We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

The old lady was extremely sad and angry, crying and wailing, looking like she was about to die at any moment.

The veterans knew that this was the people's family affair and it was no longer something that soldiers like them could get involved in.

He sighed helplessly and whispered to a more alert soldier behind him, "Go and invite the village chief. This matter needs to be resolved in the village itself."

This kind of scandalous affair between a man and a woman might not even be considered a civil case in later times, let alone military merit.

Everyone worked in vain for most of the night, until the sky turned pale.

The final result was that the young man from the Zhao family was ordered by the village chief and the elders to pay a sum of money as compensation and swear to heaven that he would never have any contact with the woman again.

Although the old lady was still very angry, she finally accepted the result reluctantly after being comforted by the village chief and Yinzi.

The village chief and the old lady thanked them profusely and escorted the tired soldiers out of the village.

On the way back to the outpost, a young soldier couldn't help but complain in a low voice:

"I worked all night and didn't sleep well. I thought I'd catch a big fish, but... hey, it turned out to be this kind of crap!"

Another soldier echoed the sentiment, "Exactly! These past few days, it's been the Zhang family losing their chickens, or the Li family suspecting their neighbor of stealing firewood. It's all just trivial, family-related shit."

"When I first joined the army, my younger brother was so envious that his eyes widened. My family all hoped that I could make a name for myself in the army and bring honor to the family! This is great..."

The soldier who had complained earlier spoke again, his tone slightly bewildered. "They say the soldiers are treated better now than they were in the past. Their salaries are paid in full, without discounts. It's certainly true, but I feel... it's just so-so, isn't it?"

"Two years ago, a man from our village went to the army. When he came back, he built three large tiled houses. They were very luxurious!"

"Where do they get their money from?"

Another soldier lowered his voice and said, "You don't understand this, do you? In the past, soldiers' salaries were low, but back then... there were other ways to make money."

"The military pay is now sufficient, but the rules are also strict. We can't take illicit bribes, we can't take unpaid wages, and we can't extort money. Isn't this the biggest source of extra income that will be gone?"

The soldier suddenly realized something, but then became even more depressed: "So, we soldiers nowadays don't live as comfortably as the soldiers before?"

Just as several people were grumbling, the veteran squad leader walking in front suddenly stopped and said without turning around, "That depends on how you feel about it."

Several people were suddenly struck by lightning, their faces turned pale and cold sweats broke out.

Only then did they realize that even though they had spoken in the quietest voice, they still couldn't hide it from the old soldier's ears.

The veteran squad leader turned around, his face not angry, but with a hint of a smile: "A few rascals, gossiping behind my back, and you think you can hide it from me?"

"I'm on the battlefield, and I can even hear the footsteps of the barbarians sneaking into the camp clearly. No matter how quiet you guys are, it's useless!"

Several soldiers were like children who had made a mistake. They lowered their heads and stammered, not daring to speak for a long time.

"Alright, don't be nervous." The veteran squad leader waved his hand. "In our Fengtian Army... oh no, now it's the Qing Army, we believe in 'not being punished for speaking out.'"

"As long as there is no deliberate incitement or betrayal of the court, a few casual complaints in private are not a big deal."

"When I first joined the military camp, I had my doubts and even complained to the battalion commander."

"The battalion commander was so angry that his face turned blue, but he didn't do anything to me. I just got a beating."

After hearing this, several soldiers breathed a sigh of relief and secretly looked up at the squad leader.

The veteran squad leader walked and spoke in a calm tone, as if chatting with family: "I know what you are thinking. You think there are too many rules in the military now."

"You can't act arrogantly with the common people, you can't show off your power. When you meet the villagers, you have to speak softly. You don't have the demeanor of a 'military master' at all. It's not impressive enough, right?"

The soldiers' eyes lit up, as if they had found a kindred spirit. They nodded repeatedly, "Squad Leader, you... you've felt the same way?"

"More than just thought about it?" The squad leader smiled, his eyes a little distant. "At the beginning, we were also very awkward!"

"I always feel that soldiers are fed and have weapons in their hands, so why should they be polite to ordinary people?"

"It wasn't until later...after a long time and after seeing more, that I slowly began to savor the different flavors."

"What does it smell like?" the soldier asked curiously.

The squad leader didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "Think about it yourselves. As we've been stationed and patrolling in various villages along the way, have the people looked at us and spoken to us in the same way as the soldiers you've met before?"

He paused, then continued, "Think about it again. When ordinary people saw those so-called 'military masters' in the past, they would hide from them as if they were the plague god, avoiding them if possible, and avoiding them if possible."

When everyone heard this, they were all silent.

If you think about it carefully, it is indeed true.

