Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 169 Execution
Pei Qu looked at the group of heroes who were walking up with their swords, and felt dizzy and his body trembled like a leaf.

The Pei family of Hedong, as a prestigious family second only to the Five Surnames and Seven Clans, has always been known for producing generals and prime ministers.

Pei Qu entered officialdom through the imperial examination, but he had been practicing martial arts since childhood, and had killed at least two or three hundred people in his lifetime.

As a general who had experienced countless battles, Pei Qu thought he would not be afraid of death.

But when sharp knives were pointed at him, he felt terrified.

He is already sixty years old, but he feels he has not enjoyed life enough.

He was still quite healthy and wanted to continue playing with all sorts of orchids until the day he could no longer do so.

Pei Qu was seen by his colleagues as both a pillar of the state with both literary and military talents, and a humble gentleman skilled in interpersonal relationships.

But when he toyed with those young girls to death, or personally whipped and tortured errant servants to death, he felt a sadistic pleasure, as if he had unleashed the beast within him.

This is a wonderful experience that you can't get even if you're on the battlefield killing people.

Did he ever put himself in their shoes and think about how terrified and desperate those girls must have felt before they died?

Pei Jiedu would only reply: Do you think about the chickens and ducks you killed and ate, what were their feelings before they died?

The only time Pei Jiedu regretted killing someone was when the other person made a small mistake, and he tortured and killed a girl with unique purple eyes.

Afterwards, Pei Qu had her eyeballs gouged out in hopes of preserving them, but they were unsuccessful, and the eyeballs quickly rotted.

Pei Qu felt it was a pity to kill this plaything; it would be better to keep it for a while longer.

Amidst the roars of the bandits, Pei Qu's clothes were torn open at the chest. Although his skin was aged, his chest was strong and his muscles were clearly defined.

This is not surprising for a veteran general who is still going strong.

Therefore, there is no need to worry that Pei Qu will be cut to death before his final execution.

Shang Rang, Meng Kai, and other friends of Cao Shixiong stepped forward and used knives to cut a small piece of flesh from Pei Jiedu's chest, and streams of blood flowed down like drops of water in a cave.

Zhu Wen smiled slightly as he watched Pei Jiedu grimacing in pain.

Huang Chao was already considered a man of some character.

It's not unreasonable for someone like Pei Qu to be treated this way.

For an example of how a person lacks character behaves, one can refer to Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Because of the "National History Case," Tuoba Tao issued an edict to exterminate the entire clan of Chancellor Cui Hao. Before Cui Hao's death, Tuoba Tao even ordered dozens of soldiers to urinate on his head. Later historical records commented that "no one has ever been as humiliated and executed as Cui Hao."

“I haven’t known Brother Cao for very long, so I’ll leave this blow to Flower King Youdi.” Zhu Wen stood atop a tall haystack, looking down at Pei Qu: “Since you can avoid taking a blow, shouldn’t you thank me, Commander Pei?”

In Zhu Wen's eyes, Flower Queen Youdi was indeed a woman who deserved to be torn to pieces.

Only then did Pei Qu learn the identity and name of the blonde Hu woman who helped him kill Cao Shixiong.

Pei Qu trembled all over in pain, his lips moving slightly.

His survival instinct made him want to beg for life, but reason told him that he was doomed to die today and that begging for mercy would only increase his humiliation.

What about hurling insults?
He may have died a quick death, but he has angered these rough-and-tumble heroes, who might actually urinate on him and kill him in a pool of urine.

Zhu Wen could perfectly guess what this kind of person was thinking.

Especially when the red-haired girl trembled as she stepped forward, knife in hand, her eyes burning with hatred.

In addition to fear, Pei Qu's eyes also showed intense resentment.

Anyone who was killed by the chicken's siblings in revenge for killing a chicken for cooking would feel just as resentful.

"Slaves and servants are lowly people, and are treated like livestock under the law." "Since slaves and servants are considered property, they should be disposed of by their masters." These words are clearly written in the Tang Code.

This is precisely why people like Pei Qu deserve to die, and why the Tang Dynasty deserves to perish.

The red-haired girl gripped the wrist-cutting knife with both hands, gritted her teeth, and plunged the blade into Pei Qu's heart. Pei Qu's eyes rolled back in pain, and he screamed in agony before dying instantly.

The girl suddenly collapsed to the ground, bursting into tears with a sense of relief at having avenged her great grudge.

Lan Suting walked up slowly, gently embraced the girl, stroked her back, and comforted her softly.

The red-haired girl had been rescued from a noble estate by the rebel army a few days earlier. Having nowhere else to go, she stayed with the army, doing odd jobs like washing clothes to earn a living. Zhu Wen learned of her feud with Military Governor Pei Qu while taking a walk in the camp.

Lan Suting watched intently as Pei Qu was killed.

Because Zhu Wen told her that although Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, had abolished cruel punishments such as dismemberment by chariot, the girl who stabbed him would, if she fell into the hands of the government, be handed over to the Pei family of Hedong, subjected to extreme humiliation, and then murdered by private torture methods such as dismemberment by chariot or dismemberment.

Insubordination and defying authority are the most abhorrent acts of the sons of noble families.

