Merchant City: Gao Xianzhi's camp:
A large number of soldiers gathered in a large plaza. At this moment, dozens of bound Song Nation soldiers knelt in the plaza.
All the soldiers stared at the Grand Marshal, Gao Xianzhi, in the south, and Crown Prince Song, who was assisting at the side.
"Let me go! I want to go back! Let me go back!"
"I fought at the frontlines, not caring about my life. However, that corrupt official killed my entire family in the back. Let me go! Let me take revenge!"
"My entire family is gone. I burned them all! I want to find my father and mother. Let me go! "
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The bound Song Nation soldiers roared at Gao Xianzhi and Crown Prince Song with bloodshot eyes.
Gao Xianzhi stared at the group of berserk soldiers with a sullen expression. Crown Prince Song also looked at Gao Xianzhi.
"Lin Chong, did you get the answer?" Gao Xianzhi asked seriously.
At the side, Lin Chong nodded and said, "Great Commander, all the deserters have been captured. This subordinate also questioned them, but did not manage to prevent them from escaping. They came with the merchants from the various cities, bringing back a lot of bad news! Some of the local nobles harmed the families of the soldiers. Their relatives fled and came to report. After their families were harmed, the soldiers became deserters. "
"How many people?" Gao Xianzhi asked seriously.
"Thirty families already met with mishaps!" Lin Chong said with an unsightly expression.
"Has Gu Hai's scheme started? He wants to disrupt the morale of my army? Humph! "Gao Xianzhi snorted coldly.
"Gu Hai's scheme?" Crown Prince Song's face sank.
"What's going on? Who came to my camp to spread rumors?" Gao Xianzhi asked coldly.
"It's that group of rich merchants. Among the servants of those merchants, there are messengers from various cities or relatives of the soldiers. These days, they secretly contacted them and brought bad news. That's why they chose to desert!" Lin Chong explained.
"That group of merchants? Humph! The rich are heartless, disturbing the morale of my army. You deserve to die! "Crown Prince Song glared.
"Your Highness, please calm down!" Gao Xianzhi shook her head.
"What? Grand Marshal, are you still going to protect those wealthy merchants? "Crown Prince Song asked sullenly.
Gao Xianzhi smiled bitterly and said, "No, Crown Prince, look at the soldiers' expressions! Gu Hai's scheme has already begun, and it can't be stopped! "
"Huh?" Crown Prince Song appeared confused as he looked at the soldiers.
The eyes of the tied up deserters were naturally crimson red. However, the other surrounding soldiers were also looking at the square with incomparably serious expressions. Looking at this group of deserters, the other soldiers actually did not have an expression of disgust. Instead, there were more expressions of sympathy.
If he ran away cowardly, the soldiers would naturally disdain him. But were they scared? Just like us, they are risking their lives on the frontlines. Why? Isn't it so that their parents, wives, and children can have a good life? Now, we are going through fire and water for the Song Nation, fighting on the battlefield. Not only are those corrupt officials enjoying life in the rear, but they even harmed our parents, humiliating and killing our wives and children. Who would not feel angry in their hearts?
Deserters? Screw those deserters. These deserters fled openly. If it were me, I would have fled as well.
Furthermore, the tied up deserters were basically brothers who had gone through life and death on the battlefield. Bleeding and being crippled did not make them cry. However, the corrupt officials behind them made them feel bitterly disappointed. Before they could fulfill their filial duties and give their wives and children a good life, they were already harmed by them.
Now, what would the Grand Marshal's verdict be?
Will our wives, children, and parents also suffer in the abyss of suffering?
If we can't even protect our parents, wives, and children, how can we fight for the nation?
Are those wealthy merchants not good? At the very least, they brought us news from the rear.
All the soldiers goggled as they stared at Gao Xianzhi and Crown Prince Song, waiting for the two to make a fair decision. It is not because of these deserters but because of the worries in our hearts.
Crown Prince Song's expression turned increasingly sullen as he looked at the soldiers.
"Your Highness, you see this, right? This is just the beginning. If you kill the wealthy merchants and this group of 'informers,' won't you be cutting off their channels of information? Won't you be colluding with those corrupt officials? They are risking their lives for you, but you are ordering those corrupt officials to harm their parents, wives, and children? "Gao Xianzhi smiled coldly.
Crown Prince Song was startled.
"This … this is Gu Hai's plan? Is he trying to cause our camp to explode and cause a mutiny in our army? "Crown Prince Song said with an unsightly expression.
"It must be him. There was no news in the past. Why did so many suddenly appear? Thirty families? I believe that the local officials would not be so foolish as to harm the families of the soldiers at this time. They might, but there can't be so many. Furthermore, they all appeared at the same time and spread throughout the entire camp, "Gao Xianzhi said seriously.
