Chapter 161 The public trial begins; Chief Constable Zhao stubbornly refuses to plead guilty.
A muffled thud.
Blood was gushing from Duan Wu's forehead.
"General!" Several soldiers immediately rushed up to protect him.
The remaining soldiers were enraged and were about to draw their swords and charge into the crowd.
"Stop!" Duan Wu roared. "No one is allowed to be disrespectful to the common people!"
The soldiers had drawn their swords halfway when they heard the general's order and had to stop abruptly. However, they did not retreat but continued to stare intently at the surging crowd with murderous eyes.
Upon seeing this, the common people were so frightened that they backed away. They had only acted impulsively in the heat of the moment, and they certainly didn't have the guts to actually clash with the soldiers.
"Put away your swords and come back!" Duan Wu shouted.
"General!" a soldier gritted his teeth and said, "These unruly commoners are too insolent! They dare to be disrespectful to you in broad daylight! We can't stand by and watch!"
Duan Wu's face was half-stained with blood. He pushed aside the soldiers protecting him and strode to the edge of the platform. "They are not troublemakers. They are just like the elders and folks of our respective hometowns. They are the hardworking people of Da Xuan... Don't forget what the fairy once told us. As the army of Da Xuan, we must not only protect Da Xuan, but also protect the people!"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers silently sheathed their swords and retreated to the vicinity of the judgment platform.
The people were all stunned.
They had lived half their lives, and this was the first time they had ever heard a soldier say that the army was there to protect the people.
Throughout history, across the world, whether it was the Great Xuan or other vassal states, government troops have always been the ultimate weapon for monarchs to seize territory and consolidate their power. For this purpose, not only the people of other countries, but even the people of their own country could be arbitrarily suppressed and plundered.
As the saying goes, bandits pass through the border like a comb, and soldiers pass through the border like a fine-toothed comb.
In many cases, officers and soldiers do not treat ordinary people as human beings.
"Fellow villagers," Duan Wu said sincerely, looking at the astonished crowd, "I would like to apologize to you all first. I am truly sorry for violently driving you away from the county government office that day. But it was a last resort, to put on an act and gather more evidence. Please forgive me."
Duan Wu's attitude caused a great uproar among the people.
First, he made a statement that overturned their understanding, and then... he actually apologized to them!
A military officer apologizing to the people?! Especially since the other party was a general!
Ordinary people wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing!
Some people stared blankly, turning their heads to look in the direction where the sun was rising, wondering if the sun really was rising in the west today.
Some people even slapped themselves and pinched their thighs, trying to figure out if they were hallucinating or not fully awake.
After all, this is simply outrageous, unheard of, and unseen.
“General Duan…” An old man walked out from the crowd, trembling. “Just for what you said today, I admire you. I have seen too many officers and soldiers. Nine out of ten of them are not good people. One or two out of ten still have a conscience, but none of them can have the magnanimity and level of thought of General Duan.”
"Please accept this old man's bow."
After saying this, he solemnly bowed and knelt down.
A moment later, the other people's expressions changed, and they all knelt down.
The crowd surged like a receding tide, one wave after another, until finally, the endless stream of people from Hewan County were all bowing down to Duan Wu.
Tears welled up in Duan Wu's eyes instantly. This was the first time he had ever felt the complete trust of the people.
"Gentlemen..." Duan Wu also knelt down on both knees, clasped his hands and said loudly, "I, Duan, once again return your greetings! I, Duan, guarantee that today's public trial will give you a satisfactory explanation and I will never betray your trust!"
Then, Duan Wu asked the people to stand up, and he also stood up.
"General Duan! General Duan!" the people shouted excitedly in unison.
Seeing this, Xiao Qidi was deeply shocked. He then looked down at Ning Jinli beside him and said softly, "What you taught him is truly effective. How did you come up with that idea?"
Ning Jinli smiled and said, "I don't need to think about it, because in my world, that's just how it is. Soldiers and civilians have a great relationship."
Xiao Qidi's pupils trembled. "Was this the case in all countries of the world in your time?"
“No, no, no,” Ning Jinli quickly shook her head, “Only our country has this! Other countries are fine, even if they wear the skin of a modern army, they are still in the style of the ancient times at heart. The people in foreign countries are afraid of their own army.”
Xiao Qidi's lips suddenly curled up slightly, "In that case, it must be the me in your world who laid the foundation for this kind of thinking for future generations."
