Subduing

On the third night after Zhao Si received his bounty, a few veterans who could not suppress their urges secretly hid in the corner of a tent to gamble. They were all Sun He's former subordinates, and thinking that the spotlight had passed and the chieftain was so "easygoing," they hatched crooked ideas again.

They thought they were acting completely undetected, but unexpectedly, after only a few rounds of play, the tent flap was abruptly pulled back by a hand.

Wei Zhe's expressionless face appeared at the entrance.

The gambling soldiers were frightened out of their wits, and the gambling tools in their hands rattled as they dropped all over the ground.

"Ch... chieftain..."

Wei Zhe did not speak, only staring coldly at them. Qian Hu and Hu Lei, who followed closely behind him, pounced like wolves and tigers, pinning the men firmly to the ground.

Soon, the whistle for an emergency assembly sounded once more.

Three thousand soldiers, bleary-eyed, assembled on the drill ground, having no idea what had happened.

When those gambling soldiers were bound hand and foot and escorted before everyone, all of them understood.

"It seems some people took the rules I laid down previously as wind blowing past their ears." Wei Zhe's voice, in the silent night, was as cold as a knife.

"Gambling in the army shakes our military morale and ruins our military discipline! According to Great Qin military law, how should this be handled?" he asked sternly.

"Execute them!" Qian Hu and Hu Lei shouted in unison.

The moment the word execution was uttered, those soldiers were immediately so terrified they pissed and shat themselves, and a foul stench drifted from their trousers.

"Chieftain, spare our lives! We wouldn't dare do it again!"

"We were wrong! We beg the chieftain to give us a chance!"

Wei Zhe remained unmoved.

Right at that moment, Sun He stepped out from the ranks. These few men were, after all, soldiers he had brought up. He could not watch helplessly as they were beheaded.

Bracing himself, he cupped his fists and said, "Chieftain, these few were merely temporarily muddle-headed, their crimes do not warrant death. I ask you to... show extra-legal mercy and spare their lives!"

Wei Zhe shot him a cold glance. "Oh? Centurion Sun feels that what I said a few days ago was just passing wind? Or do you feel that your face is even larger than the military orders I have established?"

Sun He was choked until his entire face turned red, yet he dared not retort.

"However," Wei Zhe's tone took a sharp turn, "what you said has some logic to it. Just after expanding the army, seeing blood is indeed rather inauspicious."

The crowd's hearts relaxed just a fraction.

"Capital punishment can be avoided, but living punishment is inescapable." Wei Zhe's voice grew cold once again. "I'll give you two paths to choose from."

"First, these men will each receive one hundred military staves, have their legs broken, and starting immediately, be expelled from my Tiger and Wolf Army, never to be reenlisted!"

One hundred military staves! How was that any different from beating them straight to death?

Everyone drew in a sharp breath of cold air.

"Second," Wei Zhe's gaze nailed itself firmly to Sun He's face, "you, as their centurion, failed to discipline them properly. In their place, you will receive thirty military staves. This matter will then be considered settled. Choose for yourself."

The entire place fell into dead silence.

Everyone's gazes focused upon Sun He.

This choice was far too ruthless.

This was forcing Sun He. If he chose the first option, it meant he abandoned his own subordinates, destroying his prestige afterward so that no one would ever submit to him again.

Yet if he chose the second option, that was thirty military staves! Administered personally by ferocious men like Qian Hu and Hu Lei, even if he didn't die he would shed a layer of skin! On top of that, taking a beating in front of three thousand people, where would he save face as a centurion?

Time passed, second by second.

Fine beads of sweat oozed across Sun He's forehead. His fists clenched so tightly they cracked. He looked at those old subordinates kneeling on the ground, gazing at him with pleading eyes, and then looked at the youth upon the high platform whose gaze was cold and devoid of a shred of emotion.

He knew this was the final test Wei Zhe was giving him.

It was also his final chance to thoroughly integrate into the Tiger and Wolf Army, or be completely cast aside.

Finally, as if he had made some sort of resolve, he abruptly raised his head, and his hoarse voice echoed across the entire drill ground.

"I... accept the punishment!"

When those words—I accept the punishment—were laboriously forced out from Sun He's mouth, a gasp of collective shock echoed across the entire drill ground.

Those newly arrived soldiers, especially the several hundred veterans originally under Sun He's command, all widened their eyes, their faces written over with shock and utter disbelief.

Never had they imagined that their boss, usually so arrogant and protective of his face above all else, would actually choose to be punished publicly for the sake of a few errant subordinates.

