Chapter 36: Leave No One Behind
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That night.
At a farmstead outside the capital.
After a long day of exhausting labor in the fields, the farmers had no choice but to retire early, lest hunger keep them awake.
But today was different.
Although many households had gone to bed early, few had immediately fallen asleep.
The reason was the events that had unfolded in the city that day.
A peasant woman lay in bed, excitement creeping into her voice as she said to her husband, “Old man, I heard the Emperor arrested a great many local bullies in the city today. Do you think he might arrest Ox Two from our village as well?”
“The day before yesterday, Ox Two was still saying that even though his brother-in-law had died, once the new Hundred-household Commander took office, he would only need to grease a few palms to remain the same old Ox Two.”
“He even ordered everyone in the village to prepare their dues in advance. What an arrogant tone he had!”
Her dark, gaunt husband could not help snorting.
“You women spend every day gossiping at the village entrance until you’ve talked your brains away. Do you really think the Emperor, a man of such exalted rank, has the time to concern himself with Ox Two from our village?”
Before the peasant woman could argue, a commotion suddenly arose outside.
“Sir! I’ve been wronged! I’ve never done anything to harm the people of this village!”
The couple froze. That all-too-familiar voice belonged unmistakably to Ox Two.
They hurriedly threw on some clothes and rushed outside to see what was happening.
There they saw Ox Two, normally so arrogant and overbearing in the village, kneeling before a Brocade Guard like a trembling slug.
The Brocade Guard who had arrested him let out a cold laugh.
“Ox Two, do you think we don’t know that you used your brother-in-law’s position as a Hundred-household Commander to extort dues from the villagers?”
Recalling what had happened at the yamen moments earlier, the Brocade Guard continued, “Let me tell you this: now that His Majesty has ascended the throne, men like you are precisely the kind he intends to purge. From now on, there will be no more of this sort of thing beyond the imperial city.”
Even the crimes of the Great Ming’s dukes and nobles were met with arrest, without exception. How much less could a petty village tyrant hope to escape?
Without further ado, Ox Two was shackled and dragged away.
The villagers, who had long suffered under his oppression, could not help cheering at that moment.
Even after the Brocade Guards had departed, the villagers remained gathered in the darkness, talking for quite some time before finally returning to their homes.
Back in her house, the peasant woman was still brimming with excitement.
“Old man, everyone outside says the new Emperor is especially ruthless and kills anyone he sees. But from what I can tell, he only kills bad people!”
Her husband was aghast.
“Keep your voice down!”
…
The following morning.
After Zhu Youjian rose and finished exercising, Cao Huachun came over.
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“Your Majesty, all the principal offenders listed in the register have been apprehended and brought to justice. More than two hundred accomplices have fled and gone into hiding. This servant has already dispatched men to continue the hunt.”
Zhu Youjian nodded.
“Have riders announce throughout the capital and the surrounding county offices and villages that all of these men are to be executed at noon today.”
Cao Huachun’s heart jolted. He had assumed that His Majesty would execute the principal offenders in public, while deciding the fate of the other criminals later.
He had never imagined that not a single one of the more than three thousand men would be spared.
After today, the majesty of imperial authority would rise dramatically once more in the hearts of the people.
Cao Huachun dared not delay any longer. Bowing, he replied, “This servant receives Your Majesty’s command.”
Since so many heads would be cut off at once, Zhu Youjian had even established several execution sites to make it easier for the common people to watch.
As mounted messengers swept through every street of the capital, the city’s inhabitants instantly erupted into excitement.
Executions.
Since ancient times, few spectacles had ever drawn more attention.
From the moment the arrests had begun the previous day, the people of the capital had been discussing the matter animatedly, privately wondering how their young and valiant Emperor would deal with the prisoners.
At the same time, the rumors that the new Emperor was foolish and cruel had already begun to collapse of their own accord.
Whether the people killed by the Emperor had benefited them or harmed them—could they not judge that for themselves?
Countless commoners began spreading the news of their own accord.
…
Within the Five Military Command Headquarters.
Zhang Weixian watched the jubilant crowds filling the streets below, his heart surging with emotion.
He had seen not only the direction in which popular sentiment was flowing, but also something deeper.
When His Majesty had summoned him to the palace earlier, he had asked a question that left Zhang Weixian speechless: If the Capital Garrisons were to be reformed, where would the soldiers be recruited from?
At the time, Zhang Weixian truly had no answer. In those days, any commoner who was not a complete fool would never have considered joining the army.
But things were entirely different now.
In an astonishingly short time, His Majesty had restored the people’s trust in the authorities. Money and provisions were no longer an issue either.
Thus, so long as recruitment notices were posted, a considerable number of respectable young men would surely volunteer for military service.
Zhang Weixian did not dare guarantee that this alone would produce an elite army, but at the very least, it could sweep away the decline that had overtaken the Capital Garrisons.
If that happened, the situation in the capital would no longer be as perilous as before.
As he considered these matters, Zhang Weixian could not help feeling as though he were dreaming.
His Majesty had been on the throne for barely a month, yet he had already managed to turn the tide to such an extent.
What, then, would the Great Ming become in the future?
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Zhang Weixian clenched his fists, his heart filled with anticipation.
The civil officials naturally saw what Zhang Weixian had seen.
Even they had to admit that this move by the seventeen-year-old Son of Heaven to win the hearts of the people had been masterful.
But at the same time, it further confirmed their suspicions.
For the Emperor to unleash such a slaughter in the capital with such haste, he was surely preparing for the inspection tour that would follow—winning the people’s support while striking fear into their hearts.
Unfortunately, His Majesty had overestimated himself and underestimated them.
Whether he went south or north, he would ultimately find only a dead end.
Perhaps the capital would be shaken when the time came, but it would never amount to anything serious.
Time could wear away many things.
Eradicating evil on behalf of the people could be recast as bloodthirsty brutality, while diligent governance could be twisted into proof of incompetence and folly.
For that reason, they did not even bother making an issue of this mass slaughter. They simply waited with single-minded patience for the day the Emperor departed on his inspection tour.
…
Before long, noon arrived.
The Execution Grounds, the entrance to the Brocade Guard headquarters, the city gates…
The several temporary execution sites were surrounded by commoners who had come from every direction.
At the cry of, “Proceed with the execution!”
One after another, the powerful men whom ordinary people had once feared to offend were dragged forward like dead dogs.
Many of the tyrants once notorious for their cruelty now had their trousers soaked with filth and urine.
But before they could utter more than a few pleas for mercy, a steel blade flashing with cold light came crashing down upon their necks.
Thunderous cheers erupted all around.
At first, the people merely shouted their approval.
But as the number of heads severed increased, some began recalling the oppression they had suffered at the hands of these beasts. The cheers gradually turned into furious curses and raised fists.
Had the Brocade Guards and the Imperial Guard of the Divine Might Camp not been stationed at the front to maintain order, the people might well have rushed forward and torn the prisoners to pieces themselves.
Just as the crowd’s fury reached its peak, an imperial dragon banner came sweeping toward them from afar, surrounded by a contingent of black-clad cavalry.
The crowd fell silent at once.
Then, with a rustling wave, everyone dropped to their knees.
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