Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 177 Eagle Soars, Tiger Gazes
"The wind blows and the banners flutter!"

"The great horn blows, sharpening swords and spears!"

"The sky is vast and blue, the wilderness is boundless!"

"Sharp arrows whistle, tigers gaze, eagles soar!"

"Heaven's might is awe-inspiring, and your holy virtue is manifest!"

"What does it matter if I die where the dragon banner points!"

Led by Wei Xing, the valiant cavalry captain of Yingyang Prefecture, the resounding military songs echoed over the eastern part of Chang'an.

Liu Shan never expected that he would be recognized and surrounded by the soldiers who had just returned from their labor as soon as he stepped into Qingming Gate.

It was truly unexpected that Wei Xing, who had narrowly escaped death, was already alive and kicking, and could even lead the soldiers out to participate in labor.

"How is it? Are the local garrison troops managing? Should I send another Tiger-General Attendant to help you relieve some of the pressure?" Liu Shan asked Wei Xing, having already dismounted from his horse.

Wei Xing had risen from the rank of squad leader and lacked management knowledge and experience. Even with his merit in capturing the king and beheading the general, Liu Shan did not intend to promote him to a high position directly. Instead, he assigned him to be an experienced Tiger-like Attendant to assist him.

"Hey, Your Majesty, you're overthinking it. Didn't I manage five hundred men in the last battle? How could I not manage three hundred now?" Wei Xing said dismissively.

Upon hearing this, Liu Shan stopped in his tracks. His nearly eight-foot height made him stand out from the crowd. He looked around at the hundreds of soldiers.

The soldiers were still loudly repeating "The Eagle Soars," a song with lyrics and music composed by Yang Xi, over and over again.

"Guanghan, lift up your clothes and let me see your wound." Liu Shan solemnly read out the courtesy name he had bestowed upon Wei Xing. All along the way, he had been calling Wei Xing by his given name.

Wei Xing paused for a moment, and just then, several voices that he knew all too well suddenly rang out from the crowd, which was quite inappropriate.

"Ah Xing!"

"Ah Xing!"

"Mother is here!"

"Mother is here!"

Standing at just over six feet tall, Wei's mother, relying on the brute strength she had developed from farming, squeezed to the front of the crowd. However, she was blocked by the burly men blocking the way. In the end, she could only raise her hand and jump up excitedly in hopes of attracting Wei Xing's attention.

"Mother, I heard and saw it. Please be quiet and don't disturb His Majesty!" Wei Xing waved his hand to his elderly mother, somewhat embarrassed and hurried.

He knew his parents were coming today, but he was too busy leading the soldiers to dredge the canal to pick them up, so he asked his younger brother Wei Qi to be in charge of receiving them.

Seeing his third son, Wei Qi, rush up and grab his elderly mother to calm her down, Wei Xing, with his rough, bushy beard, earnestly apologized to the emperor:

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry you had to see this. My mother is quite ignorant; she's never traveled more than ten miles in her life. The farthest she's ever been is the next village. She doesn't know anything about etiquette..."

Before Wei Xing could finish speaking, Liu Shan stopped him:

"Alright, why are we saying all this?"
"You once walked on the brink of death. Even though I am not your parents or close relatives, I was still worried that you might not make it. I was saddened by the loss of such a good general. Your mother must have been even more worried about you than I was."

"Now that I see you behaving normally and speaking eloquently, it is no wonder that I am overjoyed. How can this be considered impolite?"

"But you, knowing that your parents are arriving in Chang'an today, and knowing that the Prime Minister has issued an order instructing the guards to request leave to personally welcome them upon receiving news of their impending arrival, why didn't you request leave to do so? Isn't this disobeying the Prime Minister's order?"

Wei Xing was somewhat stunned, then said in a deep voice:

"His Majesty values ​​me highly and has given me special training. He even sent a Tiger-like Attendant to teach me how to manage soldiers and handle military affairs..."

