Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 94: Drag the first row out and skin them alive.

Undercurrents were surging within the Yansui military town.

Everyone had their own thoughts.

Inside Yan'an Prefecture.

Zhu Youjian's imperial procession also arrived near Fushi County, where the grand assembly of officials was to be held the next day.

Fushi County was the prefectural capital of Yan'an Prefecture.

Qiao Yingjia and his group of officials were currently swaggering around the city, handling state affairs!

This tactic was also devised by Hong Chengchou.

There was no other way; he desperately wanted to live.

So he told everyone that, given the emperor's style of doing things, once the emperor arrived, he would definitely send spies over to gather information about the city.

Therefore, as long as they pretend to be doing their best to regulate the people and manage the land, the emperor will be more forgiving upon seeing this.

at this time.

If we make some more examples tomorrow, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Everyone agreed with the suggestion, and there was no need to worry about the officials' acting skills.

So at this moment, although it was already late at night in the city.

However, the officials still acted as if they were naturally obliged to do their utmost and spare no effort for the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty.

of course.

This move will affect not only them, but also hundreds of officials from various counties of Yan'an Prefecture who have come to the prefectural city, as well as the people in the prefectural city.

In this era of inconvenient transportation.

It was impossible for Qiao Yingjia and the others' thoughts to reach everyone's ears in just two or three days.

But now, seeing the political posturing of Qiao Yingjia and others, many officials have come to understand the deeper meaning behind it.

It's just dragging things out, isn't it?
Nobody knows how to stall better than us!
In any case, the grain in Yan'an Prefecture will run out in about ten days. What can the emperor do then?!

Although there were also some officials who expressed concern about the aftermath of the unrest throughout Shaanxi.

But after Qiao Yingjia subtly told them that they would be transferred to the inland areas, the last bit of concern these people had disappeared.

Even if all the lowly people in Shaanxi were to die, what would that have to do with me, an official of the Ming Dynasty?!

Are the lives of the lowest of the low subject to fortune-telling?!

Besides, I didn't kill him!
Blame the emperor for being tyrannical!
Amidst a mix of emotions, hundreds of officials are also filled with anticipation for tomorrow's conference.

The common people, however, were full of contempt for these people's pretentious behavior.

They only started these charades of being diligent and caring for the people after they knew the emperor had arrived. Where were they before?!

It's been the same routine for so many years!
But the people could only be angry but dared not speak out.

The next day.

early morning.

Officials who had been prepared were lined up inside the city, eagerly awaiting their arrival.

In order to show his love for the people and to manipulate public opinion.

The people deliberately avoided sealing off the city; in fact, they even sent people to call out the city's residents to welcome the emperor.

The reasoning behind this action was quite simple: the emperor felt that killing those eight hundred people was not enough to demonstrate his authority.

In front of so many people, it would be inappropriate to commit any more bloody acts.

Within the city, countless people awaited the arrival of the Emperor, each with their own thoughts and desires.

……

Not long after.

Countless commoners and officials then witnessed the imperial regalia, the dragon banners and ceremonial guards reserved exclusively for the emperor, entering the city.

Qiao Yingjia, Hong Chengchou, and the others looked at the dragon banner and ceremonial guards, exchanged glances, and then all knelt heavily on the ground.

Upon seeing this, the others quickly knelt down as well, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

The city was a place where officials were the center of attention and the people were paying homage.

The ceremonial soldiers responsible for clearing the way in the royal procession paid no further attention to this and simply focused on clearing the path ahead.

soon.

The ceremonial procession arrived at the open space in front of the government office, where temporary tables and chairs had been prepared in advance for the emperor's upcoming address.

The group of people in the royal carriage began to check the tables, chairs, and surrounding security arrangements.

Qiao Yingjia and the others hurriedly crawled forward on their knees and knelt on the open ground.

The first row in the open space was occupied by high-ranking officials of the second or third rank from Shaanxi, led by Qiao Yingjia and Hong Chengchou.

Further back, in the second and third rows, were officials of slightly lower rank, but these people could still be addressed as high-ranking officials.

Further back were county-level officials who had come from all over Yan'an Prefecture.

Anyway, the open space was filled with kneeling people.

The outermost layer consisted of guards on duty and countless onlookers.

After everyone knelt down in turn.

Qiao Yingjia and the others exchanged glances, pressed their foreheads to the ground, and shouted loudly:
"We heard a few days ago that the disaster in Yan'an Prefecture was severe and the people were suffering. In a moment of urgency, we immediately brought our companions to Yan'an Prefecture to carry out disaster relief."

"Thanks to His Majesty's boundless benevolence and love for the people, which moved Heaven, we arrived in Yan'an Prefecture and carried out his orders, thus saving the people from suffering!"

