The fiercest soldier of the border army

The pig has already smelled the stench and gone mad enough; if it's not killed soon, it'll turn on people and bite them.

Tang Shun turned and walked down the slope back to his tent in the camp.

When Cheng Feng, Liang Enyi, and Zhu Hang saw him come in, they all stood up straight.

The new recruits who followed were all clad in armor and carrying bows, their faces solemn.

"Are you ready?" Tang Shun asked.

Cheng Feng nodded: "They've all changed into military uniforms, put on leather armor, and are even equipped with waist knives."

"Although they are all new recruits, they have frightened the people enough."

Liang Enyi added, "I have some experienced brothers lying in ambush on the road to Xiushui Town, so they can't get back."

After listening, Tang Shun glanced around and said seriously:

"Brothers, tonight we will intercept all the people."

"Not a single person can escape."

"If anyone tries to escape, shoot them on the spot!"

"These men are all strong and capable; they can carry and lift heavy loads. We'll all need them to build this city!"

"Now, split into two groups and surround them!"

As soon as we stepped out of the tent, the wind picked up.

The wind howled all around the wasteland, drowning out the footsteps of the soldiers.

Tang Shun, along with Cheng Feng, Wei Zong, Liang Enyi, and six soldiers, quietly circled around to the north side of the wasteland.

They were all dressed in standard military leather armor, with long swords at their waists, holding unlit torches, and wearing standard military caps, as they approached silently in the night.

By the moonlight, the people carried their tools, bent down, and dug the soil with practiced ease.

Some people squatted down and dug repeatedly at the spot where the silver was found, while others pried open the cracks in the limestone, even tearing up the bamboo roots in their entirety.

The moonlight illuminated each face, all bearing expressions of greed.

Tang Shun raised his hand, and Cheng Feng immediately understood. He led four men to flank from the east, while Wei Zong led two men to press up from the west, and Liang Enyi guarded the south exit.

He then led his men to slowly approach from the north slope.

When he was less than fifty paces from the crowd, he suddenly raised his hand and shouted sternly, "Halt! This is a strategically important border area. Unauthorized plundering of military funds is punishable by death!"

call out--

Torches were erected from all directions.

It illuminated the night and also brightened the eyes of the people.

The scimitars, leather armor, and short bows nocked with arrows exuded a chilling killing intent.

The sound was like a knife cleaving through the night, and the people froze instantly.

Cheng Feng and the others immediately rushed forward, drew their swords, and shouted in unison, "This is a forbidden area for the border troops! Those who steal military supplies without authorization are guilty of a capital offense!"

The torches flickered wildly. Some people threw down their tools and retreated, while others knelt on the ground, trembling and unable to speak.

An old man lay prostrate on the ground, repeatedly pleading, "Sir, spare our lives! We were just passing by..."

"Just passing by?" Wei Zong sneered, kicking open the small cloth bag beside him, from which several pieces of "silver ingots" wrapped in gray cloth were poured out.

Tang Shun walked step by step into the center of the crowd, his boots making a dull sound as they stepped on the loosened earth.

The dark-faced man, Liu Laosi, mustered his courage and looked up, then immediately pointed at Tang Shun, trembling, "You...you're the boss!"

The crowd of people then came to their senses, utterly astonished. "Master, you...you're a military officer?"

In this ruthless frontier, the formidable reputation of the border troops is enough to stop Xiao Er from crying.

For the time being, they can keep the people safe.

But normally, they are the greatest danger.

"That's right, I am your boss."

Tang Shun readily admitted this, then changed the subject, "However, this is a strategically important border area."

"They stole silver ingots buried by our border troops."

Tang Shun coldly questioned, "Who sent you here? And who gave you the audacity?"

No one answered.

"Not going to talk?" Tang Shun sneered. "Fine, then we'll take you all to the military camp and treat you as traitors."

"We're not treasonous!" a young man suddenly looked up. "We didn't take your things either."

"Oh?" Tang Shun stared at him. "Then where did you get this piece in your hand?"

The man looked down and saw that he was holding a silver ingot in his hand. He quickly let go, and the silver ingot fell into the mud.

Tang Shun picked up the silver, held it up, and said, "This is a forbidden area for the border troops. I told you beforehand that no one was allowed to approach it, yet you still dared to gather in the middle of the night to dig and rob military supplies. This is tantamount to rebellion!"

Several villagers who had come earlier kept explaining, "Sir, we...we don't know."

"We thought it was a place for merchants."

Tang Shun selectively ignored this and sternly demanded, "Now, I want you to tell me yourselves—who took it? Who led the way?"

Silence remained.

Tang Shun glanced around, then suddenly pointed to a dark-faced middle-aged man in the corner: "You, what's your name again? Liu Laosi, right?"

Liu Laosi trembled all over: "Yes...yes..."

"How many places did you dig last night? How many pieces did you hide? Hand them over."

"I didn't...I didn't take it..."

"Didn't take it?" Tang Shun sneered, pointing his finger. "Guards! This thief has stolen military supplies! Shoot him!"

squeak……

The sickening sound of a bow being drawn slowly began.

puff-

Liu Laosi was so frightened that he knelt on the ground, pleading, "Sir, spare my life! Sir, spare my life! I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong, I'll make it all up to you."

Tang Shun stared at him: "Let's not talk about whether you'll pay or not. I'll give you a chance: identify three accomplices, and you can avoid death."

Liu Laosi looked up and around, then glanced at the gleaming arrowheads behind Tang Shun, and finally gritted his teeth:

"Old Wang and I dug together yesterday, and he found a piece."

"Zhao Huzi hid three pieces under the stove."

"And...and there's also Lao Ba, he was the first one dug out!"

This opening was like a floodgate being opened.

"It was Lao Ba who discovered it first!"

"Liu Er gave me a piece, and told me not to say anything!"

"Zhao Huzi said he knows officials and can help dispose of stolen goods!"

One by one, they began to point fingers at each other; some cried, some cursed, and some desperately bit others in an attempt to escape.

Wei Zong wrote down the names, adding more and more as he went.

In the end, more than a hundred people were implicated, accounting for almost half of the able-bodied men in Xiushui Town.

Tang Shun stood in the center of the fire, watching the cunning and treacherous townspeople, now fighting tooth and nail for their lives, their eyes filled with calculation and fear.

He raised his hand, and the entire room gradually fell silent.

"That's enough," he said calmly. "I can't bear to report all these civilians to the army."

Everyone held their breath.

"You stole military funds, the evidence is conclusive, and you committed the crime in a group, so your crime is more serious and you should all be beheaded."

"However, considering that this is your first offense and that some of you were unaware of it, you may be spared the death penalty."

He paused, then said, "But he cannot escape punishment; he must atone for his sins through labor."

"Now, you will sign a contract of servitude to me, and work according to my orders every day for a month. You may not leave during this month. I will provide you with food, and you will be released when the work is finished."

The people's expressions changed drastically!

The phrase "indenture of servitude" is a nightmare for almost all ordinary people.

Once the contract is signed, you become a slave, a servant, to be beaten and killed at will!

"Of course." Tang Shun's lips curled up. "If you do a good job, I can pretend I don't know about the silver you took."

As soon as he finished speaking, an uproar erupted...