Chapter 100

Chapter 99: I Dare!

The Western Army's main camp was located thirty miles outside the city, built in a strategically advantageous position.

"Marshal is in the tent!" The calls echoed continuously, spreading throughout the entire camp.

As the calls rose, dozens of soldiers in bright armor, with swords at their waists, and hundreds of soldiers wearing leather armor and Fanyang hats lined up from the central tent to the camp gate. Apart from the sound of footsteps, there was no other noise.

The speed and agility, the solemnity and dignity, and the invisible yet palpable aura of killing intent that permeated the camp made every step the officials from Guangnan felt heavier and more uneasy as they hurriedly arrived.

Since they were there to welcome the Marshal, almost all of the nearly a hundred officials from Yongzhou City had gathered. Upon reaching the central tent, they saw the Deputy Chief of the Military Council, the Southern Deputy Chief of the Imperial Secretariat, the Consolation Envoy of Jinghu and Hunan, the Inspector of the Pacification of the Bandits in Guangnan East and West, and the Southern Expeditionary Marshal, Di Qing, already seated on his throne.

"Pay respects to the Marshal..." The officials bowed in unison.

"Rise, all of you." Di Qing's face, adorned with a golden seal, showed a cold smile. "Prepare a seat for Marshal Yu."

Soldiers brought over a folding stool. Yu Jing bowed slightly in gratitude and sat down confidently.

"Today, I have summoned the officials from both Guangnan regions," Di Qing said solemnly. "First, to inform you that I have arrived. Second, to ask if anyone has violated the two military orders I repeatedly emphasized?"

The generals' hearts sank, thinking, 'What we feared has come to pass...' They all looked at Marshal Yu.

Yu Jing chuckled dryly, "Marshal, I have already sent a message to the King of Jiaozhi, ordering him not to enter our territory."

"Then why are there still reports of Jiaozhi people pillaging and burning?"

"It might be a rumor, or perhaps some lawless individuals are using their name to commit crimes. It's all possible," Yu Jing said seriously. "Please allow me to investigate, and I will give you an answer, Marshal."

"Let's set that aside for now. What about the second order?" Di Qing stared at him. "I strictly ordered all units to remain in place and not to launch attacks without permission, with violators subject to military law. Has anyone violated this order?"

Yu Jing was speechless.

"Speak!" Di Qing slammed his 'Tiger Heart' mace, making everyone jump.

If they could, they would have hidden it, but the list of casualties had already been reported to the Ministry of War, so how could they hide it?

"There was one attack," Yu Jing said, bracing himself.

"Who led the attack?" Di Qing's voice was cold enough to freeze a person.

"It was me," Chen Shu stepped forward, unable to back down due to his position.

"Anyone else?" Di Qing slowly scanned the generals.

"Me too," Yuan Zhi, the second-in-command of the Southern Army, stepped forward.

"Me too..."

"Me too..."

"Me..."

"Me..."

In a moment, all thirty-six generals from both Guangnan regions stood up.

Di Qing sneered inwardly. Clearly, they had already discussed this, thinking that the law would not punish a large group and wanting to show the newly arrived Marshal how united the Lingnan military was.

We know you are a powerful dragon, but even a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake. You decide what to do.

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In front of the central tent, the thirty-six Lingnan generals stood out. The officials' gazes returned to Di Qing's face.

"Where is the military judge?" Di Qing asked.

"Here, sir!" A military judge responded loudly.

"These thirty-six people disregarded the Marshal's orders, launched an attack without permission, leading to defeat, damaging our military prestige, and violating military discipline. What punishment do they deserve?"

"According to military law, violators should be executed!" the military judge replied sternly.

"Since that is the case, what do you have to say for yourselves?" Di Qing looked at the Lingnan generals as if they were already dead.

"Marshal, please hear us out!" Chen Shu and others, realizing the situation was dire, hurriedly begged for mercy. "We discovered that Nong Zhigao planned to attack Jinzhou. Considering the fleeting nature of the opportunity, we did not have time to report to the Marshal and went to Jinzhou to intercept him. Unfortunately, our troops were affected by the miasma, leading to our failure... Please spare our lives, Marshal." This was the prearranged excuse.

"Can this be pardoned?" Di Qing asked the military judge.

"Even if there was an opportunity, attacking without the commander's permission is punishable by death!" the military judge replied sternly.

"Please, Marshal, consider that we did not intend to disobey, but were eager to achieve success. Show us mercy!" Chen Shu and others were now truly afraid. "Since the rebellion began, we have been in constant battle, reclaiming most of the two regions. Even if we have no merit, we have certainly endured hardship. We beg for your mercy, Marshal!"

"I can spare you, but the military law cannot be lenient," Di Qing slammed his 'Tiger Heart' mace and ordered, "Bind them!"

"Yes, sir!" A group of burly soldiers rushed forward.

"Marshal Yu, please stand up for us!" Chen Shu and others pulled Yu Jing, who had been silent, into the situation.

