So there's nothing to worry about.
"Brother, Liu Lang and the others will be executed today by the Imperial City Division. They're on East Street, and the news has spread everywhere."
Someone said sadly, "Do you want to go over and take one last look at them?"
Li Sanlang's face began to twitch.
There are tens of thousands of gang members in Bianliang, and the government has arrested thousands of them in recent times.
Being caught by Kaifeng Prefecture is not a big deal, as you will suffer physical pain and be imprisoned. But being caught by the Imperial City Bureau would be disastrous.
Once they found out that their men had committed serious crimes such as murder, kidnapping, and trafficking of women and children, they would directly sentence them to death. This time, the Imperial City Bureau executed a group of prisoners, numbering more than 200 people.
And he will be executed in the outer city of East Street at noon today.
Liu Lang was one of his capable subordinates, who helped him abduct more than a dozen women. However, he was betrayed by a traitor one day and was arrested by the Imperial City Bureau. He and two other brothers were on the execution list.
"go."
Li Sanlang sighed, shook his head and said, "Go and see Liu Lang and the others off for the last time."
In the morning, Li Sanlang and others had breakfast and took a short rest. At the beginning of noon, they disguised themselves and went out.
At this moment, the East Street of the Outer City near the New Song Gate was crowded with people.
The execution took place outside the city.
Outside the city of Bianliang was not a barren mountain or wilderness, but a place similar to a town.
The entire outer city of Bianliang has been built to the scale of a city in the feudal era, and there are still people living outside the city, just like the urban villages on the edge of cities in later generations.
Thousands of Bianliang people flocked to the outside of the city to watch the excitement.
On the bank of the Bian River, less than a hundred meters to the north is the poem "willow bank, morning breeze and waning moon" written by Liu Yong. The willow branches and leaves along the bank are yellow, swaying in the wind, and the green grass is also withered.
Countless people gathered on both sides of the river. There were pavilions, shanties, and wooden houses around. Every household came out and looked at the situation here.
In the middle of the road, prison vans carrying a large number of prisoners were slowly leaving the city.
On both sides were the Imperial City Guards, armed to the teeth, watching nearby. The security was very tight, with three layers inside and three layers outside.
About a mile out of the outer city, you will reach the execution ground. It is an open grassland. The Imperial City Administration has built some temporary tents and a high platform here, and has enclosed an open space of about two or three acres.
The open space was fenced off with barricades, and soldiers stood guard behind them, prohibiting anyone from entering the execution ground. Outside, a huge crowd of people, filled with Bianliang citizens, came to watch the excitement.
Around noon, the prisoners in the prison van were tied up and shackled and taken off the van. A sign with the charges written on it was hung on each of their backs. Each of them was escorted by two soldiers and stood under the platform.
The chief executioner this time was the newly appointed deputy envoy of the Imperial City Division, Gao Jimin. He was the thirteenth son of Gao Qiong, a great general in the early Song Dynasty. He was originally the inner palace official. After Wang Shilong was expelled, he was recommended to the Imperial City Division by Cao Xiu.
As Gao Jimin slammed the gavel, Chen Zhong, the bailiff of the Imperial City Court, walked onto the stage with a loud speaker, his hands on his hips, and shouted, "Silence! Silence! Silence!"
The noisy noise outside the venue gradually subsided.
Chen Zhong shouted, "The Great Song Dynasty has been established for over seventy years. In Bianliang, right under the emperor's feet, gangs are rampant. They oppress the good and bring disaster to the local area, causing many people in Bianliang to live in dire straits."
"As the saying goes, when the wind blows, the clouds fly. How can we find brave warriors to guard the four directions? The underworld gangs must be eradicated at all times. There is no other way!"
"Think about it, fellow citizens of Bianliang. You came to Bianliang with your family to make a living. You finally received your monthly salary and had a few strings of cash in your hand. You wanted to buy some clothes for your wife and children, but suddenly these gang members robbed you and left you penniless."
"So the days without these gangs are good days!"
"The Emperor has learned of the rampant gangs in the city and is deeply concerned. He has ordered the Imperial City Department and Kaifeng Prefecture to apprehend those responsible to set things right. Magistrate Zhao has personally ordered the execution of the most serious criminals, as a just and proper punishment!"
"I urge all the people of Bianliang to report this to the authorities. If you spot any bandits, don't be afraid. Report them to the nearest Imperial City Office or Kaifeng Prefecture officials. If you find the ringleader, there will be a generous reward!"
After saying this, Chen Zhong stepped down from the stage.
Gao Jimin was a ruthless man of few words. After he finished speaking, he threw out the red sign and said coldly, "Behead!"
"cut!"
The guards shouted.
In an instant, the prisoners below were so scared that they wet their pants.
Many people collapsed on the ground and were almost forcibly carried to the platform by the Guards.
Then, dozens of civilian staff members stood at the edge of the barricades, holding official documents in their hands, and read out the crimes of the death row prisoners to the people in public.
Zhao Jun was not a bloodthirsty person. The Imperial City Division had arrested two to three thousand people. Currently, there were about two hundred death row prisoners who had been tried directly without going through the review of the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice. They were all convicted of serious crimes.
This included the human traffickers Zhao Jun had encountered before, and the square-faced yamen runner, none of them had any way to escape.
As each person's crime was read out, they were beheaded in turn, and the people below burst into exclamations, some gnashing their teeth and clapping their hands in approval.
Many of the people coming here were ordinary people who had been oppressed by gangsters. When they saw this scene today, they knew that the government was serious about it. Their emotions immediately boiled over, and the people around them shouted like a tsunami.
Li Sanlang and his men were currently sandwiched in the crowd. They didn't pay attention to the emotional changes of the people around them. They just glanced at the nearby Imperial City Guards with fear, and then stared intently at the situation in the field.
They also turned a deaf ear to Chen Zhong's words.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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