I only reached the Foundation Establishment stage at eighty years old, and then the system appeared.

Five years have passed in the blink of an eye. Fifteen-year-old Yang Hongbo has grown to 1.85 meters tall, with a robust physique like a powerful overlord.

The current imperial court is beset by wars and peasant uprisings, most of which are carried out by Yang Hongbo's men.

On the surface, Yang Hongbo had a directly subordinate army with a strength of up to 500,000 men, and he was extremely "loyal" to the imperial court.

Wherever there was an uprising, he would lead his army to "suppress" the enemy. In reality, he would suppress most peasant uprisings led by others, and then replace all the officials in that area with his own people.

Yang Hongbo's subordinates have now occupied more than 60 percent of the country, and he has exchanged more than two million subordinates.

The current imperial court has an army of four million (excluding Yang Hongbo's), of which three million are distributed in the east, north and west, while the south is the coastline, where only a small number of pirates exist.

Despite the large number of border troops the imperial court had, they were all incredibly cowardly. When foreign armies invaded and plundered the area, they all cowered in the big cities.

In a northern border town called Shuofeng City, which should have been a frontline defense against foreign invasion, a desolate and chaotic place now lies. On the city walls, soldiers patrol listlessly, their eyes filled with exhaustion and numbness.

At this moment, not far outside the city, a small group of foreign cavalry was galloping back and forth arrogantly. They would occasionally fire a few arrows, which would land on the city wall with a dull thud, as if mocking the city's defenders.

On the city wall, a young soldier, his face contorted with anger, said to the veteran beside him, "Old Zhang, are we just going to stand by and watch these barbarians run rampant outside the city? What kind of nonsense is this?!"

The veteran sighed helplessly, patted the young soldier on the shoulder, and said, "Little Li, don't be impulsive. The imperial court doesn't value us border troops at all."

"Look at what we're eating, coarse grains and spoiled rice. Sometimes we can't even get enough to eat. And look at those generals, they're out there indulging in pleasure in the city every day, they don't care about our lives."

Just then, a commotion arose below the city gate. A group of officials in ornate robes were seen escorting a fat, large-eared general as he walked up the gate. The general was unsteady on his feet, clearly having drunk quite a bit.

Young soldier Xiao Li frowned and said, "It's those corrupt guys again. I wonder what kind of trouble they'll cause today."

The general staggered up the city wall, squinted at the area outside the city, and then shouted, "What's there to be afraid of! These barbarians are just bluffing. Our Shuofeng City walls are high and sturdy; what can they do to us?"

An official quickly chimed in, "The general is absolutely right. Your strategy is brilliant; these barbarians will certainly not dare to invade easily."

Xiao Li couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "A brilliant strategy? If he's really that capable, why doesn't he go out and drive those barbarians away? All he does is boast in the city."

Although his voice was soft, the general still heard it. The general's expression immediately changed, and he roared, "Who's speaking? Step forward!"

Xiao Li gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and said with his head held high, "It was me who said it. General, we watch the barbarians swaggering around outside the city every day, but we do nothing. What kind of behavior is that? The people have high hopes for our border army, but we have disappointed them."

The general sneered and said, "What do you, a mere soldier, know? People die in war. I'm doing this to reduce unnecessary casualties."

"Besides, the imperial court hasn't given us enough food and troops. What are we going to use to fight those barbarians?"

At this moment, an old official spoke up, saying sarcastically, "That's right, Little Li, stop trying to be a hero here. Do you think fighting a war is such a simple matter? You're just a common soldier, just do your patrol duties and don't meddle in these important matters."

Li was furious, his face flushed red. He said, "You officials only know how to indulge in pleasure and embezzle military pay. Our soldiers risk their lives on the front lines, while you line your own pockets. If everyone were like you, Shuofeng City would fall into the hands of the barbarians sooner or later."

Upon hearing this, the general flew into a rage. Pointing his finger at Xiao Li, he said, "You audacious soldier, how dare you openly defy this general and all the lords! Guards, drag him away and give him fifty lashes!"

Several soldiers hesitated for a moment, but still stepped forward, preparing to drag Xiao Li away. Veteran Zhang quickly stepped forward to plead, "General, Xiao Li is young and ignorant, please forgive him this time. He's only thinking of the good of Shuofeng City."

The general snorted coldly and said, "Spare him? No amount of pleading will work today. Drag him away and beat him severely!"

