Chapter 558: Punishment in Military Court
Having one more enemy for the Yan family is naturally a good thing for Wang Chonggu who has already joined the New Party.

As long as the Yan family becomes more powerful and prestigious in the court, what he wants will naturally come true faster.

of course.

Wang Chonggu also did not forget the truth that it is better to rely on oneself than on others.

But for now, the Jin Party can only play a small role in the court and has not yet reached the point of being the only dominant party.

But there was no joy on Yan Shaoting's face.

Everyone is dreaming of being both civil and military, and everyone is dreaming of a prosperous family.

But it is not suitable for the current Yan family.

The Huo family of the Western Han Dynasty was also talented in both civil and military affairs. The brothers Huo Qubing and Huo Guang were both high-ranking officials in terms of both civil and military affairs.

But what happened to the Huo family in the end?

The principle that those who are too successful will frighten their rulers will never change.

Even though the Forbidden City has a new owner and the Ming emperor's reign title has changed from Jiajing to Longqing, some things will not change.

Amid Wang Chonggu's congratulations, Yan Shaoting had already swung his whip, and with a stern face, he whipped the warhorse hard in front of everyone's gaze.

The war horses neighed.

Yan Shaoting gripped the reins tightly and rushed down the hill.

When the general's personal soldiers saw what he did, they naturally whipped their horses and chased after him.

Wang Chonggu, on the other hand, stood there in a daze, looking at Qi Jiguang who had already pulled the reins and turned his horse around.

"What's going on?"

Wang Chonggu didn't think about the matter of being too successful to be a threat to his master, he was just a little confused.

Qi Jiguang shook his head and said, "Governor Wang, your request to govern the horses and people in the nine border areas may have been opposed by the court, but I think everything will go smoothly after today and you will get what you want."

After leaving Wang Chonggu on the hill in increasing confusion, Qi Jiguang also drove his horse towards the camp at the foot of the mountain.

Wang Chonggu frowned and looked at the smoke and dust rushing down the mountain in front of him, and could only shake his head in confusion.

In a blink of an eye.

Yan Shaoting had already driven his horse down the hill, bypassed the camp wall, and arrived in front of the camp.

At this time, because the Dragon and Tiger Army had been chasing the bandits in the desert for dozens of days and had won a great victory and captured the bandits and returned with cattle and sheep, countless generals in the camp had already come out with their men to welcome them.

"Wan Sheng!"

"Wan Sheng!"

"mighty!"

"The general is mighty!"

"..."

Deafening cheers rang out outside the camp surrounding the triumphant Dragon and Tiger Army returning with great achievements.

in the crowd.

Yan Hu, the Dragon and Tiger General, sat high on his horse. His long spear, which was always tied with a crimson flag, always attracted many people's attention, allowing people to recognize him at a glance.

And at the rear.

Herds of cattle and sheep were being driven over to the officers and soldiers of the rear camp of the army stationed in Wuchuan.

Mongolian voices could also be heard from the crowd.

Although it was difficult to understand, the babbling sounded quite unpleasant.

Yan Shaoting's arrival naturally attracted everyone's attention.

"The general is here!"

"I'm afraid the general will have to write a victory report himself and submit it to the capital."

"This time, our Northern Expedition Army has finally gotten rid of its grievances. No matter if they are the Anda tribe, the Tuman tribe, or the Ordos tribe, they will be sent to the capital and presented to the emperor!"

"Hahahaha! So happy!"

"Perhaps we can even see these thieves being sent to the capital, and dancing before the emperor to beg for their lives."

"Wouldn't that be a return to the glory of the former Tang Dynasty?"

The people coming out of the camp were discussing lively, and the topic had begun to extend to hundreds of years ago, an era when the emperor of the Central Plains was known as the Heavenly Khan, an era when thieves were captured and surrendered, and the thieves would dance in front of the emperor in order to survive.

Yan Shaoting, however, stopped his horse outside the crowd with a sullen face.

He got off the horse with an almost gloomy face.

The general's expression was soon noticed by everyone.

Gradually.

The originally lively scene gradually became quiet, and the generals who were still shouting also shut up and quieted down one by one.

The crowd also made way.

Yan Shaoting had an indifferent expression on his face and walked into the crowd under everyone's gaze.

Yan Hu, who was sitting on horseback with a gun in his hand, saw his brother coming at a glance.

A brilliant smile immediately broke out on his face, which was still stained with blood, and his big white teeth were exposed.

"elder brother!"

Yan Hu shouted loudly, and then in front of everyone, he nimbly swung his tail like a swallow and flipped over from the horse's back to the ground.

Then Yan Hu took two steps at a time and walked towards his brother.

"Brother! This time, can Xiao Que'er be called a match for ten thousand men?"

"Brother, you don't know, I even killed that damned Altan Khan's son..."

Yan Hu, who originally had a bright smile on his face and kept taking credit, saw himself getting closer and closer to Yan Shaoting, and the gloomy face of his brother who was walking towards him. His voice gradually became smaller, and finally he stood there, like a child who had made a mistake.

