Chen Mo's first actions upon arrival changed the deathly still atmosphere of the Southern Suppression Camp. The soldiers and warriors all gathered in the camp's open area, each of them wearing very conflicted expressions as they watched the prisoner-like Commandant Ying and his compatriots.
Chen Mo sat on a platform above the plaza with Nianyou also sitting at his side. The little loli's beauty was clearly more eye-catching than him, and there were countless staring eyes that were full of lascivious ideas as Commandant Ying's were.
Chen Mo noticed that Zhang Ming,1 who was at his side, was also similarly dumbstruck by Nianyou, but the man's eyes actually were full of awe.
"Commandant Zhang Ming, what do you feel about the Southern Suppression Camp's situation?" Chen Mo looked at the crowd below that was in spirited discussion amongst themselves.2
"This…" Zhang Ming was taken aback.
"I sought you out only because I saw that you also have a heart full of aspirations. When I came to this place, I already realized state of affairs in the camp while I was in Rivernest. Now, I want to know whether or not you can be that person I put into an important position." Chen Mo's tone was very calm, like a tiny stream in freezing winter, gentle yet without losing his ice-cold manner.
Zhang Ming also knew of Chen Mo's recent accomplishments, but he did not dare believe at all that this young man actually had entered God Transformation Realm already.
The Great Chong Dynasty's geniuses were nothing special.
Zhang Ming discerned the intention to support him from Chen Mo's words, however, he had a rough idea about factional disputes. He was somewhat apprehensive in his heart, and his mouth remained shut.
"A cultivator with a heart of ambition yet without the energy to struggle will not walk far on their path of cultivation.""Your Highness." Zhang Ming made his decision and resolutely said: "The Southern Suppression Camp is as you have seen, Your Highness. Morale is nonexistent. If we are to march on Nan Jiang's Miao Clans, it would basically be impossible."
"Then the rumors I heard in the city about pedophilia are true?" Chen Mo's tone became cold.
"Your Humble Servant does not dare conceal this from Your Highness. The Southern Suppression Camp has accepted Nan Jiang's customs, and some soldiers have disregarded discipline and committed acts in violation of the Great Chong Dynasty's laws."
"Customs?" Chen Mo sneered. What he hated most were those lolicons who did not cherish lolis properly. "As one of the Dynasty's Eight Great Battalions, do you feel this can be an excuse?"
Zhang Ming sighed.
"Has General Yu himself participated in this?" Chen Mo lowered his voice.
Zhang Ming's complexion turned pale, but he immediately recovered to his former state. Still, he remained tight-lipped, not daring to answer. "Your Humble Servant does not dare to presume as to the general's affairs."
From his expression, Chen Mo discerned the answer. If those at the top were crooked, so too would those below go astray. If the Supreme General of the Southern Suppression Camp truly had courage, something like a soldier taking advantage of a little girl basically could not happen.
"I'll ask you again. How many soldiers in this camp do you feel are involved with this matter over young little girls. Report things as they are." Chen Mo asked.
"Your Highness, do you truly wish to straighten out the camp?" Zhang Ming was taken aback.
"Answer me!"
Zhang Ming whispered: "As far as Your Humble Servant knows, no less than two hundred people are involved." Zhang Ming had been at the Southern Suppression Camp for many years, and as an officer, he was very aware of things like this. Other than restraining the subordinate under his own command, he had also heard about many other things. Even that Commandant Ying would sometimes come and brag in front of him after having his way with a girl, several times making Zhang Ming itch to rend him apart.
"Two hundred people?" Chen Mo wrinkled his brow. The Southern Suppression Camp had approximately fifty thousand people. Two hundred did not amount to much in comparison, but to a city, that was too many. Two hundred officers flouting the law were enough to fill a city with popular grievances.
"Good. Per my orders, have all officers report and inform on anyone who has previously violated the law in Rivernest. The final count cannot be lower than three hundred people, otherwise, the whole camp will suffer the consequences." Chen Mo coldly said.
Zhang Ming was startled. The way that this Highness in front of him handled things was far beyond his expectations. "Your Highness, you must think carefully. Doing so will spur the officers to revolt."
