The Ming Dynasty: My sister, Empress Ma

"I'm not saying this to show off."

Ma Wenyuan continued.

"I just feel that from today onwards, we're all brothers in the same big pot, and I have to remember that."

After speaking, Ma Wenyuan felt tired of standing, so he sat cross-legged on the ground.

Zeng Qing, who was following behind, did the same, and then all the soldiers sat down at Ma Wenyuan's signal.

This recent incident made many people feel that the new centurion was very easygoing, and they unconsciously relaxed a little.

"Brothers, I, Ma Wenyuan, do not consider myself a scholar and am not good at speaking fancy words."

"All I know is that we'll be joining Commander Tang's campaign against Shu next month!"

When the topic of conquering Shu came up, the room fell silent for a moment.

"I know if you're scared or not, so I won't ask. I'll just ask you one question: do you believe me?"

Ma Wenyuan did not reveal his identity, nor did he even admit that he was a cultured person.

Because he wasn't a high-ranking commander like Tang He, he didn't need to be aloof and strategize.

Ma Wenyuan was clear about his position. He was a junior commander, and he had to lead his soldiers into battle, so naturally, he had to close the distance between them.

However, no one answered Ma Wenyuan.

The room remained eerily quiet; no one knew what the centurion intended to do.

Ma Wenyuan wasn't embarrassed at all; he simply continued speaking.

"I am just a centurion, I cannot lead you to victory, that is the business of Commander Tang and the others."

"I can only guarantee that those who make contributions will be rewarded."

"Therefore, I must establish two rules. From this day forward, anyone who performs meritorious service will be rewarded on the spot, not after the merit is reported. Merit today, reward today!"

Ma Wenyuan didn't want to make any grand pronouncements, like saying he was fighting for the country.

That's utter nonsense. In these people's eyes, there's no difference between the Ming Dynasty, the former Yuan Dynasty, and even the Ming Dynasty in Sichuan.

It's simply a matter of a different family becoming emperor.

They joined the army not for the country or the people, but to fight for a better future for themselves and their descendants.

Therefore, it's more direct to talk about money than honor.

The group looked at each other in bewilderment once again. In the past, rewards for merit were to be compiled, reported, and approved after the battle.

It can take anywhere from a few months to half a year or even a year.

Seeing it on the spot was unheard of.

Ma Wenyuan ignored the commotion below and continued speaking.

"If there are rewards, there must also be punishments."

The words were spoken.

Ma Wenyuan looked at a junior officer, one of Meng Chong's men.

Zeng Qing perfectly fulfilled his role as a tool, immediately stepping forward, finding the person his teacher had his eye on, and throwing a punch that stunned him.

Then, like dragging a dead dog, he was brought to his teacher.

Any resistance he showed during this time would be met with Zeng Qing's iron fist.

They kept hitting him until he stopped moving.

These soldiers, who had been on the battlefield, felt a pang of pity.

Ma Wenyuan didn't look at the flag bearer, but instead addressed the crowd.

"This man has only been a junior officer for half a year, yet he has embezzled more than ten taels of military pay. According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, he should be sentenced to death by hanging."

Before coming here, Ma Wenyuan got the information from the forestry department. The people of Yiluan Division are still good at intelligence.

Ma Wenyuan waved to Meng Chong, "I think we should simplify things now, what do you think?"

Meng Chong swallowed hard and stepped forward.

He felt there was nothing wrong with embezzlement.

In Meng Chong's view, embezzlement was already an unwritten rule.

The superiors used inferior goods to pass off as superior ones, and pocketed some of the profits.

If he doesn't follow suit and learn from the example, how else can he survive?

Thinking this way, Meng Chong felt a little more confident. If the higher-ups were all embezzling, what difference would it make if he embezzled a little?

Meng Chong approached Ma Wenyuan, bowed, and said...

"This humble servant obeys the command of the centurion."

"Kill him as a warning to others," Ma Wenyuan said with a smile.

In this day and age, he has no desire to be a nice guy.

As for vigilante justice being illegal?

Ma Wenyuan wouldn't care about any of that.

Being impeached is better than dying on the battlefield. If the troops cannot be transformed this month, it's as good as dying on the battlefield.

