Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

"Snap!"

He crushed the precious blue-and-white porcelain teacup, spilling scalding tea mixed with shards of porcelain all over the floor.

"Guards! Seize these ringleaders who intend to rebel!"

Pei Yuan roared angrily.

Suddenly, an unexpected turn of events occurred, and the Imperial Guards and personal soldiers inside and outside the tent pounced forward like wolves and tigers.

Dong Shan was shocked, completely unprepared for the imperial envoy who had been so greedy just moments before to turn on him so quickly.

He tried to draw his sword in resistance.

However, he was pinned to the ground by several Jinyiwei guards, with a knife held to his neck.

"My lord! What do you mean by this! We have clearly presented a generous gift, why are you arresting people!"

Dong Shan roared at the top of his lungs.

Pei Yuan walked up to Dong Shan, who was being held down on the ground.

He bent down and patted Dong Shan's cheek with his tea-stained hand.

That sinister face revealed a cruelty that inspired despair.

"As I said, what the Emperor wants is all the wealth that Jianzhou has accumulated over the decades."

"You think you can get rid of me with this little bit of junk? Do you think I'm a beggar?"

Pei Yuan stood up and drew the Embroidered Spring Blade from his waist.

The blade pressed against Dong Shan's scalp as he spoke coldly.

"You just said that your Jianzhou tribe has generous gifts. Why should I wait for you to send them?"

"Wouldn't it be easier for me to lead 30,000 troops and retrieve it from the mountains myself?"

Dong Shan's eyes were bloodshot.

He finally realized that he wasn't dealing with some greedy, incompetent official at all.

It was a vicious dog that was even more greedy and ruthless than these wild beasts of the mountains!

"You treacherous official of the Southern Dynasty! You will die a horrible death! The warriors of Jianzhou will surely slaughter you all in the mountains!"

Dong Shan cursed wildly.

Pei Yuan remained unperturbed, and lightly slashed with his embroidered spring knife.

A line of blood gushed out from Dong Shan's neck.

This important leader of the Jianzhou Jurchen in history died before he could even let out a scream.

The generals, including Han Bin, inside the tent were so frightened that they fell silent.

This imperial envoy accepted gifts and then killed people; his actions were utterly devoid of any moral compass.

Pei Yuan took out a silk handkerchief, wiped the blood off the blade, and sheathed the sword.

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the generals in the tent with sharp intensity, showing no trace of his previous frivolity.

"Han Bin, listen to my command!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Li Manzhu, the leader of the Jianzhou Jurchens, sent an envoy into the camp with the intent to assassinate me. His crime deserves death!"

"Immediately issue an order to the entire army: prepare food at midnight tonight, and break camp at dawn! Braving the heavy snow, follow me into the mountains!"

Pei Yuan pointed to the vast mountains outside the tent, his voice booming like thunder.

"I take no prisoners, and leave no survivors. Burn any tents belonging to the Jianzhou tribes, and kill any people you encounter!"

"Whoever seizes the gold, silver, and ginseng they've hidden in the cave will hand over fifty percent to the imperial treasury, and the remaining fifty percent is yours!"

Upon hearing this, the generals inside the tent immediately began to breathe heavily.

He kept 50% of the spoils!

Faced with such enormous profits, the harshness of Liaodong and the dangers of the mountains and forests were completely forgotten.

"I am willing to die for you, my lord! Let us raze Jianzhou to the ground!"

The generals roared in unison.

Pei Yuan looked at the group of arrogant and fierce soldiers who were driven by greed and sighed deeply in his heart.

This is the human nature he has seen through after living for a hundred years.

Back then, Zhu Qizhen tightened his belt using an abacus, which instilled fear in all officials.

Now, with this blood-stained gold and silver, he can also turn these soldiers into the sharpest blades.

However, this time, the executioner's blade will completely eliminate the greatest hidden danger to the future of the Ming Dynasty.

As night fell, the snow in Liaodong fell heavier and heavier.

Amidst the wind and snow, the 30,000-strong army silently sharpened their swords and spears.

The vast, primeval forest was covered with thick snow.

The vast expanse of heaven and earth was filled only with a suffocating, chilling cold.

In the dead of night, a fierce wind and snowstorm raged.

The gale swept through the bare tree branches, making a mournful sound like the wailing of a vengeful ghost.

Amidst the wind and snow, Pei Yuan sat astride a magnificent black horse from Liaodong.

Although his body looked thin, it was already impervious to heat and cold.

Even if he slept in this snowdrift for three days and three nights, not a single hair on his body would be frozen.

He gently pulled on the reins and looked back.

Behind them, 30,000 elite troops of the Beijing Garrison, like a silent black dragon, trudged through knee-deep snow.

In normal times, if these pampered young masters soldiers from the capital were forced to march through the wind and snow in the middle of the night, there would surely be widespread complaints, and they might even mutini and collapse.

But tonight, not a single complaint could be heard from the ranks of these 30,000 troops.

The soldiers' breathing was heavy and labored.

But in those eyes, which shimmered in the dim torchlight, there was a fervent, wolf-like frenzy.

Fifty percent of the spoils were seized.

These five simple words are a hundred times more effective than a strict order from the Minister of War.

In the eyes of these rogue soldiers, the Jianzhou old camp hidden in the wind and snow ahead was not a dangerous barbarian lair at all.

It is not a mountain of gold and silver with its doors wide open.

As long as they rush in and seize the mink pelts and ginseng, they can buy land and live a carefree life after returning to the capital.

General Han Bin of Liaodong rode alongside Pei Yuan, his lips turning purple from the cold, wrapped in a thick bearskin coat.

He looked at the young imperial envoy in front of him, who was wearing a scarlet cloak and whose body did not sway even slightly in the wind and snow.

A deep sense of awe arose in my heart.

This Pei Yuan is not only ruthless, but also has a terrifyingly strong physique.

Marching in such bitterly cold weather was almost unbearable, even for an old general like him who had been guarding Liaodong for many years.

Pei Yuan, however, seemed as relaxed as if he were strolling through the streets.

"My lord, after crossing two more snow mounds ahead, we will reach the old camp of the Jianzhou Jurchens, Suzihe Valley."

Han Bin pointed to the dark mountain shadows ahead and reported in a low voice.

Pei Yuan nodded slightly and slowly drew the Embroidered Spring Blade from his waist.

In the dim light of the snow, the narrow blade gleamed with a bloodthirsty chill.

"Pass down the order. The Shenji Battalion's musketeers advance in a three-tiered firing formation. The Five Armies' cavalry flank from the left and right, sealing off all exits from the valley."

Pei Yuan's voice was cold and hard as iron in the wind and snow, exuding an undeniable chilling aura.

He paused, then his tone suddenly turned stern.

"Tell the brothers below that once they enter the village, they don't need to ask for permission. They should set fire to any tents they see and shoot any living creatures they encounter! Once they have killed everyone, the gold and silver treasures on the ground will be theirs."

"Anyone who shows mercy and lets a remnant of the Jianzhou rebellion escape will have their head chopped off!"

"Yes, sir!"

Han Bin felt a chill run down his spine and immediately beckoned to a messenger to relay this blood-soaked military order.

The 30,000-strong army quietly dispersed in the snow.

Like a giant iron net, it silently enveloped the Suzi River Valley.