Iron Powder and Spellcaster

The trombone played the melody of victory, the cheers were deafening, and everyone rushed to see the hero's face.

More than 1,500 years ago, a grand [triumph ceremony] was being held in a magnificent city on the plains downstream of the Baitai River.

Triumphal ceremony, as the name suggests, is to celebrate a person's triumph. And those who can win a great triumph are honored as triumphants.

The grand triumphal ceremony opened with a parade. Men and women with shackled hands and feet and ragged clothes walked at the front. The queue was so long that there was no end in sight.

They are prisoners, the vanquished, and the spoils of the victorious. Some of them will be executed, and the rest will be sold into slavery.

The captives looked at the rejoicing people on both sides of the road with hatred and fear.

Carts laden with captured weapons, armor, pagan idols, and gold and silver treasures walked behind the captives.

These trophies are also proof of the triumphant achievements.

The standard-bearer, holding aloft panels, sculptures, and billboards, came third, proudly telling all about the great battles and the glorious victories of the victors.

Members of the Senate, dressed in white robes with red edges, gold and iron rings, and purple ribbons, were the fourth sequence of the grand procession.

Even the most powerful senators must walk on foot at this moment to pay the highest respect to the victor.

Because in the triumphal ceremony, the victor is only below the gods and above ten thousand people.

The grand triumph is about to reach its climax, and the victor is about to appear.

People were so excited that they were trembling, and everyone was immersed in an almost crazy and psychedelic celebration atmosphere.

Finally, the military tribunes riding tall horses and wearing red shirts stepped into the Eternal City with their heads held high.

They wore wreaths of laurel, the honor of the victorious.

They are the loyal subordinates of the victorious ones, paving the way for the victorious vanguard.

The people present couldn't help but hold their breath. The noisy square was eerily quiet, and people were waiting for the victor.

The silence was only for a moment, and the silence was immediately crushed by the rumbling sound of wheels.

Four white horses without a single hair pulled a brilliant chariot into the square.

A man stands on a chariot, with a laurel branch symbolizing victory in his left hand and an eagle staff symbolizing authority in his right hand.

Cheers sounded like a tsunami, and fanatical shouts came from everyone's chest.

The cheers were so loud that they reached the clouds and reached the sky, and the gods high in the holy mountain would also be awakened.

But the Triumphant showed no expression.

He wore a pure purple embroidered robe, and every pattern on it was sewn with gold thread, which was eye-catching.

That is the king's attire, and he can wear it only today in this life.

His face was painted red, and the crown of the god Jupiter was placed on his head.

That is God's laurel crown, and he can wear it only today in this life.

In this sacred celebration dedicated to him alone, he was granted both divinity and royal power.

At this moment, the victor becomes the king of the republic, standing side by side with the gods.

His grand and glorious triumph will be recorded in the "Book of Victories" and will be passed down forever as long as the Eternal City exists.

And the title [Triumph] will eventually become a title more respected than the king - the emperor.

A slave warned the victor at the moment: "Remember! Remember! You are only a mortal, and mortals - mortal."

More than 1,500 years after this glorious triumph, far, far south of the Eternal City, a city named Gevaudan is also preparing for a triumph.

The protagonist of the ceremony is naturally Winters Montagne, who has returned victoriously.

According to the rules, the whole city should be invited to celebrate the triumphal ceremony. But Winters was always thrifty, so he saved it.

According to another rule, the triumphal ceremony should also include the presentation of gifts to the entire city. But Winters had no money, so he saved it.

Anyway, all the extravagant and wasteful arrangements were eliminated by Winters.

But when Winters rode into Gevaudan with his head held high on his horse, his emotions were consistent with those of the great triumphalists in history.

The last time he entered Gevaudan, the citizens openly welcomed him, but in fact no one thought he could exist in this city for a long time.

But this time, he defeated the New Reclamation Legion's punitive force with dignity and dignity, and entered the city as a conqueror. No one could question him anymore.

That's what Winters wants.

He wants to declare his victory, and he wants to tell everyone that the storm of the Legion did not destroy him, but made him stand stronger.

If we say that before this, the land allocated to the New Reclamation Corps by Winters was still suspected of theft.

After this battle, the ownership of Tiefeng County was transferred to his name through "conquest", allowing him to dispose and distribute it.

Winters, Andre, Don Juan, Mason and all the officers and soldiers were enjoying this moment.

