Chapter 1159
2 Corpse Warning
Chapter 1159 Warning: Two Hundred Corpses
The officials, advisors, and elders of the military and government offices: "..."
Is the Lu family really finished?
How could they raise the direct descendants to be so cunning and petty? They're truly unfit for respectability.
"If you still acknowledge me as your teacher before you leave, then from this moment on, you shall walk like any ordinary citizen of Wei." After saying this, Old Qiong took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
However, it cannot be suppressed at all.
He stopped pressing down and pointed directly at the road ahead, yelling, "You think you're the only smart one? Those who try to be clever are the dumbest of all!"
"Do you think you've pitied the wrong person? You just want to go against your elders. If you succeed, your family can spread the word, and you'll become a talented young man who surpasses his elders and has compassion for the people of Wei! After this battle, you'll have a bright future!"
"Now that things haven't been done, and there are indeed bad people among the disaster victims, you're quick to admit your mistake and attribute it to your youth and poor judgment of people. You're really clever, incredibly clever!"
Such a ruthless and public scathing rebuke of aristocratic scions is something that even those from such families find uncomfortable.
Magistrate Kang stepped in to smooth things over: "Master Qiong, it is a good thing that the students care about the people of Wei. The worst thing for an official is to lack compassion for the weak."
"Master Qiong, my nephews are still young and need to be taught slowly. Besides, they were able to evacuate with the villagers and did not leave the Northeast Prefecture in advance, which is already a remarkable achievement..." It was Lord Shi from the Ministry of Works who spoke.
That's right, this guy didn't run away beforehand, and he also fled the war with his fellow villagers, but he was unhappy about it, so he usually doesn't show his face.
But since there's a credit to be earned this time, he naturally has to show up and try to get some credit.
Lu Qian solemnly bowed to the old man, prostrated himself on the ground, and said, "Master's teachings are correct. I know I was wrong. From today onwards, I will walk with the villagers as a form of self-punishment to reflect on my mistakes."
Lu Qian was, after all, from a prominent family and still had his brains. He had made a mistake earlier because of his fear of war and the rat plague, coupled with the fatigue of traveling, which prevented him from putting on a good act and revealing his weaknesses.
He knew very well that the best solution now was to admit his mistake and accept the punishment.
Si Pei also knelt down: "This student is foolish and stupid. I request to abandon the carriage and walk with the villagers to understand the suffering of the people and to remember the crimes of war, so that when I become an official in the future, I can protect the people well."
"No, have you all finished being so literary? Hurry up and punish the wicked, then open the granaries to help the people!" Uncle Qin couldn't help but shout.
Lu Qian and Lord Shi were both furious, but they were both good at pretending and didn't show it.
The two county magistrates, Kang and Lin, and the two county lieutenants, Zhong and Shen, nodded: "There is no time to lose. We should quickly handle the follow-up matters and not waste any time."
After the dozen or so leaders of the two government troops finished their discussion, they quickly...
Dangdang Dangdang!
The gong sounded again, and the messengers kept shouting: "Boss Ping and more than 500 other villains launched a surprise attack on Wei Min's camp, but have been captured by the government troops at the second gate. Boss Ping and 50 of his trusted villains have been killed by a hail of arrows!"
"The remaining two hundred participants will be beheaded at Chenshi (7-9 AM) as a warning to others!"
"Three hundred people who helped cover for them were tattooed on the face to publicly announce their crimes to the world!"
"The remaining deserters and disaster victims of Tianmang Prefecture can be reported. If they help the government troops to find Ping Laoda's accomplices, they will receive an extra fifteen catties of grain when the granaries are opened for relief!"
"If it's a malicious accusation made for the sake of grain, then he should be directly identified as an accomplice of Boss Ping and beheaded as a warning to the public!"
Upon hearing this, the disaster victims from various counties of Tianmang Prefecture were shocked. Forgetting everything else, they hurriedly asked, "Sir, sir, what does 'opening the granaries for relief' mean? Is the government going to open the granaries to help us? Are they really going to give us food?!"
"Waaah, sir, give us a straight answer! If it's a lie, just say it's a lie, so we can give up!"
Dangdang Dangdang!
