Sweep Yuan

Chapter 257 Treason is a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family.

"Zhu Chongba abused his power and arbitrarily placed his cronies in the army. Based on the confessions of his nephew Zhu Wenzheng, his fellow villager Zhou Dexing, and the military equipment found in his home, he is guilty of premeditated rebellion. The evidence is conclusive, and he should be sentenced to death by a thousand cuts and the extermination of his nine clans!"

"Zhongba is my old minister, who has made great contributions in the southern and northern campaigns. I originally intended to give him a peaceful end, but he 'secretly met with a prince,' so I had to be on guard. He deserves to be executed in the marketplace! His title of Duke is stripped, and his family is sent to the brothel!"

"Ten years ago, Ye Guorui plotted a rebellion, inviting Zhu Chongba to jointly rule the world. This traitor 'knew the truth but did not report it.' Chongba was an old minister of mine, and I originally did not want to kill him, but he was 'disloyal,' so I had no choice but to kill him. The entire Zhu family, more than seventy people, were all executed to prevent future troubles!"

……

The military prison was cold and solemn. As one of the first serious criminals detained here, Zhu Chongba was not deliberately mistreated.

Although the single cell was somewhat cramped, the newly laid dry straw was relatively clean and free of swarms of lice, fleas, and other parasites; the newly installed toilet also had a relatively mild odor.

Moreover, he has not been interrogated since he was detained, let alone subjected to any torture.

Zhu Chongba had suffered greatly in his early years, so this kind of living environment with food and shelter was much better than when he almost starved to death, so he naturally wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

But being imprisoned, awaiting an unknown trial, and knowing full well that he had indeed violated military discipline, this state of uncertainty makes it difficult for even the most resolute person to truly feel at ease.

After the initial panic subsided, Zhu Chongba was able to force himself to eat and sleep normally for the first three days in order to maintain the dignity of the "Governor-General". Only when he was in good spirits would he not worry about being in a daze and talking nonsense during the court hearing.

But as the days went by, Zeng Xing, the military judge, never interrogated him, the main culprit. Instead, he kept interrogating Qin Shuang, Zhou Dexing, Zhu Wenzheng, and others. Their testimonies would determine his fate. The feeling of having his life in the hands of others gradually turned into a deep-seated panic.

That night, Zhu Chongba slept very restlessly. It was as if the straw mat had sprouted sharp thorns. As he tossed and turned, he was caught in a series of bizarre and suffocating nightmares.

In these fragmented yet incredibly vivid dreams, after Shishan seized the world, he seemed to become a different person.

He was no longer the marshal who could share weal and woe with his soldiers and was humble and open-minded, but had become a suspicious and mean-spirited man who regarded the world as his private property and his civil and military officials as bandits.

He established an all-encompassing surveillance system and used various methods of terror to deal with those meritorious officials who had fought and bled for his Shi family's empire.

After his carefully nurtured eldest son tragically died young from illness, posing a huge crisis to the succession to the throne, the "Stone Emperor" in his dreams fell into near-madness and began to openly fabricate various crimes and massacre meritorious officials in order to ensure the eternal stability of his Shi family's empire.

In his dream, Zhu Chongba seemed to experience one cursed life after another, being framed with all sorts of unbelievable "trumped-up" crimes, and repeatedly enduring horrific tortures until he died a miserable death.

The initial dream was still close to reality:
He was still the same Zhu Chongba, the garrison commander who was convicted of planting his cronies in the army, and was ultimately executed by the Ming Dynasty, his head separated from his body.

After being startled and breaking out in a cold sweat, Zhu Chongba, in a daze, quickly fell back into a dream, where the scenes began to become bizarre and absurd.

In another dream, he became a great general who was famous throughout the northern frontier. He led the elite Red Flag Battalion on a northern expedition to the desert. He was unstoppable and finally destroyed the stronghold of the remnants of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, completely eliminating the threat to the northern border. He was respected by the people of the world as "Wei Qing of our time".

On the day of his triumphant return, it was as if flowers were blooming on brocade and oil was being poured on a raging fire. Zhu Chongba received the utmost hospitality from Shishan.

However, his achievements overshadowed the emperor, and there was no reward to be given.

Not long after the army returned to the capital, Emperor Shi found a pretext for him to "privately keep farm slaves and raise adopted sons beyond the prescribed limits," and directly labeled this matter as irrefutable evidence of treason.

Not only was Zhu Chongba's entire clan executed, but after Zhu Chongba himself was executed, he was also brutally skinned alive and stuffed with straw, and his body was displayed at city gates throughout the country to intimidate everyone.

