It seems that things can't be handled hastily, Wang Zhenyu thought. After calming down, Wang Zhenyu's choice was to first go and help the old man who had fallen to the ground get up, and then pay him money. However, after searching his body for half a day, he discovered that he didn't have any money on him. He was extremely embarrassed as he asked Ma Xicheng for three big yuan, stuffed them into the old man's hand, and said: "Old sir, I'll buy this chicken from you. It must be our fault, the Aid to Hubei and Hunan Army did something wrong, you've been troubled, I apologize on their behalf."

  He finished speaking and actually bowed his head, scaring the old man into hastily waving his hand and saying "don't mention it, don't mention it".

  "I also apologize to our fellow villagers, we Xiang Army have caused you trouble." After finishing, he bowed in three directions towards the crowd. The onlookers were suddenly in an uproar, having seen the scene just now, everyone now guessed that Wang Zhenyu should be a leading military officer. Since he is a military officer, then he counts as an official, and from childhood to adulthood, no one has ever seen an official apologize for their mistakes, but officials are always right, this has been the case since ancient times!

  Wang Zhenyu turned his face back to look at Zhao Dongsheng, who was indignant and unjustly treated, and shouted: "You are a deputy commander, do you know that this act of forced buying and selling is against military discipline? If it were severe, it would be punishable by death! You understand? Considering that you did it for a reason and to save your sworn brother, I will give you twenty military lashes as punishment. Can you accept it?"

  Zhao Dongsheng didn't say a word either, he just tilted his head to one side, using actual actions to very clearly tell Wang Zhenyu that he was not convinced, and extremely unconvinced.

  This expression made Wang Zhenyu, who was originally going to take advantage of the situation and perfunctorily handle it, suddenly feel extremely embarrassed. He now felt that if this matter wasn't handled properly today, there would be big trouble. Don't underestimate this thorn in the side, Wang Zhenyu, who had read a lot of history books, knew that many times in history, these small characters inadvertently pushed things forward. Do you know about the Donglai mutiny that changed the fortunes of the Ming dynasty? The cause of such a serious incident was actually just a small soldier stealing a chicken, this discovery made later historians laugh and cry. Stories like "rioting for rations" and "mutinies" have been staged in every dynasty, don't underestimate these big-headed soldiers, if handled improperly, it would be the military officers who looked very powerful on ordinary days that would be counter-attacked.

  At the same time, Wang Zhenyu also felt that this was an opportunity, what kind of opportunity? An opportunity to establish his prestige in the military. To make a name for himself in this era, mastering the group of soldiers under him is the first step and a very important one. But how can he master them well, that's a problem!

  In his later years, while working in Guangzhou, Wang Zhenyu was the head of a department at a logistics company for half a year. At that time, he was the youngest among all the department heads. Initially, everyone didn't quite take him seriously, but eventually, they all listened to and followed his instructions. The reason was simple: he practiced what he preached, especially when it came to issues related to everyone's welfare and benefits. Wang Zhenyu had many clashes with the boss over these issues. When people are away from home, all they want is money; as long as you can solve this problem well, why would others not follow you? Once income increases, prestige naturally follows, because those who receive money will have this impression: "You can affect my income, so I'll listen to you."

  He had a plan in mind and said to Ma Xi, "Go, Deputy Officer Ma, inform the whole camp to gather here. I'm going to reward this stubborn donkey with twenty military sticks in public."

  Wang Zhenyu usually calls Ma Xicheng "older cousin" or "younger cousin" in private, but when it comes to official business, he uses the formal titles of "Vice Officer Ma" or "Deputy Officer Ma". Ma Xicheng is also a clever person and knows that when Wang Zhenyu refers to himself by his official title, it means he wants to handle things in an official manner.

  Ma Xi nodded slightly and took the chicken away, at which point the old man selling chickens finally came to his senses. He cautiously approached Ma Xi and said: "This... this official, I really didn't know that the chicken was going to be used to treat someone's illness and save their life. If that were the case, not only would I not sell it, but I'd even give it to you for free. Now that we've spoken of this, do you think the punishment could be waived? From what I can see, he doesn't seem like a bad person."

