The bandits in the Shicai Juyi Hall screamed bitterly about military discipline, and at this moment they stared wide-eyed, Xia Mao'er said incredulously in her heart: "This trick is safe, and you still have rules?" Someone looked left and right, and his hand unconsciously touched the blade beside him. The rules of the people in the rivers and lakes may not be much more merciful than military law.

Ordinary gentry and ordinary people, there is the impression that many thieves are lawless. In fact, the more fierce people gather, the more cruel the rules will be. People are floating in the rivers and lakes, how can they not be stabbed. If the rules of the rivers and lakes solve the problem better than the laws of the imperial court, many cottage leaders will not think about recruiting An. Those who have violated the rules are not uncommon for them to have three knives and six holes, go to the oil pot, and break their tendons and limbs. It is precisely because of these cruel rules that the big boss can suppress the minions below. And a large group of water gangsters like the Thirteen Serial Villages, which is self-contained internally, and the rules are stricter than ordinary bandits. For example, in the village, when there is a lot of food, there is enough to eat, if the food is small, the brothers must be humble to each other, not to rob, and there is also a rabbit does not eat the grass by the nest, and the brother's wife is not allowed to play, etc. When you go outside the stockade, it is easy not to cross the territory to commit crimes in other bandits, which is also a tacit rule between bandits everywhere. If anyone breaks the rules, it will be the result of a fight between the two families. Establishing rules and reasoning on the rivers and lakes are things that may make countless people's heads fall to the ground.

"This, this," Luo Xianshi hesitated for a moment and asked, "What kind of rules did Mr. Zhao want us to discuss?" ”

The hall was quiet, Zhao Xingde smiled slightly, and replied: "Zhao treats you with kindness, but if you connive at your subordinates without rules, and wait to meet the Liao thief, everyone will also be a dead end." Since you think that the seventeen forbidden laws and fifty-four slashes are too severe, then let's discuss a relaxed rule. He explained, "For example, if you fail to meet this rule by the deadline, if you encounter a vision of heavy rain in the south, fog in the desert north, strong winds in the north of the desert, etc., which makes it difficult to distinguish the direction, the road is cut off, and it is impossible to arrive on time, you can forgive the sin of missing the deadline as appropriate." And if the general hides evil intentions and intends to put a certain department to death, then the subordinates do not respect the general's order, and it is understandable. There is also the bow and crossbow string, which is sometimes suddenly bitterly cold in the north, and the bowstring breaks as soon as it is pulled, which is not caused by improper maintenance of the bowstring by the soldiers, so it should be forgiven. He paused, looked at the heroes and said: "If I don't have time, it will be three days, and you can discuss the excessively severe and forgivable situations in the fifty-four of the seventeen forbidden laws one by one, and report to me if you have discussed one of them, and if it is feasible, you will follow it in the army in the future." ”

"The military situation is urgent, bothering the Lord of Lu Zhai to prepare the ship," Zhao Xingde arched his hand to Lu Mingyu, turned to everyone, and said with an awe-inspiring face, "Lord Chen has recruited us and others to join the Imperial Army. Ten days later, the heroes who are willing to abide by the rules of military discipline will march east with our Baoyi Army and go to Ezhou to join General Yue. ”

Hearing Zhao Xingde finish speaking, Lu Mingyu, Luo Xianshi and the others all looked solemn. Chen Dong was also slightly surprised, he looked at Zhao Xingde, his eyes were a little complicated. It wasn't until this moment that he really felt that ten years of time had made this old friend have something more unpredictable.

Luo Xianshi pondered Zhao Xingde's words and nodded secretly. He originally thought that Zhao Xingde was just a springboard, and planned to borrow his fame, and after Zhao'an, it would be another world, but his thoughts at the moment were different. The delicacies cooked by celebrity chefs are served one by one. After the light dishes, the big fish and meat were served, but many of the leaders of the cottage were preoccupied, the wine was over three rounds, the dishes were five flavors, and no matter how good the wine and food were eaten, there was no taste in the mouth. Mr. Zhao said in advance, if you can't negotiate enough grace in the past three days, you will violate military regulations in the future, but you will really lose your head.

"Outside of the military law of beheading, negotiate a grace period?" Zhang Wudi put an elbow into the opening of the road, chewed hard, and thought, "Is this benevolence?" He shook his head, "Keep an eye on it, it's important to keep this head." After several bandit leaders next to him whispered, one of them stretched his head over, salivated and said with a smile: "Brother Zhang, you said that if the government can't pay food, our brothers can't fight hungry, and 'borrow' some money and grain from the rich people in the prefecture and county on the spot, shouldn't it be a crime?" Zhang Wudi lowered the wine glass and glared: "Of course not!" ”

Above the chief, Chen Dong glanced left and right, and said in a low voice: "Yuan Zhi, the so-called mercy is not in charge of the soldiers." Seventeen prohibitions and fifty-four are too strict, but is it too lenient to let these reckless warriors negotiate the situation of grace on their own? ”