"The calamity of cannibalism that was rumored a few days ago has ceased to exist since Your Majesty entered Shaanxi, entirely thanks to Your Majesty's virtuous rule!"

"I had planned to rush to Xi'an Prefecture to welcome the emperor after rescuing the disaster victims, but I never expected to receive an imperial edict on the way, ordering us to assess the land and population."

"We dare not disobey His Majesty's decree. We have been working diligently to carry out the work of surveying the people and land since we received the decree. Now we have clearly counted the land and people around the city."

"Therefore, we beg Your Majesty's forgiveness for our failure to greet you properly!"

After everyone finished saying this in unison, they breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Although the emperor has not yet appeared.

But these words would eventually reach the Emperor's ears.

The opening theme should definitely be high-spirited.

Give the emperor the impression that: I was wrong, and I am now doing my best to fulfill my duties.
Then the emperor would naturally have no need to resort to killing to establish his authority.

Simultaneously.

Everyone glanced at the officials behind them.

With even greater certainty, the emperor dared not entertain any further thoughts of establishing his authority.

There were hundreds of people present. If the emperor really dared to do that in front of so many people...

People will outwardly feign fear, but behind the scenes they will only become more sloppy.

Who would sincerely serve a tyrant?!
With the emperor's intelligence, he couldn't have overlooked this point.

Therefore, people couldn't help but have more guesses in their minds:

The Emperor will not only refrain from punishing anyone, but will likely also offer words of comfort and even reward them with some silver.

Otherwise, who will regulate the people's land and land?

With those idiots in the imperial procession who only know how to kill, they wouldn't be able to handle this task even if given a year!

Even the most virtuous and incompetent rulers who only know how to kill will eventually have to bow their heads to them—bowing in spirit is also a form of submission!
Most of the officials present shared this view at that moment.

Qiao Yingjia and Hong Chengchou, however, thought even further ahead.

The former thought that after today, he should contact the people in the capital to tell them to make preparations.

The latter thought that the emperor would definitely summon him privately after the meeting, and he wondered how he should slowly maneuver around the emperor.
Everyone was deep in thought, waiting for the emperor to appear.

But after waiting for quite a while, no one came.

The officials couldn't help but become impatient and agitated.

Although it is autumn now, for some reason the sun is exceptionally high today, making people's mouths and throats dry.

Just as the officials couldn't help but start exchanging flirtatious glances and complaining that the emperor was too fond of putting on these empty facades and was truly incompetent and tyrannical.

Suddenly, a commotion arose from the people behind him, which was abruptly stopped by a guard's shout of "Silence!"

Everyone knew that the emperor had finally appeared! The shouts of "Long live the emperor!" from the crowd behind him rang out.

The officials quickly echoed the shouts, pressing their already kneeling bodies even lower, not daring to make any unnecessary movements.

Utterly humble.

The shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" faded, and the Emperor took his seat.

Just as Qiao Yingjia, who was kneeling in the center of the first row, was about to say something, he suddenly heard a calm voice coming from in front of him.

"Drag the first row out and skin them alive."

The elderly and frail Qiao Yingjia froze in mid-air as he tried to get up.

He hadn't quite heard what the emperor had just said.

Just as I was about to get up and ask what was going on, I felt my body being pressed down by several strong hands.

It's not just him.

Hong Chengchou and the other officials in the first row all received the same treatment after he finished speaking!

All of a sudden.

The whole place was silent.

Some of the officials in the venue also didn't hear exactly what the emperor had just said, but under such circumstances, no one dared to do anything out of line.

Those high-ranking officials in the second row who heard the words "stripped to pieces" began to tremble all over.

How could there be such a cruel and tyrannical emperor?!

How could an emperor brutally dismember an official in front of so many people?!

He didn't even state a crime!
Just a casual remark: "Drag him out and skin him alive!"
Those who had just been taken away realized what had happened, and their cries for mercy filled the air.

But they still hold a glimmer of hope regarding the emperor's mention of being subjected to slow slicing.

It's possible that the emperor intended to first demonstrate his power and then bestow favors, a move merely to win people's hearts and minds so they would perform their duties more effectively.

But even after he was stripped naked and tied to the rack, he did not hear a sound from the emperor!
At this time.

Unable to suppress their fear any longer, the crowd began to cry and scream in utter disgrace.

But the shouts and cries of the crowd did nothing to slow down the executioner's actions.

next second.

A sharp knife was spun around Qiao Yingjia's left chest, and a large chunk of flesh was sliced ​​off and thrown to the ground.

Under the intense pain, Qiao Yingjia, who was over sixty years old, fainted.

The thoughtful executioner was prepared for this and immediately forced him to drink a bowl of potent, life-saving medicine.

The people were stunned by this action.

