Tiger Guards

Chapter 712 Willing to admit defeat
"Don't rush to lower it, keep it hanging."

As Zhao Ji's chariot turned around, he instructed Zhuge Jin, "Wait until the troops on both sides of the river who were watching the execution have dispersed before removing the body."

"Here."

Zhuge Jin agreed, and at this moment he also felt a sense of relief and ease.

In fact, according to Zhuge Jin's plan, even these thirty-six people did not need to be executed. He could have focused on digging deeper into Pei Mao's past and dealt with his former students and officials. There was no need to involve the Tiger Warriors.

Even members of the Pei clan need not be implicated; the key is to settle scores with Pei Mao himself, including his children and in-laws.

As for Pei Mao's nephew, because of Pei Xiu, it is sufficient to involve Pei Mao's sons and sons-in-law.

Zhao Ji's chariot completed its turn and slowly set off towards the nearby exiled and convicted soldiers from Hedong.

The criminal army consisted of forty-three hundred-man squads, all of whom came unarmed.

As Zhao Ji's chariot approached, the hundred men temporarily selected from each team, without any distinction between them, gave the order: "Squat on one leg!"

These centurions, each wielding a long club, marched quickly and shouted loudly, making gestures as if to strike the slow-reacting criminals. If any were stubborn or unresponsive, these hastily chosen centurions would not hesitate to beat them with their clubs.

They were originally selected from senior squad leaders. Perhaps their mathematical ability and tactical adaptability were not as good as those of centurions, but when it came to suppressing and controlling soldiers, they were very skilled and adept at it.

The forty-three hundred-person formations quickly knelt down, appearing neat and orderly.

When Zhao Ji's chariot arrived, he jumped off, placed his left hand on the hilt of his sword, put his right hand behind his back, and passed in front of the first hundred-man square formation, scrutinizing the criminal soldiers who had been implicated.

In fact, many people are innocent and have no idea about it.

For a major event like treason, it could only be understood implicitly, not explicitly stated, and certainly not documented in writing.

At the beginning, all actions must conform to reason and law. Only after going deeper and binding most of the officials and soldiers onto the ship can the rebellion be openly plotted.

It's not to say that the criminal soldiers present were innocent; some of the squad leaders certainly knew about it.

However, Zhao Ji really didn't want to expand the scope of the purge; otherwise, if it spread to the level of squad leaders, the number of people to be killed would increase by at least tenfold.

When soldiers kill officers, most soldiers lack empathy and cannot truly understand the situation.

Mass executions of squad leaders and sergeants would trigger widespread resentment.

Zhao Ji had sharp eyes. Every time he passed a group of a hundred men, a hundred pairs of eyes would be on him. Among them, a small number of people with unusual expressions would be very noticeable.

This cannot be used as evidence in a case, nor can it lead to murder.

At this moment, Zhao Ji didn't even bother to record these people with strange expressions, unless they were promoted to his side in the future. At that time, even if he couldn't remember them, he would still feel an inexplicable displeasure.

Having risen to his current position, Zhao Jin would rather trust his instincts than the opinions of those around him when faced with danger.

Zhao Ji inspected each of the forty-three hundred-person formations, then returned to the central area: "I know that the vast majority of you are innocent. In a hundred-person team, ninety-seven or ninety-eight people are innocent. Those who truly know the truth and want to kill me will not exceed fifty."

He rested his left hand on his sword, while his right hand remained hidden behind his cloak. His gaze swept around the room, and his voice boomed: “From the very beginning of the quarantine, I have been watching you. You know you are innocent, so you act with composure and cooperate with my orders. However, you also have your faults. There are abnormalities in the army. Officers and soldiers live together day and night. I do not believe you are unaware of them.”

Even if someone felt indignant at that moment, they dared not stand up to defend themselves, because Zhao Ji was telling the truth.

Living together day and night, if your boss behaves strangely, do you really not notice anything at all?