"A revolt for the sake of three hundred people?" Chen Mo sneered: "Whoever dares to rebel or run, I will kill them to act as an example for the three hundred."
Zhang Ming was stifled.
Although Chen Mo had God Transformation Realm, to handle a massive army of fifty thousand was honestly too risky. These fifty thousand were not just simple warriors and cultivators. They had trained in combat marches and restraint arrays. For a Greater Thunder Tribulation cultivator, this was a disaster.
"Why not wait for General Yu to return and then decide?" Zhang Ming pondered.
"Scared?" Chen Mo coldly grinned.
Zhang Ming heard Chen Mo's displeasure and lowered his head in shame. "Your Humble Servant obeys all of Your Highness' orders."
"Carry them out immediately. I will handle General Yu myself. Since His Imperial Majesty has instated me as Supreme General of Nan Jiang, to not make meritorious contributions would be to disappoint His Imperial Majesty." Chen Mo mockingly said.
"As you command."
Zhang Ming promptly ordered his subordinates to transmit Chen Mo's orders. Upon learning that Chen Mo would make the entire army suffer for not producing a minimum of three hundred soldiers who violated the law, they all were suddenly in an uproar.
Seeing those people still hesitate, Chen Mo stood up from his seat and used the Deva Eyes to stare at everyone.
All the warriors and cultivators immediately felt dizzy. An indescribable force burst out from their minds and shook all of their cells.
"Now, Commandant Ying and the others tried to rape a girl. There will be no forgiveness. Execute them immediately on the spot. Someone, behead them." Chen Mo shouted.
"Your Highness, you can't."
"Your Highness, mercy. This is definitely a misunderstanding."
"Commandant Ying has been loyal and devoted to Nan Jiang, and he has made countless contributions. Please, Your Highness, show favor."
Some people's expressions greatly changed, and they hastily spoke up for Commandant Ying. Some of them were Commandant Ying's subordinates while others were officers who shared his filthy habits.
"Your Highness, you must request for General Yu's approval for an execution. Your Highness has only been here in the Southern Suppression Camp for a day, to issue orders without permission, this violates military discipline." A commandant yelled. "If Your Highness rashly insists on an execution, you will frighten the troops."
"Commandant Ying and his associates' bullying has even reached This Highness, and I wonder how he usually abuses the common people. For an officer like this, how can justice be served without death. Execute him!" Chen Mo's voice boomed like thunder.
The entire plaza was shaken.
The soldiers carrying out the sentence were about to carry out their task.
Commandant Ying roared, explosively releasing his magic energy to shake loose of the others. He soared upwards, and a Flying Sword emerged. As a Thunder Tribulation Cultivator, how could he willingly be executed. "Your Highness, this is an abuse of public office to avenge personal wrongs, I will speak to General Yu about this." Done speaking, he was about to flee.
Chen Mo snapped his fingers. A Qiankun One Qi wrapped Commandant Ying up tightly and pulled him down to the ground.
"Your Highness, spare my life, I'm willing to pledge lifelong loyalty to you. Please show mercy, Your Highness." Commandant Ying was frightened out of his wits as he screamed in despair.
Chen Mo's Divine Intent moved and promptly broke his soul.
"Your Highness has issued orders. Execute!" Zhang Ming had long nursed a grudge, and he immediately hardened his resolve.
Hands rose and blades fell.
Commandant Ying and his friends' heads tumbled to the ground.
The tens of thousands of soldiers present were all dumbstruck, as if they did not dare believe the reality before their eyes. In just a few short hours, the Highness who had only just arrived had executed a commandant. Before this, everyone had mostly maintained attitudes of schadenfreude. In particular, given that Commandant Ying was the ringleader for these lawless people, they did not place the young man who won the Divine Warrior Examination in their eyes at all.
What Highness of Chang'an Mansion, even a dragon would coil itself if it arrived in the domain of Nan Jiang's Southern Suppression Camp.
But in less than a day, Chen Mo had sentenced four people to death. His methods were like passing thunder, making everyone deeply aware of Chang'an Mansion's might.
