1723 Ruthless Clean Up, Rivers of Blood

After three rounds of drumming, only a dozen people were standing in front of Chu Yunfan's office. These people were made up of corporals and only one captain.

"Only these few have come?" Chu Yunfan glanced at the dozen people in front of him.

These officers looked at Chu Yunfan with some apprehension. This new lieutenant colonel seemed to have come with ill intentions. From the previous few lieutenant colonels, these lieutenant colonels who had descended from the sky were all proud figures. It wasn't that they hadn't heard of this before. These people were all from various sects, and some of them even came from the major factions of the Imperial Court. They had come up to do something big.

"Very well." Chu Yunfan sneered, "You Chuyun, how do we deal with those who don't come after three rounds of the drums according to the rules?"

"Senior Chu, they are to be beheaded!" You Chuyun said loudly.

The officers turned pale. According to the military law, there were dozens of situations where they could be beheaded. One of them was that they could be beheaded if they failed to meet the deadline. However, these second-line troops had always been more lax, and the defenders of Baotai had been free and undisciplined for too long. Although they could protect themselves, they could only protect themselves. There was no way to stop others from falling.

"Colonel, should we inform the deputy colonel?" the only captain asked cautiously.

"In this camp, I am the lieutenant colonel. Pass down the order. All those who didn't arrive are to be beheaded and their heads will be hung in front of the camp as a warning." Chu Yunfan laughed coldly.

In a chaotic world, severe laws should be used, especially in the army. Once there was mercy, these rotting soldiers would step all over them.

"You Chuyun, take your men with you and capture them all."

"Yes, Senior Chu," You Chuyun replied and led the ten Flying Celestial disciples out of the office like ferocious tigers descending a mountain.

In just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all the officers in the camp who had not arrived were captured and brought to kneel before the colonel's office. Although these officers were all the best in the army, their cultivation could not compare to You Chuyun and the others. Those who resisted were beaten half to death and dragged over like dead dogs.

"You can't kill me! I'm an officer of the Imperial Court!"

"Don't kill me! I'm a member of the Chen clan. If you dare to kill me, the Chens will never let you go!"

"Sir, please spare me!"

These people either cursed or begged for mercy, but they could not shake Chu Yunfan's determination. With his order, these officers were beheaded. The heads, which their owners had died with grievous expressions, were hung on the flagpole so that all the soldiers in the camp could see them.

The entire camp was instantly shaken. Everyone knew that an iron-fisted lieutenant colonel had come this time. Although the previous lieutenant colonels were strong, none of them were like Chu Yunfan, who started a massacre without giving them any chance to argue. He simply cut off their heads on the grounds that they were late. No one dared to treat him as someone who was easy to bully anymore.

After killing all these officers, Chu Yunfan was still not satisfied. He asked You Chuyun and the others to take action. Under the guidance of the other officers, they dragged out the remaining dozens of soldiers from the brothels and gambling dens. They were captured and beheaded. 

The storm that Chu Yunfan stirred up shocked not only the military camp but also the major forces in Baotai. Chu Yunfan had come in a low-key manner. After entering, he did not go to the lieutenant colonel's residence but entered the military camp instead. Many people did not know that the new lieutenant colonel had arrived, but now Chu Yunfan had used extremely powerful methods to announce his arrival.

And the way to announce this was through rows of heads.

After beheading all these officers, Chu Yunfan arranged for the selection of low-level officers such as corporals and captains from the remaining soldiers. Chu Yunfan had led an army in the Federation, so he was no stranger to these things.

Under his control, the matter was resolved easily. The entire camp immediately became lively, no longer as lifeless as before. At the same time, he installed his underling as majors and deputy majors. You Chuyun was appointed as deputy colonel, becoming the second person in the army after him. Chu Yunfan announced that the original deputy colonel was dismissed.

These officers were too low-level and could be arranged as Chu Yunfan pleases. The Ministry of War of Grand Xia was not interested in these things. They only had to prove their worth. A lieutenant colonel was only a small official in the eyes of Grand Xia's Ministry of War. If it was not for Li Qianyuan, no one would care about him.

However, the deputy colonel didn't show up. Chu Yunfan wasn't in a hurry. He was using his absolute power to suppress people. If the man didn't show up, Chu Yunfan would report him as a deserter, and the deputy colonel would meet a most tragic death. Grand Xia punished deserters extremely harshly. Even their families would be implicated and thrown in jail.

In the colonel's office, Chu Yunfan sat in the main seat. You Chuyun and the others were sitting beside him.

"We found through the clean-up that the soldiers' pay is being swallowed up by their commanding officers. There are only 300 soldiers in what should be a 500-strong garrison. 200 of them were unreported dismissals by the officers of various levels and the pay kept by the commanding officer. And the biggest perpetrator is the former deputy colonel, Ding Cheng, but he's missing right now and we can't find him," You Chuyun reported.

"It's fine. I'll write a report to the Ministry of War later. I'll report him as a deserter. He will no longer swallow up the pay of other men. It doesn't matter if he shows up or not." Chu Yunfan had no concern for Ding Cheng. He was just a deputy colonel, a small ant.

"The biggest problem right now is that there were only about three hundred people in the camp in the first place. More than a hundred people have been borrowed. All the major factions in the city have borrowed people from the army to do hard labor, and the Ding clan which Ding Cheng belongs to borrowed the most soldiers." You Chuyun continued to report the information he had gathered. "The Ding clan has been rooted in Baotai for hundreds of years. Their roots run deep. The local soldiers have to take turns to do hard labor for their clan and be worked to death by them."

Chu Yunfan's eyes flashed with a cold light as he said, "How bold. These local tycoons are more daring than the last!"

Chu Yunfan thought that Grand Xia was tight on the outside but loose on the inside. The control of many places had long been lax.