Even if you don't realize it, being slow-witted and stupid is a sin in itself!
In the military, the competition is so intense, and you're comrades who will risk their lives for each other. You can admit to being lazy, but you can't admit to being slow-witted or stupid. "If I were you, I would also feel awkward if I noticed my superior's unusual behavior. It's also my fault for not setting up a specialist at the hundred-man unit level. Many people wanted to report and expose me, but they were bound by military law, personal relationships, and the bond of camaraderie."

"Actually, I don't like informers either, but from now on, I will set up a special commissioner in the 100-man team to supervise the officers and comfort the soldiers."

After a moment of silence, Zhao Ji continued, “I am also troubled about how to deal with you. I have two solutions. One is to strip you of your titles and make you all new recruits, starting from scratch, and then disbanding you and incorporating you into various armies. The other solution is to strip you of your titles and move you and your families to Shanglin Garden in Guanzhong to work in ranches, forest farms, mines, shipyards, and smelting plants. In the future, you will also serve in rotation, not three, five, or seven shifts, but ten shifts.”

The "ten households" refers to military towns and fortresses composed of military households, where only one-tenth of the people are selected to serve each term.

The Third Garrison is currently the military town with the highest service rate, a privilege reserved for veterans from Hedong, the Tiger Step Army, and the Xiongnu Righteous Cavalry; the Fifth Garrison is the privilege reserved for various armies in Guanzhong and the Righteous Cavalry of various Qiang tribes; and the Seventh Garrison is the Righteous Cavalry of the Xianbei.

Only by serving in the military can one earn merit, be promoted to a higher rank, and lead a better life for the whole family, or even move to Jinyang or Pingyang to live.

Such a large-scale reduction of titles and ranks only intensified the resistance among those who held positions such as squad leader or sergeant.

But the higher up one's position, the clearer one's understanding of Zhao Ji's terror.

At the same time, these veterans are naturally perceptive and will surely notice anything unusual about their superiors and colleagues... Now that Zhao Ji has pointed this out, these people will inevitably feel guilty and doubtful.

Seeing that no one spoke up, Zhao Ji said, "Each team will vote internally, and the final decision will be made by each team."

After saying this, Zhao Ji couldn't help but sigh, turned around and walked towards the chariot. He heard some crying and turned back to see some veterans wiping away tears. It was not easy for them to be promoted, and their spirits were not as fierce as those of the young men and new soldiers.

Moreover, each of them had a family to support, and after being stripped of their titles and reduced to new recruits, their annual family income plummeted to only one-third or one-quarter of what it used to be.

A decline in annual income is bad enough, but a decline in social status is the most disheartening thing.

In this life, who doesn't have a few rivals?
During this precious period, such a simple stripping of a title could determine the fate of the entire family and clan.

Rivals who were originally of equal status in the military or in the countryside may, in a few years or a decade or so, become battalion commanders or captains, and be appointed as county or prefectural commanders, while they can only retire as squad leaders and become minor village chiefs, garrison soldiers, or county soldiers.

Crying is not contagious, but sadness is.

In their grief, many people dare not imagine how they will face their parents, wives, and children when they return home.

Zhao Ji had no choice but to pause for a moment before raising his head and steadily stepping onto the chariot.

This rebellion delayed him by at least six months.

Yuan Shao and the Xudu court, who were caught off guard by his rapid development, were able to take a break and reorganize.

Even Sun Ce and Liu Bei would have a window of opportunity to recuperate and prepare for war.

This delay is not just a six-month period, but a loss of strategic initiative!

These people feel sorry for themselves, but what about the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians who died unjustly in the midst of the quagmire of war and the back-and-forth battle?
Even in such a chaotic world... these people still harbor that gambling mentality.

Are you crying pitifully now because you've truly realized your mistake?

Not entirely. Zhao Ji simply felt that the reason these people were suffering was because they had lost at gambling and didn't want to bear or face the miserable and unfortunate fate of losing.

Entering the quarantine camp is a stain that will stay with you for life.

Even if one accumulates merits and becomes a military officer, how can one expect to have a brighter future?

(End of this chapter)