The Empress’ Livestream
chapter-513

Chapter 513: Besieging Fengyi County (XXI)

Jiang Pengji looked around and her gaze fell on Qiguan Rang who was sitting in the corner. He was squinting while still holding the feather fan that never left his hand. It was as if he was listening attentively yet he looked absentminded at the same time. Jiang Pengji called out to him.

She asked, “What do you think of the order, Wen Zheng?”

Since the day Jiang Pengji met Qiguan Rang, she knew about his bad habits. He would never stand out unless he had to. He might even deliberately make himself less visible… Tsk, tsk. Did he cherish his life too much for fear that he would bring disaster upon himself if he performed too well?

Of course, Qiguan Rang was not distracted. On the contrary, he listened very attentively and had even thought carefully about the pros and cons of the Order of Army Farming. Obviously, the implementation of the order now would definitely outweigh the disadvantages. However, one could not say for certain until months and years had passed.

The lands belonged to the government. The tax collection rate was solely decided by Jiang Pengji. To put it offensively, what if she died and her successor was evil-minded and willfully increased the tax collection rate?

This was one of the reasons. The other was the aristocrats. They had absolute financial resources and rights. Even if the commoners found ways to buy their own lands, could they protect their family property? Not to mention the faraway places, the land annexation in Dongqing was now serious. Many commoners were extorted by tricks. They sold their lands and became tenants.

The bloody lesson was right in front of them!

However, even if Qiguan Rang had thought of those, he did not want to bring them up at that moment. It was because it would not carry much significance even if he mentioned it. The lord had to grow stronger in a short period of time. The commoners also had to recover their livelihood from the incessant blows as soon as possible and live a stable and prosperous life. The shortcomings of the Order of Army Farming would only become visible later.

Why should one worry about running when one had not even learnt how to crawl?

However, Jiang Pengji did not give him the chance. She said, “Spill your thoughts. I won’t laugh at you. You don’t have to lie to me. Just say what you think. If you can’t say anything concrete, don’t even think about having a day off when you return.”

The nerves in the corner of Qiguan Rang’s mouth twitched. He only revealed his previous thoughts after quite some time.

After a while, he said while blushing with shyness, “My worries are groundless. Under the current circumstances, the Order of Army Farming is the best plan.”

Jiang Pengji relaxed her brows and responded, “Your worries aren’t groundless. The biggest difference between nipping it in the bud and worrying excessively is that the former is likely to happen in the near future whereas the latter will only happen in the faraway future. It may not even happen.”

She could turn the world upside down after at least a decade or two, so Qiguan Rang’s worries were not wrong.

“I’ll remember the things you’ve said.” As she finished speaking, Jiang Pengji turned her head and said to Wei Ci and Xu Ke, “This will be all for now. You can sort it out when you go back. After the war, we’ll make some adjustments according to the actual situation…”

The best was not necessarily the most suitable. Jiang Pengji knew this principle. Only the one which could conform to this era would be the most suitable.

Wei Ci and Xu Ke bowed and responded, “Yes, Lord.”

After a while, the guard reported that the lieutenant of the female battalion, Jiang Nongqin, wanted to see the lord. The vanguard wiped out the remaining members of the Tsing Yi Army under Meng Hun and Li Yun’s lead. Why did Jiang Nongqin come over at this time?

Jiang Pengji frowned and let her in.

“I’m here to see you, Lord.”

After entering, Jiang Nongqin bowed solemnly. She only found a place to sit down after being allowed to do so.

Jiang Pengji asked, “Nongqin, what happened?”

She replied with a deep voice, “Upon refining the military discipline, I’ve caught 32 violators, including one who has committed a serious offense.”

Jiang Pengji was very strict in regard to military discipline. Firstly, considering the psychological needs, she did not restrict the male troops from getting married. Secondly, she did not restrain them from seeking pleasure on their days off. If the troops had made severe mistakes during the war when she had already done so, she would definitely not let them off the hook easily.

Hearing Jiang Nongqin’s words, her voice turned aloof.

“Deal with the remaining 31 violators according to the military rules. What serious offense did the trooper commit?”

Jiang Nongqin replied, “He has committed the crime of adultery. You’ve said that the troops can’t rape the commoners, otherwise they’ll be punished with capital felony.”

Jiang Pengji’s pleasant mood vanished in an instant. A murderous smirk was hanging on the corner of her lips.

“The crime of adultery?” She continued, “With such a serious offense, just get the entire army to watch him being punished. Execute him.”

Hearing their conversation, the three strategists present secretly frowned. The crime of adultery? The punishment for committing such a crime would be weighed according to the circumstances. The lightest punishment was a death sentence which was neat and clean. The most serious punishment would be making the committers feel as good as dead. It really was a cruel torture.

Who was the foolish trooper that committed a crime during the height of a crackdown on crime?

Jiang Nongqin said, “I strongly agree with you, but the person whom the trooper has raped is somewhat special. I don’t know how he should be punished.”

Jiang Pengji frowned. “Special?”

Could it be that the trooper had raped a troublesome, well-known figure?

Jiang Nongqin replied, “It’s a man.”

Everyone was baffled. The trooper was indeed a male, or wait… could it be that the person who had committed the crime was a female trooper? Pardon them for having come from the country. When the crime of adultery was mentioned, one would first think of a man and woman. If the victim was a man, the offender must be a female trooper… However, this did not made sense either…

Jiang Nongqin did not realise how much of a misunderstanding she had caused. She repeated, “The trooper is from the third battalion. The victim is a man from the military brothel of the Tsing Yi Army. He has a pretty face and looks no different to a woman. You’ve said that the troops aren’t allowed to rape the commoners. Of course, the victim can also be considered as a ‘commoner’, so I think that the trooper can be found guilty.”

One’s values were shattered!

Wei Ci, Qiguan Rang and Xu Ke were struck dumb with bewilderment. They looked at Jiang Nongqin as if she was a monster. They felt as if they had opened a door to a new world. It turned out that one could play that way?

Xu Ke said embarrassedly, “Lord, this… this is too absurd…”

Jiang Pengji glanced at Xu Ke. Then she secretly looked at Wei Ci.

Talking of which, Wei Ci’s good looks were very dangerous as well. It was more reassuring to dispatch someone who could fight and be loyal to protect him. As a good lord who cared for her subordinates, she gave herself a compliment.

Jiang Pengji lowered her eyelids and said, “Nongqin is right. Commoners are commoners. Gender doesn’t matter.”

Xu Ke kept quiet.

Even though he was appalled, what the lord said was reasonable.

The trooper could not be let free just because the victim was a male and that he was forced to have sexual intercourse with him. The trooper had indeed committed a serious offense. Xu Ke realized that this was an opportunity to beat the dog before the lion and knock some sense into those who liked to play with words and exploit language loopholes.

The man was also a ‘commoner’. If the lord did not impose the punishment in this case, there would be an increase in such cases in the future.

Homosexuality was now popular. Sodomy could even become a story that was passed on with approval!

If the trooper thought that having sex with men was not a crime, what would happen when the troops paid attention to men instead of besieging cities in the future?