120: Chapter 120 Military Law is Merciless

Zhou Zheng stroked his beard with his remaining arm, eyes flashing with sharp light as he spoke with great satisfaction:

"Lord Li, you don't understand. One who is too compassionate cannot lead soldiers, and one who is too sentimental cannot manage wealth.

If those thirty military cane strikes weren't delivered today to establish these iron rules, then tomorrow on the battlefield, these green recruits would scatter at the first sign of trouble. It wouldn't just be one or two people dying then!

Su Bai is actually saving them."

He paused, his gaze falling on Ma Lie nearby, and praised, "

Did you see Ma Lie move just now? From start to finish, his feet were like nails driven into the ground; he didn't shift an inch, steady as Mount Tai.

This is what Su Bai calls 'Lower body foundation.' It seems this 'Standing at attention' might truly be a good method for training soldiers!"

Hearing this, Li Han recalled the scene where Ma Lie had sent Pang Hai flying with effortless ease, and he couldn't help but nod repeatedly.

Although he didn't understand military training well, he could see that Ma Lie's composure was far beyond that of a brute like Pang Hai, who only possessed raw strength.

After the thirty strikes were finished, Pang Hai's buttocks were a bloody mess.

He lay on the ground like a pile of mud, lacking even the strength to groan.

"Carry him down and have the Army Doctor look at him. Don't let him die; the kitchen is still waiting for him to chop wood," Su Bai ordered indifferently.

Then, turning to all the recruits, he roared, "Attention! Now, do you still think Standing at attention is useless? Do you still think I'm just playing with you?"

"We wouldn't dare!"

"No, sir!"

All the recruits answered in unison.

"Very good!"

Su Bai nodded with satisfaction. "Since that's the case, continue. Run twenty laps around the Drill grounds with weights. If you don't finish, no one gets to eat today!"

"Yes, sir!"

This time, no one dared to voice even the slightest complaint.

Over a hundred people immediately rushed to the nearby Stone locks, strapped them to their bodies, and began running laps around the Drill grounds.

As for Pang Hai, he was carried back to the barracks by two men using a door plank.

His skin was torn and flesh mangled; he couldn't sit or lie down, only sprawl on the door plank like a dead dog, letting out weak moans.

Early the next morning.

Su Bai was having breakfast in the residence with Zhou Qingying and the others.

Ma Lie rushed in frantically, dropped to one knee, and said to Su Bai:

"General!"

"What is it? Has the sky fallen?"

Su Bai asked without looking up, unhurriedly sipping the porridge in his bowl.

Ma Lie's face was flushed the color of pig liver from anger as he said through gritted teeth, "General, those sons of bitches at the Quartermasters Office won't approve our grain."

Su Bai's brow twitched slightly. He set down his bowl and chopsticks and asked, "Not approving it? Didn't I give you a written order stamped with my General's seal?"

"I gave it to them!"

Ma Lie said indignantly, "I went there yesterday afternoon with your order. That fat bastard named Wang at the Quartermasters Office looked it over repeatedly, then said in a weird tone that our Militia isn't on the Jiedushi Residence's military roster and counts as 'off-budget personnel.' He claimed the procedures for approving grain and fodder were not in compliance!"

"I asked him what would be considered compliant, and that fat pig actually said that according to 'new military regulations,' this kind of extra allocation requires not only your order but also Chang Feng's signature and seal!" Ma Lie grew angrier as he spoke, his chest heaving violently.

"He also said that if we don't have Deputy General Chang's signature, it's fine, but our batch of supplies would be considered 'unplanned loss,' and they'd forcibly deduct thirty percent!"

"For every hundred catties of rice, they'd only give seventy! Isn't this blatant robbery?! The brothers are training so hard every day, and they can't even eat their fill. How are we supposed to train soldiers like this?!"

Su Bai listened quietly, his expression unchanging, but his gaze gradually turned cold.

Chang Feng.

It was that Chang Feng again.

During the last city defense battle, that useless waste hid in the back to reap benefits, only to end up breaking his leg through his own bad luck.

Now, before his injury has even fully healed, he can't wait to jump out and trip me up?

Withholding grain and fodder is a cardinal sin in military affairs!

What does he think he's doing?

Does he want my, Su Bai's, soldiers to go suppress bandits and die on empty stomachs?

It seems some people just never learn their lesson until they're beaten.

Since you like playing games so much, I'll play along with you.

Su Bai slowly stood up, wiped his mouth, and said to Ma Lie:

"Ma Lie."

"This subordinate general is here!"

"Select twenty veterans from the Handao Camp, bring your weapons, and come with me!" Su Bai's voice was soft, but his words carried heavy weight.

"Where to, General?"

Ma Lie's spirits lifted.

Seeing the General like this, he was likely going to get serious.

"The Quartermasters Office!" A cold glint flashed in Su Bai's eyes. "I want to see for myself who gave him the dog-like courage to withhold my, Su Bai's, supplies!"

Yunzhou City, Quartermasters Office.

This was the logistical lifeline of the entire Yunzhou Army, controlling the grain, fodder, weaponry, uniforms, and all other supplies for hundreds of thousands of troops. It was a lucrative post with plenty of room for graft.

The quartermaster, Fatty Wang, was lying leisurely in a grand armchair.

He was a confidant promoted by Chang Feng. Having gained plenty of benefits alongside Chang Feng, he naturally followed Chang Feng's every word.

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside.

A Clerk responsible for registration rushed in frantically, face pale as he shouted, "Lord... Lord Wang, it's bad! Gen... General Su... he's charging over with his men!"

"What's the panic! Look at how pathetic you are!"

Fatty Wang unhurriedly set down his teacup, using the lid to skim the foam, and snorted disdainfully, "A brat who rose to power by relying on a woman—could he possibly turn the world upside down?

General Chang already expected him to come make a scene and specifically instructed me to stick to the rules and not budge. If he dares to use force, we'll catch him in the major crime of assaulting a vital military supply zone. When we report it to General General Qin Bei, let's see how he handles the fallout!"

Just as he finished speaking, with a loud 'bang,' the two rosewood doors of the Quartermasters Office were kicked to splinters from the outside.

Amidst flying wood chips, Su Bai, dressed in black and with a face as cold as water, strode in with long steps.

Behind him were Ma Lie and twenty veterans of the Handao Camp clad in heavy armor.

These veterans had all fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood with real blades and spears.

The Evil Qi radiating from them was almost tangible.

In an instant, the temperature in the Quartermasters Office hall dropped by several degrees.

Fatty Wang's heart skipped a beat.

The fat on his face twitched involuntarily.

Although he spoke tough, seeing Su Bai in this state made him unable to stop his heart from trembling with fear.

However, thinking of Chang Feng backing him up, Fatty Wang forced himself to stay calm. He stood up from his armchair and said to Su Bai with a fake smile:

"Oh, isn't this General Su? What wind blew you here today? This... what's with this display? Charging into a vital military supply zone with so many soldiers... if word gets out, I'm afraid it won't be good for you. This is a capital offense."