Chapter 148: Rewards and Post-War Summary!

"You rascal, what are you talking nonsense for? Manggong is still alive, isn't he?" Li Er said, expressing his dissatisfaction to Li Yi, who had suddenly spoken out.

Li Yi chuckled with a grin and pointed the others toward the direction where Li Ji had fallen into the water. The group looked over in bewilderment, only to be so shocked that their jaws nearly dropped to the ground!

No sooner had Li Ji hit the water and before he even realized what was happening, a figure suddenly emerged from beneath the surface, grabbed him directly, and without a moment's hesitation, poured the pre-prepared pig's blood all over him. Just like that, the Great General of this exercise—Li Maogong—was also killed in action. At the same time, this signified the end of the exercise!

None of them recovered their wits until the very moment Li Ji died. In their wildest dreams, they never expected that a member of the War Wolf Squad had been hiding in this small East Sea lake all this time! However, upon closer count, they realized that it wasn't until this figure appeared in the water that the members of the War Wolf Squad were finally all accounted for. Thinking about it from another perspective, this nine-man War Wolf Squad had actually broken deep into the heavily guarded Inner Palace of Chang'an City, assassinated four high-ranking generals, and accomplished it all without a single casualty! This was nothing short of a miracle!

It was only at this moment that everyone came to a realization: the reason the five people downstairs had engaged the Xuanjia Cavalry in a frontal battle was actually to cover the infiltration of the other squad members. Exactly because their fight downstairs was so spectacular and everyone had been entirely engrossed in watching the spectacle, the infiltration upstairs had proceeded with such smooth sailing. The War Wolf Squad had still been employing stratagems right up to the final moment—how utterly terrifying!

Li Er, Li Jing, along with Li Daozong and Li Xiaogong—who had already ceased fighting—gazed at the fallen Li Ji below and remained speechless for a long time. They were truly stunned. Throughout the entire day, the War Wolf Squad had continuously dealt them one surprise after another. Just moments ago, they had thought they finally understood the War Wolf Squad; even knowing the exercise was lost, the generals were prepared to make a final, desperate struggle. That spirit had even moved them. Yet this sense of admiration hadn't lasted for even a few minutes before the War Wolf Squad pulled off yet another massive plot twist, making them understand that the squad had been scheming from the very first moment they appeared!

Looking at the astonished expressions of the crowd, Li Yi did not know whether to laugh or cry! What made him laugh was that the War Wolf Squad had finally been successfully forged by him, and they had finally achieved their Dao. As the creator of the War Wolf Squad, how could he not be happy? But what made him want to cry was that the squad's performance today had been far too dazzling. When a tree stands out in a forest, the wind will break it—this was hardly a good thing! Still, Li Yi had planned ahead and had not yet reached the point of worry. For Li Yi, as long as Li Er did not suspect him, there was no need to consider anyone else. Even if Li Er truly grew suspicious of him, it still mattered little. At worst, he could strip off his official robes, return to farming, and live the rest of his days as a wealthy landowner in absolute comfort! Therefore, he truly feared nothing.

"Uncle Li, shouldn't you call a halt?" Li Yi said, pointing down at the War Wolf Squad members who were still caught in the meat grinder of actual combat. If this continued any longer, they genuinely wouldn't be able to hold on; it had already been three full minutes!

Reminded by Li Yi, Li Er snapped back to his senses and shouted, "Cease action, all of you! The exercise is over!"

Hearing Li Er's voice, the members of the War Wolf Squad below hastily came to a halt. However, they were now so exhausted that they could barely distinguish up from down; the only reason they were still standing was entirely due to a single conviction burning in their hearts—under no circumstances could they disgrace themselves!

As soon as he finished shouting, Li Er strode rapidly down the stairs, followed closely by the others in a flurry of movement. Li Ji was hauled ashore, and Cheng Yaojin along with the others not far away rushed over as well. Very soon, everyone had gathered in front of the War Wolf Squad, staring unblinkingly at them, all eager to see what exactly made this squad so extraordinary!

Li Yi sought permission from Li Er before stepping out of the ranks and shouting, "War Wolf Squad, assemble!"

The moment Li Yi's words left his mouth, figures darted swiftly from various spots, running over to stand beside Shen Lingxiao and the other three, quickly falling into formation. Following a brief cadence of commands, the nine men stood rigidly at attention in a single straight line. Even Shen Lingxiao and the three others, despite their extreme dizziness, gritted their teeth and forced themselves to endure, anchoring their bodies like iron nails planted firmly into the earth, motionless!

This display caused everyone to look at the War Wolf Squad with a completely new level of respect, especially the group of military commanders. They asked themselves in their hearts and knew none of them could manage to stand this rigidly straight under such conditions, let alone the soldiers under their own command.

Li Er walked up to the War Wolf Squad and inspected them one by one, starting from the beginning.

Winter Wolf Chang Dong, the junior officer, looked completely unremarkable, but the moment he resumed his identity as the leader of the War Wolf Squad, Li Er finally felt that this captain truly could not be underestimated. Such composure and imposing aura were simply not possessed by ordinary people; no wonder he had managed to slip through his interrogation!

Wild Wolf Jiang Lichen, a combat expert. Just now upstairs, Li Er had clearly witnessed the battle between Jiang Lichen and the Xuanjia Cavalry general. It had truly been breathtaking. Furthermore, what Li Er valued most in Jiang Lichen was that unyielding, untamable, rebellious spirit within him! Especially when faced with the oppressive aura of over a hundred Xuanjia Cavalrymen, Jiang Lichen had actually dared to initiate the attack proactively. For this point alone, Li Er praised him endlessly.

