Ji Han Liu Zhang

Nanzheng.

Since the great scholar Dong Zhongshu put forward the theory of the interaction between heaven and man, he believed that the behavior of the world, including political activities, should comply with the timing of heaven. Among them, the emperor, as the representative of God, should follow the timing of heaven, so the execution of prisoners was often in the autumn.

Spring and summer are the seasons when all things grow, while autumn and winter are the seasons when all things die. It is most appropriate that the death penalty conforms to the chilling atmosphere of autumn and winter.

Of course, there are some practical considerations here, that is, in an agricultural production society, autumn and winter are slack periods, and executing prisoners at this time will not affect agricultural production. In addition, the death penalty will attract a large number of idlers, and there will be a large number of people watching. , will have a certain deterrent effect and warn people not to commit the death penalty.

It is precisely because of this that a massive execution is currently underway in Dongshi, Nanzheng, in accordance with the weather.

As for the people who were executed, they were Dou Mao, the king of Di in Wudu who was bent on resisting the Shu army, as well as relatives and nobles of Dou Mao's clan. These people were taken to Nanzheng within a few days after being deported from Wudu. At the execution ground in Nanzhengdong City, executions were carried out early before winter was over, so as not to delay the execution until the next year and waste precious food.

Today, under the execution ground, there are only crowds of people. Today, there are countless people from Nanzheng who rushed to the execution ground in Dongshi. Those who received the news early crowded around the edge of the execution ground. If the soldiers hadn't scolded them, they would have all been killed. Climbed to the execution ground.

Those who received the news later had to stay on the periphery of the execution ground. Those on the periphery raised their heads unwillingly and crawled forward, hoping to get closer to the execution ground and see more clearly.

On the execution ground, Dou Mao, the king of Di, and dozens of other nobles of his clan, all had haggard and bloodless faces. Facing the imminent threat of death, some were dumbfounded, with their faces numb and tense, and their whole bodies Some were slumped in place, and some were crying in pain, pleading uncontrollably.

They were just begging for help but did not bring them any sympathy or kindness, because the executioners and the soldiers guarding the execution ground only thought they were noisy and noisy. The distracted soldiers kicked and slapped them from time to time. .

However, the scolding and beating of the soldiers did not stop the prisoners on death row from crying for mercy. Instead, they made the prisoners on death row cry even harder. Their miserable pleas went straight into the sky, matching the snow and biting cold of the winter last week. The wind makes people feel physically and mentally uncomfortable.

"Gag their mouths with strips of cloth."

Zhang Jun, the magistrate of Nanzheng County who was supervising the execution, couldn't stand it anymore. He couldn't stand it either. He asked the soldiers to knead the cloth into a ball and stuff it into the mouths of the crying prisoners. These prisoners were really noisy. .

"This group of barbarians violated the national law. How could they have ended up in the situation they are in today? They are crying and wailing now. It is really ugly." Zhang Jun's friend Li An, the leader of the Li family of Nanzheng clan, put the crying prisoners in the mouth of the soldiers. After blocking it, his ears were released from the prison of crying and pleading sounds. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and then blurted out a curse.

After the crying and begging stopped, Zhang Jun also breathed a sigh of relief. According to the usual practice, the execution of the condemned criminal must wait until noon when the sun is at its strongest. At that time, the yang energy is at its strongest and can wash away the resentment of the deceased. However, the current time is different. There was still a quarter to three in the middle of the day, and he was not in the mood to tolerate three quarters of an hour of crying and pleading. This was not a wonderful music. "This generation is short-sighted. In the past, they only cared about Wudu Hechi to dominate and bully Han'er. Later, they became arrogant and intended to fight against Ming Gong's strong soldiers and generals. What they ended up with today is just appropriate."

Zhang Jun cursed the Di people on the execution ground. What he thought in his heart was that the Han Dynasty was powerful and blessed and led all nations. Although the Han Dynasty was declining and the country was decadent, it was not something that Di people could bully. It is impossible for the Di people to stand on the heads of the Han people and wreak havoc.

"Speaking of which, I have to congratulate Li Jun for getting the position of Councilor of Wudu. Later, he will show off his talents in Wudu and show the style of the Li family of Nanzheng." Zhang Jun changed the subject away from the dying Di Ren. He congratulated Li An with a sincere expression.

Li An smiled when he heard this. He waved his hand and said humbly: "Associating Cao, being in charge of advising on county affairs, their duties are very important. I am going to Wudu. I am afraid that I will not be qualified for my job. How can I dare to say anything and show off my talents."

Li An was humble, so Zhang Jun naturally couldn't climb up the pole. He still praised Li An. In his understanding, Li An was born in a wealthy family, he had a lot of knowledge, and his talents as a patriarch were also good. He had never done anything before. He became an official because he was unwilling to rely on Zhang Lu, the rice thief who ruled Hanzhong at that time. Now that Hanzhong was owned by Liu Zhang, Li An immediately became an official and got the post of Cao Cao.

Listening to Zhang Jun's praise, Li An was just modest. He was a little embarrassed to say that his position as a councilor was not obtained by his own talents to a large extent, but when he heard that Huang Quan, the prefect of Hanzhong, was collecting grain and grass. , so he emptied his family fortune and sold himself to Huang Quan. After receiving Huang Quan's recommendation, he was appointed as the advisor of Wudu.

While Zhang Jun and Li Anyan were talking, the sun slowly approached the zenith. When the sun was approaching the zenith, Zhang Jun stopped talking to Li An, and his expression became solemn. His posture was extremely upright, and he was about to issue the order to execute the prisoner, with a chilling aura surrounding him.

"Execution." Zhang Jun gave the order when the sun reached the zenith. His words were almost at the same moment as the sundial reached the zenith.

The executioner received the order, raised the tiger-headed sword, and slashed it down with great force. The head fell to the ground, and blood sprayed out. Seeing this scene, some of the onlookers became inexplicably excited, and pushed forward involuntarily, wanting to see Some were more clear, while others closed their eyes, not daring to watch such a bloody scene, for fear that they would not be able to sleep well tonight.

A quarter of an hour later, Zhang Jun, who had finished today's execution, left the execution platform. Surrounded by the government officials, he walked towards the county temple in Nanzheng. When he arrived at the Nanzheng county temple, he met Liu Zhang and asked Liu Zhang After handing over the execution today, his mission was successfully completed.

Liu Zhang listened to Zhang Jun's report with a slightly casual look on his face. Although King Dou Mao of Di had a "king" in front of his name, which sounded very resounding, he was just the chief of a small Di tribe. He didn't care about Dou Mao's life or death.

When it came to the Di people, Liu Zhang couldn't help but think of Fu Jian, the king of the former Qin Dynasty. During the dark history of the Wu Hu chaos in China, Fu Jian, the Di people, was different from other foreign races. His words and deeds were consistent with those of the entire Northern and Southern Dynasties. The backgrounds are a bit mismatched, like a saint walking into the Goblin's lair, with a messy and crazy beauty.

Therefore, although Liu Zhang was not happy with the situation in the former Qin Dynasty when a small clan was approaching a large country, Liu Zhang still thought: "What a pity, King Fu Tian." '(End of this chapter)