More than 20,000 people were executed because of this horrific case! The entire capital was shrouded in bloody terror.

Having learned a painful lesson, Zhu Chongba, who had been "reborn," became wiser and dared not engage in any behavior that could be seen as cultivating a private power. He acted with utmost caution and discretion, as if walking on thin ice.

However, during one of his later years, while on official business, he was forced to accept a banquet hosted by a prince of Shishan. Upon returning to the capital, he was accused by Shishan of "secretly meeting with a prince and plotting rebellion," and his family was once again exterminated and his entire household was wiped out.

After being "reborn" once again, Zhu Chongba finally realized that fame and fortune are all death warrants, and one must retire gracefully after achieving success.

Throughout his life, although he made outstanding contributions to the Shi family's rule by winning seven battles in seven campaigns and becoming a Duke, he closed himself off from all social interactions in his later years, trying to become a political "transparent person".

However, he still could not escape death. — At a court banquet, in front of all the civil and military officials, the emperor suddenly and sternly reprimanded his son for "disrespecting court etiquette by not wearing a crown," which was "a great disrespect."

Overwhelmed by extreme fear, Zhu Chongba actually strangled his own flesh and blood with his own hands, carrying the bloody head into the palace to plead guilty, attempting to exchange it for a glimmer of hope for his family's survival.

In return, he only received the emperor's cold mockery:

"Even tigers don't eat their cubs, how could you be so heartless? My heart is chilled!"

Zhu Chongba was utterly despondent and committed suicide on the spot to prove his innocence.

Serving as a military general under Emperor Shi was far too dangerous. After being reborn again and again, Zhu Chongba turned to studying diligently, hoping to become a civil official who would pose little threat to the Shi family's rule. In the end, he still could not escape death.

His cause of death was utterly absurd—simply because he lived too long; while the emperor was already old and frail, he was still able to take concubines and enjoy life, appearing even more energetic than the emperor. Ultimately, he was inexplicably implicated in a ten-year-old cold case, once again convicted of treason, and his entire family was executed.

Whether one is a capable military general or a cautious civil official, it seems that as long as one has made meritorious contributions, or in Shi Shan's view, poses even the slightest potential threat to the Shi family's imperial succession, one is destined to be subjected to the "treason" accusation.

In despair, Zhu Chongba chose to become Li Wu, the most trusted fellow villager in Shishan. He did live to old age, but because his son behaved improperly while on duty in the palace, he was "suspected of causing trouble" and was implicated and executed.

If even fellow villagers are not allowed, then surely relatives of the Stone Emperor would be acceptable?

Thus, Zhu Chongba became "Shi Chongba" in his dream, and as expected, he received a lot of care from his third uncle, Shi Shan, who even adopted him as his godson. He was given a life of luxury from a young age and was provided with ample resources for both literary and martial arts education.

After he grew up and joined the army, he didn't fight any tough battles or make any significant military achievements, but his official rank was promoted rapidly and exceptionally, surpassing a group of non-family generals who were promoted based on their merits in battle.

He was unwilling to betray Shishan's "trust". Later, when he was in charge of the army independently, he was surrounded by the enemy's superior forces. He gritted his teeth and held the isolated city for nearly three months, repelling the enemy's continuous attacks. He proved that he was not a good-for-nothing who relied entirely on connections.

Unexpectedly, it was precisely because of the military talent and tenacious will he displayed in this battle that he aroused the deep suspicion of the Stone Emperor.

After the war, he not only received no reward for his achievements, but was also relentlessly pursued and eventually forced to flee. He was soon captured again and framed for the serious crime of "harboring resentment and plotting rebellion," and was imprisoned and died.

—And at this time, Shishan in the dream hadn't even officially ascended the throne! His relatives died even earlier and were even more aggrieved!
"Zhu Chongba! Zhu Chongba! Get up! It's court time!"

In a daze, Zhu Chongba was roughly woken up. He was drenched in sweat from the nightmare, his breathing rapid, and in his hazy state, he couldn't tell whether this was another nested nightmare or the cruel reality.

Overwhelmed with fear, Zhu Chongba cried out in alarm:

"Where are you going?! I didn't rebel! I really didn't intend to rebel!"

The two military law officers who had been ordered to arrest the man exchanged glances, both seeing doubt and undisguised disdain in each other's eyes—they hadn't even been put in court yet, and they were already this terrified.
With such a small amount of courage, how did this man dare to openly violate military discipline in the first place? Then, the two men remembered that this man had at least been a garrison commander before, and they couldn't help but shake their heads at each other. If they had known this would happen, why did they do it in the first place!
"Come to court! Can't you hear me?" the head constable shouted impatiently again.

