That's right, I was the one who let Song Shaoyi go

Pei Wugou acted swiftly.

After all, with a formidable enemy at their doorstep, every decision had to be made cleanly and decisively, without the slightest hesitation or delay.

He immediately swept out his hand, and his personal guards sprang into action.

Before long, they had brought over more than a hundred soldiers in total—the men who had guarded Song Shaoyi, those assigned to patrol, and those responsible for watching the military camp. Every one of them was dragged before him.

Pei Wugou’s gaze was icy. Even the mask did nothing to diminish the chill radiating from him.

“You all knew that Song Shaoyi was a crucial hostage whose fate could determine the success or failure of this campaign, yet through negligence, you allowed him to escape.”

“By military law, you all deserve death!”

The moment those words were spoken, the bound soldiers’ faces changed dramatically.

Were they really going to be killed?

Were their heads about to roll?

They had risked their lives to help Song Shaoyi in secret, all so they would have a way to survive the coming battle—a final means of saving themselves.

And yet the battle had not even begun, and their lord was already going to take their lives?

They all dropped to their knees and begged for mercy. Many smashed their foreheads against the ground until they split open, blood flowing everywhere. The sight was utterly pitiful.

Only then did Pei Wugou’s tone soften somewhat.

“However, in view of the fact that a great battle is imminent and we still need you to contribute, your death sentence may be commuted. But the living punishment… cannot be escaped!”

“Guards! Regardless of rank or the severity of their involvement, every person kneeling here is to receive… one hundred strokes of the military rod!”

The kneeling soldiers had just heard that their death sentences would be commuted and breathed sighs of relief, thinking they had managed to keep their lives.

Then they heard they were to receive one hundred strokes of the military rod.

They nearly fainted on the spot!

There had always been unspoken rules surrounding corporal punishment. Different places had different rules.

In many places, if the intent was to kill you, ten strokes would be enough to beat you to death. If they did not want you dead, then even after a hundred strokes, you might walk away unharmed, at most with a slightly dirty hem.

But the army had no room for such twists and turns.

Ten military strokes would not kill you, but every single blow would land with full force. Under normal circumstances, after fifty strokes, you could forget about getting out of bed for three months.

Eighty strokes would leave most people crippled.

And a hundred strokes…

Even if you survived, you would essentially be ruined for the rest of your life.

By that calculation, they might as well be beheaded in public.

At least their bodies would remain intact, and they would not have to suffer before dying!

But who among them could defy an order from Pei Wugou?

Besides, they had already realized what was happening. Pei Wugou was using them to make an example of others!

He was using their beating to enforce military discipline!

But they… had not actually done anything. How had Song Shaoyi escaped for no reason at all?

There was no use thinking about it now. Pei Wugou’s guards had already dragged them away. Two men pinned each victim down while another raised a military rod!

Bang!

The first blow came down.

Then came the second, followed by the third and the fourth!

Military rods were excruciatingly painful—painful enough to pierce straight through the heart.

In a short while, the entire camp rang with continuous screams. Several of the weaker soldiers nearly fainted after only a few blows.

The sight left the entire army trembling with fear.

Just as the rods were about to continue falling, the soldier Pei Wugou had sent to investigate came running back and shouted, “My lord! My lord! We’ve found out what happened. It has nothing to do with these men!”

“It was a laborer from the camp’s service unit. No one knows where he stole your warrant, my lord, but he used it to send everyone away and release Song Shaoyi.”

“He even gave the warrant to Song Shaoyi, helping him escape.”

At those words, the soldiers administering the punishment immediately stopped. The guards pinning down the others also let go, allowing the beaten soldiers to leap to their feet.

“Damn it, it really was that laborer! I knew she couldn’t have had good intentions when she used the warrant to send me away.”

“That’s right, that’s right! I let Song Shaoyi go because I saw the marquis’s warrant. How were we supposed to know the person carrying it was Song Shaoyi? We can’t exactly refuse to acknowledge the marquis’s warrant, can we?”

“My lord, we’ve been wronged! With your warrant in hand, what else could we have done? Disobey it? Wouldn’t that have violated your military regulations too?”

…

The crowd erupted.

Unlike the commotion earlier, this time the uproar was filled mostly with resentment. Pei Wugou caught it all immediately, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

He suddenly remembered what Wen He had said earlier.

Wen He had told him that Song Shaoyi was suffering and that she wanted to set him free.

And besides…

It was Wen He who had asked him for the warrant.

He had given it to her willingly.

“So it was Little He?”

“Little He took my warrant and released Song Shaoyi?”

“Holy crap, seriously?”

The bewilderment on Pei Wugou’s face was genuine. Fortunately, he was wearing a mask, so no one could see it, but his mind was already in turmoil.

If it really was Little He…

What was he supposed to do?

As he hesitated, the crowd’s shouts grew louder and louder.

“My lord, it must have been that Wen He, the woman with connections reaching all the way to the heavens! You have to punish her!”

“My lord, you can’t let the brothers lose heart!”

“My lord, I’ll go and drag her here myself, that damned wretch!”

…

The moment Pei Wugou heard them say they were going to seize Wen He themselves, he could no longer remain calm. He hurriedly stopped them and sent his personal guards to bring her over.

Surrounded by soldiers glaring at her with murderous intent, standing in a place bristling with weapons, Wen He showed not the slightest trace of fear.

Her face radiated a noble, righteous brilliance. She stood there with her back straight, like a proud little rooster.

She did not attempt to hide anything.

Instead, she admitted it outright.

“That’s right. I was the one who released Song Shaoyi!”

“Not only did I release him, but the warrant he had was also given to him by me!”

“It was my Ah Wu who gave it to me!”

She shouted with imposing conviction, but the soldiers immediately leaped to their feet.

“Damn it, so it really was this slut!”

“My lord, punish her! A hundred military strokes—not one less!”

“My lord, that bastard called Ah Wu spends every day by the river with this Wen He, doing the Magic of Love spin in circles. He stole your warrant too, so he can’t be let off either!”

“If you don’t punish them, we refuse to accept it!”

…

At that moment, the soldiers’ fury reached its peak.

It surged like a raging tide, impossible to contain.

Pei Wugou understood military affairs well. At a glance, he could tell that if this situation was not handled properly, suppressing it with force alone could very well lead to a mutiny—or something akin to a camp panic.

It had to be dealt with carefully!

But…

Then he looked at Wen He again.

How was he supposed to deal with this?

He had become a general and resisted Ren Tianye precisely for Wen He’s sake. And now he was supposed to punish Wen He?

He would rather die than lay a finger on her!

By now, Deputy General Chen Song had completely figured out what was going on. He could not help feeling a surge of relief.

Thank goodness. Thank goodness he had chosen to throw in his lot with General reckless. If he had stayed with Pei Wugou, this kind of farce would happen every day!

Sooner or later, it would cost him his life!

Just look at the situation now. The entire army was furious.

Those who had just been beaten were even angrier than the rest!

The whole camp was like a pile of kindling. One spark, and it would explode on the spot!

No matter how powerful Pei Wugou was, even he could not hold it back…

…