GBP Chapter 565 Military Discipline Must Not Be Broken
Chapter 565 Military Discipline Must Not Be Broken
"What? Refusing to fire during battle and almost letting the Tartars breach the city walls?" Liu Ye was furious upon hearing the whole story. "Such a serious violation of discipline, and you're only planning to lock them up in a small dark room for a few days? How can you build a disciplined army with such a half-hearted approach? Are you going to wait until they turn their guns on you before you regret it?"
Liang Xiaoming scratched the back of his head somewhat embarrassedly and said with a forced smile, "Calm down first. We were just worried that if we punished them too harshly during wartime, it might shake morale... Besides, they are all locals and new recruits. Wouldn't going too far cause a mutiny?"
"If it's inconvenient to handle during wartime, what about after the war? Now that the Tartars have retreated, you haven't seen any further measures! So what if they're new recruits? Everyone starts as a recruit; so what if they're locals? Even if they have a few relatives, do you think they'd dare to fight against the army?" Liu Ye said with exasperation, "You usually work in the technical field and don't spend much time in the army, so I won't criticize you. But what about Su Hongtu? He rose through the ranks from a lowly soldier. Doesn't he understand this principle?"
Su Hongtu, who was following behind Liang Xiaoming, stepped forward upon hearing this and said awkwardly, "General, I'm here..."
"Bring all these soldiers out; I want to deal with them personally! All soldiers of the Independent Regiment, except those on guard duty, should come and watch the process so they know the rules of our Qionghai Navy."
Su Hongtu shrank back and bent down to lift the person.
Just then, several heads popped out of the window of the room next to where the offending soldiers were being held, seemingly watching the commotion. Liu Ye noticed them and realized that their attire was different from that of the Han people; they were wearing felt hats and bore a resemblance to the Mongolian herdsmen he had seen in his later life. Pointing at them with a puzzled expression, he asked, "Where are these people from?"
Liang Xiaoming glanced at them and introduced, "These people are Mongols who came with the Tartars. They overestimated themselves and rushed into the fortress, where they were surrounded and wiped out. As for how they came to be here, we have to mention Ma Wei. In fact, the Tartars' long journey to Dengzhou this time was all caused by Ma Wei's bandit suppression..." He then briefly told Liu Ye the story of how Ma Wei was ordered to suppress bandits in Qingzhou, encountered Mongol cavalry, had an encounter battle, angered Abatai, and subsequently triggered this siege.
Liu Ye then realized how the accidental event that led to Abatai's entry into Shandong had been triggered. He looked at the Mongolians and had an idea in his mind.
At this moment, Su Hongtu brought over dozens of soldiers who had been confined and placed them in front of Liu Ye. The soldiers of the Independent Regiment also arrived at the square one after another, and under the command of their officers, they formed a horizontal line and a circle. The soldiers responsible for guard duty stood on the city wall, looking down from above.
Liu Ye glanced around and noticed that most of the soldiers still had a sense of grievance and resentment in their eyes. It seemed that even though they didn't say it, they didn't think they were wrong.
Liu Ye instructed Su Hongtu, "Bring a dozen or so Mongols over, and take their riding whips with you." Then, looking at the soldiers, he asked calmly, "Tell me, do you think you've done anything wrong? If not, what are your reasons?"
The soldiers looked at each other, their mouths moving, but none daring to speak first. Su Hongtu shouted, "This is our general, the Imperial Commander-in-Chief of Pingnan appointed by the court. Even I am one of his soldiers. Now that I'm asking you a question, are you mute?"
One soldier mustered his courage and said to Liu Ye, "General, you are the highest-ranking officer here. Please be the judge. When the Tartars brought my uncle to attack the city, I couldn't very well shoot him, could I? If I had killed my uncle with my own hands, I wouldn't even be able to go back to the village..."
Liu Ye nodded: "You are very filial, that's true."
The soldier's eyes lit up. Could things be taking a turn for the better?
Liu Ye continued, "However, loyalty and filial piety are difficult to reconcile. Now that you've joined my unit and are receiving a salary comparable to that of a servant, with no worries about food or drink, you must abide by the rules here. On the battlefield, military discipline must be followed, and orders must be obeyed. Even if it's your maternal uncle, or even if he orders you to shoot your own father, you must shoot."
The soldiers were in an uproar. What kind of rule was this? How could anyone shoot their own father?
Liu Ye looked at them coldly: "You think it's inhumane? Under those circumstances, the Tartars brought your relatives to attack the city. It was either shoot them or be killed by the Tartars. There was no middle ground. Moreover, given the Tartars' history of brutality, even if you lost your lives, did you think your relatives would survive?" The soldiers were speechless and lowered their heads in silence.
"Besides, even if you are willing to be buried with your uncles and aunts to maintain your reputation for filial piety, what about the others? Must they also be buried with you? Your selfishness could very well cost the lives of thousands of comrades!" Liu Ye pointed at the soldiers watching from the outside and questioned them loudly.
The soldiers were stunned. Looking around at the other soldiers, they noticed the cold hostility in their eyes. Comrades who had been so close just days before had suddenly become strangers. Liu Ye's words successfully ignited the resentment in the hearts of the remaining soldiers—yes, this small group, for their own filial piety, had almost sent thousands of them to their deaths. We were all born of parents; why should we be buried with them?
"Since you've chosen to disobey orders and willingly surrender your lives to the enemy, then let your enemy give you the punishment you deserve!" Liu Ye beckoned, signaling the guards to bring the bewildered Mongols over and tell them, "You should all understand Chinese. Pick up your whips and, just like you would whip your slaves on the grasslands, whip these soldiers mercilessly until the whips break. Anyone who holds back will be killed on the spot!"
The whip was broken! This punishment made everyone gasp, even the Mongols were a little scared - such whipping could kill people, and if their people were killed, would they use it as an excuse to take their anger out on them?
Liu Ye whispered a few instructions to Lin San, who nodded and ordered a hundred guards to surround the Mongols and the offending soldiers. Then he said, "Begin the execution! The first person to break the whip can rest. Now begin."
Facing the dark muzzle of a gun, the Mongols dared not be careless. They used all their strength to lash out at the soldier. With a "crack," the soldier's clothes on his back were torn open, and the blood-red whip marks were clearly visible.
The entire bastion was silent, save for the cracking of whips and the soldiers' screams of agony echoing across the square.
Liang Xiaoming asked quietly, "Isn't what you're doing a bit too harsh?"
Liu Ye coldly replied, "Military discipline cannot be violated. If we tolerate disobeying orders on the battlefield, this independent regiment will sooner or later become a corrupt government-run army. What's the use of maintaining such a force!"