Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 475 Extra Chapter: Luoyang (Part Two)
Pei Qinghe detested the military's bad habit of embezzling pay without working. He coldly looked at General Liu, who was kneeling and begging for mercy: "I have said that past transgressions will not be punished. Embezzling pay without working is a matter of the past, and I will not pursue it. However, I cannot use a military officer like you. General Liu, you may return to your hometown with the veterans!"

General Liu was already extremely fortunate to have escaped with his life, so he dared not complain and hurriedly kowtowed to thank the emperor for his grace.

Pei Qinghe, too lazy to pay any more attention to this person, turned to look at Pei Yan. Pei Yan understood immediately and coldly ordered General Liu to step aside.

Next, Pei Qinghe had several large bamboo baskets brought over. These baskets contained loose silver coins, as well as several baskets of copper coins. In addition, there was a basket containing documents.

All veterans leaving the military are entitled to six months' worth of pay as travel and resettlement expenses. Each person will also receive a document granting them two acres of land upon returning to their hometown.

The previously dejected veterans immediately perked up and jumped for joy, stepping forward one by one to receive their resettlement money and documents.

With money and land, one can live a peaceful life. Who would want to risk their life to go to war?
Pei Qinghe spent half a day personally distributing the resettlement funds to all the veterans. Then, he solemnly announced, "I give you resettlement funds and land. From now on, you are my good citizens. You must abide by the laws I have set, and you must not cause trouble in your villages or bully your fellow villagers. I will issue decrees to all counties and villages, requiring all veterans who have left the military to be registered. Anyone who commits a crime will be severely punished according to military law and regulations."

The last sentence revealed a murderous intent.

The veterans all shuddered simultaneously. The Empress Zhaoyuan before them was not some benevolent Guanyin Bodhisattva, but a ruthless female war goddess! When she said she would punish them severely, she meant it; she was not just joking.

Pei Qinghe's gaze swept across the faces of the veterans, and she continued coldly, "Before you leave, leave your warhorses and weapons behind. Now, you can return to your respective tents and pack your belongings. You can leave the camp tomorrow."

General Liu, who had been left out, took the lead and agreed.

The veterans then realized what was happening and hurriedly agreed.

Back in their tents, the veterans began packing their belongings. They couldn't take their warhorses, and their weapons had to be surrendered. Some, however, were hoping for the best; those with two weapons only had to hand over one. Smaller daggers or longswords were discreetly slipped into their packs.

"Third Brother Xie, why did you even stuff a bow and arrows into your pack?"

The shifty-eyed Xie Laosan chuckled and lowered his voice, saying, "I've been a soldier for seven or eight years, and I've long forgotten how to farm. When I get back, I'll rent out the two acres of land I was allocated to others. I have a bow and arrow; I can't do anything immoral. Going hunting in the mountains shouldn't be a problem, right?"

The others were greatly intrigued and secretly stuffed their bows and arrows into their packs as well.

A tall, thin veteran hesitated for a moment before saying, "Someone in our team has to go up and give up their bows and arrows. I won't stay. When I get back, I'll go back to farming."

With bows and arrows in hand, can one really be a hunter with peace of mind? Xie Laosan's words sound nice, but who knows, one day he might impulsively sneak into a wealthy family's house and make a fortune on the side.

Xie Laosan glanced over and said with a forced smile, "Zhao Er, don't go around telling anyone about us hiding bows and arrows."

Zhao Er sighed, "The Emperor has given us half a year's military pay and land allocation documents, which is very generous to us veterans. If it were General Situ, we wouldn't get such good things. In my opinion, you should all hand over your bows and arrows. Otherwise, it will be troublesome if they are found during the search."

Xie Laosan sneered impatiently, "That's my business, it has nothing to do with you. Anyway, don't tell anyone."

Zhao Er kindly offered a reminder, but the other party didn't appreciate it, so he had to shut up. The others were also a bit uneasy, and two of them discussed it for a moment and decided to go with Zhao Er to hand over the bows and arrows.

The veterans were filled with anxiety, tossing and turning, and many of them couldn't sleep all night.

Pei Qinghe divided his 3,000 elite soldiers into three shifts, who patrolled the camp at night. They caught several veterans trying to sneak away in the middle of the night.

Pei Yan was puzzled: "You can leave openly at daybreak, why sneak off in the middle of the night?" Pei Qinghe chuckled: "I just distributed the An family's silver yesterday, someone must have stolen their companion's silver."

Upon questioning, it was indeed the case.

Several purses of different colors were found on the soldiers who had escaped.

Pei Qinghe coldly ordered, "Send the silver pouch back to their tent and let the veteran who lost the silver claim it. Pei Yan, deal with these disobedient soldiers."

Pei Yan smiled menacingly, picked up his long sword, and went over to cleanly behead several people, hanging the heads on the fence of the military camp.

The next morning, after breakfast, the veterans, carrying their bags, walked to the wooden gate of the barracks and saw several bloody human heads. A sudden chill ran down their necks.

Emperor Zhaoyuan, Pei Qinghe, stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes piercing: "Anyone who has brought weapons should hand them over. Otherwise, there's no need for you to leave."

None of the veterans dared to utter a sound. After a moment, one of them stepped forward, trembling as he opened his bundle, took out a dagger, and placed it on the ground.

Pei Qinghe glanced at Pei Feng, who stepped forward, quickly rummaged through the bundle, and, confirming there were no weapons left, dismissed the old soldier from the camp.

Next, the veterans stepped forward one by one, either voluntarily handing over their privately hidden weapons or opening their bundles. Soon, the number of weapons piled up on the ground increased significantly. At least 30% to 40% of them were privately hidden weapons.

Pei Yan was somewhat annoyed: "Bah! They really are a bunch of scoundrels! Not a single one of them is honest and obedient! If it were our Pei family army, who would dare to disobey military orders?"

Therefore, these veterans should not be kept, nor should they be kept.

Pei Qinghe twitched the corner of her mouth.

One of the old soldiers was reluctant to open his bundle and even shouted, "The Emperor wants to let us go back to our hometowns. He's given us money to settle down and two acres of land. Why not be even more generous and let me, Xie Laosan, take a bow and arrows back with me? I was a master archer in the army. Can't I be a hunter back home?"

A few bolder individuals seized the opportunity to stir up trouble.

Pei Qinghe raised an eyebrow coldly and glanced at Pei Yan.

Pei Yan sneered, stepped forward with her knife, raised it, and slashed down with fluid and swift movements.

Xie Laosan's head was severed, spun a few times in the air, and then crashed to the ground. The other noisy veterans were horrified; some fled into the camp, while others rushed out.

Song Dalang, Fei Lin, and other imperial guards had already targeted these restless soldiers. They each took action, captured the veterans, and beheaded them on the spot.

Several more heads have appeared on the wooden fence of the military camp.

The veterans were stunned by this ruthlessness and fell silent.

Pei Qinghe looked over coldly: "Who else is hiding weapons? Hand them over and leave the camp! Those who don't want to hand them over can stay forever."

(End of this chapter)