This was a baptism of blood. The bluestone bricks in front of Fengtian Palace were soaked in blood. The smell of blood and a foul smell from the human abdomen filled the air, causing everyone's hair to stand on end. Some people even lowered their heads and closed their eyes, not daring to look at the scene.
The pain of having one's flesh cut and bones scraped was not something a normal person could endure.
Si Qin fainted many times from the pain. When he woke up, he would continue to scream, and when the pain reached its peak, he would faint again.
For example, Bian Ruohan had already fainted from fright. Si Qin's subordinates were all trembling, and some of them had already peed in their pants.
Seeing the people they used to get along with all day being cut and scraped to the point where only bones and internal organs were left, no one would be able to endure it and would collapse.
"Cut in half!" Li Qitian stood on the high steps, his eyes filled with excitement after seeing blood. He pointed at the other people in the cages, "Drag these rebels to the Meridian Gate!"
"As you command!"
After witnessing the death of a thousand cuts, all the palace servants, imperial bodyguards, and Great Han generals were covered in cold sweat. They were all tense and their voices were much louder than usual.
Those in the cages who had not fainted from fright widened their eyes in horror when they heard the words' cut in half '. They wanted to open their mouths to beg for mercy, but their mouths were blocked. They could only look at Li Qitian and repeatedly nod their heads.
Those who were cut in half did not die immediately. In fact, it took four to six hours for them to breathe their last.
Compared to death by a thousand cuts, being cut in half at the waist was just as painful.
None of the officials dared to say anything to persuade him. At this time, everyone felt a chill run down their backs. When Li Qitian's bright eyes swept over them, their hair almost stood on end. Killing the Tatan Khan was no doubt satisfying, but everyone could feel that the Emperor's actions were also a show of strength.
The cages were lifted onto the prison cart and transported to the Meridian Gate.
The news of the Tatan Khan being executed by a thousand cuts and the rest being cut in half at the waist was posted by the yamen.
The commoners spread the news from one to ten, ten to a hundred. By noon, the space in front of the Meridian Gate was packed with onlookers. The Jingji Guards split into two rows and passed through the two sides of the road, pushing the commoners behind them. They opened up the road in the middle and transported the prisoner carriages to Meridian Gate.
Qin Yining frowned in the crowd. He turned around and said to the people around him, "Let's go back."
"Don't you want to take a look?"
"There's nothing much to see. Let's go back."
Qin Yining didn't hate those people so much that she wanted to see them being chopped in half and dying slowly. Even if they were her enemies, she couldn't bear to see them die in such a way.
"You are just too kind." Jing Zhe and Xiao Xue followed him on his left and right. They escorted Qin Yining, who was dressed as a teenager, out of the crowd and took a detour back to the farm.
The cruelty of the torture in the capital was known by the whole nation.
The most surprising thing was that the news of Si Qin's death by a thousand cuts spread to the Tatan, but it didn't cause any ripples. Because the Tatan Khan had been captured by Da Zhou, the Tatan had no leader. Moreover, Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu had joined forces to suppress any thoughts of rebellion. The imperial court began to anxiously fight for the one and only position.
"The Tatan imperial court is so busy fighting for the throne that no one cares about the life and death of Utjin Khan. It makes one sigh. "Xu Weizhi held the teapot and poured tea for Qin Huaiyuan, Pang Xiao, and Ji Zeyu. He then gestured for them to drink.
Everyone took a sip of tea and sighed at the same time.
Ji Zeyu asked Pang Xiao, "Have you decided on a date to return to the capital?"
Pang Xiao nodded, "The provisions have been prepared. We can leave at any time. Ah Lan, what do you plan to do from now on? "
Xu Weizhi and Qin Huaiyuan both lowered their eyes and sipped their tea. They didn't deliberately look at Ji Zeyu's expression. This was out of respect for Pang Xiao's good friend.
Ji Zeyu also acted very casually in front of Pang Xiao. He smiled and said, "I've already thought about it. The Dragon Legion is currently guarding the Heaven's Gate. The Dragon Legion is familiar with this place. Furthermore, the Tatan won't be able to invade the south. There's no need to worry about this place. I plan to return to the capital with you. "
Ji Zeyu's words shocked Qin Huaiyuan and Xu Weizhi.
Pang Xiao said that he was going back to the capital, but in fact, he was going with the Tiger Army and the South Pacifying Army. It would be easy for the South Pacifying Army to go together. Feng Dazhuang was Pang Xiao's trusted aide, so he could trust him. However, the commander of the Tiger Legion, Gao Wenliang, was there. If they wanted to take the Tiger Legion away, they would have to deal with Gao Wenliang first.
To put it bluntly, Pang Xiao was going to the capital to rebel against Li Qitian.
If Ji Zeyu wanted to protect himself, staying at the border was the best choice. If he went back with Pang Xiao, he would definitely be dragged into this conflict.
Qin Huaiyuan looked up at Ji Zeyu and Pang Xiao. He knew that Ji Zeyu and Pang Xiao were sworn brothers and were best friends. However, thinking about it, wasn't the Emperor of Heaven also a sworn brother of Pang Xiao? In the end, wouldn't he still be afraid of Pang Xiao and try to kill him?
