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

Lifangpo, located in the eastern suburbs of Shengjing, was one of the garrison posts of the Beijing garrison responsible for the defense of the capital.

Since the founding of the Wuzhao Kingdom and its subsequent occupation of Shengjing, Emperor Shizu Li Shun, in order to prevent a counterattack from the previous dynasty, specially brought the officers and soldiers of the eight banner camps left by his father into the capital, reorganized them into the Beijing Garrison, and took on the responsibility of defending various parts of the capital.

However, the 200,000 officers and soldiers of the Beijing Garrison, who were supposed to be responsible for the defense of the capital, quickly became corrupt and decadent in just over a decade after entering the pass.

In the early years of Emperor Shengzu Li Xi's reign, the Wadang tribe in the north of the Great Wall, unable to endure the exploitation of Emperor Wu Zhao, led tens of thousands of people in a counterattack and established the Wadang Khanate.

Li Xi was furious and immediately dispatched 40,000 soldiers from the Beijing Garrison to cross the border and assist the cavalry of the Wuying Army outside the pass in attacking Wadang.

But who would have thought that after leaving the pass, the officers and soldiers of the Beijing garrison relied on the city fortifications to hold their ground, and the commander-in-chief, Tulai, was afraid of the enemy and did not advance, which directly led to the three thousand cavalrymen outside the pass being ambushed by Wadang and suffering a great defeat.

After this battle, Wadang occupied the northern grasslands outside the Great Wall and expanded his troops to 30,000 men right under the noses of the Beijing garrison.

Upon hearing the report, Li Xi was furious and ordered Tu Lai to lead his troops to attack without avoiding battle.

Tulai received the order and had no choice but to lead his troops to launch an offensive against the Wadang tribe.

Unexpectedly, the Beijing garrison troops collapsed completely in a single skirmish with Wadang's forces.

In this battle, the Beijing garrison suffered over 10,000 casualties, and all 32 officers of various ranks, including Tulai, were killed in action.

After this battle, Wadang held the officers and soldiers of Wuzhaojing Camp in contempt and roamed extensively in the northern and southern desert regions, eventually growing into a cavalry force capable of deploying nearly 30,000 men at a time.

After learning about the disastrous defeat of the Beijing Garrison, Emperor Li Xi was greatly disappointed with its officers and soldiers. He stated publicly on more than one occasion that the officers and soldiers of the Beijing Garrison had no responsibility to defend the territory. They neglected their training and only cared about eating, drinking, and having fun, without thinking about repaying the country's kindness. As a result, the soldiers had become lax in their martial arts and were unable to shoulder heavy responsibilities. I was deeply saddened to hear this.

Afterwards, Li Xi personally ordered his trusted men to reorganize the Beijing garrison, hoping to restore it to the fighting strength it had during the reign of Emperor Taizu.

Unfortunately, the results were minimal, and ten years of reorganization of the Beijing garrison still could not change the fact that it was lax and afraid of fighting.

After Li Zhen ascended the throne, he once again reformed the officers and soldiers of the Beijing Garrison and imposed severe punishments, creating an atmosphere of wanting to avenge the shame of the previous dynasty.

However, in the Battle of Tongbo, Wadang once again inflicted such a defeat that almost every family of the Beijing garrison soldiers was dressed in mourning clothes.

From then on, Li Zhen no longer placed any hope on the Beijing garrison, believing it to be hopeless. Therefore, he began to invest heavily in the cavalry outside the Great Wall and established military camps to be responsible for national defense.

Meanwhile, the number of officers and soldiers in the Beijing garrison was reduced from 200,000 to 105,000 after several reductions.

Even so, these bad habits of the Beijing garrison officers and soldiers were passed down from generation to generation, eventually turning them into a mere honor guard.

At this moment, the drill ground of the Beijing garrison was deserted, and the officers and soldiers were all hiding in their barracks smoking opium.

Because the Beijing garrison was not required to be responsible for defense for many years, these idle and lazy officers and soldiers neglected their training, resulting in their martial arts skills deteriorating and they also picked up various bad habits, including this drug called "Fu Shou Gao" (a type of drug).

Rumors circulated in the military that taking a sip of opium would bring a feeling of ecstasy surpassing even that of a god.

