Chapter Twenty: After the War

  The grain transport army suffered heavy losses, and after taking stock of the casualties and comforting the soldiers, they had to guard against another attack by the Western Xia people. Li Jin Hua, who had been fighting for a whole day, felt mentally exhausted. It was only then that she realized that achieving fame and fortune on horseback was not as easy as it sounded. When it came to leading an army into battle, there were so many complicated things to attend to that she felt like she couldn't get back up if she lay down for a moment. It wasn't until now that she remembered the person who had made the greatest contribution to their narrow escape from death was said to be a small team leader. Although all she wanted to do was sleep, she knew she had to meet with him first.

  "Miss, we have received great kindness from the old master. How can we abandon you and live alone? You don't need to say more. When my brothers and I swore an oath in the past, we said that we would live and die together, never parting ways. If we were to die on the battlefield tomorrow, we could still face the old master's kindness with honor, and our brotherhood would be unblemished. What a blessing! Miss, there is no need to persuade us further. Eldest brother and fourth brother must also think this way, so it's pointless to try to persuade us... As for that team leader, he privately opened the official seal, took out the bows and crossbows we were transporting, and distributed them to the militia. This is not a small crime, are you sure you want to see this person?"

  What Li Jinhua had said earlier was expected, after all, her four uncles had watched her grow up and she knew their temperaments well. But the few words that followed from Li Shu were somewhat ambiguous, yet Li Jinhua wasn't a fool and immediately understood what he meant.

  It's a matter of expediency, under such circumstances, the small team did nothing wrong and was very correct. Rather than letting the Western Xia people take away these military weapons, it would be better to use them to fight to the death. But things are just so frustrating, doing the right thing doesn't necessarily get rewarded, and wrong actions don't necessarily get punished.

  In general, those who privately open official seals are bound to escape death, but now the small team has achieved great success, striking down the opponent's commander on the spot. If they encounter a flexible and understanding military leader, it's easy to say that their merits and demerits will be balanced, and there may even be a chance for them to be recognized as talented individuals and promoted. However, if they encounter an obstinate person, the consequences are difficult to predict. The principle of rewarding success and punishing failure is naturally indisputable. Since I have rewarded your achievements, I must also punish your mistakes. How will you be punished? That depends on everyone's character and tolerance. If you encounter someone who is jealous and resentful of talent, the outcome will be even more unpredictable.

  So, things are clear now. This is a big trouble. If you ignore it and don't take any action, you can still shirk responsibility afterwards. But if you meet the other party, will you reward or punish them? Rewarding without punishing would mean that the crime of privately opening official mail would be borne by your subordinates. Punishing without rewarding would be even more foolish. At a time when everyone needs to work together, such a move would be tantamount to self-destruction. Should there be rewards and punishments? This is a delicate matter that requires careful consideration. Li Jin Hua wondered if she had the ability to handle it... It seems that ignoring it might be better after all.

  Thinking of this, Li Jinhua hesitated for a moment, but then thought that the Western Xia people were not far away, eyeing them covetously, and his own army was not capable of withstanding a battle. Whether they could survive tomorrow was still uncertain, so thinking about these trivial matters seemed rather ridiculous.

  Rubbing her increasingly painful head, Li Jinhua said: "It doesn't matter, bring him here. If we can't survive this time, what's the point of saying anything? Even if we can defeat the Western enemy, do we still have the strength to transport these grains and military supplies? We've already broken military law by not delivering these things to Qingyang on time. Now it seems we'll have to destroy them anyway. Since that's the case, why not add another crime to his name?"

  Li Shu was speechless, Li Jinhua's words were indeed reasonable, and he couldn't refute them. He turned around and walked out to find the small team that had just left.

  At this time, Zhao Shi didn't think that much. He was busy digging a deep pit with others in the same team. Next to the pit were more than 20 corpses lying horizontally and vertically. These people who had turned into cold bodies were all from another team, including eleven villagers from Zhaojia Village. The cruelty and bloodiness of the war made these guys who saw the bloody scene for the first time have a strong reaction. Of course, this was completely normal in Zhao Shi's eyes. Some people were stunned for a long time after the Western Xia soldiers suddenly withdrew, and later they were slapped awake by Zhao Shi. They vomited, convulsed, and even made unbearable screams, which was caused by excessive stimulation leading to mental disorder. In Zhao Shi's opinion, this was easy to cure. He just knocked them out, and when they woke up again, they would be much better.

  There were still a few guys who chased after the Western Xia people like they had gone mad, they had completely become crazy, and the result was naturally self-evident, they all died.

  There were two more guys who were thoroughly scared out of their wits, and after the battle was over, they had become mentally deranged. For such people, Zhao Shi was also powerless; they had become idiots in the classical sense, mentally ill. Zhao Shi wasn't a god, and for such illnesses, he was at a loss, so he could only have these two men tied up to settle the matter.

  The reaction of the remaining people made Zhao Shi very satisfied. At most, they vomited for a while and then quietly collected their companions' bodies and bandaged the wounds of their injured companions. These people, no matter what happened in the future, had all passed the first test and had the qualifications and potential to become good warriors.

  A team of fifty, after one battle, lost nearly half. No one would be jubilant about their own lucky survival in such a situation. Although they did feel some joy in their hearts, it was gone when they saw the people they had chatted with before turn into bloody corpses. From their eyes, Zhao Shi could clearly read sadness, hatred, fear, disgust... and other complex emotions. However, when they looked at Zhao Shi, everyone would maintain a respectful attitude. Even Shang Yan Zu, who walked alongside Zhao Shi, would unconsciously fall half a step behind. Although he still called out "Shi Shi" in conversation, his tone had lost the warmth of before, replaced with a natural reverence. This feeling was indescribable for Zhao Shi, who felt like he had lost something but also gained something else. Compared to his past life, where he enjoyed the hatred or fear of his enemies or friends, this feeling of being revered by others wasn't bad.

  Zhao Gouzzi was very lucky, just because he was hit by a sudden punch from Ye Lizi and spat out a few mouthfuls of blood. It is estimated that his internal organs were injured. According to Zhao Shi's experience, as long as Zhao Gouzi rested for a period of time, he would recover. The back of Zhao Gouzi was also cut with a knife, which was an external injury. Although the wound looked very long and frightening, it did not actually harm his tendons and bones. After nursing for a period of time, there should be no problem.

  。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。

  As footsteps approached, "Are you Zhao Shi? Follow me, the Commandant wants to see you."

  I've finally made it into the top ten of the new book chart, I'm so excited! However, I still want to say, please recommend and collect, give all the votes you can spare to Ah Cao, Ah Cao isn't afraid of getting hurt...