A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 194 Trap and Kill
The turmoil in Chang'an has plunged Longxi into an unprecedented state of tension.

Li Guang's great-great-grandfather was Li Xin, a famous general of the Qin Dynasty. During the Qin Dynasty's unification of the world, he led his army to defeat Prince Dan of Yan. However, when attacking Chu, he was defeated by the Chu general Xiang Yan due to underestimating the enemy, overextending himself, and lax military discipline.

"The Chu people followed them relentlessly for three days and three nights, inflicting a great defeat on Li Xin's army. They entered both sides of the camp, killed seven commanders, and Li Xin fled back."

After Li Xin's campaign against Chu failed, the King of Qin had no choice but to ask the veteran general Wang Jian to come out of retirement again. Wang Jian led an army of 600,000 to defeat Chu.

Later, when Qin attacked Qi, Wang Ben was the chief general and Li Xin was the deputy general. After Qin unified the six states, Li Xin was enfeoffed as "Marquis of Longxi".

Well, Li Xin could have risen to a higher rank and title, but he failed because of his methods of commanding troops.

Although the process was quite "difficult," Li Xin was eventually granted the title of Marquis, which can be considered a kind of "difficulty in being granted a title" in another sense.

Li Guang seems to have had none of the luck his ancestors had. To this day, neither the Han Dynasty nor the Xiongnu know where the four thousand cavalrymen he led are.

His son, Li Gan, led three thousand cavalry and made great contributions on the left flank of the Xiongnu. If things go smoothly, he will return to the Han Dynasty and may be ennobled for his achievements.

But all of this came to an end with Li Ju's rebellion.

The distance from Chang'an to Chengji is only six hundred li. The embroidered-robed imperial censor set off in the evening and arrived the next morning. The following day, he took over the military and political power of Longxi County by order of the Crown Prince, and blocked all the key roads of the county, thus trapping the Li family like turtles in a jar.

Of course, Zhang Tang did not forget the Li family residences near Chang'an and the capital region. He raided the residence and arrested the people in one fell swoop.

Within just a few days, all members of the Li clan within the territory of the Han Dynasty were escorted to the banks of the Wei River.

Imperial Censor Zhang Tang and Minister of Justice Bian Tong each led a group of capable officials to investigate the criminals of the rebellion. They divided the criminals into five categories—mastermind, accomplices, direct relatives, relatives within five degrees of kinship, and spouses—and imprisoned them separately, recording their confessions one by one.

This matter lasted for three whole days. During those three days, Yi Zong's relatives and clansmen were also escorted to the banks of the Wei River. Zhang Tang did not spare any of the other Southern Army soldiers and Zuo Fengyi troops who had followed Li Ju and Yi Zong in the rebellion, as long as they had stepped into Chang'an City through the Fu'ang Gate.

Since the matter involved authoritarianism, everyone was implicated. Bian Tong looked at the roughly calculated number of people to be executed and was terrified.

More than 30,000 people.

If this were a war, no matter how many people were killed or injured, no one would complain or waver.

But this is execution by criminal law, killing people under the law. Dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people would be one thing, but to kill tens of thousands of criminals at once is truly unprecedented.

At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, before the division of Jin into three states, the three clans of Han, Zhao, and Wei joined forces to capture and kill Zhi Bo, slaughtering more than two hundred members of Zhi Bo's family in one fell swoop, shocking the world.

However, it was a war between tribal groups, similar to the wars between feudal lords. People did not regard it as a form of execution. Before the Han Dynasty, only the Qin state and the Qin Dynasty executed hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of criminals.

Under Qin Shi Huang, the Qin Dynasty became known as the "Tyrannical Qin".

Will the Han Dynasty become a "tyrannical Han" under the rule of a superior ruler?

Zhang Tang saw Bian Tong's fear and frowned, saying, "Zi Su, do you know what the consequences will be if we don't do this?"

