On the execution platform,
The blood had yet to dry.
This execution platform had once tied up the fugitive slave who had killed the harsh master's family.
This guillotine,
Had beheaded the unruly people who had resisted the market, the money law, and the mining tax supervisor.
This was the land of the guillotine,
How much skinny, stubborn, and unruly rebel blood had flowed through it.
The short-haired ghost who came with the scorching sun had dried the old bloodstains here into powder,
The wind blew gently,
There was no trace of him anymore.
Instead, there was another new bloodstain.
The former bloodstain. The nearby residents said,
It was all iron-colored,
It was gray, it was vegetable, it was bitter. It was the same as the peddlers and citizens who came and went in Jiaxing Prefecture,
It was the same color.
But now, the bloodstains were fresh and still had fat on them. There was ointment in the blood,
Under the blazing sun, in just a moment, the stench was so rancid that it made people dizzy.
The stench of blood after it rotted was always smelly.
This blood was even more smelly.
However,
One of them lived nearby,
A poor old woman who had lost her teeth said to her neighbors who did not have anything valuable at home, "I like the stench."
The neighbors all nodded,
They deeply agreed.
But at this moment..,
A new prisoner was put on the execution platform. Those who liked to see this new blood..,
But none of them came.
Luo Hongfei gestured for the volunteer army to sound the gong and announce to the city. Then, he sent people to inform every household in Jiaxing to come and watch the execution. It turned out that the final sentence of the "Case of the Father" that day was about to be carried out.
There were still not many commoners who came, and there was not a single gentleman.
Even those who came were muttering to themselves. They were not as excited as they usually were.
Even most of the scholars in the volunteer army who had their sleeves rolled up and were gentry did not come.
A few of the generals also asked for medical leave.
The scene was unbelievably quiet.
A young man beside Li Baiquan saw this and asked curiously, "What's going on?"
Li Baiquan did not answer his nephew's question. He only sneered and said, "Just wait and see!"
There was a strange tone in this "Just wait and see." The young man felt a chill run down his spine. He shrunk his neck and did not dare to speak again.
Luo Hongfei was the supervisor of this judgment. Other than the first day of the massacre, she was rarely present at the scene.
At this moment, she looked at the sky. Seeing that no one was coming, she said, "Bring him up and wait."
The Luo Family's father and son were escorted to the execution platform.
Luo Sanlang cursed. Old Master Luo closed his eyes and remained silent.
Only Luo Sanlang and Luo Yecheng's loud curses could be heard clearly in the deserted Xi City.
It could be seen that he had not suffered much at the hands of the Revolutionary Army during the days he had been imprisoned.
The officers and soldiers standing on and off the Yijun Platform, including the executioner holding the saber, did not make a sound. He allowed him to shout and curse.
Everyone was waiting.
What are you waiting for?
As time passed, Luo Yecheng's mouth became dry from all the shouting. He began to curse softly.
Old Master Luo spoke up.
He wasn't young anymore. His hair was white, and his beard was snowy. After being imprisoned for a few days, the wrinkles on his face had deepened.
He asked, "General, this old man has a question. I don't know if you can answer it. "
Luo Hongfei glanced at him. Out of respect for the elderly, she nodded and said, "Yes."
"Do you have to kill Sanlang?"
"Yes."
"For the death of a rebellious woman, is it really worth it to exchange the resistance of all the gentlemen in Jiaxing for you?"
Luo Hongfei looked at him in surprise. Just as she was about to answer, she suddenly paused.
Everyone heard a burst of intense drumming.
This was the prelude to mourning music.
The whole city was filled with mournful music. Groups of scholars walked out from the alleys. They were all wearing mourning clothes and their bodies were snow-white.
They lined up in front of the execution platform. Ignoring the bloodstains on the ground, they bowed down. After bowing, they slowly got up and left.
The whole process was orderly. No one said a word.
A few days ago, they were as docile as lambs. What happened now?
A general was so angry that his insides were burning. "What are they doing?!"
The young man beside Li Baiquan was stunned.
Luo Sanlang did not understand. He was stunned at first, then he laughed. "Father, look, look! The gentry are here to complain about the injustice! "
As he laughed, he turned his head to look. A line of tears silently flowed down his old father's face.
