In truth, Li An had no intention of executing these pirates. After all, the Great Tang was in dire need of manpower. Everywhere was busy building railways. In a situation where there was a lack of machinery, the more commoners there were working, the faster the railway would be built. The physical constitution of the pirates was rather good. If they could redeem themselves by building railways, that would be for the best.
Of course, these guys would not change their thieving nature. They certainly could not move freely like other people. When they worked, they had to be watched. Therefore, a relatively closed quarry was more suitable for them. It would be best to seal them in the quarry and let them mine stones every day except for eating, drinking, and sleeping. Anyway, the Tang Dynasty had enough food at this time. There was no problem of wasting food. As the railways were laid everywhere, the labor force was very insufficient. These pirates could be used as a supplement.
Soon, the Xipu County Magistrate arrived at Xipu County Town and ran to Ang Lee in person to report the fact that all the pirates had been captured. Ang Lee praised him.
"Good, very good. You've done a good job. The weather is good. Let's hold an arrest meeting here! It's also good to boost the enthusiasm of the people and let them believe that the imperial court has the ability to protect them. "
Ang Lee looked at the Xipu County Magistrate and said.
Naturally, the Xipu County Magistrate had not heard of the arrest meeting, but he could still understand what it meant. After asking a little, he felt that Ang Lee's words were very reasonable. Therefore, he immediately mobilized his subordinates to prepare and escorted all the pirates to the city wall. Even the heads of the pirates who had been beheaded were brought over and hung above the city gate to warn all the people that this was the sad end of being a pirate.
Although hanging heads in public in ancient times was very cruel, it was also a very effective way of education. In the backward ancient times, the cultural level of the people was very limited. Sometimes, it was not effective to use profound preaching. Only this kind of most primitive deterrence could play its due role. It could make the people understand what they should and should not do, how to be a qualified good person, how to obey the imperial court's rule, and how to live a good life.
Xipu County was very small, so any preparations could be completed in a very short period of time. Under the arrangements of the county magistrate, everything was quickly prepared. A large group of commoners gathered below and looked curiously at the top of the city wall.
These were the merchants and craftsmen of the county, as well as some old, weak, women, and children. There were quite a number of them, but there were not many strong men. After all, this was a critical period for the construction of the railway. The strong laborers with physical strength had basically gone to repair the road, and these old and weak people could not help much, so they were not recruited. There were also some merchants and craftsmen who could not be recruited. Otherwise, the entire county would stop operating.
Of course, there were also some young men from wealthy families who would not be conscripted. They had already paid a lot of money for the construction of the railway. As long as the money was in place, they would naturally not have to serve as laborers. The rich would provide the money, and the people would provide the manpower. It was impossible for the commoners to pay for both. They had to give the commoners a way to survive.
There were a total of 30 pirates. Except for the five who died and were buried by the pirates, the rest were all here. Four decapitated heads were hung on the city wall, and the remaining 21 who were still alive were escorted by the soldiers. They were lined up on both sides of Ang Lee.
The city wall was not high, so it was not difficult to stand at the bottom of the city wall and look up. Everything could be seen clearly.
Although these commoners did not have nothing to do, their desire to watch the show prevailed over all other thoughts. Almost all the people in the county had gathered here. The shops had also closed temporarily. Watching the show seemed to be more important than doing business. Of course, all the customers had gone to watch the show, so there was no business to do. In this case, they would suffer a great loss if they did not go to watch the show.
The county magistrate arrived late. He was busy preparing for the banquet. He would not be at ease if he did not personally attend to Ang Lee. After all, he was a high-ranking official, not an ordinary official. If he did not serve him well, it could bring trouble to the county magistrate. Naturally, the county magistrate did not dare to take the risk. He personally attended to all the steps for fear of the slightest mistake.
"Look! Isn't that Shopkeeper Liu on the city wall? "
"That's right, it's Shopkeeper Liu. Even if that old fellow turned into ashes, I would still recognize him. That hateful old fellow."