They are the winners and they deserve to be applauded.

The soldiers were not only enjoying the victory, but also shocked by the "victory".

The people of Gévaudan were more shocked than the soldiers.

Even in ancient empires that were keen on conquests and celebrations, citizens might not see a single triumphal ceremony in their lifetime, let alone the Jevodan people who live on the borders of newly cultivated lands today.

The endless queue of prisoners, the captured ordnance filled with carriages, the captured exquisite military flags, the majestic cavalry... these things tightly caught the eyes of the Gevaudans.

Everything in the parade told them - "Victory! Undoubtedly."

Excitement is contagious. When in the vortex of fanaticism, it will be difficult for a person to remain rational.

Some Gevaudans could not help but cheer, and the cheerers were all the poorest citizens.

Even if it is just for the millstone tax, they still hope that the blood wolf will win.

Gradually, everyone began to cheer and cheer, and Gevaudan suddenly turned into a boiling ocean.

Anna, Catherine and Scarlett were among the crowd.

The folk customs of Gevaudan are conservative, so the three ladies all wore large hats and covered their facial features with thin veils.

Despite this, Winters still found Anna in the vast crowd at a glance.

Their eyes met, Anna smiled restrainedly, and gently saluted Winters.

Winters longed to walk into the crowd, kiss Anna forcefully, pick her up amidst Anna's screams, and take her away on the horse.

He also restrained himself and blinked at Anna.

The next scene might not be pretty, and he actually didn't want Anna to be there.

"But sooner or later you will see my true face." Winters thought sadly. He was afraid that Anna would be disappointed, afraid or even disgusted. He looked down at his clean hands: "Sooner or later you will see me. .”

Just like that, Winters rode far away.

Anna frowned slightly. She noticed the subtle changes in her lover's mood, but she didn't know why.

Catherine, on the other hand, was completely mad, and the atmosphere on the street made her very happy.

Catherine was so excited that she hugged her enemy Scarlett, as if she wanted to dance with her.

This scared Scarlett to her wits' end. She was so angry and frightened that she no longer cared about politeness.

"Fox eyes!" Scarlett pushed Catherine away desperately: "What are you going to do?!"

"Parade! Triumph! Celebration!" Catherine smiled happily: "Of course it's a celebration! Wild girl!"

The parade continued until it reached the city square, and the people of Gevaudan also gathered in the square.

The soldiers stood in neat queues, and the prisoners were enclosed in a small area. Some citizens stood in the back rows in twos and threes, while others pushed forward desperately. The city square became full in the blink of an eye.

Until this moment, many Gévaudans suddenly remembered that in addition to the triumphal ceremony, the new garrison also prepared an execution platform.

There was no feast for the whole city, so the triumphal ceremony ended with the presentation of prisoners and flags.

Winters, Andre and Mason stepped onto the high platform, and the soldiers threw the captured military flags one after another in front of the high platform.

The military flags regarded as sacred objects by the enemy just fell into the dust. Each military flag represented at least one hundred-man team that was eliminated in an organized manner.

Every time a military flag was thrown from the audience, the soldiers roared in unison, each sound louder than the other, piercing the clouds, cracking the rocks, and reaching the sky.

Immediately afterwards, the prisoners were brought up.

According to tradition, the higher the status of the captive being sacrificed, the better. At least one must be executed before the others can be spared.

Winters did not bring over the four remaining officers of Wargne County for public humiliation, so the prisoner ceremony was kept simple, and the prisoner's life was spared and then escorted away.

After the prisoner presentation ceremony and the flag presentation ceremony, the emotions of the people in the square were still high.

Winters signaled that Ciel could move on to the next stage.

Ciel nodded and left quickly.

After a while, Charles and Heinrich came over with a group of prisoners escorted - they were going to hold a public trial without stopping.

But most people are not afraid, but more excited.

Although many Gevaudan people live in cities, their lives are actually harder than those of farmers.

They do not have the civil rights of Gévaudan, but they have to come to the city to make a living because they have no land.

Life is tiring and boring, and watching an execution is a rare pastime.

Whenever a prisoner was executed, even if there were no respected gentry to take the lead, the square would be as lively as a market.

Men, women, and children would dress in their best clothes to watch the execution.

Ladies were required by custom to show mercy and mercy, so they covered their eyes and looked through their fingers.

