The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 68 Routine and Exception

As night fell, the city of Huazhou was brightly lit.

The flag of the 20th Battalion was planted in front of a foot inn in the city.

After this battle, their numbers increased rather than decreased. A group of surrendered soldiers were incorporated into their ranks, bringing the total to over 120. Even Wu Gouzi, who was originally the least experienced, was appointed as a squad leader, leading five soldiers.

Hua Nong was so busy that she worked through the night to compile the register.

Guo Xin was taken away by Guo Wei's messenger order. Xiao Yi sent Zhang Mantun with him, while he went to the stables to feed the horses.

The black horse has done a great job today, so it deserves a good meal of fine feed.

As he was combing through the broken bones and flesh in the horse's mane, cheers erupted outside, and someone shouted, "Time to tally up the battle merits!"

But soon, a dispute broke out, with Hua Nong making her own reasoned arguments.

Xiao Yi didn't rush over, but stopped in the backyard and listened for a while to understand the ins and outs of the matter.

"During the capture of the bridge at Huzi River, Commander Xiao killed at least five people: two shot dead on the north bank, one beheaded on the bridge, and I saw two more on the south bank..."

"Shooting wounds don't count. The enemy soldiers weren't dead yet; they were still resisting, so we rushed in and killed them."

Back in the hall, Hua Nong was confronting Xu Sheng and his men, arguing heatedly. A military judge stood in the middle, holding a book recording merits, looking troubled.

"What's the matter?"

Hua Nong immediately turned around and said urgently, "Commander! Commander Xu is going too far. In the battle of Huzi River, the heads we didn't have time to cut off were all taken by them for their rewards."

Xu Sheng crossed his arms and sneered, "That's the usual practice in the army. It counts if you actually kill someone, but you can't just hide behind and shoot arrows. Don't try to act like I'm just after a few coins. Look at your own merit books. Have I ever been given a rank? I'm just seeking justice for my brothers."

The military judge looked at Xiao Yi with a troubled expression and said, "Commander Xiao, you see... what Chief Xu said is in line with common practice."

Xiao Yi understood Xu Sheng's thoughts and tricks, but since there were established practices in the army, using such ambiguous matters to deal with the other party would only make others think that he had torn apart his relationship with his subordinates over a few strings of cash, which would only make him look bad.

He waved his hand, his tone calm and even, and said, "It's alright. What's the point of fighting over a few military merits? It's fortunate that none of the brothers were injured or killed."

Hua Nong was indignant and was about to speak again, but Xiao Yi stopped her with an unquestionable look in his eyes.

Xu Sheng grinned, beckoned to his men, and led the military judge away.

“Commander,” Hua Nong said, feeling indignant, “he’s using the tradition of military merit to act shamelessly, intending to undermine your prestige.”

Little Monkey said, "I think Old Pan is really unhappy about becoming the Right Commander-in-Chief. He's itching to be messed with. Old Pan, why don't you teach him a lesson?"

Fan Si then whispered to Xiao Yi, "Commander, I heard that fellow telling his men... that you were born a servant and that you took advantage of your relationship with the Guo family women to bully them. There were some other things he said that weren't very nice."

Xiao Yi laughed heartily and said, "This is the military. Can't we even tolerate a little bit of verbal friction? In the end, it's all about ability and military achievements. What's the rush?"

Everyone then fell silent.

That night, Xiao Yi went to bed early.

This is his habit; he seizes every opportunity to rest.

Sure enough, there was no peaceful sleep at this time of year. He didn't know how long he had slept before Old Pan woke him up.

"Commander, something's happened?"

"Ok?"

"The patrol team said there was trouble in the 20th Battalion, and asked the two commanders to go over there."

"Which one?"

"Xu Sheng."

Xiao Yi stood up, looked around the inn, and asked, "Commander Chen hasn't returned yet?"

"He is still receiving treatment for his injuries."

"Let's go."

A patrolman standing outside the inn saw Xiao Yi, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Commander, come with me and take him back. Don't let him make a big fuss."

Judging from his tone, it seemed that Xu Sheng had suffered some injustice.

Walking through the streets and alleys of Huazhou City, one can see soldiers holding torches in front of a civilian house.

On the ground, a man lay prostrate in a pool of blood, both arms severed, his face contorted in a ferocious expression, crying out in anger and cursing, his eyes blazing with fury as he stared intently at Xu Sheng.

"what happened?!"

Xu Sheng, without wearing armor or his lower garments, turned around, clasped his hands, and said, "Commander, these lackeys of the court are trying to assassinate me."

