Meanwhile, after pulling Fisher and Peter away from the verge of a fight, Li Ce—who had been so busy with various military affairs that he barely had time to touch the ground—had only just returned to his tent after the battle, where he listened to his adjutant's report.
After the adjutant finished reporting, a heavy sound of footsteps came from outside the tent.
Li Ce looked up. Before long, in the bitterly cold winter, Wei Qing appeared in his line of sight, panting heavily and drenched in sweat.
Upon seeing Li Ce, Wei Qing hurriedly straightened his military uniform, then drew a deep breath...
"Reporting, General! I've finished running twenty laps around the camp!"
"Mm."
Li Ce gave a casual reply, his gaze falling back onto the report in his hands.
"Do you know why you were punished?"
"I do! For questioning a superior's orders on the battlefield! If everyone did that, the orders of superior officers could not be carried out smoothly, and we would miss the opportunity to strike!"
At those words, the corners of Li Ce's mouth lifted slightly.
"You may leave."
"This subordinate takes his leave!"
Just as Wei Qing had said, if one superior issued an order and you questioned it, then someone else questioned it, could that order still be carried out?
That was why their Great Zhou military regulations stated it plainly: obeying orders was a soldier's bounden duty!
It was also the first lesson every new recruit learned after enlisting.
Wei Qing clearly understood that, yet he had still gone ahead and done it. Fortunately, he had encountered Shilke, who was relatively easygoing. With another officer, he might well have been dealt with under military law on the spot.
Judging by the result, Li Ce had not intended to pursue the matter.