"Court is in session..."

These two words were like cold water poured over his head, jolting Zhu Chongba awake with a start.

As consciousness gradually returned to his body, he realized that he had just been having a nightmare and was currently locked up in a military law prison cell, not yet formally tried and convicted. Theoretically, he could still live for a few more days.

But the thought of the recurring, increasingly gruesome and bizarre deaths in his dreams still sent a chill down his spine—he had committed such a grave offense that he was surely doomed! Marshal Shi would never let him go!

Zhu Chongba didn't understand what "subconscious projection" and "persecution complex" were, but he instinctively understood:
If he were Shishan, he would have used various methods, such as strict official recruitment of soldiers, unified troop deployment, and the assignment of military judges, to try his best to plug the loopholes for generals to cultivate their own power.

As a result, there are still people who dare to collude with military judges and openly install their own people. They must be severely punished, and their entire families must be wiped out to serve as a warning to others!

This has absolutely nothing to do with whether this person actually intended to rebel. The key point is that this behavior itself is shaking the very foundation of the Red Flag Battalion, openly challenging Marshal Shi's authority, and posing the greatest threat to the new order that Shi Shan is trying to build.

If such behavior is not deterred by the death penalty, wouldn't it be tantamount to encouraging others to cross this red line?

If Zhu Chongba can install seven cronies today, others may follow suit tomorrow, installing seven hundred or seventy thousand! If this continues, military discipline will be completely destroyed, factions will spring up everywhere, and one day, even Zhu Chongba's head will be taken off by his subordinates and used as a football!
Thinking of this, Zhu Chongba strangely calmed down—a calm born of utter despair. He was ready to die facing the heavens!

He was born into extreme poverty, had nothing, and was even forced to shave his head and become a monk just to make a living.

After joining the army, he distinguished himself by his courage and resourcefulness, eventually becoming the coveted Zhenfu Shi (military governor), commanding over a thousand elite soldiers and earning the respect of ten thousand people.

Even if he were to die under Marshal Shi's military law, his name, Zhu Chongba, would surely be recorded in future historical records when the Red Flag Battalion was first established, so that he wouldn't have lived in vain.

If he were to die, he had to die with some dignity, not like the pathetic death in his dream, and certainly not so that future generations would look down on him as a coward. The two constables' gazes towards Zhu Chongba shifted from initial fear and confusion to panic and helplessness, then quickly settled into a near-dead calm and serenity. Just as they were wondering what was going on, they suddenly heard him plead in a calm tone:

"Brothers, could you do me a favor and allow me to tidy myself up a bit? It would be too undignified for me to be seen in court looking like this."

In the Jiangning Prefecture of the old Yuan Dynasty, if a prisoner fell into the hands of the yamen runners, he could not expect a pleasant reception, let alone be called "Big Brother" or "Dear Lord" or "Ancestor," unless he spent a lot of money.

However, the Red Flag Battalion was a rising new force, and the Military Law Department was a newly established government office with strict internal rules that had not yet been completely corrupted by the long-standing bad customs and practices.

"Hurry up! Don't dawdle!"

The bailiff's tone remained harsh, but he eventually turned aside, giving Zhu Chongba a little time.

Zhu Chongba quickly rubbed his face vigorously with his rough hands, trying to wipe away the sleep marks and dejection. He then tried his best to comb his messy and tangled hair with his fingers, and carefully patted and tidied up his wrinkled prison uniform, which was covered with grass clippings, in order to make himself look neater.

After doing all this, he took a deep breath, straightened his back, and calmly extended his hands, saying:

"Thank you for leading the way, brothers."

Without another word, the two constables skillfully put heavy wooden handcuffs and iron chain shackles on Zhu Chongba, then "supported" him on either side as they walked towards the courtroom. The clattering of the chains on the floor echoed jarringly in the dark prison corridor.

In order to close the case as soon as possible, Zeng Xing, the military judge, interrogated Qin Shuang, Zhou Dexing, Zhu Wenzheng and other related criminals day and night for days. He was exhausted, and his eyes were bloodshot, but he finally obtained coherent and mutually corroborating key testimonies.

He dared not delay and decided to strike while the iron was hot and immediately interrogate the main culprit, Zhu Chongba.

"Bang!" The gavel slammed down heavily, the sound echoing throughout the hall, sending chills down everyone's spine.

"Majesty!" The bailiffs standing on both sides with sticks roared in unison, creating a solemn atmosphere for the trial.

