Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 104: Even More Majestic
Wuzhangyuan.

More than 20,000 prisoners have been moved to a place ten miles downstream from the military camp and isolated.

Every day, sick prisoners were sent to isolation camps, and every day dozens of corpses were taken out of the camps, burned, and buried.

More than 200 soldiers who were in charge of guarding the city fell ill and were taken in to the "nunnery" built specifically for Han army soldiers.

Despite being fumigated with mugwort, given medicinal soups and meat soups every day, more than forty people still died, and the number was increasing every day.

They did not die on the battlefield, so naturally they should not receive any compensation, but Liu Chan still allocated compensation from his own treasury.

Many people don’t understand this and think it is unnecessary.

They didn't die for the country, so if they died of illness, they can only blame themselves for being unlucky and having a miserable life.

Whether your life is miserable or not is determined by issues such as the feng shui of your ancestral tomb, and you cannot blame others.

This is what most people think these days, but Liu Chan obviously doesn't think so.

For him, the emperor, such a small amount of money was nothing.

But for these soldiers who unfortunately died of illness, it was a matter of whether their parents and children would be humiliated by the villagers, and whether their land and private property would be occupied by others.

Fortunately, the disease was discovered in time and isolated thoroughly, so the possible outbreak of the plague was basically controlled in the prisoner camp.

Liu Chan could still afford to pay pensions, and the army brought by the prime minister was not affected, so the campaign to attack Chang'an could continue.

"What are you all doing? Are you turning a deaf ear to His Majesty's decree? All of you, go to the military court and receive five strokes of the cane!"

Longxiong Lang Ji Ba Chi, who had been promoted to the rank of Flying Cavalry Captain after being awarded the fourth rank in the previous battle, was now cursing at a dozen auxiliary soldiers who were drinking water from the Xieshui River.

These auxiliary soldiers all came from Xiegu. I don’t know whether they are unaware of the imperial decree that Your Majesty is not allowed to drink raw water, or whether they are deliberately breaking the decree knowingly.

If His Majesty had not recently issued a decree revoking the authority of superior officers to deal with soldiers who violated the law, Ji Bachi would have wanted to rush up and personally give each of these people five beatings with the stick.

The auxiliary soldiers were about to retort, but when they saw that the man scolding them was a sturdy man over eight feet tall and wearing heavy armor, they immediately became intimidated.

It’s obvious that he is the emperor’s personal guard!

"Who is in charge of you? Which camp are you from? Tell us together." Ji Bachi asked.

"We...we are from the Department of Agriculture Commander Bai Shou's army. We are divided into three camps and five battalions in a T-shaped formation."

Several people spoke in unison, not daring to lie in the slightest.

Ji Ba Chi snorted and said to a Tiger Guard behind him, "Zaozi, take them to the Military Court to be punished with a stick."

A sturdy man who looked like a junior officer stood up and argued hastily:
"General, we all know that we can't drink raw water.

"But we just came down from the plank road carrying supplies, and we're so thirsty, we really need some water!

"The cook who prepared the boiled water gave us water that could kill you. How can we drink that water?"

"Okay, it's useless to talk to me, you can go to the military court to argue your case!" Ji Bachi curled his lips impatiently.

There is no way it is possible to burn people to death. It's just that the weather has been too hot recently and these people just want to stay cool.

Those who use this as an excuse to refute the issue have been arrested at least thirty times recently.

"Let me tell you, a lot of corpses have been dug up from the bottom of the river recently. They've been gnawed by fish and turtles until only bones remain. I'm afraid they're the source of the plague!
"If you guys drink raw water and get infected with the plague, you'll die!"

Several people were immediately horrified, but the little leader who had just come out to refute them smiled and said:
"General, you're joking. The plague is caused by the Plague God. What does it have to do with drinking water? We've been drinking raw water for decades, and no one has ever been infected with the plague!"

Ji Bachi curled his lips, knowing that they wouldn't understand even if he told them, so he turned around and said, "Zaozi, take them to the military court."

After giving the order, Ji Bachi walked towards the Xiegu plank road.

Your Majesty has various things to do every day. Today, he and Longxiang Zhonglang are supervising the transportation of food and supplies there.

When he saw Zhao Guang, the Dragon Sovereign's Attendant, he told him what had just happened and asked:

"Zhonglang, I really don't understand why Your Majesty set up this Military Law Office?
"In my opinion, we should just follow the customary practice and let their military marquises, military officers, and lieutenants handle the matter.

"Otherwise, we can let our Longxiong Lang and Huben Lang enforce the law on the spot.

"Establishing a separate military court would only add to the process and waste our Han Dynasty's manpower and resources."

This time, Ji Bashi was not complaining, but he did not understand the emperor's actions.

After all, he is a "honorary official". His Majesty said that in the future these honorary officials will be released as military marquises and Sima, and will be the reserve force of the Han Dynasty officers.

