The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 172 Tiger Camp

Li Jingxiao entered Tuchangwei and had just finished washing up when Erfu and Zhao Junheng walked in.

He clasped his hands and said, "My lord, Wang Tai and his dozen or so personal guards have all been dealt with."

Li Jingxiao smiled and nodded, casually praising them a few times, and then told the captains of the Left Garrison Command to work harder and pay more attention to military discipline.

He waved for the two to get on with their work.

After resting for three days at Tuchangwei, the army set off again.

The number of horses has increased to 3, while the number of cattle and sheep has decreased to 5 due to the replacement of horses and the consumption of livestock by the army along the way.

However, what Li Jingxiao is currently troubled by are those 2 auxiliary soldiers.

Apart from the people of the Great Zhou, most of these people were Jurchens and Mongols who had been captured by the Tatars.

If so many people of different ethnicities are brought to the capital, there's no guarantee that someone won't accuse me of having ulterior motives.

Huo Qubing dared to recruit so many Qiang people because he encountered Emperor Wu of Han.

Otherwise, they would most likely not even have had the chance for a second northern expedition, and thus would not have had the opportunity to fight their way to the Han Sea.

Achieve the highest honor for a military general by sealing the wolf's lair and drinking from the vast sea.

Li Jingxiao knew very well that he was not Huo Qubing, whom Emperor Wu of Han had raised and cared for.

If he brings two thousand auxiliary soldiers into the capital, the retired emperor and the emperor might worry about his influence among the foreign tribes.

But after fighting on the grasslands for several months, Li Jingxiao had realized that the greatest threat to the Great Zhou was still the Tatars.

The Jurchens were able to conquer the Central Plains not because they were particularly strong, but because of the Ming Dynasty itself.

So Li Jingxiao thought about it and wrote a memorial, which was sent to the capital by express courier.

The future of these two thousand auxiliary soldiers is up to the emperor to decide.

The army continued south for three more days, finally arriving in Liaoyang City in late July.

When General Dou Shaohui saw Li Jingxiao again, he was much more respectful than he had been six months ago.

If it were anyone else, leading 3 elite cavalry deep into the grasslands, fighting across thousands of miles and winning thirteen consecutive battles, slaughtering more than a dozen tribes, and directly killing tens of thousands of cavalrymen, they would have been a formidable force.

It also resolved the military calamities in Datong and Xuanfu.

This will surely be recorded in history books.

So, let alone Dou Shaohui, no military general in the entire Zhou Dynasty over the past hundred years could match Li Jingxiao's achievements.

As for the grasslands, Li Jingxiao has already been described as a man-eating demon and butcher.

For the soldiers and civilians of the Great Zhou Dynasty on the front lines in Liaoyang, they didn't care about benevolence and morality.

All they knew was that the Tatars would lead their troops south to plunder every year.

The enemy's foe is my hero.

The thoughts of ordinary people and lower-ranking soldiers are that simple.

After the army was stationed outside Liaoyang City, Li Jingxiao, along with Jia Rong, Niu Zhanpeng, Chen Hongsheng, and the men of the Left Garrison Command, entered the city to attend a welcome banquet.

Li Jingxiao wrote another memorial and ordered it to be sent to the capital by express courier.

The first letter determined the fate of 2 auxiliary soldiers, while the second letter detailed his experiences along the way.

The letter will definitely conceal some information and exaggerate some of the achievements.

Moreover, the 900 heavy cavalry, 1600 light cavalry, 2100 mercenaries, and 3 support troops were all elite soldiers who had survived countless battles.

Li Jingxiao wasn't that foolish to lead this large group of people to the capital without an imperial decree.

The journey from Liaoyang to the capital via Shanhaiguan is about 1,400 to 1,500 li.

Even with 400-mile express delivery, it still takes four days.

Moreover, Li Jingxiao was using military intelligence documents, and he had to run 400 li every day.

