Chapter 111: The Iron-Blooded General

Before long, the tavern owner personally brought the food over. As the group was eating, they suddenly heard a commotion not far away, and within the noise, the faint sound of a woman crying could be heard.

Zhu Cilang frowned deeply. The Ming military code strictly forbade molesting women of good families, with offenders subject to beheading! However, despite this regulation, military discipline had grown lax in the late Ming, and many officers and soldiers took advantage of the chaos to commit atrocities just as heinous as those of the roving bandits and Tartars.

Zhu Cilang set down his chopsticks and looked toward the direction of the sound. The woman's crying grew increasingly clear — with every sob she let out, it drew a burst of jeering laughter and a jumble of filthy obscenities from a group of soldiers.

From not far away came the sinister laughter of soldiers: "Damn it! I traveled a thousand li from Shandong to kill Tartars, so what's wrong with letting me have a bit of fun? I'm a Mobile Corps Commander, after all — following me, you'd be sacrificing yourself for the country too, you bitch!"

"Which unit do those men belong to?" Sun Yingyuan asked with a frown.

The owner's face showed reluctance as he said, "Honored sir, those soldiers are from Shandong. They took a fancy to a young woman who makes her living singing tunes in my humble establishment, and that's why they started making a scene."

"As officers and soldiers of the Great Ming, to molest a common woman in broad daylight — what audacity!" Sun Yingyuan said angrily.

In the southeast corner of the tavern, a teenage girl hugged her arms tightly, her body trembling as she cowered against the wall. Before her stood eight or nine soldiers in crude armor, laughing loudly.

One of them, a burly man with a full, bushy beard, roughly tore at the girl's clothing. The girl shrank back desperately, wailing without cease, which drew another round of jeering laughter from the soldiers, while the other troops around them watched with keen interest.

"Stop!" Huang Degong bellowed, his voice so forceful it seemed to make the entire tavern tremble.

The soldiers stopped their jeering, and the bearded man started in fright, releasing his grip. When he saw who had arrived, he laughed loudly: "I was wondering who it was — turns out it's the Capital Camps! Why don't you stay holed up in the capital like a turtle instead of coming here to stick your nose in other people's business?"

This bearded man clearly had some knowledge, recognizing that the armor of Huang Degong's party belonged to the Capital Camps. At his words, the Shandong soldiers burst into another round of jeering laughter.

"You're asking for death!" Huang Degong stepped forward and delivered a kick, sending the bearded man flying.

The bearded man was knocked into a kneeling position by the kick, clutching his stomach on the ground. He then raised his head with difficulty, baring his teeth in a snarl: "You son of a bitch! I'm a Mobile Corps Commander under Regional Commander Liu of Shandong — how dare you strike me! I'll skin you alive today!"

The bearded man gave a signal, and immediately the group of Shandong soldiers around him surrounded Zhu Cilang's party.

Zhu Cilang looked at the bearded man and asked with a frown: "Regional Commander Liu Zeqing of Shandong?"

The bearded man shot a glare at Zhu Cilang and said viciously: "Who the hell are you, kid, to dare speak the Commandant Liu's name directly? You tired of living?"

"Bang!"

A personal guard behind Zhu Cilang raised his firearm and fired a shot at the bearded man, then shouted: "How dare you! You're asking for death!"

This guard hadn't dared to kill the bearded man outright without receiving Zhu Cilang's order — he only wanted to make him behave.

Even so, with the lead shot grazing past his scalp, the bearded man was startled, cold sweat pouring down. The other Shandong soldiers also shrank their necks in terror — a firearm was no joke.

The tavern owner had long since fled in fright beneath the counter, silently praying that no fight would break out in his establishment.

After recovering his composure, the bearded man felt he had lost face, and he shouted furiously: "Cripple these bastards for me!"

Several Shandong soldiers had just begun to stir, preparing to act, when suddenly they heard the clatter of footsteps outside the door. A group of soldiers in iron armor charged into the tavern, surrounding everyone, with rows of gleaming spears leveled at them all.

