughed and said, "Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse. We're new here, so if we don't put on airs, we might not be able to keep the city's monsters in check."

Just then, Yang Ting rushed in from the front office, carrying a stack of gift lists in his hand.

"My lord, those people are here again."

At this moment, outside the government office, officials of all levels and representatives of powerful families from the six counties of Yaozhou had already formed a long queue.

What they brought back was no longer moldy booklets, but gold, silver, cloth, and a delicate figure hidden under the silk.

Sun Ping and the others lived life with clarity, and Shen Lie's murderous aura at the city gate showed that he was someone who could overturn the table.

Since we can't overturn the table, let's put some bait on it to make the hero lose his temper.

Sun Ping presented a pair of beautiful maids, said to be two renowned beauties, while the magistrate of Fuping County sent several boxes of silk.

In their minds, Shen Lie, a defense commissioner leading several hundred soldiers to Yaozhou, was only lacking money, food, and pleasure.

As long as the tiger's stomach is filled, the local tyrants of the six counties of Yaozhou will still be the same people who sit on the ground and rule.

Shen Lie stepped into the hall, where the gift lists were piled up like a mountain on the main seat.

Sun Ping led a group of officials to bow down, chanting congratulations to the new governor on his appointment.

These people's thoughts are all written on the back of their drooping heads.

Shen Lie's gaze swept over the boxes of gold and silver, finally settling on the delicate women.

"Prefect Sun, and all the county magistrates, you are truly thoughtful."

What Shen Lie was thinking about was not how many soldiers could be fed with this gold and silver, but the extent to which the people of the six counties of Yaozhou had been exploited behind this gift list.

Although the war had worn away at his compassion, it had not extinguished it.

But he knew even better that if he talked about integrity at this moment, he would only be ridiculed and would not gain any real benefit.

"I will accept this gold and silver."

Upon hearing this, Sun Ping and the others felt a great weight lifted off their shoulders, and their backs seemed to straighten a bit.

If Shen Lie were to adopt the demeanor of an incorruptible official today and refuse all these riches and beauties, then Sun Ping and his group would be unable to sleep.

Because an official who doesn't accept bribes usually means he has grand ambitions, and might even be willing to confiscate his property and exterminate his entire family.

Conversely, if Shen Lie accepts the offer, then in the eyes of Sun Ping and the others, this newly arrived defense commissioner will become one of their own.

Greedy and lustful?

Don't be afraid!

I'm just afraid you won't be greedy!

Shen Lie did not hesitate at all, nor did he display any of the aloofness often associated with scholars.

"The gold and silver will be deposited into the treasury and used as military funds. We've expanded too quickly in our efforts to help those in distress, and we're just short of this military expenditure. As for the silk, we'll make some winter clothes for the brothers."

"What about... what about those women?" Yang Ting scratched his head and asked tentatively.

Shen Lie glanced at him.

"Since it's been delivered, I'll accept it. If I don't, they probably won't be able to sleep soundly tonight, thinking I'm about to kill someone and confiscate their property."

"However, I don't need so many people for my back office."

Shen Lie held up two fingers. "Keep the two you find pleasing to the eye. Brother Zhao can choose two of the rest, Yang Ting can choose one, and the rest can be rewarded to the meritorious team leaders."

Upon hearing this, Yang Ting's eyes lit up instantly.

"Thank you for the reward, Your Excellency!"

Zhao Kuangyin was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter.

"Your Excellency is truly a man of genuine character!"

Looking at Zhao Kuangyin's knowing expression, Shen Lie felt a clear understanding in his heart.

He doesn't need to be a saint.

Sages could not survive during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.