"Tsk! This Gu Hai's reach is really long. To think that he actually reached into my camp. Grand Marshal, fortunately, you discovered it in time. Otherwise, if I killed those wealthy merchants in a rage and cut off the news, that Gu Hai might have other tricks up his sleeve, "Crown Prince Song said with an unsightly expression.
Gao Xianzhi nodded and said, "Indeed!"
"What should we do now?" Crown Prince Song asked.
"Gu Hai has already pried a small hole in the soldiers' morale. Naturally, we cannot ignore it. It is impossible to seal it completely. It is better to open it up than to block it. Let me slowly dismantle it!" Gao Xianzhi said seriously.
The crown prince nodded.
"Everyone, I, Gao Xianzhi, guarantee you the sanctity of the soldiers. During this period, if anyone dares to insult or harm the families of the soldiers, I will make them pay ten times or even a hundred times the price. This is my, Gao Xianzhi's, promise. Please believe in this commander!" Gao Xianzhi shouted.
All the soldiers looked at Gao Xianzhi. In the end, Gao Xianzhi's promise had some effect. However, suspicion entered the hearts of all the soldiers like a demon. They just wanted to see how Gao Xianzhi would deal with this matter.
"You promise? What can you promise? Before the expedition, my daughter was only two years old. She had just learned how to walk and hugged my leg, calling me Daddy. However, that corrupt official stomped her to death. My daughter. "
"My father died early, and my mother raised me and my younger brother. Every day, she helped people sew and mend to support me. She sewed and mended so much that she could not see. When I was drafted, I never feared death. I just wanted to earn more military merits and get more rewards so that I could be filial to my mother when I returned. That damn county magistrate's son burned my blind mother to death in the house for the sake of my family's land. Mother, your child is unfilial!"
"Before the expedition, I had just gotten married. I married my childhood sweetheart, Xiao Huan. Xiao Huan did not let me fight, but I still did. I fought to the death at the frontlines. That county magistrate coveted Xiao Huan's beauty and abducted her. My younger brother searched everywhere for her but ended up getting beaten up. He only came to me today to tell me. How am I supposed to fight a war? Who am I fighting for? I risked my life, but you want my family to be destroyed. Corrupt official! Corrupt official! "
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The group of deserters cried out in pain.
The surrounding soldiers felt the same way as they clenched their fists tightly. Their hearts felt extremely heavy.
Crown Prince Song wanted to chase away the surrounding soldiers to prevent the impact from spreading. However, Gao Xianzhi stopped him. The more she stopped him, the more anxious the soldiers felt.
The thirty deserters kept describing what happened. However, Gao Xianzhi listened carefully.
Only after four hours had passed did he manage to straighten out everything. Then, she frowned heavily.
The entire plaza fell silent. Everyone looked at Gao Xianzhi.
After a moment of silence, Gao Xianzhi extended her hand and pointed. Then, she divided the thirty people into two groups: four on one side and twenty-six on the other.
"I have listened carefully to your descriptions and have roughly guessed some things. Everyone, please listen to me carefully. What did the twenty-six of you obtain? His family had been abducted or taken to some place to be killed? They died without a corpse. Furthermore, the people who came to report were your family members. However, they did not personally witness their family members being abducted or killed. They only heard about it. No matter how likely it is, it is just guessing, right? "Gao Xianzhi said seriously as she stared at the twenty-six people.
"Huh?"
"However, my younger brother would not lie to me!"
"My older cousin would not lie to me, either!"
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Everyone was talking at once.
"That's right. They would not lie to you. However, what if they were deceived as well?" Gao Xianzhi asked seriously.
"Huh?"
"Everyone, don't you find it strange? There have never been so many bad news before. Now, so many of them suddenly appeared. I can tell you that all this was done by the richest man of the six nations, Gu Hai. His goal is to make our army rebel! "Gao Xianzhi said solemnly.
"But …"
"Why should I believe you?!"
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The twenty-six people's expressions turned unsightly.
"There is no need to believe me. All you need to know is that if they are alive, we need to see their corpses. Before you see their corpses, don't give up hope. I will immediately ask His Majesty to send the local authorities to search for your family members. If they are alive, we need to see their corpses. It is better than you running back in confusion. It is better to have an entire city of people search than to have you search alone, right? "Gao Xianzhi consoled.
"However, can we still find them?" one of the deserters asked hopefully.
"Search house by house. Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we will find them. I will give you an explanation. How about it? If it is really a local official who committed crimes, I will ask for His Majesty's order to kill without mercy! "Gao Xianzhi said resolutely.
"Many thanks, Grand Marshal! Many thanks, Grand Marshal!" the deserters cried as they knelt.
