Chapter Two: For Honor and Dignity
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Once he regained his senses, Li Xiu found himself not only absurdly angry but also deeply afraid. He was just a lowly second lieutenant, powerless and without influence, suddenly burdened with a crime he could not possibly shoulder. If convicted, what would the outcome be?
If he had remained unconscious or gravely ill, that would have been one thing—but now that he was awake, the result could very well be...
Execution!
No, perhaps not—after all, he was the scion of a baronial family and a member of the nobility by law. They would at least preserve some dignity for his corpse, so more likely it would be hanging.
Li Xiu’s face twitched—he would almost prefer the firing squad!
Moreover, his opponents had almost certainly banded together, rehearsed their stories, and made all the necessary preparations; by the time the trial was over and the remaining blame for the Mo Gorge Line was divided out, everyone’s burden would be lighter, and even with guilt, it would have little effect.
“Lieutenant, Lieutenant?”
The soldier’s repeated calls drew Li Xiu back from his thoughts.
“Lieutenant, what can we do? I’ve asked around—if the charges stick, at worst we’ll be discharged unconditionally, but you might be sentenced to death...”
The soldier spoke with genuine sincerity. It was under this lieutenant’s command that they had fought desperately to break through and brought back the seventy-seven survivors of the Third Battalion. Everyone truly admired their young officer from the depths of their hearts, for in war, bonds forged in blood and fire are the truest of all.
Naturally, Li Xiu didn’t want to die. He placed no hope in the fantasy that death here would mean he could “go home.” Life was all he had; death might mean the end of everything. Whether he started anew here or found a way back, he’d have to survive this ordeal first.
Think! He must think of something!
Li Xiu’s brow furrowed, but no matter how he racked his brains, he felt helpless. The hearing was tomorrow, and many of the officers on the tribunal would just be there to make up the numbers.
But all hope was not lost. Mulan’s memories slid through his mind, with recent war experiences and deeply ingrained knowledge surfacing first.
Though after this war, Li Xiu felt the Dirga Army was far from admirable, it hadn’t yet rotted to the core. The Dirga royal family was notorious for its centralization of power; at least on the surface, they wouldn’t allow the military tribunal to be completely in collusion.
Looking on the bright side, perhaps some of those sent to negotiate the armistice would participate in the trial; and surely he, Mulan Jonst, would not be the only one tried.
Li Xiu’s thoughts raced, swiftly analyzing the situation and applying twenty-first-century logic to anticipate outcomes and devise a plan to save himself.
As he pondered, Li Xiu suddenly looked up at the soldier.
“Do you know the exact charges against us?”
The soldier thought carefully, then quickly replied.
“It’s no secret anymore—we just found out late. The charges are abandoning the line, desertion in the face of the enemy, exposing the main force’s flank, and being the starting point of the collapse. Damn them! We held out the longest and were forced to cover the retreat—that’s why we almost didn’t make it back... Damn them! They figured you, Lieutenant, were as good as dead and wanted to pin everything on you...”
“Wait!” Li Xiu cut off the soldier’s furious tirade. He seemed to have caught a crucial detail!
“Desertion... So you’re saying, since I was on the brink of death, they intended to hold the trial without the defendant present?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll attend the trial!”
At Li Xiu’s words, the soldier’s spirits lifted. Only Lieutenant Jonst could speak for them. But seeing the lieutenant’s bandaged body and pale face, his expression turned worried.
“Lieutenant, your health...”
Having grasped the substance of the accusation, Li Xiu interrupted, for the first time calling the soldier by name.
“No matter my condition, I must be present. Jerry, I need your help with something. This concerns our honor—and my life!”
Jerry immediately stood at attention.
“Lieutenant, give the order! Jerry will complete the mission or die trying! The lives of all seventy-seven of us are yours!”
By the terms of the “Noble Covenant,” even if Lieutenant Jonst surrendered and was captured, he would be treated with basic decency and have the right to ransom himself, though it would be shameful. Ordinarily, being held responsible for “resisting fiercely before being captured” would not be too severe.
