Chapter 1573: Chapter 1573: Reluctant to Act

The soldier killed someone in the street, witnessed by so many civilians, and Ye Shikai even swore to the heavens just now to severely punish the soldiers and strictly enforce military discipline to reassure the people, so... a death sentence is probably unavoidable.

Frankly, Ye Shikai really doesn’t want to do this. These brothers have followed him through life and death, surviving all the way from East County, with two-thirds dying along the way. The ones left, each one weighs heavily on him.

Moreover, Ye Shikai had never personally executed his own subordinates before. Though he wasn’t the executioner, he was the one giving the order.

"What do you want me to do?" Ye Shikai asked in return.

"At this point, you must order the soldier to be executed on the spot and decapitated in public. Only then will you stabilize the people’s hearts." Mi Wen said flatly, her tone was icy, devoid of any emotion, as if killing an ant. Of course, she was a master, a person who achieves great things doesn’t bother with trifles. If she grieved over the death of a soldier, how could she conquer the world? One must know, any emperor ascended to the throne stepping over countless white bones. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Mercy does not govern an army. As a qualified commander, Ye Shikai shouldn’t blame his emotions too much, but perhaps he was too sentimental. To order the execution of a soldier without changing his expression, he really couldn’t do it.

"Is there another way?" Ye Shikai hesitated for a long time before saying.

"What’s the matter, didn’t you just assure the people with absolute certainty that you wouldn’t bend the law for personal reasons? Now you’ve brought him back, do you intend to break your promise?" Mi Wen frowned slightly and said coldly.

"No, I haven’t broken my promise, it’s just... if there’s a better solution, wouldn’t it be preferable?" Ye Shikai shook his head. After all, he still had selfish motives. He didn’t consider himself a "Saint", let alone a god. He was just a person, and who can be emotionless? If there was a way, of course, he wanted to save this soldier’s life.

"For example, I can compensate the merchant’s family, any amount would suffice, and I will also cane the soldier as punishment." Ye Shikai wasn’t trying to settle things with money but hoped to convert the "capital punishment" into a "severe punishment" through material conditions, as long as he could save a life.

"What do you think?" Mi Wen asked.

"Of course, I hope..."

"You are now a General. You should not be considering the life or death of one individual, but the future of this entire army." Before Ye Shikai could finish speaking, Mi Wen interrupted him.

"The future."

"That’s right, the future." Mi Wen nodded and emphasized when Ye Shikai remained silent, she continued, "You brought your troops to Changsha to expand and strengthen, naturally I support that, so if you need money, I’ll provide it, need grain, I’ll supply it. But have you thought about the future?"

"In the future, if I just kill this soldier, won’t it dishearten the thousands of comrades? We are all brothers-in-arms, facing life and death, not dying at the hands of the Qin Army but at our own hands."

"No, completely wrong." Mi Wen countered, "If you do not execute that soldier for the public to see, you will lose the support of over 400,000 citizens in Linxiang City. In the future, not only you but your entire army will have no standing in the city. You pledged in front of the people to punish the soldiers severely. Once you break your word, you will lose your reputation. How will you recruit in Linxiang City after that?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Shikai felt a heaviness settle upon him. Mi Wen made a good point. If they lost popular support, how could they grow stronger? An "unjust army" would be scorned.

"Is it really worth delaying the future of an entire army for one person?"

"Greetings, General, greetings... my lord." At this moment, Xue San hurriedly entered the tent and said, awkwardly switching to call Mi Wen "my lord."

"How is that soldier?"

"His body is covered in wounds, all inflicted by the civilians. I’ve already asked a military doctor to treat him."

"What is the situation with the city’s civilians?" Mi Wen asked.

"Reporting to my lord, most of the civilians in the city have dispersed. Mr. Sun is organizing things, the market has returned to normal order. However... those civilians are clamoring to see how the General will handle this."

"Ahem, Xue San, pass my order to detain him first. Once his wounds are healed, we will review." Ignoring Mi Wen’s icy stare, Ye Shikai said resolutely.

"Yes."

"Are you defying me? Don’t forget, I am your lord..."

"And don’t you forget, this is the military camp. As the commander, within this camp, I am the highest authority. My orders cannot be disobeyed."

"You..."

..............................

Late at night.

Ye Shikai didn’t sleep all night, pondering how to settle this. He was caught in a dilemma. As a commander, he certainly understood the importance of military discipline. But sparing a life isn’t the same as "bending the law for personal reasons." From the current viewpoint, he should first actively compensate the shopkeeper’s family, seeking their forgiveness, then spare the death penalty but impose severe punishment by caning the soldier. This could also be considered severe punishment.

Perhaps, it was still a difference in philosophy, or maybe his own selfish motives were at play.

The next day.

"General, something’s wrong." Before dawn, Man Cang burst into Ye Shikai’s tent, waking him up.

"What’s going on?" Ye Shikai immediately asked.

"Just now, Mi... my lord took a team and forcibly entered the military camp, took away the soldier who caused trouble yesterday, and then... directly left."

"What, how could that happen? Didn’t you stop her?" Ye Shikai was startled and immediately wide awake.

"They came very quickly, and now that she’s the lord, our brothers were worried they’d hurt her and didn’t dare to stop her forcefully." Man Cang said helplessly.

"Where did she go?"

"According to reconnaissance reports, after taking the person, they headed directly towards Linxiang City."

"No, call the guards and the cavalry, we must catch up." Ye Shikai put on his armor and rushed out of the tent. Mi Wen intended to "act first and report later," bypassing Ye Shikai to execute that soldier publicly. He never imagined Mi Wen would do such a thing.

"General, I’m afraid it’s too late. They are light cavalry, and..."

"Less talk, follow me." Ye Shikai mounted his horse, and without another word, dashed off, the guards closely following.

Outside Linxiang City.

"Stop, who goes there?" Before dawn, the soldier on the city wall shouted loudly as he saw a large cavalry approaching the city.

"I am Ye Shikai, there’s an urgent matter, quickly let me into the city."

"Oh, it’s General Ye. My lord has ordered that the city gates can only be opened after dawn. Please be patient, General."