The ringleader, Zhu Chongba, was brought down to the courtroom amidst the clanking of shackles, and he obediently knelt down.

Zeng Xing followed procedure and asked the question in a deep voice.

"Who are you, sir? Where are you from? What position did you hold before you were brought to justice?"

This "one shot, three questions" procedure is not only a prescribed process, but also a way to eliminate any remaining sense of luck or arrogance that the perpetrators might have.

Zhu Chongba had already accepted the idea of ​​sacrificing himself for the law, and therefore would not harbor any further resistance. His knees ached from hitting the cold stone slabs, but his back instinctively straightened, and he answered clearly:
"The criminal general Zhu Chongba was from Taiping Township, Zhongli County, Haozhou. Before his arrest, he was the garrison commander of the Third Garrison of Fujun Guard."

Zeng Xing, having honed his skills through several days of intensive interrogation, saw Zhu Chongba's seemingly compliant yet secretly stubborn demeanor and knew that his psychological defenses had been nearly broken down during the long wait. Therefore, he refrained from further psychological pressure and went straight to the point:
"Zhu Chongba! I have been interrogating Qin Shuang, Zhou Dexing, Zhu Wenzheng, and other involved personnel for several days and have basically ascertained the facts of your illegal and disorderly conduct. Now I am giving you one last chance to truthfully confess your actions and motives, without any concealment or deception!"

If the testimony is genuine, it may be considered that you have shown remorse, and this official may try to give you a chance to live!

Zhu Chongba didn't actually believe in the platitude of "leniency for confession." Based on his simple understanding of the rules of power, he firmly believed that no matter what he said, he would inevitably be convicted of the serious crime of "premeditated rebellion," and would certainly face death, with a high probability that his family would also be implicated.

In that case, telling lies or begging for mercy becomes meaningless.

He immediately raised his head and calmly stated the facts:

"On October 21st last year, I wrote a letter to my childhood friend and fellow villager Zhou Dexing, entrusting him to repair my parents' graves to fulfill my filial duty; and in the letter, I hinted to him that in this chaotic world, it would be better to join the army and gain a better future, and that he could come under my command so that we could look after each other..."

Because Zhu Chongba was extremely cooperative, the interrogation process went exceptionally smoothly, and Zeng Xing quickly obtained a detailed confession that was highly consistent with other testimonies.

Based on the testimonies of Qin Shuang, Zhou Dexing, Zhu Wenzheng, and others, as well as the letters and physical evidence seized, it can be basically determined that Zhu Chongba did not lie this time. His core motive was indeed "to show favoritism, promote his fellow villagers, and cultivate his cronies so that they could control the troops."

However, Zeng Xing still did not pronounce the verdict in court—just as Zhu Chongba had predicted, the key to the final judgment of this case was not the facts of the case itself, but what signal Marshal Shi wanted to convey through this case, and how determined he was to maintain military discipline.

After returning Zhu Chongba to prison, Zeng Xing immediately ordered his clerks to organize all the confessions and evidence overnight, creating a complete case file. The next morning, he took this heavy stack of case files to the Marshal's Mansion and requested an audience with Shi Shan.

"Marshal, Zhu Chongba was brought before the court yesterday and confessed to his crimes without reservation."

Zeng Xing stood with his hands at his sides, stating only the facts and daring not to add any personal biased judgments.

"Ah."

Shi Shan looked up from the pile of documents, responded, took the dossier handed over by Deng Youde, and began to carefully read through it, his finger occasionally pausing on a certain line of text.

The confession shows that Zhu Chongba admitted that he had the selfish intention of recruiting Zhou Dexing as an assistant as early as last year when he wrote the letter.

After arriving in Hezhou, Zhou Dexing knew that his actions violated military discipline, but he still took a chance and sought out Qin Shuang to test him. Qin Shuang, driven by opportunism, took the initiative to persuade several other military judges to cover it up and illegally record Zhou Dexing in the military roster.

Marshal Shi was strict in his military discipline, and Zhu Chongba knew that this matter was very risky. After nearly two months of arranging Zhou Dexing's service and confirming that it had not attracted the attention of others, he began to grow bolder and wrote to his nephew Zhu Wenzheng, asking him to bring men to join the army...

The case is clear in its details and the chain of evidence is complete. The testimonies of Qin Shuang, Zhou Dexing, and others, as well as the letters seized, all indirectly confirm that Zhu Chongba was indeed instigating this matter. His core purpose was to favor his relatives and fellow villagers and to try to build his own clique within the army.