Just as the soldiers were about to drag Xiao Li away, a deafening battle cry suddenly erupted from outside the city. It turned out that the foreign cavalry, seeing no reaction from the city's defenders, had boldly launched an attack. They surged towards the city gate like a tidal wave, the sound of their hooves shaking the ground.

The general and his officials turned pale with fright, their legs going weak. The general stammered, "What...what's going on? How dare those barbarians attack?"

An official, his voice trembling with tears, cried out, "General, what do we do now? Let's run!"

The general looked around in a panic and said, "Escape? Where can we escape to? If we lose Shuofeng City, we'll all lose our heads."

At this moment, Xiao Li broke free from the soldier's grasp and shouted, "General, now is not the time to be afraid. Let's quickly organize the soldiers to resist; perhaps we can still hold the city gate."

The general hesitated for a moment, but nodded and said, "Alright... go and organize the soldiers. Make sure to hold the city gate."

However, when the soldiers arrived at the city gate, they found that the guards had vanished. It turned out that the guards, seeing the foreign cavalry attack, had fled in terror.

Xiao Li said angrily, "These cowards only know how to eat, drink, and have fun. They're useless when it really matters."

Veteran Zhang said, "Little Li, there's no use talking about this now. Let's quickly think of a way to block the city gate."

So the soldiers began searching everywhere for things they could use to block the gate. They moved heavy objects from the city, such as stone mills and wooden cabinets, to the city gate in an attempt to prevent the foreign cavalry from entering.

The foreign cavalry quickly reached the city gate, frantically hacking at it with their sabers, attempting to ram it open. The soldiers inside retaliated with bows and spears, and for a moment, shouts of battle and screams of agony mingled together at the gate.

In the fierce battle, Xiao Li displayed great bravery. Wielding his spear, he repeatedly thrust at the charging foreign cavalry. Suddenly, an arrow struck his shoulder, but he merely gritted his teeth and continued fighting.

When the veteran Lao Zhang saw that Xiao Li was injured, he rushed over and said, "Xiao Li, you're injured. Go back and rest for a while."

Xiao Li shook his head and said, "Old Zhang, I'm fine. This is a crucial moment, and I can't back down."

Just then, a commotion arose from the city tower. It turned out that the officials and generals, seeing that the city gate was about to be breached, were terrified and tried to flee. They disregarded the lives of their soldiers and rushed down from the city tower.

Seeing this, Xiao Li shouted angrily, "You corrupt bastards! All you know how to do is indulge in pleasure, and now that there's danger, you want to run away? Do you have any respect for the people of Shuofeng City?"

However, his shouts did not stop the officials and generals from fleeing. Soon, the city wall was deserted.

Just as the city gates were about to be breached, suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar. It turned out that Yang Hongbo had sent reinforcements to rescue Shuofeng City after learning that it was under attack by foreign tribes.

After reinforcements arrived, they quickly joined the battle. Working together with the soldiers inside the city, they finally repelled the foreign cavalry.

After the battle, Yang Hongbo's subordinate generals entered Shuofeng City. Looking at the devastated city and exhausted soldiers, he coldly said, "This is the Shuofeng City you defended? Look at yourselves, what kind of people are you?"

The general and the officials lowered their heads, not daring to speak. The general continued, "Is this how the court supports you, allowing you to be so cowardly and pleasure-seeking? From today onwards, you are all dismissed and investigated."

Upon hearing this, the general and officials all knelt down and begged for mercy, but the general remained unmoved. He turned to the soldiers and said, "You have all done well. Although the losses in this battle were heavy, your bravery deserves praise. From today onwards, I will provide you with sufficient provisions and troops so that you can regain your strength."

The soldiers cheered upon hearing this. Looking at his general, Xiao Li was filled with admiration. He knew that only someone like Yang Hongbo, who truly cared for his soldiers and possessed real ability, could change the corrupt and incompetent state of the court.

After this battle, the soldiers of Shuofeng City became more united. Under Yang Hongbo's leadership, they trained diligently and strengthened their defenses. Those officials and generals who had been dismissed and investigated received their due punishment.

As time went on, Yang Hongbo's power grew. He continued to expand his territory by "suppressing" uprisings, which also exposed the corruption and incompetence of the imperial court to more people.

Under his influence, more and more people began to support him, hoping that he could overthrow the corrupt court and establish a fair and just new dynasty. Meanwhile, Yang Hongbo was secretly accumulating strength, waiting for the right opportunity to launch the final battle and completely change the face of this chaotic world.