Monte’s words put Rocky in a difficult position.
This time, Dusa had indeed caused a huge disaster. If it weren’t for her, the Guard Corps of Thunderhawk City should have won the previous battle in a splendid fashion, and there would have even been no casualties. But it was because of Dusa that the battle nearly ended in failure, and many guards were injured as a result!
Facing such serious consequences, it wouldn’t be excessive to charge Dusa with the crime of disrupting the military’s morale, and punishment was certain because not punishing her would not suffice to steady the military’s heart!
But what made Rocky feel troubled was that although Dusa was at fault, she had no malicious intent; she caused this disaster simply out of ignorance, so the principle “the ignorant are not guilty” could apply to her. Secondly, the main reason for the Guard Corps’ chaos was actually Monte and Liliya, so the blame couldn’t be entirely placed on Dusa—they both bore responsibility too.
And the final point was that Dusa was Monte’s daughter!
To treat Monte, Rocky naturally couldn’t act the same as he would with others. After all, Monte was his valued aide. How could he bear to punish Dusa in such a situation?
Thus, Rocky did indeed find the situation difficult. The guards in the Guard Corps were already injured because of this matter. If he let it slide without any resolution, the guards would likely become discontented. But if he were to actually punish Dusa, Rocky couldn’t bear to do it.
According to the laws of Thunderhawk City, Dusa had to be whipped for committing such a mistake!
“City Lord, this was Dusa’s mistake. The brothers in the Guard Corps almost died on the battlefield because of her, so we must give everyone an explanation,” Monte said, having noticed Rocky’s hesitance. “You don’t have to hesitate. Do what needs to be done. I will bear all the consequences.”
Seeing Rocky undecided, Monte spoke up again.
He knew Rocky was in a dilemma, but Monte was even clearer that they had to give the Guard Corps an explanation, or there would surely be guards who harbored ill feelings. Such discontent would be very detrimental to both him and Rocky.
“How about this? Let’s just make a note of this incident for now. Once the mission is complete and we return to Thunderhawk City, we will make a decision then,” Liliya suggested from the side, offering a provisional solution.
“That won’t do; such matters cannot be delayed!” Monte immediately replied, even before Rocky could agree or not: “The battle has just begun, and now is the time when unity is most needed. If we don’t deal with this matter, we won’t be able to fight in future battles!”
Monte’s words hit the nail on the head. The fight had just started, and it was unknown how many more battles would follow. This was precisely the time to unite everyone’s hearts and make them cooperate. If the Guard Corps started harboring resentment now, it could indeed lead to big trouble.
“City Lord…”
As Rocky was torn, Dusa, who had been silent with her head down since entering the tent, suddenly spoke up. She looked at Rocky with her eyes still wet from tears and said while biting her lip, “City Lord, father is right. I caused a major disaster and should be punished. Please do not show mercy on my account.”
“But please promise me one thing,” Dusa continued, glancing at Monte before turning back to Rocky. “I can bear the consequences of the disaster I caused, my father doesn’t have to bear them for me.”
…
Upon hearing Dusa speak so bravely, Rocky was taken aback. He hadn’t expected the girl-like Dusa to have such courage, especially because if she were punished, she would be whipped!
Monte, too, was surprised by his daughter’s words but then showed a proud smile. This was his daughter!
“Alright…”
With that, Rocky could only nod, then he patted Dusa on the head: “Young lady, you’ve grown up.”
After saying that, he left Dusa in Monte’s tent. Now that everyone knew Dusa had come, there was no need for her to hide anymore. It was best for her to stay and take care of Monte. Immediately afterward, Rocky left with Liliya.
And after Rocky and Liliya had left, Dusa sat beside Monte’s bed and, after a long while, still biting her lip, she asked:
“Father, does the whipping hurt…?”
“It hurts.” Monte replied after looking at his daughter. “But you have to be strong.”
…
…
The night passed without words, and in the blink of an eye, it was the next day.
Early in the morning, after completing the handover with Lin Feng, Rocky led the Guard Corps back to camp, but did not immediately dismiss the troops. To everyone’s confusion, upon entering the camp, they saw Monte, bandaged up, standing with Dusa beside him.
Rocky stopped the troops and stood before all of them.
“In yesterday’s battle, all of you performed extremely well!” Rocky said loudly to the guards: “Your bravery made the Demons tremble, and your strength shocked the Demons. I am proud of you!”
