Chapter 282: Filling the Gap with Slaughter

Xiao Li took control of Yanping State and sent someone with a Token to Taiping City to retrieve Rong Qing. However, the news she received was that Rong Qing was fine and had already led his men to attack Changzhou.

Ziyue said, "That’s great! Brother Rong is safe."

Xiao Li, however, was not as optimistic. She would wait until she saw Rong Qing in person to be sure.

Changzhou had many soldiers, as well as troops from other countries, but King Xian’s assassination in plain sight had severely shaken their morale.

The Smoke Bombs had also caused many to mistakenly kill their own comrades, not to mention that the Prince Xian Mansion had been razed to the ground. It was like the sky was falling.

Forget rebellion, King Xian was now fighting for his life.

All that talk about being the Wenquxing and Martial Star, destined by heaven, had become a joke.

And those so-called heroes who had come because of the Heroic Invitations were now nothing more than a disorderly mob, scattering and fleeing.

Watching the chaos engulf the city, Lu Ling and Jiang Zhou fled on horseback.

The moment he saw Rong Qing appear, Lu Ling couldn’t hide his excitement. "It’s the Empress! The Empress is here!"

"This is wonderful! Come on, let’s go see the Empress."

Jiang Zhou’s face was a mask of despair. "The Empress is here, but we still haven’t found Prince Wei... We’re dead, we’re so dead!"

-----

Xiao Li had Lu Suyun taken away for interrogation. Unexpectedly, it was Wang Wanqing who ended up questioning her. That young lady, using some unknown tricks that drew no blood, simply coaxed Lu Suyun into spilling everything she knew.

As for whether it was true, every piece of information Lu Suyun gave was immediately verified by someone, and in the end, it all proved to be true.

Duan Ji was beheaded, and his head was hung at the city gate. Some in the army spoke out for him, saying he was the Divine Brave General who had conquered a country for the Empress. His contributions were outstanding, they argued, and he shouldn’t have been executed and had his corpse publicly shamed merely for disrespecting the Empress.

Xiao Li found this laughable. ’Duan Ji had his merits, but did I not reward him for them?’

’He was just a horse trainer. Everything he has today, he owes to my patronage.’

’Never mind that my mortars were the real key to victory against Yue Country. He wins one battle and already expects to be enfeoffed as a king or marquis. If he won a couple more, would he start thinking the throne belongs to him?’

Xiao Li couldn’t even be bothered to mention the fact that he had taken the main residence for himself while housing the Emperor in the Princess Consort’s embroidery tower.

Just for occupying the Prince Mansion without an imperial edict, declaring himself king, and taking Prince Yanping’s widow for himself—any one of those was enough to warrant death.

And that was before considering all the other things Lu Suyun had revealed he’d done.

Xiao Li couldn’t be bothered to argue with anyone. She directly ordered the treasures from the Prince Yanping Mansion to be moved to the army camp, and then had someone list out Duan Ji’s crimes.

Embezzling treasures from Yue Country, squandering military funds, building a private army, and forcibly abducting young women from the surrounding area to keep in a private villa for the pleasure of himself and his confidants.

Anyone who defied him was killed and used in his attempts to create Corpse Puppets, though he had not yet succeeded.

Yang Jun stood on a high platform, reciting Duan Ji’s crimes word by word.

The soldiers and onlookers below grew furious. The families whose daughters had been taken were especially incensed, wailing and recounting how their girls and young daughters-in-law had been abducted. Hearing their stories, the crowd seethed with righteous indignation, cursing that Duan Ji deserved to die.

A single strike to the head was too merciful for him. He deserved death by a thousand cuts, his bones ground to dust and scattered, to be trampled by ten thousand people.

Xiao Li granted their wish. She had Duan Ji’s body publicly burned, and his ashes were mixed with iron sand and cast into a stone monument, which was erected at the gate of Yanping City.

From this day forward, all military generals would take this as a warning!

As for those who were close to Duan Ji, every last one of them was investigated. Once their guilt was confirmed, they were publicly beheaded.

