Seeing Xu Huang admitting his mistake, Wen Yuan's expression did not soften, but his tone became a little more serious, and he said coldly: "The defeat of Baihe is not your fault alone. You misjudged the situation. All the counselors below me are responsible, but Your neglect of military morale is a capital crime. However, because of your years of fighting and your repeated military exploits, I will only deprive you of your title and demote you to three ranks to keep you in office. You may be convinced,"
"The guilty general is convinced, thank you for your grace," Xu Huang said gratefully with tears in his eyes. He willingly degenerated and neglected the morale of the army. He indeed committed a capital crime. Even if the lord wanted to behead him, Xu Huang had nothing to say, but the lord only gave him such a light sentence. He had to be punished, why didn't it work? Xu Huang was grateful.
Wen Yuan waved his hand and said coldly: "Don't thank me so quickly. You can avoid the death penalty, but you cannot escape the punishment of living. Later, I will make you confess your crime of damaging the morale of the army outside the military tent here, and do it in front of the officers and soldiers of Guanzhong. Ten, you are convinced,"
Asking Xu Huang to confess his crimes in front of his subordinates sounds like an attempt to humiliate Xu Huang, but if you think about it carefully, it certainly shows that the general should be punished equally for making mistakes, but Wen Yuan wanted to do more Taking Xu Huang as an example, he strictly enforced military discipline.
Moreover, Xu Huang personally took the lead in pleading guilty and receiving the punishment, which would also re-establish an image in the hearts of the demoralized Guanzhong sergeants and establish military morale faster. Therefore, Wen Yuan's treatment seemed to have wronged Xu Huang, but in fact it helped Xu Huang. It means to regroup.
Xu Huang bowed gratefully: "General... I am willing to accept the punishment. Thank you, Lord, for your accomplishment."
Wen Yuan immediately ordered Xu Huang to come out of his tent to receive his punishment, and beat drums to call for formation in the camp's school grounds.
Soon, more than 10,000 Guanzhong sergeants who had no idea what was going on lined up neatly in the school grounds, quietly without making a single noise. Although they were defeated, the strict discipline was still deeply imprinted in their bones.
Wen Yuan strode onto the general stage, followed by several Xuanying guards escorting Xu Huang, who was naked and tied behind his back. When the sergeants saw this, there was an uproar. Looking at the posture, the lord seemed to want to control the general Xu Huang. Sin, the calm suddenly exploded, and pleas for Xu Huang could be heard everywhere.
"My lord, please spare General Xu. Although the Battle of Baihe was defeated, the blame does not entirely fall on General Xu. He has also tried his best."
"Yes, my lord, General Xu has served with my lord in the army for many years. He is loyal to his lord. He has worked hard even if he has no merit..."
"..."
Looking at the mess below, Wen Yuan frowned. Seeing this, Xu Huang took a step forward and shouted loudly: "Quiet, anyone who talks too much will be killed."
Xu Huang had led the Guanzhong Army for many years. Although he had just suffered a defeat, he still had great prestige in the hearts of his soldiers. This loud shout immediately suppressed the noisy voices below.
Suppressing the commotion of his men, Xu Huang knelt down on the stage and said: "The last general has committed a serious crime, and I wish to deal with it according to the master."
Wen Yuan narrowed his eyes and looked at Xu Huang coldly and said: "Xu Huang, you know what crime you have committed. Tell it in front of the officers and soldiers present so that everyone can listen."
"Yes, the last general..." Xu Huang immediately mentioned his crime of being decadent after defeat and neglecting the morale of the army. After being reminded by his lord before, Xu Huang already knew where he really went wrong. Just as the lord said, defeat is not a crime. It's not shameful. What's shameful is that you can't recover after defeat.
Xu Huang took the lead in pleading guilty, which immediately aroused the guilt of the officers in Guanzhong. Thinking of all the slackness after the defeat, everyone could not help but lower their heads in shame.
Seeing the performance of the soldiers, Wen Yuan nodded secretly. It was nothing to endure humiliation. Understanding shame and then being brave is what a defeated army needs most.
Waiting quietly for Xu Huang to finish, Wen Yuan said: "Very good, since you have confessed your crime, I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the public if you don't impose punishment. Someone will come and take Xu Huang down. He will be executed immediately with a cane of forty."
"Promise," four hunky-backed Xuanying guards agreed in unison. The two of them pressed Xu Huang on the execution platform, while the two held military sticks as thick as their arms.
Being escorted by Xuanying Guards, Xu Huang did not make any move to resist. Instead, he sincerely whispered to them: "The guilty will deserve what they deserve. Please don't show mercy, brothers."
"General Xu, don't blame the brothers." Seeing Xu Huang being tortured so calmly, even the Xuanying guards who were torturing him couldn't help but have a flash of admiration in their eyes.
"Execution, one," Xuan Yingwei, who was holding a military stick in his hand, shouted loudly. The military stick he raised high came down hard with a whirring sound, making a muffled sound and leaving a bloody mark on Xu Huang's waist.
"two,"
"three……"
"..."
"Pah...pah...pah..." Every time the stick fell, Xu Huang's body trembled, his face was distorted, and a large amount of cold sweat fell down his forehead. It was obvious that the stick fell hard on his body. It was definitely real, but with just a dozen sticks, Xu Huang's back was already bruised and bloody, making people reluctant to look at it any more.
But even so, Xu Huang still gritted his teeth and endured without even humming. This made the generals on the stage worried and had to admire Xu Huang's toughness.
But the sound of the stick falling was not so pleasant when it reached the ears of the officers and soldiers in Guanzhong. Xu Huang was so decadent because he was sad to lose so many soldiers and horses. He suffered such a crime not because he loved the soldiers. Like a child's heart.
