Chapter 179
After the capture of Suihua, the general did not immediately move in. Instead, Meng Yi and his men led troops to take over Suihua's defense. He himself returned to the city lord's residence alone. After announcing the conquest of Yichun, the lord's residence also published a mournful obituary, announcing the massacre of 18,867 people in Hui'an Town.
At the beginning, when Suihua was captured, the soldiers and civilians who were unaware of the situation cheered. But when the news of the massacre in Hui'an Town broke out, everyone's smiles disappeared and crying was heard everywhere.
Among them, the people of Huining and Songhua Prefecture were all glad that their local commanders led them to surrender early. Otherwise, if they were chosen by the madman Gan Huacheng as the base to resist Yichun, they might have followed the same fate as Hui'an Town.
Furthermore, the punishment for Gan Huacheng was announced. Zhang Jiuxiang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, under the strong urging of the people, sentenced Gan Huacheng to death by slicing. The execution was to take place seven days later, the first day of mourning for the people of Hui'an Town.
On the day of the Ganhuacheng massacre at Hui'an Town, the 5,000 personal soldiers he had brought with him were expelled from the barracks and reduced to forced labor. Although they were following orders, each of them had several lives on their hands!
Aside from Gan Huacheng, Chen Pingan received the heaviest sentence, being torn to pieces by a chariot. If he hadn't informed on the matter and even instigated Gan Huacheng to massacre the entire town, Hui'an Town wouldn't have been nearly wiped out. Not to mention his final attempt to attack the remaining children in Hui'an Town.
Only by offering their blood as a sacrifice can we comfort the souls of more than 18,000 people in Hui'an Town.
Six days before his execution, Gan Huacheng couldn't expect to live comfortably. He had to kneel before the tomb. Of course, all the subordinates he brought with him that day had to kneel before the collective tombstone in Hui'an Town and confess their crimes! Then, they would send heavy troops to guard Gan Huacheng, and he would have nothing but clean water and a bowl of porridge to keep him alive.
During this time, Gan Huacheng was tied up and gagged to prevent him from biting his tongue to commit suicide. A death like that would be too easy for him! Furthermore, every time they fed him porridge, they would remove his teeth and then force the porridge in, trying to keep him alive.
On the day of the execution, a light spring rain unexpectedly fell. Xing Changfeng, Yao Chunnuan, and other high-ranking officials from the City Lord's Mansion were in attendance. They were dressed in black, their arms bound with white cloth, and their faces were solemn.
There were also many ordinary people who came to watch, and all of them had solemn expressions on their faces.
Ba Yuan had also arrived, the miracle doctor who had always been dedicated to saving the dying and healing the wounded. Today, he had come to save Gan Huacheng's life, to prevent him from dying prematurely during the lingchi (slicing) process. When someone had suggested it, he had agreed immediately.
Only after the executioner struck the 1,080th blow was Gan Huacheng allowed to die.
Chen Pingan witnessed the entire process of Gan Huacheng being tortured to death by slicing. He was so frightened that he peed his butt and spoke incoherently. But the punishment of being torn apart by a chariot still had to fall on him. They looked pitiful now, but that was their own fault. I believe that when they massacred the people of Hui'an Town, there must have been people who kowtowed and begged for mercy, but did they spare them? No.
On this day, as the spring rain fell gently, the blood of Gan Huacheng, Chen Pingan and others dyed the earth red, just like that day.
People dispersed one after another, quietly, for fear of disturbing the souls returning home at this time.
Yao Chunnuan also left quietly, with Qi Yingshan holding an umbrella for her. Before leaving, she took one last look at the land. Although the culprit was dead, the deceased could not be brought back.
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The tragic news of the Ganhua City massacre at Hui'an Town spread rapidly after the Yichun City Lord's Mansion announced it. Soon, the news that Ganhua City had massacred Hui'an Town and killed most of the officials in Suihua shocked the world.
Countless people trembled as countless papers of scolding rushed towards the court. Some scolded Gan Huacheng, and some scolded the court for being blind. The Third Prince, who was in charge at the time, was even scolded by some stubborn old men.
Yes, the person in charge now is the Third Prince. The old emperor is on his deathbed, and the Crown Prince is recuperating due to illness, so the Third Prince was released by the Crown Prince. This was a decision made after careful consideration by the Crown Prince. His body really cannot work any more and needs to rest for a while. After all, he and the Third Prince are brothers who are connected by blood. Instead of entrusting the government to the ministers, it is better for him to take charge of the overall situation.