Gao Xianzhi turned to look at the other four deserters, whose eyes were still red.
"Grand Marshal? What should we do? We can't be fake, right? My younger brother saw with his own eyes that my blind mother was burned to death in the house. He is the son of the county magistrate. My blind mother! "One of them stared at Gao Xianzhi with red eyes.
Gao Xianzhi said solemnly, "The four of you have obtained irrefutable evidence. Don't worry. No one can make you bleed and cry. No matter who it is, the son of the county magistrate? No, as long as they are involved in harming your family, they will all be executed immediately! "
"Grand Marshal?" The four of them stared at Gao Xianzhi.
"You will personally supervise the execution!" Gao Xianzhi said with a ruthless expression.
"Grand Marshal, thank you, Grand Marshal!"
"Thank you, Grand Marshal!"
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The four kept kowtowing in gratitude. Perhaps they would not be able to take revenge in their lifetime. Now that the Grand Marshal was making the decision for them, how could they not be grateful?
Gao Xianzhi turned her head and took a deep breath. Then, she said, "Your Highness, I will immediately submit a memorial to the emperor and ask for his full cooperation. This time, Gu Hai came with a strong momentum. I hope that Your Highness will support me and submit a memorial to the emperor together with me.
Crown Prince Song looked at the group of deserters and nodded. "Alright!"
Gao Xianzhi turned her head and looked at the soldiers again. Then, she said, "Soldiers, I know that you are worried. Don't worry. I, Gao Xianzhi, promise you that from today onwards, I will allow you to write letters to your families and send letters to your families. However, do not involve military secrets. You will be able to do it!"
"Many thanks, Grand Marshal!" The countless soldiers immediately promised.
Their earlier worries were completely gone. With the Grand Marshal allowing them to write letters to their families, they would know that their families were safe. They could also let their families know about their situation. This was great. The Grand Marshal was still the best.
The initial restlessness in their hearts immediately vanished.
"However, as everyone can see, of these deserters, four did so out of helplessness. However, the remaining twenty-six might all be part of Gu Hai's schemes. Hence, if everyone runs into something that you cannot resolve, something that makes you sad, you can report it to me. This marshal will make the decision for you!" Gao Xianzhi shouted.
"Gu Hai is really hateful!"
"Grand Marshal, don't worry. If anything happens, we will definitely report it to you!"
"That damnable Gu Hai!"
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"Grand Marshal, what should we do about that group of wealthy merchants?" Lin Chong asked from the side.
Gao Xianzhi frowned slightly and said, "Gu Hai has already made a move. I was careless. Firecrackers? Fireworks? Ha! After sitting firmly in Hulao Pass, he started to control our camp five hundred kilometers away? Let that group of wealthy merchants continue. However, keep a constant watch on them. Also, from today onward, if they come to support the army, they have to be low-profile. Stop all firecrackers and fireworks. Otherwise, we will treat them as rebels! "
"Yes!" the soldiers nodded.
Gao Xianzhi suppressed the crisis of deserters.
The army slowly dispersed, and everything continued as per normal.
Gao Xianzhi and Crown Prince Song returned to the camp.
Gao Xianzhi personally wrote a letter and stamped it. Crown Prince Song also stamped it with his personal seal.
"Grand Marshal, now that you have been honest with the soldiers and directed their hatred to Gu Hai, the soldiers no longer have to worry. However, isn't it too harsh to ask Imperial Father to punish these nobles severely?" Crown Prince Song asked somewhat worriedly.
"No. Your Highness Crown Prince, you still do not realize how horrifying this Gu Hai is. Do you see it? Gu Hai is just sitting at home, and he is already disrupting the morale of our soldiers. It is not that Gu Hai is not fighting. Instead, he is already attacking with his saber and spear. This is a battle of the soldiers' morale. Earlier, he was only guiding them. However, once Gu Hai breaks through, do you know how terrifying it is? "Gao Xianzhi said with an unsightly expression.
"Ah? Is it that bad? "Crown Prince Song frowned.
"Bad? Haha! Your Highness, you are underestimating him too much. Once Gu Hai disrupts the morale of the soldiers, that eight-hundred-thousand-strong army will immediately be destroyed. The Song Nation will be in danger, ready to be destroyed at any moment! "Gao Xianzhi said seriously.
"Ah?"
"Hence, Your Highness, you should consider it yourself. Between your Song Clan's empire and this group of courting death nobles, which will you choose? This humble one is not exaggerating to scare you! "Gao Xianzhi said solemnly.
Crown Prince Song's eyelids twitched. Then, he nodded and said, "Don't worry. I'll write another letter to Imperial Father and fully cooperate with you."
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