Chapter 162: Wei Xiaoping Dismissed from Office and Stripped of Military Command

Zhang Lingpu continued, "Ever since General Wei Xiaoping took command, all subordinates and soldiers who have served alongside him know how deeply caring and attentive he is toward them. Regarding his training methods, he has always selflessly imparted all the martial arts he learned directly to the soldiers. At the same time, his demands and discipline during military training have always been exceptionally strict..."

"General Zhang, what is the purpose of saying all this?" Li Chaoqian interrupted. "Does stating these things mean that Wei Xiaoping does not need to face judgment? Or are you trying to prove that General Wei Xiaoping is innocent?"

Huang Jingrui also chimed in, "Grand General Zhang, Lord Li is right. What does all of this have to do with how Wei Xiaoping should be judged? Or are you attempting to prove his innocence?"

Zhang Lingpu bowed and replied, "Replying to Your Majesty, Wei Xiaoping is certainly guilty according to the law, and his offenses are by no means minor! However, because Wei Xiaoping has made extraordinary contributions to our nation of Qingfeng and is a rare military talent of the past decade, we must be extremely cautious to avoid any misjudgment or wrongful punishment. When determining his sentence, we must carefully examine whether the crimes he committed were intentional or unintentional. If they were intentional, then he should be judged one hundred percent according to the law without any leniency whatsoever! If they were unintentional, can we not take into account his previous meritorious deeds to offset a portion of his guilt? Doing so would also demonstrate Your Majesty's deep cherishing and compassion for talented generals who have made mistakes yet rendered distinguished service to the country!"

Li Chaoqian argued, "General Zhang, merits are merits, and offenses are offenses. If crimes can be offset by merits, how can we speak of strict and impartial law enforcement? If a country fails to strictly enforce its established laws, does that not treat the law as a mere child's plaything? How can a nation that treats its laws as a joke ever be well-governed?"

Huang Jingrui paused in thought before saying, "This king believes what the Grand General says is entirely correct. When we judge ministers or generals who have made mistakes yet made extraordinary contributions to the nation, we must not condemn them with a single stroke. We can consider the extent of their contributions to see if their merits can commute their crimes. This also reflects this king's appreciation and sorrow for talented officials who have erred! My esteemed ministers, what are your thoughts?"

Upon hearing the King's words, the two dozen or more ministers present thought to themselves that since His Majesty himself agreed with Zhang Lingpu's view, what else could the ministers say? Besides, who could guarantee that they themselves would never make a mistake in the future? Should they accidentally err one day, they too could use past merits to commute their punishment!

Consequently, the gathered officials immediately shouted in unison, "Your Majesty is wise! We humbly second this motion!"

Seeing that all the ministers agreed with his stance, Huang Jingrui said, "Very well! Grand General Zhang, please rise. I shall now question General Wei Xiaoping."

Zhang Lingpu stood up and walked back to his original position.

"Your Majesty, please proceed with your questions," Wei Xiaoping said, kneeling on the ground and cupping his hands in salutation.

"General Wei, since you have a twin brother, why did you not inform the registration officials when you originally enlisted in the army?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, my only younger brother, Wei Xiaofan, was abducted by a master of high sorcery when he was fifteen years old, and I spent several years searching for him without a single trace. Because I did not know whether my younger brother was dead or alive after being separated for so long, I was deeply grief-stricken. When I registered to enlist, in order to avoid being overwhelmed by sorrow and because I did not wish to dwell on the painful matter of Xiaofan's disappearance—especially since his fate remained unknown—I dared not speak the truth. I never imagined it would lead to complications right up to the present day..." Wei Xiaoping explained.

Li Chaoqian declared, "Your Majesty, Wei Xiaoping's explanation is nothing more than an attempt to evade the crime of deceiving Your Majesty! State policy dictates that those enlisting in the army must truthfully report their family background. This is to guard against unexpected accidents during military service, to facilitate notifying family members or issuing pensions to elderly relatives, thereby demonstrating Your Majesty's diligent governance and care for the people and the army! Yet Wei Xiaoping concealed the fact that he has a younger brother, which constitutes deception toward the King—a crime of deceiving the ruler that must be dealt with severely according to the law!"

