Zhao Ergou quickly bowed in obedience, patting his chest and assuring him!
"Big Brother, I'll go gather information immediately. I'll get to the bottom of this."
After saying this, he left the military tent, mounted a black horse, quickly exited the military camp, and galloped into the distance.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei watched their Big Brother, who, with a flick of his finger, began to issue various commands, handling matters in an orderly fashion.
Their eyes were filled with excitement; he was truly worthy of being their Big Brother.
Soon, the camp became lively, and the two carts of wine and meat that had been brought were all distributed.
The soldiers gathered in the training ground, eating meat heartily and drinking wine from large bowls, looking very satisfied.
Inside the main military tent!
Liu Jin sat in the main seat, with Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and Yang Ling sitting on either side.
After drinking the cup of wine in front of him, he looked at Yang Ling beside him, lost in thought.
He estimated that this person was also not a good sort and needed to find a way to eliminate him, taking control of the other dozens of people.
After a moment of contemplation, a smile appeared on his lips, and he asked indifferently!
"Yang Duilü, may I, this Tuncun, ask you something?"
Yang Ling, hearing this, felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles, even a little afraid.
After all, Liu Jin had immediately executed a Duilü, and he was afraid that Liu Jin would find an excuse to eliminate him as well.
However, he still composed himself and politely said!
"What is it, Tuncun? Just ask me directly."
Liu Jin nodded slightly and said coldly!
"When I passed by Li Family Village, why were these common people afraid of us soldiers? Could it be that our Tuncun of soldiers often oppress the common people and harm the villagers?"
At this point, his tone was somewhat cold, and a hint of displeasure appeared in his eyes.
Even Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, sitting nearby, put down their wine cups when they heard this, quietly watching Yang Ling.
If there was anything improper, the two of them would rush forward and kill this man.
Yang Ling felt cold sweat seeping from his back, as if he was being stared at intently by several fierce tigers; one wrong move and he would die without a burial place.
He stammered!
"Tu... Tuncun, it... it seems that Zhao Lei often led his troops to harm the villagers and oppress the common people, which caused several surrounding villages to fear us soldiers."
Liu Jin, hearing this, let out a soft "oh" and sneered!
"Then have you harmed the villagers?"
Yang Ling, hearing this, stammered for a long time, unable to utter a single word, and lowered his head slightly.
He was secretly bitter; it was impossible that he hadn't harmed the surrounding villagers.
After all, in this remote and impoverished place, to get some benefits, one could only prey on these village common people.
But he was not as vicious as Zhao Lei, who forcibly snatched women, burned, killed, and plundered, causing the surrounding common people to lose their homes and families.
Liu Jin saw Yang Ling's demeanor and already knew that he must have harmed the villagers.
His tone became icy and cold!
"You, dignified imperial officials, do such beastly things. I think you all deserve to die."
"If I, this Tuncun, execute all of you, the commandery government will have no objection."
Yang Ling, hearing this, trembled, filled with fear, and with a thud, knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy!
"Tu... Tuncun, I know I was wrong. Please give me another chance. I will definitely reform and never dare to offend again."
Liu Jin snorted coldly, his tone still unkind!
"I can spare your life, but you must hand over your team of men."
"Your official position will still be Duilü. As long as you don't interfere with military matters and stay in the military camp, I, this Tuncun, can guarantee that bygones will be bygones."
Yang Ling, kneeling on the ground, how could he not understand the meaning of these words? Clearly, Liu Jin wanted to seize his military power and make him a bare commander.
His face was extremely grim, and he looked very hesitant. If he lost his military power and only had an official position, he would be like an ant in the military camp, not respected as he was now.
He wanted to resist, but seeing the fierce aura emanating from Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who were sitting on either side, his courage was completely scared away.
The fierce aura of these two during the day was unstoppable. Even if he wanted to resist, he would probably become a soul under their blades.
He had only one thought: where there is life, there is hope.
He gritted his teeth and kowtowed!
"I am willing to hand over my military power. I hope Tuncun can let bygones be bygones and spare my life."
Liu Jin, hearing this, slowly lost his fierce expression, revealing a hint of a smile, and gently comforted him!
"Yang Duilü, as long as you obey well, after I get through this period, I will definitely be noticed by the nobles in the commandery. You will rise through the ranks in the future, and this Tuncun position will be yours."
Yang Ling, hearing this, felt much better inside. Although Liu Jin's words had a bit of boasting, it was better than having no hope at all.
Liu Jin looked at the now-calmed Yang Ling and nodded in satisfaction.
He had given a slap, so naturally, he would give a sweet date to eat, at least to make Yang Ling behave and not cause any trouble due to a lack of hope.
He smiled, raised his wine cup, and began to drink with everyone.
The icy atmosphere in the main tent slowly disappeared, replaced by a passionate and lively one.
The next morning!
Liu Jin slowly woke up from his military tent, and the sound of training already reached his ears.
He got out of bed, pushed open the tent door, and saw over eighty people already assembled on the training ground.
They were divided into two teams, led by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei respectively, each commanding dozens of people for training.
Currently, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei did not have actual official positions and could only be considered ordinary soldiers. They temporarily held the position of Duilü, each leading a team of soldiers.
These soldiers did not dare to resist; instead, they were very willing, because Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's performance of killing in all directions yesterday had completely awed them, and their hearts were filled with longing.
After all, the land of Yan and Zhao in the north was inherently known for its fierce folk customs, especially in the military, where martial arts were respected. People with stronger power would gain respect, while weaker people would be looked down upon.
Just then, a black horse from outside the military camp galloped towards them.
It was Zhao Ergou, who had been gathering information in the nearby villages.
He came to Liu Jin's side, dismounted directly, his face solemn, and respectfully said!
"Big Brother, I visited several nearby villages and learned from the common people that the Tuncun of soldiers stationed here often oppress the surrounding common people and harm the villagers."
"Especially that Zhao Lei, who, with his trusted subordinates, even forcibly snatched women in the street, defiling them, and even massacred several households of common people."
"That Yang Ling was slightly better, only extorting money and grain from the nearby common people, and did not cause any deaths or do anything too outrageous."
Even with some preparation, Liu Jin's heart was still filled with anger.
He hadn't expected that Zhao Lei would be so audacious as to massacre common people and forcibly snatch women. He deserved to die.
This incident could be reported to justify his execution of the Duilü.
After all, the responsibility for executing Zhao Lei was not small; he was, after all, an imperial official.
With his position as Tuncun, he did not have the authority to deal with it. At the very least, a Military Marquis-level official would have the authority to execute first and report later.