Yan Shaoting looked at Yan Hu, who had grown taller than him without him noticing and was now standing in front of him with his head lowered. He snorted coldly in front of everyone.

"presumptuous!"

"How can there be brothers in the army? When I manage the army, I always follow the military rules. There is only the General of the Northern Expedition here, and there are no brothers!"

The faces of the people around suddenly changed.

Yan Hu lowered his head deeply and said, "I admit my guilt, General, please calm down."

"Bastard thing!"

Yan Shaoting was merciless and didn't care about the situation at all. He scolded in public: "The Dragon and Tiger Army requested an order to follow my army to the north this time. All actions should be subject to my orders. The Dragon and Tiger Army is the vanguard army. They went out of the pass to pursue the enemy. They didn't know the front and back were connected. They deviated from the main army and went alone. They led their men deep into the tiger's den, disregarding their own safety and rushing for dozens of days. Do you still have military rules and orders in your eyes?"

No one expected that what should have been a day of celebration and cheering would be turned into a scene of public questioning by the general.

Yan Hu knelt heavily on the ground without saying a word.

"The general will finally be convicted!"

As he began to confess, the officers and soldiers who had followed Yan Hu north into the desert and were waiting for the general's praise and reward when they returned today also knelt on one knee.

Yan Shaoting, however, had a dark face. He waved his hand and said coldly, "One incompetent general can tire out the entire army! The crime committed by the vanguard general has nothing to do with you. Stand up."

As he spoke, some people stood up, but many people still knelt on the ground.

And this time.

Wang Chonggu had also rushed back with Qi Jiguang.

Walking into the crowd and approaching Yan Shaoting, Wang Chonggu was stunned to see Yan Hu kneeling on the ground and the soldiers who returned victoriously today. He laughed dryly and said, "General, what are you doing? Today, the vanguard army has returned victoriously, which is a great joy. The thieves captured by our army must be sent to the capital as soon as possible to confess their crimes before the emperor."

As he spoke, Wang Chonggu was about to step forward and pull Yan Hu up.

But Yan Shaoting spoke faster: "Military orders are as heavy as a mountain! Who dares to break military rules?"

After these words were spoken, Wang Chonggu could only frown and retract his outstretched hand.

He couldn't help but glance sideways at Qi Jiguang who was rushing down the mountain with him, and kept signaling to him with his eyes.

Even if Yan Shaoting, the General who conquered the north, wanted to abide by military regulations and rules, there was really no need to do so on an occasion like today, and he even had to use his younger brother who had just made a great contribution to establish his authority.

But even if Wang Chonggu blinked his eyes, Qi Jiguang would not move at all.

Yan Shaoting waved his hand and called the military officer in charge of military discipline in public: "Yan Hu, the vanguard of the Northern Expedition Army, disobeyed military orders, marched recklessly, violated military discipline, and disregarded human lives. According to my military order, he will be stripped of his armor and weapons and confined to the rear camp for custody. All his crimes will be reported to the central government for final judgment when the army returns to the court!"

The official from the Ministry of War who accompanied the army to the battle and was in charge of recording all rewards and punishments in the army was suddenly in a panic.

The general wanted to punish the Dragon and Tiger General Yan Hu and strip him of his armor and weapons in front of the camp, which was naturally within his authority and responsibility. However, he was just a small military official in the Ministry of War and dared not take action against Yan Hu.

The scene became completely deserted as Yan Shaoting was about to take off Yan Hu's armor and weapons and put him under guard in the rear camp. Everyone had a serious look on their faces, and many were even dissatisfied, thinking that the general was too harsh.

Wang Chonggu also walked up to Yan Shaoting and spoke again: "General, even if the vanguard army disobeyed military orders, we still won a great victory today. I saw that the vanguard army did not suffer many casualties and captured many prisoners. Even if they were guilty, their merits and demerits offset their faults."

Yan Shaoting was still merciless: "Military rules are ironclad. There is no such thing as merits and demerits in our country. Merits are merits, and demerits are demerits. If demerits are not punished, and merits are not rewarded, how can I manage the army, and how can the court govern the country?"

With just one sentence, Wang Chonggu's mouth was completely shut.

Yan Shaoting also looked at the military officials accompanying the army again: "Are you also going to disobey orders?"

The military official trembled all over and finally moved.

"quick!"

"Take off Yan Hu's armor and weapons and take him to the rear camp for custody!"

There are thousands of rules in the army, but the commander-in-chief's rules are the most important.

If he really dared to disobey military orders, Yan Shaoting would chop off his head in front of everyone.

Afterwards, neither the imperial court nor the Ministry of War had anything to say.

As the military officials called people to take off Yan Hu's armor in front of everyone and take away his sword, spear, and crossbow, the atmosphere became increasingly solemn.

Many people wanted to plead for Yan Hu, but when they saw Yan Shaoting's dark face, they all closed their mouths timidly and dared not utter a word.