Out of the corner of his eye, Xiao Yi noticed that the severed arm on the ground was indeed holding a worn-out kitchen knife.

He did not believe Xu Sheng's one-sided story and went straight into the house.

In the corner of the courtyard, two small children huddled together, weeping silently and trembling. Inside the house, a woman's corpse lay disheveled, her clothes in disarray, a pool of blood beneath her forehead.

Xiao Yi stepped forward, squatted down, and checked his breath; he was already dead.

"Xu Sheng!"

Enraged, Hua Nong stormed out of the house and roared, "You kidnapped women, slaughtered civilians, and violated military regulations. What else do you have to say?!"

"What are you howling about? This is a prostitute in a brothel. I was doing business with her when this dog saw that I was a member of the Tianxiong Army and came to assassinate me."

"Do you even believe it yourself?!"

Xu Sheng said, "This entire alley is full of hidden kilns. Don't believe me? Ask the brothers patrolling the city if you don't believe me."

"Chief Xu is right, this alley is full of hidden kilns."

"It's not a hidden kiln! It's not!"

"..."

Xiao Yi walked out of the house and saw the patrolmen supporting Xu Sheng. Not far away, soldiers came out from different houses.

The man with the severed arm, who had been struggling on the ground, let out a heart-wrenching roar before dying.

In the alley, faint cries gathered, coming from far more than one family.

He suddenly understood why the patrolmen had told him not to make a big deal out of it; they were birds of a feather with Xu Sheng, the only difference being that someone had died.

No, they don't care about human lives at all; they just don't want things to escalate.

"Take him down and court-martial him!"

"Commander Xiao, what do you mean by this?!"

Hua Nong, Lao Pan, Fan Si, and others immediately drew their swords, but Xu Sheng refused to surrender obediently. He shouted and led several of his men to draw their swords and resist.

As the two sides faced off, the patrolmen's expressions changed.

Seeing this, Xiao Yi drew his sword, walked towards Xu Sheng, and said, "Do you want me to do it myself?"

“Who’s afraid of whom?!”

"Stop it all!"

Suddenly a loud shout rang out, and Chen Guanghui, wrapped in bandages, strode over, his face cold as he said, "Go back and tell them all, don't embarrass yourselves here."

He stepped forward, put his arm around Xiao Yi, and whispered, "The people your brother brought have upset you. I'll apologize to you first. Don't fight in the street. If word gets to the ears of the surrendered general Song Yanwo, it will damage the commander's reputation."

"The issue isn't whether I'm 'unhappy,' but rather the loss of two lives..."

"I know. General He and General Li have summoned us. We'll talk when we get there."

The group turned into the main street and walked for a while. Ahead, the lights were bright and the scene was bustling.

This place is the Huazhou Treasury. In front of the treasury, Wei Renpu held a register, had just finished checking the supplies and was about to leave when he turned around and saw Xiao Yi. He smiled slightly and said, "Commander Xiao is here. Generals He and Li are in the armory. They want you to go and choose some rewards."

"Secretary Wei."

Xiao Yi bowed, intending to speak about military discipline.

Wei Renpu walked briskly, having already taken several steps. With a slight apology, he said, "I'm too busy tonight. Let's talk another day. Goodbye."

As Chen Guanghui continued inside, He Fujin and Li Rongzheng were laughing and pointing at the armory.

"Haha, A-Yi is here. Pick out a few pieces of armor and weapons that you'll find useful."

Xiao Yi stepped forward and explained the situation in a low voice, saying, "This matter is serious, and we fear that if we do not punish him severely, we will not be able to maintain the morale of the army."

Li Rong dismissed it, scoffing, "It's nothing."

Having said that, he picked at his ear and went to choose a weapon.

He Fujin sighed slightly and said earnestly, "Let's just let this go."

"General, military law is as firm as a mountain; how can it be treated lightly?"

“I’m not protecting him, but doing this for your own good. Putting aside the fact that this man defected from Chanzhou to the commander-in-chief and has performed meritorious service today, do you know how many people in the army committed the same crime tonight? If you punish him alone, you won’t uphold military discipline, but you will embarrass others. How will you stand in the future?”

Xiao Yi said, "At the very least, I can't allow myself to have such a black sheep under my command."

"Now is the time for our soldiers to fight to the death. If we punish our brave men for the sake of one or two commoners, it will dampen the morale of the army and demoralize them. Who will be willing to serve us then? This precedent must not be set."

