Chapter 1042 Heartless and Treacherous
Yuwen Ye walked over, looked at several familiar yet unfamiliar faces, and then said, "Just now, who said 'blind and heartless'?"
The crowd looked at each other.
Yuwen Ye said, "What, you dare to do it but not to admit it? You dare to curse but not to acknowledge it?"
Upon hearing this, several people showed unease on their faces. One of them gritted his teeth and raised his head.
Yuwen Ye looked down at him—he recognized the man, Zhao Deyan, who originally came from the Left Imperial Guard. However, he felt that he had wasted his time by not fighting, so he complained in the army every day. Someone reported him to Lei Yi. Lei Yi not only did not blame him, but also found a way for him to join the Yuwen family. At that time, Yuwen Yuan was serving as the Pacification Commissioner of Shanxi and was guarding Longmen to fight against the rebels. He joined Yuwen Ye's command and charged into battle without fear. Soon he made military achievements and was promoted to the rank of Guerrilla General.
Zhao Deyan replied, "Your Highness, it was I who said it."
Yuwen Ye said, "Tell me, why do you say that people are blind?"
"They weren't watching where they were walking and bumped into me."
"Oh, if I bump into you while walking, that's called being blind; but what does it mean to be heartless and ungrateful?"
"this--"
"What? You can curse, but you don't know what you're cursing?"
As they spoke, the surrounding soldiers were startled by the commotion and came out of their tents to gather around. Some were veterans who had followed the Yuwen family for many years and knew about the relationship between Yuwen Ye and Lei Yi. Some were even from the Left Imperial Guard like Zhao Deyan. Others were soldiers from Xiaopingjin Pass. Upon seeing the situation, they immediately understood what had happened. The soldiers from Xiaopingjin Pass all looked cautiously at Yuwen Ye, wondering how he would handle the matter.
Mu Xian said in a low voice, "Your Highness, let's deal with this matter later."
"Right now,"
Yuwen Ye looked at Zhao Deyan expressionlessly: "Speak."
Seeing this situation, especially with so many people surrounding them, Zhao Deyan refused to back down and decided to go all out, saying, "I'm cursing them." As he spoke, he gritted his teeth, revealing an even more indignant expression, and said, "They actually killed General Lei! General Lei was upright and honest, and he had been kind to me. How could they kill him? Isn't that heartless?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding soldiers immediately started making a fuss—
"nonsense!"
You're the one who's heartless!
"Would we have done this if he hadn't refused to surrender no matter what we said!"
As soon as the people on one side started shouting insults, the people on the other side naturally refused to let it go and started shouting insults back. Instantly, the entire military camp became like a boiling pot of soup. Just then, Yuwen Ye suddenly roared, "Shut up, all of you!"
Having come from a military background, he naturally possessed an imposing aura, so he rarely lost his temper. Apart from going to the battlefield, even those close to him rarely heard him raise his voice. But at this moment, he suddenly let out a furious shout, like a thunderbolt striking down on everyone. Everyone immediately fell silent, watching him without daring to breathe.
Yuwen Ye coldly scanned the faces of everyone present, and finally, his stern gaze landed on Zhao Deyan's face.
He said, "I have always been strict in disciplining my troops. Anyone who makes a mistake must be severely punished. I never tolerate or condone it. But I will make an exception for you."
"..."
"Go down and receive forty lashes."
"...!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.
The people at Xiaopingjin Pass originally thought he would definitely favor his own people, but they didn't expect him to say that the severe punishment was for Zhao Deyan; although he said that, he also "gave leniency"; but the result of "gave leniency" was actually forty strokes of the military rod - after all, Zhao Deyan was his trusted subordinate general, and had just made contributions in the battles of capturing Dagu Pass and Huanyuan Pass, and it was just a quarrel, so it really didn't deserve such a punishment as forty strokes of the military rod.
The people at Xiaopingjin Pass were both surprised and delighted, while the soldiers of the Great Sheng Dynasty looked at each other, seemingly indignant but not daring to speak up. Even Mu Xian showed a hesitant expression and said softly, "Your Highness, Zhao Deyan should indeed be punished, but forty strokes of the military rod—isn't that too heavy?"
Yuwen Ye gave him a cold look and said, "I've already said that this is an exception."
"..."
"Forty strokes of the military rod were already a light punishment for him. According to his crime, he should have been beheaded!"
"...!"
Everyone was startled again.
Zhao Deyan had originally intended to confess and accept punishment, but upon hearing this, he couldn't help but raise his head, stiffening his neck as he looked at Yuwen Ye: "Your Highness, this humble general would like to ask, what did this humble general do wrong? I only cursed them for being blind and heartless, and I accept forty strokes of the military rod. Just because I cursed these people, does Your Highness intend to cut off my head?"
Yuwen Ye said calmly, "As I just said, I am strict in disciplining my troops. Since I am in charge of troops, I must naturally abide by the law."
Zhao Deyan said, "Military law, does it mean that you should be beheaded for cursing someone?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Military law will certainly not behead you for swearing, but military law clearly states that anyone who disrupts the morale of the army shall be executed!"
Zhao Deyan's eyes widened: "I, I never—"
Before he could finish speaking, Yuwen Ye interrupted him, saying in a deep voice, "These people killed Lei Yi, and you call them heartless? Then let me ask you, what is the purpose of our military expedition this time?!"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of those around him changed, and Zhao Deyan's eyes flickered. After a moment of silence, he said, "Suppress the traitor Liang Shide and recapture the Eastern Capital."
"I'll ask you again, whose subordinate is Lei Yi?"
"Liang Shide".
"Then who is he to us?"
"...enemy, enemy."
"What are those soldiers going into battle for!?"
"Kill the enemy..."
"Okay, at least you're still conscious."
Yuwen Ye said coldly, "One last question—you know your responsibility is to fight on the front lines. If the brothers at Xiaopingjin Pass fail to defeat Lei Yi this time, and our two armies face off, what will you do?"
"I--"
At this point, Zhao Deyan's arrogance had completely died down; his broad shoulders slumped slightly, and his head hung low.
Yuwen Ye said, "Do you intend to surrender to him for your own selfish reasons?"
Zhao Deyan hurriedly replied, "This humble general wouldn't dare!"
"So, you intend to lose to him on the battlefield to preserve the bond between you, master and servant?"
"This humble general would never dare to do such a thing."
"Before we arrived, we sent envoys several times to persuade him to surrender. He killed the envoys and refused to surrender, fighting to the bitter end. These brothers killed him and surrendered to our Great Sheng Dynasty to protect themselves and for the sake of our Great Sheng Dynasty's grand plan to unify the world. What wrong have they done? How dare you say they are heartless and treacherous, such words that cause chaos in the army, and you still think you are not wrong!"
"..."
Zhao Deyan was speechless.
Yuwen Ye said, "Drag him away, give him forty strokes of the military rod, not one less!"
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