If faced with military punishment, twenty military sticks or beheading, which one would you choose?

In fact, the best option is...beheading.

Beheading is a quick and clean cut, but the concept of twenty military sticks is different. Twenty military sticks must be struck firmly on the body, and the force and location of the blow are strictly regulated. If

Someone violates military law and is sentenced to twenty military sticks. This person is basically disabled and is no different from death.

Even if you can't die, recovering from your injuries is an extremely long process. It feels like life is worse than death, or worse than being chopped off with a knife.

So when Gu Qing ordered twenty army sticks per person, everyone's expressions changed.

This order was almost equivalent to killing these generals, and was even more cruel than killing them.

Seeing Han Jie and his guards dragging out several generals who were lying limp on the ground, Gao Xianzhi couldn't help but said: "Brother Gu Xian, please be merciful and spare their lives."

Gu Qing nodded and said, "I kept them, just twenty army sticks. I guarantee I won't kill them."

Gao Xianzhi smiled bitterly: "These twenty military sticks, especially those executed by your personal guards, I really don't know whether they are alive or dead..."

Gu Qing said sympathetically: "If they can't even carry twenty army sticks, they are too weak. I suggest that the commander-in-chief be replaced decisively."

All the generals in the commander's tent were speechless.

I'm afraid you don't know what twenty army sticks are.

Seeing the different expressions of the generals in the commander's tent, Gu Qing smiled and said: "Commander Jie, you are the commander-in-chief and I am the deputy commander-in-chief. Can I give orders to the generals?"

Gao Xianzhi was stunned and said hurriedly: "Of course you can. You are the deputy envoy of Jiedu appointed by His Majesty, and you have the right to control the generals of the Anxi Army."

Gu Qing smiled and said: "Since I have decided to establish my authority today, let's do it more thoroughly. Everyone in the commander's tent should now go out and watch the execution of the generals. No one is allowed to be absent. Anyone who violates this will be guilty of the same crime as them.

"

The words spoken with a smile made all the generals feel chills in their hearts and the hairs on their backs stood up.

Gu Qing still smiled and said: "What are you waiting for? Wait for me to come one by one and ask you to move?"

The generals were so frightened that they rushed out of the commander's tent.

In the commander's tent, Gao Xianzhi sighed: "Brother Gu Xian, it is certainly the fault of those short-sighted guys in the Anxi Army today, but brother Xian's move... is a bit too cruel?"

Gu Qing smiled and said: "Jie Shuai, you can see clearly that today it was someone else who took the initiative to provoke me, not me. Since I took the initiative to provoke you, there is absolutely no reason to let it go easily. This is how I am, so I am so handsome."

Tolerance.”

Gao Xianzhi sighed, as if he wanted to say something else, but he didn't say it after all.

Gu Qing watched with cold eyes, he knew what Gao Xianzhi was thinking.

In fact, when he was wrongly accused in the commander's tent just now, Gao Xianzhi never opened his mouth to defend him. He probably had the intention of establishing his authority. He wanted to use the accusation from the Anxi army general to suppress the momentum of the left guard troops and use this matter to make Anxi

From then on, the army stabilized the left guard army and took the dominant position.

But he didn't expect that Gu Qing's way of handling the matter would be so simple and crude. He ordered the execution without any scruples, and immediately planned to waste half of the person's life. Gao Xianzhi finally saw the vicious nature of his heart today, and at the same time, he finally understood that Gu Qing's Ji Qingqing was capable.

Reasons for promotion and title.

He...is not the so-called "favored jester" as his colleagues in Chang'an said in their letters. He is a ruthless person and deserves to be in his current position.

Gu Qing smiled calmly and punished his generals in front of Gao Xianzhi. Gu Qing was not at all embarrassed. Even if he became an enemy of Gao Xianzhi from now on, he would not care. If he could not discipline his generals, Gu Qing could help him.

There was a burst of noise outside the commander's tent, and Gu Qing said with a smile: "It's time for me to go and see what those heroes looked like during their execution. I'm going to retire, Commander-in-Chief."