From Ji Zeyu's perspective, not reporting Pang Xiao was already very loyal. Now that he was going back, he was going to help Pang Xiao.
This kind of action was really unexpected, and it was especially moving.
Pang Xiao looked at Ji Zeyu with some worry and disapproval in his eyes, "Ah Lan, I understand your good intentions and I'm very grateful. However, you know very well what I'm going to do this time. Swords and knives have no eyes on the battlefield, things in the world are unpredictable. When the time comes, who will win and who will lose, who will live and who will die, is still unknown. I hope that you can stay here and guard the border. You don't have to get involved in this mess."
Seeing that Ji Zeyu was about to refute, Pang Xiao patted his shoulder and said, "I know your intentions. However, your best choice this time is to protect yourself. Although Anyang is no longer here, you are still the Prince Consort of the Imperial Family. The Empress Dowager is still here. If you go back with me, you will bear the crime of rebelling against the Yue Clan and your own family. This will become a stain on your record! You are now a hero who has made outstanding military achievements and is respected by the people. Why do you want to get involved in this mess? "
Xu Weizhi and Qin Huaiyuan both agreed with Pang Xiao's words. The two of them nodded and said, "Duke Ding, you really don't have to take the risk."
Ji Zeyu, however, smiled freely and said, "What Duke Ding? What outstanding military achievements and the people's respect? I have never cared about these things. Now, we are only one step away from the country's prosperity and the people's peace. We are only one step away from our goal when we started the rebellion. Why should I shrink back? "
Pang Xiao's heart trembled.
When they started the rebellion and rebelled against the Northern Ji Country, they only had one goal. That was to prevent the people from being oppressed and exploited by the Imperial Court. They wanted to let the people live a stable life.
At that time, the Northern Ji Emperor couldn't do it, so they started the rebellion.
Now, the Emperor couldn't do it either, so they had to continue.
Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu were the same kind of people. For more than ten years, their original intention hadn't changed. Neither of them was blinded by fame and fortune, nor did they change their direction.
Among the three brothers, the only one who changed was the one who sat in that position.
Ji Zeyu patted Pang Xiao's shoulder and laughed heartily. "What are you afraid of? We have only come this far. It's time to take the next step. Just do what we want."
Pang Xiao finally couldn't stop Ji Zeyu and nodded.
Qin Huaiyuan and Xu Weizhi were also very moved.
Ji Zeyu was a man of few words. They didn't expect that at this critical moment, not only would he stand up for Pang Xiao, but he would also say such words. It seemed that his reticence was only reserved for unrelated outsiders, but for those he regarded as his own brothers, he would never be cold to them again.
"Good!" Pang Xiao nodded confidently. "Since that's the case, let's prepare to set off!"
Ji Zeyu heard this and nodded with a smile.
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At the same time, Li Qitian, who had taken care of the Tatan Khan and the rebels, was finally in a better mood. He ordered people to continue arresting people suspected of being the previous dynasty's Prince Zhou Lian, and expanded the scope of the search to the surrounding towns.
This kind of search exhausted Shuntian Prefecture and the Jingji Guards. They searched twice in a row, but didn't find anyone. By the third search, everyone was too lazy to look carefully. There were so many people left and right. Everyone was on the list, and no one was suspicious. How could they just casually arrest someone?
Even if they could find a youth of similar age, they still had to find the previous dynasty's Imperial Jade Seal! Otherwise, with the Emperor's temper, they would definitely be severely punished!
After avenging the previous disgrace and killing the rebels, the capital once again fell into a state of panic.
Some commoners didn't even dare to leave their homes. They only came out when there was nothing to eat at home.
It wasn't just the commoners. Even the high-ranking officials and nobles, after the bloody scene in front of Fengtian Palace, had a great change in their understanding of the Emperor. No one dared to provoke him at this time. Even the families of the imperial court officials kept a low profile.
The entire capital was shrouded in a layer of dark clouds.
Li Qitian couldn't find the previous dynasty's Prince, so he pointed the finger at Pang Xiao.
He mobilized three thousand troops and arranged for Song Deqiu and Lei Guoneng, two trusted aides, to be imperial envoys. They went directly to the border to announce the imperial edict. Prince Zhongshun, who had committed eleven serious crimes, was escorted back to the capital. He also announced Pang Xiao's crimes to the world.
This time, Li Qitian's words were sincere. He wrote the tone of a sworn brother and a conscientious ruler. After many commoners read it, they doubted their previous judgment.
"Could it be that the Emperor was really wrongly accused? Prince Zhongshun was really plotting something, and the Emperor was always tolerating it? "
"Could it be that we misunderstood the Emperor?"
"How do those high-ranking officials and nobles of the imperial court live? What kind of gratitude and grudges exist between them? It's not something that we commoners can see or hear. What we see might be an illusion. Who can say for sure what the real situation is?"
There were many commoners who had such doubts.
Li Qitian's method caused many commoners to doubt Pang Xiao.
It was at this time that the previous dynasty's Prince Zhou Lian's proclamation spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital overnight. It detailed everything that Li Qitian had done over the past few years, including the two disaster relief missions, as well as everything that Pang Xiao had sacrificed for him during his expeditions.
With such a strong contrast, anyone with a brain would know who was black and who was white.
Before Li Qitian could get angry enough from this declaration of war, news came from the northern border.
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