Chapter 159 Commander Establishes Authority
Lin Changning dragged a group of spoiled brats back to the military headquarters without even eating, and forced them into the training ground.
Before lunchtime, everyone hadn't eaten yet, so Old Zhang kept some people to continue the large-scale drills. Only when Lin Changning returned did he allow the team to assemble.
The group of lazy soldiers were now exhausted and covered in sweat. They were quite incredulous to see the usually arrogant spoiled brats being dragged over with ropes tied around their hands.
These dozen or so were all scions of local powerful families who had been sent in. They spent their days eating and drinking, and only occasionally showed up. The higher-ups didn't care about them at all.
Today, I was dragged out like a dog on a leash. Judging from the way it looks, it probably broke into the house and was pulled back.
For a moment, everyone became solemn towards the newly appointed commander.
Those who had been sent in from other small families were especially terrified, fearing that the junior commander sitting above might drag them out if he was displeased.
Old Zhang glanced at the group of people he had dragged out from behind: "Huh, they've all been tied up?"
Lin Changning nodded and sat down on a chair in the training ground. His phoenix eyes were cold as he looked at Lu Shan and asked loudly, "Lu Shan, what is the punishment for not attending training without a valid reason and without asking for leave?"
Lu Shan clasped his hands and replied in an even louder voice, "Returning to the commander is a violation of military discipline. Failure to do so within a day will result in one lash, up to a maximum of 80 lashes!!!"
One of the men forced to kneel, a member of the Taiyuan royal family, shouted with red eyes, "I am a member of the Taiyuan Wang clan! Who do you think you are? How dare you whip me? My uncle is a third-rank official in the court! If you know what's good for you, release me! I'm just a figurehead in the Right Guard of the Prince of Chu! What right do you have to punish me?!"
Another member of the group struggled frantically, yelling, "Let us go! Do you believe we'll kill you?"
Lin Changning raised an eyebrow and sneered, his sharp phoenix eyes sweeping over the kneeling playboy below. He said in a low voice, "Then you can try to kill me. But before you kill me, you'd better pray that you can leave standing today."
After saying this, Lin Changning coldly looked at the group of people kneeling down: "A bunch of good-for-nothings who don't know their own mortality. Lu Shan, bring the instruments of torture. Don't worry about how many days are missing. Give them all eighty lashes! Execute them immediately."
The dozen or so spoiled young men who were forced to kneel were terrified when they realized that this seemingly young commander actually dared to take real action.
The whips were brought out, and a dozen soldiers took them and lashed the group of spoiled young men one lash after another. Blood was drawn after only ten lashes.
At first, the group still had the energy to shout and curse, but after thirty lashes, they were only concerned with the pain.
However, after 50 lashes, his entire back was covered in blood. Not only that, but no one cursed anymore. Many even cried and begged for mercy.
Their families were either officials or wealthy merchants in the area. From childhood to adulthood, they had never been beaten or suffered much hardship. After being whipped 80 times, many of them even fainted.
The group gathered below, seeing the sons of local powerful families beaten half to death for violating military discipline, couldn't help but feel uneasy. This newly arrived commander was clearly not someone to be easily fooled, and it seemed he was about to start disciplining them.
Lin Changning circled around the group of spoiled young men, noticing that they were barely breathing and the wounds on their backs, indicating that the attackers had acted with restraint. Although the injuries looked serious, they were only superficial.
Then he stood up and stood firmly in front of the soldiers who had just finished their drills, and said loudly: "Today's events are to teach you a lesson, so that you will know that I, Lin Changning, never keep useless soldiers under my command."
I don't care whose sons you are, or whose family members hold official positions anywhere. Once you enter the army, you only have one identity: soldier.
For soldiers, laziness, shirking of duty, and disregard for military discipline serve as a cautionary tale. We urge everyone to remember this.
I don't care what you were like before, but now that you're under my command, you'd better train me well from now on.
If you're just looking to coast along, you should find another way out as soon as possible. I, Lin Changning, don't tolerate incompetence, and I don't raise cowards.
If you're a coward, get out of here! Don't get my baton dirty! Did you all understand?
After the fight was over, Lu Shan, who had left the group of limp, spoiled brats on the ground, quickly returned to his ranks and shouted loudly, "Return to the commander, understand?!"
The group looked around, and after seeing Lu Shan take the lead in agreeing, they hesitated for a moment before shouting loudly, "Return to the commander! We understand!"
Lin Changning's gaze slowly swept over the group of soldiers below, and with his sharp eyes, he immediately spotted a few who still looked somewhat unconvinced.
He sneered and continued, "I see that some of you below don't seem to respect me. Of course, I'm new here, so it's understandable that you don't believe me. Today, I'll give you a chance. Those of you who didn't open your mouths just now, come up here and take on me. If I lose, I'll resign and give you the position of commander. If you lose, you'll each receive ten strokes of the military rod today. Do you dare to come up?"
After a long pause, no one moved. Lin Changning squinted at the few people in the group who had previously been unconvinced by her, and chuckled as she scolded, "Your resentment is practically overflowing, yet you don't dare to come up and spar with me? What a coward. Since you've acted like a coward and don't dare to come up and spar with me, then you should keep your resentment to yourself."
Finally, one of them couldn't hold back any longer. I glared at Lin Changning and stepped forward: "I challenge the commander of a thousand households!"
As one person stepped forward, five or six more troublemakers emerged, staring at Lin Changning as he slowly walked towards her.
Lin Changning stood with his hands behind his back and raised his chin: "Let's all come at him together."
Looking at Lin Changning's handsome and youthful appearance, the five or six troublemakers couldn't help but think that this commander was arrogant.
They grabbed their fists and surrounded them. Lin Changning knew that these people were quite skilled; their fist techniques were powerful and vigorous, like those of trained fighters. However, their lower body seemed unstable, and their fist techniques were full of flaws.
Lin Changning went straight to meet them, and the crowd below watched expectantly. Many people were worried for the new commander. These troublemakers were known for their fighting skills in the army, and now they were joining forces to fight. I thought this new commander was being too arrogant and was probably going to get a beating.
Lin Changning casually picked up one person and threw him out of the fighting circle. Then, with a flying kick, he sent another person flying 5 meters away. He dodged one of the punches and retaliated by punching the person on the bridge of the nose, knocking him unconscious instantly.
Seeing Lin Changning's bravery, the remaining three men couldn't help but feel hesitant to retreat. They looked at each other and none of them dared to go first.
Those men were considered to be quite skilled in the army, but this commander's fighting style seemed to be far superior to theirs; they couldn't defeat him.
Lin Changning stood opposite the group, lightly flicking his robes: "Go on, why aren't you continuing?"
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