Just as Li Qin was deep in thought.
Liu Chenghui, Gu Deyuan, and others obeyed his summons and arrived at his hall one after another.
"This humble general greets the general."
Upon seeing Li Qin, Liu Chenghui and the others immediately bowed to him and said hello.
Li Qin waved his hand, indicating that they should dispense with formalities and sit down.
Only after they sat down did Li Qin have enough time to observe each person.
He had been on a night-long march.
Sitting below him at the head of the table was Liu Chenghui, the great hero of this battle, who was the first to rush into Shanhaiguan to support Qi Duchen and others.
According to the original owner's memories, Liu Chenghui was promoted by his father, and when he was framed and almost beheaded, it was his father who saved him.
It can be said that the original owner's father not only recognized his talent but also saved his life.
Moreover, he served in the army for many years, and was not only brave in battle but also resourceful, earning him high prestige within the military.
After the original owner's father died, it was he who strongly supported the original owner, which enabled the original owner to secure the position of the top leader in Liaodong.
It can be said that he was extremely loyal to the original owner.
Then Li Qin looked at Zhou Wentong, Peng Jiahu and others behind him.
They also achieved remarkable feats in this battle. Among them, Peng Jiahu, after entering Shanhaiguan, directly relied on a fierce charge to completely defeat the last defensive force inside Shanhaiguan.
He can be considered a formidable general.
After sweeping his gaze over the generals, Li Qinde looked at his staff beside him.
Among them, Gu Deyuan was the one who instigated the original owner to rebel.
Bowen Gu, who was next to Gu Deyuan, was also quite capable. It was his strategy that led to the surprise attack on Jinzhou.
After matching the names with the original owner's memories and those of everyone present,
Li Qin smiled and said to the crowd in front of him:
"Gentlemen, this battle has enabled us to capture Shanhaiguan in one fell swoop. You have all made outstanding contributions."
Upon hearing Li Qin's words, everyone present immediately responded:
"In this battle, the victory was entirely due to the general's skillful command and his clever trick in opening the city gates."
After hearing their words, Li Qin waved his hand and said:
"I have always been fair in rewarding and punishing, and I always reward those who have made contributions."
He then looked at Qi Duchen beside him and Liu Chenghui, who was sitting at the head of the table, and said:
"You two have made the greatest contribution in this battle. After we have dealt with the corrupt officials who have embroiled the emperor's inner circle, I will certainly report to the emperor and grant you both the titles of marquis and earl, along with a reward of ten thousand acres of land, a thousand taels of gold, and silver..."
General Peng Jiahu also rendered great service and was rewarded with land...
As for other rewards, I have decided to bestow all the spoils of war upon the soldiers and those who have rendered meritorious service in this battle.
At the same time, tell the soldiers in the army that the rewards they have received this time are just a drop in the ocean. Once the capital is captured and the traitors are eliminated, their rewards will be a hundred times greater.
Upon hearing Li Qin's words, everyone present immediately stood up and bowed to Li Qin to express their gratitude.
Li Qin waved his hand and said to the generals in front of him:
"At this time, the emperor is being deceived by treacherous officials. If you all follow me to eliminate these treacherous officials, none of you will lose your positions as dukes or marquises in the future."
Upon hearing Li Qin's words, everyone present showed joy, for they knew...
This was Li Qin's promise to them: as long as they succeeded.
They will all become dukes and marquises in the future, which are top-tier nobles.
Li Qin looked at the crowd with a smile. Although he had promised them the positions of dukes and marquises, Li Qin knew the truth.
That was just empty promises they made.
At the same time, they were richly rewarded with land and treasure to win their hearts.
After all, according to the original owner's memories, they had a very good relationship with his Li family.
However, all relationships need to be maintained.
He must keep them firmly under his control, so that they would be willing to risk their lives for his benefit at any time.
After all, his current identity is, to put it bluntly, that of a rebel.
The people's hearts will never be on my side; I can only rely on the soldiers in front of me and the army outside.
Li Qin was very clear that their relationship with him was entirely maintained by their feelings for the original owner and the original owner's father.
And emotions are the most changeable thing in the world.
He knew very well that among the original owner's army of over 100,000, those who had given up and joined the rebellion were definitely a minority.
There are definitely people among them who are loyal to the imperial court, but probably not many.
The vast majority of people were swept along by the tide and joined him in rebellion without even realizing it.
Many ordinary soldiers even genuinely believed they were there to purge the emperor's inner circle of corrupt officials.
To be honest, he wasn't entirely at ease with those people either. If the imperial court contacted them privately, they might very well defect at the last minute.
Fortunately, he still had one trump card: the families of the soldiers, whose families had been left in Liaodong by Li Qin.
He then ordered the original owner's younger brother to be placed under control under the guise of centralized protection.
At the same time, he also rewarded them handsomely in order to win their hearts.
They use their relatives as a big stick in one hand, and reward them handsomely in the other.
In addition, the Li family had enjoyed a high reputation in the Liaodong army for many years, and they also made good use of the soldiers who were currently loyal to them to lead the army.
This time, all the troops in Liaodong were mobilized.
To be honest, the army under his command is now divided into two parts: one part is the 20,000 cavalrymen he currently commands, and the other part is the 8,000 most elite household guards.
There were also the 80,000 infantrymen left in Liaodong and the 10,000 cavalrymen he left in Jinzhou.
Their actual supreme commander was Li Qin's younger brother, Li Wenqi.
To be honest, his brother's abilities are rather mediocre, but at this time, loyalty is always more important than ability.
If loyalty is not absolute, then it is absolutely disloyal.
In times of crisis, your own family is the most reliable.
They also had the lowest chance of rebelling, since other generals could surrender and possibly survive.
But his family members are all within his nine generations of kinship.
Basically, it's a path they can only follow to the bitter end.
However, before the original owner left, he still sent his most capable family retainer, Zhang Hengshuo, to be his younger brother's deputy to assist him.
Not long ago, he had already sent his messenger with his letter to Liaodong, informing Li Wenqi to bring his army to Shanhaiguan as soon as possible to provide reinforcements.
At the same time, Zhang Hengshuo, the most capable of the group, was left in Liaodong, along with 20,000 troops, to guard against Wanyan Jian.
After all, Li Qin had always been extremely wary of Wanyan Jian.
Li Qin didn't believe Wanyan Jian's words at all.
However, Li Qin still looked at the generals in front of him, took out a letter from the table in front of him, and said:
"Wanyan Jian of the Jurchens wants to bring Jurchen cavalry to support us."
Do you all think we should send them to support us?
"What if we let those Jurchen cavalrymen into the pass?"
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