Chapter 692
Divine Strike Receives its Head
He Pan's original intention was to present Wang Yan as a prisoner of war in Yi'an, requesting the King of Han to ascend the city walls to accept his surrender, thus condemning Wang Yan's injustice and then publicly punishing him. This treatment of the ringleader would not only conform to ancient rites but also demonstrate the King of Han's uprightness. Furthermore, publicly handing over the Jin emperor and the imperial seal would further demonstrate the popular support for the King of Han's ascension to the throne.
However, He Pan has been feeling unwell since the battle. Considering that the Huainan region borders Qi and Han, making it a potentially dangerous front line, He Pan needs to remain to oversee and manage affairs, and there are also many displaced people who require his care and pacification. Therefore, He Pan is unlikely to lead his troops back to Yi'an to report on the victory, but will instead remain in Huainan to report on his duties and govern.
The sudden influx of so many scholars into the Han army actually presented a significant problem. Wang Yan, having served as a leader of the gentry for decades, had intricate connections with the current scholars. Having held high positions for so long, they were arrogant and harbored unrealistic expectations for their future status. If they went to Yi'an with this mindset, and discovered that the King of Han did not offer them the treatment they desired, they might become resentful and cause trouble. Therefore, it was better to execute Wang Yan immediately as a warning to others, dispelling these scholars' delusions and making them realize their place, thus preventing any unforeseen complications.
Of course, another reason was to demonstrate to Qi and Han in the north. Wang Yan secretly sent envoys to ask the other side to send 100,000 troops to rescue them. Executing them here would also put political pressure on Qi and Han, showing that the other side had actually returned empty-handed and that his side was the better party.
Therefore, considering both public and private factors, He Pan decided to execute Wang Yan on the spot.
After Shouchun was opened to the public, Wang Yan was kept under house arrest in the pavilion at the east gate of Shouchun. The door was locked with two locks, and only a long hole was opened at the bottom to pass food in. Apart from that, no one came in or out to take care of him.
Wang Yan was naturally furious at this situation. He first smashed things around the room, knocking over screens, tables, lamps, and other items, leaving many broken into pieces. However, Wang Yan was, after all, a scholar of idle talk, and soon he grew tired. He lay panting on the floor, feeling his anger turn pale.
Just days ago, a casual glance or a simple gesture from him would have been the subject of much speculation. But now, having lost his power, he finds himself nothing more than a powerless scholar, devoid even of the love and affection of his family, a fact that fills him with deep sorrow.
Of course, it can't be said that no one came to visit him at all. For example, Wang Yan's two younger sisters tried to knock on the door, but were blocked by the guards. They could only walk on the dirt road below the pavilion, calling out Wang Yan's nickname as they went. Wang Yan looked down from the pavilion window and saw that his last two relatives had also been driven away by the Han army that had taken over. He couldn't help but shed tears and then felt utterly despondent.
During these few days of silence, Wang Yan's heart gradually calmed down. He knew that he could not escape his fate of being killed, so he looked at himself in the bronze mirror in the room and thought: I am a leader of scholars who has been famous for decades. How can I be treated as a criminal and executed in public? For both reason and emotion, I should commit suicide.
There was actually a precious sword in the house where Wang Yan was, left to him by his father, General Wang Yi, who was in charge of pacifying the north. Wang Yan wanted to draw the sword and commit suicide, but when the blade was placed against his neck, and just as the sharp edge pierced his flesh, the pain surged into his heart, and he dared not move. He quickly put the sword away, leaving only a red mark on his neck.
Then he thought of hanging himself, so he took off his belt to use as a rope, but when he stood on the table to observe the beams in the attic, he found that they were very high and he couldn't get up there without help, so he gave up.
Then Wang Yan considered jumping off the building, but the pavilion he was currently in was located on the city wall, a full seven zhang high. If he jumped, there would be no chance of survival. But as soon as Wang Yan walked to the window, he recalled some scenes he had seen on the battlefield. Some people fell from the city wall and, although they broke their bones, they did not die immediately. Instead, they groaned for a long time before passing away. Wang Yan did not want to end up like that.
In truth, Wang Yan still harbored the thought of surviving, so he found it difficult to take any concrete action. The days passed in hesitation, and several days went by until Wang Yan was informed that he would be executed the next day. Only then did he finally give up hope, but he still could not bring himself to commit suicide.
That evening, he tidied himself up, combed his hair in front of the bronze mirror, washed his face with water, changed into a snow-white robe, and then sat quietly in the room. The night passed, and the next morning, Meng Tao and the others opened the door to take him away. When they saw Wang Yan's appearance, they were astonished; it was the first time they had seen this leader of the scholars, and his handsome appearance was completely beyond their expectations.
