After stabilizing Li Rusong, Xiao Ruxun pointed his saber at the deserters who were kneeling on the ground in panic.
He asked sternly, "Tell me the truth right now. What is going on at Zijing Pass? If you lie, you will all die! "
The deserters were helpless. They could only let the smaller deserters stand out and answer the question.
"General, Zijing Pass is still in our hands. Commander Li is still here. We all escaped. The Mongolians are too fierce. We … we are no match for them!
If we stay at Zijing Pass, we will only be killed by the Mongolians. If we take a step back, we will be killed by Commander Li's troops. We really have no way out. We can only escape at night. General, please spare us! "
The smaller deserter knelt in front of Xiao Ruxun and hugged Xiao Ruxun's calf to beg for mercy. Xiao Ruxun raised his leg and kicked the smaller deserter away. He stared coldly at the group of deserters.
"As soldiers, you should know the crime of deserting. I don't believe that you don't know the crime of deserting!"
The soldiers panicked and hurriedly begged for mercy.
"General, it's not that we don't want to fight. The Mongolians are too fierce. They have cannons and catapults. It's too scary. We can't beat them!"
"If we take a step back, the troops will come and kill us. We won't be able to survive!"
"We don't have enough to eat, we don't have enough to wear. The moment we open our eyes, we see fighting. We can't take it anymore!"
"They don't see us as humans. They only know how to kill. How can we fight when we don't even have enough to eat? Many generals have been killed by the Mongolians with crossbows. They died right in front of us. We can't defend the pass! "
"The Mongolians ride horses. We only have two legs. If we don't run now, how are we going to run when Zijing Pass falls?"
Xiao Ruxun's face was cold. The more he listened, the angrier he became.
"Enough! All of you, shut up! A bunch of cowards! Where is the military judge?! "
With Xiao Ruxun's shout, the military law scribe in the army hurriedly stepped forward.
"Here!"
"According to the Daming Military Law, what is the punishment for deserting the commander-in-chief?"
"According to the law, he should be beheaded!"
Xiao Ruxun swept his gaze over the soldiers who were wailing and making a fool of themselves, and he had a deep understanding of what it meant by having a mental breakdown that was beyond saving. These people would not only go back to proclaim the brutality of the Mongolians, they would also cause more people to fear the Mongolians, and it would bring about a terrifying chain reaction. In fact, it might even affect the morale of the army!
Xiao Ruxun's killing intent rose.
"Since ancient times, deserters have always been beheaded. There is no room for forgiveness! Men, drag him out with me and behead him! "
The deserters widened their eyes.
"No!! No! No, General! General, spare me! Spare my life! "
"General, spare my life! Spare my life! "
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me! "
"I am a servant of the Dingguo family! I am from the Dingguo family! You can't kill me! You can't kill me! "
Some deserters were so scared that they fell to the ground and kept begging for mercy. Some deserters stood up and tried to escape, but they were blocked by the Liaodong Army. There were even some who were scared out of their wits and said that they were servants of noble families. Who could tell the truth from the lies?
"Commander, what should we do? What if they really are … "
Looking at the chaotic scene, the military law scribe showed a troubled expression.
"What if? There is no what if! Dingguo Duke is the descendant of General Xu Da. General Xu Da is a hero who founded the Daming Empire. He made great contributions in chasing the Mongolian Yuan Empire to the north and recovering Yanjing. How can the descendant of such a hero have such cowardly servants? Where is the deputy general?! "
Xiao Ruxun's deputy general immediately stepped forward.
"I am here!"
"Where are the gunners?!"
More than a hundred close guards and gunners stepped forward.
"Here!"
Xiao Ruxun waved his hand.
"Kill them all! Leave none alive! "
"Yes, Sir!"
The deputy general immediately obeyed the order and raised his hand.
"Gunners, listen to the order! Raise your guns! "
The gunners immediately raised their flintlocks.
"Fire!"
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang — —
A burst of gunshots brought up a cloud of smoke. When the smoke dissipated, there were no more screams, only corpses were left on the ground.
"If you find any deserters on the way, kill them no matter who they are!"
Xiao Ruxun gave a new military order and immediately passed it to the whole army.
"Yes, Sir!"
The whole army obeyed the order.
The army then reorganized themselves. After half an hour, they mounted their horses and set off again.
Witnessing the strictness of Xiao Ruxun's military law, Li Rusong and Nurhachi also recalled how Xiao Ruxun punished those soldiers of Liaodong Army who harassed Korean women and beat up Korean officials on the battlefield in Korea. They suddenly felt a chill in their hearts.
The news of Xiao Ruxun killing deserters quickly spread throughout the army. The Liaodong Army and the Jurchen Cavalry were also in awe, and their military discipline was strict. Considering the prestige of the past, the soldiers of Liaodong Army were even more in awe of Xiao Ruxun, and their morale was strict.
The beginning of the 26th year of Wanli began with blood and killing.
Similarly, the same blood and killing were carried out all the time in Zijing Pass. The Mongolians didn't need to celebrate the New Year like the Han people did, and of course, they wouldn't give the Han people a chance to celebrate the New Year. It was obviously the night of the New Year, but from Li Chengliang to an ordinary soldier, everyone only had a bowl of wine.
And drinking at this time, whether it was to celebrate the New Year or to numb themselves with alcohol so that they wouldn't be so afraid, everyone had their own balance in their hearts. Therefore, many people drank the wine until they were extremely muddle-headed.
Li Chengliang couldn't be muddle-headed. He couldn't be muddle-headed in any case. Once he was muddle-headed, it would be bad. He insisted on staying sober and staying with the soldiers every day. Although he encountered danger many times, he still didn't retreat. This made the garrison of Zijing Pass maintain the minimum order and courage, ensuring the safety of Zijing Pass.
As the main executor, Chai Guozhu's throat was already hoarse from all the shouting, and he hadn't had a good rest. Now, he basically couldn't speak. Once he encountered something urgent, he would make a sound like air leaking, which looked very comical.
But now, who would go to see his funny show?
Chai Guozhu couldn't speak anymore, so he used practical actions to express his existence.
With his strong spirit and physical strength, once Chai Guozhu encountered an emergency, he would rush there. The death rate of his guards was as high as seventy to eighty percent. In more than half a month, the guards around him had been changed several times, and they had killed thirty to forty Mongolians. But the Mongolians didn't retreat, and they were still arrogant and fierce.
Fortunately, recently, the Mongolian offensive was getting slower and weaker. In the beginning, they would attack once every two hours, but after being repelled by the Ming Army, they quickly regrouped and attacked again. Now, they only attacked once or twice a day, and the attack was not strong.
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