Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 541 Kill without mercy!

Chen Guanlan changed his tone and said, "But as a commoner, I am of lowly status and my knowledge is extremely limited. I do not know which officials were involved in such corrupt activities, or which officials are clean and honest."

"As for the officials involved, I have no way of knowing how much money they embezzled."

"Previously, I had also written to the Governor of Henan and the Provincial Inspectorate, hoping to report these corrupt and illegal acts."

"Unexpectedly, not long after I sent the letter of complaint to the governor and the provincial censor's office, I was subjected to a frenzied pursuit by the officials."

A flicker of lingering fear crossed his eyes: "If I hadn't sensed the danger and hidden myself beforehand, I would probably be a cold corpse by now."

"Now, those government officials are openly claiming that during the special period after the Yellow River breached its banks, I disturbed the disaster victims, incited riots, and acted lawlessly. They have listed me as a wanted criminal and are pursuing me extensively."

Chen Guanlan's voice trembled, filled with deep grief and indignation: "The government even said that 'extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures,' and that if they caught a commoner like me who caused chaos and committed illegal acts during the flood, they would be killed on the spot without trial!"

His knees buckled, and he knelt before Zhu Yunwen, his eyes fixed on him: "This humble subject is now at his wit's end, please, Your Excellency, save my life!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen's heart jolted, and he angrily asked, "How dare they indiscriminately kill innocent people?"

Chen Guanlan looked astonished, seemingly puzzled by Zhu Yuntong's surprise, and asked in return, "What is there to be afraid of?"

"The Yellow River breached its banks, leaving millions of people displaced. Among them, there were naturally those who took advantage of the disaster to loot, steal, and even commit arson, murder, and robbery."

He calmly stated the harsh reality: "There are naturally quite a few people who take advantage of the chaos."

"In order to maintain public order and stability in the disaster area, the government will severely punish those who cause trouble."

"From the imperial court to the common people, everyone felt that doing so was a matter of course and a matter of course."

"To those officials, killing someone like me who dared to report them as a rebel is nothing more than a convenient excuse. What wouldn't they dare to do?"

Zhu Yunwen was speechless.

Chen Guanlan's words struck a chord with people, and this is indeed the truth.

Zhu Yunwen recalled that he had seen the urgent telegrams sent to the court by Zheng Hongjian, the governor of Henan, and Zhao Qingzhi, the imperial inspector, in the briefing he submitted to the government affairs office.

The telegram stated that extraordinary measures should be taken during extraordinary times, requesting the imperial court to authorize local officials at all levels in Henan to severely punish those who cause trouble during flood relief and disaster relief, with the most serious offenders to be executed immediately.

The administrative office's reply was naturally an approval.

After all, it's hard to avoid the situation where some people take advantage of a major disaster to cause trouble and create chaos.

In such a special period, the imperial court would inevitably resort to severe measures to suppress the chaos.

When Zhu Yunwen reviewed the briefing at the time, he also believed that there was nothing wrong with the authorization.

However, it now appears that the officials of the Henan local government took advantage of this authorization from the government affairs office to cruelly kill all the people who tried to report their crimes, in order to eliminate any future trouble.

Chen Guanlan observed Zhu Yuntong's expression and continued, "If you travel about twenty or thirty li northwest from here, there is another settlement for disaster victims."

"The Henan Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office dispatched officials to set up a temporary office there, where a batch of so-called 'prisoners' would be executed every day."

There was a chilling undertone in his voice: "There are still hundreds of heads hanging outside the office!"

"If you have any doubts, sir, go and see for yourself."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen was shocked and exclaimed angrily, "They actually killed so many people?!"

"After a major disaster, government offices would use severe punishments to deter lawbreakers in order to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the situation." This has been a long-standing practice.

Chen Guanlan gave an example: "If someone takes advantage of the disaster to harass women or steal money, under normal circumstances, the government would at most arrest the person, beat them with a board, put them in shackles and make them appear in public, or order them to pay a fine to settle the matter."

"However, in the special period following a major disaster, these crimes could be punished with death, beheading, and public display as a warning to others."