"I just think that I can't delay even for a day. I must quickly improve my skills so that I can serve Your Majesty and the Han Dynasty to the best of my ability and live up to Your Majesty's expectations."

"As for the Prime Minister's instructions, I only thought that my third son could pick up my parents, so I..."

Liu Shan nodded:
"I know you have this intention."

"But there's no rush to develop skills in a day or two."

"Moreover, this is not wartime. Soldiers like your third brother Wei Qi, who are from the Eagle Banner Army, have been away from home for a year. They should be retiring now and returning home to reunite with their parents, wives, and children in their hometown."

"Yet they stayed in Guanzhong, a foreign land, for the sake of the Han Dynasty, and even brought their parents, wives and children here to reclaim wasteland for the Han Dynasty. This is already the greatest loyalty to the Han Dynasty. I have no doubt about the loyalty of any Yingyang Guard to the Han Dynasty."

"Our great Han Dynasty has always governed the world with loyalty and filial piety."

"Loyalty means giving one's life, and filial piety means exerting one's utmost effort."

"But one cannot be loyal without being filial."

"Because filial piety is the foundation of virtue, only by being filial to one's parents can one be loyal to the country. Those who are not filial are like trees without roots, and their loyalty is also questionable."

"This is why the Prime Minister issued an order requiring all soldiers to take leave and personally welcome their parents."

"Your Majesty, I am not unfilial..." Wei Xing hurriedly defended himself when he saw that His Majesty had spoken so seriously, fearing that His Majesty had misunderstood him.

Liu Shan then patted Wei Xing's arm and said:
"That is not what I meant. However, since the Prime Minister has already issued an edict to give soldiers the opportunity to be filial to their parents and enjoy the joy of family reunion with their parents, wives and children, you should follow the edict, reunite with your parents, and fulfill your filial duties."

"After all, it's not wartime now. There's nothing that absolutely has to be done today, and there's nothing that absolutely has to be done by a particular person."

"Of all the important matters concerning the state, none is more important than military affairs."

"Soldiers are made of iron and steel, they are the swords of the nation's borders and the grim reapers of the battlefield... but they are also flesh and blood, people with parents to care for, and wives and children to raise."

"If the court arbitrarily deprives soldiers of their right to be filial to their parents and raise their wives and children, how can it expect them to be loyal to the country?"

"From now on, when you command the soldiers, as long as it is not wartime, if anyone has a life-or-death or serious illness at home, they must ask for leave to go home. Leave must be granted. If anyone does not go home, or if leave is not granted, the court will doubt whether they are truly loyal to the country."

These words were not Liu Shan's own attempt to spout lofty slogans based on his humanistic sentiments as a time traveler, but rather the very things that the Prime Minister, an idealist, had been consistently doing and had truly accomplished.

Previously, after the Prime Minister's battle with Zhang He at Wudu, six or seven thousand soldiers and laborers were allowed to return to their hometowns for rest. Fei Yi, Yang Yi, and others all requested the Prime Minister to keep the rested soldiers and laborers to maintain the momentum.

The prime minister disagreed and even ordered people to drive the retired soldiers and laborers home.

Then those who retreated were grateful and wished to stay and fight, while those who came were filled with righteous indignation and thought of dying for their country. They went around telling each other: "We will not repay the Prime Minister's kindness even if we die."

On the day of battle, everyone drew their swords and rushed to the front, each one fighting like ten, and in the final battle, they achieved a great victory.

This is clear evidence that whenever the late emperor and the prime minister rebelled against Cao Cao, the Han dynasty could be revived.

The various corvée labor systems and collective punishment systems of Cao Wei severely restricted the freedom of soldiers and wantonly deprived them of their human dignity, to the point that Cao Wei's soldiers were almost like slaves.

Ultimately, the country was usurped by Sima Yi, a man skilled in military administration and deeply respected by his soldiers. It can only be said that there was some cause and effect involved.

Standing in front of Liu Shan, the bearded Wei Xing was stunned for a moment, then looked nervously at the garrison he commanded on the outer perimeter.