  "Alright, let's just forget it!"

  "This guy doesn't seem like a bad person, he's quite righteous!"

  The villagers next to him had long since lost their anger, leaving only sympathy for these rootless and homeless soldiers. So after the old man spoke up, they also chimed in to plead on behalf of the big guy.

  Wang Zhenyu didn't respond, but instead supported the old man and said: "The country has its laws, the family has its rules. You can rest assured that this matter will be handled fairly by the person in charge. You can all set your minds at ease."

  The town is not big, and soon the troops came running in an orderly manner, surrounding the crowd to see the situation, they voluntarily gave way to the stone road in the middle of the town, and the soldiers were in four columns.

  The team leader Hao Bing saw that the one kneeling on the ground was none other than Zhao Dongsheng, the notorious troublemaker of their own team. He thought to himself that this kid had never made things easy for him, and now with the sudden order to assemble, it was probably because this kid had gotten into trouble again. Before the formation was even settled, Hao Bing stepped forward, pointing at Zhao Dongsheng and cursing: "You damned rascal, you're getting more and more unruly! How did I treat you in the past? You actually dare to offend Commander Gao now? Watch me not beat you to death today!"

  Before he could make a move, Yang Wanguo pulled him back into the ranks and also gave him a light kick. Hao Bing was an old hand too, and after taking a stealthy glance at the expression on the face of the squad leader, he immediately understood and didn't dare to utter another word.

  Wang Zhenyu stood there, not speaking for a long time. His gaze swept lightly over the young faces of these soldiers, how young they were and yet how innocent. Just to drive out the Tartars, such an ethereal and empty reason, they were driven by their superiors from Hunan to Hubei, to fight with the powerful Beiyang Army, not having enough to eat or sleep well, without even receiving military pay. These were secondary, the most tragic thing was that there was no hope, the spoils of war would never fall on the heads of these ordinary soldiers. The post-80s generation always felt wronged and liked to express themselves through the internet. But what about these soldiers? Who could they tell their grievances to? Compared to these soldiers, what did the hardships of the post-80s generation amount to?

  Wang Zhenyu couldn't help but let out a sigh in his heart, for he had clearly seen the threads of sympathy contained within the soldiers' eyes.

  Wang Zhenyu felt that this matter was a bit tricky, having to be strict with military law while also considering human feelings, it's tough!

  The more than 700 people in front of him, after last night's analysis, are now the only capital for his survival in this era. If he strictly enforces military discipline and heavily punishes them, it would be unjust, and the soldiers will definitely be dissatisfied; if he doesn't punish them or lets them off lightly, it would be untrustworthy, and the soldiers will still be dissatisfied. Wang Zhenyu is not stupid and knows that if this matter is not handled properly, he may end up in a situation where everyone turns against him.

  Wang Zhenyu's brain was racing, and he had never encountered such a situation before. He wanted to establish military prestige, but also make people admire him, it was really a case of "fish and bear's paw can't be obtained at the same time"! For a moment, Wang Zhenyu couldn't speak, and everyone else didn't dare to make a sound, as if time and air had frozen in that instant.

  Wang Zhenyu suddenly remembered his past experience of doing real estate in Tianhe, Guangzhou. The five members of the group were required to recite information about the building at the morning meeting, specifically including house type, area, floor number, orientation and so on, and they were not allowed to repeat the same one for at least five times every day.

  The front may not be too difficult, but the back one that does not allow repetition is like taking a life. There are always people who cannot complete it. As a result, the manager came up with a trick to deduct money collectively if someone did not pass, which is a modern knockoff of the revolutionary collective punishment system.

  You won't say, as a result of such punishment only carried out twice, everyone's back plate is no longer a problem. Everyone can recite five plates without any repetition, after all, who doesn't want to drag down the whole group because of themselves? In the later era where personal utilitarianism was advocated, people could still do this, so what about now?

  Having gotten through this juncture, Wang Zhenyu finally spoke up amidst everyone's anticipation, his voice intentionally sounding slightly heavy: "Fellow brothers, the person kneeling here is called Zhao Dongsheng, and he is also one of our brothers. Looking at him now, I'm sure you all want to know the reason?"

