Chapter 1296 - Leniency and Severity
"At least you understand." Wang Ruixiang's tone remained stern. "You have been a soldier of the Senate for several years now. You should know that the Senate stresses clear distinctions between right and wrong above all else. You and your subordinates have seriously violated discipline, and this matter must be dealt with accordingly."
"Yes—I am a bastard!" Huang Xiong hung his head, not daring to speak further.
Wang Ruixiang continued to rebuke him harshly. Seeing that the man offered no excuses and that his attitude was appropriately contrite, his anger subsided by half. In truth, this matter was not particularly egregious. Regarding soldiers taking women—so long as both parties were willing, the Senate generally preferred not to interfere excessively. This was primarily a concession to reality: most officers and soldiers of the Imperial Army remained unmarried, and opportunities for furlough had been virtually nonexistent in recent years. Prolonged near-ascetic service inevitably bred sexual frustration.
The question of establishing facilities such as camp-follower brothels had been discussed multiple times at small-scale Senate meetings. Fierce opposition from many Senators had prevented the matter from ever reaching the formal agenda. Nevertheless, the military's needs in this regard could not be ignored forever. Some outlet for these urges had to be provided.
This incident troubled him less because they had been dallying with women than because they had done so indiscriminately, in a combat zone, while on active duty. This was not merely disregard for discipline—the carelessness and complacency it revealed were dangerous. Openly keeping unpurified women who had not undergone political screening at their sides, women who entered and exited military command posts at will—this could easily lead to intelligence leaks. If any of these women harbored ulterior motives, she could readily gather sensitive information. Taken to extremes, she might assassinate officers, steal pistols, and then target Senators.
Wang Ruixiang spoke more slowly. "I know you live a bitter life out here in the ice and snow. The soldiers aside—you yourself are a man in his thirties, an officer, and you still don't have a family to speak of..."
Huang Xiong had expected Wang Ruixiang's next words to be: "Drag him out and shoot him!" Instead, the Chief first acknowledged his hardships. Amid the fear, he felt a sudden rush of emotion. His eyes stung; his nose twitched.
"However, discipline is discipline." Wang Ruixiang shifted back to the theme at hand. "As the commanding officer of this detachment, you failed to stop your subordinates from committing major violations—and you yourself led the way in taking women! What do you have to say for yourself?"
"Reporting to the Chief—nothing!" Huang Xiong's back was ramrod-straight; his voice trembled.
"Let me be clear: did you embezzle relief rations to spend on these women?"
Huang Xiong shook his head vigorously. "Reporting to the Chief—I, Huang Xiong, stake my head on it: no!" He explained that the amount of relief rations cooked daily was fixed. He would never have dared embezzle any of it privately.
"Then what did you spend on the women? They weren't on the ration rolls to begin with. Stranded here—if you weren't taking grain from the mouths of refugees outside, what did you use to feed them?"
"This..." Huang Xiong lowered his head. "At first, when... establishing relations... we did give them an extra half-bowl or so—that did happen. We each have a personal subsidy of relief rations. Everyone used their own portions to support the women. As for embezzlement—no one had the nerve. We all know the regulations..." He raised his head, his expression one of desperate sincerity. "This—if I, Huang Xiong, have spoken even half a false word, may I be struck down by lightning!"
"No need for oaths and vows. The men I brought will take inventory and reconcile accounts immediately. Tell your quartermaster to handle the handover at once." Wang Ruixiang's tone brooked no argument. "As for your claim that you used your own rations to support the women—we have ways of verifying that as well. Whether it's true or not, you know best."
Wang Ruixiang ordered the guard team he had brought to take over the warehouse and begin counting and cross-checking the records. By evening, the results were in. All inventory figures matched the accounts. Suspicion of grain embezzlement could be ruled out. However, the matter of diverting rations meant for extra refugees could not be determined through bookwork alone. That would require further information from members of the Committee of Ten.
In any case, neither the Senate nor the military intended to press this matter too deeply. The personal needs of Imperial Army officers and soldiers genuinely required consideration. Otherwise, similar incidents would simply continue to occur. The fact that Senators selected and purchased maidservants for themselves was hardly a secret in Lingao. If soldiers who risked their lives could not even settle down and start families, being too harsh here would only breed alienation.
So long as no embezzlement was involved, the problem of using personal rations to win women's favors was no more serious than American and Soviet soldiers using military rations and nylon stockings to seduce German and Japanese women during World War II.
With no evidence of embezzled relief rations, the severity of the situation was reduced by half. Punishment was still necessary. Though privately keeping extra refugees did not quite rise to the level of "infringing on Senate property," it remained a textbook case of exploiting public position for private gain.
"Bring your woman here," Wang Ruixiang ordered.
"Yes!" Huang Xiong rushed out. After a moment he returned with a young woman.
She wore an old Imperial Army winter coat. Though patched in many places, it had been mended neatly and kept clean. Wrapped around her slight frame, it made her appear very small. Her face was thin, with a pointed chin, giving Wang Ruixiang the impression of looking at a little girl.
