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

Now, once you enter Niangziguan, the scenery is completely different from the hell on earth outside the pass.

Although the sky was still overcast and the wind and snow were still fierce, at least the wailing and stench of rotting corpses that filled the mountains and fields were gone.

Instead, there were orderly military tents, patrolling cavalry, and a strange smell in the air that was a mixture of horse manure and wheat porridge.

Shen Lie walked in the middle, with Liu Qing following closely behind carrying his tattered luggage. Liu Yan, who had originally said he would stay outside the pass, was eventually let in by the general because of Shen Lie's statement that he knew how to raise horses.

After all, in this chaotic world, a skilled horseman is indeed much more valuable than a migrant who only knows how to farm.

"Guo Qing of a certain family."

The military officer leading the way, mounted on his horse and holding a whip, turned around and casually cupped his hands in greeting. "I am now appointed as the Deputy Inspector of Niangziguan Pass."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lie did not stop walking, but his mind quickly went through the historical materials of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.

There is no such person.

But there's nothing to be surprised about.

During this chaotic period of the Five Dynasties, five dynasties and more than a dozen emperors changed hands in more than fifty years. As for the military governors, defense commissioners, and prefects who came and went like a revolving lantern, they were as numerous as carp crossing a river.

History books are precious, and they only remember kings, generals, and warlords of troubled times. There are countless mid-level military officers like Guo Qing who may have had some ability, but ultimately failed to leave their names behind.

"Greetings, Inspector Guo." Shen Lie returned the greeting, neither humble nor arrogant.

Guo Qing seemed quite satisfied with Shen Lie's composure. He pointed with his riding whip at the soldiers who were training around him, and then at the hundreds of refugees surrounded by railings in the distance.

"Did you see clearly?"

"For the refugees outside the pass, if they want to enter the pass and get food, it's all a matter of fate. The weak are simply left outside to fend for themselves, while the stronger ones are selected, their faces are tattooed, and they are assigned to the vanguard or as laborers, treated like livestock."

As he spoke, Guo Qing glanced at Liu Qing, who was following behind Shen Lie.

The silly boy was staring wide-eyed at the food in the military camp, swallowing hard.

The emperors of the Five Dynasties changed so quickly; today it was the Later Liang issuing Longde Tongbao coins, and tomorrow it would be the Later Tang issuing Tiancheng Yuanbao coins.

Therefore, food became a standard for measuring the strength of a power.

"Your follower is quite sturdy. If he were outside, he'd probably have a word tattooed on his face and be sent to transport grain." Guo Qing said with a half-smile. "It's only because you, Chief Shen, have this waist token and the ability to kill that you were spared the two needles of tattooing punishment and were even directly recommended to the military."

Shen Lie remained silent.

Spiced noodles.

This was a clever strategy devised by warlords since the late Tang and Five Dynasties period to prevent soldiers from deserting.

Once you have your face tattooed, you're a convict for life, and you'll die no matter where you try to escape.

Although Liu Zhiyuan claimed to love the people, he was no different from those brutal warlords when it came to governing the army.

As they were pondering, the group passed through the outer camp and arrived at a more spacious training ground.

Even Shen Lie, a transmigrator who was used to seeing grand scenes from later generations, couldn't help but have a slight change in his expression.

rich.

They are too wealthy.

On the training ground, the warhorses were strong and healthy, and although the soldiers were not fully armed, they were all armored and their weapons gleamed coldly. They were far superior to the Jin army on the other side of Zhongdu Bridge, which was short of food and clothing.

No wonder Liu Zhiyuan dared to sit in Taiyuan and observe the rise and fall of the Central Plains.

In fact, a little reflection will make it clear where the wealth of the Hedong Army came from.

Just this August, a few months ago, Bai Chengfu, the leader of Tuyuhun, could no longer endure the exploitation by the Khitans and led his people to use this place as a buffer to submit to the Jin Dynasty.

Liu Zhiyuan, on the surface, treated them to good wine and meat, but in reality, he was greedy.

Was he trying to appease Tuyuhun?

He coveted those thousands of fine horses and the gold and silver that had been accumulated over generations!

Therefore, Liu Zhiyuan, this "hero," sent Guo Wei to lure Bai Chengfu and others into Taiyuan City.

Then, they falsely accused Bai Chengfu and the other five Tuyuhun tribes of plotting a rebellion, and slaughtered more than 400 members of Bai Chengfu's clan, seizing all their wealth and horses.

Historical records state that "his wealth, including sheep and horses, amounted to tens of millions." In retrospect, this blood-stained windfall indeed became the capital for Liu Zhiyuan's struggle for supremacy.

"Do you think my Hedong army is strong and well-equipped?" Guo Qing asked, a smug look on his face as he saw Shen Lie staring intently at the warhorse.

"Indeed elite." Shen Lie withdrew his gaze and spoke the truth.

"That's natural." Guo Qing dismounted, tossed the reins to his personal guard, and led Shen Lie toward a large tent in the center. "In order to deal with the Khitans, the commander-in-chief specially selected elites from various armies and recruited warriors from all directions to form a new army to serve as personal guards."

Upon reaching the tent, Guo Qing stopped and pointed to the large black banner with red characters fluttering in the wind:

"This is where you're going."

Shen Lie looked up.

He noticed that the flag did not bear any familiar designation; instead, it was inscribed with three large, regular script characters.

Help those in distress.

Shen Lie was slightly taken aback.

This did touch upon a blind spot in his knowledge.

As a history enthusiast with a deep understanding of the Five Dynasties period, he has a mind full of famous and powerful armies.

For example, Li Cunxu's "Silver Spear Army" swept across the world, with its silver spears and white horses, which made the Khitans call him "Grandpa".

For example, there was the "Tianwei Army" on which Shi Jingtang rose to power, and later there was the "Dianqian Zhuban" established by Guo Wei after he ascended the throne, which was the prototype of the later Song Dynasty Imperial Guard.

But what exactly is this "helping the needy" approach?

However, upon further reflection, Shen Lie felt relieved.

The term "helping those in distress" simply means supporting those in a crisis.

Now that the Jin dynasty has fallen and the Central Plains are in ruins, Liu Zhiyuan raises this banner to appear loyal to the country, while secretly harboring ambitions to reclaim the lost territories.

As for why there is no record of it in historical books?

Perhaps it was because this unit existed for too short a time, so short that it didn't have time to leave a significant mark on history before being submerged by the torrent of history.

"What? Never heard of it?" Guo Qing asked casually when he saw Shen Lie looking blank.

"This is the first time I've heard of it. It's a nice name, though," Shen Lie said dismissively.

"Whether it's a good name or not doesn't matter. What matters is that the soldiers in this unit have the best treatment in the entire army, but they also work the hardest." Guo Qing lifted the tent flap, and a wave of heat mixed with the smell of sweat rushed out.

"Go in."

Guo Qing stood at the tent entrance, turned to the side, and a meaningful expression appeared on his fleshy face.

"Captain Shen, don't blame me for not warning you. In this city of Fuwei, there's no one kind. Your captain's badge might not be very useful here..."

Shen Lie did not hesitate.

He reached out and patted the long sword at his waist, glanced back at the somewhat timid Liu Yan and his nephew, and then stepped inside.

The tent was dimly lit, and dozens of malevolent gazes instantly focused on the intruder.