"If Your Excellency wishes to accomplish great things, shouldn't you be even more considerate of the people...?"

"Still don't understand? Xu Sheng is the usual one, you're the exception!"

He Fujin finally lost his patience and shouted at her.

It was like a bucket of cold water being poured over Xiao Yi's head, finally calming him down.

Afterwards, He Fujin continued to patiently explain the reasoning in detail.

“Since the chaos of the Tang Dynasty, all soldiers in the world have been like this. The fault does not lie with him alone. If you intend to change the trend, first establish yourself and do not make yourself the enemy of all the soldiers. Remember, a merciful commander cannot lead an army, and a small lack of patience can ruin a great plan.”

Xiao Yi remained silent.

"Let's go." He Fujin patted his back lightly and said, "Take your men and go choose the rewards. This is an order! Military orders are absolute, don't argue any longer, go."

"Yes."

Xiao Yi remained expressionless, cupped his hands in acceptance of the order, and turned to Hua Nong, Lao Pan, and the others, saying, "Give the money in my bag to those orphans."

Hua Nong was taken aback and asked, "Then Xu Sheng..."

Old Pan quickly pulled him over.

Hua Nong then understood.

His narrowed eyes stared blankly at Xiao Yi for a long time before he murmured something.

“My lord, you said things would be different.”

"Stop talking and go."

Old Pan tried to stop Hua Nong from leaving, saying, "Don't worry, Commander, I will definitely give the money to those two kids."

Xiao Yi turned around and followed He Fujin into the armory.

Li Rong was playing with a short bow when he turned around, smiled, and tossed it to him, saying, "Try it. This bow is good; it weighs forty jin, just right for you."

Xiao Yi took it, pulled it back, and heard the creaking sound of the bowstring.

Li Rong said proudly, "I picked it well, didn't I? This is a mulberry wood bow. The bow arm is as tough as iron. And look at the tendons. You have to look at it like this, against the light. Look, there isn't a single bubble... A good bow."

He patted Xiao Yi's arm, as if to say that the matter was over.

Finally, Xiao Yi nodded and said, "It's a good bow."

He was also thinking to himself, "A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan."

The next moment, Xu Sheng was faintly heard muttering something outside the door.

"I need to pick out a belt; I pulled on it too fast earlier, haha..."

As the laughter reached his ears, Xiao Yi closed his eyes, his mind filled with the innocent eyes of the two children he had seen in that courtyard.

Tears streamed down their faces.

"despair."

Xiao Yi suddenly had a feeling.

He turned to look at the dark night outside the door, his eyes gradually hardening. He gripped the bow tightly, turned and walked out of the armory.

Xu Sheng was still chatting with two of his men outside the armory when he turned around and said with a smile, "Thank you for your mercy tonight, Commander..."

"Thank me for my military law!"

Xiao Yi's voice was cold as he took two steps forward and punched Xu Sheng hard in the face.

"Oh!"

With a sharp "crack" from his cheekbone, Xu Sheng didn't even have time to scream before he was knocked back, staggering backward.

"Xiao Yi!"

"command!"

Everyone exclaimed.

Xiao Yi ignored him, followed up, and kicked Xu Sheng hard, knocking him to the ground.

He stepped forward, pinned Xu Sheng down, looped the bowstring around Xu Sheng's thick neck, crossed his hands, and twisted it forcefully!
"Dutou!"

"Release Chief Xu!"

Two of Xu Sheng's trusted men finally realized what was happening, and in a fit of shock and anger, they drew their swords and rushed forward.

"Go away!"

Xiao Yi roared, grabbed the bow arm with his right hand, pulled it upwards, and spun Xu Sheng, whose eyes were rolling back in his head from being strangled, around half a circle, kicking the two of them away.

"command!"

"Protect the command!"

Outside, Hua Nong, Lao Pan, and others rushed forward, shouting, and knocked the two men down.

"Uh...uh..."

Xu Sheng's throat emitted a series of chilling, suffocating sounds as he frantically kicked the ground with his feet and tried in vain to grab the deadly string around his neck, but Xiao Yi's steel-like arms held him firmly in place.

"Xiao Yi, stop!"

He Fujin shouted angrily.

Xiao Yi's eyes were cold and unwavering, his arm muscles bulging and veins bulging.

For a time, the armory was deathly silent, with only the sound of bowstrings being tightened.

"Creak - creak -"

It's like the subtle sound made when you twist a colossal thing called "the way of the world".

(End of this chapter)