Seeing Gu Qing walking out, Gao Xianzhi looked complicated, Bian Lingcheng smiled and said: "Jie Shuai, why don't you go out and have a look?"

Gao Xianzhi glanced at him with a smile, but his eyes were extremely cold.

"The border supervisors are also going to have a look?"

Bian Lingcheng laughed and said: "No, the scene of bloody flesh and blood is very interesting. I am a timid servant, but I can't watch this."

Gao Xianzhi smiled and said: "Then I forgive Gao for not being able to accompany me. The people below made mistakes, and Gao is also responsible after all."

Bian Lingcheng shook his head and sighed: "Speaking of it, this Marquis is too young and has such a strong temper. This servant has seen it today."

Gao Xianzhi smiled bitterly and said: "Master Gu is right. Young people's minds are inevitably unforgiving, which is understandable."

After chatting for a few words, Gao Xianzhi confessed his crime and walked out of the handsome tent alone.

…………

In the open space outside the commander's tent, all the generals gathered in a circle, with a huge blanket spread in the center. Three generals were lying on the blanket with their shirtless bodies, and their expressions could not be seen clearly.

Han Jie and two other guards held a long stick in their hands. The long stick was about the thickness of an arm. One end of the stick was red and the other was black. The three of them stood beside the tortured general, waiting for Gu Qing's order.

Gu Qing stood with his hands behind his hands, looking at the sky with half-closed eyes. The general of the Anxi Army next to him was far away from him, looking at him with awe and fear in his eyes.

After waiting for a long time, Gu Qing saw Gao Xianzhi walking out of the handsome tent, curled his lips, and then said sternly: "Han Jie, what are you waiting for? Execution!"

Han Jie and the two guards were waiting for Gu Qing's words. After hearing this, they immediately raised the military stick in their hands and hit the three generals hard on the buttocks.

The military sticks were launched very quickly, with a sharp roar that broke through the air, and hit the generals hard on the buttocks.

With just a blow from the military stick, the three generals screamed uncontrollably.

The generals who were watching felt their scalps numb, and Gao Xianzhi's brows furrowed deeper.

Gu Qing's personal guards would never be merciful. They hit him with sticks one after another, using their full strength with each stick. The stick landed on the general's buttocks, and the screams were still heard at the beginning. The energy was strong, and by the fifth stroke, the screams were already a little weak, and by the tenth stroke, they gradually disappeared.

Gao Xianzhi frowned and said: "Master Hou, it's almost done. If we continue to fight, they will be really useless."

Gu Qing said expressionlessly: "There is no room for bargaining with the military order I gave. I agreed on twenty sticks, and even one less stick is not enough."

Gao Xianzhi smiled bitterly and said: "The Marquis is trying to show off his face by deposing a general during the war. It is not a good sign after all. I will remember the remaining military sticks first and make up for them after the Tibetan thieves are dealt with. I guarantee that there will be a lot of sticks. How about that?" ?”

Gu Qing sneered and said nothing.

The generals who were watching were finally shocked by Gu Qing's ruthless tactics today. They no longer looked at Gu Qing with any disrespect. Seeing the first army commander Gao Xianzhi personally begging for mercy, everyone was even more interested in Gu Qing's status in the Anxi Protectorate. Somewhat clear understanding.

After looking at each other in disbelief, all the generals bowed and saluted at the same time, saying in unison: "I beg the Marquis to show mercy."

"Please Lord Marquis, please show mercy!"

After saying this three times in unison, Gu Qingcai snorted coldly and said: "The ones I blame today are their disrespect for Shangguan and their daring to frame the commander in person. I am praying to all the generals. I will remember the remaining ten sticks for half a month."

I will make up for it later. What I said must be fulfilled. People like this who don’t understand basic rules of respect and inferiority should have been expelled from the camp long ago and let them go back to Chang’an to retire.”

As he spoke, Gu Qing turned around and looked around the generals, and said slowly: "The ten thousand Zuowei soldiers and horses I brought from Chang'an are actually part of the Anxi Army. When it's time to risk their lives, the Zuowei soldiers will not give in. And I,

He is also the deputy envoy of Anxi Jiedu appointed by the emperor, and has control over the entire Anxi army..."