But amidst the shock, a sense of pleasure also arose in my heart.

They know all too well who made them suffer and who made them live well.

That damned Qiao Yingjia! Before the Emperor arrived, did he release a single grain of rice for disaster relief?!
No!

Not only did he not impose taxes, he also forcibly increased them!
Do you think you can absolve yourself of your sins by doing a few good deeds?

Do you really think you can become a Buddha overnight just by laying down your butcher's knife?!

Looking at these officials in front of the execution rack.

People couldn't help but recall their relatives and friends who had starved to death not long ago, and for a moment, someone couldn't help but raise their arms and shout, "Good riddance!"

Hong Chengchou, who was on the shelf, was the first to react. He immediately turned to the emperor and shouted, "Your Majesty! That list of corrupt officials, big and small, in Shaanxi was sent to you by someone I had sent!"

I am loyal to you.

"Are you calling me 'Mom'?! Shut up!"

Before Hong Chengchou could finish speaking, a member of the Imperial Guard struck his lips with a stick, knocking out several of his teeth instantly.

The open space in front of the government office.

All that remained were heart-wrenching screams.

Several officials in the second row, hearing these wails, lost control of their bladders in fear.

Zhu Youjian glanced at these people and said calmly, "The second row will be executed as well."

The officials in the second row could no longer bear the fear and immediately broke down.

But Zhu Youjian's voice did not stop.

"There's also a third row."

For Zhu Youjian, he really didn't have that much time to waste on these people.

Even in the case of slow slicing, efficiency is still important.

If they keep scraping them row by row, wouldn't it take until dark?!

As Zhu Youjian finished speaking, the minds of the hundreds of officials present instantly collapsed.

Dozens of people fainted on the spot.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Guards on the side quickly woke these people up by slapping them and splashing water.

Their thinking was simple: You son of a bitch, His Majesty didn't tell you to faint, yet you dared to do it on your own? You deserve to be punished!
As the crowd watched people being led away in rows, they fell silent at first, then erupted into even louder cheers.

The remaining officials prayed to every deity they had ever heard of in their lives countless times, begging the emperor not to name any more deities.

Fortunately, the emperor did not expand it further.

Despite this, the officials from various counties of Yan'an Prefecture, kneeling on the ground, still felt as if each day was an eternity—the screams of dozens of officials in the first three rows were incessant.

Not to mention that every now and then a piece of flesh would be thrown in front of them.

Such horrific torment even made them regret being born.

They tried to escape, tried to faint, but whenever someone couldn't hold on any longer, the guards would use various methods to wake them up and then force them to watch the execution by a thousand cuts.

After half an hour, some people began to feel delirious and seemed to be going crazy.

As for these people, the guards thoughtfully knocked them unconscious.

For these officials, the open space in front of the government office had become an infernal hell.

But the onlookers were different.

As more and more officials were subjected to the excruciating punishment of slow slicing, they became increasingly excited.

Yes! These officials are now suffering the agony of being torn to pieces!
But have the people of Yan'an Prefecture suffered little more torment over the years?!
Stimulated by the scene of dozens of people being subjected to slow slicing, countless people fell into a frenzy.

finally.

It turned into officials being in immense pain and despair, while the people were raising their arms and shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

at last.

The dramatic scene of dozens of people being executed by slow slicing came to a complete end before noon, as the last person breathed his last.

The people shouted themselves hoarse and clenched their fists until they were exhausted, but they still couldn't suppress their excitement.

As for the remaining officials, they had completely lost their humanity.

Everyone stared blankly, their only thought now: Run!
The emperor didn't come to save Shaanxi at all! He simply came to kill! They all misjudged the situation and underestimated the emperor's ruthlessness!
The emperor had a group of officials in Shaanxi executed by slow slicing, yet he didn't even give them a charge. How cruel and incompetent was that?!

Everyone else understood.

The emperor didn't immediately execute them because he wanted them to return and reorganize the land and people's livelihoods!
But who would dare to stay and work in Shaanxi?!
The scene of dozens of people being brutally tortured alive had left an indelible shadow on their hearts.

They gave up their official positions, their houses, and their fields! They were determined to escape Shaanxi!

Bring along the money you've made over the years.

No matter where you go, the outcome will be ten thousand times better than in Shaanxi.

With money on you, you can always live a comfortable life!

But just as the officials made up their minds to pack their valuables and flee as soon as they got back,

The emperor's words instantly plunged them into despair.

The last glimmer of hope that had ignited in my heart turned into utter despair.

"The rest of the people will be immediately escorted back to their counties by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the land and population of each county will be clarified within three days."

“Those who commit suicide out of fear of punishment, fail to perform their duties effectively, or attempt to flee shall be executed by slow slicing on the spot.”

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(End of this chapter)