Yan Hu, on the other hand, didn't shout or cry out during the entire process.

Even when his armor was removed and the swords and guns he carried on the battlefield were taken away, he did not say a word.

Even when his hands were tied and he was taken to the rear camp, he didn't even turn his head.

Wait until Yan Hu was taken away.

Yan Shaoting's expression eased a little, and he looked around at the soldiers present and coughed lightly: "I have just said that when I manage the army, I will punish those who make mistakes and reward those who make contributions. The vanguard army has made a lot of gains this time and has made great contributions. The soldiers have been raiding the desert for dozens of days and must be very tired. Order the rear camp to count the vanguard army's gains, reward the vanguard army today, slaughter cattle and sheep, and give each person three bowls of liquor. Tomorrow, the reward silver will be distributed in the parade ground, and they will rest for three days."

The atmosphere, which had originally become tense due to the public punishment of Yan Hu, gradually eased as Yan Shaoting opened his mouth to offer rewards.

Wang Chonggu was well versed in officialdom and could read people’s expressions.

Seeing that the crowd was still quiet, he immediately clapped his hands and started shouting.

"Didn't you hear anything?"

"The general wants to reward the vanguard troops. Today, just fill your stomachs with cattle and sheep. Don't forget that everyone will have three bowls of liquor!"

"There will be more rewards tomorrow!"

I have to say that in this situation, Wang Chonggu can really liven up the atmosphere.

He yelled.

The vanguard soldiers, who were originally worried, finally stood up and cheered.

After all, everyone has a rough idea in their hearts.

Even if the general punishes Yan Hu severely, he is still the general's younger brother after all. Even if he is beaten with a few military sticks, he will not die.

But the fact that you can drink wine, eat meat, and get reward money is real.

This has to do with the characteristics of Yan Shaoting's military command.

It is very similar to Qi Jiguang's way of commanding the army.

That is, the training was fierce, but they were also generous when giving rewards, even faster than when the Shanzi Camp was fighting against the Japanese pirates in the southeast.

Yan Shaoting didn't care when the reward should be given.

As long as the military officials accompanying the troops confirmed the number of enemies killed by the soldiers, they would immediately issue rewards. One Mongolian head would be worth ten taels of silver, or one golden Longqing gold coin.

As for bringing the heads to the central army for counting and inspection, this does not count for Yan Shaoting.

Since the Civil War, the imperial court has become increasingly strict in determining the merits of the army. The restrictions of various rules and regulations have led to the fact that although the merits are indeed there, the official achievements of the court have become ridiculous.

There would often be an army of tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, fighting against each other for several days, but the final number of beheadings would be only a few hundred or even dozens.

Although this is to prevent the army from killing innocent people to gain credit, it also depends on the time and place, right?

Now that everyone is outside the Great Wall, how can we kill any good person to gain credit?

As for killing those Mongolian herdsmen who did not follow Altan's tribes into battle?
In Yan Shaoting's opinion, it doesn't matter whether he goes to the battlefield or not, as he will be rewarded if he is a Mongolian.

He even wanted to write a letter to reinstitute the order to kill the Hu people.

In front of the camp, with Yan Shaoting using a big stick in one hand and sweet treats in the other, the morale of the army was stabilized and the military rules were slowly accepted by the soldiers.

The officers and soldiers of each battalion were taken back by the generals.

The vanguard troops were also arranged to enter the camp for rest.

As Yan Shaoting's order to reward the army arrived, the rear camp began to slaughter cattle and sheep and cook.

Yan Shaoting did not check on the Mongolian leaders captured by Yan Hu, but just walked back to the camp leading his horse.

Wang Chonggu looked left and right, and in the end he could only look from afar at the bandit leaders who were yelling and cursing in Mongolian, and then he caught up with Yan Shaoting who had already entered the camp.

"General."

Hearing Wang Chonggu's voice, Yan Shaoting didn't even turn his head, but just chuckled: "Does Governor Wang still want to persuade me? Do you think I'm too harsh on you, my younger brother?"

Wang Chonggu immediately cupped his hands and said, "The general is in charge of the army, and I dare not say much. General Yan Hu did disobey military orders, and it is within the general's responsibility to punish him."

Yan Shaoting then turned around and looked at Wang Chonggu: "What does Governor Wang want to say?"

Wang Chonggu blinked: "Your subordinate..."

"These Mongolian leaders have been captured by our army. Should the general consider leading his troops to escort the thieves back to the capital to report his achievements?"

There was a gleam in Yan Shaoting's eyes.

Wang Chonggu wants to go back to Beijing with me.

He didn't answer, but just looked towards the Yinshan Pass in the south.

"I am waiting for some people to arrive."

Wang Chonggu looked puzzled and looked back at the mountain pass leading to Hetao.

Yan Shaoting smiled slightly.

"I am waiting for these people to come and confess their crimes."

…………

Monthly PassMonthly Pass
(End of this chapter)