Zhang Ming at this time yelled loudly: "His Imperial Majesty has instated His Highness as the Supreme General for the suppression of Nan Jiang, and he will reorganize the Southern Suppression Army. This camp absolutely will not tolerate officers who have previously broken the law. Everyone, do not hesitate to disclose what you know."
A majority of the Southern Suppression Camp's officers had an impassioned warrior's heart. As officers, they had their own responsibilities as soldiers. People like Commandant Ying who broke the laws were few in number. Seeing Chen Mo demonstrate his resolve and position, some people's hearts stirred. They had long disapproved of the soldiers who habitually raped girls.
Chen Mo saw they were still hesitating, so he issued another order: "Give everyone a sheet of paper to write about all people and incidents they want to expose and place them into a chest. I will personally investigate.
Zhang Ming was stunned. He did not expect this young man could devise such a wonderful method. To let everyone anonymously inform actually allowed them to be free of fear of reprisals. "As you command."
…
On the other side, several commandants were huddled together, each of them uneasy.
"What do we do? This Highness of Chang'an Mansion is actually very daring, to dare kill a commandant of the Southern Suppression Camp upon his arrival."
"This young man may actually want to carry this through to the end."
"What should we do?
The commandants stared at one another in dismay. Revolt? Work together to kill Chen Mo? Run away? Several thoughts flashed past their minds, but not a single one was viable. As for a revolt, the few of them had subordinates that amounted to merely several thousand in number, so how could a revolt be possible. An actual revolt would instead allow Chen Mo to find a pretext to execute them. They finally noticed that this White Clothed Tanhua of the Divine Warrior Examination appeared innocent on the surface, but his heart was vicious and merciless in reorganizing the camp.
A united front to kill Chen Mo was also impossible. They were only Lesser Thunder Tribulation. Working together was risky, but the opponent was the son of Chang'an Mansion's Human Sovereign, Chen Zhangtian. Furthermore, he was the man who defeated Jiang Yanyu and won tanhua in the Divine Warrior Examination. Handling him hastily would undoubtedly lead to their own deaths.
The last option of running actually was their only option, but this would inevitably lead to their deaths.
Harboring all sorts of apprehension, everyone's faces were covered in cold sweat. This was the first time in so many years of being free in the Southern Suppression Camp that they tasted what was called fear. The screams of those girls they had heard in the past would perhaps emerge from their own mouths now.
"I've got a way. Why not inform on that Zhang Ming." A commandant's gaze was sinister.
Their eyes lit up. "Commandant Luo's idea isn't bad." It was anonymous, anyways, so they had no fear of being discovered.
"Hmph, I see that he is determined to become that boy's lackey. Since this is the case, we're going all the way and dragging him underwater."
"But there's apparently no dirt on Zhang Ming."
"If there isn't any dirt, why not just make some? Hmph." Commandant Luo sneered.
"Good, let's order our subordinates to inform on them, to throw them off first." Everyone felt this idea was pretty good.
"We also have to request for General Yu's return immediately." Commandant Luo said. They had presented many girls to Supreme General Yu Huaizheng3 to obtain recognition. Otherwise, they would not have been so daring.
No matter how strong that Chen Mo was, he could not possibly actually go kill a Supreme General of the Southern Suppression Camp.
The unauthorized killing of a Supreme General would be repaid with nine familial exterminations. Chang'an Mansion could not protect him.
"Lord General is currently a guest in the governor's mansion. I've just dispatched someone to go make the request, and the generally apparently does not care." A commandant nervously said.
"I'll go myself this time." Commadnant Luo watched people surging through the camp like a tide. Somehow, he actually could sense scorching and stifling Qi-blood that burned like flames. They could not help but feel a trace of terror in their hearts.
They believed that if General Yu was any later in returning, the camp would change masters.
- Last chapter, he was Fei Ming. It seems the author has changed his name to Zhang Ming. ↩
- They really do have zero discipline if they're openly talking with each other in the presence of a superior officer. ↩
- 余懷正 ↩
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