In the early August of the thirty-eighth year of the First Emperor of Qin, when Lu Jia arrived in Xianyang from Yongcheng, the whole city was in a state of carnival...
One month has passed since Marquis Wu Zhong entered Xianyang. The military control ban that lasted for many days has finally ended, and the streets have returned to the bustle of the past. People have walked out of their homes, with smiles on their faces. When they meet, they bow to each other and celebrate each other.
There are two reasons for celebration. One is that the bandits from the Six Kingdoms who were wreaking havoc in Xihe were finally expelled by Marquis Wu Zhong.
Shu Suntong, who was in charge of the publicity of the Northern Expedition, wrote the entire war process into an easy-to-understand newspaper, and asked the food officials in Xianyang to post it in every village and read out:
The newspaper exaggeratedly described the atrocities committed by bandits in the Xihe area, the brutal massacre in Linjin, the dead people blocking the river in Xia Yang, the wild corpses in Shang Yan, Xiang Ji, Zhang Er and other nobles from the six countries, and the bandit leaders were like cannibals.
He committed a heinous crime, and when the people of Qin heard about it, they were all furious.
For a hundred years, only the Qin people had the right to challenge the Six Kingdoms. After Qin Shihuang unified them, people from the Six Kingdoms came to Guanzhong to serve in the west. The Qin people also insulted and teased them, treating them as captives. When will it be their turn to be so arrogant?
In addition to being angry, they were worried that the First Emperor was no longer around and Guanzhong was still in chaos. They simply could not imagine what kind of atrocities a group of thieves would commit if they entered Xianyang City, which was ten times and a hundred times richer than Xihe...
Therefore, although the Northern Expeditionary Army was suspicious of the Xinqin people who spoke with southern accents, when the people of Xianyang heard that Marquis Wu Zhong personally led the army to regain Xihe and expel the bandits, they still supported it from the bottom of their hearts.
Brothers are fighting against each other on the wall, resisting their insults on the outside, and the victory of the internal war has been decided. Now it is time to face the enemy together.
The appeal that Shusun Tong revised again and again was publicized over and over again, making everyone aware of it. Although this appeal was not very literary, it was good at boosting people's morale. People in Xianyang erected big flags for Marquis Wu Zhong.
thumb.
Not long after the appeal was circulated, the newspapers were soon filled with news of victory:
"When Marquis Wu Zhong crossed the Luoshui River, wherever the army's flags were directed, the bandits from the Six Kingdoms all fled."
"The Qin army recaptured Dali and rescued countless people. Three local elders came out to welcome them with wine and wept with joy."
"Luo Jia, Yang Xi and other old Qin people were the vanguard and attacked Pujin Ferry. They sang the song "No Clothes" and drove the Chu people down the river. The thief, Xiang Ji, abandoned his baggage and left in embarrassment."
"In the battle of Longmen, the people of Shaoliang Shanxi River floated down the river with wooden poppies and canopies to stop the Zhao and Wei rear armies and joined forces with Shangjun Zhai Qi. This battle was a great victory and thousands of people were beheaded!"
In short, the main message of the Di newspaper operated by Shusun Tong is: "People from all over the Qin Dynasty united around Marquis Wu Zhong, formed a united front, worked together to resist the humiliation of thieves, won great victories one after another, and safeguarded the Qin Dynasty.
peace and the reunification of the motherland..."
The theme to be promoted inside is: "The person who continues the ambition of the First Emperor, defends the country for the people of Qin, and protects the peace of the country, is the Marquis of Wu Zhong!"
The publicity campaign was particularly successful. When the Northern Expeditionary Army first entered Xianyang more than a month ago, the people of Xianyang cautiously watched through the cracks in the door, not knowing how the new ruler would treat them.
ァ新ヤ~8~1~中文网.x~8~1zщ.om
But now, when the Northern Expeditionary Army returned from Xihe, the attitude of the Xianyang people changed drastically, and what greeted them was a surging crowd and bursts of cheers...