Zhu Cilang looked closely — the soldiers who had entered gripped spears in hand, with broadswords hanging at their waists, solemn expressions on their faces, and bearing that was strictly disciplined. They were utterly unlike the soldiers sprawled about and shouting throughout the streets of Tongzhou — these were well-trained, fine troops.

The leading officer was in his thirties, with a round face and sword-like eyebrows, a stalwart build, and likewise clad in fine armor. His face was grim, and two shafts of cold light shot from his eyes as he swept his gaze over the crowd: "What's going on here?"

The bearded man stepped forward, chin raised, and said: "And who the hell are you? You dare to surround me?"

The leading officer barked: "I am Zhou Yuji, stationed in Tongzhou by order of Minister Zhang of the Ministry of War to rectify military discipline. Anyone who harasses the common people will be severely punished without exception!"

On hearing this, the bearded man laughed: "Zhou Yuji? You're sticking your nose way too far in. I've heard that Minister Zhang has already been summoned to the capital by imperial decree — now His Highness holds command over all the camps. Aren't you just meddling in others' affairs like a dog catching mice?"

"Until the Crown Prince arrives, I, Zhou Yuji, will carry out the orders of the former Governor-General!" Zhou Yuji said, then turned to look at Huang Degong and the others: "What exactly happened here?"

Sun Yingyuan glanced at Zhu Cilang, and upon seeing his expression, stepped forward ahead of Huang Degong and said to Zhou Yuji: "These men openly molested a woman, violating military discipline. I was left with no choice but to teach them a lesson — I humbly ask this general to forgive my actions."

Zhou Yuji nodded, then stepped forward and bent down to question the young woman trembling in the corner. Her teeth were chattering uncontrollably — she was too frightened to speak, and could only nod repeatedly.

Seeing Zhou Yuji's actions, the bearded man raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes: "What? You actually want to execute me by military law? Back in Shandong, serving under Commandant Liu, was there any woman I couldn't have? Why is it that the moment I come here, it's all this military regulation and that military regulation? Are you bullying us outsider troops?"

Zhou Yuji let out a cold laugh, pointed at the Shandong soldiers, and barked: "These men molested a woman of good family in broad daylight, besmirching the reputation of our Great Ming army. Drag them all out and behead them as a public example!"

The bearded man immediately jumped up, cursing at the top of his lungs: "Damn you, Zhou Yuji! I'm one of Commandant Liu's men, the Regional Commander of Shandong — you wouldn't dare kill me—"

Before the bearded man could finish his shout, a squad of iron-armored soldiers dragged him out of the tavern, and together with the other Shandong soldiers, forced them to the ground, lining them up in a row at the tavern entrance.

A squad of Zhou Yuji's iron-armored soldiers drew their gleaming broadswords, the blades glinting with a chilling light under the sun's rays.

Many of the soldiers on both sides of the street saw the scene and ceased their clamor. Even those who were dead drunk straightened their postures, staring blankly at this squad of iron-armored soldiers bristling with killing intent.

Seeing that the other side was playing for real, the bearded man panicked and said urgently: "General Zhou, spare me! I was wrong! I'm just a dog, biting at random! You're a man of great magnanimity — please spare this dog's life!"

The other Shandong soldiers immediately caved as well, crying and shouting admissions of guilt, begging General Zhou for mercy.

Zhou Yuji coldly watched the Shandong soldiers, his expression still utterly impassive. He waved his hand, and instantly a row of broadswords traced arcs of cold light through the air. Several heads hit the ground, and hot blood sprayed across the tavern's front door.

On this street, the soldiers who had been drunk moments before now all stood at attention, staring blankly at the bleeding heads on the ground.

Without so much as blinking, Zhou Yuji said: "Hoist these heads up as a public display for three days, so all those worthless soldiers who don't know their place can see — this is what happens when you defy the Great Ming's military discipline!"

With that said, he strode off proudly to continue patrolling the other streets. Behind him, the squad of iron-armored soldiers marched with heads held high and steps perfectly uniform.

Zhu Cilang clicked his tongue inwardly. This Zhou Yuji enforced the law strictly, and his troops were impeccably disciplined — a rare military talent. The Yongwei Camp needed men like him. He said to Xu Sheng beside him: "Have Li Tingbiao look into this Zhou Yuji."