But for ordinary soldiers, being captured meant a fate worse than slavery—perhaps death would be preferable, but not everyone had the courage to end their own life.
That was why Lieutenant Jonst, fighting desperately to bring the Third Battalion back from the brink, inspired utter loyalty—Jerry’s words were no empty boast.
“I believe in you all!”
With Mulan’s memories and instincts blending into his own, Li Xiu felt a powerful trust in his men.
“I need you to deliver a message as quickly as possible... I want all our brothers ready tomorrow. If possible, find friends from other battalions or units to help us as well...”
Li Xiu added more as he spoke, thinking and supplementing his instructions, ending with a solemn reminder.
“Let them be angry—but not too agitated!”
Jerry listened carefully, not daring to miss a single detail, then saluted.
“As you command, sir! We would never trifle with your life! I’ll go now.”
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After saluting, Jerry wasted no time. He obeyed the lieutenant’s instructions and hurried out of the tent—there was only one night to prepare. He had to hurry. He didn’t know how the lieutenant, so seriously wounded and having lost so much blood, could possibly attend the trial, but he trusted his commander unconditionally!
Once Jerry was gone, Li Xiu exhaled a long breath. Though he wasn’t at all certain he’d make it through, he didn’t believe in leaving things to fate. At least he had fought for himself!
Thinking this, Li Xiu’s gaze drifted to the pistol in his bag, considering the worst-case scenario.
Nearly ten minutes later, a nurse arrived with a doctor she’d found somewhere. As the doctor examined Li Xiu, he asked about his condition in detail.
...
The next morning, an officer with a warrant officer’s insignia appeared outside Mulan’s tent with two military police. After a brief pause, the warrant officer nodded to the MPs, one of whom pulled back the flap and tied it open. Only then did the warrant officer enter.
Mulan had already woken, asked the nurse to bring him washing supplies, and, with her help, had washed his face and, crucially, brushed his teeth, which made him feel instantly invigorated.
Military police were never popular in the army, and their entrance startled the nurse who was checking Li Xiu’s bandages.
“Military police? What are you doing here?” the nurse asked cautiously, but the warrant officer, expressionless, kept his focus on Li Xiu.
“We’re here to deliver orders to Second Lieutenant Jonst, miss.”
“I—I’ll get the doctor!” the nurse stammered and hurried out.
Li Xiu frowned, instantly tense now that only he and the MPs remained. The pistol case lay beside his bed—he was ready to draw it at any moment.
In the warrant officer’s eyes, the man on the bed was still deathly pale and gravely wounded, barely able to move—just as expected for someone recently comatose.
Regardless, procedure had to be followed. The warrant officer took out a document, showed it to Li Xiu, and announced:
“Mulan Jonst, Second Lieutenant, you are accused of serious crimes...”
He read the document, stating Li Xiu’s status as defendant, then asked, almost perfunctorily,
“Second Lieutenant Jonst, do you wish to attend the trial?”
Li Xiu lay pale but unafraid. After a moment of surprise, he replied in a hoarse but resolute voice,
“We... are actually being charged?”
The warrant officer showed the document again.
“Yes. The trial will be held this afternoon. Given your condition, the committee permits you not to attend. Someone will defend you.”
Li Xiu sneered—no one could trust such a “defender.”
“Very well. I don’t know what happened while I was unconscious, but for honor, and for my fallen brothers, I must attend!”
The warrant officer looked at the bandaged, blood-stained officer.
“The tribunal isn’t close. The carriage ride is long and rough; you may not survive the journey.”
Li Xiu’s face was impassive.
“Allow me to bring my personal belongings.”
“Very well. Onto the stretcher, then.”
The warrant officer nodded and motioned to the MPs, who moved the prepared stretcher into position. It was still two meters from Li Xiu’s bed.
Li Xiu glanced at the warrant officer, then at the MPs. After a brief silence, he gritted his teeth, used his right hand and waist, and, enduring excruciating pain, forced himself upright, to the shock of the officers.
It hurt. It hurt unbearably. But he had to endure. He had to hold on.
He kept telling himself: I’m a tough man, a tough man!