Huang Jingrui waved his hand. "Ah—Lord Li, as I stated just moments ago, if General Wei concealed the truth unintentionally or had compelling reasons for not speaking, as long as it is reasonable and justifiable, he shall be spared punishment or receive a lenient sentence. Right now, I am having Wei Xiaoping explain the whole sequence of events to everyone. Let us hear him out first before deciding on a verdict! Lord Li, please refrain from interrupting for the moment!"

Hearing the King temporarily silence him, Li Chaoqian wore an awkward expression for a moment before retreating to his original place.

Huang Jingrui turned his gaze back to Wei Xiaoping. "Wei Xiaoping, continue. Why did you allow Wei Xiaofan to strike you three blows without retaliating at the Battle of Twin Peaks, leading to your severe injuries and near-death?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, because my brother and I had been separated for over a decade, and during all those years there was no news of him whatsoever, I had assumed he was no longer in this world, and I had almost given up hope. When I saw him and realized he had become an enemy general, my heart was filled with both joy and sorrow. I was overjoyed to learn that my only long-lost brother was still alive and well, yet sorrowful because I discovered he was an enemy commander who had personally led troops to attack the very homeland that nurtured us, which deeply grieved me."

"Hmm! That makes sense! Then why did you not persuade Wei Xiaofan to surrender to our forces? Would that not have added another great general to our ranks? Would it not have been even better for you two brothers to be together every day, jointly safeguarding the safety of the people of our Qingfeng nation?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, Wei Xiaofan's consciousness is currently controlled by someone using soul-manipulation sorcery. The person controlling him does so remotely or by attaching a presence to Xiaofan's body, directing his every thought and action. Whatever the controller demands of him, Xiaofan must obey. In other words, because of this soul-manipulation, Xiaofan no longer knows who he is. The controller has also erased his memories prior to the age of fifteen, so he remembers nothing from before that time. No matter how I tried to prove to him that I am his older brother, he refused to believe me. In the end, the controller instructed him to demand that I promise to let him strike me three blows without fighting back as a condition for acknowledging that I am his brother and agreeing to return to my side. At that moment, my mind was clouded by that single desire, and in my eagerness to bring him back, I agreed... and so..."

"This king understands! But why must Wei Xiaofan demand that you let him strike you three blows without retaliating? Even if he only wanted to confirm that you are his older brother, such a method makes no sense, does it?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, prior to last month, one of Wei Xiaofan's subordinate deputy generals, named Wang Chuying, sought to win glory and please Wei Xiaofan by secretly stealing Xiaofan's military tally and leading a surprise attack against our Qingfeng nation. Our scouts discovered this in advance, so we laid a trap and had Deputy General Huang Xianlin lead our forces into battle, feigning defeat to lure the enemy into our prepared snare. Eventually, the enemy forces were defeated by Huang Xianlin. Upon learning of this, Wei Xiaofan was furious and arranged with my deputy general, Huang Xianlin, to engage in another battle at Twin Peaks a month later. Thus, a month later, the battle beneath Twin Peaks took place."

"I understand that part," Huang Jingrui said. "What I am asking you is why Wei Xiaofan insisted that you endure three blows from him without fighting back? From everything you have described, even I could tell he was deceiving you. Why did you accept such a demand?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, at the time, Wei Xiaofan claimed that making me accept three blows without retaliation was a way to punish me on behalf of his deputy general Wang Chuying and the soldiers who had died in battle a month prior! Only after that would he acknowledge me as his older brother. Hearing him speak that way, I felt that Xiaofan was still the same loyal and righteous person he used to be. Coupled with his promise to acknowledge me as his brother, and my anxious desire to have him return to my side as quickly as possible so he would no longer lead enemy troops to attack our country, I agreed to his demand!"

"Wei Xiaoping, why were you so irrational and foolish?" Huang Jingrui rebuked. "Knowing full well that Wei Xiaofan was under the control of others and had become an enemy general—knowing that his words did not represent his true self—you still accepted his terms? Just imagine, if not for the assistance of Daoist Xuanzhe during that battle at Twin Peaks, or if Huang Xianlin had not commanded our troops well, how heavy of a loss would our army have suffered?"

"Your Majesty, at the time, this humble official was desperate to be reunited with my brother Wei Xiaofan and was completely blinded by the words of the sorcerer controlling him, which led to the current situation and nearly inflicted massive losses upon our army. This humble official is willing to accept any punishment to serve as a warning to others!"