This was thirty military staves!

Military staves were different from domestic punishments; they were made of hardened wood soaked in oil, as thick as a bowl's rim. Every single blow was enough to shatter tendons and bones. Never mind thirty blows; even ten could cause someone of lesser constitution to perish on the spot.

Sun He, he was using half his own life to preserve his soldiers and to uphold his dignity as a centurion!

Those few gamblers who had previously knelt on the ground weeping bitterly were now completely stunned as well, staring blankly at Sun He with their mouths wide open, forgetting even to beg for mercy.

Wei Zhe stood upon the high platform, watching Sun He's face, which appeared somewhat ferocious due to sheer resolve, a trace of imperceptible approval flashing deep within his gaze.

This was the result he wanted.

A commander, if he lacked even the courage to shoulder responsibility for his subordinates, was not fit to lead soldiers. Although Sun He was a military ruffian and a thorn in the side, deep down in his bones he remained a soldier with a sense of duty. Such a person, once properly hammered into shape, would surely become a fierce warrior in the future.

"Very good." Wei Zhe's face still bore no expression as he simply waved his hand indifferently. "Carry out the punishment."

Qian Hu and Hu Lei exchanged glances, dragged a long bench out from the side, and each picked up a heavy military staff. Their expressions were similarly solemn, without a shred of schadenfreude. Military law was like a mountain; they were merely the executors.

Sun He did not hesitate in the slightest. He strode to the center of the field, violently tore open his upper garment, and bared his bronze back, which was covered in scars large and small. Those scars were testament to his over a decade of military career and the glory of being a veteran.

Without a word, he bent down and lay flat upon the bench.

"Boss Sun!"

"Centurion!"

The veterans under his command could hold back no longer, shouting out with reddened eyes.

"All of you motherfuckers shut your traps!" Sun He abruptly turned his head, roaring fiercely. "Look clearly! This is the consequence of defying military law! If anyone dares cause trouble for me again, I'll twist off his head with my own hands!"

His roar was like thunder, shaking everyone's hearts.

Silence returned to the drill ground.

"Begin." Sun He lowered himself back down, his voice muffled.

Qian Hu drew a deep breath and raised the military staff in his hand high.

"First staff!"

"Whoosh—"

The military staff cleaved through the air with a fierce whistling sound, slamming viciously into Sun He's back!

"Crack!"

A crisp, teeth-aching loud noise!

"Ugh!" Sun He's body trembled violently, a suppressed groan squeezed out from between his clenched teeth, but he bit down hard and refused to cry out.

A bright red welt quickly swelled across his back.

Hu Lei stepped forward, similarly raising his military staff.

"Second staff!"

"Crack!"

Another heavy strike, intersecting with the first welt; the skin instantly split open, and fresh blood gushed forth.

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

Blow after blow.

The heavy sounds of striking beat against every soldier's heart like drumbeats in the silent night.

No one spoke; everyone held their breath. They gazed at the man lying upon the bench whose body quivered continuously with each staff strike, his back already a mess of flesh and blood, yet who never once emitted a single miserable scream, their hearts filled with shock and reverence.

Those errant soldiers had long since knelt upon the ground, kowtowing until it made loud thudding noises, their foreheads covered in blood, crying uncontrollably.

Wei Zhe stood upon the high platform, his face as steady as water, unmoving.

Yet his inner thoughts were not as calm as his exterior. He was observing, observing everyone's reactions.

He saw that the fear upon the recruits' faces was diminishing while awe increased. The gazes they cast toward Sun He were filled with guilt and reverence; the gazes they cast toward himself were filled with bone-deep terror and absolute obedience.

This was the effect he wanted.

An army could not consist solely of warmth and bounties, for that would nurture a flock of sheep. It required iron discipline and a bone-deep reverence for military law. Only with distinct rewards and punishments, balancing benevolence with sternness, could a true fierce and wolfish army be forged.

"Twenty-ninth staff!"

"Crack!"

"Thirtieth staff!"

"Crack!"

When the final staff fell, not a single patch of good skin remained across Sun He's entire back. Fresh blood trickled down the bench, pooling into a small puddle on the ground. He looked as though he had been fished out of a pool of blood, his sweat-soaked hair and trousers clinging to him as he lay there motionless, seeming to have lost consciousness.

"Execution complete!" Qian Hu discarded the military staff in his hand and reported in a loud voice.

Wei Zhe slowly descended from the high platform, step by step, until he arrived right before Sun He.