Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

The condemned could no longer hope to be granted the gallows and have a body left intact; those sentenced to flogging and labor could not help but feel relieved, fortunate that they hadn't committed capital offenses.

The weeping convicts were forcibly dragged to the stump.

The man with the red birthmark received the order and lit the fuse.

With the blast of the cannon, the heads of the prisoners on the platform were separated from their bodies, and then the next batch was dragged up.

"I want to make a final confession! Have mercy, my lord!" one of the condemned wailed desperately, "I want to see a priest! Bring me a priest!"

"It's too late," Winters ordered coldly, signaling to fire the cannon, "Confess in hell!"

Another blast, and four more criminals were beheaded. Their bodies were dragged away, and the next batch of prisoners was brought forward.

On the execution platform, blood flowed everywhere. The thick blood dripped down through the gaps in the wooden planks, forming lines as it fell to the ground.

The people of Revodan Square felt their mouths dry, their limbs cold. They were both exhilarated and terrified.

Where had they seen such a rolling of heads before?

Usually, one hanging would be talked about for half a year, yet now there were already twelve heads severed on the execution platform, and more convicts were being dragged up.

In the army's square formation, the soldiers watched in silence—Winters was executing not just for the public to see, but for his warriors as well.

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

Anna and Scarlett held Catherine, exchanging wry smiles, their faces ashen.

In the square above, old Priskin was in utter despair—he had still underestimated the Blood Wolf's savagery.

Old Priskin's eldest son had died at a young age, leaving behind only one son, and his younger son was not up to the task.

Thus, old Priskin had placed his hopes on his eldest grandson, never expecting the boy to be even more trouble-prone than his younger son.

The blacksmith, Sasha, supported old Priskin and unexpectedly found that the old man was trembling and felt so light.

The first batch of prisoners had their heads chopped off if they were to be beheaded, and were flogged if that was their sentence.

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

The citizens of Revodan did not recognize the second batch of prisoners, but the soldiers in the square were shocked because they knew these men.

The second batch of prisoners were deserters, cowards, and soldiers who robbed and raped during the campaign.

If the first batch of prisoners had been disposed of at Winters' whim.

Then their handling of the second batch was a true "public trial."

Winters, Mason, Judge Haifitz, and a soldier representative formed a temporary tribunal.

The accused soldiers were allowed to defend themselves, present evidence, just like in a normal trial.

Killing a few serious offenders was just the appetizer.

Extending the military court to the ranks of soldiers was the real reason behind Winters' "public trial" in full view of everyone.

The Military Code was nothing new, but only officers were eligible to be tried by a military tribunal.

Soldiers did not have the right to a military tribunal; the fate of a soldier who disobeyed orders and committed crimes was entirely up to the commanding officer.

In times of war, a Centurion could execute a soldier directly; in peacetime, a senior officer could execute a soldier directly.

There was no trial, no laws to follow, with leniency or severity entirely at the commanding officer's discretion.

For Winters to enforce military discipline, there first had to be military law.

Without proper military law, there could be no real military discipline.

If they continued to use the customary military laws of old Parlatu Army—which many were inherited from the nomadic era—there would never be a new army.

Without real military law, no matter how hard Winters tried, what he could achieve was at best a slightly better version of the old army.

So, the first codified Military Code in the history of the continent was born under the hand of Winters Montagne.

The most eloquent Bard was not present, and the officers there lacked literary talent.

Hence, Winters named it simply the "Military Code," while Tang Juan secretly called it the "Montaigne Military Law."

This fledgling military law strictly defined the boundaries between law enforcement and judicial powers:

The military police had the authority to enforce the law, and they could arrest soldiers and officers;

But trials and prosecutions had to be handed over to military tribunals;

The commanding officer of each battalion also served as the presiding judge of the military tribunal, with other members drawn from various ranks of the army, including at least one soldier;

Battalion-level military tribunals were responsible for trying misdemeanors, while serious crimes were to be tried by higher-level corps tribunals;

Only in very few circumstances were commanding officers allowed to execute soldiers without a trial—for example, cowardice in the face of the enemy or desertion.

The commanding officers of each company had to read the "Military Discipline" to the soldiers at least once a month, and the "Military Discipline" roll was the martial discipline closer to the soldiers and also Winters' original intention.

In summary: all booty was to be communal; mild punishment for minor offenses; severe punishment for serious crimes such as theft, cowardice, robbery, rape; and others.

Winters pondered long over the issue of looting after battles.

Most of the time, soldiers robbed because if they didn't, they wouldn't survive—the rations were insufficient, and military pay was chronically in arrears.

If they didn't rob, the soldiers would starve. What started as necessity turned into habit.

And many generals were happy to see such things happen, as soldiers looting relieved the pressure of supplying them.

However, after discussions with Tang Juan and Mason, Winters unanimously agreed that it was better to abandon this "tradition" sooner rather than later.

The "Penalties" section strictly defined the range of mild and severe penalties: anything less than flogging was considered mild, including the most common additional physical labor; there was only one severe penalty—hanging.