Yun Ao grimaced in pain, but forced himself to say from deep in his throat, "Yes, Father." Then he was carried away by two guards.
Just as Lü Tu was about to recount his experience, he heard Yun Tian snort coldly: "Are you just going to stand by and watch him make a mistake?"
The guards were so frightened that they dared not breathe and could only keep their heads down.
Yun Tian's tone was icy: "A severed finger!"
As soon as he finished speaking, more than a dozen guards drew their swords in unison, aimed them at their fingers, and slashed down!
A collective gasp and the sound of bones cracking filled the air. As the victim, Lü Tu certainly couldn't have cut his own finger.
If he really had to cut it, he wouldn't mind immediately taking Yun Tian hostage. Fortunately, Yun Tian didn't look at him. When the guards respectfully held the severed finger in their palms, Lu Tu realized that many of them had already lost their fingers. Some had as many as eight fingers, while others only had four fingers to barely hold a knife.
Lu Tu watched with trepidation; the local customs of Wuchuan were constantly redefining his understanding of the place.
At this moment, Yun Tian looked at him and asked, "What's your name?"
Lu Tu clasped his hands in greeting: "This humble servant, Lu Tu, greets Commandant!"
"You just said that you killed all these Wuhuan cavalrymen?"
“That’s right! Your Excellency can send someone to investigate.”
Yun Tian suddenly grinned: "I've seen your skills, they're indeed impressive!"
Lu Tu finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you for your wise investigation, sir!"
Just then, a young man shouted from outside the door: "Young Master Yun, Young Master Yun, please don't reward him with military merit!"
Yun Tian's expression, which had finally calmed down, instantly turned cold. He glanced sideways and met Zhou Yabing's gaze as he barged into the training ground.
When Zhou Yabing saw that Lü Tu was also there, he exclaimed in his heart, "It's all over!"
He then knelt down with a thud: "Greetings, Commandant. I've come to see Young Master Yun."
Yun Tian glanced at him disdainfully: "Are you here to tell Yun Ao not to give the military merits to Lü Tu?"
"No, I was just saying it casually."
"Go back! You tell your father yourself that you're being confined to your quarters for a year and that you've been stripped of all your military posts!"
Zhou Yabing was terrified and his face was covered in sweat. He kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you for your magnanimity, Commandant. I will go right away!"
Zhou Yabing twitched his nose and saw blood everywhere on the ground. He knew what had happened and was also aware of Yun Tian's temper. He was lucky to have survived. He scrambled away from the Commandant's Mansion.
At this moment, Yun Tian took out a wooden plaque engraved with the character "伙" from his pocket: "Lu Tu, listen to my command, you have made great contributions, you are promoted to 伙长, and you are rewarded with 50 sets of military equipment, 5 warhorses, and 100 taels of silver!"
Lu Tu cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Commandant!"
Yun Tian shouted, "Sun Kuang, Sun Meng!"
Two guards emerged from the group whose fingers had been severed: "Your subordinates are here!"
"You two are being promoted to squad leaders, and from today onwards you will work under Lü Tu!"
"Yes, sir!"
Yun Tian waved his hand and said, "Go collect your reward!" With that, he strode away from the training ground.
The other guards then took out a strip of cloth from their bodies, casually wrapped it around their injured fingers, and followed them out.
Only Sun Meng and Sun Kuang remained. These two were the same two who had been introduced to Lü Tu at the entrance of the Commandant's Mansion.
Lu Tu had a good impression of the two of them; at least he didn't dislike them as much as he did others. "Gentlemen, I'll be relying on you in the future."
"You're too kind, sir. It's our honor to serve under a hero like you!"
Lu Tu didn't bother with any more formalities. He tore off two strips of cloth from his clothes and personally bandaged the two Sun brothers.
Sun Meng took a step back in surprise: "Boss, let me do it myself."
Lu Tu glared at him: "How can you do anything with just one hand? Since you're going to be my soldier from now on, you have to listen to me!"
Sun Meng hesitated for a moment, but could only let Lü Tu bandage him.
He knew, of course, that Yun Tian had arranged for him to serve under Lü Tu in order to keep an eye on him, but upon first contact, the hearts of the Sun brothers, which had long been cold and numb, felt a slight warmth.
They had been with the border army for three years, and all they had encountered in the army was ruthlessness and indifference. When had anyone ever truly cared about them? They had long since become accustomed to this way of interacting with people.
Unexpectedly, this young leader, who was even younger than them, possessed an irresistible sense of authority.
Lu Tu frowned inwardly. These guys were really ruthless to him, cutting off his fingers cleanly from the base. It was clear that they were both skilled with knives and hadn't left him any room to maneuver.
Being ruthless to oneself goes against human instinct; they must have witnessed the fate of those who cheated and slept, otherwise they wouldn't be able to be so cruel.
This shows that they are more afraid of Yun Tian than anything else. Lü Tu is not afraid of them monitoring him at all, and may even try to undermine them.
A guard came in to report: "Chief Lu, the supplies bestowed by the Commandant have been packed up. I'll send someone to deliver them to you! Here are 100 taels of silver."
Lu Tu pinched the silver ingot with two fingers and immediately broke off about two taels of silver, which he handed over: "Thank you for your trouble. Please have a drink with the brothers."
The guard's pupils contracted, immediately stunned by this move! He then grinned and calmly accepted the silver: "Manager Lü, you're too kind. I've already checked it for you, and the amount is correct."
Lu Tu nodded and left the Commandant's Mansion with Sun Meng and Sun Kuang.
A donkey cart was parked outside, with simple leather breastplates piled on top. Judging from the tanning method, their defensive capabilities were quite limited. However, in the early stages of starting a business, something was better than nothing.
There were still 5 warhorses left. Lü Tu handed the horses over to Sun Meng and his brother to lead. The group spent an hour returning to Kuishan Village.
At this moment, smoke was rising from chimneys everywhere in the village, which really surprised Sun Meng and his companion: "Chief, does every household in your village have enough food for dinner?"
Lu Tu had no intention of hiding these things, and frankly laughed, "I exchanged the silver reward given by Commandant Zhou for food, and had the villagers dig fortifications for me, and also gave them food."
The Sun brothers exchanged a glance, both somewhat shocked. Let alone this village, even in the entire Wuchuan City, families that eat two meals a day are few and far between; most people are used to the standard of one meal a day.
Moreover, if what Lu Tu said is true, then he has once again opened the eyes of the Sun brothers. To be able to use the silver he obtained to build and excavate fortifications and actually fulfill his promise to pay the villagers is such a trustworthy practice that it is beyond their comprehension!
As soon as he entered the village, the villagers, young and old, spotted Lü Tu and excitedly ran around telling each other, "The squad leader is back!"
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