Fang Tianba dispatched secret scouts that very night to investigate every single military tent. As the morning sun spilled across the earth the next day, a team of his most trusted men, who had followed him for years, lay in ambush around the final tent on their list. After two days and two nights of stakeout, at high noon on the third day, they finally caught a soldier sneaking up to this tent to release displaced civilians. Upon further interrogation and background checks, the man was confirmed to be a soldier under Commander Liu.
Raging with fury, Fang Tianba subjected the man to severe torture. After seven days and nights of uninterrupted interrogation, intimidation, and enticement, the soldier finally broke and confessed that he had been sent by Commander Liu to secretly release the refugees. This lucrative scheme of extorting the families of displaced civilians under the army's name was already second nature to Commander Liu, who had amassed a huge fortune through it over the past period.
Fang Tianba publicly posted the detailed findings throughout the army—exposing Commander Liu for corruption, abuse of power, the exploitation of innocent commoners, and damaging the reputation of the military. On the grounds of violating military law, Commander Liu was stripped of his rank and imprisoned, and five days later, he was escorted back to the Imperial City to await the Emperor's disposal. This incident served as a stern warning to the various military commanders across Wes…
Chapter 26