"Kowtow... to the Chief..." Huang Xiong could not quite decide what greeting to have her perform—the Chiefs disliked kowtowing. Instead, the woman curtseyed with unexpected composure.
"How old are you?"
"Answering the Chief: this servant is sixteen years old." Wang Ruixiang thought she looked about twelve. But the girl spoke with a Shandong accent, which stirred a sense of familiarity. Looking more closely, he noticed her wrists and fingers were very slender, her skin white and delicate—clearly not the daughter of a poor family. His gaze dropped to her feet: bound. That explained it.
"A daughter of a grain-tax household, I presume."
"Y-yes." The tongue-tied Huang Xiong hurried to interject—he had seen Wang Ruixiang notice the woman's bound feet and knew the Chiefs were particularly averse to this practice. He hastened to explain: "We—originally wanted to unbind the feet, but then she wouldn't be able to walk..."
Wang Ruixiang ignored him and addressed the girl. "What is your name?"
"This servant is called Wang Bao'er."
"How did you fall to this state?"
"The family suffered flooding... then bandits passed through... The whole family had to flee. Hearing there was a way to survive here, we came..."
"Any relatives left?"
"None..." Tears already gleamed in the girl's eyes. "...On the road... all died... completely..."
"You're a daughter of a grain-tax household. Presumably you're literate."
"Yes. I studied a few years with my father when young."
"Oh, a scholarly family as well." The corners of Wang Ruixiang's mouth curved faintly. "Did your father have an academic title?"
"I dare not say. Father only read a few books and recognized a few characters."
The words were modest, but to "read a few books" in this timeline put one among the educated elite. Being able to make such a claim at all suggested no small measure of learning.
"Are you truly willing to follow this man Huang Xiong?"
"Naturally, with all sincerity." Wang Bao'er blinked several times, forcing a smile. "Being able to follow Soldier Lord Huang is already the greatest fortune for this slave maid..."
Looking at her aggrieved expression, he understood she felt no such "great fortune" in her heart. How could a daughter of a respectable family look up to a rough martial man like Huang Xiong? She was simply a frail woman adrift in a chaotic world, grasping at whatever might keep her alive.
But this was none of his concern. Viewed from the bright side, this was yet another manifestation of the Senate's superiority: breaking the old order and building a new society in its place. You feel aggrieved now, he thought, but later, when Huang Xiong rises to prominence, you'll realize how fortunate you were.
Wang Ruixiang smiled. "I can see you're a well-bred woman. You've tidied this place perfectly. Managing a household in the future, you'll certainly make a fine wife. Huang Xiong, you're a lucky man."
Huang Xiong's heart leapt with joy. He understood that the Chief had approved their arrangement. He immediately snapped to attention and saluted. "Thank you, Chief, for your blessing!"
"Don't thank me yet. You committed a serious disciplinary violation. The punishment you deserve cannot be avoided. The same goes for your subordinates." Wang Ruixiang's tone turned grave once more.
"Yes, Chief!"
"Sound assembly."
"Yes!" Huang Xiong saluted and hurried out.
The detachment assembled quickly. Wang Ruixiang then announced the preliminary disciplinary decision for this serious violation: "Huang Xiong is dismissed from his post, effective immediately. The entire detachment is transferred to Jeju Island for rectification and training."
However, as a gesture of leniency, he added: all refugee women who had established cohabitation relationships with soldiers would be permitted to board the next transport—after undergoing purification, they would be sent to Lingao for settlement. Those willing to marry soldiers could formalize the procedures once the Northbound Detachment returned to Lingao. Those unwilling to marry would have their cohabitation relationships dissolved without exception and be treated as ordinary refugees.
The moment the order was announced, the soldiers—who had been harboring anxious hearts—felt a wave of relief. Originally, this had all been a matter of seizing opportunities to indulge pleasures and vent desires. But having lived with these women for some time, feelings had naturally developed, and they had grown reluctant to part. Now, though they faced transfer to Jeju Island for "rectification and training," the Chief had also recognized their marital arrangements. When the command "Dismissed!" rang out, a small cheer rippled through the ranks.
"Don't celebrate too soon. Your detachment is now responsible for loading relief rations onto the carts." Wang Ruixiang's voice carried a hint of irony. "Reflect on your mistakes through sweat!"
Huang Xiong's detachment set cheerfully to the task of loading carts. This actually stirred a twinge of envy in the replacement detachment. Wang Ruixiang summoned their commander.
"I know what you're thinking—but you'd better keep your belts tightened!" He spoke sharply. "When this operation concludes, there will be merit evaluations and commendations. Matters of the heart will also become easier to resolve. Don't sacrifice your future for a moment's indulgence!"
"Reporting to the Chief—I promise to keep my belt tight!" The detachment leader blinked. "And my subordinates as well!"
"Very good." Wang Ruixiang nodded. "Additionally, I'm increasing the daily relief rations supplied to extra refugees by another ten percent. Try to keep a few more people alive."