Although he had long heard of Wang Yan's reputation as a handsome man, seeing him in person, he was struck by his remarkably fair skin, striking and resolute face, and tall, elegant figure. Coupled with the prestige of his position as a leader of the aristocratic class, even after several days of house arrest, Wang Yan's extraordinary aura remained undeniable. No wonder Wang Cheng had described him as "exceptionally handsome," and his presence had drawn crowds from all over Luoyang to admire him.
Faced with the Han army that came to claim his life, Wang Yan's face was as pale as paper, but he managed to maintain his composure. He stared at the rope in the man's hand, stood up abruptly, and said, "No need, I will not resist."
Meng Tao felt there was no need to make things too ugly, so he didn't take any action. Instead, he pointed the way and said, "Then please come with us, Your Highness."
Wang Yan remained silent and followed the dozen or so soldiers out the gate, down the city wall, to the execution ground on the banks of the Fei River north of Shouchun. Although he was going to his death, he still wanted to maintain some dignity, walking proudly through the crowd with his head held high. He stared straight ahead, seemingly indifferent, but the dark mass of people before him and the countless swords around him actually made him tremble slightly.
Directly opposite Wang Yan's execution platform, He Pan, along with Liu Lang, Fu Chang, Zhou Qi, and many other Han soldiers, sat on a high platform. On either side were Fu Zhi, Shan Jian, and many other scholars who had just surrendered. In the distance, there were also many onlookers.
The onlookers couldn't help but scrutinize him, whispering amongst themselves, both astonished by his unparalleled handsomeness and saddened by his tragic end. This man had been famous since his youth, and almost everyone entrusted him with important responsibilities, hoping he would become a wise prime minister like Zhuge Liang or Guan Zhong. Unexpectedly, he was ultimately taken to the execution ground and publicly executed.
He Pan also stared at Wang Yan. In terms of age, the two were similar, and in terms of status, a few years ago, he could hardly be compared to Wang Yan. But now, they were both Grand Commandants in their respective courts. He slowly asked, "Wang Yifu, do you know your crime?" Wang Yan sneered, "He Huixing, you may tell me what crime I have committed."
He Pan didn't answer, but clapped his hands, and a man stepped forward from the side—it was Shangguan Si. As a remnant of the Changsha King's faction, he hadn't followed Zu Ti but instead joined Wang Yan. However, because of his independent nature, he was still distrusted by Wang Yan, and when they arrived in Shouchun, he was imprisoned. Now released, Shangguan Si immediately berated Wang Yan:
"Heaven has finally opened its eyes! You've finally met your end! Back when the Battle of Luoyang was imminent, the King of Changsha allied with you to rebel against the King of Qi and save your life. But when the crisis struck, you immediately defected to Ye City. And how generously the King of Chengdu treated you! He gave you tens of thousands of troops, yet when Zhang Fang crossed the river, you didn't offer a single helping hand! This led to years of chaos in the Central Plains and Hebei, and you are the chief culprit! After you came to power, how many good deeds have you done? You've been busy with petty squabbles all day long. It's one thing to manage your own family affairs, but you even left the Empress and Sili in Xuchang to die! And you've secretly forced countless loyal men to go north to their deaths! How many of us have you imprisoned in the dungeon, trying to starve or drive us to our deaths? Sure, you haven't directly harmed anyone openly, but how many people have you secretly killed? Don't you know?"
Hearing Shangguan Si's accusations, Wang Yan initially lowered his head and remained silent. But after a moment, he looked up at He Pan and said seriously, "It's just a matter of the victor taking all. If you say I'm guilty, He Huixing, can you escape? Can Liu Huaichong escape either? Back then, he not only participated in the purge of the Prince of Zhao's faction, but also the purge of the Prince of Qi's faction. Can he say he's innocent? Not to mention, I know he was a member of the Crown Prince's faction and secretly harmed people!"
At this point, he chuckled coldly, "The rise and fall of a nation is a natural thing. If I cannot continue the dynasty's reign, at most it's because I'm incompetent. How long can you all last? If I'm finished, you can use me as a scapegoat. Do you think Liu Xian can do a good job? Even if he does a good job, so what? That's just how things are in the world. I think even if he restores the Han Dynasty, he can't escape the fate of being replaced by Dangtu Gao!"
Wang Yan's words naturally silenced the entire room.
After a long silence, He Pan slowly said, "Words are ultimately useless; merits and demerits are known to the people."