They think I can’t attend the trial—so I must go!
The bed creaked as Li Xiu’s muscles bulged, veins standing out on his right arm. What he couldn’t do yesterday, he forced himself to do today, sheer will driving him.
When he was finally sitting up, he exhaled shakily, sweat beading his pale face. He said nothing, but gritted his teeth again, turned sideways, braced himself on the bed, and—step by step—stood up.
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After speaking with the doctor, he learned that, although his right leg wasn’t injured in the bone, he could force himself to walk if necessary.
Li Xiu raised his head to look at the officer. The man was no longer as haughty as before; both MPs holding the stretcher looked uncertain as well.
From the warrant officer’s perspective, Second Lieutenant Jonst’s face was ferocious and contorted, his muscles trembling as he slowly straightened up. Perspiration visibly poured down his face, but he made no sound and asked no help.
Anyone could see the pain the lieutenant was enduring.
“What are you doing? How can you stand up? How is that possible?”
The nurse, having fetched the doctor, now rushed in to find the lieutenant standing by the bed.
The nurse covered her mouth in shock; the doctor, stunned, hurried over.
“Even military police must respect their patients! His wounds are too severe for movement!” the doctor roared at the MPs, but Li Xiu spoke in that moment.
“Doctor, nurse, no matter what, I must go to the military tribunal. This is a matter of life and death—and, more importantly, of the honor of myself and the brothers of the Third Battalion!”
In the eyes of the onlookers, Second Lieutenant Jonst was pale as death, yet his gaze shone with an unyielding determination that left them speechless.
“You...”
The warrant officer found himself wavering. He had despised the infamous Jonst before coming, but now... this did not seem like a craven deserter, nor a criminal officer shot by his own men.
“Warrant Officer, let’s go!” Li Xiu said, gritting his teeth as he walked to the stretcher. The doctor and nurse hurried to help.
“Let me help you!” “Careful!”
They knew how dire the lieutenant’s condition was—either ailment alone would make standing impossible. The nurse was honestly shocked by what she’d seen.
The MPs instinctively adjusted the stretcher so Li Xiu could lie down more comfortably.
“This is madness—sheer madness. If you insist on going, then I’m coming too. I don’t want you dying en route!” the doctor declared, having heard of the tribunal’s charges the day before. Now, moved by Jonst’s will, he packed his medical kit and followed.
“Thank you,” Li Xiu gasped, accepting their help. The pain left his breathing shallow and labored, but all present were filled with respect.
Had the nurse and doctor not helped, the warrant officer would have assisted himself, ashamed of his earlier behavior. As a military police officer, he rarely fought in battle, but he most admired heroes. He had despised Jonst based on rumor, but now, though he had no evidence, he began to doubt the charges.
“Second Lieutenant Jonst, you are a soldier worthy of respect! Let’s go. Tell me if you need anything,” the warrant officer offered.
“No need,” Li Xiu replied curtly, not even looking at him. The warrant officer signaled the MPs.
“Carry steadily!”
To keep the stretcher stable, their pace was slow.
The nurse walked close by, remembering stories from Third Battalion soldiers of their lieutenant’s bravery—tales she had thought exaggerated, but today seemed all too real. She realized that this lieutenant might truly be a hero.
Worry and a tangle of other emotions made her heart race. She kept wiping Li Xiu’s sweat and asking if he was thirsty.
As they passed the soldiers’ quarters, more men came out to watch the MPs carrying the stretcher. Whispers abounded.
“Who is that?” “Not sure, do you know?”
“That’s the Third Battalion’s lieutenant—could it be Jonst?”
“Heard most of the Third Battalion died in battle...”
“Where are they going?” “No idea.”
“Those are MPs—heard there’s a temporary military tribunal in Dia City. Is he being tried?”
“No way!”
...
He knew they couldn’t dawdle from the camp to Dia City, but when Li Xiu saw the carriage, he felt relieved—they should make it in time for the hearing.
It was a black, four-wheeled carriage drawn by two horses, with a step at the side, windows on both sides, and two benches inside—enough space for the stretcher. Much better than he’d expected.