From Robinson Crusoe

July 12th is a special day.

……

The island, in its dry season, remained as dry as ever, with a few clouds rarely seen in the sky, obscuring the sunlight.

The indigenous people, who are gradually adapting to their new lives, just took a bath yesterday.

To make them cleaner, Sunday even brought out a small box of laundry detergent and ordered everyone to scrub each other's bodies to remove the mud, and even the soles of their feet had to be thoroughly washed.

After taking a bath, the indigenous people's skin tone was noticeably brighter, and everyone looked much more energetic.

After drying off, the natives received their belongings.

There were quite a few sailor suits brought from the ship, in many sizes, but there weren't enough shoes. So only three of the seven natives who performed well were lucky enough to get shoes, while the others continued to work barefoot.

Wearing shoes not only prevents foot irritation and injuries while working, but also saves the trouble of washing feet at night.

The special "clothing" possessed by only a few people is undoubtedly a symbol of identity and status for the indigenous people. Chen Zhou was pleased to observe that the indigenous people who did not have shoes were working harder than usual.

……

The gallows were erected very smoothly.

For Chen Zhou, who has become a semi-experienced civil engineer, the most challenging part of the construction process was transporting building materials, digging pits to bury the columns, and putting beams on the columns.

The locals could help with all the heavy physical labor, so Chen Zhou only needed to supervise and adjust the details.

In less than three days, a sturdy and tall gallows was erected steadily on the open, gentle slope next to the woodland at the edge of the field.

Around the gallows, all the weeds were uprooted, and the rubble that had rolled down from above was cleared away by the natives.

Even the slightly uneven ground was leveled off under the supervision of the indigenous people on Sundays.

Despite the lack of roads, the gallows' inherent somber atmosphere still made this desolate wilderness appear exceptionally solemn.

……

The first indigenous person to be given a name, "Zebra," was also the first to wear shoes and the first indigenous person to be allowed to kneel and bow before Chen Zhou.

His new home is not far from the gallows.

It was a wooden shack that could barely accommodate one person and a small table.

It has some rain protection and can barely withstand the onslaught of mountain winds.

The shack had a raised floor and a bare wooden bed. There were no windows or doors, and it was nothing like the cozy little home you'd find on Saturdays and Sundays.

Although the shack was simple, it was still a home, a more comfortable place than sleeping outdoors, a place where you could put down your dishes and sleep soundly.

Don't be fooled by the fact that they look down on the zebra's shack on Saturdays and Sundays; the other natives are quite envious.

Sleeping on wooden planks and being watched all night was a terrible feeling; they dreamed of having such a shack.

And to be honest, these natives felt that the shack Chen Zhou had built in just one morning was much better than their dwellings in the tribe.

……

It was noon, and the seven natives, who should have returned to the wooden planks to rest, gathered in front of the gallows.

Saturday, who carried a whip, stood beside them, while Sunday, who always carried a long knife, and Chen Zhou, who rarely appeared, stood on the wooden platform of the gallows.

Out of respect for their superiors, all the natives looked away when they saw Chen Zhou.

……

Zebra already had a guess about the purpose of their gathering.

I talked to him about this more or less on Sunday and Saturday.

He stood quietly on the far right of the crowd, not far from Saturday, looking down at the tips of his shoes, waiting for someone to give him an order.

As soon as Chen Zhou stood firmly on the wooden platform of the gallows, less than five seconds later, Zebra heard Saturday speak to him.

"follow me."

"Yes!"

The zebra heard the native language, but answered in Chinese.

Don't be fooled by the fact that only five days have passed since he was captured.

But those five days were more exciting than his entire life combined.

I've witnessed "miracles" in the interrogation room, tasted the sweet, energizing chocolate, and seen the arrogant Spaniards being whipped and stripped naked...

They were given names and benefited from their outstanding performance, wearing shoes, living in houses, and even being responsible for distributing food to the natives.

The zebra, with its honest appearance and sensitive heart, had already subtly confirmed that Saturday and Sunday had once been just like him, only they had arrived a little earlier.

He then keenly sensed that a broad and promising road awaited him.

Of course, he hasn't fully gained the trust yet, but Zebra isn't in a hurry. His first task is to do his job well and learn the language used by the "new leader" as soon as possible.

With deliberate effort, mastering a few words is not difficult at all.

At least, Zebra learned simple words like "yes," "no," and "good" in just a few days after humbly asking for help.

However, because he hadn't learned pinyin, his pronunciation was still somewhat stiff and strange, as if he were imitating Chinese using a similar-sounding indigenous language.

……

Hearing the strangely pronounced reply, Saturday glanced at Zebra in surprise, but didn't say anything, only waved.

The two of them went one after the other to the side of the cave dwelling.

……

About three or four minutes later, a familiar face reappeared in the natives' sight.

