At noon, Wei sent his written refusal to the command pavilion. He had not authorized the Commander’s Harvest Formation and would not treat the supply forms as consent.
The guards reached the barracks yard before he finished addressing the company. General Mo had suspended Wei’s title, frozen his family stipend and ordered his saber locked in the Registry store. Wei handed the weapon to the guard captain without a struggle.
“Return the three soldiers’ consent slips to them,” Wei said.
“The papers belong to the Registry,” the captain replied.
“Then write that I requested them.”
The captain looked to the courier, who was already recording the handover. He added Wei’s request to the report.
The company watched from the yard. Some soldiers looked angry that Wei had risked their deployment. Others looked relieved that the formation had not begun. Wei did not tell them what to feel.
“I won’t ask for pledges,” he said. “Each of you can decide whether to stay with the army or leave with me. It affects your housing, rations and future training. I’ll give you the afternoon.”