After inhaling the drug, people felt light and airy, as if they were about to fly. As a result, it quickly gained popularity among the officers and soldiers of the Beijing Garrison. They felt uncomfortable if they didn't have a couple of puffs every day, and they would even borrow money to take it. It was a popular drug in the Beijing Garrison.

"Get up, all of you, get up right now!"

Just as everyone in the barracks was dozing off after using the drug, a captain rushed into the room with a whip in hand.

"Hurry up! His Majesty is coming to inspect us! You'd better get dressed and ready to receive him! Hurry up, hurry up!"

Upon hearing that the emperor was coming to inspect the camp, the officers and soldiers of the Beijing garrison immediately snapped out of their daze, yawning as they dressed in their armor and braced themselves to prepare to receive the emperor.

An hour later, Li Hong, accompanied by his son Li Yan and a group of treacherous henchmen including Zhang Gui, Ji Yun, Guan Mao, and Wang Shanshui, arrived at the Beijing Garrison for inspection.

Guan Mao and Wang Shanshui were overjoyed to have the opportunity to accompany Li Hong and were determined to make a good impression.

"Meet the Emperor!"

Upon entering the military camp and drill ground, tens of thousands of officers and soldiers of the Beijing Garrison knelt down to pay their respects.

Li Hong sat in the sedan chair and glanced at it. At first glance, it really did seem to be true.

"Be flat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After stepping down from the imperial carriage, Nie Gang, the commander of the Beijing garrison, escorted Li Hong to the reviewing stand at the drill ground.

After taking his seat, Li Hong said directly, "My Wu Zhao Kingdom was founded on archery and horsemanship. Your ancestors also followed my forefathers on the battlefield, and after countless battles, they conquered the world."

Now, you descendants should also carry on the legacy of your ancestors, hone your martial arts skills, and perhaps you can preserve this empire.

Nie Gang solemnly replied, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. We, the soldiers of the Beijing Garrison, will never forget the bravery of our ancestors. We train diligently every day, hoping to go to the battlefield and serve Your Majesty with all our might."

Li Hong nodded: "It's good that you have this intention. In that case, show me the subjects you usually practice. Let's start with formations."

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Nie Gang turned around and shouted to the drill ground, "The Emperor wants to see us train, so soldiers of the Beijing Garrison, show us your true skills!"

"roar~"

The officers and soldiers shouted in unison, creating a deafening roar.

Wang Shanshui couldn't help but say, "The might of the Wu Zhao army is truly invincible. Just one glance has made this servant deeply feel how fortunate it is to live in the Wu Zhao Kingdom."

Guan Mao spoke with even greater fervor: "It was precisely with such a mighty army that my Wu Zhao army defeated the corrupt and incompetent previous dynasty!"

Every time I see this scene, I feel my blood boil, and I wish I could go back to that era and personally kill those corrupt and incompetent Ming soldiers.

Li Hong didn't even glance at their compliments.

In his eyes, these lackeys were nothing but a bunch of good-for-nothings who only knew how to spread rumors and were unreliable except for flattery.

Soon, the drills officially began.

However, even the very first exercise was riddled with flaws.

Li Hong could tell at a glance that these Beijing garrison soldiers lacked coordination, were lax in their daily training, and some couldn't even distinguish left from right.

But he didn't make a fuss and continued to watch quietly.

Next, Wu Zhaoguo will showcase his most important equestrian skills.

Li Hong was greatly disappointed after seeing it. Of the tens of thousands of men in this Beijing garrison, only a dozen or so could actually draw a bow on horseback, and the rest couldn't even ride a horse.

After several rehearsals, Zhang Gui could clearly sense that Li Hong's face had turned ashen.

Nie Gang was also covered in sweat, and he stayed by Li Hong's side, glancing at Li Hong from the corner of his eye from time to time.

Li Yan and even Ji Yun sensed the oppressive atmosphere on the command platform and dared not utter a sound rashly.

Only Guan Mao and Wang Shanshui continued their incessant praise and eulogy.

After the drill was over, Li Hong made no comment, but simply stood up and said to Zhang Gui, "Prepare the carriage and return to the palace."

After saying that, he ignored everyone else and stepped down from the platform.

"Alright, you two, stop shouting! You have no sense of propriety!"

Before leaving, Li Yan sternly stopped Wang Shanshui and Guan Mao, who were still boasting, before following Li Hong away.