Bian Tong looked at Zhang Tang, unable to answer.

"There will be only one consequence: from the princes to the wealthy merchants, everyone who has suffered losses due to the Emperor's new policies will try to rebel. When that happens, the whole world will rebel. Even if the Emperor suppresses them all, the revival of our Han Dynasty will come to an abrupt end. Between two evils, choose the lesser. This is the ancient wisdom. You must remember this when you sit in the position of Minister of Justice," Zhang Tang instructed.

Yi Zong and Li Ju were not unaware of the consequences of rebellion, nor were the die-hard Li family members and Zuo Fengyi's loyal followers in the Southern Army unaware of the implications of marching into Chang'an and attacking Weiyang Palace. Yet, they all acted without hesitation. Yi Zong and Li Ju were blinded by the emperor's rewards after his return, while the die-hard Li family members and Yi Zong's loyal followers were spurred on by past favors and the prospect of supporting the emperor.

All rebels are not distinguished by master and servant; they are just a group of gamblers who bet themselves, their relatives, and their clans on a chance to become superior to others.

If one succeeds, one will enjoy endless wealth and honor; when one attains enlightenment, even one's chickens and dogs will ascend to heaven.

Even if they fail, their entire families will rise to power.

Now, what they need to do is erase the names of the Li family, the Yi family, and other families, sending them "to heaven."

Once one has a merciful heart and lets go of the rebels, their relatives, or their clansmen, it will inspire more people to take risks.

The princes whose crowns have been removed, the court officials held accountable by the new system, the wealthy merchants who have suffered losses due to high taxes, the Confucian gentry whose homes have been confiscated, and even the emperor himself who has been exiled, may all rise up in rebellion.

Compared to the potential collapse and turmoil that could lead to the downfall of the nation, the deaths of these tens of thousands of people are insignificant.

Bian Tong nodded and let out a long sigh. "Grand Commander, how are we going to kill so many people?"

There might not be as many executioners in Chang'an as there are in the entire Han Dynasty. If it were a beheading, they would probably have to be killed in several batches.

"It's just the two of us here, Zisu, so I might as well be frank. Li Ju and Yi Zong are less of a rebel and more of an attempt to restore the monarchy."

Zhang Tang revealed the true schemes and crimes of Li and Yi.

Such a small number of people could not possibly rebel, even if Li Ju and Yi Zong were insane; their only intention was to help the deposed emperor regain his throne.

But this raises a question: the struggle between the emperor and his son. Even today, the emperor still obeys the emperor's edicts and governs the country without any usurpation or seizure. At least in the eyes of the people of the Han Dynasty, the emperor and his father are a kind father and a filial son.

The father repents in the wilderness, and the son corrects his father's mistakes by ascending the throne. Neither the father nor the son seems to care much about the throne.

This is also a traditional Chinese concept: the more you care about something, the more you should pretend not to care.

The emperor was a monarch who aspired to set an example for future generations in all aspects, and filial piety was a very important part of it. The actions of Li Ju and Yi Zong almost tore apart the pretense of the imperial family, so it is no wonder that the emperor hated them so much.

Supporting His Majesty is no problem. Serving His Majesty and outwardly complying with but inwardly opposing the emperor is fine. Just be careful and pretend well. As long as you are not found guilty, it is not a big problem. At the very least, you will be held accountable, and at worst, you will be dismissed.

Unfortunately, by making a big show of leading troops to "purge the emperor," he brought trouble upon himself.

Bian Tong looked troubled. "Severe punishment?"

"Yes," Zhang Tang replied without hesitation.

"What kind of severe law would that be? What kind of serious law?"

"Does Zisu remember how Qin Shi Huang punished those who attempted to restore the six states?"

Zhang Tang's eerie voice sent a chill down Bian Tong's spine. His throat bobbed as he struggled to speak, "Does the Grand Commandant mean... that... a massacre?"

(End of this chapter)