Purging the Dregs and Strictly Enforcing Military Discipline

Tie Shilin sat slumped on the ground, staring blankly at Wang Man before him. He saw a deep, murderous intent in Wang Man’s eyes, within which flickered a cluster of black flames.

That fire made Wang Man’s gaze appear extraordinarily profound. Jiang Pingchuan looked at the squatting Wang Man without paying him much mind, though a moment ago, he had sensed a faint, almost imperceptible aura emanating from Wang Man.

It was a very unfamiliar presence. When he saw Old Master Gong leading a dozen or so cavalrymen out of the military tent, Jiang Pingchuan smiled—a cold, chilling smile. The dozen cavalrymen had been stripped of all their armor and garments, left clad in only a single pair of undershorts. Jiang Pingchuan lowered his head and looked at Tie Shilin on the ground.

"Strip them all of their clothes and straighten the ranks," Jiang Pingchuan said faintly to Old Master Gong, then strode directly toward the military tent. Old Master Gong licked his lips, waved his hand at the cavalry surrounding the patrol camp, and the riders, who had been circling rapidly, instantly came to a halt.

Everyone set to work stripping the thousand-odd soldiers of the patrol camp until only their undergarments remained, gathering this multitude at the entrance of the camp. Jiang Pingchuan dragged a chair out from the tent and sat by the doorway. Old Master Gong and Wang Man stood behind him, continuing their conversation about the culinary delicacies of the frontier, while Jiang Pingchuan quietly observed the approach to the patrol camp.

"General Tie, speak up if you're cold," Jiang Pingchuan said with a chuckle, looking down at Tie Shilin sitting on the ground in just his undershorts. Tie Shilin raised his head and shot Jiang Pingchuan a cold glare.

Had his timing not been off, he surely would have put Jiang Pingchuan in his place. He had intended to give Jiang Pingchuan a harsh initial warning, but he never expected that attempting to steal a chicken would end up costing him the rice, making a complete laughingstock of himself.

"You'd better know what you're doing. If my timing had been right, you wouldn't be looking so smug right now. Cross me, and I'll make you pay..."

"Smack..."

Before Tie Shilin could finish, a black cloth shoe slammed fiercely into his face. Wang Man, with one foot bare, stepped up to Tie Shilin and kicked him sprawling onto the ground.

Wang Man rubbed his bare foot against the undershorts on Tie Shilin's backside, put his cloth shoe back on, squatted down once more, grabbed Tie Shilin, and slapped him across the face.

"Idol, no matter how you try to time things, you'll end up in the exact same state. A fool is always a fool. What’s the use of running your mouth?" Wang Man said coldly, staring at the fury-filled face of Tie Shilin. Then, he smiled with profound meaning, as if mocking the wretched state of the man before him, or perhaps mocking himself. With that, Wang Man raised his head to glance at Jiang Pingchuan sitting quietly in the chair, patted Tie Shilin’s cheek, and stood up to take his place behind Jiang Pingchuan.

"Clop, clop, clop..."

At that moment, the rapid sound of hooves echoed from the front of the patrol camp. Jiang Pingchuan watched as a dozen horses drew closer and closer. He stood up and walked out to greet the arrivals. The man coming toward them was none other than Marshal Tie Niu, commander of the frontier defense.

Tie Niu reined in his mount a hundred meters away from the patrol camp, leaped from the saddle, and strode toward Jiang Pingchuan. Tie Niu possessed thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a face full of stubble, bearing a somewhat similar appearance to Ba Xia.

The difference was that from Tie Niu, Jiang Pingchuan sensed an aura of sincerity and unyielding resolve. Tie Niu gave the impression of an old, steadfast draft horse that only knew how to labor without speaking many words.

As Tie Niu drew closer, his face was already covered in sweat. Even though winter was fast approaching and he had ridden in haste upon receiving the news, it was unlikely he would be sweating so profusely.

Seeing the nervous expression on Tie Niu’s face, Jiang Pingchuan realized it was cold sweat. Blushing, Tie Niu hurried up to Jiang Pingchuan and offered a nervous, sheepish grin.

