NOVPUB"Behead them."
Chen Sansi ordered, "Tell everyone, anyone who dares to steal even a grain of food from the people will meet this fate."
"All fifteen of them to be beheaded?"
Teng Le hurriedly said, "Among them is an assistant general, who has also made contributions in the past."
Chen Sansi didn't speak, only looked up at him.
"I understand."
Teng Le dared not say more and could only go to carry out the order.
Banditry cannot be tolerated!
Once this mindset spreads, no matter how elite the troops, they will instantly become no better than bandits, a rabble, easily crushed!
And to put it bluntly,
how much stored grain can there be in the homes of the local people?!
Even if the army were to plunder them completely, how many more days could they last?
Fostering such a climate will only lead to quicker collapse!
"After the beheadings."
Chen Sansi added to the others, "Hang the heads on the city gates for all to see. Return however much grain was stolen, especially to those families who have lost someone. Compensate them until they are satisfied. Assign Wang Li to handle this matter."
"Yes!"
"What about Liao Fang?"
Chen Sansi asked.
"Replying to the Supervisor,"
Tong Xiaochu answered, "There's been no response yet. The message should have been delivered to him by now, but for some reason, he's deliberately dragging his feet without replying."
"What else could it be for."
Wang Jun scoffed, "He wants more benefits."
In the blink of an eye,
several days had passed.
Chen Sansi only rested for two hours each day, spending the remainder cultivating.
But as time went on, the daily ration for the soldiers dwindled, and disorder increasingly took hold.
They dared not plunder any longer, so they simply deserted.
Hongze Camp had no issues, standing immovable as a mountain.
But the Supervisor's Army, having been defeated for half a year and trapped here for another half, coupled with the knowledge that provisions had run out and there were revolts in the rear with no way out, had already seen their morale plummet to rock bottom.
Basically, every day people would attempt to desert.
"Supervisor,"
Tong Xiaochu, having just dealt with a group of people, came into the Central Army Tent looking harried, and said, "It's no good, we only have enough provisions for another twenty-some days, and it can no longer be concealed.
"Now they're not just deserting, but many mid-ranking generals have received letters of persuasion from West Qi. Yesterday, while patrolling outside, an Immortal Master from West Qi was killed, and within his storage bag were filled with secret correspondences with our military generals. If this continues, out of the one hundred and fifty thousand troops, at least forty thousand will mutiny!"
Forty thousand.
It might not seem like a significant percentage, but when it occurs internally, the problem is severe.
"Rustling——"
Teng Le took out a sackcloth bag and poured out various secret letters: "Should we take action in advance to prevent them from causing trouble?"
Chen Sansi, who had planned to cultivate, had no choice but to make time: "Take the letters, gather everyone in the Martial Arts Arena."
"Supervisor Chen, are you planning to make an example out of someone publicly?"
Tong Xiaochu nodded thoughtfully, "That might be good, it will certainly deter them."
A few hours later.
At dusk, in the Martial Arts Arena.
The one hundred and fifty thousand troops had gathered together before nightfall.
Among them,
assistant generals and above, along with civil servant officers, were all gathered at the very front.
After they had arrived,
a figure in a White Robe walked onto the high platform amidst the evening breeze, and beneath his feet were piles of secret letters.
Seeing this,
several assistant generals immediately broke out in cold sweat.
"These!"
Tong Xiaochu stood beside the man in the White Robe, casually grabbing several letters and holding them up high: "I suppose some of you are quite familiar with these, right?!"
"A bunch of scumbags!"
"A sword is sharpened for years to be used in a moment's notice!"
"The Great Sheng Court provides you with rations, teaches you Martial Arts, and supplies you with medicinal herbs. Now is the time to serve the court, and you heartless creatures actually think of defecting!"
"Supervisor!"
"Give the order, tear open these letters, and behead them one by one!"
Upon hearing this,
those assistant generals' hands all moved to the hilts of their swords at their waists, ready for a desperate struggle.
But unexpectedly, the next words from the man in the White Robe were completely opposite to what they all had imagined.
"Burn them."
"What?"
"Just burn them all."
Chen Sansi repeated.
"If it's to be burned, then burn it, why all the fuss?"
Seeing Tong Xiaochu not reacting, Chu Shixiong directly threw his torch onto the pile of letters.
Before the eyes of thousands, these pieces of evidence that should have warranted capital punishment were all set ablaze until reduced to ashes.
Those assistant generals and civil servants bowed their heads, hiding the calm in their pupils.
"I haven't seen the letters,"
Chen Sansi spoke, his voice, although not shouted, reached every corner calmly, "So you can rest assured, no one will trouble you.
"You want to survive, I can understand that.
"Given the current situation, if you, these would-be defectors, go to West Qi out of desperation, even if you survive, will you have any prospects in the future? Who would reemploy traitors?
"But on the contrary!
"If you clench your teeth and hold out just a little longer, you will soon have the opportunity to earn great achievements and establish careers!"
Earn great achievements and establish careers?!
A hundred and fifty thousand people.
Both generals and soldiers looked at each other, perplexed. They were clearly in dire straits, so where was this opportunity to earn achievements?
"Dire straits?"
Chen Sansi seemed to see right through their hearts: "No! It's the moment for a counterstrike! In Chen's eyes, West Qi's three hundred thousand-strong army is already a Corpse Mountain!"
With these words,
the entire arena was astir.
Clearly facing certain death, how could it be that in the mouth of this Commander, it sounded like the complete opposite?
"I, Chen, have never lied to my subordinates!"
Chen Sansi's voice was resolute: "Have I ever been defeated?"
Indeed...
Never!
The soldiers of the Supervisor's Army, even if they were not well acquainted with Chen Sansi, had to admit this was true.