Not to mention that the city councilors tried their best to cooperate with Winters this time.

Seeing that the more exciting part was about to come, the Gevaudans were happy when they suddenly noticed something strange.

"Huh? Isn't that my neighbor?" One person shouted: "A horse with eyes?"

"That... the one on the far left! It seems to be my neighbor too!" another person shouted.

Twenty prisoners were led to the execution platform, and there were at least nearly a hundred prisoners under the platform.

The Gévaudans in the square tried their best to identify them, and found that the hundreds of prisoners were all Gévaudans.

There are local hooligans who are idle and not engaged in serious work, and there are also people who do not make a living, live in slums, and make a living by stealing and doing odd jobs.

People were noisily discussing, some were confused, some said "it deserves it", and some complained loudly.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

Three cannon shots were fired in succession, and the crowd in the square suddenly fell silent.

Beside the execution platform, a man with a red birthmark on his face kicked away the still smoking second-generation wooden cannon and motioned to his men to move it away.

"There was a riot in Gevaudan half a month ago." Winters walked onto the stage and looked directly into the dark crowd.

Only Winters can deliver a speech to thousands of people, and he is the only one who does not suffer from stage fright.

The square is very large and the echo interference is serious.

To ensure that everyone could hear clearly, Winters spaced his words very far: "These people all robbed, set fires, and even committed murders during that riot, and all the stolen goods were stolen.

They all had red ropes tied around their shoulders, so many people thought it was my warriors who robbed and killed. So today, they will be tried according to military law. "

Winters's voice was loud and steady, and the calmness contained majesty and power, and everyone could hear it clearly.

There was silence in the square, many of them victims of the riot.

On the day Don Juan led his troops to attack the city, the refugees outside the city and the gangsters inside the city caused chaos. Many shops were smashed and looted, and the houses were burned to the ground. Even the Cathedral of Jevaudan was first looted and then set on fire.

This is why Lieutenant Colonel Moritz insisted on staying in Gevaudan to stop the violence and quell the chaos.

Winters continued to announce to everyone in the square: "According to Plato's military law, the military commander has all the power of trial and decision-making.

As the highest military officer in this county, I, Winters Montagne, Captain of the Army of the Republic of Plato and member of the Military Resolution Committee, make the following judgment. "

"Those who injure and steal will be punished by whipping and hard labor! Those who kill will be hanged!" Winters glanced at the square: "Execute immediately! Military police! Send them to the gallows!"

There was an exclamation in the square. The Gevaudans were mentally prepared, but they did not expect that the method would be so violent.

The city hall is next to the square. At the window on the second floor of the city hall, Catherine also exclaimed in low voice and subconsciously looked at her sister.

Ana bit her red lips lightly, her eyes serious.

"Justice and judgment." Catherine held her sister's hand and whispered, "It does not count as murder."

Scarlett on the side nodded repeatedly.

"I know, how could I not know?" Anna also held her sister's hand tightly and said sadly: "I just feel sorry for him... His nature is not like this."

After being sentenced to death with just one sentence, some prisoners were so frightened that they fainted on the spot, while others became incontinent and knelt down to beg for mercy.

Another prisoner shouted loudly: "Sir! I am not a soldier! Really not!"

"We are not soldiers! We should not be subjected to military law!" Immediately, some brainy prisoners followed and begged: "Sir! Let the Gévaudan court judge us! Please!"

Winters strode to the prisoner's side and used amplification to amplify the prisoner's voice by amplifying the vibrations in the nearby air.

"You're not a soldier?" Winters asked.

"No, sir, it really isn't." The prisoner begged for mercy in tears.

"Then why do you tie a red rope around your shoulders?"

The prisoner who had committed arson, robbery and rape and was caught red-handed had his throat twitching and did not dare to answer.

Without Winters' signal, Heinrich gave the prisoner a hard elbow on the jaw.

The prisoner's molars were all beaten loose, and blood and saliva spurted out of his mouth. He confessed with snot and tears: "That day... I saw that your army was all tied with red ropes... so I tied them too... …”

The prisoner's words were clearly heard by everyone in the square.

The prisoner had a wooden sign hanging on his body that said what crime he had committed, so Winters could tell at a glance what kind of scum he was.

"You're not a soldier?" Winters asked.

"No! Please have mercy!"

"I can hand you over to the court of Gévaudin, but you will answer whatever I ask you."

