Chapter Forty-Nine: Punishment

Duan Xiu-shi pondered for a moment. Feng Changqing’s meaning was quite clear: turn a major issue into a minor one, a minor one into nothing, hurry to settle things, and resolve it quickly.

But if he did as the other suggested, the troops would likely follow suit in the future. Incidents like “you took my sheep, I took your horse,” happened almost daily in the camp. If everyone started fighting each other recklessly, military discipline would become a joke—how would he maintain order then?

Yet if he followed strict military law, the instigator was Liu Ji—he had admitted as much himself. No matter what Li Fei Yuanli had done before, there was no justification for storming into another’s camp to pick a fight. It was a difficult matter indeed.

Now that things had reached this point, Feng Changqing wished to smooth it over. No matter how much Li Siye admired Liu Ji, when his own men had suffered, he could at most remain silent. Weighing his options in front of so many soldiers, Duan Xiu-shi finally turned to Liu Ji and spoke in a deep voice.

“Liu Ji, are you aware that brawling in the army is a violation of military discipline?”

At these words, Liu Ji didn’t react, but Li Fei Yuanli’s eyes went wide. Feng Changqing had tried to play it down, and though Duan Xiu-shi hadn’t been so obvious, he had reduced the charge to its lowest form. It was clear that the upper camp had provoked them—how did it become a simple brawl?

He wanted to protest, but a glance from his superior, Commandant Li Siye, stopped him.

“I acknowledge my fault,” Liu Ji replied without hesitation.

“Soldiers of the same battalion fighting openly within the army—if we do not investigate, where is our discipline? These men are under your command. If it were just ordinary soldiers, it might be overlooked, but the main instigators, as officers, must be punished,” Feng Changqing said, agreeing with Duan Xiu-shi’s approach.

“We will obey the Sima’s order,” Duan Xiu-shi, now certain, didn’t elaborate further. He promptly announced the verdict: “Battalion Chief Liu Su, Deputy Zhang Wu-jia, Xu Guang-jing, and four others, each will receive five strokes with the rod, as a warning to others.”

This was already the lightest punishment. As soon as he finished, he gestured, and the punishments officers he had brought with him each took up a staff and stepped forward to seize the men.

“Wait.” Liu Ji called out. Feng Changqing’s face darkened—five strokes, and they wouldn’t even be hard, was he still not satisfied?

“What is it you wish to say?” Duan Xiu-shi assumed he was protesting.

“These men are my subordinates. Officers must obey orders—if the military law is to be enforced, I have no complaint. But the fault should not extend to others. Whatever punishment there is, let me bear it all alone.”

With that, he strode to the side of the camp, grasped two fence posts with his hands, and spread his legs.

“Do as he says. Carry out the sentence,” Duan Xiu-shi ordered with a nod.

The two punishments officers approached, one on each side, raised their rods, and began to strike.

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three.”

...

At this point, how could Feng Changqing and the others not see Liu Ji’s true intent? It had to be said, this move was brilliant. What soldiers respected most was a leader who took responsibility. After fighting a satisfying brawl, Liu Ji shouldered all the punishment alone. Judging by the expressions around them, the soldiers were ready to die for him.

Just then, Duan Xiu-shi glanced over, and he and Feng Changqing exchanged a wry smile and shook their heads—this young man had pulled it off again.

The punishment was for six men, five strokes each, totaling thirty. At first it was nothing, but after a dozen or so, Liu Ji’s body began to numb. Sweat poured from his brow; his bare torso was drenched as if splashed with water. He couldn’t even cry out, and soon his teeth were clenched so tight they ground audibly.

He was playing the part to perfection—but it hurt like hell.

In truth, the officers were going easy. Ordinarily, ten hard strokes could kill a man, but even so, thirty was no small ordeal. Around the twentieth stroke, Zhang Wu-jia and the others exchanged glances, then knelt on one knee, fists clasped.

“We are willing to accept the punishment in place of our commander. We beg your mercy, Sirs!”

“We all wish to be punished. Please show mercy!”

Over a hundred men of Qian Keng Garrison knelt together, a dark mass.

The punishments officers immediately paused, awaiting Feng Changqing’s direction. The only ones still standing were the armorers and Li Fei Yuanli’s men. Seeing no reaction from Li Fei Yuanli, Li Siye glared at him several times in a row.

Li Fei Yuanli finally understood. He saluted the officers and declared, “Liu Guoyi has already been punished. My subordinates and I also request your mercy, Sirs. Considering his recent recovery from old wounds, please spare him the remainder.”

“Well said. We are all comrades. When we go to the battlefield, we must look out for one another. Small conflicts are not worth dwelling on. Let this matter be settled. Take your commander back to camp,” Feng Changqing quickly agreed.

At his words, Zhang Wu-jia and the others hurried to their feet and, together with the soldiers, lifted Liu Ji up—not as if he had been punished, but as if he had won a great victory.

“Wait.” Liu Ji, gasping in pain, suddenly spoke. The crowd tensed, fearing more trouble. The soldiers carrying him halted.

“That fellow... still owes us... two sheep,” he said.

Feng Changqing could hold back no longer. He bowed his head, stifling laughter, and waved them away. “Take him quickly, quickly!”

Li Siye angrily kicked Li Fei Yuanli. Not only had he lost the fight, he’d lost face as well. Now, Field Ma would have even more to boast about—what a disgrace.

“Are you stupid? All this over two sheep? If you really provoke him, even I can’t protect you. Go buy two sheep—no, ten—and deliver them to their camp.”

“At once, Sir.”

Li Fei Yuanli, though a foreigner, was no fool. Having only beaten Liu Ji and let the others go was a reminder not to hold grudges—otherwise, there would be more trouble to come. He dared not delay now.

A few sheep cost little. Offending Xiao Wu-lang, on the other hand, was a serious matter. Today, he realized the man truly feared nothing.

Carried back to his camp, Liu Ji was treated as a hero. For this result, a little suffering was worth it.

“Damn it, they didn’t hold back. If I’d known, I should have hit that bastard a few more times—this is a loss, a real loss.”

With his backside beaten raw, Liu Ji could only lie on his stomach. The army doctor had already applied a cool ointment, easing the pain a little.

“Commander, why did you insist on bearing it alone? If you’d let us share the punishment, you’d recover faster,” Xu Guangjing voiced what many were thinking. Only he dared say it outright.

“What do you know? If you all were punished, who would lead training tomorrow? I’ll take the chance to slack off and rest a few days. You and Zhang Zhe-chong can handle things.”

So that was it. The men exchanged glances. It seemed their commander hadn’t taken the punishment just to win their loyalty after all.

After a moment, Liu Ji said to Zhang Wu-jia, “Don’t forget to check the rear camp tomorrow and make sure those arrangements we made are in order.”

“I understand,” Zhang Wu-jia replied, nodding. The chill in his manner faded without his noticing.