"General Pingchuan, forgive me for failing to welcome you from afar. I hope you take no offense," Tie Niu said with a warm smile, not even glancing at Tie Shilin, who was sitting on the ground clad only in his shorts. Jiang Pingchuan smiled faintly in return.

"Marshal Tie is too kind. Pingchuan is here to fight a war, not to be a guest. To have Marshal Tie come out to greet me personally is already an honor I scarcely deserve," Jiang Pingchuan said with a chuckle, looking at the nervous marshal. The two locked eyes and burst into hearty laughter.

"Marshal Tie, the military discipline in this patrol camp is appallingly lax. I took the liberty of dealing out a little rectification just now; I trust the Marshal doesn't mind?" Jiang Pingchuan pointed toward the thousand-odd soldiers behind him wearing only their undergarments, indicating the exact spot where Tie Shilin sat. When Tie Niu followed the gesture, his expression darkened.

Seeing his father arrive, the dull eyes of Tie Shilin on the ground instantly regained their luster. It was as if he had clutched a life-saving straw, eagerly anticipating his father fiercely putting this Jiang Pingchuan in his place.

"General Pingchuan, the commander of this patrol camp is my own worthless son. The boy is ignorant and offended you; for these grave offenses, I can only hope the General will raise your hand and spare him this once."

The tone Tie Niu used now was almost obsequious, completely devoid of the imposing aura of a marshal. In truth, Tie Niu had indeed changed. He had always been an honest and dutiful man.

Ever since he learned that Jiang Pingchuan was leading an expedition out, he had been filled with a mix of joy and apprehension, and his personality had grown even more introverted. To his adjutant, Tie Niu even seemed to be developing a faint sense of inferiority.

Sitting on the ground and hearing his father's words, Tie Shilin’s jaw nearly dropped. He could scarcely believe the man before him was his own father. This was nothing like a marshal; what sort of commander speaks with such a submissive posture to a mere general?

"Oh, haha, so the commander here is the Marshal's son? Well, this is simply the dragon king washing away the dragon temple—family failing to recognize family," Jiang Pingchuan said with a look of sudden realization, turning to stare in feigned shock at Tie Shilin on the ground. Tie Shilin gritted his teeth and glared coldly at Jiang Pingchuan. Meanwhile, upon hearing Jiang Pingchuan's words, Tie Niu’s brow relaxed considerably from its furrowed worry.

Tie Niu felt that Jiang Pingchuan was not as rigid as rumors made him out to be. This brought Tie Niu both relief and a twinge of concern: relief because Jiang Pingchuan’s current attitude strongly suggested he might drop the matter of Tie Shilin’s offense; yet concern because this same attitude made Tie Niu feel that Jiang Pingchuan might not be a completely impartial and strict soldier. A general should not let personal sentiment sway him. If Jiang Pingchuan was letting things slide simply because he, Tie Niu, was the marshal, then...

Privately, Tie Niu desperately hoped for this outcome. Publicly, however, simply sweeping the matter under the rug only resolved their personal grievances, leaving the larger, underlying issues unaddressed. Deeply conflicted, Tie Niu watched as Jiang Pingchuan walked over to stand before Tie Shilin.

"Dad, don't believe this bastard! This country bumpkin is no good—"

"Smack..."

"You unfilial wretch, shut your mouth!"

As Jiang Pingchuan squatted down in front of him, Tie Shilin sneered and shouted anxiously to his father. But instead of the paternal comfort he expected, a ferocious slap landed across his face, instantly stunning him.

What on earth was going on here? You are my father! Even if you act submissive to a general as a marshal, your own son has been stripped down to his underwear waiting for you to back him up, and yet not a single word of comfort is offered, not a single harsh threat is dared against the enemy, and the moment I speak up, I get slapped across the face!

Ten thousand mythical creatures galloped through Tie Shilin’s heart as he stared blankly at his father. Jiang Pingchuan, meanwhile, looked at Tie Niu with a disappointed, shaking head.

"Marshal Tie, as fellow officers, letting your son off is not a problem. After all, it's understandable that a young man would want to give a newcomer a warning."

Jiang Pingchuan stood up and spoke to Tie Niu beside him. A complex mix of emotions flashed through Tie Niu’s eyes—relief mingled with disappointment. Just as he had thought earlier, he was truly a conflicted man, having never encountered such a situation before, and feeling quite caught off guard upon his first experience.