Ice Wolf Xie Junhao, who had disguised himself as the palace maid Xiao Xie. In truth, when he struck down Li Ji, Li Er hadn't even realized this was a man. Only now, as Ice Wolf recovered the aura of a special operations soldier, did Li Er discover that this was no palace maid at all, but a warrior—a warrior who could bend and stretch as circumstances required!

Mantis Wolf Shen Lingxiao, Snow Wolf Yang Wuqing, Cyan Wolf Lü Qingshu, and Jackal Su Pan—these four rotating human meat grinders had also left a profound impression on Li Er, especially the way they gritted their teeth and stood at attention now, causing Li Er to dote on them with exceptional fondness.

Demon Wolf Chen Mo: Li Er still remembered the sight of him bursting forth from the water; it had been utterly incredible! Silent people often possessed the capacity to unleash even greater reservoirs of energy!

Iron Wolf Lei Gang, a subordinate of the junior officer and also Li Xiaogong's opponent. At the time, Li Er had paid special attention to him; this fellow was practically a walking wolf-tooth mace, and his sweeping, powerful moves were too much even for Li Xiaogong, a renowned martial arts expert of the Tang Dynasty. Now that was a true powerhouse of a man!

Li Er inspected them from start to finish, and every single person brought him a pleasant surprise, every single one earning his immense affection. Suddenly, Li Er spoke up. "Good! What a magnificent War Wolf Squad! You are the bravest warriors, and today you have given Us a tremendous surprise. Thus, We cannot be too stingy either. Hear Our decree: from this day forward, the War Wolf Squad shall operate as an independent combat unit, answering directly to Us, with no other person having the right to interfere! Ice Wolf Chang Dong is hereby elevated to the rank of Ice Wolf Junior Officer, of the junior seventh rank upper, and shall concurrently serve as the captain of the War Wolf Squad. Wild Wolf Jiang Lichen is elevated to the rank of Wild Wolf Junior Officer, of the junior seventh rank upper, and shall serve as the deputy captain of the War Wolf Squad. All other members shall likewise be appointed as junior officers, with their titles being their respective codenames, of the regular eighth rank upper, serving as members of the War Wolf Squad!"

Once Li Er issued his decree, the reactions of the crowd varied. There was an immense amount of meaning packed into this imperial edict. First and foremost, the War Wolf Squad was established as an independent unit reporting directly to his personal command, barring interference from anyone else—which naturally included Li Yi. This demonstrated that from now on, the War Wolf Squad would have no further ties to Li Yi! Secondly, every single member of the War Wolf Squad had been conferred the rank of junior officer, using even their codenames as official titles. Although their official ranks were not particularly high, that was merely because the War Wolf Squad had not yet amassed official merits. Once they did, everyone had reason to believe Li Er would shower them with lavish rewards. This signified that from this exact moment, the War Wolf Squad had truly become Li Er's cherished "treasure"!

Among them, the one most satisfied with this outcome was Li Yi. He had constantly worried that Li Er might refuse to heavily employ them due to concerns regarding their loyalty, which would have been the worst-case scenario. Things had turned out far better than expected. Even though the squad was officially no longer associated with him, everyone understood that this was merely a superficial command. The War Wolf Squad had been trained entirely by Li Yi's own hands; no matter what happened, the connection between Li Yi and the squad could never be severed!

Seeing the stunned crowd, Li Yi hastily exchanged a look with them, prompting the members of the War Wolf Squad to finally drop to their knees and kowtow in gratitude for the imperial favor! Li Er laughed heartily and ordered attendants to lead them away to rest. From then on, Li Yi no longer needed to worry about where they lived!

Once the War Wolf Squad departed, the ministers dispersed one after another as well. Only a few high-ranking generals and Fang Xuanling remained behind, staying to conduct the final debriefing and summary!

Li Er led them into Qianqiu Hall, and the primary topic of discussion revolved around various issues concerning the exercise!

Li Er took the initiative to speak first: "You rascal, it's time you explained things to us! What on earth was going on with the whole affair?"

Li Yi chuckled. "Actually, there are some things I'm not entirely clear about myself; I never looked at their operational plans. So, how about this: all you uncles recount your experiences, point out any lingering doubts, and then I'll see if I can provide answers!"

Upon hearing this, the faces of the four great generals darkened slightly. They had all suffered defeat, and yet they were being asked to recount their experiences—wasn't that utterly humiliating? Yet they had little choice but to speak; surely they couldn't summon those ferocious wolves who had been exhausted all day without a single bite to eat?

The first to speak was Hou Junji, since he had been the first to be killed. Hearing him recount the process of his assassination once again still felt heart-pounding to everyone present: holding one's breath underwater for the length of half an incense stick, diverting the tiger from the mountain, and a plot within a plot! Everyone marvelled at how these young wolves had truly pushed the art of war to its absolute creative limits. At the same time, they couldn't help thinking: if the War Wolf Squad was this formidable, just how terrifying must Li Yi, the man who trained them, truly be?

The next to speak was Yuchi Jingde. His encounter was relatively straightforward; although the War Wolf Squad had still resorted to strategizing, this particular plan wasn't overly profound. Even so, they still marveled at the tacit coordination among the squad members. One could say that while the plan looked simple on the surface, a single mistake by any of the three participants would have resulted in complete failure—especially Yang Wuqing's acting, which put immense pressure on the actor! In fact, most importantly, they deduced that this strategy of the War Wolf Squad must have been improvised on the spot in a display of dynamic adaptability, because the circumstances at the time were entirely accidental. If that was indeed true, then the mutual understanding among the members of the War Wolf Squad was nothing short of terrifying! In reality, only Li Yi knew that while adaptability played a part, the core reason was the meticulous planning done beforehand. He had repeatedly emphasized that prior to any operation, contingency plans must be prepared for every single unexpected situation that might arise. Presumably, this particular mishap had been well within their calculated expectations!