Chapter 122: Amnesty

"You are not killing me?"

"Killing you would be effortless. But you were once men who guarded the border and defended the country. Because the imperial court withheld your pay and military officers were corrupt and exploitative, you turned to banditry when your demands for payment were ignored. I do not have the heart to take your lives," Li Yi said calmly.

Flying Tiger was slightly stunned and lowered his head.

"If the court hadn't withheld our pay for three years, and our superiors hadn't deducted our rations at every turn, my brothers wouldn't have been able to survive, and we never would have become bandits."

Flying Tiger looked up at Li Yi and sneered, "You don't look very old, yet you are a fierce warrior. Since you spoke a word of justice for us, I suppose it’s worth it to die at your hands."

"Do you want to die that badly?" Li Yi asked.

"A bad life is better than a good death. I'm not a madman; who would want to die?"

"In that case, as long as you accept amnesty and join my ranks, not only will you not die, but you can also secure an official position."

"Amnesty?"

Flying Tiger’s heart stirred. Although they had gathered a mob and turned to banditry, they had always claimed publicly that they were fighting against corrupt officials and were not planning a rebellion. Their goal was precisely to one day receive amnesty, cleanse their reputations, and gain an official post.

Li Yi watched the pensive Flying Tiger quietly, not rushing him. In truth, killing, burning, and then accepting amnesty was common practice in any dynasty. Later on, among the various factions of peasant armies, almost all had accepted amnesty at some point, with the exception of a few like Li Zicheng. Some even rebelled again after receiving amnesty, only to accept it once more—the schemes were endless.

After a long while, Flying Tiger, who had been full of defiance, looked up and asked with a shy expression, "My lord, if I accept amnesty, what kind of official post might I obtain?"

Liu Zongmin, standing nearby, sneered, "A prisoner, yet you have the gall to ask for a position."

Flying Tiger glared at him but held his tongue.

"If you can convince the other prisoners to accept amnesty, I can guarantee you the rank of Zongqi."

A Zongqi was a low-ranking military officer, but one must realize that even for major rebel leaders like Gao Yingxiang and Wang Jiayin, the imperial court only offered the position of a Qianhu along with a few hundred taels of silver. Amnesty was more about the shift from rebel to official, bringing a significant rise in social status. Although Flying Tiger felt the Zongqi rank was a bit small, as a prisoner, he truly had no bargaining power.

After thinking for a moment, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Li Yi. "I am willing to accept amnesty and serve you faithfully, with no regrets."

Li Yi nodded, stepped forward, and pulled him up with a smile. "Set your mind at ease; I will not treat you unfairly."

After calming Flying Tiger, Li Yi took him to inspect the warehouses. Flying Tiger had been responsible for holding Longmen Town, so he was very familiar with the situation. They arrived at the Tax Bureau office. In the backyard, there was a row of warehouses built of brick and stone, complete with firewalls.

"Reporting to you, my lord, there are five hundred shi of wheat, two hundred shi of rice, three thousand shi of fodder, and several hundred catties of salted meat and vegetables."

"And what of the gold and silver stored in the warehouses by the various leaders?" Li Yi asked.

Flying Tiger whispered, "The rooms in the back of the office were converted into warehouses, but apart from the confidants of the leaders, no one knows how much gold and silver is inside."

Li Yi nodded and suddenly asked, "Then how much wealth have you saved?"

Flying Tiger replied with a sheepish grin, "I have saved two thousand taels of silver, along with some antiques and jade."

"Keep one thousand taels for yourself and hand over the rest."

Flying Tiger’s expression stiffened. "I understand, my lord."

Li Yi smiled. "This is 'dirty' money. By handing it over, I will record it as turned into the state treasury. This way, you won't be targeted by those with malicious intent, and the remaining silver will be 'washed' clean. Do you understand?"

Liu Zongmin chimed in with a cold laugh, "The commander is paying for the dead and wounded and distributing rewards; money flows out like water, so he wouldn't care about your pittance. If he weren't covering for you, the moment you became an official, you would be sucked dry by those corrupt bureaucrats."

Only then did Flying Tiger understand Li Yi's intention. Beyond his gratitude, the discomfort in his heart vanished instantly.

They checked the backyard of the Tax Bureau, where many large chests were indeed stacked inside. Li Yi opened them to find blood-stained gold, silver, and jade jewelry—worth an estimated tens of thousands of taels of silver. He ordered Liu Zongmin to send a squad to guard the warehouse before leaving the bureau.

"Commander, three thousand bandits are approaching from the west, flying flags with black backgrounds and the character 'Miao' on them," Gao Jie reported, his expression grim.

"It's Miao Mei. He is Wang Zuogua’s most capable subordinate. He must be trying to retake Longmen Town," Flying Tiger said heavily.

"Commander, they have three thousand men, and we only have two hundred. How can we defend against that?" Gao Jie asked anxiously.

"Who said we only have two hundred?"

Li Yi turned to Flying Tiger. "Go and offer amnesty to the prisoners now. Anyone willing to become a government soldier will be rewarded with three taels of silver. After this battle, I will grant further rewards based on merit; I will never withhold payment."

Flying Tiger bowed and went to carry out the order.

Gao Jie looked at Flying Tiger’s retreating back and asked, "Commander, is this man truly trustworthy?"

"Everyone is risking their lives for a full meal and a chance at prosperity. As long as we provide enough benefits, they won't choose to be bandits when they can be honorable soldiers."

Sure enough, half an hour later, Flying Tiger returned to report that seven hundred prisoners were willing to join the government forces. Li Yi divided these prisoners into three units led by his deputy squad leaders Li Goudan and Liu Dayong, along with Flying Tiger, serving as auxiliary troops.

Once the reorganization was complete, Li Yi announced the pardon of their crimes and officially integrated them into the army, handing out three taels of silver to each man. The prisoners were deeply moved; they all knelt, shouting in gratitude, and some even wept. Most of these men were impoverished farmers, miners, and servants who had held low status among the bandits. Many had been forced into banditry and usually couldn't even afford a full meal, let alone receive silver.

Clutching the three taels of silver and realizing they had transformed from bandits to government soldiers, many were overcome with emotion and felt a deep, heartfelt gratitude toward Li Yi.

That evening, Li Yi had the militia prepare meat and vegetables and steam wheat rice, allowing the Suijin Army and the new recruits to enjoy a hearty meal. Li Yi and his officers drank and chatted in the Tax Bureau office. Because a major battle was imminent, everyone only drank sparingly.

After the meal, Li Yi chatted with Flying Tiger as they walked to the auxiliary camp. Because it was late, Li Yi stayed the night in the camp. When he walked out of the quarters the next morning, yawning, the former bandits who had just become soldiers realized that their commander had stayed in their camp all night. This sense of trust moved them deeply, and their respect and loyalty toward Li Yi only grew stronger.