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

Ever since that letter requesting commendation and several boxes of gold and silver were sent to Taiyuan, Shen Lie has been waiting for news.

Now that Liu Zhiyuan has declared himself emperor in Taiyuan, it is the perfect time for him to bestow titles upon his meritorious officials and win over the hearts of the people.

Shen Lie's isolated army was stranded in Guanzhong. They didn't ask for food or supplies or reinforcements. Instead, they not only became self-sufficient but also sent tributes to their superiors from time to time, thus establishing their reputation as the Defense Commissioner of Yaozhou.

For Shi Hongzhao, this was like a pie falling from the sky.

Why not take advantage of this opportunity to gain a sphere of influence that is obedient and compliant, without having to spend your own money?

These days, although carriages and horses are slow, it depends on the situation.

If the carriage carries gold and silver, and the letter expresses deference.

Sure enough, the messenger from Taiyuan arrived in less than ten days.

This was even faster than Shen Lie had anticipated.

However, upon closer reflection, it's not surprising. Liu Zhiyuan is currently in dire need of manpower, so naturally he would spend a fortune to buy Shen Lie's isolated force, just to make a show of it.

The messenger was a capable personal guard. When he entered Yaozhou City and saw the neat and uniform military formation, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He originally thought that Shen Lie was just a lucky opportunist who rose to power by chance, but he never expected that in just over a month, he would actually train these hundreds of people to look like a strong army.

Along with the messenger came a brand-new official document.

If you were to read out the names on this list, they would be enough to leave people completely stunned.

He served as the Commander of the Fuwei Army, concurrently holding the position of the Sixth Commander of the Fuwei Army and acting as the Defense Commissioner of Yaozhou.

Listen to this! He has military rank, assignments, and local authority—he's practically a regional warlord.

But if you peel back this gilded exterior and look inside, you'll discover the trickery involved.

During the chaotic Five Dynasties period, official hats were the least valuable items.

Since the separatist rule of regional warlords at the end of the Tang Dynasty, official positions such as Commander-in-Chief and Commander-in-Chief have been extremely common.

In the late Tang Dynasty, a so-called commander might have been a high-ranking general leading thousands of elite troops. But nowadays, anyone who can muster a few hundred men willing to kill is considered a proper commander.

Whether it's two hundred or three hundred men, a commander who lacks troops is still a commander.

The saying that "commanders are as common as dogs and soldiers are everywhere in the Central Plains" is no joke.

The reason Shi Hongzhao so readily granted Shen Lie this title was simply to go with the flow.

Firstly, he was quite pleased with the gold and silver that Shen Lie sent him; secondly, his standards had risen, and he was willing to give him this empty honor.

Among the news that Li Congxi sent with his letter, Shen Lie's promotion was the least noticeable one.

The once invincible Liao emperor, Yelü Deguang, is dead.

This Khitan monarch, who wanted to become the ruler of the Central Plains but had to hastily return north because he couldn't stand the summer heat, ultimately failed to return to his capital, Shangjing, alive.

He died suddenly when he arrived in Luancheng to kill Hu Lin.

What's even more absurd is that, in order to preserve the body and transport it back to the north, the Khitans actually cut open its abdomen, filled it with salt, and preserved it as a dried corpse.

When the people of the Central Plains heard this, they all clapped and cheered, jokingly calling him "Emperor Ba".

That is, the cured meat made by the emperor.

A conqueror who viewed the Han people as two-legged sheep in life, turned himself into a piece of salted meat after death.

However, with the death of Yelü Deguang, the power vacuum in the Central Plains became fully apparent.

Liu Zhiyuan had been on the throne for some time and was bestowing great rewards upon his meritorious officials.

As a trusted confidant who made the greatest contribution to the establishment of the regime, Shi Hongzhao had already been appointed as the military governor of Zhongwu Army and the commander of the Imperial Guard Infantry.

The former is one thing, but during the time in Daizhou, Shi Hongzhao already commanded five armies: Xingjie, Wujie, and Fuwei. At this time, the addition of Zhongwu Army was merely icing on the cake.