The prisoner nodded vigorously.

"Robbery." Winters asked solemnly, "Do you plead guilty?"

The prisoner said nothing.

Heinrich immediately dragged the prisoner towards the noose.

"Admit it!" the prisoner shouted, "I admit it!"

"Arson, do you plead guilty?"

The prisoner's defense has completely collapsed: "Confess!"

"Rape."

"Plead guilty! I did it all!" the prisoner cried.

The people in the square were extremely angry. Arson and rape were first-rate felonies, and the death was no more pleasant than hanging.

However, seeing the vicious felon clinging to life for the time being, the citizens felt a little confused.

Winters didn't waste any words. He directly ordered all the prisoners: "Those of you who are not soldiers and plead guilty should step forward! If you are not soldiers, you will be handed over to the Gévaudan court for trial."

The prisoners all moved forward, and some took two or three steps.

"Okay! Hand you over to the Gévaudan court for trial!"

The prisoners breathed a sudden sigh of relief. Some prisoners were so sad that they fell limply to the ground.

"Gendarmes!" Winters ordered: "Bring up the judge of Gevaudan."

Tiefeng County is located on the border of Plato and uses customary law all year round. There are few statutory laws and most of them relate to taxation.

Therefore, the judges of Gevaudan are elected by citizens with civil rights. They are elected every four years, and three people are elected at a time.

Misdemeanor and civil cases outside Gevaudan are heard by the mayor and resident officer of each town.

A frail old man in his sixties walked tremblingly onto the execution platform.

The old man was well-dressed, and it was obvious that his family was well off - otherwise he would not have been elected as a judge.

"Mr. Heifetz." Winters asked directly: "Are you one of the three current judges in Gevaudan?"

"Yes." The old man replied bravely.

"Their cases are yours to hear."

"Yes." Judge Heifetz was also a little embarrassed: "The Gevaudin court is very small, and I'm afraid the trial will take... a long time."

"No need to bother." Winters narrowed his eyes: "Issuing a crime by pretending to be a soldier? How should I be punished according to customary law?"

Judge Heifetz was stunned, and he replied hesitantly: "It should be handed over to the county garrison for trial."

"Please be louder."

The old judge cleared his throat: "Impersonating a soldier and committing a crime! Hand it over to the county garrison for trial!"

The old judge's voice echoed through every corner of the square.

The prisoners on and off the execution platform thought they had been saved, but in the blink of an eye they fell back into the abyss.

"According to military law." Winters glanced at the prisoners coldly: "Those who commit injuries will be whipped and sentenced to hard labor! Those who commit murder and arson will be beheaded! They will be executed immediately!"

The square was quiet at first, then suddenly burst into cheers.

A few tree stumps were moved to the gallows and immediately turned into a beheading platform.

At this moment, it was too late for the death row inmate to hang him and leave his body intact. However, the prisoners who were sentenced to flogging and hard labor were very happy that they were not committing serious crimes.

The crying prisoner was dragged to the tree stump.

The man with the red birthmark was ordered to light the wooden cannon.

As soon as the cannon fired, the prisoners on the stage were decapitated, and then the next group of people were dragged up.

"I want to make a deathbed confession! Sir! Show me mercy!" A condemned prisoner struggled and screamed miserably: "I want to see a priest! Find me a priest!"

"It's too late." Winters ordered the cannon indifferently: "Go to hell and repent!"

There was another cannon shot, and four more criminals were found dead. The bodies were dragged away and the next batch of criminals were hauled up.

On the execution platform, blood flowed everywhere. Thick blood seeped through the cracks in the wooden boards and dripped onto the ground in lines.

The Gevaudans in the square only felt their mouths were dry and their hands and feet were cold. They felt happy and scared at the same time.

Where have they seen this kind of killing method with rolling heads?

Normally, one hanging would be enough to dwell on for half a year, but now twelve heads have been cut off on the execution platform, and prisoners are still being dragged up.

In the army square, the soldiers were also watching silently - Winters was not only killing for the citizens to see, but also for his soldiers to see.

On the second floor of the city hall, Catherine, who had been comforting Anna just now, had fainted.

Anna and Scarlett were holding Catherine, and their faces were equally pale.

On the square, Old Priskin was even more desperate - he still underestimated the violence of the blood wolf.

