I, Zhou Cang, am the number one tank in the Three Kingdoms.

"General, spare my life!"

When Zhou Cang said that the punishment was execution according to the law, nearly thirty laborers knelt down in unison.

They begged for mercy verbally, but in their hearts they were still unwilling. Their decisive kneeling was less a sign of fear of death and more a stress response to hearing words like "should be executed according to the law."

Zhou Cang certainly knew.

Even among the other laborers not in sight, the majority were those who did not step forward out of fear of punishment, but actually wanted to go back.

For example, there are people standing within a hundred paces, gazing into the distance, and people a little further away, perched on trees like monkeys watching the spectacle.

"You all get up." Zhou Cang looked expressionlessly at the kneeling laborers before him.

The laborers did not move.

"We will not kill you!" Upon hearing this, the laborers shakily stood up one by one.

"Hmm... Come forward and tell me why you are unwilling to go any further." Zhou Cang pointed to a laborer whose face looked very familiar.

A lone army is vulnerable, and the law does not punish the masses, but if everyone compromises, this path becomes unworkable.

The laborer stepped forward, bowed, and said, "General Zhou, I originally followed you at Woniu Mountain."

Zhou Cang nodded upon hearing this. No wonder the face looked familiar; it turned out to be a former subordinate of Woniu Mountain.

"I followed the general to the ancient city first, and then to Runan. Due to the recurrence of my old wounds, I was unable to fight. I was kindly allowed to return home by the governor and married a wife and received land in Runan."

Zhou Cang knew about this. When Xiahou Dun attacked Runan, the local soldiers defending the city suffered heavy casualties, many families were broken up, and a large amount of land had not recovered its production since the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

After discussing it, Gong Du and Sun Qian applied to Liu Bei for household-based compensation for the families of the wounded and killed soldiers, and allowed some of the wounded soldiers who had nowhere to go to return to their hometowns to farm. This is the one in front of us.

Zhou Cang asked, "If that's the case, why are you unwilling to go forward?"

The laborer lowered his head and spoke in a softer voice, "Your Excellency and General have done something of great righteousness. We have received your kindness and should repay you. However, this place is getting farther and farther from Runan, and our families and fields were hard-won. We are quite worried about them..."

Oh... once you're married, you have more to worry about.

"I understand now. You are all hesitant because you are worried about your wives and children. If you were to defend Runan to the death as you did last time, would you still be willing to contribute?" Zhou Cang asked loudly.

"We will die for you!" the laborers who stepped forward answered loudly.

"We're willing too!" "Yes!" The crowd behind them immediately echoed.

"I do not intend to force you to do anything against your will, but even though I know your intentions, I still cannot agree."

Upon hearing this, the laborers lowered their heads again.

"Please allow me to finish speaking." After Zhou Cang finished speaking, seven or eight people raised their heads.

"There are two reasons. First, I have military orders to follow. Our lord's military law is strict, and those who are late will be executed. You should also know this. Without your full assistance, I would have no chance of arriving on time."

When he said that, most people didn't react.

"Secondly, this place is far from Runan. Cao Cao's army is in front of us and behind us. If I let you go here, it would be tantamount to handing your heads over to Cao Cao's sword. Have you all forgotten what happened in the ancient city?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the laborers looked at each other in dismay. They realized that there was no turning back now that they had signed up for the tax exemption and reward money. They never thought of this when they signed up for the tax exemption and reward money.

"You transported military provisions for us, and we will protect you. You came unharmed, and you will return unharmed. Our lord wishes to uphold righteousness throughout the land, so how can we neglect our duties? I dare not fail to solemnly entrust you with your safety, your parents' worries, and your wife and children's reliance."

"Because of these two conditions, I cannot easily agree to your requests. Do you all understand?" Zhou Cang finished speaking in one breath, his mouth already dry.

"General Zhou, we were indeed presumptuous, but..." The laborers who stepped forward knew that they could not turn back now, but they still had something to say.

"We have to travel day and night, it is truly out of necessity. Please allow me to discuss this with General Liao." Before the laborer could finish speaking, Zhou Cang had already guessed what he was going to say. He waved to Liao Hua, then turned his back and waited.

Liao Hua walked past the crowd to Zhou Cang, and asked with a puzzled look, "Brother, if we extend the travel time, how will we explain it to the strategist?"

"Who said I was going to extend my schedule..." Zhou Cang said speechlessly.

"So what does my brother mean...?" Liao Hua was a little confused.