What were soldiers like in the past?

Soldiers pass by like a comb, bandits pass by like a rake...

That's the star of disaster! That's the reckless man who controls the murderous weapon!

Each one of them is more vulgar and arrogant than the other. If they don't bully others on weekdays, they are considered "good soldiers". The common people only have fear and disgust towards them. How can they feel close to them?

The squad leader looked at their thoughtful expressions and then slowly said, "So... you asked me, what's the advantage of being a soldier now compared to before?"

"I have to tell you, the strength lies not in the few bushels of rice and a few coins of military pay, but in this..."

He pointed to his heart, then to the surrounding land: "It's dignity! It's the identity that this military uniform represents that has changed!"

"Before, we were 'thieves', 'soldiers', a nuisance that everyone avoided." The squad leader's voice rose a little. "What about now?"

"We are Daqing soldiers who defend our country and are the people's reliable backing. We walk on the road with our backs straight!"

"This feeling of being truly respected is something no amount of money could ever buy!" The veteran squad leader glanced at several young soldiers, "This is the biggest difference between our new dynasty army and soldiers of the past!"

These words were like enlightenment, causing the young soldiers, who were originally full of complaints, to fall into deep thought.

. . . . . .

As Li Che's mass line was promoted, not all the people caught were involved in such awful things as adultery.

There were cases of misunderstandings like this, but there were also many real bandits and rebels who were captured.

The court's notices were posted in every corner of cities and towns, and the preaching teams traveled to villages large and small. The generous rewards made many people tempted and even take action.

The people had long suffered from banditry, but had lost confidence in the previous government.

As the policy was implemented, people started to wait and see, and were skeptical at first, then gradually started to provide clues, and then later they started to actively report...

A flood of information began to converge into the hands of the political commissars.

The government troops led by Xue Zhen, Ma Zhong and Xue Wei seemed to be guided by the "eye in the sky", and they attacked the bandit lairs accurately time and time again.

Those bandits who thought they were hiding perfectly were uprooted before they could even react.

They were horrified to find that they seemed to be exposed under a giant eye, and no matter where they hid, the government troops would always descend from the sky.

As the anti-bandit campaign continued to deepen, it achieved remarkable results, but also brought new troubles.

The number of criminals arrested is increasing day by day. What is even more surprising is that the people reported by the people are far more than just bandits and rebels.

Those who run underground gambling houses, those who bully the market and monopolize the market, those who are habitual thieves, and even local ruffians and village tyrants who oppress their neighbors...

Any evil deeds that were committed in the past were exposed by the angry villagers taking advantage of this favorable situation.

When the army received the news, based on the principle of "it is better to arrest the wrong person than to let him go", they did not bother to make separate investigations and arrested everyone.

As a result, several prisons inside and outside the imperial capital were soon overcrowded, and even the cells originally used to hold minor criminals were packed.

Faced with this sudden wave of criminals, Li Che was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

He had no choice but to order the urgent clearing of a military camp outside the imperial capital, and to renovate it slightly to use as a temporary detention center.

In this temporary "concentration camp", all kinds of monsters gathered together, and naturally they would inquire about each other's information.

Everyone was completely confused and didn't understand what was wrong with the new emperor.

The war is still going on in the south, why are they suddenly taking such harsh measures to deal with the security issues around the imperial capital?

Spending so much manpower and resources just to catch these small fry?

Finally, someone well-informed pieced together the truth from the guards' fragmentary words.

It turned out that there was a group of ignorant and chaotic soldiers who were robbing people on the official road, and they happened to rob the prince and princess of the current emperor!

The prince was eating hot pot and singing, and was about to go to the capital to enjoy himself, but was suddenly robbed by rebel soldiers. No wonder Your Majesty was angry.

When the news spread, there was a cry of grief in the concentration camp.

Everyone could only blame themselves for their bad luck and curse the ancestors of that group of troublemakers in their hearts.

This unprecedented public security crackdown lasted from the cold winter to early spring, and nearly 10,000 criminals of all kinds were arrested.

With such a huge number, it is obviously impossible to expect the Daqing judicial department to try each of them one by one.

Moreover, many people's crimes are difficult to convict according to existing laws, and the charges are varied and serious.

Faced with this difficult problem, Li Che was straightforward and made a decision with a wave of his hand:

Some cases where the circumstances were obviously minor and did not cause much public outrage were fined or subjected to forced labor; a few cases where the crimes were extremely serious and the evidence was conclusive were directly dragged to the downtown area and beheaded in public to serve as a warning to others.

The remaining criminals, who made up the vast majority, were uniformly sentenced to exile and sent to the frontier!

When the news came out, the criminals were overjoyed.