Zhang Fei heard this, his brows furrowed in anger, and he swung his long spear through the air, shouting furiously!
"These treacherous dogs!"
"We let them guard this place to resist the mountain bandits, yet they still oppress the common people. I, Old Zhang, will stab them to death right now!"
After saying this, he immediately wanted to spur his horse and charge towards the distant military camp.
Liu Jin quickly waved his hand to stop him!
"Yide, don't be impulsive!"
"We've just arrived and don't understand the situation here. If we kill the wrong person, wouldn't we be filled with regret?"
Guan Yu also quickly said at this time!
"Third Brother, don't act rashly. Everything must follow Big Brother's orders."
Zhang Fei listened to their persuasion, and the anger in his heart slowly subsided.
He was naturally short-tempered, and hearing that these soldiers were oppressing the common people, he wished he could kill all of them.
But he wasn't a fool, so he naturally had to obey his Big Brother's orders.
Liu Jin pondered for a moment with a frown, then said indifferently!
"Let's head to the military camp first. It won't be too late to resolve this matter after we understand the situation."
The others bowed in agreement and continued to ride their horses towards the distant military camp.
Soon, they saw the small military camp ahead. It wasn't very large, and its surroundings were only built with some simple wooden structures.
At the camp entrance stood two soldiers, holding long spears, looking somewhat listless and lacking any sense of vigilance.
Liu Jin saw this lax scene, which was not far from what he had expected. Those who could make the common people fear them like tigers were naturally not good people.
The group had already ridden their horses close, and only then did the two soldiers guarding the camp entrance react.
Both of them had panicked expressions. One of them, holding a long spear, said coldly!
"Who goes there?"
Before Liu Jin could speak, Zhang Fei, with furrowed brows and an angry expression, cursed loudly!
"Are your dog eyes blind? This is the newly appointed Tuncun, Liu Jin! Hurry up and come pay your respects!"
The two soldiers trembled with fright at the booming voice, almost kneeling on the ground.
Their eyes looked at the person in the lead, who was wearing a Tuncun's official robe. Could this be the Tuncun who was rumored to be taking office soon?
The two did not dare to be negligent and immediately bowed, saying loudly!
"We pay our respects to the Tuncun. We did not know of your arrival, please forgive our negligence."
Liu Jin, riding on his black horse, waved his hand slightly, not taking his anger out on the two soldiers.
Even if he wanted to make an example, he needed to find someone of appropriate status, at least a squad leader or centurion within the military camp.
So, he led the three people behind him, riding their horses into the military camp.
What greeted their eyes were several small tents, distributed around. In the center was an open training ground, obviously used for drilling soldiers.
However, the military camp was very empty, as if no one was there.
Liu Jin frowned and glanced at Zhang Fei.
After receiving the signal, Zhang Fei wasted no words, raising his voice and shouting angrily at the surroundings!
"The new Tuncun has arrived! Why are you not coming out to pay your respects?!"
His voice was like muffled thunder, shaking the entire military camp.
A moment later, noisy sounds came from inside the military tents.
Soldiers, one after another, lifted the curtains and walked out. When they saw the people in front of them, they all looked somewhat annoyed.
They had all been playing happily in their tents, or were sound asleep, and had been startled awake by that shout.
One of the leading figures, with an arrogant expression, cursed angrily!
"Who's making such a racket in the military camp, disturbing my sleep? Are you looking for death?!"
Liu Jin frowned. This person in front of him should be a squad leader in the army, surrounded by soldiers.
Looking at his disheveled appearance, he had clearly been sleeping soundly in the camp.
He nudged his horse's belly with his legs, took a few steps forward, stared at the person in front of him, and said coldly!
"Oh?"
"You have quite the nerve. I am the new Tuncun, Liu Jin. Are you suggesting you even dare to kill me?"
The leading figure heard this and showed no fear. He had already heard that the new Tuncun had arrived.
He was deliberately acting so arrogant, wanting to give this new Tuncun a taste of his authority.
With a polite expression, he clasped his hands and bowed, saying!
"This humble one is a squad leader in the camp. I did not know of the Tuncun's arrival and was greatly negligent. Please do not blame me."
Liu Jin snorted coldly. No wonder he dared to be so arrogant; he was indeed one of the two squad leaders in the camp.
An unfriendly tone came through!
"Gather everyone on the training ground. Anyone who dares to disobey will be dealt with by military law!"
The squad leader heard this and naturally knew about the 'new official's three fires' policy.
Although he didn't really take the person in front of him seriously, he didn't dare to openly provoke the newly appointed Tuncun.
He immediately ordered the soldiers behind him to blow the horn and gather everyone in the camp.
Another squad leader also led his own troops to gather on the training ground.
They instantly split into two teams, each with exactly fifty men. In front of them were the two squad leaders, both with friendly smiles, appearing approachable.
After all, they didn't know if the newly arrived Tuncun would be easy to talk to, or if he would collude with them. It was better to be honest for now.
Liu Jin looked at the hundred or so people in front of him. Their stances were loose and sloppy, like a disorganized mob, clearly indicating they rarely drilled.
His gaze swept to the two in the very front and he asked plainly!
"What are your names?"
The two stepped forward and bowed, saying!
"Reporting to the Tuncun, my name is Zhao Lei, and I am the squad leader of the first team."
"Reporting to the Tuncun, I am Yang Ling, and I am the squad leader of the second team."
Liu Jin said coldly!
"You two are squad leaders, so why is the army so lax, without any discipline, like a disorganized mob?"
"How can you useless bunch protect the villagers and eliminate mountain bandits? That's a pipe dream!"
His unceremonious voice directly spewed anger at the two.
The surrounding soldiers, hearing this, all lowered their heads, not daring to look up.
This person in front of them was their superior's superior. If they dared to speak out, wouldn't they be looking for death?
The two squad leaders, who were being berated, frowned, their hearts filled with anger.
Zhao Lei's arrogant face was full of fury. He seemed unable to bear it any longer, raised his head, and shouted angrily!
"Liu Jin, I am still an official appointed by the imperial court, with a rank of a hundred stone. How dare you insult me like this? This is outrageous!"
"Do you really think I'm easy to bully?"
Liu Jin's fierce gaze swept over him. It was this arrogant and overbearing person again! He shouted angrily!
"I, the Tuncun, am the highest-ranking officer in this military camp. My position is above yours. So what if I insult you? You just have to take it!"
"What? Do you dare to disobey?"
Zhao Lei's eyes were fierce, his palms clenched tightly, veins bulging. He pointed at Liu Jin in front of him and shouted angrily!
"So what if I disobey? Do you dare to touch me?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the military camp was in an uproar, beginning to whisper amongst themselves.
Many soldiers gloated. Zhao Lei was, after all, an old veteran in the army, and he had quite a few soldiers loyal to him.
Liu Jin, on the other hand, was just the newly appointed Tuncun. He didn't know anyone and hadn't yet gained control of the military's power.
Both sides had already torn off their masks, going head-to-head.