The Crown Prince had received the news immediately and immediately questioned the Third Prince, "Ahem, you actually gave Gan Huacheng such great power?"
The Third Prince disagreed. "It's because you're too merciful that so many people want to surrender the city and flatter the rebels. Just wait and see. After killing a bunch of people like this, those who want to surrender the city will have to think twice."
The Third Prince's words were true. At this time, the court's ruthless treatment of officials with disloyalty had intimidated all those harboring second thoughts. The impact of the previous surrenders and the surrender of cities by officials in places like Huizi and Songhua Prefecture had been contained by the court's brutal measures. At the very least, they would consider whether their surrender was faster or the court's swifter action.
The prince was silent. His brother had always acted arbitrarily, but what he said was not without reason. "But you gave him the power to kill officials, so why did you also give him the power to kill civilians?"
Speaking of this, the third prince was also depressed. Who the hell knew what was going on in Gan Huacheng?
The prince sighed, "Let's put up a notice to clarify. We can't just assume Yichun says everything." The Ganhuacheng incident had both advantages and disadvantages for them. It was unclear whether the advantages outweighed the disadvantages or the disadvantages.
"Since Suihua couldn't be defended, Jiachuan and Houcheng are unlikely to be either. Next, we should station troops in Jizhou. That's the most likely place to stop Xing Changfeng and his men." The Crown Prince grumbled as he spoke. Ganhua City was also incompetent, defeated in a single round, and tens of thousands of soldiers were incorporated into Yichun. This was tantamount to sacrificing flesh to aid the enemy, weakening one side while the other gained strength. The rebels grew stronger, while Daliang grew weaker.
The Third Prince had no objection to this. "Brother, where is the general? Who will lead the troops?"
The Crown Prince said, "I intend to transfer Wang Lang north." His decision was a helpless one, as he realized that the others were even more useless than Wang Lang. Although Wang Lang couldn't compete with Xing Changfeng, Yao Chunnuan, and others, and was often beaten to a pulp, he could still fight.
Wang Lang had previously been stationed in Qiannan. Thanks to the pacification of the north, the southern barbarians were no longer so presumptuous, and the south had also settled down. The Crown Prince knew that the enemy was merely waiting for an opportunity. If Daliang weakened, they would surely strike back. But he couldn't worry about that now; he had to resolve the immediate crisis first.
The common people discovered that the imperial court responded very quickly to the massacre in Ganhua City and Hui'an Town.
They placed all the blame on the Yichun rebels, claiming they had colluded with local officials and the inhabitants of Hui'an, forcing Gan Huacheng to massacre them in order to defend Suihua. As for the Suihua officials who were strangled by Gan Huacheng, they were responsible for defending the territory as local officials, but they neglected their duties and instead coveted the high positions and generous salaries offered by the rebels. Gan Huacheng deserved the punishment.
Later on, the emphasis was placed on the killing of officials, blurring the focus and downplaying the massacre of the town.
The imperial edict rebuked officials in Huining, Songhua Prefecture, Suihua, and other places. He scolded them: "Eating the emperor's salary, loyal to the emperor, Daliang has nurtured scholars for two hundred years. Now that Daliang is in trouble, the scholars are vainly trying to surrender the city and seek high positions and generous salaries for the rebels. Such officials are unworthy of their positions and deserve death."
Because there were many examples in the past, such as the surrender of officials in Huining and Songhua Prefecture, the submission of Marshal Zhu, and the marriage of General Huo's youngest daughter to Xing Changfeng, even though public opinion was dissatisfied with the massacre in Ganhua City, it had its reasons, and public opinion was somewhat moderated, no longer criticizing the court so sharply.
In other places, public opinion was somewhat eased due to the court's explanation, but in Yichun, the situation between the two places was not eased, but instead became very agitated.
The court is shameless!
This was their first reaction when they heard the slanderous words in the imperial edict of the Daliang court.
The people of Yichun are not so easily fooled.
Yao Chunnuan had previously advocated for establishing private schools in the Yichun military settlement, and then in the main city. Adults were never prohibited from attending either location. Their efforts weren't intended to stultify the people, but rather to enlighten them and encourage their thinking. Furthermore, Yichun's main city was now the economic and cultural center of their power, and discussion of non-confidential matters was permitted. Consequently, the people of Yichun were known for their ability to think.
