Realms In The Firmament

Ye Xiao never knew it was a taboo at all. He had no experience of this. He just felt good to jump up high and acquire a further view.

He stood on the flagpole, as wind blew his clothes up flying in the air.

He suddenly felt himself so cool and powerful.

Song Jue was speechless. [You look like a salted fish in the wind… How could you be so arrogant.]

”Today, I am here, account my rule to you. There is only one clause!” Ye Xiao humphed and then shouted to the hundred thousand men, ”Whoever violates the law in my army, dies!”

”I am sorry, commander, what is the law you mean?” A general was confused.

[Isn’t it too much of an abstract saying?]

There should be many articles of a law, and there should be more than one penalty method…

”I mean, from now on, whoever violates anything in the military law will only get the penalty of death!” Ye Xiao humphed. ”Don’t you understand?”

All the generals were speechless.

[We have seen people who talk abstractly, but none more than you do. So you mean whatever one is charged, he will have his head cut off?]

That was exactly what Ye Xiao meant.

It was simply stated to the point. He just set the baseline of his rule with just a few words.

It was decisive and overwhelming.

It allowed no argument.

He said it, and it was decided!

As expected, a wave rose in the crowd.

Some of the soldiers used to be a part of the four legions. They didn’t feel inimical to this. It was a special time for the kingdom. Military law should be strict anyway. Ye Xiao just wanted it to be stricter and that was all. They would just walk the talks. It was the important time that concerned the future of the kingdom!

The soldiers of the four legions were almost all in the four front lines. However, one of the sides was broken. Enemy invaded into the kingdom. If the kingdom kept retreating, it would definitely fall. It they fought hard, they might win the battle. That was a hope. If soldiers couldn’t even obey rules of the military law, how could Ye Xiao command them like an arm commanding fingers of hand?

This army was newly built. Most of the soldiers were from the Royal Guardian Troop. They were all arrogant and selfish pricks. If the law wasn’t strict, honestly, these men would not fight in a war.

However, some people agreed while some others would definitely disagree. Some soldiers who were from influential families were annoyed when they heard it. Any of them had powerful backgrounds. That was why they could still stay in the city. Those who didn’t have a powerful dad were all sent to the front line.

They stayed in the city to avoid getting killed in the battle. However, now they couldn’t. They had to go for the war now. They were already full of grudge. Now as they heard Ye Xiao announced this, they burst!

They burst together with anger!

”What is this sh*t? Military law means military law! You can’t just say whatever you want to replace it! That is such a joke!”

”Only one penalty in military law? Chop off the head? So if I made a wrong pace, my head is off? What is this sh*t? You just want us dead. Just say it!”

”That’s right. Before the Kingdom of Lan-Feng arrives, we will all die. Who could possibly survive such a stupid rule?”

”This is nonsense! Do you even know how to rule an army? You think the army is your property? You want to rule it by your own words?”

”Are you out of your mind? How can you say such nonsense!”

”No matter what, I quit! What I like is to violate the stupid rules! Does it mean I will be chopped dozens times per day?”

”I won’t agree!”

”I won’t do it either!”

”Whoever loves to follow such rule, go ahead! I don’t buy it! I don’t think Ye Xiao dares to chop my head!”

…

As Ye Xiao announced his rule, the crowd burst into clamor. The soldiers of those influential families stared at Ye Xiao with grudge in their eyes. They wished they could swallow him in one bite!

[I am born a noble man. Now I am going to fight with these doggery in the battle! That is a depressing thing already! Now you make a rule that makes me feel much more depressed!]

[It won’t work. I am telling you! We won’t follow it! What can you do? What do you dare to do?]

[We are going to violate the law! We have already done it.]

[Are you going to kill us all?]

[Do you dare to kill us all?]

All of those men were thinking!

The officials who disliked Ye Xiao already because they didn’t want him to be the commander of an army gloated. [The law does not punish numerous offenders. Hundreds of the noble born men are shouting against you. I wonder what on earth you can do to solve this!]

[Execute one as a warning to others? There are hundreds of them. You can’t mess with them. You can’t mess with any one of them. They are all the ‘others’, that you can’t execute!]

[Do not think that you really are a commander just because you sit on that stupid chair.]

[Slush can never be pasted on the wall.]

[The head of the ‘three lords in town’! How typical!]

[Hmm. It turns out only the head of the three lads fits the stupid title all along!]

If it wasn’t Ye Xiao, but any great generals in the kingdom, such as Su Dingguo, General Lan, Ye Nantian, this might only end by the commander taking a step back. In fact, those generals would never set such a rule in the army.

However, Ye Xiao was the one who played the main role here. He was the one who set that rule.

He feared nobody in the world. He didn’t put anyone in this world in his eyes at all!

That made it a different story now.

Ye Xiao apparently had predicted such situation. He half closed his eyes and spoke with a smile, ”So… Listen to you. You won’t follow my rule, right? You are violating it now. That is what you are doing, right? Well. I am nice and generous. Let me ask you one more time before anything is done. Take that as a chance I give to you!”

”We don’t need it. Who could stand such an unreasonably strict rule? That is beyond nature and law! We don’t need to obey it!” One man was getting more and more arrogant since Ye Xiao was smiling.

He was son of the Penalty Minister. His father was watching this on the side. He thought that he was safe because his father was there. That was why he shouted with arrogance and confidence.

As he made the first objection, the other over four hundred men shouted together, ”That’s right! We won’t obey it!”

Ye Xiao didn’t feel annoyed at all. He just nodded. ”Hmm. You won’t. Fine. Guys! Bring me a big vat and a big white flag!”

[What?]

[A vat?]

[A white flag?]

…