Li Dingguo knew that he was a surrendered bandit and had no intention of competing for credit with Wu Sangui, who came from a military family.

Getting promoted does require merit, but no one can guarantee that they will not make mistakes.

After making a mistake.

What is needed to keep an official position is not merit but acquaintances and connections.

He has no one in the court.

The few connections he had came from his mentor Yuan Jixian and Governor Wen Anzhi, with whom he had once fought together to suppress a rebellion in Yunnan.

Of course.

His greatest backer is undoubtedly the current Majesty, Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty.

but...

It was impossible for him to ask Chongzhen for help when he encountered a little trouble, as that would make him appear incompetent.

But Wu Sangui's behavior of stealing the credit was disgusting.

As the commander-in-chief of an army and a real man, he would fight for his reputation even if it meant doing nothing.

So Li Dingguo decided to take the credit away from Wu Sangui.

The flag bearer ran in front carrying the general's flag, and he and his army followed closely behind.

After running a few steps, Li Dingguo suddenly realized that he could not defeat Wu Sangui on his own.

He needed a helper who had prestige in the army, had conflicts with Wu Sangui, had connections in the court, was trusted by the emperor, and was good at fighting.

"You," Li Dingguo pointed at the scout closest to him and asked, "Whose cavalry is closest to us?"

"General Li Xingzhong's men are about three miles behind us." The scout replied.

"Tell him that the Jiannu have abandoned Guangning, and invite him and the Governor-General into the city immediately!"

"I obey your command." The scout galloped away.

Li Dingguo followed the flag-bearing soldiers and ran towards Guangning City.

The flag bearers of both sides met in front of the suspension bridge.

"Get out of here," Wu Sangui's flag bearers shouted, "I was the first to reach the city, the credit goes to us."

"Get lost," Li Dingguo's flag bearer yelled, "Why didn't you go inside the city when you first arrived? You clearly want to steal the credit!"

"Bullshit! The credit originally belonged to the Guanning Army. Do we still need to fight for it?"

"You still say you won't rob? Who was that just now? He ran so fast as if his father had died!"

"You are looking for death!" The soldiers of Guanning Army drew their swords.

"If I'm afraid of you, I'm not a human being!" Li Dingguo's men drew their swords.

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became tense.

Boom boom

The sound of horse hooves came from far away.

Wu Sangui and Li Dingguo followed.

The two of them looked at each other first, then urged their horses forward and came to the suspension bridge.

"What's going on?" Wu Sangui asked knowingly.

"They want to take credit for the work," replied the Guanning Army soldier.

"What credit are you trying to steal?" Wu Sangui asked again.

"The credit for retaking Guangning!" the soldier continued, "It was clearly me who first discovered that there was no one in the city. When I was about to carry the flag into the city, they stopped me. It was obvious that they wanted to steal the credit."

"Oh?" Wu Sangui narrowed his eyes and looked at Li Dingguo's flag bearers, emitting an invisible aura: "You are so bold that you dare to snatch the credit from my people."

"I...I didn't," Li Dingguo's people were speechless due to Wu Sangui's pressure, "Our people..."

"My people have already entered the city to investigate," Li Dingguo continued, following the words of the flag bearer. "Not only did they find out that the Jiannu had abandoned the city, but they also learned that they had committed murder and arson before leaving."

"Oh," Wu Sangui pretended to be surprised, "Isn't this General Li? I didn't see you just now. It was really rude."

This behavior of first deliberately ignoring and then apologizing seems sincere, but in fact it is full of irony.

Li Dingguo said with a smile, "It seems that General Wu needs to eat more Cassia seeds."

Cassia seed has the effect of clearing away heat and improving eyesight. The implication of Li Dingguo's words was that Wu Sangui was blind.

Wu Sangui's expression suddenly turned extremely gloomy. He gritted his teeth and said, "Li Dingguo, you dare to scold me?"

"General Wu, what are you talking about?" Li Dingguo said innocently, "Cassia seed is a top-grade Chinese medicine. Eating more of it is good for your health. How can you say that it is insulting?"

"Okay, okay," Wu Sangui said magnanimously, "I won't argue with you about this. Come on, get ready to enter the city!"

The Guanning Army immediately pushed forward and tried to enter the city.

"Wait," Li Dingguo said to stop him, "General Wu, do you want to take the credit?"

"Rob?" Wu Sangui spread his hands. "The credit originally belonged to the Guanning Army. How can you say you robbed them? If you are jealous, I can give you a share."

"General Wu has a sharp tongue. He took all the credit for himself in just a few words. I am ashamed of myself for not being as good as him!"

Wu Sangui said nothing and continued to direct his men into the city.

Li Dingguo would certainly not agree and ordered his men to form a human wall to stop them.

"Li Dingguo, if you don't get out of my way, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Wu Sangui, angry and humiliated, reached out and grabbed the hilt of his sword.

"I'm standing here, what do you want?" Li Dingguo also grasped the hilt of the knife, ready to fight at any time.

"Looking for death!" Wu Sangui drew his sword.

The personal soldiers around him drew their swords, and the thousands of Guanning troops behind him also drew their blades one after another.

Li Dingguo's men were not to be trifled with either. They drew their weapons and pointed them at each other.

Just as the two sides were about to fight, the sound of hurried horse hooves was heard in the distance.

A cavalryman came up to them with his horse whipped and shouted: "Stop, the governor is here!"

Soon after, more than a thousand cavalrymen came from afar and arrived near the suspension bridge.

Wang Yongji rode on his horse and shouted, "What are you doing? What on earth are you trying to do? Liaodong has not been recovered yet, and the Jian slaves have not been completely killed. Why are you killing each other?"

"Put away your weapons and step back three steps!" Li Xingzhong walked out from behind Wang Yongji and said.

Wu Sangui stared into Li Dingguo's eyes, indicating that he would not make concessions first.

Li Dingguo did the opposite.

He immediately ordered his men to put down their swords and retreat, indicating that he would obey Wang Yongji's orders.

You don't have to listen to your direct supervisor, but you must give him/her enough face in public.

Otherwise, the other party will have plenty of opportunities to make things difficult for you, and you will be the one who suffers in the end.

Seeing that the two sides did not fight, Wang Yongji finally felt relieved.

Fortunately, no fight broke out.

If the two sides start fighting, Wang Yongji will inevitably be involved.

There is even the possibility of being dismissed from office.

After questioning Wu Sangui and Li Dingguo separately, Wang Yongji was in a dilemma.

They all claim that the credit belongs to them, so who should I believe?

In other words, who should be given the credit?

We can't share the credit equally, can we?

Even if the person concerned and he agreed, the officials of the Ministry of War's Performance Evaluation Department would not agree.