Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 700: Garrison (Part 3)

Over the years, Meng Dashan has spent many years training and leading soldiers, wielded real spears and swords on the battlefield, fought mountain bandits, and purged displaced people. He naturally possessed the domineering aura and valor of a military general; now, drawing his sword with an imposing, unmatched murderous intent.

The originally noisy generals immediately became half-hearted, some quietly withdrew, others put on smiles to make amends, and the occasional stubborn ones who wished to stir trouble were quickly dragged away by their comrades.

Meng Dashan coldly surveyed the crowd: "I come under the Emperor’s orders to deliver full military pay, new clothes and shoes, and a large shipment of provisions for you all."

"The Emperor is concerned for all soldiers, and the Silver in the National Treasury is first used for you. All the disgraceful acts you committed before must now be completely ceased."

"From tomorrow onwards, wake up at the fifth hour for training; everyone must heed my orders. Anyone who disobeys, stand up now."

Invoking "under the Emperor’s orders" with every sentence, unless planning rebellion, who would dare defy?

In the silence, Meng Dashan coldly ordered: "Now that it’s settled, return to the military camp. The court will deal with your Commanders according to the law, and you all must diligently perform your duties."

The crowd slowly retreated.

The tense atmosphere in the military camp finally relaxed.

After all the troublemakers had left, Meng Dashan finally exhaled deeply and sheathed the long knife. His trusted aides also sheathed their swords.

"I thought we were truly going to start killing today," one murmured in a lingering fear.

"Right? I was already prepared to lose my life here."

Though there were indeed unclaimed wages in the camp, there were also solid three thousand soldiers. Once the camp mutinies, so many would charge with sticks, easily surrounding and killing all fifty of them.

Two fists cannot defeat four hands. No matter how skilled one might be, they cannot withstand so many people.

Meng Dashan silently sweat coldly within, but kept his composure outwardly: "What’s there to be afraid of! The soldiers in the camp had their pay heavily deducted daily, so haven’t eaten a full meal; why would they rebel with the generals? Only a few dozen came into the military camp today, how could they be our match!"

"Of course, we should avoid conflict if possible. The Emperor sent us to understand the details of the garrison, to warn them. If it truly escalates to a mutiny, it will be the local people who suffer. Then the court would have to send troops in suppression, creating trouble inside and out."

Now calmer, he laid out the reasoning one by one. No one knew who was the first to draw their sword just moments ago.

The trusted aides complained silently but dared not reveal Meng Dashan’s faults openly, instead nodding in agreement.

Meng Dashan instructed: "You all go and rest as well. Don’t sleep too deeply tonight and don’t take off your clothes, keep weapons at hand."

All the trusted aides nodded in agreement.

Meng Dashan himself did not sleep soundly that night. Whenever the slightest breeze stirred outside the military camp, he would immediately wake, get out of bed, grasp the long knife, and go outside to patrol.

Fortunately, the ordinary soldiers in the military camp were heavily oppressed by their own Commanders and indeed unwilling to risk their lives for the Commanders. The other middle and lower-ranking generals weighed the gravity of mass execution and quelled their anger and helplessness within.

After a night had passed, Meng Dashan’s heart finally settled back into place. Since this situation didn’t escalate at the beginning, it surely wouldn’t now.

At the fifth hour, Meng Dashan personally beat the military drum. After three rounds of drumming, the soldiers reluctantly assembled. It was already deep autumn and coolness was in the air. Fortunately, the brand new military uniforms had just been distributed; wearing new clothes and shoes, there was nothing to complain about early morning training.

Meng Dashan’s voice was loud, clearly audible to all three thousand soldiers: "First run ten miles, then return to the military camp for breakfast. This morning there will be meat soup and white steamed buns, everyone can fill their stomachs."

The soldiers heard and were invigorated, responding in unison.

Normally, Commanders were stingy with rations; not to mention steamed buns, even mixed flour buns limited them to two, with not an oil spot in the vegetable soup.

Now with meat soup and white steamed buns, what were ten miles? Run!

Meng Dashan was the Commander of the Second Guard Camp. Officially, the Second Guard Camp comprised six hundred men, though the actual strength was seven to eight times that. In terms of leading troops and training, Meng Dashan was highly experienced. Unlike Tao Da, who immediately commanded a twenty-mile run and trained all day long, leaving the soldiers bitterly complaining.

Meng Dashan adopted a method of gradual intensity. In the first few days, they only ran ten miles, with daily exercises starting from the simplest left-right turns. After half a month, once all the soldiers had acclimated to this intensity, they would add another five miles and the formations began to become more complex.

After two months, into the winter season, papers from the court arrived for the disposition of the garrison Commander.

As Meng Dashan had anticipated, the fourth-rank general who dared to maintain camp prostitutes for his own pleasure was directly beheaded and had his family property confiscated.

This was the first military officer sternly dealt with since the Emperor ascended the throne.

Additionally, a handwritten letter from the Emperor was delivered.

In the letter, Jiang Shaohua praised Meng Dashan’s actions of purifying the military camp’s atmosphere, yet sternly criticized Meng Dashan for his lack of self-care. It repeatedly emphasized the importance of caring for oneself, and in her heart, nothing was more important than Meng Dashan’s own safety.

Such a letter filled Meng Dashan’s heart with warmth.

One dies for their confidant.

As a military general, to serve such an Emperor is worthwhile.

"Go to the military camp and tell everyone, General Yao has been beheaded by the court. With such a pest gone from the camp, everyone’s military pay will be fully distributed henceforth. Also, slaughter three fat pigs in the mess hall today and let everyone feast and celebrate."

...

"The garrison of Da Liang is ten times, no, a hundred times worse than I imagined!"

Winter in the Capital City is especially cold. From November onwards, fire pits were lit in all the palace halls. At Zhaohai Palace, there was an abundance of charcoal fire, warm like spring.

Jiang Shaohua was eight months pregnant, her belly growing larger. Though she walked steadily, those around her watched in fear.

Jiang Shaohua frowned while pacing, Chen Jinyu followed beside her, not blinking as she watched Jiang Shaohua.

"Corrupt beings like General Yao, who knows how many there are. Now we can only kill one to warn a hundred, cautioning all military generals to restrain themselves."

"In a few years, I will personally inspect the military camps! Severely punish a batch of generals! Completely rectify the atmosphere within the camps!"

The generals’ acts of drawing unclaimed wages and exploiting soldiers are considered mild. Oppressing locals, extorting wealthy merchants, secretly smuggling Silver, committing faux achievements... the garrison generals everywhere have many tactics for siphoning Silver, rivaling civil servants in skill.

And this General Yao, who openly kept camp prostitutes, not from brothels but young girls kidnapped from civilian homes, was vile and repulsive in conduct.

Such scum in the army, killing them is insufficient to quell my anger.