In just a few days, Werner, certain of his impending death, had lost a significant amount of weight. He was imprisoned in a makeshift earthen pit dug on the east side of the platform, deep underground, where he was never exposed to the light of day.

Although it saved him from the hard labor and provided him with regular meals, Werner preferred to work naked and continue to suffer the ostracism from the natives.

No matter what, that's still the feeling of being alive.

With no hope of survival in sight, they endured the torment in the dark earthen cave, waiting for time to pass day by day.

Werner couldn't even sleep, let alone eat.

The burrow was narrow and had no toilet. He was naked, so he didn't care about cleanliness. He would defecate and urinate wherever he wanted and then sleep there, leaving his body covered in a layer of foul-smelling filth.

Thanks to the fact that he had been responsible for delivering meals to him these past few days and knew his condition, he had put two buckets of water next to the burial pit in advance and gave Werner a refreshing shower after his "release". Otherwise, he would have ruined Chen Zhou's good mood of watching the execution.

……

Having not seen the sun for a long time, Werner was suddenly exposed to it, and even after being dragged to the execution platform by the zebra, he was still somewhat dazed.

The elevation difference allowed him to get a panoramic view of the natives from above.

His gaze swept over the "wild monkeys" who were dressed and had their faces washed, and finally turned his head to look at Chen Zhou.

……

The tall, mysterious ghost's face was obscured by the shadow cast by the brim of its hat, making its expression impossible to discern.

He ignored Werner's gaze, waved his hand lightly, and Sunday, who had been prepared, put the noose around Werner's neck.

There were no shouts, no struggles, no begging for mercy, and no resistance.

This once-clothed "civilized man" now stands naked and soaking wet, looking desperately at the clothed "savages" below the stage, feeling as if the world is an absurd dream.

"The people on stage and the people off stage should be switched..."

The moment the thought flashed through his mind, the wooden plank beneath Werner's feet suddenly slipped away—

He was suspended in mid-air.

The rough hemp rope tightened around his throat, and his body's survival instinct spurred Werner to kick his legs and reach out to grab the noose around his neck.

His emaciated body, like a fish pulled from the water, twisted, bent, and finally stretched out helplessly, causing the noose to sway under the gallows beam.

……

The entire execution was almost silent.

Only the warm July sun shone on everyone.

They remained silent, watching the corpse hanging from the beam as it gradually stiffened.

This is a method of killing that the natives have never seen before.

This method requires a massive building, and sturdy timber, cut planks, and a large amount of stone.

This was too much trouble for the natives.

Something that could be done simply by cutting with a knife or smashing with a stone has become so complicated.

Some of the natives might find such a killing complicated, but at this moment, having witnessed the entire execution, none of them dared to question the authority of the person who gave the order.

On the contrary, after witnessing the hanging, they developed a deeper awe of the ruler's power.

This memory will be forever etched in their minds from this day forward.

On every sunny afternoon, when they see the layers of clouds in the sky shrouded in light shadows, they might unconsciously recall the swaying corpse beneath the gallows beam.

This is Chen Zhou's purpose.

……

Torture was an important tool for rulers in ancient times to consolidate their power.

Chen Zhou went to great lengths to create a gallows not to satisfy his perverse tastes or to deliberately tease the brown-haired man.

Previously, he only managed two boys who idolized him, so there was no need to use such violent methods.

Now facing an even larger, and potentially more, indigenous population, Chen Zhou must devise an impressive method of punishment to demonstrate that "the ruler's power is unchallengeable."

Comparatively speaking, hanging is considered one of the less impactful and more civilized forms of punishment.

If we were to emulate the ten most brutal tortures of feudal China and publicly execute punishments such as being cut in half at the waist, skinned alive, or slowly sliced ​​to death, the psychological trauma inflicted on the indigenous people would be even greater.

However, the brown-haired man's crimes could at most be classified as disobeying orders, clashing with the ruler, and attempting to escape.

These charges were not enough to subject him to further torment, otherwise Chen Zhou's rule would seem too harsh.

……

On the other hand, although Chen Zhou had already directly or indirectly taken nearly thirty lives, he had become much less concerned about life education in the 21st century.

But he was ultimately a man from the modern era.

The psychological impact of taking a person's life by hanging is negligible.

However, if it were a scene of extreme gore, such as slow slicing or being cut in half at the waist, Chen Zhou estimated that he might not be able to withstand it.

Having only recently become a "ruler," despite his ability to offer advice on Saturdays and Sundays, he was actually quite lost when it came to actually doing it himself.

How to gain the loyalty of the natives? How to train them? How to make them wholeheartedly serve you?

How should I manage people when I have more under my command?

How to balance the power of various "junior leaders" to avoid internal friction and work together to fight against external threats?

How can we get these people, who hold reverence in their hearts and consider themselves gods, to honestly express their thoughts, without blind self-confidence, and to provide valuable suggestions for the future development of the "new island power"...?

There is still much for him to learn and gradually consider. (End of Chapter)