"Many thanks to General Pingchuan for your magnanimity. Unfilial wretch, still not thanking the General?"

Hearing Jiang Pingchuan's words, Tie Niu finally let out a sigh of relief on behalf of Tie Shilin. Rumor had it that Jiang Pingchuan was unyielding and upright, never pulling back his hand until blood was drawn. He truly feared that his ignorant son would provoke Jiang Pingchuan to the point of execution, leaving him, the father, with no choice but to watch helplessly, utterly powerless to resist.

"Hmph, thank..."

"Hold on."

Tie Shilin let out a cold snort, clearly deeply reluctant to thank Jiang Pingchuan. Just moments ago he was opposing him, and now he was suddenly expected to fold like a grandson and beg for mercy?

Such a ridiculous thing was more than Tie Shilin wanted to stomach. But catching sight of his father's murderous glare, Tie Shilin swallowed his pride. A wise man yields to circumstances; green mountains remain, and as long as water flows, there would always be a chance for revenge in the future.

With this thought, Tie Shilin felt a bit more resigned as he looked up to speak to Jiang Pingchuan. Before he could finish, however, Jiang Pingchuan raised a hand to stop him. Both father and son looked at Jiang Pingchuan in confusion; seeing the smile playing at the corners of Jiang Pingchuan's mouth, the two of them felt a sudden chill run down their spines.

"What does the General mean by this...?" Tie Niu asked, perplexed. He truly could not fathom Jiang Pingchuan. Just a moment ago, Jiang Pingchuan’s words clearly implied he was going to let his son off.

He had told Tie Shilin to thank him, yet now Jiang Pingchuan was stopping him from apologizing. Tie Niu felt he was already out of his depth, but right now, Jiang Pingchuan seemed even more unpredictable than he was.

"General Tie, Pingchuan just said that as fellow officers, I can let your son go—after all, we are colleagues. However, as the Western Expedition General, I have both the right and the obligation to purge the dregs within the army. Tie Shilin flouts the law and discipline, and possesses a lazy disposition. The patrol camp is the most crucial link in wartime; if the patrol camp fails to do its job properly, it could very well cause us to lose the initiative in a battle," Jiang Pingchuan said angrily, pointing at Tie Shilin on the ground. Hearing this, the relaxation on Tie Niu’s face vanished, replaced once more by tension and deep embarrassment as he looked at Jiang Pingchuan.

Jiang Pingchuan was entirely correct. The patrol camp was the eyes and ears of an army. If problems arose there, exactly as Jiang Pingchuan stated, their side would lose the initiative in war. Fighting a war without eyes meant that even someone capable of shaking the heavens would inevitably suffer a crushing defeat.

"What the General says is true. I will immediately reorganize the patrol camp," Tie Niu said, blushing with embarrassment. But Jiang Pingchuan waved a hand to stop him once again.

"Marshal Tie, the commander of this patrol camp is your son. Knowing full well that your son is unsuited for this post, you still assigned him here—isn't that a dereliction of duty? Since it is your son, I trust Marshal Tie is capable of executing justice upon a relative. However, expecting you to personally administer military law to your own son might be too cruel. Let Pingchuan handle the task of reorganizing the patrol camp instead. How does the Marshal find that?"

Jiang Pingchuan stared coldly at Tie Niu. Meeting Jiang Pingchuan’s solemn and earnest gaze, Tie Niu finally felt he had found the right man—even if it meant his son had to suffer. In Tie Niu’s eyes, a man like Jiang Pingchuan was best suited for leading troops in battle; only someone with this temperament could forge an elite army.

"Then I must trouble General Pingchuan. Once you have finished reorganizing this place, please come directly to Frontier City, and I shall host a banquet to welcome you. I have pressing official matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

Tie Niu sighed softly, cast one final look at the ashen-faced Tie Shilin, cupped his fists toward Jiang Pingchuan, and spoke.

"Safe journey."

Jiang Pingchuan cupped his fists in return. Acknowledging the gesture, Tie Niu turned and strode back toward his warhorse.