"How long... will this killing really last?" Feng Jie muttered to himself, staring at the smoke-filled ruins of the mansion. As soon as he finished speaking, another Fierce Tiger Army soldier pushed a cart full of bloody corpses past, making him feel nauseous.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Han stood aside, his lips twitching slightly: "Back then, I fought on the battlefield, and countless people died fighting to protect the country. Now, we are eliminating these parasites, but only a few thousand have been eliminated."
Feng Jie was speechless. He knew these people were not good, but the fact that thousands of lives had actually disappeared under the blade still left him with mixed feelings.
"Since this matter has been decided by the Grand Commandant, we must persevere to the end." Zhang Han mounted his horse and signaled his deputy to lead the troops in separate advances. "Didn't you receive the Grand Commandant's message?"
“But…” Feng Jie leaned against the broken wall, looking down at the scorched earth beneath his feet, countless images flashing through his mind—at first he thought it was just a strong crackdown, but the bloodshed was far beyond his expectations.
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Han had already spurred his horse away, the blade reflecting a cold, sharp light in the morning light.
The scattered soldiers of the Fierce Tiger Army regrouped. The burned courtyards still bore traces of scorched earth and blood. The people in the city trembled with fear, peering through the doors, but no one dared to say a word.
"Lord Feng!" Suddenly someone reported, "There are scattered forces putting up a stubborn resistance in the north of the city. The city defense troops have suffered dozens of casualties. General Zhang has ordered you to go and take charge."
Feng Jie stood still for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh: "Let's go." He cleared his throat, a murderous intent rising in his heart. All his reluctance vanished after those dozens of Qin soldiers were killed.
The smoke and dust had not yet dissipated from the streets, and the burned beams lay scattered haphazardly, serving as a testament to this desolate scene.
The killings lasted for seven days.
On this day, Zhang Han, covered in blood, came to find Feng Jie. While informing Feng Jie of the results of the battle, he also took from him a list of lawless nobles and literati from various counties of Qi.
"Oh? So soon they're going to target other prefectures?" Feng Jie casually flipped through a thick stack of rosters, which were filled with shocking records of the crimes committed by powerful and influential figures in various prefectures.
“Since the Grand Commandant has already given the order, he wouldn’t have just left us to deal with Linzi.” Zhang Han put down the blood-stained knife in his hand and raised his eyes slightly. “Now that Linzi has been pacified, it’s time to take action in the outer prefectures as well. If we delay any longer, we will only give those old stubborn people a chance to catch their breath.”
Feng Jie remained silent, quickly scanning the roster page by page without showing the slightest surprise or hesitation. He had long since worn down that reluctance through bloodshed and flames.
“In that case, let’s divide the forces again.” He closed the roster, tapping the cover lightly with his fingertips, his tone without the slightest hesitation. “You lead the main force eastward to sweep away the rebels, while I will remain in Linzi. If there are any remaining scattered rebels, I will wipe them out.”
Zhang Han raised an eyebrow. "You're staying?"
"Yes!" Feng Jie replied calmly. "Although Linzi has been pacified, it has still suffered significant damage, and someone needs to stabilize the situation. I will strengthen the defenses, dig out the remaining rebels, and guard against those who want to take advantage of the chaos."
Zhang Han remained silent for a moment, then nodded. With Feng Jie willing to stay, those once notorious local tyrants and bullies would find it difficult to cause trouble again.
He ordered his guards to put away the roster, turned to leave, but then suddenly remembered something and looked back at Feng Jie: "After I leave, if you encounter any troublesome matters, you can report them to the Grand Commandant immediately. There is no need to have any concerns."
Upon hearing this, a complex emotion flashed in Feng Jie's eyes, but he still nodded in agreement: "Understood. If the situation changes, I will personally request support from the Grand Commandant."
Zhang Han then said in a deep voice, "Alright, then farewell. I will set off today to wipe out the remaining poison along the way." With that, he stepped out the door, and glancing up, he could still see a few wisps of smoke that had not completely dissipated in the distance.
Feng Jie watched Zhang Han's departing figure, remaining silent for a long time.
After a long pause, he slowly turned and stepped over the threshold, heading towards the mountain of official documents and rosters. Inside, his attendants moved back and forth, all maintaining a tacit understanding without uttering a word.
After several killings, the atmosphere became so oppressive it was suffocating.
He opened the thick file and whispered, "Send a message to General Tian and have him send out a patrol team of the city defense troops to check the list again."
"Yes, sir."
“Remember, once any clues are discovered, execute them on the spot…” At this point, Feng Jie raised his head, a cold glint in his eyes, “No mercy needed.”
The subordinate felt a chill run down his spine and immediately bowed and withdrew.
The room was completely silent, save for the crackling of the brazier. Feng Jie remained silent for a moment, then his brow furrowed slightly before he slowly closed the file.
He suddenly remembered his wicked husband's words, "When I'm determined, no one can stop me." Now he understood that this was not only his wicked husband's determination, but also the beginning of a peaceful and enlightened world.
Looking up, the sunlight outside the window was dazzling, yet it couldn't illuminate the scorched earth.
"Kill 18,000 scholars, and restore the literary tradition of China!" he murmured softly, then gripped his pen tightly and continued to scribble on the stacks of documents.
...
"Your Majesty, I impeach the Grand Commandant!"
"I second that proposal!"
"....."
Inside Xianyang Palace, the courtiers, filled with righteous indignation, coldly stared at the wicked husband.
The wicked man glanced back and saw that among the civil officials, only a few old acquaintances, such as Han Fei, remained unmoved; almost all the others had spoken up to impeach him.
The military officers, on the other hand, kept their eyes down, seemingly oblivious to the situation.
On the high platform, a murderous glint flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes as he asked in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, why are you impeaching the Grand Commandant?"
“Your Majesty, the Grand Commandant has ordered a large-scale massacre of scholars and nobles within the former Qi territory. It would be one thing to kill the nobles, but why kill the scholars, especially since many of them are great Confucian scholars?” A middle-aged civil official, who was himself a Confucian, spoke first.
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng calmly swept his gaze across the assembled officials, finally fixing it on the Confucian scholar: "Do you have any evidence to support your claim?"
Upon seeing this, the man quickly clasped his hands and loudly replied, "We dare to swear on our lives that this is absolutely true. The Grand Commandant's slaughter was so cruel that it is outrageous."
As soon as he finished speaking, the courtiers echoed his sentiments, launching a barrage of verbal and written condemnations, all accusing the wicked man of indiscriminately killing innocent people and corrupting Chinese culture. The hall erupted in clamor, like a pot of boiling water.
Ying Zheng merely waved his hand slightly, signaling everyone to remain calm, and then turned to look at his wicked husband.
The wicked man glanced sideways at the assembled officials, cupped his hands, and said, “Your Majesty, the powerful and influential families of the former Qi state have been corrupt scholars who have distorted the classics and misled the people. According to the law, they should be executed. I have not abused my power.” His tone was calm, yet it conveyed an undeniable firmness.
"Since that's the case, then kill him. Why do you all impeach the Grand Commandant for the sake of the country and the people?" Ying Zheng narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice.
“According to Confucian classics, many of them possess both moral character and literary talent…” the Confucian official who had spoken earlier said again.
Before Hua could finish speaking, her wicked husband coldly interrupted her: "All you do is dabble in literature and empty talk about doctrines, while secretly aiding rebellion. What kind of writing and morality is this? The purpose of establishing learning for the world is to harm the nation. If it instead harms the country, what harm is there in killing him?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