"Forget it, let's not scold him. We've known each other for a while, and he's about to be beheaded. Let's send him on his way. Our acquaintance was not in vain."
"Bah, so what if we've known each other for a while? Three of my ships' goods have been robbed by him. I wish I could eat his flesh, skin him, and pull out his tendons. Only then can I vent my hatred."
"That's right. A person like this still needs sympathy. He should be torn apart by five horses."
"What a pity. What a pity. Our goods can never be recovered."
"Just you wait! I'm going to drink his blood later. "
"Stop talking. Look at the county magistrate."
A group of merchants who were watching the show began to discuss below. Many of these merchants had been robbed by the pirates before, so they were naturally angry at the pirates. They really wished they could eat their flesh.
At this moment, the county magistrate was raising his hands, indicating for the commoners below to be quiet and not make a ruckus.
However, many of the commoners did not raise their heads. Their discussion was still very loud. This made the county magistrate very angry, so he shouted loudly, "Quiet, all quiet."
The county magistrate's voice was still very loud. After this shout, the thousand or so commoners below immediately quietened down. None of the commoners continued to chat.
The commoners came to watch with a relaxed attitude. They just had nothing to do. Since they had nothing to do, if they did not watch the show, wouldn't it be a huge loss?
As for the pirate leader and the captured pirates on the city wall, they were in a different situation. They were very nervous and afraid. It could even be said that they were in despair.
It was the kind of despair that one felt before one's death. It was the kind of despair that one felt when one's life was about to end. At least, the pirate leader was in despair. The remaining pirates also lowered their heads. Some of them were fierce and a little unconvinced, but most of them were in despair.
"County magistrate, we didn't do too many bad things. We just robbed some money and goods. Now that we've turned them over, even the resources from my family have been returned to the court. Can't you let us live? I don't want to die yet! "
The pirate leader begged pitifully.
"If you die, then you die. Eighteen years later, you'll be a man again. What's there to beg for mercy?"
A strong-willed pirate said hatefully.
At this moment, this pirate also felt that his head was about to be moved. He only regretted listening to the leader and not fighting back. If he had fought back then, he might have been able to kill a few more bailiffs and drag a few of them down with him. His death would have been more heroic. It would not have been like now, where he was directly beheaded without any resistance. It was too sullen to die.
"Coward, we brothers have been unlucky for eight lifetimes to follow you. Bah!"
An injured pirate roared angrily.
These injured pirates had been hiding well in the mountains when they were suddenly surrounded by a large group of constables. They were already injured and did not have their weapons by their side. How could they be a match for the constables who outnumbered them several times over? They were quickly captured. And after being captured, they suddenly realized that their leader had betrayed them in order to save his life. This made them extremely angry. They wished they could swallow their leader alive. It was obvious how angry they were.
The pirate leader was scolded to the point that he had nothing to say. At this moment, he was filled with regret. Originally, he was living a good life. Because of greed, he wanted to earn more money. In the end, he was about to lose his life. It was not worth it. At this moment, he was filled with regret.
"Silence, all of you, silence. You're about to die and you still dare to make a ruckus."
The county magistrate did not know what Ang Lee was thinking. He had rushed over anxiously when he received the notice. When he saw the situation here, he thought that Ang Lee was about to start a massacre.
The pirate leader and a few pirates who did not want to die were in complete despair when they heard the county magistrate's words. A few of the weakest ones wet their pants.
When a person was very afraid, it was very easy for them to wet their pants. Of course, this was a characteristic of people who had too little experience. If a person had more experience and was strong enough, they would not wet their pants so easily. Therefore, wetting one's pants was often a sign of cowardice. No matter what, it was a rather embarrassing thing.
Because of the parapet wall, the commoners below could not see the pirates' wet pants. They were a little far away and the temperature could not reach them. However, the soldiers standing on the wall could see them clearly.