Having said this, he ordered the executioner to act. The executioner sprayed a stream of wine onto the blade, which then flashed with a dazzling light. In an instant, the scholar-official was beheaded, his body falling limply forward. In that moment, everyone present felt a dreamlike illusion; the river beside them continued to flow, but the extraordinary man who had just been there was now dead and gone.
The executioner carried Wang Yan's head, displayed it to the public, and then placed it in a pile of salt to be preserved, intending to take it back to Yi'an along with the other items, just as he had done with Wang Mang's head years before.
After executing Wang Yan, He Pan went on to execute seven members of the Jin dynasty imperial family, including Sima Mao, the Prince of Dong'an, and Sima Tao, the Prince of Zhangwu, who were involved in court factional struggles and had a bad reputation among the people; twenty-six scholars who had oppressed the people and had blood on their hands; and eighteen generals and officers, including Guo Xiu, who were ordered to massacre prisoners in jail.
The execution proceeded without further formality and was quickly concluded. But after all the bodies were collected, those present were still recalling Wang Yan's dying question. Wang Yan was right, or rather, his question concerned the fate of most people in the world. After a century of war during the late Han Dynasty, the world was ravaged. Countless nations had perished in just a hundred years. Would the world truly improve after Wang Yan's death? Even with boundless hope for future peace, few dared to give such a definitive answer.
Zhou Qi was very interested in this topic. After the execution was over, he said to those around him, "The imperial system has reached its end, which is obvious. People are divided into relatives and commoners, and clans are divided into lineages and kinships. How can we unify the nine provinces and four seas by relying on loyalty alone? Only by establishing regional governors and allowing prefectures and counties to govern themselves can scholars give full play to their talents, and only then can the world be at peace. If we try to force the will of one person onto the will of the people, it will inevitably backfire and bring disaster."
Liu Lang, who was listening from the side, was very displeased. He immediately retorted, "The Duke of Zhou is wrong. If feudalism were so effective, why did the Jin Dynasty, which had five feudal ranks, end up lasting only fifty years?"
Zhou Qi clapped his hands and laughed, "Young man, you don't understand. You saw it yourself: Emperor Wu of Jin passed the throne to the current emperor, who was nothing but a simpleton. Yet such a simpleton has been able to sit on the throne and maintain his rule for decades. If he were an ordinary person, how could he have done so?"
At this point, Zhou Qi put forward an argument: "Logically speaking, the scholars at that time did not want the current emperor to succeed to the throne. They hoped that Emperor Wu of Jin would either pass the throne to the Prince of Qin or the Prince of Chu, or at the very least, let the Prince of Qi assist in governing. It was he who, with his tyrannical mind, used the imperial system to forcibly push his personal desires onto the people, which is why the current situation has been created!"
These words left Liu Lang speechless. He had originally intended to argue that the Jin court's excessive bestowal of titles on princes led to the dynasty's demise. However, Zhou Qi unexpectedly shifted the argument, claiming that Sima Yan's lack of feudalism and his use of imperial power to forcibly install the crown prince were the root cause of the problem. Otherwise, how could the other princes have harbored ambitions of usurping power and disrupting the government under a normal emperor? This argument was original yet perfectly timed, leaving Liu Lang momentarily at a loss for words.
Instead, Fu Zhi spoke up for Liu Lang, saying, "Xuanpei, fate is something that cannot be predicted by human power. Zilu studied under Confucius and was loyal; King Mu of Chu plotted with Pan Chong and murdered his father to ascend the throne. But what was the result? King Mu of Chu ascended the throne with such great evil, yet he was still a great ruler who brought blessings to his descendants; Zhong You, despite his goodness and loyalty in the officialdom, was only destined to be chopped into mincemeat."
"The future of a nation is the same. Good is good, and evil is evil. This is the character of people and nations, but the ups and downs of fate are beyond our knowledge."
Thus, the debate ended hastily with Fu Zhi's attempt to smooth things over, and once the execution was over, the return journey was put on the agenda.
With Shouchun as the front line and the primary task being to prevent the spread of Qi and Han, He Pan first led his army south to Hefei, taking over cities in Huainan and Yangzhou, suppressing the remaining Jin troops and bandits who were causing trouble everywhere, and beginning to restore order to the people's lives. He did not intend to return to the capital.
As an alternative, he appointed Fu Chang as commander-in-chief and Liu Lang as deputy commander-in-chief, leading an army of 60,000 men and the Jin prisoners of war captured from various regions during the eastern expedition back to Yi'an to present their victory. With the year-end approaching, the main force of the Han army hoped to return to Yi'an before the New Year. This way, after presenting the victory, the Han king could hold his coronation before the New Year, which would be the best gift for the Han king and for all the people of the world. (End of Chapter)