Chapter 8: Indulging in Lust and Forgetting Righteousness

  As soon as they returned to the camp, Meng Yao had Wei Guan, the guard, hang up the original parachute 15th Army's specially made battlefield map in his tent. He also asked the battalion clerk to rummage through the trunks and finally found a large sheet of white paper, on which he wrote the six words "planting fields making money grabbing people" with an extra-large marker pen, and then hung it above his campaign bed. As for the other newly appointed staff officers, some answered phone calls, others operated radios, and others carried sand tables; in less than a morning, the original parachute assault battalion's combat room or command center reappeared before the eyes of the officers and soldiers.

  The appearance of the command post was very familiar, but those six big characters made people feel quite strange.

  Zhuge stared at the big characters, pursed his lips and looked at them while secretly laughing. It's interesting to make money by farming, but the two words "grab people" behind are unknown what reaction the instructor will have.

  "What are you looking at? Can you understand?" Meng Yao scolded intentionally, "The tents have all been set up, and you still haven't started working? If you don't hurry up, people will get rid of me and the squad leader together. Look, Biaozi won't tear you apart and eat you away. Hurry up and roll out, those on sentry duty stand guard, those on high alert stay vigilant, those in communication keep communicating, do what you're supposed to do."

  I've become a communications officer again. Zhuge Dun walked with a look of grievance on his face, pondering in his heart. It seems that from now on, no matter what, he had to give the battalion commander another chance, after all, he couldn't be a guard and a communications officer for life.

  Lu Tao pushed aside the curtain and came in, also startled by those six words. "Farming, making money, and snatching people?" He muttered to himself for a while, then suddenly closed his mouth, found his place at the command desk, leaned comfortably on the chair, and hummed his favorite little tune: Hmm... goodbye mom, the military horn has sounded, the steel gun is polished, the luggage is packed, the troops have departed. Mom, don't secretly cry, I'm actually still good here.

  Meng Yao gave Lu Tao a strange look, pointing to the six words and saying: "Tao'er, what does it mean? You've seen something unusual but aren't surprised, you're making me very uneasy."

  Lu Tao's eyelids didn't move, and he hummed in his nose: "De Xing, isn't this just a bit of strategy?"

  "Did you see that?" Niu Gang shouted as soon as he came in: "Great, farmers farm, money-makers make money. Ah, right, I said it first, I only do the job of robbing people, if you dare to let me go farming, I'll rob your Great China."

  Ji Xuan immediately rolled her eyes and said: "What's wrong with you, is your head too big or what?"

  The two were arguing loudly, and coincidentally blocked Zhou Fangyu's path. After waiting for half a day, she frowned and raised her voice, "Excuse me, let me pass and sit down, you can continue your discussion slowly."

  "Huh, how did she get in too? Isn't this the first formal combat meeting since the dimensional crossing? The two of them looked at Meng Yao with suspicion, then glanced at Lu Tao, but didn't dare to look at Zhou Fangyu again. It's not for anything else, this girl has been thinking that she was exiled by the military department since she joined the assault camp, so she never looks people straight in the eye, including Meng Yao."

  However, no one expected that after Zhou Fangyu sat down in her own seat, she raised her eyes and saw the six big words behind her, and then narrowed her eyes for a while before smiling: "Incisive and unique. May I ask, Commander, whose masterpiece is this?"

  "This," Meng Yao didn't expect Zhou Fangyu to ask this question.

  Cao Feibiao took a look and hastily stood up, exaggerating his expression and shouting loudly: "Battalion Commander, of course it's the Battalion Commander's masterpiece! However, I also made a small contribution, hehe." He said, looking at Meng Yao with a flattering expression, "Right, Battalion Commander? Your original words were 'planting fields, raising flowers, and soaking in girls'..."

  "Get lost!"

  As he watched Zhou Fangyu's expression change from a smile to a cold sneer, Meng Yao couldn't help but want to kick this blind fool out the door. He was done for. Just look at Zhou Fangyu's eyes, look at Lu Tao's eyes, and then look at those other idiots who didn't know the word "admiration" existed besides jealousy - he knew he had made a mistake. People, small secrets are still safest when kept hidden in one's own heart.

  Meng Yao put on a pretentious air, touched his nose, and coughed solemnly. He stared at the combat boots he had just changed into and said in a measured tone: "The meeting is now open. The theme of this meeting is to overthrow the emperor, beat down the local tyrants, distribute land, cultivate the fields well, and fight battles well."

  "Clear away the ruler?" The crowd suddenly widened their eyes, "Boss, you're not going to take action against your own brother, are you?"

  "What a mess!" Meng Yao slammed his hand on the table, "Is 'clearing the emperor's side' just self-destruction? Don't you guys feel a chill down your necks when you sleep at night? The elite airborne assault regiment of the Republic, moved to a new location, have you all changed your nature? Put down your butcher knives and become Buddhas on the spot, yet you can play happily in this bloodless bandit den, sleeping soundly one by one."

  It wasn't until then that everyone reacted: "So, we're really going to start taking action now?"

  "Of course." Meng Yao said seriously: "After these days of investigation and reconnaissance, I think the time to eliminate the bandits in Niutou Mountain and its surrounding areas has come. Once these bandits are eliminated, I believe our regiment will have a truly meaningful base and rear area. Our regiment's foothold, development, and ultimate completion of the historical mission entrusted to us by history will also be guaranteed in terms of material and time-space. And Ma Dahuizi and Long Xiaotian, these two ferocious bandits, are currently stuck in our throat like two fish bones. As long as they are not eliminated, we cannot talk about establishing a foothold."