If the horse is tired, change the horse; if the person is tired, change the person.

While Li Jingxiao was sending a memorial to the capital, two other groups of people in Liaoyang were also sending urgent messages to the capital.

While waiting, Li Jingxiao took his men to visit his estate.

The three hundred Goryeo cavalrymen dismounted and farmed, quickly adapting to their new identities.

Moreover, most of these Goryeo cavalrymen were actually farmers and hunters who had fled from Goryeo to Zhenjiangbao.

He was recruited into the army by Li Jingxiao because he had no food to eat.

After wiping out the 14 Jurchen tribes within a 200-mile radius of Zhenjiang Fort.

They recultivated and reclaimed the villages and farmland that had been inhabited by the Jurchens.

The land of three of the villages was used to reward meritorious soldiers.

The remaining 11 estates became Li Jingxiao's private property.

After selecting a few nearby villages from the 11 villages and visiting them on horseback, Li Jingxiao was quite satisfied with the Goryeo villagers living there.

Not only did each village plant wheat, but they also didn't rest during the off-season.

Basically, each village has already cleared dozens of acres of wasteland.

When Li Jingxiao returned to the camp, he saw Cui Yongze, along with several Goryeo warriors, waiting respectfully outside the main tent.

There were also two carriages carrying treasure chests and two carriages that were probably for passengers.

Lee Kyung-hyo frowned and thought for a moment before guessing that it must be Goryeo Mi-hee.

Although Kwon Ji-ri herself didn't come, she did send Goryeo-hee over.

Needless to say, it's definitely to please himself.

When Cui Yongze saw Li Jingxiao riding the Chasing Wind, leading a group of Imperial Guards who were much more ferocious than they had been a few months ago, he was immediately struck by the sight.

He hurriedly knelt on one knee and shouted loudly, "Congratulations on your victorious return, Lord Marquis!"

Li Jingxiao laughed heartily, "So, news of my affairs on the grasslands has already reached Goryeo?"

Cui Yongze nodded hurriedly and said, "My lord, you don't know, but General Quan had already received the news in early July."

It is said that you led your army on the grasslands and decisively defeated over 100,000 Tatars.

He then sent the message to the capital.

Upon learning of your return with your troops the day before yesterday, General Quan immediately ordered gifts to be prepared and sent by me to offer my congratulations.

Lee Kyung-hyo glanced at the four carriages, and Choi Young-taek, understanding immediately, ordered his men to fetch four very beautiful Goryeo girls, around fifteen or sixteen years old, from two of the carriages.

However, Li Jingxiao has never been very interested in women who are simply pretty but can't give him any experience.

Turning to Jia Rong, he said, "In recognition of your diligence, I'll give you two Goryeo beauties."

Jia Rong was not a gentleman to begin with, and being young and naive, he naturally didn't refuse any beautiful woman who came his way.

Choi Young-taek opened his mouth, as if to say that these four Goryeo beauties were handpicked by Kwon Ji-ri.

But he swallowed the words back down.

Since it has been given to Li Jingxiao, how to deal with it is naturally Li Jingxiao's business.

Li Jingxiao then gave two Korean women to Niu Zhanpeng and Chen Hongsheng.

Then he looked at Cui Yongze and said, "I will probably stay in Liaoyang City for another ten days. I'll invite your General Quan to come and meet me when you have time."

Upon hearing this, Choi Young-taek and several Goryeo warriors' complaints about Lee Kyung-hyo giving away four beautiful women vanished instantly.

As long as this marquis still cares about their general, everything else is trivial.

Cui Yongze nodded hurriedly and instructed his two subordinates to ride back to Xihaidao and tell Quan Zhili to come to Liaoyang as soon as possible.

In just three days, Kwon Ji-ri rode the Ilima, a horse given to her by Lee Kyung-hyo, which had +2 speed, +1 physique, and +1 endurance.

He left his entourage behind and rushed over, covered in dust from the journey.

