Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 357 Enforcing the Law: The Starting Point of the Death Penalty

Thirteen days after the fall of Later Shu.

The weather is fine and sunny; it's an auspicious day, perfect for execution.

Chengdu, Caishikou.

A group of burly executioners stood on both sides, holding large knives. In the center, a row of people knelt. All around were a sea of ​​people, a dark mass of heads. The people of Chengdu whispered in hushed tones. The teahouses at the street corner were already full, and many people even climbed onto the rooftops to look out.

Lu Shanjun, a burly figure, sat in the main seat. He had completely transformed into human form, and there was no trace of his demonic nature.

Not long after, a man stood on the steps. He was dressed as an official and was about thirty years old, but he spoke with a distinctive intonation, somewhat like a storyteller.

He spread out the indictment in his hand and said in a deep voice, "Sun Feiyi and Wei Hong, notorious bandits from Mianzhou, Xu Kui and Zou Rui, bandits from Suining..."

A series of names were read out.

There were renowned figures in the bandit world, as well as powerful and ruthless nobles from the Sichuan and Chongqing region, and even some low-life thugs and ruffians on the streets who extorted money, forced women into prostitution, and had killed many people. Most of these people had their martial arts skills crippled. Kneeling in the center was Sun Feiyi, a figure in the Sichuan and Chongqing bandit world, nicknamed "Flying Dragon of Sichuan." His lightness skill allowed him to cross the Three Gorges. Not long ago, however, he was captured by a master from the Eastern Depot. He never dreamed that a eunuch would be so much better at lightness skill and swordsmanship than him.

Moreover, he learned from the eunuch that in the Eastern and Western Depots, experts like him were nothing special, not even ranked. The real experts were the eunuchs who practiced the Heavenly Gang Boy Skill.

The eunuch fought fiercely with him in the Three Gorges area. His swordsmanship was strange and unpredictable. In just over ten moves, he severed the tendons in the eunuch's hands and feet and threw him to the Imperial Guards.

"Sun Feiyi".

"Last June, he wiped out the entire Qian family of sixteen in Mianzhou. A month later, he killed three people in Kuizhou and left triumphantly. Then he led his men to rob merchant ships and killed twenty-one more people, leaving no survivors."

"Wei Hong".

"A notorious bandit with a long history of evil deeds, he has killed countless people. In the first half of this year alone, he led a group to massacre the entire Qiaodong Village, where dozens of households were slaughtered by his bandits."

The middle-aged man read on expressionlessly, his voice growing colder and colder. The surrounding crowd was outraged, and some martial arts practitioners were also shocked to see the masters kneeling on the ground with their bones crippled.

"Senior brother."

"The number of skilled outlaws in the nearby Sichuan and Chongqing area is almost complete."

The woman speaking was valiant and came from Qingcheng Mountain. Beside her was a man who also looked horrified. He looked at the people in the front row and whispered, "Xu Kui, the Tiger Over the Mountain, and Zou Rui, the Tiger Leaping the Stream, I haven't seen their sworn brothers. I don't know if they are dead or have escaped."

At that moment, a cold male voice came from the side, saying coldly, "Of course he's dead."

"No one can escape the pursuit of the East and West Depots."

The two turned around in surprise and saw a young man standing with his hands holding a sword. He was fair-skinned and beardless, and his demeanor did not resemble that of a martial arts practitioner. Instead, he looked like a pale-faced scholar, but his aura of coldness was quite strong.

"Brother, do you know what happened?" the man asked curiously, bowing with his hands clasped.

Unfortunately, the white-faced, beardless young man beside them didn't want to say much. He just glanced at them and said coldly, "Qingcheng Mountain Wei Tao and Zhao Yan, your master is lucky. He helped the disaster victims in the early years and has some merit. Otherwise, you would have been punished too."

"Take care of yourself in the future."

Upon hearing this person's words, the two were immediately startled. Just as they were about to speak, the person had already vanished without a trace, moving with a speed as fast as a ghost.

"Senior brother, that person seems to be..."

Zhao Yan lowered her voice and said, "Eunuch."

Wei Tao remained silent, feeling as if he were being pricked by needles. He was now covered in cold sweat and whispered, "This place is not safe to stay. Let's go."

Just then, a cheer erupted from ahead.

Blood spurts.

A row of burly executioners stepped forward, wielding their broadswords and beheading people one by one. The first ten in the front row were beheaded, followed by the next ten in the second row. They were extremely efficient, and in just a short while, they had beheaded more than thirty people.

What a quick knife!

These executioners appeared to be highly skilled soldiers; their swordsmanship was as sharp as that of second-rate martial arts practitioners.

The onlookers were initially curious and excited, but soon their faces showed a hint of fear. When they saw dozens of heads being chopped off, many civilians gradually closed their eyes in fright.