Since he wanted to be an officer, he naturally couldn't be a brainless killer like the soldiers he used to be.

Zhao Guang looked at the emperor who was inspecting the transportation of grain and supplies not far away and said with a smile: "Don't talk about you. I didn't understand it at first, but now I understand a little bit."

Ji Bachi didn't expect that Zhao Guang didn't understand as well as he did. He gave him a puzzled look and asked, "What did Zhonglang understand?"

Zhao Guang smiled and said, "Ba Chi, you have been valued since you joined the army, so naturally you don't understand the status of other soldiers."

Ji Ba Chi paused: "Where is this place?"

Zhao Guang said: "If a soldier breaks the military law, it is natural for him to be beaten with a stick.

"But in reality, many soldiers who had committed no crime were still punished by military law by officers, with the worst cases resulting in death and skin lacerations."

Ji Ba Chi exclaimed, "Hi!"
"I know that. There's a boy in our village who's working as a garrison soldier.

"I accidentally knocked one of their centurions to the ground, and was beaten with twenty military sticks. All my bones were broken, and I became lame."

Twenty blows with a military stick can kill a person, but he only became lame, so he is lucky to be alive.

Zhao Guang frowned and said:

"That's it, I just knocked someone over, how can it be considered a violation of military law?
"But your fellow countryman doesn't know this. He thinks that since the officer said he broke the law, he broke the law, and it's only natural that he should be punished. Isn't that right?"

Ji Bachi nodded at first, then suddenly curled his lips in contempt:

“That’s right, even though that kid was beaten half to death, he still felt it was justified.

"After that, he obeyed the orders of the Hundred Supervisors even more.

"He does everything from cleaning up shit and pee to massaging backs and legs. What a scumbag!"

As he said this, Ji Bachi spat.

If anyone dared to lynch him, he would overturn the person on the spot, not to mention being treated like a dog after being beaten.

Zhao Guang looked at the emperor's back and said:
"This is the brilliance of your majesty in setting up the Military Court.

“Without the Military Court, some arrogant officers could, based on their personal preferences, arbitrarily punish soldiers who do not understand military law.

“And the soldiers whom he lynched would be afraid of him.

“If you develop a fear of him, you might become his personal soldier.

"Your Majesty has established the Military Law Office, with military judges and us, the Longxiang Lang, as military judges to enforce military law fairly and openly. This means that the power of life and death over all soldiers is truly in the hands of Your Majesty and the country.

“All soldiers who are punished must understand why they are being punished.

"We must also understand that the punishment they received was for violating national and military laws, not for offending a particular officer.

"The so-called fair punishment makes the soldiers willing to accept it." In this way, they will have awe for military law and become true soldiers.

"Instead of being in awe of officers who lynch people and becoming their private soldiers."

Ji Ba Chi seemed to understand:
"But... why did His Majesty appoint us, the Dragon Guards and Tiger Guards, as military judges?

"Most of us, the Dragon Guards and the Tiger Guards, are illiterate and ignorant of military law. If we punish the wrong person, how can those who are punished accept it?"

Zhao Guang patted Ji Ba Chi's back, which was as thick as a bucket.

"Isn't it because there aren't enough law officers in the army? Your Majesty has so much he wants to do, so he can only rely on us, the Dragon Guards and the Tiger Guards. This shows that Your Majesty trusts us, so we should give it our all!"

Ji Bashi scratched his head.

He is an expert at killing people, but Your Majesty insisted that he learn to read.

Recently, when he summoned him privately, in addition to asking about his well-being and the situation of his parents, wife and children at home, he would also personally test the characters he had learned recently and let him recite military laws in front of him.

Deep down, he was somewhat resistant to studying.

However, His Majesty was so close to him and said that he would be able to become a general in the future once he learned to read.

He really couldn't let His Majesty down, so he had no choice but to learn.

His Majesty also said that starting from May, he would personally convene a military law examination for Longxiang Lang and Huben Lang at the beginning of every month.

The topic of the first month's exam was to recite the Thirty Articles of Military Law.

Those who failed the exam were demoted from Longxiang Lang to Huben Lang, while those who performed well were promoted from Huben Lang to Longxiang Lang.

Boy, that's scary.

Those guys who were literate got lucky, but he, an illiterate, was in trouble.

I could only learn to read day and night, and I didn't even have time to build up my strength. The fat on my body was not as plump as before.

But I have to say that knowing how to read makes you feel different. You feel superior. No wonder some scholars look down on soldiers when they see them.

And as I learned more words, learning didn't seem as boring as it was at the beginning.

When His Majesty is free, he will gather these Longxianglang and personally tell them stories about ancient wars, saying that this is to improve their military qualities.

I don’t know whether the military quality has improved, but it is indeed quite interesting to listen to His Majesty tell stories about those famous generals fighting in battles.

