Chapter 50

Lu Yao turned around, took large strides towards the door, and pushed it open. A strong gust of cold wind howled into the room, flipping the layers of curtains.

"General! General! Please hear me out..." Suddenly, the voice of the young girl came from behind: "In recent years, the Xiongnu have grown powerful and difficult to control, raiding and burning everywhere. The common people look up to the imperial authority, but the local officials are incompetent and unable to save the people from their plight. To protect the elders of our hometown, my father had no choice but to deal with the Xiongnu in a hypocritical manner. Could he have done this willingly? The court cannot even subdue the Xiongnu, so why do you insist on blaming my father?"

Her words were spoken rapidly, with a tone of urgency, yet her voice was as melodious as a lark's song, especially pleasant to the ear.

The insight of this young girl truly surprised Lu Yao. Unfortunately, the fate of the Guo family had already been decided. Their heads would serve as a tool to intimidate other powerful families. A mere weak woman, even with the eloquence of Su Qin and Zhang Yi, and the beauty to move a nation, could change nothing. Lu Yao ignored the girl's continuous calls, stepped out, and closed the door behind him.

He Yun, who had been waiting outside, hurried over but was slapped to the ground by Lu Yao. Lu Yao hit him hard, and He Yun's half face immediately swelled up, with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Lu Yao's face turned pale, and he said coldly, "Do you know why I hit you? Huh?"

He Yun knelt deeply, but did not dare to answer.

Lu Yao glared at him, breathing heavily, unsure of what to do with him. He Yun was one of his old subordinates who had fought and survived with him, one of the three who had escaped the defeat at Dalin. He was also the first Jin army colleague Lu Yao had encountered after his modern memory awakened. Therefore, Lu Yao indeed felt a sense of closeness towards him, which was why he appointed him as the commander of his personal guards.

As the commander of the personal guards, reliability was the most important quality, and all other conditions could be set aside. However, He Yun had actually conspired with others to plot against him! Perhaps it was not a matter of loyalty, but simply because He Yun was young and naive. But such actions undoubtedly branded him as unreliable.

"Get out!" Lu Yao roared. He Yun bowed his head twice and scrambled out.

Just as he was halfway out, Lu Yao shouted, "Come back!"

He Yun stumbled and hurriedly ran back to Lu Yao, sweat streaming from his hair and forehead, clearly visible even in the faint moonlight.

"Who told you to do this? Shen Jin? Or Gao Xiang?" Lu Yao asked.

This question seemed somewhat unnecessary even to himself. It was undoubtedly the two scoundrels who had come up with the idea together.

A moment later, Lu Yao sat in his study, with Shen Jin and Gao Xiang standing before him, both looking extremely awkward. They had come at his call, clearly guilty and not having slept.

Lu Yao's mood had calmed down considerably. He stared at them for a long time before saying calmly, "You two have really put a lot of effort into today's events."

After a while, Shen Jin stammered, "Daoming, I don't think this is a big deal..." He was an old friend Lu Yao had met when he first joined the army in Bingzhou, and he called Lu Yao by his courtesy name, clearly trying to appeal to their friendship: "We discussed it, and many of the soldiers have already benefited today. Someone had to arrange it for you. Besides, we didn't force the girl; the Guo family offered her to you to warm your bed... Don't worry, we didn't touch her; she's still clean..."

Lu Yao waved to stop Shen Jin, "Enough, don't say any more."

"The soldiers have been wantonly violent towards the Guo family's women today, and you two were undoubtedly involved, perhaps even leading the charge. I want you to hand over the culprits, but you must find it difficult. You can't just hand over your own heads, and if you hand over a few subordinates to appease me, the soldiers might not agree. So you came up with this plan to drag me into it, so that we all commit the same crime and no one can blame the other. Is that right?"

Lu Yao continued with a blank expression, "Guo Rong colluded with the Xiongnu, and his crimes are unpardonable. I have been ordered by Lord Yuanshi to execute him at noon tomorrow. You want me to rape his daughter before I kill him! Ha, that is truly the behavior of beasts."

Gao Xiang's face turned red, and he could not help but say, "General, why be so serious? Soldiers are just here to loot money, food, and women. Men who live by the sword just want to enjoy life; why think so much?..."

"Brother Gao, I don't want to make you laugh, but since the day I joined the army, I never thought about looting money, food, or women..." Lu Yao lightly tapped his chest with his right fist, "You can call me old-fashioned, rigid, or out of touch, but in my heart, a soldier's duty is only to kill the enemy and protect the people."

"Daoming, we both admire your thoughts, but thoughts are just thoughts. The soldiers are used to a free life, and if we constrain them too much, I'm afraid they will be dissatisfied..." Shen Jin interjected, but was stopped by Lu Yao's firm gesture.

"Old Shen, I have heard the people say: 'When the bandits come, they comb; when the soldiers come, they braid.' The lax military discipline is not a recent issue, and I am not unaware of it. But it will be different under my command. My soldiers must follow orders and maintain strict discipline."

Lu Yao pondered for a moment, then stood up and walked a few steps in the room, "Since the defeat at Dalin, the original Bingzhou army has scattered, and countless comrades have died at the hands of the Xiongnu. I have been ordered by Lord Yuanshi to gather the remnants and reorganize them in Jicheng, forming this small unit. There is no need to talk about grand ideals of serving the country and the people. I only know that in this chaotic world, one must have a sharp sword to protect oneself. This army is our life, our only support."

Hearing Lu Yao change the subject, Shen Jin and Gao Xiang were somewhat confused, but they nodded in agreement with his words.

"For this reason, since I received the order, I have not dared to be the slightest bit negligent. I fear not leading from the front in battle, I fear not sharing the hardships with my soldiers, and I fear not being fair and just in my decisions... because I want to build this unit into a brave, disciplined, and well-regulated army. Because I do not want to entrust my life to a group of incompetent and destructive rabble!" Lu Yao spoke solemnly, subconsciously cracking his knuckles.

He looked earnestly at Shen Jin and Gao Xiang and continued, "Both of you were once the backbone of the Bingzhou army, my colleagues and seniors. If you can agree with my thoughts, it would be a great fortune for me. I only hope that from now on, you will discipline your subordinates and follow orders. Today's incident will be forgiven. If you do not agree with my ideals, I will not force you to stay. I will report to my lord and recommend you for other military positions... Brothers Shen and Gao, as men, our friendship is based on mutual respect and understanding, not on pretense. I ask you to decide today whether you will stay or leave!"

Upon hearing these words, Shen Jin and Gao Xiang's expressions changed. Shen Jin pondered in silence, as if deep in thought, while Gao Xiang's temples throbbed, and he hesitated several times, unsure of what to say. The room was silent, with only the sound of their heavy breathing.

Lu Yao just looked at the two men, calmly waiting. This is my bottom line; I will not compromise! He said to himself.

******

Thank you, dear readers, for your support, and thank you, Editor Binggua, for your kindness. This work has only reached 150,000 words, yet it has already been featured on the homepage's premium recommendations, which is truly humbling for me. I must work even harder to repay everyone. Yes, I will try to update more chapters this week.

Additionally, thank you to the reader who sometimes acts ruthlessly, sometimes acts kindly, and sometimes acts tenderly, for your continuous support with red tickets, and to my friend from Daliushu Town for your encouragement.

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