Dugong

Chapter 85 Decisive Killing

The first year of Yongning.

March fifteenth.

Located a hundred miles north of the capital, Wuwei County is bordered by the Grand Canal wharf to the east, controls the vital land route to the north of the border to the west, and manages the official road to the capital to the south. It is the site where the six northern guards of the Yongzheng Imperial Guard were stationed.

The sky is bright.

Wang Datou, the squad leader of Zhenwu Guard, crawled out of his military tent and woke up his soldiers by hitting and kicking them.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! The drill ground is distributing pay. If you're late, you won't get any."

The Beijing garrison has not received pay for half a year. Last month, Wang Datou followed Captain Ma's orders, resisted daily drills, and shouted in a chaotic manner, "No pay, lie down on the spot!"
Wang Datou was terrified for days, expecting to be punished, but nothing happened.

Since then, training has become a haphazard affair, with days passing by without any real progress.

As the soldiers put on their clothes and were about to don their armor, Wang Datou said, "The order is from above: do not bring armor when collecting your pay."

The reason is unclear, but who would bother to wear armor and carry a sword to collect military pay? It's good enough if you get anything at all.

The group of seven hurried to the drill ground. Originally, Wang Datou should have had two squads of ten men under his command, but due to the lack of pay for half a year, two of them were discharged, regardless of whether they were genuinely sick or not.

As for the other soldier named Gu Ning, Wang Datou had never seen him before.

Other squad leaders faced similar situations to varying degrees. In just six months, Zhenwu Guard went from conducting drills every three days to once every ten days, and the number of soldiers decreased by more than a thousand.

On the way, they encountered many soldiers rushing to collect their pay. When Wang Datou saw his superior, the centurion, he took the initiative to lead his men to follow behind him.

From ten to a hundred, from a hundred to a thousand. From one to ten thousand, there is no end in sight. From one hundred thousand, there is a vast expanse connecting the earth and the sky.

The Zhenfen Yaoyang Xianxiao Six Guards, with tens of thousands of soldiers gathered at the drill ground.

Six banners stood tall in front, fluttering in the wind.

Wang Datou peered into the distance and saw a dense mass of heads stretching to the horizon. He could vaguely make out a platform about ten feet high, on which someone seemed to be sitting.

suddenly.

A figure flew through the air, landed several feet away, and then leaped up again, carrying a bloody head in his hand.

"The evidence against Ma Yuan, the Colonel of Zhenwu Guard, for embezzling 7,800 taels of military pay is conclusive. He is sentenced to immediate execution as a warning to others!"

"Zhenwu Guard Commandant Ma Yuan embezzled military funds..."

The newcomer spoke in a sharp and shrewd manner, clearly a eunuch from the palace, yet his voice was extremely loud and deafening, repeating himself dozens of times before finally stopping.

When Wang Datou heard that Captain Ma had been beheaded, he was furious. Captain Ma usually treated his subordinates fairly well, never beating or scolding them, and at most helping him build houses and cultivate fields.

Upon hearing the amount embezzled, his anger immediately turned to hatred.

No wonder they haven't paid salaries for six months; this scoundrel has embezzled them all!

Shouts of "Good kill! Good kill!" came from somewhere, and Wang Datou couldn't help but shout them out, which soon echoed through the sky.

In front of the drill ground.

Li Ping'an, dressed in a bright red official robe, sat upright on the high platform, looking down at the six guard generals below.

These people all possessed a powerful aura and strong inner energy, capable of dominating the martial arts world and making a name for themselves. However, they were far inferior to the old eunuchs in the palace.

First, there's the difference in the methods of practice; the Lotus Sutra is a quick and easy way to master divine skills. Second, there's the difference in the duration of practice; eunuchs have no worries about military affairs, household chores, or worldly matters, so they can meditate and practice whenever they have free time.

At this time, of the more than two hundred eunuchs in the Imperial Horse Stable, except for a few who remained in the palace on duty, the rest were all transferred to the training ground.

Two rows of soldiers stood on either side of the high platform, surrounding the fierce generals of the Beijing garrison. Anyone who dared to make a rash move would face the warning of the headless corpses on the ground.

Just now, relying on the Zhang family's background, Ma Yuan pointed at Li Ping'an's nose and cursed, "Since when did it become the turn of eunuchs in the Beijing Garrison to show off their power!"

The next instant, the sword energy swept across his neck, and Eunuch Xia carried Ma Yuan's head to the Zhenwu Guard.

As for the exact amount of silver Ma Yuan embezzled, Li Ping'an didn't know, but it was definitely more than eight thousand taels. The amount found in the confiscation of his property could be several times that amount, but this amount was just right.