When Wuzhonghou's banner passed by, there were even faint shouts of "Long live Wuzhonghou".
The second reason is that Marquis Wu Zhong escorted Zhao Gao, the culprit of the chaos and the traitor who wanted to betray Guanzhong to the gang of thieves, back for a public trial at Tingweiguan Temple in Xianyang!
The Thorny Gate Court was extremely solemn. From the First Emperor's imperial doctor Ling Xia Wuqi, Li Si's son Li Yu, Feng's disciples, Wang Ben's old subordinates, to the eunuchs around Hu Hai, witnesses were brought in one by one to complain that Zhao Gao might have something.
Or no sin.
Tampering with edicts, murdering the former emperor's old ministers, treating the people harshly, taking bribes and perverting the law, betraying the country for glory, colluding with bandits, seducing barbarians, and killing the princes and princesses...
This was the crime that was convicted of Zhao Gao by two soldiers of the Northern Expedition, Zheng Le and Qu Ji. The final verdict was: Zhao Gao's crime was unprecedented and exceeded any single crime in the Qin Code. He should be punished for several crimes, and he was given five sentences first.
, then the car was broken apart, and finally his bones were broken into pieces!
On the day Lu Jia entered Xianyang, he happened to catch up with this grand occasion.
On the day Zhao Gao was executed, the streets in Xianyang were really deserted. The people crowded the Wei Bridge and rushed to the Dongshi. More than 100,000 people came from the whole city, and the rest were blocked outside and were not allowed to enter.
Marquis Wu Zhong had to send tens of thousands of soldiers to maintain order and block the surging crowd, so that they would not be able to break through the obstacles and beat Zhao Gao to death.
Since Wang Ben wrote a letter "please kill Zhao Gao", Zhao Gao has become a traitor recognized by Xianyang people. It's a pity that they dared to be angry but dared not speak out before, but now they can push everyone down.
When the naked Zhao Gao was brought up, the Xianyang people's emotions reached a climax. They waved their fists fiercely at Zhao Gao, who was held up by the Northern Expedition sergeants and dragged to the execution platform, as if they had really hit this traitor.
Generally speaking.
"Nie Chen!"
"National traitor!"
"Qin traitor!"
Different names came out from everyone's mouth, like a violent storm, sweeping towards Zhao Gao, causing him to stagger, his face covered with spit from others, and he shivered in the autumn wind.
He seemed to want to say something, but that weak voice, perhaps some "truth", was completely covered up by the noisy "kill him".
When people don't want to listen to you, it's useless what you say.
From the last years of the First Emperor to the fall of Hu Hai, the sufferings suffered by the people of Guanzhong in the past few years were all blamed on Hu Hai, Zhao Gao and the monarchs and ministers. The dead were a little lucky, but the living had to bear the wrath of the people. Coupled with the incitement of public opinion, it was really
All evil combined into one.
However, due to the distance, most people could not actually see the execution process clearly, but this did not prevent them from returning home and describing the process to their neighbors who were stopped further away and could not witness the scene:
First, he tattooed his face. The jailer used a knife to stab Zhao Gao's cheeks and forehead with a total of six words: "treacherous minister, national thief, Qin traitor". The tattoo was very heavy. For a while, Zhao Gao's face was covered with blood and he screamed in pain.
Pour it with hot ink and make it stay on your face like a mole forever.
Next came the torture. Zhao Gao, who had already had his teeth smashed, received a few more punches, and had his nose broken, now lost his sensitive nose forever, his face looked like a ghost, and his speech was even more slurred.
Then came the corruption punishment. The palace executioner who had already sharpened his sword for half a time came forward and showed his unique sword and ax. It is said that Marquis Wu Zhong wanted to change the law and empty all the palaces in Guanzhong. From now on, the palace will no longer accept eunuchs, and the corruption punishment will also
Reduced, only criminals who rape women will be castrated.