The stench of blood permeated the entire market area, and the gushing blood splattered from the troughs and flowed onto the street.

They had long heard that the Ming Cult's demon soldiers were swift in killing, but they hadn't expected them to be this swift. Team after team of people were brought to the execution ground. Whether they were outlaws or local strongmen, whether they forced themselves to shout that they would be heroes again in eighteen years or were so scared that they wet their pants on the spot, none of it affected the efficiency of the execution.

Those executioners were like merciless beheading machines, row after row, their blades slashing down, blood gushing, heads falling to the ground.

"hurry up."

"Stop dawdling."

"We still have over a hundred heads to chop off. If we delay the journey, it will be inconvenient for you to get to the gates of hell."

"Don't make a mistake and miss the auspicious time."

"This auspicious day was specially chosen by the master so that you can start anew and be good people in your next life."

The speaker's voice was high-pitched, indicating to the executioner to ignore them. Whether they were scared out of their wits or putting on a brave face, as long as the heads kept being chopped off, nothing else mattered. If they delayed the important business, he would also be punished.

In a nearby teahouse, some local Chengdu residents were whispering among themselves. One of them looked slightly frightened and said in a low voice, "I told you these demon soldiers are ruthless killers, weren't they?"

"Don't you guys even think about it?"

"When they first entered Sichuan, they didn't hesitate to behead their own people. I heard that they beheaded more than 600 people in one go for violating military discipline."

"Have you ever seen a general kill his own soldiers so ruthlessly?"

"If they're this ruthless to killing their own people, killing others will be a piece of cake for them, won't it?"

At first glance, this statement seemed to make some sense. The person next to him trembled, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and nodded, saying, "Yes. They really are ruthless killers."

"However, their military discipline is quite good."

The first step was to turn on their own people, resulting in a bloodbath.

The second step was to turn on the others, killing many people in a bloodbath.

The residents of Chengdu were not clear about the situation. They only heard that the notice contained the words "crackdown". Not long after, they learned that all the ruffians and scoundrels in the city had been arrested. Then, there were rumors in the underworld that those skilled outlaws with bandit titles and reputations had been killed or captured by a group of experts who appeared out of nowhere. The more famous they were, the faster they died. The Seven Thieves of Mianzhou, the Five Tigers of Bashu, and any underworld figure who was ranked in the underworld were all dead in less than half a month.

People are still being beheaded.

After the middle-aged man in front finished reading the charges, the executioner behind him swiftly and decisively brought down the blade. Meanwhile, someone gathered up the corpses, dragged them away, and neatly stacked the heads to the side.

In times of chaos, harsh measures are necessary!

Duncan drew a red line: anyone who committed a crime that crossed this line would face the death penalty. Under the King of Kings's blade, all were equal. Whether they were street ruffians, bandits, or local tyrants, their heads were all chopped off. During the beheadings, an amusing incident occurred: a notorious ruffian from Chengdu addressed a kneeling bandit, saying, "I've long admired your name. Today, I'll die alongside you by your blade," feeling immensely honored.

The executioner paid no heed to these people; with a single stroke, two heads rolled off.

"I'm afraid more than a hundred people have already been beheaded, right?"

"They're still chopping over there!"

Most Sichuanese people have a habit of watching a spectacle. Some fearless individuals stand aside and count heads, then call out the count to the back of the group, and the head count quickly spreads outside.

Duncan set a small target: three thousand heads. Within the entire territory of Later Shu, three thousand heads would be taken; once that was done, the first phase of maintaining order would be considered complete. Since the Southern Han army had already executed so many to enforce discipline, the same principle applied. All notorious outlaws in the Shu region were to be executed, even if it meant innocent people being killed. And those bandits who took advantage of the war—since they didn't want their heads, Duncan would simply chop some off as well.

"Two hundred heads," a man stammered as he counted.

How many more do we have to kill?
Some people were too frightened to look. On one side of the execution ground, two hundred heads were neatly arranged in a pile. It was said that not only in Chengdu, but also in other parts of Sichuan and Chongqing, in the larger prefectures, many heads had been chopped off in the past few days, ranging from dozens to hundreds, but certainly not as spectacular as in Chengdu.

“While it is true that harsh measures are necessary in chaotic times, this is going too far,” a scholar-looking man said, his voice trembling.

At this moment, another person beside him said, "Brother Li, be careful what you say, be careful what you say."

So that's what the "crackdown" in the notice meant.

That was indeed harsh.

Many people secretly rejoiced that they hadn't set fires and looted when the war broke out, otherwise their heads would be gone by now.

"Three hundred heads!"

"It looks like they're about to stop over there," someone whispered, trembling.

Since His Majesty has set a target, those below must strictly implement it. Those who remain are simply lucky to have been able to escape execution by hard labor. If the laws of the Tang Dynasty had been strictly enforced, the Sichuan and Chongqing region would likely have lost more than ten thousand heads.

