Chapter 26: Cutting Grass Must Remove the Roots

  Li Zhen left Qi Shan's camp and found He Ming still lingering outside. Li Zhen sneered in his heart, this scoundrel is not dead yet, can't blame him for being ruthless.

  He Ming heard footsteps and looked up to see Li Zhen walking out.

  At this time, Li Zhen was frowning and looking very solemn.

  He Ming saw this and felt that Li Zhen must have been scolded by Qi Shan, and he was extremely pleased in his heart.

  He Ming walked up to Li Zhen with his hands behind his back, taking slow steps in the shape of the Chinese character for "eight", and smiled as he said: "Li Zhen, you've lost this time. I'll tell you, I'll gradually regain the trust of our superior, but I'll definitely make you lose face in front of him, then lose his trust, and finally be discarded by him. By that time, even if I just lift a finger, I can crush you to death."

  Hahaha...

  Having said that, He Ming burst out laughing, extremely pleased.

  The soldiers on night patrol looked over, all with strange expressions, as if He Ming had gone mad.

  Li Zhen asked inexplicably: "General He, what are you talking about? I don't understand."

  He Ming thought Li Zhen was pretending not to admit it, and coldly said: "Don't pretend anymore, you just made Miss Zhilan angry, and when the master finds out about this matter, he will definitely scold you. I suppose when you met the master, you were already scolded severely. Alas, you're also over twenty years old, how can you be so unreasonable?"

  He paused for a moment, and then He Ming said: "Mingming saved Miss Zhilan, had kindness to her, but now she has angered the family and is being punished and scolded by the adults. What bad luck! However, I like you being so silly, the sillier the better, the happier I am."

  Li Zhen said: "General He, sir did not scold me."

  He Ming's eyebrows rose in surprise, and he exclaimed: "Impossible! I've already told the adults about your business, they will definitely scold you. I know what's going on, you're intentionally deceiving me because you're afraid of losing face."

  Li Zhen saw He Ming's reaction and burst out laughing in his heart.

  The long night is endless, and He Ming's acting skills are really good.

  Li Zhen sighed and said, "General He, I really didn't deceive you. Just now when I came out of the camp, I showed a painful expression because the superior said that you are not doing your job properly, so he ordered me to pass on the order to flog you twenty times with the military stick, and also told you to shut up and not speak nonsense. I was thinking that your buttocks would be blooming with wounds, that's why I showed a sorrowful expression!"

  "Huh?"

  He Ming's eyes widened in disbelief.

  He pointed at Li Zhen and said loudly, "I don't believe you, you're deceiving me, you're deceiving me. I want to see the superior, and in front of the superior, I will expose your lies. Hmph, you forged orders, wanting to take revenge on me is what you're saying. Li Zhen, you're not human, actually wanting to frame me, the superior won't forgive you."

  He Ming rushed towards the central army tent like a madman, like a mad dog. But before He Ming entered Qi Shan's camp, a voice came from inside: "Forty military rods!"

  The voice is old and hoarse, but clear and powerful.

  "Bang!"

  He Mingru was struck by lightning, his brain buzzing, his legs softened, and his majestic body actually fell to the ground. He stared blankly at the main account, shouting loudly: "Sir, I am loyal to you with all my heart, absolutely no second heart. Please sir, consider that I have no merit but also have a share of hard work, spare me this time."

  Inside the tent, it was quiet and still, without a sound.

  Li Zhen saw He Ming pleading for mercy, and a cold smile spread across his face. The twenty military sticks turned into forty, and this time He Ming was done for - even if he didn't die, he would be crippled.

  "Come on, take him away!"

  Li Zhen waved his hand and two soldiers came over, stretched out their hands to grab He Ming, and dragged him towards the edge of the camp.

  Huang Shi Hai arrived beside Li Zhen, his eyes cold and stern, and said in a low voice: "Sir, with forty military clubs striking down fiercely, He Ming will undoubtedly die. This is an opportunity to get rid of He Ming."

  Li Zhen nodded and followed to watch the soldiers execute the punishment.

  He Ming was placed on a wooden board that had been set up, with two soldiers standing on either side of him, each holding a military baton.

  Bang!

  The soldier on the left struck down with his club and hit He Ming's buttocks heavily.