  Wang Zhenyu paused for a moment, then continued: "Just now, this comrade tried to force the old man to sell his chicken but failed, and instead resorted to robbery. Luckily, our squad leader happened to catch him in the act and took him down. Comrades, who are we? We are revolutionaries fighting against the Manchu rulers, the backbone and hope of this nation and people. We are not those Manchu rulers, nor are we bandits or thieves. But Zhao Dongsheng's behavior has disgraced our second battalion, shaming us all."

  The soldiers were silent, Zhao Dongsheng didn't say anything, he just hummed.

  "According to military law, those who plunder the people's wealth shall be beheaded." Wang Zhenyu was used to facing hundreds of people when giving speeches in college and easily got into the zone. "However, I couldn't kill him today because it was me, our second battalion owed him an apology first."

  The moment of silence was broken, and the whole team became noisy. The team leader, squad leader, and instructors stood out to stop the soldiers from whispering to each other in a scolding manner.

  "Brothers, it's been three months since you've received your wages, and this is my fault as the leader. Some brothers have fallen ill, but I didn't know about it, which is even more my dereliction of duty. I, Wang Zhenyu, am your leader, your superior officer, and you are my comrades-in-arms, my sworn brothers. Your joys and sorrows, your hardships and difficulties, are what this leader and superior officer must take to heart. But this brother Zhao Dongsheng, in order to treat the illness of a fellow brother, has resorted to such strong-arm tactics as forced buying and selling. Everyone says, isn't this my fault? Am I not failing to live up to my responsibilities towards him?"

  The town's Baochang and Shenshi had already rushed to hear the news, the town was so small, the military's actions, they naturally paid attention.

  They were worried that these soldiers would make trouble here, and the bridge was too small to withstand their commotion! But what they saw was this scene, so fresh, so fresh!

  "Everyone for the revolution, to drive out the Tartars, bid farewell to their families, left their hometowns, and followed me, Wang Mou, all the way from Hunan to here. We staked our heads and shed hot blood, but were forced to do such things. I, Wang Mou, am ashamed before everyone, I, Wang Mou, owe everyone an apology." Up to this point, Wang Zhenyu deeply bowed his head.

  This is a fine mess, no matter how the officers scolded and stopped them, the whole team was inevitably chaotic. The soldiers now generally feel that their brains are not very useful and there is a risk of being caught off guard. The captain apologized to us, what's going on? Unheard of!

  Several team leaders were also too busy to stop the soldiers, and they exchanged eye contact with each other, apparently they all did not understand the behavior of their superiors! This is a mistake, how can you apologize to the big-headed soldiers? This kind of behavior that damages official prestige has always been taboo for officials. It seems that once the official prestige is lost, the subordinates will be disobedient, and now the military officers also feel that their heads are going to be chopped off.

  "There are national laws and family rules. Those who have merits will be rewarded, those who have faults will be punished. Even if Zhao Dongsheng's actions of forced buying and selling can be considered as having a reason, even if they can be excused. But that is also against military discipline, death penalty may be spared, but corporal punishment cannot be escaped, and the battalion commander will also reward him with twenty military lashes." Wang Zhenyu pointed at Zhao Dongsheng who was staring blankly at himself with confusion in his eyes.

  "This mistake, however, originated from the battalion itself, so before punishing them, the battalion commander should first take twenty military lashes to demonstrate the principle of equality under military rules." Wang Zhenyu had thought about this beforehand and knew that this punishment must be adjusted, it couldn't be carried out according to the division manager's method. After all, having over 700 people receive corporal punishment together was definitely not feasible, if they really did it, the most likely consequence would be that he himself would be killed by these reactionary soldiers tonight and become a nameless revolutionary martyr, one who wouldn't even be found in the history books from cover to cover. But if he himself received the lashes, that would have a different significance, those who were discontented would definitely be satisfied, and all that would be left would be shock. What's the point of being an official? Today, Wang Zhenyu would break this rule, this useless official authority could be discarded."