It was difficult to see the process clearly, but Zhao Gao let out a scream like a slaughtered pig, and his bloody thing was cut clean, raised high for display, and then thrown into the crowd, where it was trampled into pulp and stuck to the ground.
The bottoms of countless people's shoes.
Then, Zhao Gao's left and right feet were also chopped off alive, and many limping prisoners who were released from prison and dressed in wooden jumps also came to watch. They raised their wooden jumps high and cheered, feeling that Zhao Gao also had
Although Zhao Gao was not necessarily responsible for the punishment they received today, it does not prevent everyone from being happy.
At this point, Zhao Gao, who had been tortured for nearly half an hour, was already half dead. He was bleeding heavily and almost fainted to death.
Before he could breathe, his head, hands, and legs were tied to the ropes pulled by five horses. It is said that these horses were the six horses that Zhao Gao used to drive for Qin Shihuang, and they were fed and cared for by Zhao Gao.
Now the five horses were frightened. When the heavy whip hit them, the five horses no longer cared about the old master behind them and moved forward desperately.
As the rope tightened, the sound of pulling bones was heard, followed by tearing of skin and flesh. After another severe whip, Zhao Gao's body was completely divided into five parts!
Cheers resounded throughout the market as Xianyang people enjoyed this brutal joy.
Just like when Shang Yang was executed more than a hundred years ago.
Sometimes, it doesn't really matter who the person who died is. What's important is that their death can calm the anger of "the people".
Zhao Gao finally died, and his head was taken away to be pickled with lime and sent to Guanzhong. However, before his body was disposed of, the executioner began to perform the final step: carving out his bones.
Holding the ax and sledgehammer high, Zhao Gao's body was cut apart bit by bit and smashed into pulp. After a while, Zhao Gao, who had been full of evil, finally had no flesh and bones left...
The obstruction of the soldiers of the Northern Expedition was slightly relaxed, and the people of Xianyang were able to approach. They hated Zhao Gao, so the rich wanted to throw money to bribe the executioner, and competed to buy Zhao Gao's raw meat.
However, under the orders of Marquis Wu Zhong, this kind of cannibalism was not allowed. After everything was over, the ashes were burned on the road.
So everyone could only fight for the burnt pieces, stuff them into their mouths, and show off their abilities. As for those who couldn't grab it, some of them still had unfinished business.
Fortunately, Marquis Wu Zhong took this into consideration, and Sima Xin, who was in charge of the execution, announced another thing:
"Marquis Wu Zhong will cast a statue of Zhao Gao and make him kneel in front of the Mausoleum of the First Emperor and in front of the Jingbian Temple in the Xun Temple in various places. Anyone who has any complaints can go and spit on it!"
So the people in Xianyang were overjoyed and stopped for a while. They continued their carnival that day, and the streets were filled with ladies and gentlemen selling their jewelry and clothes, and people celebrating with wine and meat.
Heifu himself did not participate in this feast. Only when Lu Jia arrived at the official office and reported to him what he saw and heard today, he shook his head and left four words:
"You deserve it."
Zhao Gao's death was enough to vent the anger of the people of Xianyang. As for Hu Hai, Heifu thought that we had to wait a little longer, wait until the autumn harvest and rent reduction, and compare the policies before and after, before settling the score.
He immediately looked at Lu Jia and said with a smile, "What do you think?"
"This move is indeed very popular." Lu Jia's voice changed: "However, the purpose of enforcing laws is to punish evil, not to encourage good. If the king wants to appease the people of Qin, he cannot rely solely on severe punishments."
Heifu did not deny it: "This is the reason why I called you to Xianyang."
The old order has been destroyed and a new order needs to be established.
"The sinner has been punished."
"Next, it's time to reward you!"
Lu Jia guessed correctly, the war has come to an end, Guanzhong has been clarified, and Heifu will make big moves in the court. The first step is to re-select the candidates for the Nine Ministers based on the merits of the entire Northern Expedition and identify the people who will help him...
…
I just wonder what position he, Lu Jia, can occupy?
And who are the candidates for these nine ministers?