Too little is unlikely to provoke the soldiers' anger, while too much, such as fifty thousand or one hundred thousand taels, far exceeds the soldiers' understanding and imagination, and the effect will be reduced rather than increased.

Li Ping'an said coldly, "Is there anyone else who doesn't obey this admiral?" The generals and adjutants had uncertain expressions, secretly lamenting that they shouldn't have left the military camp to collect their pay. If they were still in the camp, they could easily gather hundreds or thousands of loyal followers with a single call to arms.

It wouldn't lead to rebellion, but it would at least prevent us from being at the mercy of others.

"Very good, let's start taking attendance."

Seeing everyone's silence, Li Ping'an pulled out a piece of paper from his sleeve and spoke in a shrill, cold voice: "Who is Chang Yu, the military commander of the Fenwu Guard?"

Chang Yu didn't need to step forward; all his colleagues were already looking in that direction.

Chang Yu stepped forward and bowed, saying, "This humble general, Chang Yu, greets Commander-in-Chief."

Li Ping'an asked with a half-smile, "Did General Chang embezzle military funds?"

Chang Yu shook his head and said, "This humble general is loyal to the country and has never mistreated the soldiers."

Li Ping'an said quietly, "Where did General Chang's son get the money to buy the courtesan?"

"This……"

Chang Yu's mind raced as he tried to find a reason to defend himself, when he suddenly felt a chill on his neck, and then his head rolled to the ground.

Li Ping'an waved his hand, and an old eunuch carried Chang Yu's head to Fenwuwei to publicize the crime.

soon.

The shouts of the Fenwu Guards were deafening. This time, they weren't yelling "Well done!" but "Your Majesty is wise!"
Among the lower-ranking officers and soldiers, there were many intelligent people who naturally saw that Li Ping'an was putting on a show and eliminating dissidents. However, they didn't care and cheered as long as corrupt officials were killed.

As for what slogans to shout, that was entirely up to the spies planted among them.

Li Ping'an continued to call out names: "Which one is Cao Ying, the guerrilla general of Yangwu Guard?"

Cao Ying's face turned pale, and his legs trembled as he stepped forward. He knelt down in front of the platform with a thud: "This humble servant greets the Commander-in-Chief."

Li Ping'an's eyes showed disdain. What arrogant soldiers and fierce generals? They all went weak in the knees when faced with life and death.

"Tell me honestly, how much silver have you embezzled?"

Cao Ying replied with a bitter face, "Commander, please spare my life! I only embezzled a few thousand taels, and that's just standard practice in the army. I've never taken a single extra tael."

"Hmph, what a load of bullshit custom!"

Li Ping'an rebuked, "I've long heard that there are common practices in the army such as embezzlement, false reporting, deductions, and concealment. How are they different from corruption?"

Cao Ying repeatedly kowtowed and begged for mercy. Li Ping'an waved his hand, and two eunuchs sealed his dantian qi and escorted him to Yangwuwei to be beheaded as a warning to the public.

Seeing this, the remaining generals couldn't help but step forward a few paces.

First, there was a shared sense of righteous indignation, with everyone looking down on eunuchs. Second, the punishment was based on "custom," meaning most of those present should be beheaded.

Zhang Shensi, the deputy commander of Zhenwu Guard, spoke up: "Commander-in-Chief, General Cao fought for the country and shed countless blood. Is such an end too harsh?"

Li Ping'an countered with, "What does General Zhang think?"

Zhang Shensi was startled. He had not given his name, so the dead eunuch had obviously investigated him in secret. Fortunately, he was surnamed Zhang, so he figured the eunuch wouldn't dare to turn against him.

"We request an audience with Your Majesty, and beseech Your Majesty to make a wise judgment!"

Li Ping'an shook his head and said, "His Majesty is busy with countless affairs of state. How can you see him whenever you want? But General Zhang, don't worry, I will put your name on the memorial."

"What do you mean?"

Zhang Shensi subconsciously circulated his inner energy, attempting to escape back to the Zhenwu Guard formation, inciting his subordinates to cause trouble, and taking the opportunity to flee the training ground.

Returning to the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion will surely save my life.

An old eunuch appeared behind Zhang Shensi, his palm glowing with a faint golden light, and pressed heavily against the back of his heart.

puff!
Zhang Shensi coughed up blood and rolled on the ground several times. Seeing two eunuchs approaching, he hurriedly shouted at the top of his lungs.

"I am the Empress Dowager's nephew, and my uncle is the Prince of Zhenbei. You cannot kill me..."

(End of this chapter)