Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Upon hearing this, Li Wei immediately looked up and saw Ruan Xialai's weathered face and the expectation flickering in her eyes.

At that moment, Li Wei was deeply moved, completely forgetting the grievances he had suffered earlier. He cupped his hands and replied, "Your Majesty, only when all the people of the city are united can we drive the enemy out!"

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xialai's heart sank, and she sighed, saying, "When I arrived, I had already seen what the capital looked like."

Unity? Ha, how easy is that? Look at these people..."

He pointed to the kneeling commoners around him, all of whom were filled with remorse and said, "These are all my subjects, yet now that they are in danger, they do not think of repaying my kindness."

They only care about saving their own lives, showing absolutely no respect for me. Do you think I can count on them?

Li Wei glanced at them, pondered for a while, and suddenly had an idea.

"Your Majesty, do not panic. I have a plan to stop the Chu army from invading."

Ruan Xialai's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Li Wei's hand, saying, "Tell me, what good plan do you have? Tell me quickly."

Li Wei: "Your Majesty, since it is the Chu people who have invaded our territory, then we should let the Chu people stop them."

Ruan Xialai's face darkened: "What do you mean by that?"

Li Wei analyzed, "Your Majesty, the Chu army is coming with overwhelming force. If we summon the soldiers and civilians in the city to resist the enemy now, I'm afraid we won't even have time to gather everyone before the Chu army storms into the palace."

If the Chu people were used as a human wall to threaten the Chu army, do you think the Chu army would still dare to attack rashly? The Great Chu takes benevolence and filial piety as its foundation.

If they dare to kill the expatriates, they will be disloyal and unfilial, and even if they return victorious to Chu, their ruler will not easily forgive them.

After thinking for a moment, Nguyen Ha Lai felt that Le Wai's plan made a lot of sense.

But he still said with some concern: "I have been very harsh on the overseas Chinese over the years. Are they really willing to fight for me?"

What if they defect before the battle and join the Chu army in attacking me? How can I defend myself then?

Li Wei revealed a cruel expression: "Your Majesty, rest assured, the most important thing for the Chu people is their family line. As long as their relatives are under control, they will have no choice but to obey Your Majesty's orders."

"Excellent! General Li is indeed worthy of being the garrison commander personally selected by me. This strategy is brilliant!"

Nguyen Ha Lai was very satisfied, grasped Le Wei's hand tightly, and then announced loudly.

"Li Wei is loyal to me and to the Li Kingdom. I have decided that from this day forward, I will appoint Li Wei as the Grand General Protector of the Nation, and he will lead the three armies to defeat the powerful enemy."

Upon hearing this, Li Wei was overjoyed and immediately knelt down to express his gratitude: "Thank you so much for your kindness, Your Majesty! Thank you so much for your kindness, Your Majesty!"

Ruan Xialai helped him up, patted the back of his hand, and said, "Then I entrust you with the entire responsibility of gathering the expatriates to deal with the Chu army, and I authorize you to command my army."

We implore the Great General to expel the foreign invaders as soon as possible and restore peace to our Li Kingdom!

Moved to tears, Li Wei clasped his hands tightly and replied, "Wei will repay Your Majesty's kindness with our lives."

"Ah."

Nguyen Ha Lai nodded in satisfaction, but her face darkened again when she looked at the civilians who were preparing to flee.

"I hereby order that no one is allowed to leave the capital. Anyone who dares to disobey will be punished without mercy."

He glared fiercely at the natives, then turned and boarded his palanquin, leisurely returning to the palace.

……

At noon that day, in the area where the overseas Chinese gathered, chaos erupted as soon as Li Wei gave the order.

"That's my mother! Give me back my mother!"

"What are you doing? What do you want? Let go of my wife and children! Let go of my wife and children!"

"My wife, my wife!"

Desperate and heart-wrenching cries could be heard continuously from inside and outside the homes of all the overseas Chinese.

However, the Li soldiers ruthlessly took away all the relatives of the overseas Chinese and imprisoned them in an open-air prison camp.

Among the overseas Chinese, the youngest was twelve years old and the oldest was sixty. The men were collectively taken to the square and made a speech.

Li Wei glanced expressionlessly at the entire room, then said coldly, "You overseas Chinese have lived and multiplied here for generations, deeply indebted to the Li Kingdom. It is the Li Kingdom that has given you a place to live, preventing you from being stranded at sea."

Now that the nation is in peril, it is time for you to repay my kindness. As long as you are willing to take the lead and drive the Chu army out of Wangjiao, I will naturally release your families!

After saying that, a group of Li soldiers holding sacks dumped the weapons inside the sacks at the feet of the overseas Chinese.

Li Wei continued shouting, "These are the weapons His Majesty has distributed to you, to be used in battle. Pick them up!"

We will fight the Chu people to the death, we swear to defend our homeland! Anyone who dares to retreat even a single step will face the consequences!

However, Li Wei's words did not resonate with the overseas Chinese at all; they all stared at him with resentful eyes.

Finally, an elderly man in his fifties kicked away the weapon under his feet, then stepped forward aggressively, pointing at Li Wei's nose and cursing him without saying a word.

"You treacherous dog, you villain! You have disgraced the ancestors of the Li family and are unworthy to be a member of our Chu people!"

It was you who, out of a fear of death, begged the Li people for mercy and betrayed the Chen family, who had always helped you, to secure a minor official position for yourself.

Last year, you even forcibly seized the Wang family's land to curry favor with Ruan Xia Lai. Now that the royal army has arrived, not only do you show no remorse, but you also want us to fight among ourselves with the Chu people.

"Li Wei, you're a beast, no, you're worse than a beast!"

As soon as the old man finished speaking, a chorus of voices immediately echoed from all around.

"Li Wei, you're a beast, an absolute beast!"

"Even if I die, I won't let you have your way. I advise you to give up on that idea!"

"The royal army is here, your life won't be long!"

Seeing that the emotions of the overseas Chinese were becoming increasingly out of control, Li Wei's face twitched involuntarily.

But he quickly replied nonchalantly, "I forgot to tell you, I am now the Grand General Protector of the Kingdom of Li. The King bestowed this title upon me in front of the entire city."

I am no longer a man of Chu, but a great general of the State of Li. As the great general, I tell you...

If you still want to see your families, do as I say immediately: pick up the weapons on the ground and head to the south bank port to block the Chu army's attack.

Otherwise, you'll never see them again in your lifetime.

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere instantly fell silent.

The way everyone looked at Li Wei conveyed only one meaning.

That means killing that son of a bitch.

Unfortunately, for the safety of their loved ones, they had no choice but to silently pick up the weapons they had previously dropped on the ground.

"That's right." Li Wei smiled with satisfaction. "Now, it's time for you to repay the King's kindness. Come with me and take back the port!"

Meanwhile, Shen Lian and Jiang Mengxuan had successfully landed.

"I never expected that such a luxurious office would exist in this tiny country of Lebanon."

Looking around at the layout and decorations of the governor's mansion, Jiang Mengxuan couldn't help but let out a sigh...

The common people of Li Kingdom earn less than one tael of silver a year, while any item from the Naval Commander's Office is more than they could earn in several lifetimes.