  "What about the bandits, then? What will happen to them?" Lu Tao said calmly: "Their situation is indeed a bit special and complicated, but in the end they are still bandits. Situations like this have also been discussed with me before, although they haven't harmed any poor people, after all, they have robbed many merchants. If we really want to start building our base, then this problem can't be simply glossed over, after all, the party's policy is clear."

  This remark left everyone speechless for a moment. After all, the assault regiment was born and raised under the red flag, and each of them were commanders who had been trained by the party for many years.

  "What to do," Cao Feibiao scratched his shiny scalp, muttering under his breath, "Can't just take them all down together, can we? The Party's policies also emphasize differential treatment, don't they?"

  As soon as the words fell, Brother Fan's unique crisp and slightly hoarse voice suddenly sounded in the tent: "We are bandits, but we have never killed a person who shouldn't be killed, nor robbed a merchant or rich man who shouldn't be robbed. I, Brother Fan, dare to swear in front of all you good men today, you can go to the villagers within a hundred miles and ask them freely, if there is one person who says that our Bull Head Village is not, I will take my eight hundred people and never again appear in our hometown from now on."

  Lu Tao looked at Meng Yao's gloomy face and quickly got up to welcome his brother to the table, while giving a stern glance to the guard, Zhuge Dun. Zhuge Dun's face turned white in an instant, his mouth opened slightly, before he was pulled away by the smiling Shifu.

  "Oh, Brother Meng, how did you come? Please sit down." Meng Yao piled up a smile and greeted him.

  The younger brother let out a snort and turned his face away.

  At this time, Master Kong Xue Meng timely inserted himself and made a deep bow to Meng Yao: "I'm really sorry, Meng Yao leader, I hope you can forgive the crime of trespassing. Our boss is also eager to send gifts, just now disturbed your military affairs. Otherwise, even if we borrowed two more guts, we wouldn't dare to trespass on your conference hall."

  "It doesn't matter, it's not a secret anymore," Meng Yao said with a wave of his hand, looking at Kong Xue Meng with a puzzled expression. "What did you just say? Sending gifts?"

  "Exactly," Kong Xue Meng nodded, but suddenly stopped talking and looked at his brother instead.

  "Oh," Meng Yao reacted, turning his head to smile at Wang Zhi and said, "In that case, please enlighten me, Brother Wang."

  Wan's nose hummed again, and if it wasn't for Kong Xue Meng secretly pulling her, she would have given Meng Yao a good face. Meng Yao shook his head, thought for a moment, and reached out to take two cans of freshly squeezed orange juice from under the bed and placed them in front of Wan and Kong Xue Meng. "You two are here for the first time, I should go out to greet you, but I didn't expect you to come directly. There's nothing much to entertain you with here, so please have a drink."

  "Drink it then." Brother randomly picked up the drink and brought it to his mouth, only to find that there was not a single hole on the can. He looked at Master with a puzzled expression, seeing that Master had the same expression.

  Meng Yao smiled slightly, hastily opened the drink can, gestured a few times, and then handed it back to Wang Tie. Then he asked for Master's can, but unexpectedly, Master hurriedly turned his body around, hid the drink in his sleeve, and said with embarrassment, "No need for your kindness, General, I already know the trick, I'll use it slowly when I get back."

  "Never mind," Meng Yao didn't expose him, and instead looked at Xuan Di's astonished expression, "Xuan Di, leader of the vanguard, is this thing possible?"

  She stuck out half her tongue, wanting to say something, but seemingly couldn't find the feeling she was looking for, so she shook her head vigorously and looked up and down at the drink can, with a ghostly expression on her face. After savoring it for a while, she suddenly started searching around like Master Kong Xue Meng, trying to pour the remaining half can of drinks into a container, saying: "Don't laugh at me, Mengyao leader, I'll leave some for Xiaohua to taste too, this stuff is too delicious."

  Meng Yao's heart warmed up upon hearing that, and he hastily took out another can to hand over to Pan Ge. "You drink this one, I'll give you another can right away."

  Brother suddenly looked at everyone with embarrassment, "You still have some, why didn't you call them to drink together?"

  Meng Yao's head suddenly swelled up. This silly girl, she's really a mountain village firewood girl. Sometimes good intentions lead to bad results. Forget it, this girl wouldn't know that this was specially prepared by Lili for herself. Under the gaze of a group of wolf-like eyes, Meng Yao hesitated and took out another can, carefully placing it in front of Zhou Fangyu, then solemnly swore, "Just this one can, ladies first, so only Zhou Fangyu can have it."

  Who would have thought that in a gaze that could almost kill, Zhou Fangyu was not affected at all. She stretched out her hand and pushed the drink back. "Sorry, I'm on a diet, I never drink these sweet and greasy things."

  "Really abandoned friendship for lust."

  In the midst of a chorus of discussions, Kong Xue Meng also smiled lightly and stood up to bid farewell: "Head Meng, fellow heads, I'll take my leave first, looking forward to discussing slowly with you later."

  "Please don't get me wrong," Meng Yao hastily explained, "it's just like this here, officials and soldiers are united, there is no particular distinction between the noble and the humble, everyone is like brothers and sisters."

  Kong Xue Meng also shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, it's time for the old man to leave. Those little kids are still waiting for him to go and ask them to read books next time. Farewell, farewell."

  "Oh..."

  As soon as this was said, everyone in the room was shocked and stood up involuntarily, all staring at the unassuming old man in front of them. Meng Yao even left his seat and walked directly to his front, grabbing Kong Xue Meng's hand and asking, "You're saying that Mountain Stronghold actually has a school?"

  "Master was originally the teacher of a private school," Xiangdi took over and replied, "After Ma Dahuazi bloodily washed our villages, he went up the mountain with us and set up another private school on the mountain."

  It turned out to be so. Meng Yao hurriedly picked up Kong Xue Meng's hand and said, "Let's go, sir, I'll see you off."