The world has indeed gone awry.

The Imperial Guards only conducted a cursory investigation, and combined with Bai Xiaosheng's rumors about the martial arts world, they probably chopped off thousands of heads just for the bandits who committed murder and robbery.

This massacre terrified not only ordinary people, but even the Five Immortals Sect. The Holy Maiden immediately ordered her disciples to be restrained.

As for the surrendered soldiers and generals of Later Shu, their acts of oppressing the local people, extorting money and robbing others, murdering for profit, and so on were countless.

Duncan killed some of them and completely reorganized the rest.

There's no need to deliberately gather intelligence; just use the Roman Empire's punishments—killing one out of ten—and there will still be countless survivors.

In chaotic times, killing is truly endless. After taking enough heads, Duncan finally decided to give them a chance to reform.

But anyway.

Today, with the 320 heads chopped off, the security situation in the entire Chengdu Plain and the Sichuan Basin has indeed improved visibly. Even the Silk Road and commercial activities along the Sichuan Basin are showing signs of prosperity and recovery.

There is no other reason.

Most of the prominent figures in the bandit world have been killed off during this period.

Some have even disfigured themselves and gone into hiding, their reputations in the martial arts world fading into nothingness.

This emperor is far too bloodthirsty!
Countless people were terrified, fearing that one day those fierce-looking Imperial Guards would come knocking on their doors. Fortunately, after this wave of killings, the government issued a proclamation announcing that the first phase of the crackdown had ended, that those who were to be killed had been mostly killed, and that the remaining people should behave themselves and reform themselves.

The sixteenth day after the fall of Later Shu.

An auspicious day.

This is a good opportunity to make the people of Sichuan and Chongqing happy.

So Duncan issued an edict exempting the people of the entire Sichuan region from taxes for six months, while other taxes remained largely unchanged. He couldn't exempt too many taxes, after all, he still had tens of thousands of troops to support, and it should be noted that his troops were always fully paid.

As soon as this decree was issued, the entire Sichuan region instantly showed signs of great order. Countless people were grateful and thankful. They didn't ask for much; a six-month tax reduction was enough to make them overjoyed.

One kill, one rescue.

Give both grace and power.

The hearts of the people in the Sichuan Basin are quietly turning towards Duncan. Although the officials he appointed have not yet fully taken control of the region, the common people are already both grateful to and in awe of this emperor.

Killing someone is both a way to establish authority and to build trust.

A human head is the most convincing symbol.

No one can question Duncan's decision to end the chaos, unless someone doesn't want their head.

The world has been in turmoil for a long time, and people yearn for stability.

Even if Duncan kills ruthlessly, they will tolerate it, and even feel that only such swift and decisive measures can truly end this chaotic world!

The death penalty lasted for less than a month.

Everything then returned to normal.

Duncan did not issue any decrees, and everything remained the same, maintaining the system established during Meng Chang's reign. Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish; changes must be made gradually. The war had just ended, and the people of Sichuan were like frightened birds. They needed to be appeased before any institutional reforms could be implemented.

Maha Pool, Crystal Palace.

Under the glow of palace lanterns and candlelight, Duncan looked down at the group of beauties kneeling before him. Lu Qiongxian stood beside him and introduced them softly. The one kneeling in the very center was Lady Huarui. At first glance, she was indeed a beauty of unparalleled grace. No wonder even Zhao Kuangyin couldn't resist taking her into his harem.

Kneeling beside her was a beautiful woman named Li Yanniang, who invented the "upward-facing bun" hairstyle, which became a popular style in the palace.

Meng Chang's harem had fourteen ranks of titles: Zhaoyi, Zhaorong, Zhaohua, Baofang, Baoxiang, Baoyi, Anchen, Anbi, Anqing, Xiurong, Xiuyuan, Xiujuan, etc., which were equivalent to the ranks of dukes, ministers, and officials.

With so many beauties kneeling before him, it was dazzling to behold. The emperors of the Central Plains were indeed more carefree than those of the West.

"Her skin was as smooth as ice and her bones as pure as jade, and she was free from sweat. A gentle breeze from the water pavilion filled the air with a subtle fragrance. A sliver of moonlight peeked through the embroidered curtain, and she leaned on her pillow, her hair disheveled and her hairpin askew."

The jade doors open silently, and sparse stars occasionally cross the Milky Way. Counting on my fingers, when will the west wind arrive? I fear the years will silently slip away.

Beneath this crystal palace built of glazed tiles, Lady Huarui before him was indeed fair-skinned and elegant, exuding a subtle fragrance. At this moment, she looked pitiful, and even women would feel pity for her.

I must take a closer look to see just how fair and delicate she is, that even Zhao Kuangyin couldn't resist her charms.

…………

(End of this chapter)