The latter is different; it is a truly prestigious and powerful position, commanding the elite infantry of the entire Han regime, and is a true leader of the Imperial Guard.

In comparison, giving Shen Lie the title of commander of several hundred men is nothing more than a casual act of charity, like plucking a hair thicker than one's waist.

After the grand ceremony, the army had already sworn an oath to march south, with Shi Hongzhao leading the vanguard, heading in a mighty force towards the bustling city of Bianjing.

This journey marked the transition from a regional military governor to an emperor.

Inside the Yaozhou government office, Shen Lie received the official document with a calm expression and casually handed it to Zhao Kuangyin beside him.

"Brother."

Shen Lie took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and placed it in the messenger's hand, his voice lowering slightly, "There's something I'd like to ask you."

The messenger weighed the contents of the package in his hand, and his face immediately broke into a smile.

"Commander Shen, what are you saying? We're all under Commander Shi's command, so feel free to ask us anything."

"Where is Zhao Yanshou now?"

The messenger was taken aback upon hearing this.

He never expected that after hearing such earth-shattering news as the Emperor's southward march and the death of the Liao Emperor, Shen Lie would actually ask about that Han traitor who had already lost power.

Immediately, he revealed an expression of "I knew it," and pulled a letter from his pocket:

"Commander Shen is indeed a man of strong character. Before he left, Commander Li specifically instructed him that if you asked about money and provisions, that was official business; but if you asked about Zhao Yanshou, that was a personal grudge."

The guard cleared his throat. "Zhao Yanshou didn't travel too far north with Yelü Deguang's coffin. After Yelü Deguang's death, the Khitan princes fought for the throne, and Zhao Yanshou took the opportunity to stay in Hengzhou, appointing himself as the acting governor of the Southern Dynasty's military and state affairs. He still commands tens of thousands of troops and is dreaming of becoming emperor."

Hengzhou.

"He's not dead yet..."

Shen Lie murmured something in a low voice.

Zhao Kuangyin, standing to the side, became puzzled.

After spending time with him, he realized that Shen Lie was a very shrewd and calculating person.

According to Yang Ting, even when faced with the grand feast of public sentiment in Zhangjiawu, Shen Lie was able to maintain his composure before he exploded.

But at this moment, just a name was enough to make Shen Lie lose his composure.

He was puzzled.

Logically speaking, Shen Lie and Zhao Yanshou are of vastly different statuses. One is the current Prince of Yan of the Liao Dynasty, while the other is a small warlord who has just started out. The two are completely unrelated, so where does such deep resentment come from?

After the guard left, Zhao Kuangyin tentatively asked.

"Does Your Excellency have a past relationship with Zhao Yanshou?"

"Is it old?"

Shen Lie raised his head and said, "I suppose so. It's an old score that can never be settled."

Some things, if kept hidden, only make you seem distant.

Since we've already decided to travel together, appropriately showing our scars can also be a way of connecting with each other.

"Brother Zhao, are you aware of the Battle of Zhongdu Bridge?"

Zhao Kuangyin's expression turned solemn.

"Of course I know. In the Battle of Zhongdu Bridge, two thousand soldiers fought to the death and refused to retreat." Zhao Kuangyin said in a deep voice, "General Wang Qing was a true hero, but unfortunately he was born at the wrong time and encountered a traitor like Du Chongwei."

"I am Wang Qing's subordinate."

"I was at the bridgehead during that battle."

"I saw Zhao Yanshou charge at us on horseback, carrying an iron mace, intending to smash General Wang's head."

"I shielded the general from the bullet," Shen Lie said, pointing to his chest.

"And then?" Zhao Kuangyin sighed softly and asked again.

"later?"

Shen Lie gave a bitter laugh. "Later, I passed out and survived by walking through a pile of corpses. But the last thing I saw was..."

"General Wang Qing's head was cut off by Zhao Yanshou."

"His body was trampled to pieces by the Khitan horses."