The elder Priskin's eldest son died young, leaving only one son behind, and his younger son was unable to take on the responsibility.

So Old Priskin pinned his hopes on his eldest grandson, but he didn't expect that his eldest grandson would cause more trouble than his younger son.

Blacksmith Shaosha supported old Priskin. Shaosha unexpectedly discovered that the old man's body was so light and he was shaking constantly.

The first prisoners were beheaded by beheading and flogged by flogging.

Winters nodded, and the second batch of prisoners was pulled up.

The citizens of Gevaudan did not know the second batch of prisoners, but the soldiers in the square were shocked because they knew these people.

The second group of prisoners were deserters, cowardly soldiers, and soldiers who robbed and committed adultery during the campaign.

If the first batch of prisoners were disposed of according to Winters' wishes.

The way the second batch of prisoners were dealt with was a real "public trial."

Judges Winters, Mason, Heifetz and a soldier representative formed a temporary court.

The soldiers on trial were allowed to defend themselves and evidence was allowed to be presented, just like an ordinary trial.

Killing a few felons is just the appetizer.

Covering the military court to the soldier class is the real reason for Winters' "public trial" in front of the public, and it is also the first of its kind for Winters.

Military courts are not a new thing, but only military officers can enjoy the treatment according to law.

Soldiers are not eligible to go to military courts, and soldiers who violate orders and commit crimes do not receive any "protection."

In wartime, the centurion can directly execute ordinary soldiers; in non-wartime, the captain can directly execute ordinary soldiers.

There is no trial, no written law to follow, and the light and heavy sentences are all decided by the military commander.

If Winters wants to improve military discipline, he must first have military law.

Without true military law, there is no true military discipline.

If it still uses conventional and customary military laws like the old Plato Army - many of which were even handed down from the nomadic era - then there will never be a new army.

There is no written military law with clear regulations. No matter how hard Winters tries, he can only get a better old army at most.

As a result, the first written military law in the history of this continent was born in the hands of Winters Montagne.

Bud, who had the best literary talent, was not present, and none of the officers present had good literary talent.

Therefore, this military law was simply and straightforwardly named "Code of Military Affairs" by Winters, while Don Juan secretly called it "Montagne Military Code".

This original military law strictly demarcated the boundaries between law enforcement and judicial power:

The military police can enforce the law, and they can arrest soldiers and officers;

But the trial and prosecution must be submitted to a military tribunal;

The military commander of each regiment also serves as the president of the military court. The other members of the court are drawn from all levels of the army and must include at least one soldier;

Regimental-level military courts try misdemeanors, while serious crimes are tried by higher-level military courts at the regimental level;

Only in rare circumstances were military commanders allowed to execute soldiers directly without trial - for example, due to fear of battle or rebellion.

The military commander at the company level must read "Military Discipline" to the soldiers at least once a month, and the "Military Discipline" volume is the military discipline closer to the soldiers, which is Winters' original purpose.

It can be summarized as follows: all seizures shall be returned to the public; minor crimes shall be punished with light punishment; serious crimes such as theft, cowardice, robbery, and rape shall be severely punished; and others.

Winters thought about the issue of plunder after the war for a long time.

Most of the time, soldiers robbed because they couldn't survive without robbing - they didn't have enough food and their military pay was in arrears for many years.

Without looting, the soldiers would starve to death. Rushing for it has become a habit.

And many generals are happy to see this kind of thing happen, because soldiers going to rob will virtually reduce the supply pressure.

However, after discussing with Don Juan and Mason, Winters agreed that it was better to discard this "tradition" as soon as possible.

The "Penalties" volume strictly stipulates the scope of light punishments and severe punishments. To put it simply: flogging and below are all light punishments, including the most common additional physical labor; there is only one severe punishment - hanging.

Winters outlawed corporal punishment because he believed it was better to preserve the ability of criminals to work than to cripple them.

The public trial at the Place de Gévaudin was the first practice of the Military Code.

The soldiers who took advantage of the chaos to rob confessed their crimes one after another, were deprived of their farmland, and were sentenced to death.

However, in view of the fact that these soldiers took advantage of the chaos to rob during the Battle of Hammer Castle, there is no written military law that clearly stipulates that "robbers shall die."

Therefore, their crime was reduced by one level to deprivation of land and five years of hard labor.

