Chapter 10: By the Balcony (IV)

“Ouch, can’t you be gentle a bit?”
Pu Dachui cried out from the large bed inside the tent.
Wang Xiaochun’s hands were way too forceful—applying medicine like that could practically peel off a layer of skin. And honestly, the military flogging was truly brutal; after forty lashes, the skin would indeed split open. If this continued, it could even kill a person from the pain.
“I’m not just guessing my way through this—it’s not my first time!”
Wang Xiaochun glanced at him and said, “My butt is still bleeding. Isn’t that why I need to apply medicine to you first?”
Wang Xiaochun was also full of grievances. He hadn’t wanted to drink or gamble in the first place, but Pu Dachui had dragged him along, resulting in those forty lashes. It was all Pu Dachui’s fault, yet here he was complaining about the pain!
“Chengcheng, hurry up!”
Pu Dachui endured the severe pain and tried to cope. When being punished outside the tent, he had clenched his teeth and refused to cry out—out of pride! Now, back in the tent, who could see them? As men, one must be tough on oneself when necessary and kind when appropriate. Otherwise, it would be too unfair to one’s own body.
“Ah! Don’t touch there—it hurts too much!”
Wang Xiaochun complained, pulling back his handkerchief. “Do you even want to apply the medicine? It hurts everywhere. How can I disinfect the wounds?”
Normally, Pu Dachui seemed so carefree—why was he so fussy even about applying medicine to his butt?
“Can’t you be gentle? Ugh, this really hurts like hell!”
Pu Dachui gritted his teeth and complained loudly. Whenever Wang Xiaochun applied the medicinal oil, he felt a chill penetrate his flesh and spread through his blood, causing intense pain.
“Is this called being harsh? Back when we herded sheep by the river mouth, the Tibetan herders would lash us at the slightest slacking—just one strike could split the skin. With these forty lashes, it’s just some bruising and a little bleeding. In my opinion, the executioner was even lenient.”
Wang Xiaochun recalled his childhood herding days and shuddered. If Brother Kuo hadn’t saved them, his life might still be in the hands of those herders.
From this perspective, Li Kuo was his savior, his second father. Since his life was given by the general, it made sense for him to punish himself according to military rules—there was nothing wrong with that.
“Huh?”
Pu Dachui responded, realizing that the executioner had gone easy. If he hadn’t gone easy, those forty lashes would have caused even more severe injuries. Without any leniency, his butt might have been completely ruined!

“So, in my opinion, the general is just showing us a gesture to warn us not to gamble anymore!”
Wang Xiaochun applied medicine to Pu Dachui’s buttocks while analyzing carefully, “Think about it—given the serious mistake we made, the general only sentenced us to forty lashes, which barely causes pain. If it weren’t for the general’s orders, would the brothers dare to be so lenient?”
“If you put it that way, there’s some truth to it.”
Pu Dachui nodded and said, “But the general didn’t have to make us suffer naked either. I, Pu, lying there naked outside the gate, being punished—those new recruits saw me in such an embarrassing situation. How can I train them or walk in front of them again?”
At the thought of himself being humiliated naked in front of others, Pu Dachui’s face turned red, and he couldn’t bear to look up.
“You don’t understand. In the army, even when being whipped, you have to do it in your pants!”
Dou Qing joined the conversation, clearing his throat.
“Those whips may seem thin, but they’re extremely powerful when swung. If the executioner isn’t lenient, forty lashes will definitely tear wood apart. Even if it’s through layers of pants, who knows? By the time you come back at night to apply medicine, it will have sunk deep into the flesh—wouldn’t that kill you of pain? Besides, if blood comes out and dries into a scab on your pants, you’ll have to soak it in warm water and cut it off with scissors when applying medicine. Even then, your buttocks will lose a layer of skin!”
“Ah!”
Pu Dachui exclaimed in shock. He never imagined there were so many considerations to whipping. After all, it’s hard to tell the severity when hitting through pants. These whips aren’t like a teacher’s ruler—one strike can cause severe pain.
“You managed to save face back then, but you’ll suffer later!”
Dou Qing glanced at Pu Dachui, comforting him carefully.
“Hey, Old Dou, I didn’t realize you had so much experience. Did you gain it from being whipped in the army before?”

Pu Dachui really has a thin skin—he got beaten badly, but before his wounds even healed, he forgot the pain and started joking around with Dou Qing. (Note 1) Dou Qing wasn’t shy either and said bluntly, “Before I joined our Copper Martial Camp, in the Hexi Army, I could only endure hard times at the bottom. The rules of the Hexi Army are much stricter than those of our Copper Martial Camp, and the officers in charge are even more ruthless. I saw with my own eyes a man from a wealthy family be dragged outside the barracks and beheaded for failing to report for duty three times! His family had connections to that traitor Li Linfu, but he was still executed right away. When his bloody head was placed on a tray and presented to them, you wouldn’t believe it—some of the timid officers even vomited.”