  A dull thud was heard, and He Ming's buttocks trembled as the stick hit deep into his flesh. In an instant, a mournful howl rose from the camp, like the wailing of wolves. Li Zhen furrowed his brow, stretched out his hand to stop him, and ordered: "Gag his mouth, lest his cries disturb the adults and Miss Zhilan's sleep."

  Cutting grass without removing its roots will lead to endless troubles later on. Li Zhen would naturally not leave any troubles for himself.

  In an instant, the soldiers covered He Ming's mouth with a towel.

  Not only that, He Ming's hands and feet were also tied up.

  He Ming's body kept twisting, he looked up at Li Zhen with a glance, his mouth making a "yi ya" sound, it was unclear whether he was begging for mercy or scolding Li Zhen. However, Li Zhen remained unmoved, waving his hand to let the soldiers standing on both sides continue the punishment. The thick military club struck He Ming's buttocks with a loud slapping sound, and soon blood splattered everywhere.

  Blood mixed with pants, flesh blurred, and he had only been beaten twenty times with a military stick.

  Li Zhen didn't make a sound and turned around to leave.

  The two soldiers executing the punishment looked at each other, glanced at Li Zhen who was leaving, and then looked at He Ming who was lying down. Since Li Zhen did not supervise in person, they could beat him lightly without aggravating He Ming's wounds, but they could also use their strength to beat him to death. In the end, the two chose to lean towards Li Zhen, slapping heavily with their clubs, showing no mercy at all.

  After four strikes, He Ming had already fainted and was lying limply on the wooden board.

  Bang! Bang!

  The bastinado is still going on, and the military clubs are all stained with fresh blood.

  At some point, He Ming's mouth corner flowed out with fresh blood, and he had no more breath.

  At this time, Li Zhen walked back, took a look at the dead He Ming, and felt a sense of regret in his heart, but he did not feel any remorse. Every step he took was cautious, unwilling to leave himself with future troubles. Li Zhen arrived at Qi Shan's camp, reported the news of He Ming being killed to Qi Shan, knelt on the ground and said: "Because of my fault, it led to the loss of a great general for you, sir. Please punish me."

  Qishan smiled and asked: "Li Zhen, did you think of sparing He Ming's life when you saw him being beaten to death?"

  Li Zhen raised his head, facing Qi Shan directly and said loudly: "Sir, He Ming has been trying to get rid of me everywhere, thinking of putting me to death. I naturally won't save him. It's often said that when you try to beat a tiger, you might not kill it but instead get hurt by it. This is common sense that ordinary people know. Although He Ming was beaten to death, I don't regret it. Please punish me, sir."

  Qishan heard this and burst out laughing.

  "He waved his hand and said: 'Get up, no need to kneel.'"

  Li Zhen asked in surprise: "Your Excellency is not going to punish the subordinate general?"

  Qishan said slowly: "Everyone is dead, what's the use of punishing you? Moreover, He Ming's mind has always been on seeking favor, and he never thought about how to fight a war. Such a person is dead and useless. As for you, do your best to fight battles for me, win more victories, and don't disappoint my trust in you."

  He paused for a moment, and Qi Shan said in a low voice: "You have a decisive character, with the potential to be a famous general. However, I must remind you that in officialdom, one must not only be decisive, but also know when to yield and when to stretch, do you understand?"

  These words are similar to teaching disciples.

  Qishan indeed had a mind to love Li Zhen, after all, Li Zhen was his own discovery, and he was also loyal to him. Moreover, Li Zhen had a relationship with Qilang's daughter, Zhilan, so Qishan would mention Li Zhen.

  "Great kindness from your lordship, I will never forget it for all eternity."

  "Alright, alright, go down now, it's been a long night and we need some peace."

  Li Zhen turned around and left the camp, but his shirt was already soaked through. His intention to sit back and watch He Ming being beaten to death had been seen through by Qi Shan. In fact, it wasn't hard to understand - after all, Qi Shan had spent decades navigating the complex officialdom of three emperors: Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng. He was a veteran of the imperial court, an old fox.

  Fortunately, Qi Shan needed to rely on Li Zhen, otherwise he would not have been spared punishment. After Li Zhen left Qi Shan's tent, Huang Shi Hai immediately came forward and asked in a low voice: "Sir, how is it?"

  "It's all right, everything has been settled satisfactorily!"

  Huang Shi Hai's face also showed a smile, with He Ming's death, things would be much better.

  PS: The fourth update is complete;