Zhao Xingde was silent for a moment, and said in a low voice: "I think that the worst rule is that there are no rules. There are no rules, so that the upper and lower are centrifuged, and the comrades cover each other. Although the seventeen prohibitions and fifty-four slashes are strict, it is precisely because they are too strict that the upper and lower levels do not take it seriously, and they are useless. If there is a military law order, but it is not obeyed, it is equivalent to nothing. It is better to relax it so that military law is in line with human feelings. At the beginning, the Qin law was strict and cumbersome, which led to endless turmoil in the world, and the second died. It is the Han Dynasty that inherited the Qin system, and in the art of law, Xiao He broke through the eyes and became a circle, and carved and became simple. The Han system is a fish that swallows the boat with a leaky net, which is negligent but not leaky, so that the Han family can continue the world for 400 years. He paused, looked at the full house of Jingxiang heroes, and said in a low voice: "I thought that these good men have a trace of loyalty, and the results they negotiated will definitely outweigh those outdated rules that cannot be enforced. ”

"Can't do it?" Chen Dong thought of the human heads hanging on the flagpoles around the Guangzhou Zhenguo Military Academy, he shook his head, if he didn't think of some way, these heroes would be difficult to restrain him, and in comparison, he couldn't imagine that Zhao Xingde could use such an iron fist to govern the army.

This feast ended hastily in the hearts of everyone. Lu Mingyu also sent Zhao Xingde to the outside of the Juyi Hall, and Luo Xianshi directly summoned a few leaders of the Shuikou who he could see to immediately discuss the rules in the army. According to Zhao Xingde, the rules discussed should not be too outrageous, otherwise, everyone would not have to join the Baoyi Army, they should be happy as soon as possible, wash their necks and wait for the Liao thieves to cut off their heads. The Liao army was pressed by the army, and the water had already flooded to the neck, and Zhao Xingde did not have the patience to subdue those who were too selfish, and the soldiers were expensive but not too expensive. In this way, some half-hearted people can also be screened out. If Zhao Xingde could not agree to those who made excessive requests for leniency, he would rather exclude them from the lineage of the Baoyi Army, and could only exist as allies or side members.

Lu Mingyu is a person who is determined to follow Zhao Xingde, anyway, after the rules are established in the future, he will pass through the Baoyi Army, so he will not bother with this god, concentrate on preparing ships and grain and grass, and arrange for everyone to sail east to Ezhou ten days later. If the garrison of the officers and soldiers moved, most of the soldiers had to take their families with them, and the speed of the march would be ridiculously slow. Although Lu Mingyu obeyed Zhao Xingde's orders and selected 1,000 elite soldiers to join the Baoyi Army, he did not intend to give up the foundation of the Thirteen Chain Villages, and there were still more than 2,000 people left behind. Thirteen Lianlian Village was originally the head snake on the Jingxiang River, and now it is on the mountain of Chen Dong Zhao Xingde, as long as the Ezhou banner does not fall, the foundation of the water village does not have to worry too much.

The heroes of the rivers and lakes were busy discussing military regulations, but Zhao Xingde was idle here, and he first returned to the clean room to look at the heroes who were injured and poisoned yesterday. Under the care of Shi Langzhong, Xu Sheng, Sun Lin, and Liu Zhong's injuries have been stabilized, and after the three Jianghu men woke up, they heard that Zhao Xingde had blood and expelled drugs, and they were grateful, dragging their sick bodies and struggling to stay to thank them, but they were all dissuaded by Zhao Xingde, and told the three of them to have a good life and recuperate, and not to think nonsense. Another injured person, Pan Yan, is still unconscious, Wu Quan, the owner of Qingshui Village, has been guarding the side of the righteous brothers, he saw Zhao Xingde coming to visit, and also got up to greet him, and carefully looked at Pan Yan's injury, it seemed that it was more serious than in the night, and even his breathing was weak. Seeing Wu Quan's worried face, Zhao Xingde didn't know what words to say comfortingly, so he could only pat him on the shoulder wordlessly.

After leaving the clean room, Zhao Xingde found the sergeant Shi Jingkui and told him to contact the military intelligence department in Yuezhou, and reported to the military government as quickly as possible that he would lead the Baoyi army for the Song State. Zhao Xingde estimated that the military government would not only not oppose it, but would vigorously support it. For now, preventing the Liao army from sweeping the southeast is the top priority, but as for the future, it is not so much to care about. Shi Jingkui is a native of Shuzhong, and in this small team, his military position is second only to Zhao Xingde. Since he learned that Zhao De, the general of the Xia State system, was Zhao Yuanzhi of the Kwantung region, he actually had some more elegant words in his conversation, which made Zhao Xingde smile bitterly.

The lake is covered with mist. The early spring sun shines on people, and it only makes people feel warm.

In such a beautiful early spring, I think that the Great Song River and Hebei have become a mound of war, and the people in the southeast have been devastated. Under the iron hooves of the Liao soldiers, countless people died every minute and every second, Zhao Xingde's heart was very blocked, he sighed, looked up at the vast sky in the distance, and saw that the white clouds were like a river, flowing slowly on the empty blue sky, giving people the illusion that this body and the whole world and everything in the world are in a slowly flowing river.

"The deceased is like a husband, reluctant to give up day and night." Chen Dong's voice suddenly sounded behind him.

Zhao Xingde turned around, saw Chen Dong wearing a Confucian robe, and asked with a smile, "Xingde allows these heroes of the rivers and lakes to set up their own rules, so that they can be good at self-discipline, and guard the southeast half of the wall for my Great Song Dynasty, is this the 'way of self-defense' of Mr. Lu Er?" ”