Ning Jinli smiled and said, "Don't flatter yourself. Although your ideas are very advanced, they are still limited by the times. After you established the unified dynasty, your ruling style did continue for more than two thousand years. However, it was during the bloody invasion that our country encountered in modern times that a super great person personally created the deep bond between the army and the people."
At this point, Ning Jinli's eyes revealed a look of admiration.
Xiao Qidi narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of jealousy in them. "A super great person? You like him a lot?"
“Of course!” Ning Jinli said with great enthusiasm, “He is unprecedented and unparalleled in the world. Not only do I like him, admire him, and respect him, but people all over the world feel the same way! Of course, those bad people who oppress and exploit the people will be afraid of him, fear him, and even slander him, but countless ordinary people will always stand with him!”
"Is he that capable?" Xiao Qidi asked in surprise.
Ning Jinli nodded vigorously, "He ended the feudal era that had lasted for more than two thousand years in our country. When our country was in the darkest moment of internal and external troubles, he and the pioneers led the people to drive away the invaders, broke through countless desperate situations, and preserved the flame of Chinese civilization. He also created a brand new modern country for our country and laid the best foundation for the future. His greatness cannot be described in just a few words."
"You mean, the feudal dynasty I created in your world, which lasted for over two thousand years, was ended by this person?" Xiao Qidi's eyes widened involuntarily. "Then in your opinion, who is more powerful, me or him?"
“Hehe,” Ning Jinli said without hesitation, “Of course it’s him.”
Xiao Qidi was completely consumed by jealousy, and his unhappiness was evident in his eyes.
Ning Jinli smiled and cupped his handsome face, which had fallen, and said with a grin:
"Of course you're no less impressive, after all, you were the founding emperor. You were a great man who laid the foundation for the great unification of the entire Chinese nation, and your contributions are unique in the world. Let me tell you, even some modern countries in my world haven't developed the same idea that a country must be unified as we do. People say it's because they don't have our kind of heritage in their bones, and their ancestors didn't have a great emperor like you."
"In my world, if our country didn't have you, it wouldn't have formed a unified ideology that is deeply ingrained in the blood of the Chinese people, and it wouldn't have stood at the pinnacle of the world for most of the next two thousand years. If it weren't for that great man, our country wouldn't have been reborn and entered a new era, and it would have been difficult to achieve the goal of returning to the top in the future."
"You, and countless others who have made contributions to China throughout our history, present, and future, are all great."
Xiao Qidi pondered for a moment, savoring these words, then stared into Ning Jinli's eyes and asked, "So, the person you described as incredibly great... was just someone you genuinely respected and admired?"
Ning Jinli was slightly taken aback, then burst out laughing, "Little brother, so you misunderstood and were just jealous?"
Xiao Qidi's cheeks flushed slightly, and he turned his head away awkwardly.
Ning Jinli turned his head and said softly, "Silly boy, in my heart, you will always be the best, and you are the person I love the most."
Xiao Qidi's eyes gleamed, and he instinctively lowered his head to get closer.
Ning Jinli quickly stopped her, "Calm down, don't forget the occasion."
"Oh..." Xiao Qidi smiled and scratched his head.
He thought for a moment and said softly, "Then tell me more about that great man in the future. I want to understand him better. He must have a lot to teach me about how amazing he is."
"Young man, you have a high level of awareness, not bad at all." Ning Jinli said with a look of satisfaction, holding his large hand. "It seems that this world will become even more beyond my imagination in the future."
At this moment, on the judge's bench, Duan Wu treated the injury on his forehead and sat down behind the judge's table.
The soldiers nearby struck a gong to signal the people to be quiet.
Duan Wu ordered, "Bring all the yamen runners and constables of Hewan County Government here!"
The people all stared wide-eyed, eagerly awaiting the news.
Soon, more than two hundred people dressed in prison uniforms were escorted onto the platform by the soldiers and made to kneel in several rows.
The people exclaimed in amazement, "Wow, apart from the magistrate being absent, all the officials and runners in the county government office are indeed present!"
"Great! We should leave none of them behind!"
"These lackeys have bullied us a lot in the past!"
"Yes, not a single one of them is any good! They all deserve to die!"
A chorus of curses erupted.
Xiumei looked closely, and suddenly her pupils contracted.
She saw Officer Zhao.
