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

"New here?"

A burly man, shirtless, sat up from the communal bed, a die in his hand, and sized up Shen Lie's thin brown clothes. "Bred in by Inspector Guo? Looks like a newbie who got in through connections."

A burst of laughter erupted from the surrounding area.

Some people whistled, while others clattered their weapons together.

Throughout history and across the world, the rules in military camps are largely the same.

Newcomers who lack solid skills or powerful backers will inevitably be skinned alive by these thugs and then treated like menial laborers.

Shen Lie remained silent.

He simply placed the long sword, scabbard and all, slowly on the ground at his feet.

Since you want to be a soldier and make a name for yourself under Liu Zhiyuan's nose, a mere badge isn't enough.

In this chaotic world, dignity and status are never something to be begged for, but something to be earned through fighting.

Hiding one's talents?

That's the kind of leisurely pleasure that only exists in times of peace and prosperity.

In this cannibalistic world, if you disguise yourself as a sheep, there's only one outcome: you'll be swallowed whole, skin and bones.

"Shen Lie of a certain family."

Shen Lie cracked his knuckles. "He's the Infantry Commander under General Wang Qing. Who would like to offer guidance?"

"Wang Qing?"

The burly, dark-haired man sneered, tossed the dice, and strode over. "That general who died at Zhongdu Bridge? Since he's a defeated general, he'll empty this chamber pot for me first, as a sign of joining the group..."

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

Shen Lie's body was moving faster than his mind.

It was a memory etched into his very bones. The moment that burly man stood up, this body, which had once belonged to Wang Qing's elite captain, had already identified the opponent's weakness.

Shen Lie took a step forward, using his left hand to parry the large hand that the other man was trying to grab, and then raised his right knee to slam it hard into the burly man's abdomen.

The burly man's eyes bulged out instantly, the word "rules" was swallowed back down, and he curled up like a shrimp, kneeling on the ground and gagging incessantly.

The tent fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a furious roar.

"You son of a bitch! You dare to lay a hand on me?"

"Cripple him!"

Seven or eight men suddenly sprang up from their bunks, some unarmed, others grabbing wooden sticks, and charged at them while shouting.

Shen Lie took a deep breath.

At this moment, the soul from the 21st century seemed to become an observer, coldly watching this body move and dodge within the tent.

A man threw a punch.

Shen Lie turned his head, the wind from the punch grazing his ear.

He seized the opportunity to grab the other person's wrist, used his waist and abdomen to deliver an over-the-shoulder throw.

"Click."

The man crashed heavily to the ground, his shoulder joint making a cracking sound.

Then came the second and the third.

There were no fancy moves; it was all the usual military methods of killing.

Elbow strikes to the throat, kicks to the back of the knees, and headbutts to the face.

Each blow was accompanied by the sounds of flesh colliding and bones cracking.

Shen Lie's movements were concise, ruthless, and decisive.

"court death!"

A sudden gust of wind rose behind them.

An attacker swung a wooden stick down hard.

Without turning his head, Shen Lie ducked to avoid the attack, and at the same time, slashed the opponent's ribs with a backhand chop.

The attacker screamed and collapsed, clutching his ribs.

In just a short while, a group of people lay dead in the center of the tent.

Groans and curses rose and fell.

Shen Lie stood in the middle, his chest rising and falling slightly, his tattered brown shorts soaked with sweat and clinging to his back.

He wiped the blood splattered on his face, picked up the long knife from the ground, and hung it back on his waist.

"Who else?"

No one said a word.

"Impressive skills!"

Just then, the tent flap was lifted.

Light streamed in, illuminating the mess on the ground.

Guo Qing stood at the door, watching this scene. Instead of showing anger, his dark face broke into a wide smile.

"Inspector Guo, this is...."

The wounded soldier on the ground was about to complain.

"Shut up," Guo Qing coldly snapped. "You're less skilled, yet you have the nerve to yell? Get the hell out of my way!"

Guo Qing kicked the burly man who was still groaning beside him while cursing, then turned around and bowed to the middle-aged general who had just walked in behind him.

"Commander, what do you think? I always thought this guy was a killer."