The last group to arrive was the Luo family. The eyes of the few masters of the Luo family were red. When they arrived in front of their father and brothers, they just bowed and turned to leave.
Luo Hongfei did not stop them. After the last Luo family member had bowed, she said, She said, "Kill."
The executioner raised his hand and the knife fell. Luo Sanlang's smile froze. Fresh blood spurted out from his neck and splashed on his father's face.
Luo Zhaoxue, who had finally arrived, screamed and fainted when she saw this scene.
The young man was confused. The generals were also confused. Luo Hongfei did not stop because of this scene. She signaled a few volunteer soldiers to continue the execution. Luo Sanlang was dead, but Old Master Luo's one hundred paddles had not been executed.
Then she turned and walked out.
When she walked to the side of the execution platform, Yuan Du appeared out of nowhere. He looked at the fainted Luo Zhaoxue and said in a low voice, "The outside of the city is under control." As he spoke, his voice was filled with pity. "General, after all, they have worked hard even if they did not have any merits …"
"Merits do not make up for mistakes." Luo Hongfei said.
She walked past Old Master Luo and suddenly said, "Your resistance is exactly what I want. Do you expect the enemy to like me? "
Luo Jiande was stunned for a moment before he realized that she was answering his previous question.
This old man's face was still dripping with his own son's blood, but he actually smiled. He said, "What do these bumpkins know? Your volunteer army still has to rely on us in the end. Rakshasa's Daughter, your choice is wrong. You will regret it. "
Luo Hongfei seemed to have heard him. She paused, but did not stop. Soon, she left the execution platform.
The young man was still confused, but Li Baiquan pulled him aside. "Let's go, let's go. The show here is over, but there is a real show outside the city. Kid, if you are scared now, you better watch your mouth later. Don't be soft-hearted. "
As he spoke, he reminded him in a low voice, "They have started to equalize the fields outside the city. Why do you think most people, including your Uncle Zhou, are not here today? They have important tasks! "
The young man was stunned. "But, didn't the volunteer army promise the gentry in Jiaxing to not use such methods as much as possible … Also, there are many gentry in the volunteer army …"
"After today, Luo Sanlang is dead. Who in Jiaxing would dare to mention this in the prefectural city? "
The young man was even more confused. "What does this have to do with Luo Sanlang's death?"
Li Baiquan was instantly angered by this dumb goose. He missed his nephew who had died tragically in the capital even more.
"Idiot! What do the gentry rely on to protect their status and interests in the rural clans? What do they rely on to maintain their legitimacy? What do they rely on to numb the poor and prevent the villagers from rebelling? By virtue of etiquette! What is etiquette? Isn't it father and son, husband and wife, ruler and vassal? "
Father and son were like husband and wife, like ruler and vassal. From one level to the next, the one at the top had the absolute right to kill the one at the bottom. This was etiquette.
"Killing father and son on the surface refers to ruler and vassal. Today, if the father is convicted of killing the son, then husband killing wife, ruler killing vassal, and even the clan leader passing judgment on his own clansmen. Village elders killing villagers, how can it be justified? "
If they lost their legitimacy, would they still be afraid of not being able to muster up the courage to rebel?
Therefore, the absence of some people today, as well as the scholars in mourning clothes, was nothing more than forcing the volunteer army to make a choice.
Who should they choose? Was it the unchanging etiquette of ten thousand generations, or was it the peasants under the pressure of etiquette?
However, he did not know about the others, but Rakshasa and the volunteer army that followed Rakshasa had made their choice very clear.
Fortunately, this nephew wasn't too stupid. He finally reacted and understood the meaning behind his uncle's words. He asked, "What about us?"
Li Baiquan immediately withdrew his thoughts of praising him and slapped him on the head. "Idiot!"
They wanted to open a factory and do business. If the ruler and vassal, father and son, were not completely wiped out, and if those old men who had been entrenched in the village for generations did not get lost, how could they find a place to build a factory? How could they recruit workers from the clans who were bound by etiquette?
Was there a need to ask which side they should stand on now? What an idiot!
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