Rocky’s words came straight from the heart because yesterday’s victory had indeed filled him with pride. The guards, hearing this, puffed out their chests, feeling proud of themselves as well.
But then, Rocky’s tone suddenly changed, his expression turning serious: “However, yesterday some made a fatal mistake! This mistake caused many brothers to be injured, and it nearly resulted in our downfall!”
“I will not tolerate such incidents!”
With that, Rocky waved his hand, and Monte brought Dusa forward.
“Monte, you are everyone’s instructor, and Dusa is your daughter. Tell us, how should this be dealt with?”
After glancing at Monte, then at Dusa, Rocky asked in a cold tone.
“My lord, Dusa attempted to disrupt the army’s morale during wartime and should be subjected to the whip.”
“How many lashes?”
“Six lashes!”
Standing straight in front of Rocky, Monte said loudly.
As soon as he spoke, the guards all drew in a sharp breath—six lashes! Dusa was just a girl; how could she endure such severe punishment!
Under these circumstances, someone from the Guard Corps immediately shouted, “My lord, please spare Dusa. She didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Yeah! My Lord, please let little Dusa go.”
“Please show mercy, my Lord!”
Over two months of grueling training had forged a bond between the guards and their instructor Monte. Since Dusa often appeared during the training sessions, everyone was not only familiar with her but had also grown fond of the little girl, who was always hopping and bouncing around.
Therefore, upon hearing that Dusa was to be whipped, the guards immediately cried out loudly for clemency on her behalf.
However, in response to the pleadings of the crowd, Rocky simply waved his hand and then turned to look at Monte.
“Monte, what do you think?”
“My lord, please enforce the law impartially!” Monte replied without hesitation.
“Very well.”
Rocky nodded at this response, which caused a pang in the hearts of the watching guards. But then Rocky spoke, “The mistake that Dusa has committed cannot be taken lightly, but considering that it was an unintentional fault, and she is not a member of the Guard Corps, therefore… let the punishment be halved.”
After saying this, Rocky glanced at Dusa, and she, somewhat timid but also resilient, nodded her head and stepped toward a large wooden stake in the camp.
The stake had been erected by Liliya early that morning, specifically for the execution of Dusa’s whipping. So when Dusa approached the stake and embraced it, Liliya, who had been waiting nearby with a whip in hand, handed her a small wooden stick.
“Bite down on this.”
As Dusa bit down on the wooden stick, Liliya tied her securely to the stake and whispered softly, “Endure it, it will be over soon.”
Thus, it wasn’t long before Dusa was bound to the stake, after which Liliya retreated to a distance.
“Carry out the punishment!”
At Rocky’s command, Liliya, standing behind Dusa, swung the whip, and with a loud crack, the lash struck Dusa’s back!
The strike tore a bloody gash across Dusa’s back, prompting many in the Guard Corps to turn away, unable to bear such a cruel sight.
Even Rocky, at that moment, instinctively turned his head away.
Rocky was quite fond of Dusa, and since she was close with Liliya, he often saw the vivacious little girl bouncing around at the City Lord’s Mansion. He would not have allowed her this suffering if it weren’t absolutely necessary, if not for the exigencies of the situation.
As for Dusa herself, after that first lash, she let out a whimpering cry, and tears streamed down her face.
But the person who felt the most pain wasn’t Dusa; in fact, it was Monte. As her father, who could feel more heartache than him? But as Monte had said the night before, Dusa had committed a serious error at a critical moment, and this was the punishment she had to endure, lest it leave behind a grave hazard.
While everyone felt sorrow for Dusa, another crack sounded as Liliya delivered the second and then the third lash!
After three consecutive lashes, the execution was complete.
Although the procedure was very brief, it felt longer than a whole day to those present. After delivering the third lash with her own hands, Liliya rushed to the stake to untie Dusa, only to find the girl had passed out…
In that situation, Liliya quickly took Dusa for treatment, and an anxious Monte followed at Rocky’s gesture.
Only after they had departed did Rocky turn his gaze back to those assembled.
“I want everyone to remember what happened here!”
Rocky’s expression was stern as he addressed the crowd, his tone serious and his demeanor solemn: “Here with me, no matter who you are, rewards come with achievement, and mistakes carry penalties. Do you understand?”
“Understood!”
Standing straight before him, the guards of the Guard Corps shouted in unison.