A steamboat towed these ten inland river boats and stopped at the dock of Linhe City.
A group of people wearing tattered prison uniforms got off the boat in a noisy manner, being whipped by the yamen guards and regiment drills.
In recent days, more than a dozen fleets have docked here every day and unloaded these unkempt and skinny prisoners.
They were tied with ropes, one hundred people in a row, and walked down the gangplank from the canal boats to the pier. They were here waiting to check the heads.
Although Jiao Zhen was very thin, like a skinned skeleton, he had a very large frame and was two meters tall. He was the only felon in shackles on the boat he was on.
His family's land was donated to Wang Juren, but Wang Juren refused to acknowledge the debt the next year and swallowed up their land. When his old father went to argue, he was injured by a servant and died three days later.
Jiao Zhen went to Wang Juren's house in the middle of the night and poured poison into the well water. After the poison was poured out on Wang Juren's family, he rushed in with a broken hatchet, killed more than a dozen people, and set a fire.
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While on the run, his traces were discovered, and he killed three more detectives. He was finally arrested.
He had already been sentenced to death, but he had to wait until the Autumn Judgment.
In the Ming Dynasty, executions were usually carried out in autumn and winter. This is related to the Ming people's concept of natural theocracy, that is, to comply with the will of God.
Spring and summer are the seasons when all things grow, while autumn and winter are the seasons when trees wither and die, symbolizing desolation. Human behavior, including all activities, must comply with the weather, otherwise they will be punished by the gods.
Since the emperor is the son of Heaven, he must abide by Heaven's will and act according to Heaven's timing. The same goes for executing prisoners.
Originally, he was in prison and thought he was dead. He simply let it go.
As soon as he entered, everything inside was turned upside down, and then he became the ancestor of that cell.
I originally thought, just take it one day at a time.
But unexpectedly, instead of waiting for Qiu Jue, he was transported here instead.
He looked around the grassland curiously, feeling a little dazed.
He didn't know where this was, or why he was being escorted here.
"Prisoner, what are you looking at?" a jailer yelled angrily and whipped him.
His already tattered clothes were instantly broken into pieces, flying like butterflies.
The poor people's clothes were made of rags joined together. They were already brittle and they didn't dare to wash them. They tore as soon as they were washed. At this time, they couldn't withstand being whipped.
An open bloodstain appeared on his back. It hurt terribly.
The bronze skin on his back was as rough as pine bark.
He just grinned and lowered his head. He knew that being stubborn would only make him suffer more.
The dock was crowded with prisoners. A chief of the Criminal Department looked around, turned to Zhang Gedao and said: "Zhang Baihu, please check it. As of today, there are 86,741 people, and there is no difference between them.
They've all been delivered. Just sign your signature and it's accepted. We can go back and resume our lives."
Zhang Geda's official position is that of Yang Fan's personal soldier captain and member of the Jinyi Guard Baihu.
Zhang Geda cupped his hands and said: "I would like to thank Mr. Wang in advance on behalf of my uncle. These more than 80,000 prisoners were escorted thousands of miles, and more than a thousand of them died and escaped along the way. Your Excellency really took care of this."
I’d like to thank Mr. Wang for your kindness, please don’t be polite.”
As he spoke, he put a banknote into the hand of Manager Wang.
When Mr. Wang saw that it was a three thousand tael banknote, he immediately became happy. Uncle Dingyuan is well-deserved for his generous spending. He makes people feel close to him.
He took Zhang Qida's hand affectionately and said, "It's just a small effort. Thank you Uncle Dingyuan for me."
The people from the Ministry of Punishment boarded the boats and left. They took these boats to return the same way they came. They had to go back to the capital to return to the Ministry of Punishment.
Chief Wang was very happy. This time he escorted the prisoner without suffering any trouble.
Prisoners from the five northern provinces gathered at Changxindian Railway Station in the capital. Then they took a train to Zhangjiakou, then changed carriages and took some highway to Guihua City. From Guihua City, they changed boats and arrived at Linhe.