The two slept in a tent that night.

But Kwon Ji-ri is having a tough time this time. Lee Kyung-hyo has been fighting abroad for nearly four months. On the surface, he seems to be having a relaxed time, but in reality, he is under a lot of pressure.

So he and Kwon Ji-ri fought three rounds in one night until the woman was completely exhausted, and then they fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning, Li Jingxiao was woken up by his biological clock.

Looking down at Kwon Ji-ri, who was fast asleep in his arms, he couldn't help but feel a little restless again.

These days, I get 2 experience points from Hu Xian'er and Liu Cuitong every day as usual.

已经从38级（27810/4.6万），升级到了39级（4810/4.8万）
The newly acquired attribute point was added to Comprehension.

体质30、根骨26+6、悟性23+3
With his physique reaching 30 points, Li Jingxiao gradually realized that his desires seemed to be much stronger than before.

As for skills, Lightning Strike Fist is already at the master level, so Li Jingxiao has been focusing on sword control techniques these days.

Dacheng (1105/1)
The Golden Bell Cover technique is already mastered (430/2000).
In the following days, besides being affectionate with Kwon Ji-ri, they would also get together to play the piano and flute whenever they had free time.

Occasionally, he would practice the Heavenly Frost Fist and the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms a few times.

He even taught this woman the Hu family's knife technique.

Koreans like to use Tang swords, so teaching her swordsmanship suited her perfectly.

Moreover, the Hu family's knife technique does not involve 'force against force,' which is quite suitable for women to practice.

Ten days later, at level 39 (24810/4.8).
Kwon Ji-ri received a letter from her father saying that the King of Goryeo intended to appoint her as a fifth-rank official, General Yunmo, to command three thousand soldiers and guard the border.

Kwon Ji-ri's only thought is to climb the social ladder.

Now promoted to the fifth rank, in Goryeo, he is considered an official who is not from the Yangban civil or military background, and it is the second highest official position he can achieve.

The so-called "Yangban" refers to the two classes of civil and military officials established by Goryeo based on the official system of the Tang and Song dynasties.

Officials who were not from the Yangban class could only rise to the fifth rank at most.

For Kwon Ji-ri, this is already an incredible stroke of luck.

Although her father, Quan Zhixue, was the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Xihaidao, he was actually only a fifth-rank official.

Lee Kyung-hyo wholeheartedly supported Kwon Ji-ri's rise to a high position, and she was stationed to guard the northern border city of Goryeo.

This is also a good thing for Li Jingxiao.

That evening, Kwon Ji-ri seemed tireless, pestering Lee Kyung-hyo to play a match.

In the end, Li Jingxiao was worried that the woman would exhaust herself to death, so he had no choice but to give her a Sanhua Yulu Pill and a licorice qi-tonifying powder.

Kwon Ji-ri then recovered and hugged Lee Kyung-hyo tightly before falling asleep peacefully.

The next morning, Li Jingxiao rode his horse and escorted her for 30 li.

Only then did he bid farewell to Kwon Ji-ri, who was nestled in his arms sharing a horse, her face full of reluctance.

Kwon Ji-ri also knew that after this parting, she didn't know how many years it would be before they met again.

This parting might even mean never seeing each other again.

So Kwon Ji-ri held onto Lee Kyung-hyo's waist and refused to let go for a long time.

It wasn't until Li Jingxiao said that if he had free time, he could come to the capital to find him.

Or Li Jingxiao might come to Liaodong to see her when he has time.

The woman reluctantly got into her Ilima.

After riding for a while, Kwon Ji-ri pulled on the reins and turned around to see Lee Kyung-hyo still watching her from a distance.

Tears streamed down her face, and she unconsciously touched her stomach.

She hoped that these days of intimacy would allow her to conceive Li Jingxiao's child.

Unfortunately, Li Jingxiao was only sad for the whole journey, and once he returned to the camp, he basically recovered his mood.