Therefore, when the military stick fell on Xu Huang, it was like a sharp knife piercing the hearts of the soldiers on the field. The soldiers only felt guilty and unbearable. After the soldiers' morale was weakened, a ferocious aura slowly gathered in the hearts of everyone. .
Wen Yuan quickly sensed this quiet change in the atmosphere. This is exactly what Wen Yuan wants to see, knowing shame and then being brave, not being arrogant in victory and not discouraged in defeat. This kind of army is what Wen Yuan wants most. After such A lesson learned. I believe that the Guanzhong Army will be able to rise from the ashes in the end. The next time it steps on the battlefield, it will definitely become a battlefield warrior that makes the enemy tremble with fear.
"Forty," as the execution guards shouted, the soldiers in Guanzhong felt that the extremely long forty sticks had finally come to an end. The school grounds were quiet, and the atmosphere unknowingly became solemn and depressing. All the sergeants had glaring eyes. Looking at the stage, Wen Yuan once again saw an invincible energy in their eyes.
"This is so good," Wen Yuan murmured with narrowed eyes. He was very satisfied with the result. He immediately ordered: "Come here, help Xu Huang down to rest. In addition, the Guanzhong Army suffered heavy losses and will rest for three days." Then return to the Guanzhong station, so you don’t have to participate in the subsequent war..."
"Wait a minute," before Wen Yuan finished speaking, he heard a loud shout from in front of him, and it was Xu Huang who interrupted him.
"My lord, if you dare, please don't let us go back to Guanzhong, please let us stay here and make up for our mistakes," Xu Huang said through gritted teeth and knelt down. His movement affected the injuries on his back, causing heart-breaking pain. His face immediately turned pale and he gasped for air.
Wen Yuan's eyes flashed, obviously he was very interested in Xu Huang's words, but Wen Yuan did not agree immediately, but said: "Except for the wounded, there are only eight thousand Guanzhong soldiers who can fight." The remaining people are in a chaotic organizational structure. How can we still have the strength to fight again without some rest and replenishment?"
Xu Huang said resolutely: "Yes, lord, I believe in my brothers. I believe that none of them are cowards. They all want to stay and avenge their dead brothers, let alone eight thousand soldiers, even if only the last one is left." One person, we Guanzhong athletes will never retreat, and we will beg the lord to leave us behind."
"Oh, can you represent the feelings of the lieutenant generals here, then...do you think so too," Wen Yuan said to Xu Huang with a smile, and the second half of the sentence was spoken loudly to the Guanzhong officers and men in the audience.
Wen Yuan's words were like a spark that fell into the hearts of the soldiers in Guanzhong, which were already like powder keg. Boom, the atmosphere in the field suddenly exploded, and the waves of pleas for war were deafening, reaching into the sky.
"Yes, we will avenge our dead brothers,"
"Even if there is only one person left, we will never retreat,"
"..."
Finally, Xu Huang raised his hand to suppress the sound like a roaring mountain and a tsunami, and bowed loudly, saying with a firm face: "Lord, please stay with us,"
"Please Jin Gong please stay with us,"
Along with Xu Huang, there were tens of thousands of Guanzhong officers and soldiers in the audience. They all knelt on the ground. Not only the able-bodied soldiers, but also the injured soldiers knelt down. On the ground, they looked at Wen Yuan with burning eyes. At this moment, no one could stop the burning desire to fight in their eyes.
"The final general is brave and wants to ask the lord to keep them." In this heroic and tragic atmosphere, Zhao Yun couldn't help but feel excited, and he bowed down with emotion. The amazing fighting spirit that the Guanzhong Army burst out at this time, even He even boasts of himself.
Wen Yuan thought for a while and said to Xu Huang: "Okay, I will give you a chance to redeem your merits, but before that, you have to check me carefully. Wounded soldiers who cannot go into battle must be strictly eliminated. I can I don’t want these good soldiers to become casualties in battle,” he said, leading Zhao Yun off the stage in large strides.
Xu Huang was overjoyed and said, "Thank you so much, my lord. I send you my best wishes."
The matter of the Guanzhong Legion's stay was finally decided, and Wen Yuan was very satisfied with the result. Although the Legion was defeated, its morale was finally boosted again, and its fighting spirit was even a hundred times stronger than before.
Although Wen Yuan let go of this matter, Wen Yuan could not relax and kept Zhao Yun by his side. After all, he had just arrived in Wancheng and there were still many things for Wen Yuan to worry about.
Early the next morning, Wen Yuan was discussing military affairs with Zhao Yun. Suddenly, a rumble of war drums came from outside the tent. Wen Yuan frowned and asked, "Who is beating the drums outside?"
The guards under the tent reported back: "It's Huang Zhong, the defender of Wancheng, who is provoking a fight outside the camp."
"Huang Zhong," Wen Yuan muttered and looked at Zhao Yun.
"My lord, it's like this..." Zhao Yun said with a bitter smile. It turned out that because of the defeat of the Jin army in the Battle of Baihe, the morale of the Wancheng defenders was greatly boosted, and the arrival of reinforcements made Wancheng's military strength exceed that of the Jin army outside the city. This period At that time, Pang Tong ordered his generals to leave the city and challenge Zhao Yun in front of the stronghold. Although Zhao Yun was not afraid of fighting, he was worried that he had fallen into Pang Tong's trick, so he closed the stronghold gate tightly and refused to fight. For a while, Wancheng's army became very arrogant.
Wen Yuan suddenly realized and muttered: "So that's it... I want to see what tricks Pang Tong can pull off. Zilong, go and meet the enemy."