After a brief pause, Dou Qing added, “So, getting beaten in the Hexi Army is considered a mild punishment. In the army, how can one avoid making mistakes? The slightest mistake results in severe punishment. I’ve been beaten many times too, and the more times I get beaten, the more experience I gain. I know exactly how to endure the beatings, when to apply medicine after being beaten, how to apply it, and how to recover.”

“By your standards, does General Li treat his troops leniently?” Pu Dachui asked, intrigued.

Dou Qing rolled his eyes and said, “I’ve never seen a general as kind to his soldiers as our general in all of the Tang Dynasty’s border armies! As for the imperial guards and local militia, I don’t know—after all, those people don’t have to worry about Tibetans slashing their throats!”

Clearly, Dou Qing looked down on the imperial guards and local militia. One group consisted of spoiled rich kids, while the other were farmers who only knew how to work with hoes to grow crops. How could they compare to them, soldiers who faced constant danger?

“Hehe, it seems I wronged the general. I thought that as he rose in rank, his authority would increase, and he’d use us to show off his power!”

“Even if he wants to show off, it’s justified—after all, it’s your own drinking and gambling that caused this.”

As soon as Pu Dachui finished speaking, Li Kuo’s voice came in through the tent.

After a moment of shock, Pu Dachui realized what had happened and quickly tried to pull up his trousers. The thirteen of them were lying on the kang, applying medicine to each other, all with their buttocks exposed. What would happen if the general saw them?

“Don’t move around; be careful not to hurt your wounds again!”

Li Kuo waved his hand and said, “We’re all men—there’s no need to hide. Come on, let me take a look at your wounds.”

Without waiting for Pu Dachui’s refusal, Li Kuo stepped forward, sat down, and began to apply medicine to him.

“Ah, General, how can we let you apply medicine to us? With your precious body, aren’t you afraid of getting your hands dirty?”
Pu Dachui was about to get up when Li Kuo slapped him on the buttocks.
“Don’t move around. If you move again, be careful—I might drag you out and flog you forty times!”
Li Kuo glared at him and “threatened” him.
“Ah, ah.”
Pu Dachui scratched his head and had no choice but to lie down again.
“General, you surely don’t want to beat us again. If you hurt us, who will hold your flag and spear for you, who will charge into battle for you?”
Dou Qing reacted quickly and immediately noticed the flaw in Li Kuo’s words.
“You think you’re so smart!”
Li Kuo shook his head with a wry smile and patted Pu Dachui’s back to signal that the medicine had been applied.
“To be honest, I came back to the camp today just to check things out. I never expected to encounter such a situation. You are the veterans of the Tongwu Camp, the foundation of the Shule Army. If even you fall into such bad habits, how can the newly recruited soldiers not follow suit? Then there’s no point talking about military discipline or obedience.”
Since Li Kuo had started talking, he decided to explain everything clearly so that everyone would understand and no misunderstandings would remain.
“General, we just did it out of boredom. It was only this once—never again!”
Wang Xiaochun, who owed Li Kuo a great deal, saw the young man in trouble and nudged him, making a promise.
“You brat, you still think there will be a next time!”
Li Kuo laughed and scolded him while patting Wang Xiaochun’s head. “You are all my veterans. Hitting you hurts me more than hitting myself. But precisely because of that, I need to use this as a warning to everyone. Otherwise, if everyone acts like this, this camp will just become a tavern or tea house.”
“Hehe, General, I, Pu, understand. I don’t blame you.”
Pu Dachui winked at Li Kuo, showing his submission and attempt to please him.
“Since you’re injured these past few days, there’s no need for you to report at the camp gate. I’ll ask Officer Chen Chong to cross off your names.”
Seeing their buttocks covered in bruises, Li Kuo sighed and made this decision.
“Hehe, then I, Pu, can use this as an excuse to stay in bed. They say it takes a hundred days to recover from an injury. With such severe flogging, I should definitely rest for a month or so.”
Seeing Li Kuo soften, Pu Dachui became even more audacious and started being cheeky.
“You dream on. As soon as you recover, go to Officer Chen Chong and have your name crossed off. The newly recruited soldiers are waiting for you to train them.”
Li Kuo wouldn’t give him any chance to exploit the situation and immediately shut down the conversation.

Note 1: “Jian ci pi zi”: an informal term describing someone who seeks fights or provokes others to fight.