The middle-aged military officer stepped over the wounded on the ground and walked straight to Shen Lie.

Shen Lie raised his head and looked at the person who had come.

He was a general who was around forty years old. He was not particularly tall or strong, but his face was refined and approachable.

He was wearing a suit of iron armor, with a sword hanging at his waist, and was looking Shen Lie up and down.

"Li Congxi of a certain family."

The middle-aged military officer spoke, his voice gentle yet carrying an air of authority, "I am currently the Commander-in-Chief of this Fuwei Capital. I heard you are Wang Qing's subordinate?"

"That's right." Shen Lie took the waist tag off his waist and handed it over with both hands.

Li Congxi took it, glanced at it, and then returned it to Shen Lie.

"Wang Qing is a tough guy, it's a pity he followed the wrong person." Li Congxi sighed, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers on the ground. "You survived that kind of deadly situation and even single-handedly took down half of this camp, you're quite capable. My Fuwei Capital is newly established and is in dire need of strong hands."

Having said that, Li Congxi turned around, looked at everyone in the tent, and said loudly:

"The world is in chaos now. The lord has established the Fuwei Capital, and what he needs are people who can kill and dare to fight to the death. We don't talk about those empty seniority things here. Whoever has the strongest fist and the greatest ability is the boss."

He looked at Shen Lie again, his eyes filled with admiration.

"With your skills, you're wasting your talents as a common soldier. But although this Fuwei Capital is a new army, it doesn't have many real positions. Let me ask you, if I offered you the position of Commander-in-Chief, would you dare to accept?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the tent, whether standing or lying down, gasped in shock.

Guo Qing's eyelids twitched as well.

Du Yuhou.

Those unfamiliar with the subject might confuse this official position with Lu Qianhou, the character who framed Lin Chong in "Water Margin," thinking it was just a low-ranking officer running errands.

That is absolutely wrong!

The military system of the Five Dynasties, though chaotic, largely followed the Tang system.

Those ordinary guards were just low-ranking military officers who were in charge of military discipline and checking sentries; they didn't have many men under their command.

But all of this is a cause for concern...

That's a proper high-ranking military position!

In an army, besides the Commander-in-Chief and the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, the Commander of the Capital Garrison has the greatest power.

He not only held the reins of military law and prisons for the entire army, but was also the de facto third-in-command, and even had the right to directly take over command when the commander-in-chief was killed in action.

More importantly, according to the rules at that time, the commander of the capital had the right to recruit his own personal guards and build his own core team.

For a newcomer who has just joined, this meteoric rise is an incredible reward.

If it were someone with a thin skin, they might have to say a few words of humility at this point.

But Shen Lie is not.

He knew all too well the weight of those three words.

The reason why they attacked so ruthlessly as soon as they entered the tent, beating these arrogant and fierce soldiers to a pulp, was precisely for this reason!

Only by showing your teeth and displaying your fighting spirit will others respect and fear you, and only then will they give you a place.

"Commander Mengdu values ​​it highly."

Shen Lie clasped his hands and gave a standard military salute.

"Shen Lie, how dare you disobey!"

Li Congxi smiled and patted Shen Lie on the shoulder.

"Guo Qing."

"exist."

"Take Commander Shen to collect his armor and weapons," Li Congxi ordered. "Also, allocate those two empty tents in the back to him. As a commander, how can he manage without a few men? Let him pick people from the refugees, and give him these useless fellows to make sure he has enough for a squad."

"Yes, sir!" Guo Qing chuckled and winked at Shen Lie. "Brother Shen, oh no, Lord Shen, please?"

Shen Lie turned around and looked at the tent full of soldiers with bruised and swollen faces.

The burly, dark-haired man had just woken up and was covering his nose, looking at his newly appointed superior with a terrified expression.

Shen Lie's lips curled up slightly.

"What are you still standing there for?"

"Didn't you hear what the Commander said? Clean this place up. I need to be on duty in half an hour."

The tent was deathly silent.

A moment later, ignoring the excruciating pain on his face, the burly, dark-haired man scrambled to his feet and roared:

"Wei! Didn't you hear me? Do it now!"