Huang Jingrui swept his gaze across the assembled ministers and said, "My beloved ministers, Wei Xiaoping has now finished recounting the mistakes he committed. This king believes that the errors Wei Xiaoping made were not intentional and are therefore excusable. What punishments do my ministers propose for Wei Xiaoping?"

Hearing the King's words, Li Chaoqian thought to himself that while he had originally hoped the King would sentence Wei Xiaoping to death, His Majesty now considered the offenses excusable. It seemed the death penalty would be averted, but surely he could at least be stripped of his military rank and cast into the grand prison for the rest of his life! After all, the crime committed was none other than deceiving the ruler!

Consequently, Li Chaoqian rushed to speak first. "Your Majesty, this minister believes that Wei Xiaoping committed the crimes of deceiving the ruler and dereliction of duty. Ordinarily, the crime of deception can carry the death penalty in its most severe form. Coupled with dereliction of duty—though it did not ultimately inflict massive losses upon our army, it still produced a negative impact—combining these two offenses is more than sufficient to warrant a death sentence! However, considering the countless victorious battles General Wei Xiaoping has fought over the years, and in light of his accumulated meritorious service to our country, this minister believes that while the death penalty may be spared, such capital offenses cannot go entirely unpunished. He should be stripped of his rank, subjected to corporal punishment with the wooden staff, cast into the grand prison, and permanently barred from ever holding office again!"

Upon hearing Li Chaoqian's proposal, the gathered ministers exchanged glances and began to murmur among themselves.

"The crimes Wei Xiaoping committed did not bring any significant losses to the nation, and furthermore, his offenses are entirely understandable under the circumstances. How can such a heavy punishment be imposed?"

"That's right! To throw Wei Xiaoping into the grand prison and ban him from office forever would simply be wasting a rare military talent! Besides, right now our Qingfeng nation cannot find a second general as formidable as Wei Xiaoping!"

"Lord Li Chaoqian..." some ministers muttered, shaking their heads.

Others whispered among themselves: "Does Lord Li Chaoqian harbor a personal grudge against General Wei Xiaoping?"

"Surely not? They have served together for so long. Have you ever seen General Wei and Lord Li fall out, or had any major disagreements?"

"None! Even if there were, we wouldn't necessarily notice! Both of them are intelligent men; if there is any conflict, it's likely fought behind closed doors!"

"What has gotten into Lord Li Chaoqian today? In a single morning, he has managed to offend two generals... no, three generals!?"

"Indeed! This morning he offended Deputy General Zhang Xiaoyan. Since Zhang Xiaoyan's father is Grand General Zhang Lingpu, by offending Zhang Xiaoyan, hasn't he also offended General Zhang Lingpu?"

"True enough. Offending three generals in one morning—what has happened to Li Chaoqian?"

...

Standing nearby, Zhang Xiaoyan heard Li Chaoqian's words and thought to herself: Lord Li has indeed changed drastically today. It seems everything he has said this morning is aimed directly at Brother Xiaoping and me! Could it be that Brother Xiaoping and I offended him recently? Or perhaps in the past? Absolutely not! As generals, we rarely stay in the imperial palace; sometimes we only see him two or three times a year, let alone have any chance to offend him!

"My beloved ministers, what are your thoughts on how General Wei Xiaoping should be punished?" Huang Jingrui asked, looking at the murmuring assembly.

"Replying to Your Majesty, this minister believes that since General Wei's offenses were neither intentional nor without extenuating circumstances, subjecting him to corporal punishment with the staff is quite sufficient! As for casting him into the grand prison, that is entirely unnecessary. After all, General Wei is a rare military talent, and this is a critical time when our nation urgently needs capable commanders!" a minister named Wu Wenbin stated.

"This minister suggests temporarily relieving General Wei Xiaoping of his military rank and stripping him of his command! Now that it is known his younger brother serves within the enemy ranks, if General Wei were allowed to remain a general and lead troops into battle, should he commit a similar error again, the losses could far surpass those of last time!"

"This minister likewise agrees that General Wei Xiaoping should be relieved of his rank, stripped of his command, and subjected to corporal punishment with the staff! However, throwing him into the grand prison is completely unwarranted. After all, General Wei is a military talent, and his offenses did not cause substantial harm to the country. Over the past few years, he has repeatedly rendered distinguished service, which can be used to offset a portion of his guilt!"

"Very well, let it be as my ministers have advised: relieve General Wei Xiaoping of his rank, strip him of his command, and subject him to corporal punishment with the staff," King Huang Jingrui declared.