Things not only went very smoothly on Magistrate Ke's side, but there was also an unexpected surprise.
Things didn't go so smoothly for General Lu.
He took the identification tags of these men back to his tent and sent someone to summon the superiors of some of them. The other three men were a brigadier general and a colonel, all of whom held relatively high military ranks.
When General Lu saw the investigation results submitted by Deputy General Wu, he was so angry that he almost smashed the commander's desk to pieces.
"How did these people get to their current positions? We must find out the truth!"
General Lu was so angry that his chest didn't heave. After a long while, he said, "Furthermore, summon all officers of the rank of lieutenant general and above. The matter of soldiers going to Quanzhou City to patronize prostitutes must be thoroughly investigated from top to bottom today!"
Upon hearing this, General Wu's expression hardened, and he cupped his hands in obeisance, saying, "This humble general obeys the order!"
Upon his arrival, General Lu immediately beheaded the supervising officer, so all the officers of the Northern Desert Army above the rank of adjutant dared not delay upon hearing General Lu's summons.
Before the group even got close, they saw five people kneeling at the entrance of the general's tent.
These five men were not wearing armor, had heads as big as pigs, and knelt there kowtowing and begging for mercy.
General Lu sat in a chair with his eyes closed, while Deputy General Wu and others stood to the side, their expressions serious and grim.
Among the newcomers, those with guilty consciences naturally looked strange, not understanding what General Lu wanted to do, so they simply took the initiative and questioned, "General Lu, we don't know why you summoned us here!"
"Yes, now that almost everyone has arrived, just say what you want to say directly, don't put on airs."
Some people mocked, "General Lu doesn't need to put on airs. He is a close advisor to the emperor and is highly trusted by him. You should all keep your mouths shut or you might end up like the military supervisor!"
Upon hearing this, General Wu was the first to lose his temper and angrily rebuked, "Insolence! The supervising officer's actions are appalling. You should take this as a warning, not spout nonsense here!"
Those men were naturally dissatisfied and started arguing with Deputy General Wu.
In their view, this wasn't an argument, it was communication.
During each battle, everyone will have some necessary communication regarding the battle plan.
Deputy General Wu said they didn't understand hierarchy and were shouting in front of their commander. One of them said sarcastically, "We roughnecks have been in the military camp for a long time, so it's normal for us to speak loudly. General Lu lives in the palace and may not know this."
Vice General Wu was furious and was about to say something when General Lu, who had been silent all along, finally raised his hand.
Deputy General Wu then shut his mouth and glared fiercely at the group of people!
It's this group of people...
No!
These idiots have ruined the Huo family army, turning it into what it is now and tarnishing its reputation as a fierce and powerful force!
Vice General Wu could hardly imagine how heartbroken he would be to see Huo's army in its current state when the Marshal returned!
General Lu slowly opened his eyes, scanned each of the people, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
It seems that the death of the military supervisor did not make these fools realize their mistake; instead, it made them think that the matter was over.
I don't know where these idiots got their confidence from, thinking that if he killed the supervisor, he wouldn't kill them anymore!
General Lu's baby face showed no sign of anger, which only made the group of people look even more smug.
The group exchanged glances. What were they afraid of? The law doesn't punish the masses. Could this pretty boy surnamed Lu really kill them all?
The young man surnamed Lu didn't say much, and simply threw out his identity token: "Everyone, take a good look at these things!"
Someone picked it up, glanced at it, and then handed it to the person next to them. The group looked at each other, wondering what was so interesting about it.
One of them questioned, "General Lu, what do you mean by this? Could it be that these identity tokens correspond to these individuals?"
Another person picked up the conversation: "I wonder what they did to warrant such a large-scale attack from General Lu."
General Lu smiled enigmatically: "What offense have you committed?"
"Do you know from where I brought these people back today?"
"Prefectural government! We, the dignified military commanders and soldiers of the Northern Desert Army, went out to patronize prostitutes without paying, and beat up the guards of the brothel alley. People have filed a complaint with the prefectural government!"
Upon hearing this, those who had been jumping up and down trying to embarrass General Lu instantly turned pale.
What did that pretty boy surnamed Lu say?
Prostitution?
Brothel Alley?
Damn it, how did the brothel alley get exposed!
The expressions on these people's faces went from initial provocation to disbelief, and now to blazing anger...
These idiots actually got arrested for not paying money?
These people gasped, wondering if they had been exposed. If they were lucky enough not to be implicated, then these idiots could die.
But if they are exposed...
The group looked at each other, a bold idea suddenly rising in their minds.
If the Lu family is determined to leave them no way out, they might as well just rebel.
Once the Northern Desert Army was under their control, they immediately sent a letter to the King of Chu…
These people had a good plan in mind, but when it came to actually taking action, they pushed each other, and no one dared to step forward.
Anyone can talk big, but when it comes to real action, they chicken out...
After all, this man surnamed Lu may look like a pretty boy, but he is actually the top expert in the palace. They would not go forward at this moment to seek their own death.
Let's go back and think of some other solutions!
But what these people didn't expect was that they had no chance to think of any other way.
Deputy General Wu and his men dragged the group of people onto the arena. Once the soldiers had completely blocked the waterside pavilion in the training ground, Deputy General Wu loudly recounted the crimes committed by these men.
Amidst the regretful and fearful gazes of these men, General Lu finally spoke: "These past few days, I have been reviewing the military regulations of the Northern Desert Army. One of them states that anyone who patronizes prostitutes shall be punished with thirty strokes of the cane!"
"These five men not only frequented prostitutes but also refused to pay, assaulted the guards, and tarnished the image of our Northern Desert Army abroad..."
"Therefore! I have decided that each of these five men shall receive fifty strokes of the military rod!"
The moment the word "fifty" was uttered, the entire drill ground fell silent!
Are you kidding me? Many people can't even withstand thirty lashes, so fifty lashes is practically taking their lives!
General Lu didn't care what these people thought. He slightly raised his hand and said, "Execute them!"
Deputy General Wu and his men, who had been waiting for a long time, swung their military batons and began to carry out the executions with expressionless faces.
General Wu and his men loathed this group of people who contributed nothing to the Northern Desert Army and only knew how to smear them, and they showed no mercy in dealing with them.
At first, these people could still be heard roaring, but soon they stopped moving and lay on the bench. They only showed some physical reaction when they were being hit; otherwise, they were like dead people!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
