Chapter 299: Disbanding the Army

Before anyone else could say anything, that group of troublemakers was already crying out one after another: "Tribal Chief, we truly had no intention of killing you! We are wronged! It was all done by those few; we really had no such intention! Please spare us!"

Cries and wails filled the air, but they still could not drown out the insults from the surrounding tribespeople. Then, someone who was truly furious picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it at the troublemakers. Seeing someone throw something, others immediately looked for things in their hands to throw as well. Some who couldn't find anything immediately lifted their feet to check if there was any mud stuck to their soles, then scraped it off and threw that too. It had no lethality, but the insult was extreme.

The troublemakers could only kneel on the ground, clutching their heads and wailing. As for the people in the army, they were not all trash. Even if they were lazy or good-for-nothings, they did not dare harbor the thought of killing the Tribal Chief. They still knew right from wrong; they were well aware of whose credit it was that they had their current lives. One by one, they were so angry that they kept their hands on their Knives, wanting to rush out and hack these scumbags to death, even if they had once been their good friends.

Baifeng sensed their thoughts, so he glared at them: "What? Your hands are on your Knives—are you also planning to kill me and then try being this Tribal Chief? Huh? Are you all planning to rebel?"

Upon hearing this, all the Soldiers hurriedly placed their hands properly and pushed their Knives behind them with their arms to show they had absolutely no such thoughts. Among the surrounding tribespeople, the person who had been lifting their foot to scrape off mud also awkwardly put their foot back down.

"Now, all of you, place your Weapons here in a line one by one for me. Take off your armor and stack it neatly. Take off all Weapons and equipment, leave nothing behind. Start now."

The Soldier standing at the front was a bit flustered. He looked left and right at his companions, hoping they could give him some advice or tell him what to do. But when he turned to look, everyone was watching him, hoping he would set an example for them.

He had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk forward. Under the gaze of everyone, he placed all his equipment on the ground. Even though he felt he hadn't committed any mistakes, being stared at by everyone like this made him feel as if he had committed some unforgivable, grave sin. Only when he returned to the ranks with nothing but his clothes did he let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Then, one by one, everyone else handed over their things. Before Baifeng was a mountain of Weapons and armor. Even if any single piece of these were taken out and placed at a gathering, it would be a treasure that other Tribal Chiefs would fight tooth and nail for. But in their Baifeng Tribe, every Soldier could be fully equipped.

All the Soldiers' equipment was cleared away, and then everyone quietly waited for the Tribal Chief to make the next arrangement. It was impossible for such a big event to end so hastily.

Baifeng paced back and forth, thinking for a good while before speaking to everyone: "I believe that over these past few days, everyone has heard the news from the Administration Department. Our tribe is about to prepare to establish a nation. For our tribe, this is a turning point and an important opportunity for development. Everyone will have more opportunities, and I have also formulated many policies beneficial to everyone, including those for Free Persons. The specific details will be announced to you by people from the Administration Department; I won't say any more here."

"This was originally a great, joyous event for our tribe. However, because of our Military Department and the good Soldiers I selected, all sorts of messy things have happened these past few days: deserting, disobeying management, rebelling. The funniest thing is, some people not only rebelled and wanted to kill me, but in the end, they also deserted. You tell me, is that funny or not? Such trash will never amount to anything. If you fed them to the Cannibal Tribe, I reckon they would get stuck in their teeth first."

When Baifeng asked if it was funny or not, no one felt it was funny. Instead, they locked their gazes back onto the pile of troublemakers to see exactly which scumbag had done such a thing.

That troublemaker already had his head nearly touching the ground, trying his best to hide, but he was still dragged out by Xiong. Because of his injuries and fear, the troublemaker's complexion was no longer what a human's should be.

Seeing this person dragged out, an angry tribesperson immediately rushed forward and kicked him down, then kicked him in the face, instantly knocking out several of the troublemaker's teeth.

The Soldier Leaders hurriedly pulled him back and blocked others who wanted to come over and kick him. The Tribal Chief hadn't spoken, so they couldn't let them act recklessly.

Under the restraint of several people, that tribesperson still pointed at the troublemaker and cursed passionately: "You damn piece of firewood, you should have turned into the feces of Danfu! You even dared to kill the Tribal Chief; you deserve to die! You even wanted to be the Tribal Chief yourself? You're barely fit to be cow dung! If it weren't for the Tribal Chief, I would have been a Slave in the Suiren Clan, starved to death, and had my corpse thrown out to feed wild beasts. It was the Tribal Chief who saved me. Not only did I not starve or work to death, but now I have become a tribesperson of the Baifeng Tribe. If you ask me, you should be sent to the Suiren Clan to be a Slave!"

Xiong and the others hurriedly pushed the indignant tribesperson back into the crowd, only then letting out a sigh of relief. It seemed the tribespeople were still very devoted to the Tribal Chief, but if that was the case, the problem only lay within their Military Department. The few of them looked at each other; besides anger, there was only helplessness.

Baifeng looked up and called a halt to the tribespeople's insults, signaling that he still had more to say.

After everyone quieted down, Baifeng continued: "As for this thing, in a moment, finish carrying out the punishment on him, and then everyone can come for the execution. Whether it's one kick per person or one stone per person, as long as you kill him, that's fine. From now on, you don't have to treat him as a human; just treat him as a piece of wood or cow dung or whatever."

"His family will be dealt with as traitors. Deserters become Slaves; traitors have their whole families killed, leaving no one behind, including children."

Hearing this, the troublemaker's eyes became bloodshot. He had thought the worst outcome was being tortured to death and his wife and children becoming Slaves, but hearing that Baifeng wouldn't even spare the children, he finally acted viciously for once. He crawled, intending to use his toothless mouth to bite Baifeng, but he had only crawled a little way before Xiong stepped on him, and he could no longer move.

"As for them, although they participated in the unrest, they did not actually use Weapons, so they will all be relegated to Slaves. Their families will be the same, and they shall never be promoted."

Hearing this outcome, the troublemakers didn't know if they should regret it or be glad. They all cried sporadically; at least they didn't have to die, right?

Baifeng then looked at the army; it was time to deal with the last bit of trouble.

"As for the army, disband on the spot. From now on, you are no longer Soldiers. Starting today, all your supplies are cut off. If you still want to be a good Soldier, I will arrange another military selection in a few days. You can come; if you pass, you continue to serve. If you don't pass, other work will be arranged. Those who don't want to be Soldiers, go report to the Household Registration Department in a moment and let them arrange work for you. Alright, disband now; anyway, you love disbanding the most."

Then Baifeng looked at Xiong and the others. They were dumbfounded and couldn't believe that the Tribal Chief had just disbanded the army like that. What were they supposed to do?

Baifeng smiled slightly: "Are you shocked? Do you also want to know what your Military Department should do from now on? From this moment, except for Xiong, Chi, and Hui, everyone else's duties are terminated. Wait for the next selection. And because your management was ineffective, raising my group of good Soldiers into firewood, you will be punished. I will issue the punishment standards for you later."