Three days later, the imperial decree from the capital was finally delivered to Liaoyang City by fast horse.

Emperor Longde not only agreed to let Li Jingxiao bring 4600 cavalrymen into the capital, but also bestowed upon this unit the title of "Tiger Warrior Battalion" of the Palace Guard.

For the previous 900 heavy cavalrymen of the Imperial Guard, this honor meant nothing.

However, this was in contrast to the 1600 light cavalrymen drawn from the Five Military Commissions and the 200 auxiliary troops composed of Tatars, Jurchens, and Han Chinese from beyond the Great Wall.

It means rising from the lowest rank to become the emperor's personal guard, and even a direct subordinate guard.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that their ancestral graves were emitting smoke.

As for the three thousand logistics soldiers, they were also incorporated into the Imperial Guard Command.

Although these three thousand men did not participate in the battle, they followed the army for over a thousand miles. Just the fact that they did not fall behind along the way is already more impressive than most of the troops in the capital.

Not to mention, they also ensured the army's logistics along the way.

Li Jingxiao didn't see any problem with giving them 30% of the credit.

The Imperial Guard Command has also increased from 5600 to 8600 men.

In other words, the army directly under the emperor's command increased by a full 7600 men.

Moreover, 4600 of them were the true elite who had survived more than a dozen battles.

Even three thousand logistics soldiers were considered rare and valuable soldiers in the emperor's eyes.

After the imperial edict was read aloud, Li Jingxiao was not surprised that there were no specific rewards mentioned in the edict.

At this moment, the imperial court must be in an uproar over how to reward the person.

The emperor most likely hoped that he could lead his troops back to the capital as soon as possible.

With this battle-hardened elite force around, Emperor Longde's voice could be three degrees louder.

Taking advantage of the army's high morale, Li Jingxiao, after receiving the imperial decree, ordered the entire army to set off early the next morning.

The officers received their orders and went off to make preparations.

Twelve days later, on August 12th, they finally arrived near the capital before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

When they were still 40 li away from the capital, the army was not in a hurry to enter the capital, nor was it possible for 7600 cavalry to enter the capital.

They stopped at the prepared camp outside the city and rested for the night. Tomorrow, only Li Jingxiao, along with his officers and personal guards, would appear outside the capital.

Li Jingxiao instructed Shi Delong and his two fellow disciples to take Hu Xian'er and Liu Cuitong with them.

Also, the Hu family uncle and nephew, and the Liu family brother and sister will stay at Zhenwu Temple tomorrow.

Once I'm done with my work, I'll go see them.

In the evening, Li Jingxiao played chess with Hu Xian'er and Liu Cuitong as usual.

After gaining 2 experience points, I successfully leveled up to level 40 (810/8).
Only then could I rest peacefully and get some rest early.

The next day, Li Jingxiao led 900 heavy cavalrymen, along with the captains of the Left Garrison Command and other officers, on horseback for the entire morning.

Before even entering the city, ten miles outside, one could see civil and military officials and common people welcoming the triumphant army.

To Li Jingxiao's surprise, the person standing at the very front of the line was Emperor Longde.

Then, the first thing that came to Li Jingxiao's mind was actually the TV series "Yongzheng Dynasty".

When Emperor Yongzheng led his civil and military officials to personally welcome Nian Gengyao, General Nian was sitting on his horse, looking down at Emperor Yongzheng who was standing.

Damn it, this is pure suicide.

Thinking of this, Li Jingxiao waved for the cavalry to stop from several hundred meters away.

Then he rode off on horseback, which immediately made Emperor Longde and many ministers frown.

Fortunately, Li Jingxiao stopped when they were more than ten meters apart.

He dismounted and walked four or five meters down Longde.

He flicked off his civil and military robes, straightened his armor and headdress, and then continued walking to within three meters of Emperor Longde.

(End of this chapter)