However, some of the soldiers were not happy. All they knew was that the men sentenced to die were their sworn brothers, men they had been drinking and feasting with just two days ago. And now, they were to be executed by the Empress.

’Evidence? What evidence? We were with them every day, how could we not have known?’

A group of them knelt outside, ostensibly to plead for mercy, but in reality to issue a threat, claiming the Empress was unjust and slaughtering the innocent.

Xiao Li was so angry she laughed. ’Do they think "Empress" and "Emperor" mean different things? That I, as an Empress, lack the authority of an Emperor?’

’Kindness achieves nothing, and compassion cannot lead an army.’

’Threatening me? Fine. I’ll make an example of them.’

This bunch of brainless brutes were mostly uneducated. They were simple-minded and had a foolish sense of loyalty.

Reasoning with them was useless. Only absolute proof and an iron fist could intimidate them.

But when these brutes saw the men die, they became even more radical. Some wanted to die alongside them, while others clamored to remove their armor and return home.

In an instant, it escalated into a massive mutiny within the army.

Xiao Li found it laughable. ’These men can’t even distinguish right from wrong.’

’Does being a soldier give you the right to loot property for yourself? Does being a soldier mean you can abduct decent women and do as you please?’

Military orders are absolute. Right is right, and wrong is wrong.

’Should the Emperor tolerate his soldiers abducting women, engaging in mass debauchery, and embezzling military funds?’

’Or is it because I am a woman, an Empress, that they think I lack authority? Fine... I’ll fill that gap with blood.’

She would make all her soldiers’ faces pale at the mere mention of the Empress!

All the ringleaders of the mutiny were seized and publicly executed.

Then, while all the soldiers were stunned into submission, Yang Jun announced the new laws from the Ministry of War:

All soldiers’ families would be allocated fertile land. Those with the rank of Centurion or higher would be exempt from taxes for life.

All wounded soldiers would be given government-arranged jobs and disability subsidies.

For all soldiers who fell in battle, the state would provide a monthly stipend of Silver Coins to support their parents, wives, and children.

The wives of all soldiers who performed meritorious service would be given priority to work in the Empress’s factories. The factory benefits were as follows...

...

"Her Majesty despises corrupt officials. She despises high-ranking officials and generals who are extravagant, indulgent, and disregard human life."

"What Her Majesty desires is a government of upright civil servants and righteous military officers. A wise sovereign and worthy subjects creating a golden age together, not a cesspool of corruption that harms the people and bullies the weak."

"You may not be educated, but I ask you to examine your own conscience."

"Can you stand tall and proud? Is your conscience clear? Are you worthy of respect?"

"Her Majesty never forces anyone. She is now giving all of you a choice. Those who do not wish to stay may request to lay down their armor. However, you will be considered deserters. For three generations, your families will be barred from military service, from serving in the court, and from enjoying any future state benefits."

The Silver Armor Guards rode back and forth, repeating Yang Jun’s words over and over again.

Finally: "Those who wish to leave, go to the left! Those who are staying, go to the right! You have one quarter of an hour to decide!"

A quarter of an hour later, more than half the men stood on the right, while a good thirty percent stood on the left.

There were fifteen thousand soldiers in Yanping State in total. About five thousand of them wanted to leave.

They had heard the benefits the Empress offered, but they still couldn’t get over her brutality.

They were arrogant, unwilling to pledge loyalty to such a cruel Empress. They believed their numbers were great enough that the Empress would have to compromise.

But they forgot that this was an Empress who commanded an entire nation. She had countless civil servants and military generals at her back. If she wanted to recruit soldiers, there were plenty of men willing to die for her. Why would she be threatened by a group as small as theirs?

In fact, the bigger the fuss they made, the better. It was the perfect opportunity to enforce military discipline and make an example of them.

It would serve as a model for the armies in other cities. The next time anyone dared to cause trouble, they would have to think carefully about whether they could bear the consequences.

Yang Jun bellowed, "Remove your armor!"

"State your names and leave the camp!"