As for Suihua, it was the place where the incident took place. They knew more or less about the tragedy that happened in Hui'an Town that day, so they would not be fooled by the words of the Daliang court.
Unfortunately, no matter how much the common people in the two places did not believe it, the stigma of the Daliang court colluding with the Yichun rebels was not rectified until the establishment of the Xin Dynasty due to the lack of strong evidence to refute it.
Afterwards, the Yichun City Lord's Mansion also issued a manifesto to refute Daliang's slander against Hui'an Town.
At Yichun Public School, many young faces, still young and innocent, looked up at the teacher standing on the stage, reading and explaining the manifesto.
"This manifesto from the City Lord's Mansion was written in plain language. It first describes the cause of the incident and then ends by asking the Daliang court, 'Is it right to massacre the people of Ganhua City because they used Yichun's kang?'"
The Master continued, "Your Daliang court insists on not punishing officials, yet you're accustomed to blaming any crime on the common people. The court is unjust, yet it places the blame on the common people. What guilt have the common people committed? Eighteen thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven people perished in Hui'an Town, not eighteen thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven animals."
After reading this, the teacher choked up and the students below also felt heavy-hearted.
After calming down, the Master continued reading, "Daliang is the Daliang of the Huaxia people, but Huaxia is not just Daliang's Huaxia. Not to mention that Hui'an Town has never colluded with us Yichun. If the people rebelled, it was because they were overwhelmed. You, Daliang, should reflect on yourselves instead of putting all the blame on the people. Because the people of our Huaxia are the most patient people. As long as they can survive, they are absolutely the most docile."
"The Daliang Dynasty lasted nearly two hundred years, but its decay wasn't a one-day effort, nor the work of one person. The Daliang court, its civil and military officials, were supported entirely by the people of the land, feeding on their blood and sweat. The people paid the finest grain in taxes, endured the heaviest corvée labor, and sent their strongest sons to serve in the imperial court. But what about you, the Daliang court? What have you done for the people? Have you protected them? Have you sheltered them from the elements?"
"No, you didn't. Not only did you fail to protect the people from the wind and rain, but the wind and rain were brought upon them by your court. Every corrupt official who brought disaster to the local area was sent by the court, but when they committed all sorts of evil, did you ever intervene?"
"You ordered Gan Huacheng to kill the officials of Suihua, which is fine, because they are indeed pests nurtured by your Daliang court. But you instructed Gan Huacheng to massacre the people, which is too cruel and inhumane!"
"Finally, no matter how much evidence the Daliang court will produce to prove Hui'an Town is colluding with Yichun, we, the Yichun City Lord's Mansion, urge everyone to stand on Hui'an Town's side. The court and Hui'an Town are like a wall and an egg. No matter what explanation or statement the court gives, we should stand on the side of the egg. Because they will shatter if they clash with the wall."
"No matter how many excuses they make, it can't change the fact that the Daliang court allowed its military commanders to massacre civilians. Furthermore, if we don't learn from this lesson, the court's butcher knife might turn on us next time."
The words used in this manifesto from the Yichun City Lord's Mansion were very blunt, almost pointing fingers at the Daliang court.
The common people under the influence of Yichun were the first to see the manifesto. After reading it, countless people screamed and shouted.
"Ahhh, I love Yichun City Lord's Mansion so much."
"The adults in the City Lord's Mansion handled the situation beautifully."
They were very satisfied with the response of the City Lord's Mansion.
The people of Yichun were satisfied, and the people of Suihua were also very excited. Hui'an Town belonged to them, and the Daliang court had previously slandered Hui'an Town for colluding with Yichun, which was why the town was massacred. They were angry and upset. Now that the City Lord's Mansion had fought back, they finally got rid of their anger.
This manifesto was known to the world and was like a loud slap in the face of the Daliang court.
For a time, everyone felt insecure.
Some wise men shook their heads and said, "What a foolish move!" Actually, Ganhuacheng's strategy of killing officials and townspeople was effective. It was just that Yichun's counterattack made Daliang's move look utterly disgraceful.
The prince had been keeping an eye on Yichun's movements, and soon after the proclamation was released, he received the news. After reading the proclamation, his face flushed with anger. "Damn Yichun! Their court has been demonized into such a state!"
A big forest has all kinds of birds. This is the case with the Daliang court.
Yichun's territory is still small now, so of course they can control their subordinates well and win the praise of the people. Once their territory becomes bigger, I don't believe they will be able to avoid any mistakes!
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