After a long silence, Shi Shan closed the file, looked up at Zeng Xing, whose face was haggard from days of hard work, and said in a calm tone:
"The case details are very clear, and the evidence is solid. You did a great job!"

This was the first major case Zeng Xing handled after taking office. To receive praise from the marshal, he quickly bowed and humbly said:
"This is my duty."

Shi Shan was efficient and disliked procrastination, so he quickly changed the subject and asked:

"In your opinion, how should this case be judged?"

After obtaining the testimonies, Zeng Xing immediately compiled them into a file and requested an audience with the Marshal. He knew that the verdict in this case was no small matter and had gone beyond the scope of simple military law. He could not act on his own and had to ask Shi Shan for his final decision.

But since the marshal had asked, as the head of the military law department, he could not be without his own preliminary opinion and judgment, otherwise he would be derelict in his duty.

Zeng Xing carefully considered his words and cautiously replied:
"In my opinion, the facts of this case are clear and the evidence is conclusive. The only question is about Zhu Chongba's motive."

As he spoke, he carefully observed Shi Shan's expression, only to find that the marshal's face was ashen, revealing no emotional fluctuation whatsoever. Unable to guess the marshal's true thoughts, Zeng Xing had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue speaking:

"Based solely on Zhu Chongba's confession and existing evidence, his actions were aimed at promoting his relatives and fellow villagers in order to gain control of the army, which seriously violated the 'Recruitment Ordinance,' 'Division of Soldiers Ordinance,' and 'Military Judges Inspector Ordinance,' and had an extremely negative impact."

According to military law, he should be discharged from the military, all his merits and rewards should be revoked, and he should be sentenced to at least two years of hard labor as a warning to others!

Shi Shan remained noncommittal, but simply gazed at Zeng Xing, signaling him to continue.

Not receiving any emotional feedback from the marshal, Zeng Xing became even more uneasy, unsure whether the marshal thought the sentence was too lenient or was dissatisfied with his "case-by-case" attitude.

In his heart, he did not want to treat Zhu Chongba leniently—how could he demonstrate the authority of the Military Law Department and his weight as the Military Law Department's military commander if he did not handle the case thoroughly and seriously?
However, Zeng Xing also knew that the Marshal was extremely disgusted by his subordinates who ruined official business for personal gain or abused severe punishments to curry favor with their superiors.

After struggling for a moment, he steeled himself and gritted his teeth to deliver the verdict he wanted:

"If it weren't for the Marshal's keen insight and timely discovery and cessation of Zhu Chongba's actions, the Third Division might have been gradually devoured by this scoundrel and become Zhu's private army!"
Although I have not yet found conclusive evidence of his direct treason, judging from his character, if he were to gain control of a large army in the future, there is no guarantee he wouldn't harbor rebellious intentions! To prevent future troubles and deter others, I believe we should use severe punishment to exterminate his entire clan, thus eliminating any future threat!

By the end, Zeng Xing's voice had taken on a hint of murderous intent.

Shi Shan stood up, slowly walked towards Zeng Xing, and instead of immediately giving instructions on Zhu Chongba's verdict, suddenly asked:
"So, how do you plan to rule on military judge Qin Shuang?"

Zeng Xing was intently awaiting the marshal's verdict on Zhu Chongba's fate when he was suddenly asked about Qin Shuang. His mind caught off guard, and he paused for a moment, then almost instinctively answered according to conventional thinking:
"Qin Shuang? As a military judge, he knowingly broke the law, which is an aggravating circumstance. However, he was an accomplice and had no subjective motive for rebellion. Therefore, his punishment should be reduced by one degree compared to the principal offender, Zhu Chongba."

As the Red Flag Battalion's power rapidly expanded and its internal structure became increasingly complex, Shi Shan, despite constantly developing and improving various systems, understood better than anyone that even the most ingenious system design ultimately relied on "people" to implement it and on "people" to supervise it.

The problem in Zhu Chongba's case lies precisely in the fact that both the executor (Zhu Chongba) and the supervisors (military judge Qin Shuang and others) failed to function and colluded with each other! As the final arbitrator, the Military Law Department must find a way to remedy this problem.

However, Zeng Xing's thinking was still limited to the level of "how to punish individual cases". He kept agonizing over whether to sentence Zhu Chongba and others lightly or heavily, hoping to guess the "upper-level intentions" and gain his favor. This made Shi Shan feel a little disappointed.

He looked at Zeng Xing, his tone steady yet powerful, and asked a deeper question:

"Will executing Zhu Chongba's entire clan on the charge of 'treason' deter everyone from showing favoritism and completely eradicate treason?"

(End of this chapter)