"From now on, if anyone dares to disrespect me, there is no need to beat him with a military stick, and he will be beheaded in public. If you want to contradict me in the future, you must think clearly about the consequences."

After saying this, Gu Qing turned around and returned to the commander's tent. The generals stood in the open space, looking at the three dying generals, and an inexplicable chill ran down their backs.

Returning to the handsome tent, Gao Xianzhi followed him in. There was no one in the handsome tent, and Bian Lingcheng had left without knowing when.

Gu Qing and Gao Xianzhi sat across from each other. Gao Xianzhi smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Xian, the power he wielded today was as powerful as thunder. It really opened my eyes."

Gu Qing smiled and said: "I just violated Jieshuai's face, I hope Jieshuai won't blame him."

Gao Xianzhi's face quickly darkened for a moment. It was obvious that Gu Qing's actions just now did make him a little unhappy. However, thinking of his current situation in the emperor's heart, Gao Xianzhi had to compromise with reality and said with a forced smile: "It doesn't matter, the generals of the Anxi Army have always been unruly.

It is said that I was not strict in running the army, and my worthy brother was wronged."

Gu Qing knew that Gao Xianzhi felt uncomfortable, but he had no other choice in this matter. If he really swallowed his anger today, if he took over the Anxi Army in the future, how would those generals obey him? So it was necessary to establish his authority today.

So Gu Qing wisely changed the topic, blinked and said: "The commander was assassinated last night, do you know who instigated it?"

Gao Xianzhi's eyes flashed: "Brother Xian, do you think it was done by an insider?"

Gu Qing smiled and said: "Obvious."

Gao Xianzhi stroked his beard and said slowly: "There is something I didn't tell anyone. The arrow that shot into the handsome tent last night was not aimed at me, but at the oil lamp on the table. It can be said that that arrow shot into the handsome tent.

The goal is to shoot out the oil lamp..."

Gu Qing pondered: "So, the other party doesn't want to take your life. The meaning of shining the oil lamp is probably an implicit warning, or... to create such an incident and cause a disturbance in the Anxi Army?"

Gao Xianzhi smiled bitterly and said: "I thought so too, that's why I asked Brother Xian again and again today to show mercy. If those generals are really beaten to death, the Anxi Army's hostility towards Brother Xian may not be eliminated from now on, and the relationship between you and me

The contradictions will become more and more acute. If the generals are in the same Protectorate and the two armies are at odds, the two armies will be hostile, which will definitely create hidden dangers for the Anxi Protectorate..."

Gu Qing said softly: "Jie Shuai thinks...who is the person who ordered the assassination?"

Gao Xianzhi was silent for a while and sighed: "I originally thought it should be Bian Lingcheng. After all, he is the one who benefits the most from the estrangement between you and me. But after thinking about it just now, I feel that it's not him..."

Gu Qing wondered: "I'm a little confused too. If it's not Bian Lingcheng, who else in the Anxi Army is so bold and vicious?"

If you can be the governor of a town, you will certainly not be a fool.

Gao Xianzhi had been sober since the assassination. He could tell at a glance that the assassin had no intention of taking his life, and he could also tell at a glance the conspiracy behind the arrow hitting the oil lamp.

No matter from any angle, Bian Lingcheng is the biggest suspect. However, if this assassination was ordered by Bian Lingcheng, it would be too rough.

It was clear that it was done by an insider, and both Gu Qing and Gao Xianzhi were cleared of suspicion. Then the only remaining mastermind was Bian Lingcheng. Although this guy was so bad that he secretly made many accusations over the years, Gao Xianzhi still felt that

This assassination probably wasn't him.

No matter how stupid you are, you can't do something so easy to expose your whereabouts.

"Jie Shuai, do you want to continue investigating this matter?"

Gao Xianzhi shook his head: "We won't investigate for the time being. The war is urgent. Once the Tibetan traitors are completely wiped out, we will investigate further after we return to Kucha City."
To be continued...