"Wait." Yu Jing, who had not intended to stand by, slowly stood up, walked to the center, and bowed. "Marshal, I would like to plead for them..."

"Is military law more important, or personal favor?" Di Qing asked coldly.

"Of course, military law is more important."

"Rewards for merit and punishment for faults are essential to ensure the army's unity and invincibility," Di Qing shook his head. "Marshal Yu, military law is merciless. I cannot give you this favor."

"You..." Yu Jing's face turned red, and he glared. "To be honest, they acted on my orders. If the Marshal wants to execute them, start with me!"

"Emperor Taizu inscribed a stone tablet," Di Qing looked at him coldly. "Our dynasty does not execute scholars!" The implication was clear: without that tablet, I would have executed you long ago!

After saying this, he waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly, and said, "Escort Marshal Yu to rest."

"Yes, sir." Two soldiers came forward and led Yu Jing away without hesitation.

"Let me go, let me go!" Yu Jing was furious. "Di Qing, you will pay for this!" He shouted almost like a madman, "If you don't execute me, what kind of fair punishment is that?"

"I won't execute you, but heaven will!" Di Qing's face turned ashen, and he slammed the table.

Yu Jing's curses faded into the distance. The generals finally realized that Di Qing was truly going to execute them. They were terrified, tears streaming down their faces, and begged, "Marshal, our dynasty does not execute civil officials, and since Emperor Taizong, it has not executed military officials either. Even in the disastrous northern campaign, no one was executed..."

"This is why our dynasty's military is weak!" Di Qing said, waving his hand.

The guards then bound the generals two by two. Some tried to resist, but Di Qing's guards, elite soldiers, quickly overpowered them.

"Di Qing, may you die a terrible death!"

"You will face retribution eventually!"

"Please, spare us..."

The thirty-six generals had various reactions, but none of them prevented the soldiers from binding them and leading them out of the camp to be executed. Their heads were displayed at the camp gate for three days!

"From now on, anyone who disobeys orders will meet the same fate!" Di Qing said to the officials, his face ashen. "Although civil officials are not subject to the death penalty, I will make your lives worse than death!" He then turned and left, leaving the officials trembling in fear.

When they saw the thirty-six heads hanging at the camp gate, the officials were so terrified that they trembled. They had only heard that Di Qing was a formidable general, but they never imagined that he would execute thirty-six people on their first meeting to establish his authority!

From now on, they would never dare to disobey orders again.

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The officials did not dare to stay in the hellish camp, and since Di Qing did not require them to stay, they planned to return to the city. But they did not dare to make the decision on their own and sought to consult Yu Jing, who had disappeared. Upon inquiry, they learned that the old man, feeling humiliated and angry, did not want to stay in Di Qing's camp for a moment. He mounted his horse, without even saying goodbye, and rode toward Binyang City...

From Di Qing's camp to Binyang City, it was about thirty miles, with many mountainous areas in Guangxi. The route included several mountain paths and two mountain streams. One of the stone bridges had been destroyed in a previous battle and had not been rebuilt, replaced by a temporary wooden bridge.

Fearing the bridge was unstable, the group always dismounted and crossed carefully, and this time was no exception.

Today, Marshal Yu's mood was terrible, and he had no patience to dismount and remount. He rode straight onto the bridge. When he reached the middle of the wooden bridge, he suddenly heard a loud noise. Before he could react, the bridge collapsed, and he fell into the water with his horse.

The guards cried out in alarm, watching helplessly as he was swept away by the swift current. They hurried down the mountain to rescue him. By the time they reached the river downstream, Marshal Yu had already disappeared. The guards searched the river for over ten miles but only found the drowned horse and Marshal Yu's boots, with no other trace.

Soon, the news of Marshal Yu's drowning spread back to the camp. The officials were even more shocked than by the thirty-six heads!

In this era, people were very superstitious. They had all heard Di Qing's words, "Heaven will take you," and now Marshal Yu had indeed been taken by heaven. Could it be that the rumors were true? Was Marshal Di a celestial being descended from the heavens, otherwise how could he have divine assistance?

In fact, there were no gods, and Yu Jing had not been taken by heaven...

In the nearby forest, a few men in hoods were beating Yu Jing, who had been caught in a fishing net. Surprisingly, the old man's body was quite resilient, and it took a long time to knock him unconscious.

"What should we do with him?" one man asked, confirming that Yu Jing was unconscious. "We should bury him. Keeping him alive is a risk."

"We can't kill him. Our dynasty does not execute scholars," another man said, clearly Chen Ke's lazy voice.

"Damn, you still care about that?" This was Song Duanping's voice.

"I will sell him to the foot soldiers," Chen Ke said seriously. "He likes the monkeys in Yunnan so much, he can go live with them." He smiled coldly. "I hear they enjoy male companionship. Although this old man is ugly, his status is valuable!"

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Sometimes, I write slowly to maintain quality. I can only post three chapters today, owing one, which I will make up tomorrow morning.

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