In their eyes, no matter what the reason, anyone who dares to harm a precious person is utterly wicked!
Conversely, if she didn't deliver the final blow, even if the rebel army was defeated and she was captured, she would only have to return to be a slave.

The red-haired girl, not yet sixteen, knowing all this, still took the dagger without hesitation and plunged it into Pei Qu's chest to avenge her sister's death.

Such courage earned Zhu Wen's admiration.

……

Pei Qu, the military governor of Zhenhai, was captured and killed by the bandits, and the entire Zhenhai army collapsed, plunging the government troops in western Zhejiang into chaos.

The terrain in western Zhejiang is flat. Now that the military governor has died and the field army has lost more than half of its strength, the bandit army is running rampant and acting as if it were in an empty field.

The Zhejiang West Circuit Military Governor was the former name of the Zhenhai Army. This is because the Qiantang River is also known as Zhejiang, flowing northeast into the sea. Therefore, the north bank of the Qiantang River was called West Zhejiang, and the south bank was called East Zhejiang. This is similar to the fact that Jiangnan was also called Jiangdong.

The seat of the Zhenhai military governor was not in Hangzhou, but in Runzhou on the south bank of the Yangtze River. Governor Pei Qu preferred to stay in Hangzhou simply because it was a prosperous city suitable for his enjoyment.

However, as a key city in Jiangdong, Hangzhou had previously established a defensive force to resist Wang Ying's rebellion, and Pei Qu had not taken it to the battlefield. Therefore, even though Pei Qu's personal guards were completely wiped out, Hangzhou still retained a considerable military strength.

Upon receiving the devastating news from his superior, Dong Chang, a trusted general under Pei Qu and commander of Shijing Town, along with several other generals, swiftly deployed defenses for Hangzhou. Within three days, they had completely demolished the civilian houses outside the city walls. This prevented the rebel army from destroying the houses outside the city to make siege weapons, and the timber could be used to build defensive structures such as battlements and arrow towers on the city walls.

The saying goes, "A kind heart cannot command an army." This decisive and skillful execution earned Huang Chao a casual praise, but he didn't take it too seriously. This Dong Chang was simply another capable general, not uncommon in the Tang Dynasty.

Although Hangzhou is rich in resources, its city walls are high and its moats deep, making it difficult to conquer. Since Dong Chang's defenses are so formidable, it's best for our troops not to attack.

Another piece of news caught Huang Chao's attention.

When Shang Rang led his army through Lin'an County, which is under the jurisdiction of Hangzhou, they were ambushed in a dangerous canyon by a young man with twenty warriors. He shot and killed a battalion commander, then lowered himself down the cliff. Jia Yong fought back and killed more than two hundred people.

This young man was Dong Chang's deputy general. His surname was Qian, his given name was Liu, his courtesy name was Jumei, and his nickname was Poliu.

Shang Rang was unaware that there was such a formidable figure in Lin'an County. Caught off guard, he was struck by a blunt object, but since the loss was only about two hundred people, he didn't pay much attention to it.

But then the soldiers of the peasant army heard a story that was so fantastical it was almost unbelievable.

According to rumors among the people of Hangzhou, after his victory, Qian Liu said to his subordinates, "This kind of surprise attack tactic can only be used once. What if the bandits come again?"

Qian Liu then stationed his troops in a place called Babaili and told the old women by the roadside that if the bandits came, they should reply that the government troops were stationed in Babaili.

When Huang Chao's army arrived, they were shocked to learn that the government troops had been stationed for 800 li. They exclaimed, "The enemy only has a dozen or so soldiers, and our army cannot even withstand them. How can they possibly be stationed for 800 li?" So they quickly led their troops across.

Upon hearing this story, Huang Chao burst into laughter.

"No one who knows even a little about military affairs would believe this joke."

Zhu Wen said, "But such interesting anecdotes spread the fastest. Besides, it's half true and half false; Qian Liu really did win a small victory before."

Just as Gao Yan seized the opportunity to charge into the enemy ranks to create momentum when the two military governors were defeated, this was Qian Liu's method of creating momentum for himself.

Wang Chongba gritted his teeth and said, "Should we go back and deal with that kid?"

Huang Chao shook his head: "Such a cunning kid, we definitely won't be able to catch him if we go back. And if our army, out of anger, starts killing and looting in the area, we will lose the hearts of the people and fall into his trap. Let's just leave him alone."

Zhu Wen nodded and said, "That's what I think too. We're about to head south, so we don't have time to waste here."

He secretly thought to himself: Yang Xingmi, this junior brother, is indeed an outstanding person. Qian Liu's successful publicity stunt has likely caught the attention of Commander Lei and Gao Pian.

If Gao Pian wanted to personally go south to pursue and kill the rebel army, the imperial court would most likely not agree. Would Gao Pian promote Qian Liu to be his nephew Gao Yan's assistant and entrust him with the important task of pursuing the rebel army in the south?

But if something is still uncertain, revealing it might lead to a wrong judgment and ruin one's reputation for being infallible.

Besides, Zhu Wen wasn't one to talk too much; it was best to only say three-tenths of what he wanted to say.

(End of this chapter)