"Pass the order—each unit will rest for a quarter of an hour."
"After that, we enter the mountains!"
Li Jinghong's expression was cold and stern, as if he hadn't noticed the Inspectors' low morale at all, and he gave his command without hesitation.
He Ping hesitated for a moment, then gathered his courage to advise:
"My lord, for the rebels to have set such an ambush, they must already have full control of Seven Li Village. Would it not be better to send someone back to the county first, report the situation, and wait for reinforcements before proceeding?"
Li Jinghong turned his gaze on He Ping and questioned him:
"Seven Li Village has only thirty-odd households, with fewer than thirty able-bodied men. We have two hundred armored soldiers—what is there to fear?"
Having said this, Li Jinghong continued, half to himself:
"The rebels of Seven Li Village have violently resisted conscription, defied the imperial authority, killed Inspectors, gathered a mob to ambush and kill more than a dozen Imperial Inspectors…"
"Such acts are tantamount to treason!"
"If traitors are not executed now—then when?"
Hearing this, He Ping was briefly stunned, but quickly realized the true meaning. The higher authorities were about to arrive to conduct inspections—if they didn't clean this up properly now and the higher-ups discovered what had happened, everyone here would lose their heads!
Immediately, He Ping cautiously suggested again:
"My lord, shall we at least send someone to scout ahead?"
"If the rebels had not ambushed us just now, I might have been more cautious," Li Jinghong replied.
"But they squandered such a golden opportunity. If they had truly dared face us directly, they would have pressed their attack in that moment. Instead, they tried to bluff and frighten us."
"Knowing this—what is there to fear?"
As he spoke, Li Jinghong swept a glance over the demoralized Inspectors:
"Go tell them—whoever dares disobey orders or shake the army's resolve will be executed, and their entire family will be sentenced to forced labor!"
"Also, this operation is an official campaign to suppress rebels—military merits and rewards will be granted by the court. Announce that as well."
"I obey, my lord," He Ping answered with a salute, then withdrew.
Once the order was passed down, the temporary encampment became a hubbub of noise. But soon, under the threat of military discipline, the noise shifted to hushed whispers.
The threat of execution targeted individuals—but the punishment of forced labor for one's family cut off all paths of retreat.
Though the mines were harsh, under normal circumstances, an ordinary laborer had a decent chance of surviving six months of forced service.
But forced labor in the punishment camps was another matter entirely.
The so-called punishment camps were for criminals sentenced to years of hard labor in the mines.
You served however many years you were sentenced—no exceptions.
Ordinary laborers still had some value. If they died in the mines, the county of Qinghe would provide compensation to their families.
But those sent to the punishment camps had no such protection.
They were assigned the most dangerous tasks in the mines.
If they died—so be it. Their lives were worth less than grass.
Such a punishment—who with parents or children could remain unafraid?
Chu Mu, a man with no family ties, was naturally alarmed by this threat, but not overly concerned.
What caught his attention was He Ping's earlier mention of official court military merits and rewards!
As Inspectors held a quasi-military status, Chu Mu was familiar with the military merit system.
For ranks below Squad Leader (Wu Zhang), military merit was awarded based on beheading enemy combatants.
For Squad Leaders and above, merit was based on command performance—casualties, results, obedience to orders, and other factors.
That system involved more complex gain-and-loss calculations, which Chu Mu hadn't studied deeply.
But the system for beheading-based merit below Squad Leader? That he understood well.
After all—he was just a lowly soldier…
According to the reward system, an ordinary soldier who beheaded one enemy received thirty silver taels, and their parents and children were exempt from forced labor for three years.
Behead five enemies—gain a rank, parents and children exempt from forced labor for ten years, and receive two hundred silver taels.
Behead ten enemies—gain two ranks, parents and children granted lifetime exemption from forced labor, and receive ten gold taels!
As for beheading minor criminals—not counted toward rank, but awarded silver or gold per head.
Without a doubt, this merit system gave even the lowliest soldiers a potential path to leap ahead in life.
Behead ten enemies—two ranks up!
A jump from ordinary soldier to Squad Leader, commanding dozens of men!
In a small town, where the entire Inspector force might number only a few dozen—one Squad Leader held nearly unmatched authority.
Even in a key location like Nanshan Town, with its special structure of two Centurion units and nearly five hundred Inspectors, there were still only about ten Squad Leaders in total.
This had clearly exceeded Chu Mu's expectations.
After all, the imperial merit system was designed for dealing with major threats—
Rebellions that overran entire regions, or wars against foreign tribes.
A minor skirmish in a village like Seven Li? It didn't seem like the kind of thing that would trigger such court rewards.
At most, he'd thought the county might issue some local commendations.
More likely, the rewards would fall under the Inspector system's normal merit and promotion track.
Chu Mu's original plan had been to make a good showing, catch the attention of higher-ups, and maybe—if some slots opened up—secure a position for himself.
Of course, all of this depended on staying alive.
Just like surviving the earlier arrow ambush—his priority was self-preservation.
But now, an enormous sweet prize had landed in his lap.
And it was a prize far more tangible than Li Gang's vague personal promises.
Though Chu Mu wasn't particularly power-hungry, in this world—
After a month here, it was obvious: without power or status, a person wasn't really a person.
Without them, there were many things one could never even see, let alone touch.
Now, with a clear chance to pursue power and status—how could he not be tempted?
Biting into the dry rations he'd been issued, Chu Mu chewed slowly. His gaze, now steady and determined, flickered with resolve.
Riches are found amid danger.
In this world, he had no family, no backing.
That meant nothing would come to him without effort.
If he wanted something—he had to fight for it.
And this risk—was worth taking.
Finishing the last bite of his rations, Chu Mu scooped up a handful of snow and scrubbed his face hard.
The bone-deep chill jolted his nerves awake.
Chu Mu was clear-headed. He wasn't acting on blood-boiling impulse.
"Mu-ge… are you really planning to take the risk?"
Xu Yuan looked at Chu Mu with concern.
"I am," Chu Mu nodded firmly.
Then he clapped Xu Yuan on the shoulder and advised earnestly:
"You don't need to be afraid. I've read the local gazetteers—Seven Li Village has only about thirty households. They've already been conscripted several times. There can't be many people left."
"And only a few would dare openly rebel."
"We've got so many troops. Just stay toward the rear and don't charge ahead. Put on a show, and you should be fine."
"But, Mu-ge—"
Xu Yuan wanted to object, but Chu Mu cut him off.
"Relax. I value my life even more than you do. I'm not going to act recklessly."
Chu Mu's tone was just as serious. He wasn't caught up in bravado—he had a clear sense of his own limits.
This was simply a calculated choice, made after weighing the gains and losses.
If it became truly untenable, he wouldn't blindly charge forward. He would reassess.
*(End of chapter)*