That beast who destroyed her home, killed her mother-in-law, almost took her life, and kidnapped her daughter!
Xiumei's husband now knows what happened at home, and when he saw Constable Zhao, he was equally furious.
If they hadn't been rationally considering the bigger picture and believing that General Duan would deliver a satisfactory verdict, the couple would have already rushed over and torn Officer Zhao to pieces!
Duan Wu began interrogating the county officials.
The soldiers carried up the mountain of physical evidence in baskets, and as for the witnesses, there were countless people from Hewan County present who could all testify.
The officials and yamen runners, led by the clerk, and most of the constables quickly confessed their crimes and lay on the ground trembling.
Only Constable Zhao and a few other constables remained silent.
Duan Wu slammed his gavel, "Don't you plead guilty?"
Several constables looked on in fear, glancing furtively at Constable Zhao.
While pondering, Constable Zhao said, "General, we did all the things we did on the orders of the county magistrate, not of our own volition. Why should we be blamed for oppressing the people?"
Duan Wu sneered, "Then should I, the general, praise you for being loyal to your duty?"
"I wouldn't dare," Duan Wu said calmly. "I'm just telling the truth."
Duan Wu said calmly, "Apart from you few, everyone else has admitted that over the years, they have intensified their extortion of the people by taking advantage of the tax and silver projects privately set up by the county magistrate. Moreover, since the county magistrate does not attend to official business, they have also abused their power for personal gain, bullied the people, and arbitrarily wronged and punished the people. Isn't this a crime that you should bear? Didn't you participate?"
Officer Zhao said confidently, "We really didn't participate in these things. I never overstep my authority; I only do what the magistrate asks of me. General, you can provide witnesses and evidence to cross-examine us."
Duan Wu flipped through the bamboo slips in front of him, saying as he read, "The clerk confessed that you had repeatedly ordered him to violate procedures in drafting approval documents and notices; the jailer also confessed that you had repeatedly ordered him to use torture on suspects without interrogation."
Head Constable Zhao raised his head and said, "As I said, those were all instructions given to me privately by the magistrate, not something I did intentionally. Even when I went to collect taxes, I was just following orders. General, you should be able to see from the accounts and the testimonies of the people that I collected exactly what the magistrate told me to collect, and I didn't pocket any of it. The same goes for the constables under my command!"
In these respects, he was mostly right. Occasionally, he would embezzle money, but he did so discreetly, unlike other yamen runners who were blatant, so he left no trace.
He also cleverly attributed any wrongdoing he might have done to the magistrate's orders.
That's why he has the confidence.
“General,” Constable Zhao continued, “my subordinates and I have served the magistrate faithfully for many years. If the general blames us for the magistrate’s misdeeds, how can we admit our guilt? Does the general expect all officials in the world to disobey their superiors?”
"Still being stubborn," Duan Wu said with a playful sneer. "Do you really think this general doesn't have evidence against you?"
Officer Zhao felt a sudden panic.
The only thing he could think of was the incident at Xiumei's house.
But only heaven, earth, and the parties involved know about that matter.
Xiumei's mother-in-law had already died.
The critically ill husband had disappeared without a trace. He only had a few days left to live, and without Xiumei's care, he would surely die. Even his body had disappeared and might have been eaten by wild dogs. There was no need to worry about it.
As for Xiumei herself...
Even he hasn't been able to find any trace of him so far, and Duan Wu and his group have only been here for a few days, so they're even less likely to be able to find him.
So, despite his panic, after quickly thinking it over, he still felt that he wouldn't be exposed, and that his subordinates would definitely keep quiet to save their own lives.
In short, everything is still stable.
“I have not committed any crime, so what evidence do you have, General?” Constable Zhao retorted stubbornly.
Duan Wu gave the order, "Summon Xiu Mei!"
Officer Zhao and his men immediately froze.
Xiumei?
They actually found Xiumei?!
Below the judge's bench, Ning Jinli held Xiumei's hands and whispered, "Sister Xiumei, don't be afraid or nervous."
Xiumei's eyes reddened, "I'm not afraid of anything as long as that beast is brought to justice!"
She handed her daughter to her husband and resolutely walked out of the crowd.
Two soldiers came down and brought him to the trial platform.
"This humble woman, Xiumei, pays her respects to... General Duan!" Xiumei knelt heavily, tears welling in her eyes. "I beg General Duan to do justice for this humble woman and execute these heartless beasts!"
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