Chapter 7

Listen! The marketplace! Gao Xianzhi's camp!

A large number of soldiers gathered in a huge square. At this moment, dozens of Song soldiers were bound and kneeling on the open ground of the square.

All the soldiers were staring at the commander, Gao Xianzhi, who stood in the south, and the Song Crown Prince who was assisting him.

"Let me go, I want to go back, let me go back!"

"I fought on the front lines, risking my life, but that corrupt official killed my whole family in the rear. Let me go, let me take revenge!"

"My whole family is gone, burned to ashes! I want to find my father, my mother, let me go!"

...

A group of bound Song soldiers, their eyes bloodshot, shouted at Gao Xianzhi and the Song Crown Prince.

Gao Xianzhi's face was grim as he stared at the group of frenzied soldiers. The Song Crown Prince also looked at Gao Xianzhi.

"Lin Chong, have you clarified the situation?" Gao Xianzhi asked in a deep voice.

Lin Chong nodded and said, "Commander, all the deserters have been captured. I also questioned them, but we couldn't prevent it. With the arrival of merchants from various cities, they brought news of the disasters in the rear. Some local nobles have been harming the families of the soldiers. Their relatives escaped and came to report the news. The families were harmed, so the soldiers deserted!"

"How many?" Gao Xianzhi asked in a deep voice.

"Already thirty families have suffered misfortune!" Lin Chong said with a grim expression.

"Has Gu Hai's plot begun? He wants to disrupt our morale? Hmph!" Gao Xianzhi snorted.

"Gu Hai's plot?" The Song Crown Prince's face darkened.

"What's going on? Who is spreading rumors in my camp?" Gao Xianzhi asked coldly.

"It's those rich merchants. Among their servants are messengers from various cities or relatives of the soldiers. They secretly contacted them and brought the bad news, which is why they deserted!" Lin Chong explained.

"Those rich merchants? Hmph, they are unscrupulous, disrupting our morale, they should be killed!" The Song Crown Prince glared.

"Prince, calm down!" Gao Xianzhi shook his head.

"What? Commander, are you going to protect those rich merchants?" The Song Crown Prince asked sternly.

Gao Xianzhi smiled bitterly, "No, Prince, look at the soldiers' expressions! Gu Hai's plot has already begun, and it can't be stopped!"

"Hmm?" The Song Crown Prince looked at the soldiers with a hint of confusion.

The bound deserters naturally had bloodshot eyes, but the other soldiers watching were also extremely serious. They looked at the deserters with sympathy rather than disgust.

If they had fled out of fear, the soldiers would have condemned them. But were they afraid? They fought on the front lines just like us, for what? Wasn't it for their parents and children to live a good life? Now, we fight for the Song Dynasty, risking our lives, while those corrupt officials enjoy themselves in the rear and harm our families. Who wouldn't be angry?

Deserters? To hell with the deserters. These deserters fled with dignity. If I were in their place, I would have fled too.

Moreover, the bound deserters were mostly comrades-in-arms who had faced life and death together. Blood and injuries hadn't made them cry, but the actions of the corrupt officials in the rear were truly disheartening. They hadn't even been able to fulfill their filial duties or provide a good life for their families, and now they were harmed?

Now, how will the commander handle this?

Will our families also suffer?

If we can't protect our families, what's the point of fighting for the country?

Aren't those rich merchants good? At least they brought news from the rear.

All the soldiers stared at Gao Xianzhi and the Song Crown Prince, waiting for a fair decision. Not just for the deserters, but for their own concerns.

The Song Crown Prince's face grew darker as he looked at the soldiers.

"Prince, you see, this is just the beginning. If you kill the rich merchants and those who 'brought the news,' won't you cut off their information channels? Won't you be colluding with those corrupt officials? They are fighting for you, but you are ordering those corrupt officials to harm their families?" Gao Xianzhi laughed coldly.

The Song Crown Prince was startled.

"Is this Gu Hai's strategy? He wants to cause a mutiny in our camp, to incite internal unrest?" The Song Crown Prince's face darkened.

"It must be him. There was no news before, but suddenly so many, thirty families? I don't think local officials would be so foolish to harm soldiers' families at this time. There might be some, but not so many, and not all at once, spreading throughout the camp!" Gao Xianzhi said solemnly.

"Hiss, Gu Hai's reach is truly long, extending even into our camp? Commander, it's a good thing you discovered it in time. Otherwise, if I had killed those rich merchants and cut off the news, who knows what other tricks Gu Hai might have had!" The Song Crown Prince's face darkened.