He was indeed thinking of repaying His Majesty's kindness as soon as possible, and also wanted to see his parents later, so he disregarded the Prime Minister's instructions and led his own garrison to dredge the canal.

However, besides him, there were more than twenty other people whose parents, wives and children arrived in Chang'an today. They were originally excited and eagerly awaiting their arrival, and had made preparations to welcome their families as instructed by the Prime Minister.

As a result, he chased them out of their homes one by one with a leather whip, scolding them for how kind the Emperor was to them and how they had the audacity not to serve the country. Today, while dredging the canal, these soldiers were distracted and not working hard enough, and their gazes towards him were also suspicious, clearly indicating their resentment.

Seeing Wei Xing's appearance, Liu Shan immediately knew what had happened and said:
"It seems that not only do you not welcome family members yourself, but you also forbid others from welcoming family members."

"By openly defying the Prime Minister's orders, how can your soldiers trust you and the Prime Minister's orders in the future?"

"By doing this, you are not only damaging your image in the eyes of your soldiers, but also the image of the Prime Minister."

Upon hearing this, Wei Xing panicked completely and hurriedly bowed his head to admit his mistake: "Your Majesty... I know I was wrong, I confess my guilt, and I will not do it again!"

Liu Shan nodded, then raised his hand to signal all the guards around him to be quiet. He then ordered Wei Xing to personally summon all twenty-odd guards who were supposed to welcome the family members today but were not allowed to, to the middle of the street in front of him.

The twenty-four soldiers already knew that Wei Xing was a favorite of the emperor, and seeing that Wei Xing had just helped the emperor with his horse and was chatting and laughing with him, walking so close to him, they all became trembling with fear.

Or perhaps they thought they had offended Wei Xing today and would probably be punished with military flogging.

Or they thought they might be stripped of their right to serve as soldiers in the government.

Even worse, some people thought they might have committed a capital crime.

Many of the men who had killed on the battlefield, at least one head, were trembling uncontrollably.

After all… this is the emperor!
While the twenty-four soldiers were trembling with fear, and the hundreds of soldiers on the periphery were confused or guessing, they looked at each other in bewilderment.

In the middle of the street, the Han emperor, with his back as straight as a pine tree and his expression as cold as iron, caused many of the guards to hold their breath and lower their heads, not daring to look him in the eye. He said:
"You twenty-four soldiers of the Eagle Banner should be welcoming your families today, but you are not. This is the fault of Wei Xingzhi, the Commandant of the Valiant Cavalry."

"I have sought justice for you, and I hope you understand that once the Prime Minister has issued his decree, no one may disobey it."

"In the future, whoever your superiors are, if they dare to disobey orders, you will have the responsibility to report them to the military clerks, and the military clerks will also have the responsibility to report them to their superiors."

Upon hearing the emperor's words, the twenty-four guards exchanged bewildered glances, while the guards on the perimeter also began to stir.

Many people know Wei Xing.

But then the emperor suddenly turned to Wei Xing and shouted:
"Wei Xing disobeyed the Prime Minister's orders and shall be punished with ten strokes of the military rod!"

When Guan Xing, Jiang Wei, Zhao Guang, and other close advisors of the emperor heard this, they were momentarily stunned.

This is the only soldier who was bestowed a courtesy name by His Majesty, and even that name is "Guanghan". He had previously captured a king and killed a general, and this time he survived a great calamity. He was just chatting and laughing with His Majesty.

If someone were to receive ten lashes for this kind of thing, and their wounds were aggravated, their life might be in danger.

However, Wei Xing showed no sign of distress; on the contrary, he felt at ease knowing that the emperor had issued a reprimand.

Outside the crowd, Wei's mother suddenly broke free from Wei's father's hand and rushed out from the crowd.

Tiger Warrior Lang had been trying to stop them, but at this moment, he received a signal from Tiger Warrior General Guan Xing, and thus released Wei's mother.