"The latest orders from Magistrate Kang of Baofu County and Magistrate Lin of Linshan County are to order them to go to the various granaries in Shouning County after the execution of the villains and open the granaries to provide relief to the Wei people affected by the war!"
Thump thump thump thump!
The disaster victims all knelt down, kowtowed repeatedly, and cried out, "We are saved! Thank you so much, Your Honor, for saving our lives!"
"Waaaaah, we thought nobody cared about us anymore, but we never expected this..."
The government offices in other counties will provide them with relief.
Dangdang Dangdang!
County Commandant Zhong personally addressed the people: "Fellow villagers, the Great Wei Dynasty is still here, His Majesty is still here, and the laws are still in effect, so as long as you do not break the law, you still have a way to live!" But for the people of Wei in the various counties of Tianmang Prefecture, these days were truly like the fall of a country. The county offices along the way were already empty, and no officials or soldiers came out to take charge of the situation.
They made it this far by sticking together and surviving as a group.
Dangdang Dangdang!
"Anyone who wants to expose Boss Ping's accomplices, come and register!"
"The rest of the Wei citizens of Tianmang Prefecture, assemble in the designated areas according to your respective county names! Those who are illiterate will have their county names called out by soldiers; simply go and assemble when you hear your county name!"
The magistrate of Tianmang Prefecture knew the county name of Kang County, and even the internal records contained detailed information about the names of each village and its chief.
The head of the yamen also had a map showing the locations of the granaries in each county of the prefecture, so Magistrate Kang was able to find the granary in Shouning County.
"After everyone has assembled, wait quietly. After witnessing the execution, open the granary and collect your food!"
"Hey, thank you so much, Your Honor!" The disaster victims from various counties of Tianmang Prefecture gathered together, but were ordered to be quiet, because if they kept thanking the soldiers, their voices would drown out the soldiers' shouts of the county names.
The disaster victims of Tianmang Prefecture immediately quieted down.
An hour later, it was finally time for Chen Shi (7-9 AM).
The act of reporting was indeed effective, as it exposed twenty of Boss Ping's close associates.
"Spare us, sir, spare us! We were just helping Boss Ping and the others with their evacuation. We didn't participate in harming anyone... We had no choice. Tianmang Prefecture has fallen. If we didn't do this, we wouldn't survive!"
"The child is still young, please, sir, spare us this time for the sake of the child!"
"Pah! Xu Gaozhu, your Ba Gui is already twelve! Even a pardon wouldn't spare him until he's that age! You're still going to spare him for his sake? Xu Ba Gui is a little beast! He's so young and he's already eyeing other people's girls. If we don't kill this kind of beast, he'll only harm more people when he grows up!"
Wei Min, a fellow villager and fellow deserter from the same county, came forward to expose the incident.
As for what Xu Bagui had done, they were afraid that telling him would taint the soul of the deceased.
“The children of the accomplices have all eaten the food brought back by the thieves, and are all guilty. According to wartime military law, they should be beheaded and their heads displayed to the public!” County Commandant Zhong, a former Northwest Army soldier, would not show any mercy.
Dangdang Dangdang!
Dangdang Dangdang!
"All the serious offenders are here!"
More than 200 accomplices who had fought, the 20 newly captured accomplices, and the six people whose tendons were severed yesterday were all taken to the side of the main road.
He knelt facing the main road.
"The time has come, execution!"
Click, click, click!
Grrrrrrrrrrrr.
With a swift stroke of the knife, the head rolled away, the terror in the eyes still lingering from the moment of being slashed.
Bang bang bang!
More than two hundred headless corpses lay on the side of the main road, and at least a hundred people in the crowd watching the execution fainted.
It's so scary.
It's meant to be scary.
Magistrate Kang stood up, pointed at the corpses and heads, and said, "Men, bring this notice board and nail it to the roadside so that everyone who passes by can see the consequences of wartime atrocities!"
"The Great Wei has a vast territory. Apart from Tianmang Prefecture, the other prefectures are peaceful and orderly. The court and His Majesty are both safe and sound. The government and the army are functioning normally and are capable of punishing the villains!"
"If these villains think the government troops are finished, then these corpses will be their fate!"