Most of the deserters did not admit guilt, insisting that they were not soldiers; but when the soldiers who shared the same arrow with them testified in court, the sophistry was meaningless.

Deserters had no room for mitigation and were hanged.

This was the first time that the Military Code came into effect, and Winters steeled himself and ordered the hanging.

One by one, the deserters were pushed off the edge of the execution platform.

Winters watched their bodies fall naturally, and then were suddenly pulled by the noose.

Their neck bones could not withstand such a strong momentum and were torn off instantly. Consciousness disappeared, leaving only corpses swinging gently with the noose.

As far as Winters knew, the bodies belonged to the first deserters ever to be executed after trial.

Judging from the result, it is nothing more than death.

But from a process perspective, these deaths may be significant.

Winters sighed deeply in his heart. He faced the soldiers and read the "Code of Military Affairs" to them for the first time.

The soldiers listened carefully. They did not need to understand it completely because it would be read to them again and again in the future.

They just need to know that this harsh but just code has inviolable validity - just look at those corpses swinging in the wind.

The citizens of Gevaudan also listened in silence.

It was probably the first time they had heard of a written military law, and it was also probably the first time they had heard that someone would set military disciplines so "good".

They are most happy to see the army do not plunder or disturb civilians. But they couldn't help but wonder: Is there really an army that can do what the code says?

Seeing the corpses swinging in the wind and the young man reading the code on the stage, a glimmer of hope surged in the hearts of the Gevaudans - maybe it could.

The first edition of the Military Code was read out in its entirety for the first time. It is not perfect yet, and it still has loopholes, but it has taken a small step and a big step at the same time.

It was so quiet in Place Gévaudin that you could hear a pin drop.

"For the blood wolf!" Tamas, the former acting centurion and now the commander of the first company of the Tiefeng County Infantry Regiment, suddenly blushed: "The mountain calls three times!"

"wooah! wooah!" Tamas yelled to guide.

"Uukhai!" the soldiers shouted.

"wooah! wooah!" Other company commanders and sergeants also followed Tamas and beat his chest to guide everyone.

"Uukhai!!" The shouts became more uniform and louder.

"wooah! wooah!"

"Uukhai!!!" The soldiers of the twelve companies used their last strength to shout: "Uukhai!!!"

This was a thundering cheer that the victor had never received more than 1,500 years ago.

And Winters accepted it calmly, just like the victorious man fifteen hundred years ago.

"Bring up the third group of prisoners," Winters said to Heinrich.

The matter is not over yet, there are still a group of people who need to be dealt with.

Heinrich received the order and escorted the third batch of prisoners out of the carriage.

Shaosha, who was supporting old Priskin, felt the old man's body tense up instantly.

The people who stepped out of the carriage were all prominent citizens in Gevaudan, including six city councilors and the grandson of old Priskin.

Heinrich led the third batch of prisoners towards the execution ground.

Old Priskin suddenly rushed towards the execution platform. Blacksmith Shaosha never expected that the old man could be so strong at his age, so he quickly followed him.

Winters also noticed the small commotion ahead, and when he saw the old man running over, he thought he was going to petition.

Old Priskin took out a purple ribbon from his arms, held it high above his head, and shouted with tears: "I, Priskin John, on behalf of all the citizens of Gevaudan, would like to elect Captain Winters Montagne. Be the military tribune of Tiefeng County!"

Winters chuckled.

However, the mood in the square was booming, and the people arranged by Old Priskin in advance began to cheer in harmony: "Tribune! Tribune!"

"Tribune!" The soldiers were also inadvertently led and began to shout in unison: "Tribune!"

They actually don't know what [tribune] means, but everyone is shouting enthusiastically, which should be a good thing, right?

Winters heard clearly that Old Priskin clearly said "military tribune", but in the end everyone in the square was shouting "tribune".

Military tribunes and tribunes were completely different things, and Winters didn't know how to explain it to the thousands of cheering people in the square.

Even seniors Andre and Mason were cheering and shouting.

Winters raised his hand for silence, and the cheers died down.

The title "Military Tribune" was pulled out of the old papers by the old Priskin, and it was obvious that he had given it some thought.

The military tribunes were between legion commanders and centurions, neither too big nor too small, just right for the size of Tiefeng County's troops.

How could he not know what old Priskin was thinking? To elect Winters as a military tribune in his name was to completely remove the mask of garrison and garrison officer and directly pledge allegiance to Winters.

