On the morning of May 19th, the second year of the Zhengde reign of the Ming Dynasty, the campus in the north city of Ningxia was crowded with people.
Since yesterday, people all over the city have received notices, asking them to go to Beicheng School Ground for a rally the next morning. Starting early this morning, a large number of soldiers started knocking on the door of every house to remind them. Whether voluntarily or by force, tens of thousands of people in the city
Forced, they all gathered in the school yard.
On the school grounds, two thousand soldiers and horses formed a restricted area with a radius of several hundred steps near the high platform in the center of the school grounds. Thousands more soldiers and horses were roaming around the school grounds on guard. All the soldiers were fully armed, with dazzling swords and guns, and full of murderous intent.
In fact, the common people had already been informed of the purpose of coming here today, and the notice issued by the Yamen did not conceal it. Today is to punish a group of heinous people who participated in King Anhua's rebellion in public, as a warning to others.
Since the Dharma is being rectified in public, it is natural to summon the people to watch, otherwise how can it serve as a warning?
The bustling people crowded outside the cordon around the high platform in the middle of the school ground, and everyone was waiting quietly. Some people had excited expressions and full of expectations. Others had solemn faces and complicated moods.
Some had numb faces, but they were anxious about their work today, and some even complained that the government had to force them to come, which delayed today's business.
Whether you rebel or not, whether you kill or not, what does it have to do with you? Who dies and who lives, I don’t care at all. I only know that if I delay my business or my work today, I will make less money, and my family will suffer.
Be hungry.
The people who live in poverty have no intention of caring about the so-called important affairs of the court. This is indeed a kind of numbness, but it is also a kind of helplessness. These days, most people live like ants, and this is not their fault.
.
The sun slowly rises. It is already early summer, and although we are in the northwest, the weather is already getting hotter. At noon, the power of the sun gradually appears, and the people are already sweating from the heat, and their mood is getting anxious.
"Are you calling us here to make us stand? If you want to kill, kill quickly. After killing, you still have to go to work."
"That's right. Why are you taking so long? I was hungry in the morning. It's so hot. Isn't this torture?"
"It's useless to be anxious. It's noon to kill people. The Yang energy is strong at noon, so the dead people won't do mischief. It's still early."
"Can't you bear the heat? Think about those people who are about to lose their heads. They will soon lose their heads. Compared with these people, at least we are still alive."
"Alive... alive, what's the difference between us living and dead? I live like a mule and a horse all day long. If the whole family is full and hungry, it's better to stretch out my legs and fall clean."
"Haha, if you want to say that, you can go up and ask the executioner to give you a knife, and then it will be over, right? Besides, the scene here is so big, death can be regarded as a glorious death."
"Fuck you, are you cursing me for getting stabbed? Why don't you go get stabbed? It's better to die than live."
"..."
The people were chattering and chattering, and the scene gradually became chaotic.
At this moment, the trumpet sounded, the sound of horse hooves rang loudly at the entrance to the southwest corner of the teaching ground, and dust flew into the sky. All the people stopped talking and straightened their necks and looked toward the southwest corner.
But hundreds of cavalry were seen galloping towards them, surrounded by dozens of fully armed generals. One of the three leaders was handsome and handsome with black beards, the other was wearing a crown and a pale face, and in the middle was a man with a black helmet and black armor.
Young general in black cloak.
"Who is the Marquis of Jianchang? Is it the official with the black beard?"
"Tch, that's Yang Yiqing, the new governor of Ningxia Town. The one in the middle wearing black armor is the Marquis of Jianchang. This Marquis of Jianchang is really low-key, and his armor can't compare to those of the generals behind him."
"Ah? Are you talking about that young one? The Jianchang Marquis who led three thousand cavalry to capture the city of Ningxia? He looks so gentle and elegant, but even his beard is not even, so ruthless?"
"Heroes are not young. This Lord Zhang is a ruthless man. I heard that he came from the Gobi desert with his soldiers and horses. He passed through the Helan Pass and killed us in Ningxia City. Even though he is young, I heard that he
He is highly skilled in martial arts and can fight one against a hundred. He can eat fifty cakes in one meal and kill an ox with one punch. When attacking a city, one man can hold off a group of soldiers."
"Ah? So powerful?"
"That's not true, otherwise the emperor would send him to quell the rebellion? To take on such an important task at such a young age? Of course he has extraordinary abilities."
The common people were pointing and talking in low voices. These rumors about Zhang Yanling have been circulating in Ningxia City for a long time. In addition to rumoring Zhang Yanling as a vicious existence, they also dug into the gossip about Zhang Houye. About him and Qing.
Things between the royal family and the princess have also been agitated for a long time.
But soon, people's focus shifted.
After the cavalry entered the scene, a large number of soldiers escorted the prison car into the scene. The condemned prisoners in the prison car were kneeling in a short wooden cage, tied up, with disheveled hair, and death signs stuck in the back of their heads. As the prison car moved forward, they were in the prison car.
Bumping and tilting, their faces were ashen and lifeless.
The queue of prison cars was very long. The common people originally thought that there were only a dozen or dozens of people. As a result, prison cars came in continuously, and there was an endless stream. In the midst of the hustle and bustle, there were actually nearly two hundred prison cars entering.
The execution ground built under the high platform was densely lined and crowded together.
The people were shocked. They finally knew that today was not just about beheading some generals who participated in the rebellion. It was a massacre. Nearly two hundred people were going to be beheaded here today. No wonder the government forced the people to come here to watch.
, this is indeed a big scene that shocks the people.
Many family members of death row prisoners were also at the scene. When they saw their relatives, they cried and screamed, and they were miserable. Some women and children rushed to the prison car, but were scolded and whipped by the guarding soldiers before being driven back.