"Hachisha, Momoko, come here."

Liu Chan turned around and signaled to Longxiang Lang Jishu and Liu Tao.

Two strong men stepped forward in their armor.

The rest of the Longxiang Lang were wearing armor weighing 20 to 30 kilograms of sleeves to guard them, but these two were directly wearing heavy armor with basin collars, which made them look much more majestic than many generals and captains.

For example, Zhao Guang, the Dragon-Soaring Lieutenant Colonel, was only wearing a light double-crotch armor at the moment, otherwise he would be too tired and hot.

"Your Majesty." They both said in unison.

Liu Chan wiped his sweat and said: "The weather is too hot. You should take off your heavy armor and find some lighter ones."

"Your Majesty, I'm fine. Let Liu Tao take off his clothes. His injury hasn't fully healed yet." Ji Bachi looked at Liu Tao provocatively and chuckled.

Liu Tao resolutely patted his chest, his heavy armor clattering, "Your Majesty, I'm fine too!"

Liu Chan frowned.

The two of them suddenly felt cold when they saw this, and then they both stepped back and bowed: "Yes!"

Your Majesty usually cares for these Longxianglang and rewards them generously, but he is also very ruthless when it comes to punishing those who break the law.

Many Longxianglang were beaten with military sticks by the emperor for being domineering and breaking the law, and then sent back home to farm.

Liu Chan's eyes softened:

"Go ahead. It's too hot. If the heat gets into your body and you die from sunstroke, I won't have the money to provide you with compensation."

In the last battle, one of these two killed twelve and the other killed nine levels of enemies. They were the ones who had beheaded the most and had the greatest merits among Doctor Longxiong.

They were allowed to wear heavy armor to guard them on both sides. On the one hand, it was indeed to protect them, and on the other hand, it was a recognition of their merits. Once wearing the heavy armor, they were indeed very majestic.

Of course, there were more than just the two of them who were qualified to wear heavy armor as guards. There were twelve people in total, who rotated from time to time.

The two men retreated, changed into light armor, and returned to the emperor's back, carefully observing whether there were any suspicious people trying to approach or whether there were any suspicious people casting suspicious glances at them.

Generally speaking, it is impossible.

But the two Longxionglang still remained quite vigilant.

Soon, the two of them discovered a fat man wearing gorgeous clothes and walking with a strange posture.

The fat man was now slowly approaching the emperor, and his eyes seemed a little strange.

They saw it, and Zhao Guang, who had also been on guard, of course saw it too. He shouted to the emperor's back, "Your Majesty!"

Liu Chan wrote a comment in red on the bamboo slips and handed it to his accompanying secretary Lang Xizheng.

Then he turned around and looked at Zhao Guang. He caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. His face lit up with joy and he strode towards the man.

"My Tiger Cavalry Supervisor, why did you come out without saying hello to me!" Liu Chan laughed excitedly, holding Mi Wei's arms and looking him up and down excitedly.

I don’t know if it’s because his broken calf prevents him from exercising, but Mi Wei has gained weight and looks a little haggard.

Mi Wei, feeling both awkward and excited, saluted the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I wish you all the best!"

Liu Chan was so happy that he didn't notice Mi Wei's strange expression. He continued to laugh heartily and said:
"I'm fine! I'm fine!

"For the past two months, I have been thinking about my Tiger Cavalry Prison day and night!
"It's good to be back, it's good to be back!

"With the Tiger Cavalry Guards guarding me, I can ride my warhorse anywhere in the world!"

Mi Wei's eyes finally lit up when he heard this, and he said cautiously:

“Your Majesty has won victory after victory in Guanzhong, and the soldiers who followed him have also performed brilliantly.

"I, your humble servant, am now crippled and lame. I fear I can no longer guard Your Majesty as I once did. Otherwise... I fear I would damage Your Majesty's dignity and draw criticism from the world."

Liu Chan paused for a moment, then he pulled up Mi Wei's hands, pressed them tightly against the backs of his hands, and met his gaze.
"What is this nonsense?

"Who dares to criticize the vacancies in the country?!
"With you by my side, not only does my dignity remain unchanged, but it's even greater than before!
"One day, I will gather all the loyal ministers and generals who have sacrificed their lives for the country around me, and join me in the battle to defeat the enemy!
"If so, we will surely intimidate the scoundrels of the world and make the traitors of Wei and Wu tremble in fear!"

When Mi Wei heard this, his eyes suddenly turned red, and then he began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Come, come, follow me!" Liu Chan held Mi Wei's arm and led him towards Wuzhangyuan. "I have prepared something for you!"

Mi Wei was stunned. His Majesty prepared something for him?

"Can you still ride a horse?" Liu Chan asked as he supported Mi Wei and walked slowly forward.

Mi Wei limped along, nodded, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty... I can ride a horse!"

(End of this chapter)