Wei's mother rushed to the emperor's side and was about to kneel down in front of everyone, but Guan Xing grabbed her and stopped her. Unable to kneel, she could only wail loudly:

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty! My son..."

Wei's mother rushed out intending to plead for her son, but when she got close to the emperor, she didn't know what to say to make His Majesty agree not to punish her son.

Zhao Guang and Guan Xing, two valiant warriors, supported Wei's mother on either side and whispered words of comfort to her.

Seeing his mother wailing and pleading for him, Wei Xing looked reluctant, but still shouted:

"Mother! Since I have done something wrong, I deserve to be punished today!"
"It's okay, I'm very resilient!"

"Ten strokes of the military rod, I won't even utter a sound, they won't even break my skin!"

Liu Shan lowered his head and sighed, then turned to Wei Xing and said:
"Take off your shirt and expose your belly."

Wei Xing paused for a moment upon hearing this, but then did as instructed.

In a short while, the burly man's upper body was completely naked.

The hideous scar, almost half a foot long, was revealed to everyone.

The horrifying, centipede-shaped raised scar, formed by being scalded by fire, had not yet fully healed. It was dark red, and the traces of the sutures were clearly visible. The wound was at risk of rupturing with the slightest movement.

Besides that large scar, the person had more than ten other scars of varying sizes and types, both old and new, on their body.

Liu Shan addressed the twenty-four soldiers:

“Wei Xing disobeyed the Prime Minister’s orders and, according to military law, should be punished with ten strokes of the military rod.”

"But he is currently seriously injured and has not yet fully recovered."

“If we punish them now, they may be in danger of dying.”

“Wei Xing is guilty, but his crime does not warrant death.”

"So let's postpone these ten strokes of the military rod until he recovers, and I will personally supervise the punishment. Is that alright?"

The twenty-four guards never expected His Majesty to punish Wei Xing. They immediately nodded frantically in a panic, agreeing to anything.

Bare-chested and with a rough appearance, Wei Xing's eyes reddened slightly upon hearing this. He quickly knelt down to thank him, and said in a deep, gruff voice:

"I...I'm sorry to Your Majesty, I'm sorry to the Prime Minister!"
"Your Majesty, I am willing to accept punishment now!"

Liu Shan frowned and said with disdain:

"Alright, I'll first deduct one month's salary from your pay, which will be distributed among the twenty-four Eagle Warriors you bullied. You won't escape these ten lashes either. Once your injuries have healed, I will personally supervise the punishment without mercy."

Wei Xing dared not refuse and kowtowed to express his gratitude: "This humble general thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!"

The twenty-four soldiers were in such close proximity to the emperor for the first time. They were initially filled with trepidation and fear, but also felt wronged and resentful, thinking that they had been bullied and would be punished.

Unexpectedly, the emperor did not punish them for valuing Wei Xing, but instead sought justice for them, publicly convicting Wei Xing and punishing him with ten strokes of the cane. Not only that, but he also deducted Wei Xing's salary from theirs. All of this made them feel as if they were in a dream.

Several people simultaneously felt a strange sense of grievance that had been understood, and a warm current flowed from their chests to the top of their heads. Then, their noses tingled and their eyes reddened.

First, one person knelt down and repeatedly thanked His Majesty.

Then others knelt down, shouting, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Outside the street, hundreds of Eagle Banner soldiers, initially far away and unaware of what was happening, finally erupted in cheers such as "Your Majesty is wise!" and "Your Majesty is victorious!" after figuring out what had occurred.

Wei Xing collapsed to the ground, his face flushed red.

Liu Shan personally stepped forward to help Wei Xing, who was shirtless, to his feet. Then, he reached out and touched the horrifying scar on Wei Xing's abdomen.
“Mistakes should be punished, and merits should be rewarded. I hope you understand this, Guanghan.”

"I understand!" Wei Xing felt the warmth of the scar, nodded heavily, his chin pointing directly at his chest as he lowered his head.

(End of this chapter)