Chapter 28 Will she hold a grudge against you?

Qin Sheng opened his mouth, but he couldn't finish the words.

They did not die at the hands of bandits, nor at the hands of their enemies, nor from natural disasters.

Instead, he died at the hands of the army that he had supported with his hard-earned money.

And those who slaughtered Pan'er's parents and relatives were from his command.

When he received the letter and rushed over, there was no one alive in the village except Pan'er.

Pan'er was lucky enough to escape the disaster because she was hidden by her parents.

If he had not been lax in his rule, such a disaster would not have happened, and Pan'er would not have lost his parents and relatives at such a young age.

Qin Sheng has always known that people can transform into demons in order to climb up, no matter the cost.

But he could not accept that such a person came from his command. Every time he saw Pan'er, he would think of the village where blood flowed like a river.

Although Qin Sheng has done a lot to prevent soldiers from killing innocent people and taking credit for their deeds, and has even imposed severe punishments, if anyone dares to do so, the entire family or even the entire clan will be punished, and even babies in swaddling clothes will not be spared.

But he also knew that this kind of thing could not be stopped, and there would always be people who would take risks.

As long as colleagues don't report this kind of thing, few people will ask about it.

He could only use the most brutal means to suppress it, trying his best to make people afraid to commit crimes and have no courage to do so.

But Qin Sheng still felt a lump in his chest that took a long time to dissipate.

If only there were a way to completely solve this problem...

Chu Yian was so shocked by these words that he couldn't close his mouth.

In her perception, the military and civilians are one family, and soldiers, like police officers, are very reliable.

But she seemed to have forgotten that she was not living in the modern era, but in a feudal dynasty.

When enemies come, they are like combs; when soldiers come, they are like rakes.

When bandits plundered ordinary people's homes, they were afraid that someone would come and leave after looting, so they would not search too thoroughly.

But the soldiers came openly and would search thoroughly, and would not be satisfied until they had taken away everything that people had hidden in the cellar.

In this era, especially in remote villages, soldiers are more terrifying than bandits.

Chu Yian also felt sad. She asked, "How did you deal with those who harmed Pan'er's parents and relatives?"

Qin Sheng pursed his lips, his eyes gloomy: "I was quite good to them. I sent someone to send them back to their hometown to meet their fellow villagers."

"Then tell everyone what they have done in front of them, and then execute them."

Killing people and destroying their hearts is nothing more than this.

But Chu Yian still felt that the punishment was too light.

They killed the entire village and only took their lives. How can they be worthy of the innocent souls who died in the underground?

And this may not be the first time they have done this. They may have done it before, and countless innocent people have died tragically at their hands.

Collective responsibility is not a popular practice in modern society, but this was ancient times after all. Chu Yian sometimes really hoped to promote this spirit more.

Qin Sheng rarely failed to notice Chu Yian's thoughts this time, and said, "I have thought of many ways, but I still can't prevent this kind of thing."

Chu Yian thought about it, she didn't understand, and said casually: "It can't be eliminated. It's nothing more than the incentive effect of the military merit system and the lack of strict supervision. Most of the problems lie in this."

Qin Sheng didn't expect Chu Yian to say such a thing. He was a little surprised and looked at her sideways.

In his impression, Chu Yian was not the kind of lady who never left the house. She was bold and had thoughts bigger than the sky.

But she is the typical example of someone who has the desire but not the courage to do anything, and this is especially true when it comes to matters between men and women.

Qin Sheng had seen Chu Yian disguised as a man and sneak into the brothel several times, wanting to go in, but after walking back and forth at the door several times, she still left.

Qin Sheng thought for a moment and said, "What's your opinion? Tell me. If it's right, I'll take you to the brothel."

Chu Yian: ...

Chu Yian's expression twisted: "I'm not that kind of person."

Qin Sheng: "Well, so are you going or not?"

Chu Yian gritted his teeth: "Go!" Damn it, the opportunity is right here at my doorstep, it would be unreasonable not to go!

Qin Sheng must have seen her wandering around the door of the brothel, but that was not because she was cowardly, but because she was poor.

We were really poor back then.

How could she dare to go in with only five taels of silver on her?

Qin Sheng chuckled, and Chu Yian, who was so thick-skinned, felt her face turn red. She coughed and said, "What I said is quite simple. You can think about it yourself later."

"This kind of thing is unavoidable. I know your army has a method of marking their own people, but that can only prevent them from killing each other, and it won't protect the civilians."

"I don't have a simple and effective method. I only have some stupid methods that may not be applicable. They may not work. I can only give you a reference. You can figure it out yourself later."

Chu Yian really didn't know what to do. There were so many cases in history of killing innocent people and taking credit for it that it was impossible to avoid.

It was not until modern times that no one did this anymore.

In this ancient time of cannibalism, it can be said that only strict military regulations can restrain those people, and any suggestions based on human limbs and organs will not be considered.

After thinking for two seconds, Chu Yian said: "I think officers can actually command battles, and they don't have to be rewarded based on the number of enemies killed."

"If they were to count the number of enemies killed, they would likely steal the credit from their own soldiers. By changing the way they are awarded, the soldiers' credit wouldn't be stolen, and to a certain extent, it would help prevent them from killing innocent people."

"Also, we need to find a way to improve the military merit system and its levels. Ask your military advisors to think about how to improve it when they have free time."

"Things like reporting and impeachment, and the classification of military merits, you can find someone to think about it slowly."

"Besides that, we also have to find ways to educate soldiers ideologically and improve their loyalty and personal morality."

Chu Yian felt that what she said was very high-sounding, and there were many things that she simply couldn't explain in detail if you asked her to.

I can only provide Qin Sheng with an idea and let him figure it out on his own.

Anyway, Qin Sheng knows more about military affairs than her, and he has a group of people under him. They should not just sit there idle, but help to think of a solution.

Qin Sheng thought about it and realized that many of Chu Yian’s suggestions had actually been implemented or were still under consideration, and could not serve as an effective reference.

But it was good that she could think of these things, at least it broke some of Qin Sheng's perceptions of her.

Qin Sheng's smile was more sincere: "Well, I'll show it to you when I have a specific regulation."

Chu Yian's mouth twitched, and he clasped his hands together: "No, please, I really don't understand those things. A layman guiding an expert, are you really not afraid of making mistakes?"

Qin Sheng smiled and stopped talking about this topic, but started talking about Qin Paner again.

"So, I am the one who has let Pan'er down. I can't repay her parents, so I can only raise her in the Duke's Mansion to make up for it."

Chu Yian nodded and asked, "Does Pan'er...know about her parents?"

Qin Sheng hummed: "That child is precocious. If other children encountered something at such a young age, they would have forgotten it long ago."

"But I think Pan'er...it seems she hasn't forgotten, she's just hiding it better. But she's still young, so it's inevitable that her emotions will show."

"She has been brought up by her mother since she came to the Duke's Mansion. If you don't like the child, just stay away from her. She won't come near you on her own initiative."

Chu Yian didn't care whether Qin Pan'er would come close to her, but asked pointedly: "Will she hold a grudge against you?"