Chapter 416: No One May Move a Single Soldier

Along with the flash of swords came the instant drop of more than twenty heads, blood gushing out and instantly staining the floor of the barracks red.

The entire barracks was suddenly filled with a strong scent of blood.

The sudden turn of events startled the Jingying officers present; every one of them wore a horrified expression, frozen in place.

Just now Jiang Zining and Shi Guangzhu were still being sent out to kill—how did more than twenty of them get cut down right inside the barracks?

The deputy generals were all fourth rank, with titles of nobility. The colonels, guerrilla commanders, and assistant generals were all fifth rank, most also holding noble titles.

With just that simple order, six fourth‑rank court generals and nearly twenty fifth‑rank generals died?

This is not the "military god" people speak of; it's a god of slaughter!

The Grand General is truly terrifying!

Unlike the Jingying officers, the Bashang Daying officers, though startled, showed little fear, since today's Grand General was clearly targeting the Jingying officers.

A few even had the leisure to watch the Jingying officers' terrified faces, a hint of mockery on their own.

Is that what you call fear?

If you had witnessed the Grand General, back when he was still a marquis, kick the Marquis of Linchuan to pieces, wouldn't you have wet your pants?

Under the Grand General's command, daring to violate military law shows you truly don't know what "death" means!

"Come, drag them down!"

Jia Jing stood up expressionlessly, issued a command, and reached for another ledger from the command desk.

Seeing this, the Jingying officers shivered all over, lacking the courage even to stare at him!

To the eyes of the barracks' officers, the ledger on Jia Jing's command desk had become a death register, marking who would die!

Jia Jing flipped through the ledger and said coldly:

"Before military law, all are equal. No matter one's status, background, or any old ties with me, anyone who dares to break our law will be dealt with severely and strictly!"

"Compassion does not command troops! Since I sit in the position of Military Governor, I must be responsible to the Emperor, to the 180,000 brothers in the camp, and to the millions of civilians in the three auxiliary regions of the capital!"

After finishing the ledger, Jia Jing handed it to Zhu Que beside him, ordering him to read the names aloud.

Below, many officers—including the Shenwei Camp commander Xie Qing—felt their hearts skip a beat when they heard their names.

Their faces turned ashen, cold sweat dripped in large drops from their foreheads, legs went weak and unsteady—could it be that they would still be executed?

After Zhu Que had read over a hundred officers' names, Jia Jing said coldly:

"These officers whose names were read have previously violated military law in Jingying, or have come to the Twelfth Regiment out of hesitation, or have not yet had time to break the rules. I will not kill you for now!"

"But do not rejoice too early! Since I have named you, I know what you have done in Jingying."

"Not acting against you today is not because I cannot, nor because the law does not apply, but because I wish to give you another chance."

"Because compared with those who were killed, you still retain some bottom line."

"However, from today onward, all your authority is stripped; you will start anew as a low‑rank soldier under me."

"In the next two months, the entire camp will undergo strict training according to the new drill manual, with continuous assessments; the positions vacated today will be filled by the top‑performing soldiers from the examinations!"

"In my command, the capable rise and the mediocre fall. Whether a low‑rank squad leader or a senior assistant general, all are judged by ability."

"In the army, the strong and the capable are king; no emptiness tolerated!"

The Jingying officers, after this wave of executions and dismissals, were reduced by eighty percent; the remaining twenty percent were retained as decent enough, to be used and observed.

As for the Jingying soldiers, most were newly recruited, having been trained by Wang Ziteng for four or five months, so the issue is not serious.

However, after reorganizing the officers, the Jingying and Bashang soldiers will be fully reshuffled, the Twelfth Regiment restructured, training while weeding out the old and weak and recruiting fresh troops.

At the same time, more than twenty thousand battle‑hardened, loyal veterans returning from the northwest will be dispersed among the camps as the backbone.

Only in this way, with a complete renewal from top to bottom, can we firmly grasp control over the Twelfth Regiment's forces and swiftly boost each unit's combat power!

As for himself, he only needs to personally command a little over two thousand Xuanjia elite cavalry!

When Jia Jing finished speaking, the stripped Jingying officers present wore complex expressions, part resentment, part relief.

A few Jingying officers felt both shock and anger, thinking: stripping the authority of over a hundred soldiers—how tyrannical!

Yet they could only seethe silently, daring not to show any displeasure outwardly.

If faced with an ordinary person, like Wang Ziteng, daring such reckless abandon—order a kill, it's done; order a dismissal, it's done.

Jingying officers must make him understand that a villain's future is as doomed as a murderer's parents!

Hm?! Perhaps Wang Ziteng already knows!

Nevertheless, facing Jia Jing, not to mention the personal guards inside and out and the over a hundred thousand Bashang troops, nor the rumors of a lone rider charging fifty thousand and two arrows felling the Tianshan—these alone are enough to keep them from daring any rash move…

After all, they all have families and mouths to feed in Shenjing; it's not worth risking their lives to cause a disaster that would ruin families.

In the end they can only console themselves internally: the Grand General acts for military affairs, with a well‑intentioned, albeit harsh, heart…

Jia Jing looked at the varied‑faced officers below, stood, and said calmly:

"That's all for military law today!"

"From now on, the camp's drills are closed, the gates will have double sentries; anyone without my direct order may not leave the camp a single step, nor move a single soldier!"

"All camp commanders shall immediately inventory their troops and recall within three days all personnel on external duties, visiting relatives, or shopping. Those who fail to return will be treated as deserters, with their families implicated."

"The camp's provisions will receive a three‑month supply from the Ministry of Revenue today; arms and fodder are already in place."

"From now on, each camp's logistics will distribute according to wartime standards—no shortages, no waste."

"If any soldier longs for home, they may write a letter within the camp, to be delivered centrally by the central army; no one may leave the camp."

"From today, the military judge will patrol each camp daily; anyone who leaves without permission shall be beheaded. Anyone who secretly releases a person shall share the same penalty."

"During the closure, each camp must guard its grounds, follow my newly issued drill regulations, conduct daily drills, formations, and archery practice. Train the troops well, and instill military law so every soldier can recite it."

"I will personally sit in the central army, periodically assessing training and randomly checking the memorization of military law. Organizing the army is a great state undertaking; if anyone cannot fulfill their duties, do not blame me for lacking leniency!"