Chapter 1120

"They're trying to rebel? This is such an important matter, yet they actually took the initiative behind my back?" Chen Wuji's face darkened instantly.

Any lord would not be pleased to see such a thing.

Seeing this, Chen Li advised: "I have roughly figured out some of the causes and effects of this matter. The root lies with Chen Ruoshui, Hu Bugui, Qian Yong, and Wu Bu Yong and their few units. The gap between their units and those of Xie Fengxian and others is widening, and the soldiers have even lost the will to fight on the front lines, becoming passive and lazy."

"Although Hu Bugui and the others can still control the situation for now, they worry that if this continues, the soldiers in the camp will become completely lax, placing themselves in the rear units to while away the days."

"These few units have had very few opportunities to engage in frontal combat over the past two years, and their positions are mostly on the flanks, garrisoning cities, stabilizing localities, cleaning battlefields, and so on."

Chen Wuji's anger subsided a little: "It's impossible in the army to treat everyone equally; having elites necessarily means there will be ordinary troops. Do they really need to be so obsessed with this?"

Chen Wuji knows the military situation inside out— which unit is strong, which is weak, where they excel, what kind of battlefield they suit, and even better than he knows his own five senses.

He cannot make all units advance in unison; he must constantly pull out the stronger ones from within.

As for Chen Ruoshui and the others, they are all people who rose from the lowest levels of slaughter; they should understand this principle. How could they resort to such methods over these matters?

Chen Li said with a wry smile: "The Family Head oversees the whole situation and naturally considers this normal— where there is strength, there must be weakness; where there are elites, there must also be ordinary troops. But Chen Ruoshui and the others do not see it that way."

"They don't feel they are much inferior to others, nor do they think their soldiers are particularly weak. They merely believe the opportunity to fight on the battlefield has diminished, killing has become rare, and the soldiers have long lacked the tempering of blood and death, causing their morale to gradually decline and their strength to deteriorate further."

"They want the battlefield, they want opportunity! To convince Qian Fugui, Feng Linchuan, and others, they seem to have put in considerable effort— Chen Ruoshui merely accompanied Qian Fugui in drinking, and who knows how many rounds they've had!"

"Wait!" Chen Wuji suddenly shouted, "Chen Ruoshui accompanied Qian Fugui in drinking? Accompanied him in drinking?"

Chen Li stared blankly, "It seems not the kind of accompanying drinking the Family Head imagined— just accompanying him in drinking, listening to Qian Fugui boast, with nothing else."

"It would be best if there were nothing else. If there really were something, I'd cut them both down— damn it, in my military camp they actually resorted to the tactic of accompanying drinking!" Chen Wuji snorted.

Chen Li gave a light cough, "But according to my observation, Chen Ruoshui may indeed have some affection for Qian Fugui, though... rather subtle, and I don't know whether that blockhead Qian Fugui has noticed."

Chen Wuji's expression instantly became splendid, "Has Chen Ruoshui gone blind?"

Chen Li chuckled, "Once such a thing catches the eye, it cannot be judged by ordinary reason. Back in Xishan Village, didn't Chen Ruoshui already have some feelings for Qian Fugui?"

"Wasn't it Qian Fugui who was subjected to Chen Ruoshui's beauty trap in Xishan Village?" Chen Wuji asked in surprise. This matter is already quite old, and he needs to think it over carefully.

Chen Li shook his head, "No, but at that time Chen Ruoshui was indeed more willing to get close to Qian Fugui."

"How can a flower still insist on being planted on cow dung?" Chen Wuji shook his head and gave a light laugh.

"If they succeed, it would also be a good thing— no need to stop it. I hope such good things can be more numerous. However, what they did today, even if motivated by reason, is improper and should be punished! Today they conspired to deceive me— tomorrow might they not just rebel?"

"Even if they had come to me directly with sufficient reason, would I not consider giving them an opportunity? Yet they dared to conspire to deceive me."

Chen Li nodded, "Indeed, punishment is warranted. The Family Head has always been lenient toward them, and the rules and regulations will inevitably have some loopholes."

"However, this matter today is also strangely coincidental. Their original plan was for Qian Fugui and others to step aside, nominate Chen Ruoshui and his group for promotion; if the Family Head agreed, all would be well; if not, they would stage a bitter scene— roughly, Chen Ruoshui and his group would weep and complain, while Qian Fugui and others would echo their sentiments."

"That brat Qian Fugui even devised a 'retreat to advance' stratagem for Chen Ruoshui and his group— first wagering his own head by issuing a military order, and if unsuccessful, to retreat and request to be assigned to garrison duty and military training."

"Unexpectedly, the Family Head directly denied them the chance to act, letting them choose for themselves, whereupon they naturally and logically decided not to compete, leaving the opportunity to Chen Ruoshui and his three companions."

Chen Wuji's mouth twitched slightly, "I never expected— behind this there is actually a dog-headed military advisor. This Qian Fugui, he is the one truly intending to rebel— bitter play, military order, and finally a 'retreat to advance'— fine, very well, I will let him retreat and advance!"

"Come here, transmit my military order— go beat Qian Fugui with one hundred military staffs, then make him write a ten-thousand-character self-criticism, in which he must explain the matter clearly to me."

"For the others, reduce the staff punishment by half, and make them write a ten-thousand-character self-criticism. The staff punishment for Chen Ruoshui, Hu Bugui, and Wu Bu Yong is to be postponed until after the war, when we will settle accounts with them— still, a ten-thousand-character self-criticism!"

"Affirmation!" came Chen Wushuang's voice from outside the tent.

"Unity is indeed good— I let them create this kind of unity for me!" Chen Wuji muttered angrily, then suddenly shouted toward the outside of the tent, "Wait, Wushuang oversee the punishment— let them fight each other, whoever strikes lightly, double it!"

"Affirmation!"

Chen Li chuckled lightly, "They are all martial artists by now— one hundred staff strikes should not hinder their fighting, but the thought of riding horses afterward might cause them some suffering."

"I just want them to suffer!" Chen Wuji said, then suddenly looked at Chen Li, "Eleventh Uncle, you wouldn't also be one of them, would you? How come you know all this so clearly?"

Chen Li gave a light cough, "I only learned of this afterward and was startled, thinking something terrible had happened, so I went and beat Chen Lang up a bit— all this is what that brat said."

"Well beaten, should be beaten!" Chen Wuji said, while thinking in his mind that it's about time to let the Spy Camp also conduct internal investigations.

Otherwise, if something happens below, he will remain in the dark, still muttering to himself about where exactly the problem lies, fearing a mistake might occur.

Before Chen Li spoke, he had never even considered that this could be human-caused.

"Family Head, but that said, Chen Ruoshui's few units indeed need some opportunities for frontal combat." Chen Li advised, "Their foundations are not weak, and to let them waste away like this is truly regrettable."

"But the flank battlefield always needs someone!" Chen Wuji said, "Putting the elites on the flank— is that appropriate? This is irresponsible toward the soldiers."