It took more than five days to travel more than two thousand miles. It is really unimaginable.
Because he had said hello in advance, food and drinks were provided along the way. Even for every batch of prisoners escorted, Uncle Dingyuan had a doctor on hand to deal with any illness problems at any time.
For these inhumane thieves and prisoners, this was a treatment that had never been seen in the Ming Dynasty. Of the more than 80,000 prisoners who were transported thousands of miles, only more than a thousand died or escaped. It was simply a miracle.
He didn't expect Uncle Dingyuan to be so generous and directly rewarded him with three thousand taels of silver.
His income as a chief executive was only seventy taels a year. Although he had to give a lot to the people below and pay homage to his superiors, what he got would not be less than a thousand taels. He was extremely satisfied.
Today, the steam fleet sent a total of twenty batches of prisoners. The total number was a full 20,000 people, and this was the last batch of prisoners. With the arrival of this batch of people, the entire escort was completed.
"Untie them all, and let the doctors sort out those with the disease first and send them to the isolation area first. The rest have them take off their clothes, shave their heads and hair, and line up to enter the tent area to take a bath. All their belongings
Burn them all." Zhang Geda ordered.
They are so skilled at this, and there is no need to be familiar with all the processes. As long as you are a servant, you will know how to operate it. They have been recruiting and sending refugees.
Jiao Zhen is still confused until now. Why don't you kill him? Why send him here?
After shaving his head and all over his body, and letting the little parasitic animals say goodbye to him, he took a bath again.
For the first time, his whole body felt so relaxed. He had never taken a hot bath in his life.
The soldiers shouted and let them soak in the hot water pool for an hour. Then, one by one, the soldiers were put on a wooden stand, and they almost used a pig-hair brush and something as hard as a stone to blow their hair.
The skin is torn.
As he bared his teeth and screamed, a lot of black mud flowed from his body. Finally, he finally saw his true colors.
"Hurry up, hurry up and get out in line after washing." The soldiers roared angrily.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Jiao Zhen didn’t expect that when Jiao Zhen went out, he was given a piece of linen cloth to dry, and he was handed out his inner and outer clothes, shoes and socks.
At this moment, he wanted to cry a little. He had never worn new clothes in his life. He had never worn shoes, let alone socks. His legs were made of mud from farming, and there was no chance of him encountering anything like shoes.
He was wearing coarse clothes and shoes that he had never seen before, and for a while he couldn't walk.
He heard that the soldiers called these shoes rubber shoes.
He had never seen such green rubber shoes before, and they looked super strong.
What he didn't know was that the reason why they were given such good shoes that would last for several years was because they would soon have to walk a long way to a holy place with holy snow-capped mountains and devout people.
After putting on their clothes, shoes and socks, they were taken to a square.
They were all ordered to squat on the ground and not move. Jiao Zhen looked around at several soldiers holding unseen muskets and shining bayonets, guarding them.
"Now we are giving out two-in-one kettles and lunch boxes, please queue up to get them."
The prisoners were as happy as the New Year. They were given new clothes and lunch boxes and kettles in the shape of pig kidneys, made of steel that looked like mirrors.
Then, they collectively swallowed, and a dozen soldiers carrying burdens and wearing white aprons entered the square. They smelled the aroma of food.
"Queue up to get food. No grabbing. Anyone who jumps in line will be whipped three times."
Jiao Zhen couldn't help but said to the soldiers beside him: "Where are you going to send us?"
The unexpected beating did not come, and the soldier said impatiently: "Send you to Blackwater City in Alxa. Don't think about escaping on the way. There are deserts on all sides. There is not enough water and food, and there are no camels. No one can escape.
If not, we will all die of thirst in the desert."
Although Jiao Zhen didn't know why they were brought here, at least he knew that his head would not be chopped off for the time being.