Gao Xianzhi nodded, "Yes!"

"What should we do now?" The Song Crown Prince asked.

"The morale of the army has been shaken. We can't ignore it. Blocking it is impossible. Better to let it flow. I will deal with it gradually!" Gao Xianzhi said solemnly.

The Crown Prince nodded.

"Everyone, I, Gao Xianzhi, promise you that the sanctity of the soldiers will be protected. During this period, anyone who dares to harm the families of soldiers will pay a tenfold, a hundredfold price. This is my promise, and I ask you to trust me!" Gao Xianzhi shouted.

All the soldiers looked at Gao Xianzhi. His promise had some effect, but suspicion still crept into their hearts, and they watched to see how he would handle the situation.

"You promise, what can you promise? Before the campaign, my daughter was only two years old, just learning to walk, just learning to call me 'Daddy,' but she was trampled to death by that corrupt official. My daughter."

"My father died early, and my mother raised my brother and me. She worked hard every day to support us, sewing and mending until she went blind. I was never afraid of death, fighting to earn military honors and rewards, hoping to return and take care of my mother. But the corrupt county magistrate's son burned my blind mother to death in her house. Mother, I am an unfilial son!"

"Before the campaign, I just got married to my childhood sweetheart, Xiaohuan. She didn't want me to fight, but I still came. I fought on the front lines, but the county constable lusted after Xiaohuan and took her away. My brother searched everywhere and was beaten. He only came to tell me today. What am I fighting for? For whom? You make us fight to the death, but you let our families be destroyed. Corrupt officials, corrupt officials!"

...

The deserters cried out in pain.

The other soldiers clenched their fists in sympathy, their hearts heavy.

The Song Crown Prince wanted to disperse the surrounding soldiers to prevent the situation from escalating, but Gao Xianzhi stopped him, knowing that blocking it would only make the situation worse.

The thirty deserters continued to describe their situations, and Gao Xianzhi listened carefully.

After two hours, he finally sorted everything out and frowned deeply.

The entire square was silent, and everyone looked at Gao Xianzhi.

After a moment of silence, Gao Xianzhi pointed and divided the thirty into two groups, one with four people and the other with twenty-six.

"I have listened to all your descriptions and have some ideas. Please listen carefully. You twenty-six, what news did you receive? That your relatives were kidnapped or taken to be killed? No bodies were found, and the people who brought the news were your relatives, but they didn't see the kidnappings or killings with their own eyes. They only heard about it. No matter how likely it seems, it's still a guess, right?" Gao Xianzhi said sternly to the twenty-six.

"Huh?"

"But my brother wouldn't lie to me!"

"My cousin wouldn't lie to me!"

...

The crowd spoke in a cacophony.

"You're right, they wouldn't lie to you, but what if they were lied to?" Gao Xianzhi said sternly.

"Hmm?"

"Doesn't it seem strange to you? There was never so much bad news before, but suddenly so much. I can tell you, this is all the work of the richest man of the six kingdoms, Gu Hai, to incite a mutiny in our army!" Gao Xianzhi said solemnly.

"But...!"

"Why should I believe you?"

...

The twenty-six looked grim.

"You don't have to believe me. Just know that you must see the living or the dead. Don't give up hope until you see a body. I will immediately ask the Emperor to order the local officials to search for your relatives, to find the living or the dead. It's better than running back blindly. A whole city searching is better than one person searching, right?" Gao Xianzhi consoled.

"But, can they still be found?" one of the deserters asked hopefully.

"We will search every household, dig the earth three feet deep, and find them. We will give you an answer. If the local officials are guilty, I will request an imperial decree to execute them without mercy!" Gao Xianzhi said firmly.

"Thank you, Commander, thank you, Commander!" the deserters knelt and cried.

Gao Xianzhi turned to the other four deserters, whose eyes were still bloodshot.

"Commander? What about us? We're not lying, right? My brother saw my blind mother burned to death in her house. It was the county magistrate's son, my blind mother!" one of them glared at Gao Xianzhi.

Gao Xianzhi's expression turned serious, "You four, the news you received is irrefutable. Rest assured, no one will make you shed blood and tears. Whether it's the county magistrate's son or anyone else involved in harming your families, they will be executed immediately."

"Commander?" the four stared at Gao Xianzhi.

"You will personally oversee the execution!" Gao Xianzhi said sternly.