"To be honest, only such a thunderous and powerful strike can quickly stabilize the chaotic disaster area."

He sighed and said, "Otherwise, those with ulterior motives who intend to take advantage of the disaster to cause chaos will surely disrupt the disaster area and make it impossible for disaster relief to proceed smoothly."

A hint of resentment and helplessness flashed in Chen Guanlan's eyes as he said, "However, those officials took the opportunity to cruelly murder those of us who dared to report their crimes!"

“The yamen officials patrolled around every day, and once they caught someone, they would take them directly to the office and execute them.”

He pointed to the northwest and said, "They usually gather before sunset to execute the prisoners they captured that day."

"If you go there now, you might just be able to witness that scene."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen nodded solemnly and said in a deep voice, "Alright, then let's go and take a look right away."

A hint of worry appeared on Chen Guanlan's face as he hesitated and said, "Sir, I am a wanted person by the government. Once discovered by the authorities, I will be arrested and beheaded as a warning to others..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Yunwen interrupted him, saying, "Don't worry, I will take you there and protect you. No one will be able to harm a hair on your head."

"Thank you, Your Excellency!" Chen Guanlan quickly clasped his hands and bowed deeply, tears of gratitude streaming down his face.

Subsequently, Zhu Yunwen and his entourage, led by Chen Guanlan, quickly headed northwest.

They traveled tirelessly, and by evening they finally arrived at another disaster relief site.

There are significantly more tents here than at the previous location, and they appear much more organized and orderly.

Many tents even had flagpoles erected in front of them, with the dragon flag of the Ming Dynasty fluttering in the wind, solemn and dignified.

What's even more striking is that many tents have plaques hanging in front of them, clearly displaying the names of the various government offices.

After the Yellow River breached its banks, many local government offices were flooded and destroyed. They had to move to tents in these settlements to work temporarily in order to continue handling government affairs and disaster relief.

At this moment, in front of these tents, the officers and soldiers had already made a huge circle with ropes.

Inside the circle, a row of "prisoners" were bound high with ropes and kneeling on the ground, seemingly preparing for execution. At a glance, there were dozens of them.

These people were not only tightly bound, but their mouths were also gagged.

Zhu Yunwen's gaze extended further into the distance, where countless benchmarks stood in a row.

Hanging there were grotesque human heads and headless corpses, a truly horrifying sight.

They were all lined up in a long row, stretching for two or three miles.

A rough estimate suggests there are at least four or five hundred human heads and corresponding corpses, a truly gruesome sight.

In order to deter criminals, it was not uncommon for the Ming government to hang up the heads and bodies of criminals after beheading them as a warning to the public, and Zhu Yunwen gradually became accustomed to this.

However, witnessing such a large number of heads and corpses at once still shocked him like never before, even though he was usually calm.

"They deserve to die! Good riddance!" an old man with a wrinkled face cursed bitterly. "These people dared to cause trouble during the chaos after the disaster, they deserve to be torn to pieces!"

"I heard that not only were there those who took advantage of the chaos to commit evil, but also those who went to the government office to accuse officials and runners, who were also killed along with them!" someone whispered among themselves.

"Shh, watch your mouth!" someone immediately warned, their tone filled with obvious fear. "These are extraordinary times. If you get caught by the yamen runners, they'll label you 'disturbing public order and committing lawless acts after a disaster,' and they can kill you without hesitation. Don't talk nonsense and walk into the line of fire!"

Immediately, the crowd began to discuss the matter, with whispers rising and falling.

"Yes, I heard that many of those people who went to the government office with their grain deposit slips to demand grain last time were killed."

"The government has already announced that the flooding of the granaries is a natural disaster, and everyone should accept their fate. Anyone who tries to demand more grain is deliberately defying the government and is considered a troublemaker causing chaos after the disaster, and should be killed without mercy!"

"How ruthless! This is absolutely ruthless!" someone roared in grief and indignation. "This is clearly our own grain! The government promised us back then that no matter what disaster happened, they would pay us back based on the ration coupons. How can they renege on their promise now?!"

"Can you completely trust the government's promises?!" someone said with a cynical, all-knowing air. "They were just trying to trick the people into storing grain in the granaries!"