The county magistrate looked disdainfully at the cowardly pirates. Then, he turned to look at the commoners below and shouted, "Everyone, I've called you here to hold an arrest warrant meeting."
"Arrest warrant meeting? What arrest warrant meeting?"
"I've never heard of it!"
The crowd was in a mess. The commoners had never heard of this new term, so they naturally didn't understand what an arrest assembly meant.
"Quiet, don't make any noise."
The county magistrate said angrily, "Everyone, you should know that under the command of Assistant Minister Li and County Magistrate, the soldiers of the Dragon Martial Army and the yamen runners of Xipu County, the largest group of pirates active in Xipu County has been wiped out. In this battle, nine pirates were killed and 21 were captured. It was all thanks to the guidance of Assistant Minister Li and County Magistrate and the hard work of the Dragon Martial Army and the yamen runners that we were able to wipe out these pirates so smoothly. Look clearly, the four heads hanging on the city wall are part of the nine beheaded pirates, and the other five have been buried. These pirates standing on the city wall are the 21 captured pirates. Today, we will expose their crimes and make them confess."
"Good …"
"Good, good, good …"
"Clap, clap, clap …"
Thunderous applause rang out from the commoners below. The commoners all hated pirates. Seeing the pirates killed and captured, they were naturally very happy.
"Assistant Minister Li, what do you think?"
After the county magistrate shouted, he turned to look at Ang Lee beside him.
Ang Lee nodded and motioned for the county magistrate to continue.
The county magistrate pulled the pirate leader over and whispered, "Shopkeeper Liu, confess all the bad things you've done in front of everyone. If you repent well, you can be spared the death penalty."
Hearing this, the pirate leader was overjoyed as if he had grabbed onto a life-saving straw. He hurriedly said, "Really? Is that true? Can I really be spared the death penalty? County magistrate, you can't lie to me! "
"I mean what I say. No one will lie to you. Confess well and repent well."
Ang Lee suddenly said.
The pirate leader hurriedly looked at Ang Lee and said, "Yes, I will confess well and repent deeply."
After saying that, he trembled as he took a step forward and looked at the dense crowd below.
At this moment, the pirate leader saw many familiar faces. These were all his old acquaintances, old friends that he had known for more than ten years. There were also a few clerks from his shop and servants from his home. At this moment, his old friends were watching the scene below. His former servants were staring blankly at him, while he had to confess and repent. Originally, they were all sitting together, drinking and chatting with his friends and servants, but now, they were all watching him make a fool of himself. This made the pirate leader extremely unwilling, but it was useless. If he didn't confess well and repent well, he might lose his little life. But as long as he confessed his mistakes and repented well, he could still keep his little life. In this situation, he naturally had to brace himself and confess.
You're right to think this way, it's all my fault. Originally, my business was doing well, but I was blinded by lard and wanted to make more money, so I robbed the Wenshui trade route. After several years, I've robbed quite a bit of wealth. I know this was wrong, I was wrong. I, Liu, am extremely regretful. I've let everyone down. If there's a chance to live, I, Liu, am willing to work like an ox or a horse to atone for my sins. In my next life, I'll definitely be a good person. "
When it came to the emotional part, the pirate leader began to cry. He cried until the heavens and earth darkened. Regardless of whether his crying was sincere or not, his acting skills were extremely high, so high that they could pass off as genuine.
The majority of the common people watching below were moved by the pirate leader's words. Their hatred was greatly reduced, but there were also a few people whose hatred for the pirate leader did not decrease in the slightest. On the contrary, they felt that the pirate leader's weeping was too artificial, that he was just pretending to be pitiful. This did nothing to change the pirate leader's sinful nature.
"He deserves to die for putting on an act."
"Hmph, if he thinks he can live by pretending to be pitiful, he's simply delusional."
"That's right, we should kill this hateful fellow. He's robbed for several years and caused so many people to go bankrupt. If he doesn't die, the anger of the common people will be appeased."
A few merchants whispered to each other in low voices.
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