The procession of death row prisoners attracted the attention of the people and even stole the spotlight from officials and generals. Because there were so many people, the scene was so shocking.
When the condemned prisoners in the prison car were dragged on the ground like dead dogs, and dragged to the execution positions to kneel down one by one. When hundreds of executioners holding ghost-head knives ran into the arena with their heads wrapped in red cloth, shirtless.
The people felt greatly shocked and suffocated.
This is no joke, this is really about killing people, and killing so many people in public. All of these densely packed people kneeling on the ground will have their heads dropped to the ground!
Only now did the people feel real panic and timidity.
On the wooden platform, all the officials and generals sat down solemnly. Yang Yiqing was in the middle, Zhang Yanling and Gu Dayong sat on both sides. Today, there are 187 people imprisoned for rebel crimes, most of them are some of the leaders who participated in the rebellion, as well as those arrested and reported
Those who have been screened for the most heinous crimes.
The number of people is indeed a bit large, but Yang Yiqing believes that after the chaos, if you want to quickly stabilize the situation and shock the people, you must use extraordinary means. Without killing a group of people, it is difficult to have a deterrent effect. Therefore, in terms of the identity of a death row prisoner, the crime is extremely heinous.
Those who are willing to kill should be killed, those who are the accomplices of tigers should be killed, those who can be killed should be killed, and those who are not allowed to be killed can also be killed.
Although Zhang Yanling did not agree with his indiscriminate killing methods, he had no special objection. Indeed, if Ningxia Town wants to completely calm down and eliminate the influence of the rebellion, it does need to take heavy action. Although for these individual death row prisoners
Maybe it's a little unfair, but in this era, what's the point of fairness?
What's more, Yang Yiqing is the governor of Ningxia. If he wants to govern here in the future, his opinions will naturally be the main ones.
Of course, among the death row prisoners, there was also Zhang Yanling who was forced to beheaded. Although they were not rebels, they could not return to the capital alive.
"Master Hou, do you want to say a few words to the people?" Yang Yiqing smiled and said to Zhang Yanling.
Zhang Yanling hurriedly waved his hand and said: "Tell me, Mr. Yang, you are the supervisor and the governor of Ningxia, so it is best for Mr. Yang to take charge."
Yang Yiqing smiled and nodded without refusing. He stood up, walked slowly to the wooden platform, and scanned the whole place with majestic eyes.
"Dear citizens of Ningxia Town, I, Yang Yiqing, have been appointed as the new governor of Ningxia. It's very polite." Yang Yiqing bowed his hands to the dark crowd.
The people looked at Yang Yiqing blankly, without any expression.
Yang Yiqing didn't pay attention, and continued in a deep voice: "You must all know what happened in Ningxia Town. Since February, Anhua King Zhu Zhixiu has been ambitious, regardless of loyalty, and launched an army to rebel. This shocked the world and shocked the court. Ningxia
The soldiers and civilians were coerced by it and suffered from military disasters
The suffering caused by the poison caused the lives of the people to die and the people were hanging on the rope. In view of this, the imperial court appointed three people, including Zhang Houye, the Marquis of Jianchang, and the Duke of Neitinggu to lead the army to put down the rebellion. After more than a month of fighting, Zhu Zhixiu committed suicide in fear of crime, and the rebels finally disappeared.
Restoring peace in Ningxia Town and quelling this rebellion."
"...The culprit of this rebellion is naturally the traitor Zhu Zhixiu, but it is difficult for a traitor to become a powerful person. Many people who helped the tyrants add fuel to the flames, rely on the traitors, work as a savior, and bring trouble to the world. They deserve to be severely punished. Some people who have committed the most heinous crimes have become thieves.
They rebelled, betrayed the imperial court, lost all conscience, and lost loyalty. They killed innocent people indiscriminately, burned, killed, looted, and committed all kinds of evil. If these people do not kill, it will not be enough for the people to be angry.
, Not killing is not enough to calm the people, not killing is not enough to enlighten the world, not killing is not enough to warn the world. Therefore, with the permission of the emperor, a public trial and execution meeting is held here today to publicly try and execute one hundred and eighty-seven people who have committed the most heinous crimes.
This is to comfort the soldiers who died in the battle and the people of Ningxia Town who were tortured. The sky net is huge and there are no leaks. The laws of heaven are clear and retribution will not be satisfactory. I hope this will warn the world and take them as a warning."
The people were silent, and the whole place was as silent as a cemetery.
"I'm wronged, I'm wronged." The hoarse cry of a death row inmate made everyone shiver and get goosebumps all over their bodies.
Yang Yiqing frowned and shouted: "Stop his mouth."
Two soldiers stepped forward and blocked the mouth of the death row prisoner with a cloth ball. The death row prisoner kept struggling and gritted his teeth and refused to open his mouth. The two soldiers worked for a long time but could not stuff the cloth ball into his mouth. Instead, they provoked the death row prisoner.
The criminal cursed and shouted.
Yang Yiqing frowned. Upon seeing this, a general on the stage jumped down, rushed in front of the death row prisoner, took out a dagger and stabbed the death row prisoner's mouth, prodding and messing around.
The death row prisoner's mouth was immediately filled with blood, mixed with broken tongue and spit out. He couldn't say another word and fainted to the ground.
"Why bother? Before you go on the road, why should you suffer? Your culpability has been clearly investigated, why are you so obsessed with it. Go on the road with peace of mind, I have arranged a monastery for your salvation. In the next life, you can be a good person and live a peaceful life."
Yang Yiqing said coldly.
The remaining prisoners on death row were all ashen-faced and trembling all over. Many of them were about to become agitated, but now they bowed their heads and closed their eyes, resigned to their fate.