"It seems we can no longer store grain in the government's granaries; it's safer to keep it at home!"

"On the other hand, if the grain is stored at home, won't it still be submerged if a flood comes? What difference does it make?"

"That's true, but if the government can use the excuse that the grain was flooded to refuse to exchange it today, they can use other reasons not to exchange it in the future! So it's safer to keep the grain at home from now on."

"That makes sense, that makes sense!"

The crowd expressed their agreement, and there was a chorus of voices of support at the scene.

Another person lowered their voice and said in a frightened tone, "Look at those 'criminals' kneeling there, waiting to be executed. Some of them are my fellow villagers. They went to the government granary with their grain deposit slips to exchange for grain, but the government falsely accused them of being troublemakers who took advantage of the disaster. They've all been arrested and are about to be executed!"

“I see a few of them are people who once wrote letters to the government offices to file complaints!” another person added, his tone full of sarcasm about reality.

"Officials have always protected each other. How can you write a letter of denunciation so casually? Well, look what happened! The official wasn't brought down by your accusation, but instead, he lost his life. He really courted death!"

"Didn't you see that these people's mouths were stuffed with something? That's to prevent them from crying out 'I'm innocent' and saying things they shouldn't have said on the execution ground."

As the onlookers continued to discuss the matter, an official strolled to the center of the circle.

He was dressed in official robes, his face was serious, and his every move exuded authority.

The official spoke loudly: "The Yellow River breached its banks, causing countless innocent people to drown mercilessly. The raging floodwaters submerged countless fertile fields, and the number of people affected is in the millions!"

"At this critical juncture, all officials and citizens of our Great Ming should stand together in solidarity, advance and retreat hand in hand, and overcome this difficult time together."

He abruptly changed the subject, his tone turning icy and stern: "However, there are always some inhuman lawbreakers who, instead of sharing the burden during these difficult times, take advantage of the disaster to commit crimes and evil deeds, doing things that are abhorrent to both gods and men!"

His gaze was sharp as he swept over everyone present: "If these people are not severely punished, and this evil trend spreads, the lives and property of millions of disaster victims will be seriously threatened!"

"As the saying goes, in times of chaos, severe punishments are necessary!"

He loudly proclaimed, "Those who dare to take advantage of the disaster should be severely punished, as a warning to others, so that those with ulterior motives will never dare to have any thoughts of causing trouble again!"

"Only in this way can the security situation in the disaster area be quickly restored and all the disaster victims be able to live in peace!"

"Now, His Majesty has personally made a northern tour to visit the disaster area and inspect the disaster situation on the spot."

"We, your subjects, should do everything in our power to ensure that no trouble arises in the disaster area!"

The official's voice was impassioned. He turned to look at the bound "prisoners" and said sternly, "Those arrested here today are all criminals who took advantage of the chaos to commit crimes!"

"The crimes these people have committed are unforgivable by Heaven and the law!"

He suddenly raised his hand, pointed at those kneeling on the ground, and said in a booming voice: "I hereby announce that these heinous criminals shall be beheaded and their heads displayed to the public in accordance with the laws of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Executioner, prepare to carry out the execution!"

After delivering his impassioned speech, he turned around and returned to a temporary platform placed above. He picked up a fortune slip from the table and threw it forcefully downwards.

Tens of thousands of onlookers were watching intently as the “prisoner” stood on the execution ground, yet the scene was eerily quiet.

No one cheered loudly, nor did anyone voice their opposition; a deathly silence enveloped this blood-soaked land.

Zhu Yunwen stood in the crowd and clearly heard people whispering, "Many of those killed a few days ago were indeed wicked criminals who committed crimes. Most of their crimes were harassing women, oppressing good people, or stealing and robbing."

"During this critical period of flood relief and disaster recovery, those people truly deserve to die!"

"But these past few days, everyone has been intimidated by the government's executioner's blade and behaved themselves. Where are there so many 'prisoners' left?"

"I'm afraid most of those to be killed today are people the government doesn't like. Let's just find some excuse to kill them all."

……

(End of this chapter)