How many light cavalrymen were there in total as escort?

"Including you and me, there are fifty riders in total."

"Therefore, all cavalrymen should dismount and walk. The cavalry and infantry should be divided into three groups for rotation. Two groups should remain in armor to guard the area, while the other group should travel light to rest."

"Divide the laborers and horses into two shifts, one shift driving the carriages and the other resting. This way, they can be rotated three times a day, which will reduce fatigue."

After Zhou Cang finished speaking, he looked at Liao Hua.

After listening, Liao Hua counted the number of each person on his fingers, and then looked at Zhou Cang.

"Brother, I think this is good, but there is still one thing that is not right."

"Please feel free to speak."

"Originally, there were two riders at the front and two at the rear acting as scouts. Now, if all the horses are used to pull the cart, what will we do if there is enemy activity?"

Liao Hua expressed his concerns.

Zhou Cang smiled, looked Liao Hua up and down, and asked, "What were you doing when I met you?"

Liao Hua, puzzled, said, "Uh... I'll become an outlaw."

"How did you communicate with each other when you were bandits?"

"Blow the horse whistle..."

After Liao Hua finished speaking, seeing Zhou Cang's mocking expression, he suddenly understood what Zhou Cang meant, slapped his forehead in realization, and said, "Brother, you are brilliant! I will go and make the arrangements immediately!"

Zhou Cang laughed and said, "Go quickly, select a few people who are still good at walking, two in front and two behind, take turns. If there is anything unusual, blow the horse whistle, and we will deal with it ourselves."

Liao Hua accepted the order and left.

Upon hearing Zhou Cang's revised plans, the laborers knelt down and kowtowed in gratitude.

This was the best solution Zhou Cang could think of. It wouldn't waste any time and could appease the laborers to some extent. Although the guards lost their warhorses, they had more time to rest, and no one objected. The only ones who might suffer were the horses...

After they finished expressing their gratitude, Zhou Cang pulled aside the laborer and the supervisor who had initially caused the trouble and said sternly, "If you harbored grievances, you could have come directly to me to complain. Instead, you risked your lives and violated my military discipline. What should your punishment be?"

The laborer was stunned. He thought the matter was over, but he didn't expect there to be a sequel. He quickly knelt down and begged for mercy: "General, spare my life! General, spare my life!"

Zhou Cang said, "You have indeed worked hard, and my lord and I are grateful. However, if you are not punished, I fear that everyone will follow your example. Therefore, I have no choice but to do this."

The laborers, thinking Zhou Cang was about to be beheaded, collapsed to the ground.

Zhou Cang cleared his throat and said, "You're being punished by having to rest for one less round. Do you accept that?"

The laborer thought he had misheard and stood there stunned until Liao Hua came over and gently patted him: "What are you standing there for?"

"Thank you, General, for sparing my life! Thank you, General, for sparing my life. I am naturally grateful!" The laborer kowtowed repeatedly, as if he had survived a calamity.

After Zhou Cang waved him away, he looked at the supervisor and said coldly, "Do you know your crime?"

The inspector looked bewildered and asked, "General, I am truly innocent!"

Zhou Cang stepped forward and grabbed the supervisor by the collar, angrily saying, "Who do you think you are to our lord? Who do you think I am? How dare you act so arrogantly?"

"You, a mere inspector, are already so cruel, arbitrarily inflicting private punishments. If everyone follows your example and whips people at the slightest displeasure, how will you be any different from those corrupt officials who prey on the people?!"

Upon hearing this sudden outburst of angry words, the supervisor's legs went weak, and he involuntarily knelt down, pleading, "General, spare my life! I will never dare to do it again!"

Zhou Cang tried to calm himself down: "You are to be punished with twenty strokes of the cane. This will be recorded for now. When you return to Runan, if you have any merit, it will be offset. If you have no merit, go and receive your punishment."

The official immediately kowtowed and thanked him.

Zhou Cang bent down and grabbed the whip from the officer's hand, saying to him, "This whip is for driving horses and herding cattle. It cannot be used on your comrades. Remember this! Do not bring any bad habits you have learned from elsewhere to our army."

The inspector pressed his head firmly to the ground: "I have remembered it well, thank you for your mercy, General!"

The laborers, who had already turned to return to their positions, stopped and watched this scene, then knelt down to express their gratitude.

Zhou Cang waved his hand and let out a long sigh.

After a half-hour halt, the grain transport team finally resumed its march and headed towards Xialu.