The picture? It was just a matter of exchanging his grandson's life - but Winters never thought of killing old Priskin's grandson.

"I..." Winters said slowly: "I would also like to elect Andrea Cellini as military tribune!"

"Tribune!" the people in the square cheered.

"I would also elect Richard Mason Military Tribune!"

"Tribune!!"

"I would also elect Bard of Gerald as military tribune!"

"Tribune!!!" The atmosphere reached its peak.

"Bring me the third group of prisoners!" Winters waved his hand.

Old Priskin's smile froze on his face.

Seventeen Gévaudan gentry were tremblingly brought to the execution platform. The blood on the platform had not dried yet, and there were a series of bloody footprints when they stepped on it.

In just a few steps, they walked as if they were facing an abyss.

"Kneel down." Winters said coldly.

Seventeen people all knelt down in the blink of an eye, and those who were standing in the blood knelt directly in the blood.

Winters drew his sword and placed it on young Mr. Priskin's shoulder.

Old Priskin's eyes turned black and he almost fainted.

Winters said unhurriedly: "You secretly communicated with the New Reclamation Army, passed on messages, and planned to attack the city gate to help my enemies capture Gevaudan."

Little Pliskin could not even speak. His body was like chaff and weeping bitterly.

"I respect loyalty, so I don't blame you." Winters did not use amplification: "After all, you were still loyal to the New Reclamation Army at that time, and I was the garrison officer myself and never asked you to swear allegiance. But From this perspective, you are still my enemies, and I still want to kill you."

Someone among the seventeen people cried.

"So I give you a chance." Winters paused: "Pledge allegiance to me."

He never intended to go on a killing spree in Gevaudan. It is easy to kill seventeen people, but it is difficult to rule Gévaudin.

Little Pliskin grabbed Winters' sword, kissed it hard and swore, not caring that his palm was cut by the sharp blade.

Others also crawled over and followed suit.

Winters sheathed his sword, pulled little Priskin up from the ground, and said casually: "You only have one chance."

Little Pliskin trembled all over, tears welled up in his eyes, and nodded desperately.

"Don't cry." Winters patted the elder Pliskin's grandson on the shoulder, raised his hand, and waved to the crowd in the square with a smile: "Smile!"

Little Priskin suppressed the tears from his eyes.

The people in the square could not hear what they were saying. They only saw the new tribune put his sword on the shoulders of old Mr. Priskin's grandson, then pulled the latter up and waved towards the square.

They saw little Mr. Pliskin smiling with great joy.

"Centurion, what are you doing?" Peter [Short] Bunir asked Tamas quietly in front of the execution platform.

"What centurion? Call him company commander!" Tamas actually didn't know what he was doing. He had to answer for the sake of face: "You can't understand this? You can make a knight! Hey centurion, it's true. Why not seal it to an outsider first?"

"Tribune!" Tamas roared again to cheers.

He didn't know what the word meant; he thought it was a new war cry or a cheering chant.

As soon as he shouted, the soldiers in his company also shouted, and finally everyone in the square started shouting.

One after another, "Tribune" resounded through the sky again.

Amidst the deafening cheers, Charles ran over and said distressedly: "Brother, it seems that I can't do it without treating everyone to a good meal today..."

[I'm late today, sorry. Because it is a two-in-one chapter, I have been writing it until now]

[Military tribunes are similar to lieutenants. Where they need to be moved and how many people they command all depend on the arrangements of the legion commander. The status of this position is higher than that of a centurion and lower than that of a legionnaire. It is usually the first position for young Roman nobles or senators who enter the army]

[As for the tribunes, that is another matter]

[Regarding military law, "military law" in the modern sense came into being in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The army does not have to rob. If soldiers can be paid on time and given enough food and drink, they will not rob. During the siege of Riga in 1621, Gustav II promulgated the "Regulations of War", which is the origin of modern written military law in this plane]

[Gustavus II was also deeply troubled by the looting habits of his soldiers. Robbery was too harmful to combat effectiveness. Even before the battle was won, the soldiers were thinking about how to grab more things and where to go to get more loot]

[Just stop robbing, anyone who robs will be hanged. There are better ways to obtain supplies from occupied areas that don't require the inefficient mode of looting. So Gustavus II's soldiers had a reputation for being well behaved (relatively speaking), which was particularly rare in that era]

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