"Thank you, Commander!"

"Thank you, Commander!"

...

The four bowed repeatedly, grateful. They might never have been able to avenge themselves, but now the Commander was doing it for them. How could they not be grateful?

Turning, Gao Xianzhi took a deep breath, "Prince, I will immediately write to the Emperor and ask for his full cooperation. Gu Hai is coming with great force, and I ask for your support to jointly petition the Emperor. We must stabilize the internal before dealing with the external!"

The Song Crown Prince looked at the deserters and nodded, "Alright!"

Gao Xianzhi turned to the soldiers again, "Soldiers, I know you are worried. Rest assured, I, Gao Xianzhi, promise to address all your concerns. From now on, you are allowed to write home and communicate with your families, but do not involve military secrets. Can you do that?"

"Thank you, Commander!" the soldiers shouted in unison.

The previous worries were completely gone. The Commander allowed them to write home, so they could know their families were safe and let their families know their situation. It was great. The Commander was good.

The initial unrest in their hearts was immediately dispelled.

"However, you have seen that four of these deserters were forced, but the remaining twenty-six might be part of Gu Hai's plot. So, if you encounter unsolvable or heartbreaking issues, report them to me, and I will handle them!" Gao Xianzhi shouted.

"Gu Hai is truly hateful!"

"Commander, rest assured, we will report any issues to you!"

"Damn Gu Hai!"

...

"Commander, what about those rich merchants?" Lin Chong asked.

Gao Xianzhi frowned, "Gu Hai has already made his move, and I was too careless. Firecrackers? Fireworks? Ha, sitting in his stronghold, he is now controlling our camp from a thousand miles away? Let those rich merchants continue, but monitor them closely. From now on, if they come to comfort the troops, they must be low-key. No firecrackers or fireworks, or they will be treated as disruptors!"

"Yes!" the soldiers nodded.

The crisis of the deserters was suppressed by Gao Xianzhi.

The army slowly dispersed, and everything returned to normal.

Gao Xianzhi and the Song Crown Prince returned to the camp.

Gao Xianzhi personally wrote a letter and stamped it, and the Song Crown Prince also stamped it with his private seal.

"Commander, you have been open and honest with the soldiers, redirecting their anger towards Gu Hai, so they have no more worries. But, will the Emperor's harsh measures against the nobles be too severe?" the Song Crown Prince asked, concerned.

"No, Prince, you haven't realized the terror of Gu Hai. Did you see? He is already disrupting our morale from his home. Gu Hai is not just sitting idle; he is already attacking us. This is a battle of morale. I just guided it, but if Gu Hai breaks through, do you know how terrifying it will be?" Gao Xianzhi said grimly.

"Ah? Is it that bad?"

"Bad? Ha, Prince, you underestimate him. Once our morale is shattered, that army of eight hundred thousand will be destroyed instantly, and the Song Dynasty will be in grave danger, on the brink of destruction!" Gao Xianzhi said solemnly.

"Ah?"

"So, Prince, you must weigh your options. Your dynasty or these suicidal nobles, how will you choose? I am not exaggerating!" Gao Xianzhi said solemnly.

The Song Crown Prince's eyes widened, and he nodded, "Rest assured, I will write to my father and fully support you!"

---

Half a month later. The capital of the Song Dynasty, Song City.

Gu Hai and his son, Gu Han, stood in front of an imperial edict, reading the newly posted notice.

"Godfather, Gao Xianzhi acted quickly, immediately resolving the crisis!" Gu Han said solemnly.

"Indeed, Gao Xianzhi is very capable. He quickly convinced the Song King to fully take care of the soldiers' families, executing anyone who harms them, and allowing the army to communicate with their families. Ha ha ha!" Gu Hai's eyes flashed with admiration.

"Godfather, should we continue to make the soldiers' families disappear? The soldiers seem to be starting to resent your name."

"They are starting to hate me? Ha, that's exactly what I want. Continue, continue to make them disappear! They will hate me, but they will also continue to suspect the Song nobles. What if they hate me? In the future, they will realize that hating me is the root of the nation's downfall!" Gu Hai laughed.

"But, Gao Xianzhi has already stabilized the morale of the army!"

"Stabilized? But we have already planted the seeds of chaos. Everything is just beginning. I will lead them into a vicious cycle. Gao Xianzhi wants to solve it? He can't!" Gu Hai looked at the notice and smiled lightly.

The first chapter of this book comes from, for the latest content, please visit the official website!

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