Chapter 1191: First Volume_Chapter 1191 Yuezhao Wu Heli

First Volume_Chapter 1191 Yuezhao Wu Heli

Just as Qin Feng was revising his siege strategy to ensure the safety of the common people, a light cavalry corps of three hundred men was quietly advancing toward Datian Village.

The leader wore fine riding armor, carried a bow and arrow on his back, and his eyes burned with intensity.

This man was none other than Wu Heli, who had escaped from Qin Feng's grasp back in Ming County!

A soldier away for three days deserves a new appraisal—Wu Heli, once destitute and desperate, had now completely transformed.

His three hundred elite soldiers were all troops specially assigned to him by the powerful clans of Nan Jing; moreover, their weapons and armor were fully equipped, and he had even been granted a full ten thousand liang of silver for military expenditure!

Wu Heli's mission was to disrupt Qin Feng's plans along the outskirts of Gusu City.

As for his good comrade Wu Cheng and Chen Yanzong, they led another three hundred men, lying in wait among the mountains, ready to strike at the right moment.

According to the promise of the powerful clans of Nan Jing, if Wu Heli helped Nan Jing repel Qin Feng, he would be directly granted the title of Marquis of Ten Battalion Commander, command over ten thousand troops, and even land grants.

Wu Heli silently swore to fight Qin Feng to the death at any cost.

Whether his comrades could rise in fortune depended on this battle.

He gazed at Datian Village, the largest village in the Gusu region.

Wu Heli clenched his teeth and waved his hand: "Kill everyone except women and children!"

"Listen carefully—all of you: no harm to women or children. Violators will be executed under military law."

At his command, the three hundred raiding cavalry charged into Datian Village, and screams erupted instantly.

Wu Heli did not enter the village; he stood at the entrance, his brow tightly furrowed.

Though he had long since become a rebel, he refused to slaughter the common people—he had suffered poverty himself and knew their hardships.

But to achieve his great plan, he had to abandon soft-heartedness: massacring all adult males while sparing the women and children to preserve the village's lineage was the limit of his mercy.

The slaughter did not last long—faced with three hundred elite soldiers, the village's men offered no resistance and were swiftly wiped out.

Following Wu Heli's orders, all women and children were gathered in the center of the village.

Wu Heli rode his horse into the village; despite his repeated orders forbidding harm to women and children, he still saw several corpses of women and children along the way.

At that moment, a heart-wrenching scream of a woman pierced his ears.

Wu Heli frowned and was about to dismount when his deputy general grabbed his arm.

"General, the men have been on the move for so long—let them let loose a little now."

"As long as it's roughly right, why be so rigid?"

Hearing the woman's cries of rape, Wu Heli's eyes blazed with fury as he sharply rebuked:

"These common people are subjects of Nan Jing, and you are soldiers of Nan Jing—how can you show no pity toward your own?"

"We are soldiers, not bandits—we will not sink to such depravity."

In response to Wu Heli's reprimand, the deputy general sneered faintly, hurling veiled insults:

"Aren't you a bandit yourself?"

What?!

Wu Heli froze for a moment, then sighed deeply inside—he realized that although these troops obeyed his orders, they looked down on him with contempt.

The deputy general did not hold back, coldly mocking: "Besides, aren't you from Yuezhao Kingdom?"

"Our own people in Nan Jing aren't upset—why are you so worked up?"

Feeling the disdainful glares of the deputy general and the surrounding soldiers, Wu Heli burned with rage but was powerless to act.

Listening to the piercing screams, Wu Heli gritted his teeth, shoved the deputy general aside, and dismounted.

When he kicked open the door, he saw three soldiers raping a young woman.

Seeing Wu Heli burst in, the three soldiers paused, then grinned sycophantically.

They pulled their clothes half-on and stepped back, gesturing politely:

"Oh dear, our foolish heads—we finally found a pretty woman and got so caught up in our own pleasure we forgot the General!"

"You go first, General—we'll guard the rear."

Looking at the soldiers—disciplineless, beastlike—and at the young woman, disheveled, broken, and utterly hopeless,

Wu Heli's fury exploded—he said nothing, drew his sword from his waist, and beheaded all three soldiers on the spot.

His action triggered an immediate surge of soldiers surrounding him.

The deputy general frowned, dismounted quickly, and stepped forward, growling: "General, what are you doing?"

"A leader must lead by giving rewards—if you don't let your men benefit, who will truly serve you?"

"You kill three comrades over a mere peasant woman—how will you command respect?"

Wu Heli understood the logic perfectly—but now that he was a general, he would not allow his soldiers to commit such beastly acts.

Bandits have their ways; soldiers have their discipline.

When Wu Heli served in Yuezhao Kingdom, he was renowned for his strict military law.

"What, are you planning a mutiny? Stand down, all of you!"

No one expected this man from Yuezhao Kingdom, far from home, to have such boldness.

If such a leader took root, there would be no good days left for them.

The soldiers exchanged glances—waiting for the deputy general's order to pounce and tear Wu Heli to pieces.

But the deputy general raised his hand, restraining the soldiers on the verge of mutiny.

"Since the powerful clans of Nan Jing appointed General Wu to lead us, we naturally obey."

"But…"

Before the deputy general could finish, Wu Heli cut him off sharply: "There is no 'but'!"

"Since you know I am entrusted by the powerful clans of Nan Jing, you have only one duty: obey. If you kill me and ruin the powerful clans' great plan, not one of you will live."

"My word is absolute command!"

"Previously ordered: anyone who kills women and children shall be executed on the spot—this is no joke. These three men have paid the price for insulting a village woman."

"Whoever dares defy Military Command again shall be killed without mercy."

Though the soldiers resented it in their hearts, they knew Wu Heli was heavily favored by the Powerful Clans of Nan Jing, so even if unwilling, they had no choice but to accept it.

The Deputy General had finally realized: this foreigner, a bandit by origin, was no ordinary man.

No wonder the Powerful Clans of Nan Jing entrusted him, an outsider, with such authority.

The Deputy General immediately bowed and clasped his fists: "General Wu, rest assured—we shall fulfill our duties faithfully and commit no further offenses."

Having barely subdued his troops, Wu Heli finally exhaled in relief—he had intended to comfort the woman, but when he turned around, he found she had already smashed her head against the wall and taken her own life while he stood in standoff with his soldiers.

A flicker of pity passed through Wu Heli's eyes, but he had no other choice.

Arriving at the center of the village, Wu Heli saw the women and children huddled together; he spoke in a deep voice: "We are the imperial army, under Prince Qin. Anyone who colludes secretly with Gusu City shall be executed without pardon."

"A light punishment to serve as a warning to others—remember this well!"