235-3
"No. I am just familiar with the white horse general Gongsun Zan." Liu Mang nodded his head and lied.
"Old Master!" Hearing the name Gongsun Zan, Zhao Yun turned gloomy. It can be said that Zhao Yun was loyal to Gongsun Zan. Zhao Yun joined Runaway Liu only after being chased out by Gongsun Zan. Had Gongsun Zan not chase Zhao Yun away, Zhao Yun would have died together with Gongsun Zan.
"The white horse general is a good general but he is not a good master. His star fell too early!" Liu Mang sighed and shook his head. Gongsun Zan was a very good general during times of peace but not so much during troubled times.
"A falling star!" Zhao Yun looked straight at Liu Mang. Nobody had ever said this before. That is because after Gongsun Zan was replaced by Liu Yu, Gongsun Zan's good name was tarnished. Yuan Shao had tarnished Gongsun Zan's good name after Gongsun Zan's death but now someone said that Gongsun Zan was like a falling star. Zhao Yun was dumbfounded.
"Hmph! Now I know you are partners!" Wei Yan began to feel cheated. Liu Mang's excitement still hasn't disappeared and while he intended to let Wei Yan go free, he now needed to clean up this mess.
"Partners?" Liu Mang looked at Wei Yan and laughed. "General Zhao is from Liaodong. We, the Lu Bu's Army are from Lujiang! How could we be partners?"
"Lu Bu's Army also came from Bingzhou right?"
"Err." Liu Mang did not think of this. Most of Bingzhou are not from Liaodong but a small place can be considered a place in Liaodong.
"No need to worry. When the Lu Bu's Army left Bingzhou, General Zhao was still a child." Zhao Yun and Liu Mang's ages were also far apart.
"Who knows?" Wei Yan still thought of nonsense and earned another slap at the back of his head by Huang Zhong. "Don't talk so much rubbish!"
Good job. Liu Mang also wanted to praise Huang Zhong this time and clap his hands.
"Wei Yan right? You want it fair? I will give you fair." Liu Mang must settle this problem in front of others to let them see. Even though they are poor, the public opinion is not weak. If the news spread out, Lu Bu's Army will no longer be able to get talents.
"You name is Shi Xiang right?" Liu Mang remembers the name of his soldiers. "My army prohibits the drinking of wine. You know that right?"
"I know! I know!" Shi Xian was kneeling on the ground.
He remembers the name of his soldiers. What kind of person is this general? Zhao Yun looked at the soldiers. He had also led an elite cavalry of 3,000 before but he could not remember all the names of the soldiers.
The fact that this general could remember the names of the soldiers made him take notice.
"Then let me ask you. Do you know the punishment for drinking or keeping wine in the army?" Liu Mang asked coldly.
"I know! I know!" The old soldier Shi Xiang was already trembling.
"Then say it." Liu Mang pulled him up. "Turn over there and tell everybody the punishment for drinking or keeping wine in my army!"
"Yes!" He was trembling but he still shouted the punishment. "Those that drink wine are executed! Those that kept wine are given 80 strikes of rod."
. "Those that drink wine are executed? Those that kept wine are given 80 strikes of the rod?" There are people who could not believe it. This is the military law? So harsh? What is wrong with drinking wine? Must it be like this? A lot of the audience stayed to watch if the general would kill the soldier. That is because being hit 30 times by the rod was enough to kill an ordinary man. 80 strikes would be enough to kill most generals! (TN:Its okay~ Old soldiers are hard to kill.)
Most of them did not believe it but the old soldier Shi Xiang was panicking in fear. Many do not know about Liu Mang's methods but these veterans know them well. He will accomplish whatever he promised. Liu Mang was a nice person to talk to and you could even walk up to him and joke with him. However, when it comes to military law, Liu Mang will not show mercy! 80 strikes of the rod? I am dead!
"General! Have mercy! I know my wrongs!" the veteran soldier knelt on the ground and begged for forgiveness. However, Liu Mang could not let him go. Had this happen on any other day, Liu Mang could have closed one eye. But now, he could only apologize.
"Get up!" Liu Mang shouted to the soldier. "Did you forget what I taught you? A man's knees are worth 1,000 gold! You cannot kneel at will! If you respect me, you can kneel but absolutely do not beg for mercy! I do not want a life begging kneel! Get up right now!"
A man's knees are worth 1,000 gold? This word made the eyes of the people around them turn bright. Most of them are also soldiers. They did not fully understand the jargon but they knew that this sentence has captured their hearts. A man's knees are worth a thousand gold and absolutely cannot be used to beg for mercy.
There were also a bunch of scribes. Although the scribes did not add that into the commonly used sayings, there were some trying to figure out the meaning of the saying.
"Yes!" Shi Xiang stood up.
"Let me ask you. Did you drink?" Liu Mang asked.
"No! I did not!" Shi Xiang was really afraid. He would not be afraid if he were to die on the battlefield as it would be a glorious death but if he died to military law, it is just death.
"Really?" Liu Mang did not believe that he would not take a sip immediately after obtaining it.
"I really did not drink any! General!" Shi Xiang had the idea but he gave the whole bottle to Zhao Yun the moment he got it.
"This general did not drink any. This Yun is willing to risk his life as a guarantee!" Zhao Yun also wanted to help the soldier but this was someone else's internal matters and he could not interfere as an outsider. However, he was able to testify that the soldier did not drink any wine because the bottle of wine was not open.
"Fine! With General Zhao's guarantee. I will believe you!" Liu Mang gave Zhao Yun face and did not implement summary execution.
"That means this is privately owning wine! The punishment is being 80 strikes of the rod!" Liu Mang also said this to Shi Xiang
Only one person spoke in disdain. "Is it punishing those under you to protect this General Zhao's reputation?" The small matter that did not need arguing was once again disturbed by Wei Yan.