"this……"

Meng Chong hesitated. If he were to strike, he would be in a difficult position.

However, Ma Wenyuan didn't give him a chance to weigh the pros and cons and remained relentless.

"Do you intend to protect a criminal? Protecting a criminal is punishable by hanging! Do you want to die?!"

Meng Chong stood in front of Ma Wenyuan, and upon hearing this, he suddenly gritted his teeth, drew his waist knife, and swiftly brought it down.

There was no preparation, and no eulogy.

Meng Chong didn't even let the junior officer speak.

He really didn't dare, because he had also become greedy.

If he doesn't take bribes, how can his subordinates dare to?

The stench of blood filled the air, and the room fell silent.

"good!"

Finally, Ma Wenyuan broke the silence first.

Ma Wenyuan wiped the blood off his face, forcibly steadying himself and avoiding looking in the direction of the corpse.

Ma Wenyuan let out a breath, forcing a calm smile.

"Commander Meng is a decisive person."

"From now on, Wang San, you will take his place." This was Ma Wenyuan's appointment.

Wang San, the one with the scarred face, participated in the Battle of Poyang Lake.

"You flatter me, Commander," Meng Chong said, and then tried to return to his seat.

He didn't even take his leave from Ma Wenyuan, thinking that Ma Wenyuan would give him that much face.

"stop!"

Ma Wenyuan called out to him.

Meng Chong paused, his expression turning considerably more grim.

While he may have been intimidated by Ma Wenyuan's status, that doesn't mean he was made of clay.

Meng Chong could understand that a new broom sweeps clean, and the second one would backfire on him.

Meng Chong said he couldn't understand why someone could repeatedly burn themselves.

This time, Ma Wenyuan didn't start a fire; instead, he sold sweet dates.

"I've always been a person who clearly distinguishes between rewards and punishments."

Ma Wenyuan got up and walked to the side, taking a cloth bag from Zeng Qing, who was pale-faced, stunned, and still in shock.

"Here, this is the reward for the Left Banner Commander's formation being superior to the Right Banner Commander's."

Ma Wenyuan smiled and said, "There are two thousand coins in total. You can take five hundred for yourself, and the rest can be distributed among your subordinates according to their official rank."

Ma Wenyuan's status is different now, but he doesn't actually have much money left, which Ma Xiuying probably didn't expect.

These two thousand yuan were the advance payment for Guo Chong's manuscripts.

In other words, everyone in the household, including himself, was paid by the government, and he didn't have to pay for their food, clothing, housing, or transportation.

Otherwise, Ma Wenyuan would have had to work to support his employees long ago.

"Here you go!"

Meng Chong's complexion improved considerably.

The same goes for the smaller flags below them; they don't ask for much now, just to stay alive.

They wouldn't dare to be troublemakers anymore; that corpse was a cautionary tale.

"Take care of yourself."

Ma Wenyuan handed the cloth bag to Meng Chong and patted him heavily on the shoulder.

Meng Chong's body trembled involuntarily. He wasn't stupid; he understood that the Emperor's brother-in-law already knew about his embezzlement.

It might even be clear down to the exact number.

He understood that Ma Wenyuan intended to observe his subsequent behavior before deciding whether or not to let him go.

"Here you go!"

Meng Chong completely abandoned any further thoughts of causing trouble.

If Ma Wenyuan's initial treatment of He Tao—knocking him down with a single punch at the slightest disagreement—was what startled Meng Chong, then...

That's what's making Meng Chong tremble with fear.

Actually, he really wants the same treatment as He Tao now; getting dizzy once is better than dying once.

……

The old trick of giving a carrot and a stick still works every time.

Looking at the completely transformed appearance, Ma Wenyuan sighed inwardly.

A single blow brought the soldiers' morale back to normal, while simultaneously deterring those who had already embezzled or were about to embezzle.

A sweet date rekindled the morale of the soldiers.

After all, Ma Wenyuan wasn't just making empty promises; he was putting real money into it.

"Thank you very much, Commander!"

Meng Chong returned to the queue, then suddenly remembered something and saluted again.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Ma Wenyuan bowed towards the direction of the palace.

Meng Chong had no choice but to follow suit and bow.