Fuck you! Liu Mang finally understood why that Yang Yi wanted Wei Yan dead so much. A small matter but you made it as if Gan Ning was bragging! Why do you have to make things more problematic?
Liu Mang endured the urge to kill Wei Yan and continued. "The punishment for privately owning wine is 80 strikes of the rod but!"
"You see! I knew it!" Wei Yang was still spewing venom. "You are all talk!" Huang Zhong slapped him.
"Old man, you better not untie Grandfather Wei! Once he is untied you will lose in the war!" Wei Yang gnashed his teeth and said.
"Whose grandfather are you?" Huang Zhong's men could not tolerate this and scolded. "Try and say it again!"
"But this error is not entire the fault of the soldier. It is because the general is not strict enough. So I will take the 80 strikes of the rod for Shi Xiang!" Liu Mang suddenly said.
Taking 80 strikes? Is Liu Mang mad? They saw that Liu Mang was wearing a scribe costume. 80 strikes is enough to kill a strong general. For Liu Mang, 30 strikes would kill him!
"General please reconsider!" Cheng Yu immediately knelt down.
"Little Lord please reconsider!" Huang Zhong also knelt down. If Liu Mang could endure 80 strikes, it would already be a highest achievement.
"Little Lord please reconsider!" "General please reconsider!" All the Urban Army soldiers knelt down. The old Urban Army soldiers called him General and got used to it. The other soldiers called him Little Lord.
"Little Lord?!" The others were shocked. They had thought that the young man was just a general serving under Liu Mang. They did not expect him to be His Highness the Prince of Shu, Liu Mang.
"Changshan's Zhao Yun, Zhao Zi Long pays respect to Your Highness Prince of Shu!"
"Jingzhou's Wang Wei pays respect to Your Highness Prince of Shu!"
"We respect to Your Highness Prince of Shu!" Everybody knelt down. Everybody, must kneel before royalty no matter their position in ancient times. Even Liu Mang's father-in-law was supposed to kneel to Liu Mang if they took it seriously.
"We also request Your Highness to reconsider!" Zhao Yun also knew that 80 strikes can kill people! Even Zhao Yun himself would be seriously injured. On top of that, in his eyes, Liu Mang looked more like a scribe. (TN: Yes, yes we know 80 strikes can kill and every other related info. STOP!)
"Your Highness! He is just a lowly and humble soldier! Why do you sacrifice yourself for a lowly and humble soldier!" A scribe came up and ask Liu Mang.
The scribe was very respectful of Liu Mang but Liu Mang was not pleased. "Shut up!" Liu Mang shouted recklessly. His eyes even turned bloodshot and gave out a murderous feeling. The warriors all knew that this Liu Mang was a person with the resolution to kill. But they could not figure out why he placed himself in this position.
Although the scribed had said something unpleasant, it was reasonable. No matter what was said, it is a fact that the soldier is just a humble figure. How can the Prince of Shu, who is the most distinguished figure after the Han Emperor, take the blame for such a humble man?
Other princes would have stepped down by then but not Liu Mang. Liu Mang looked resolutely at that scribe. As a person not from the same era, he does not have that kind of mindset. He hates hierarchy and separating people into ranks. He was someone originally from the bottom ranks so he had a sense of substituting for the common people. (TN: The many more males who don't even get asked out to cosplay with a girl or even give them money objects.)
Now the scribe had called them a lowly and humble figure. That would mean that he also called the old Liu Mang a lowly and humble figure!
"They are not just humble soldiers! They are my, Liu Mang's, subordinates. They are also my brothers!" Liu Mang said as he walked towards the scribe.
"Did you know? Without them, I would have died at Xia Pi! I would have died on Mt Bagong. I would have died in the city of Wan Cheng! They are the ones that gave me my second and third lives!" The places that Rody stated were places that his Urban Army soldiers died. If they were all alive, the Urban Army would have more than 10,000 soldiers instead of the meagre 3,000 soldiers.
Liu Mang's touching words made all the old soldiers especially the cavalries lowered their head.
"They are my brothers! Brothers!" Liu Mang continued. "I, Liu Mang have sworn that as long as I have something to eat, I will not let them starve! We live and die together! We share riches and honor!"
"We live and die together! We share riches and honor!" The Urban Army soldiers all roared. The ruffians that had just joined the army did not know what that meant but now they knew. It meant dignity. The dignity of a man!
Originally, soldiers were expandables. This is because good men do not become soldiers especially when there is no good end on the battlefield. Being executed was even better. That is because if you do not die on the battlefield, the injury suffered would be very painful. The best ending was to be abandoned or buried alive by your own companions.
Liu Mang had given the soldiers a life of dignity! They were not tools, they were not expandable, they were people. Flesh and blood! That is why they were willing to give their lives for Liu Mang. That is also why a lot of soldiers resigned after receiving severe injuries in Wan Cheng city. They did not want to worry their general and waste medical supplies.
"People of the audience, this is the last time I will say this. If I were to hear you say lowly and humble soldiers again, do not blame me and my sword!" Liu Mang ferociously told the scribe. He had to endure the impulse to kill that person. Liu Mang have seen enough people who does not treat the common people as human lives. The Liu father and son were one. Despite 5,000 private soldiers being killed, they only sighed in disappointment that their farmland is unmanned instead of being sad about the loss of lives.
Liu Mang thought he had gotten used to it but he could not.
Originally, he thought that the scribe would be frightened. However, the scribe was neither surprised, frightened, or angered. He walked forward and knelt down. "Yingchuan Xu Shu Xu Yuanzhi, pays respects to Your Highness Prince of Shu!"