Volume 1 Chapter 248 Your Majesty, Think Twice
Deng Yan, the governor of Li Province, was a rough man who looked to be in his thirties. He was burly, with a straight face and distinct features. He looked like a decent man. It was said that he was a good commander in battle, but not so good at governing the local area.
Fang Xinghai, the governor of Ganchang Province, is a young man in his twenties, nearly thirty years old. He wears a dark green scholar's robe and looks weak and frail. However, Xiang Yun knows that this man is very knowledgeable and has many strategies. He was able to rebel and become a rebel king because of his resourceful mind.
It was a pity that the emperor acted too forcefully. Before their rebellion could really get started, the emperor had already blocked all their ways of survival. Before Fang Xinghai could even use his brain, the overall situation had already been decided.
Fang Xinghai thought about it so much that three strands of his black hair turned white overnight. This made him think of surrendering to the court. Only by admitting defeat could he have a way out.
He Guang, the governor of Dongwang Province, is a man in his thirties with a sallow complexion. He is both civil and military, able to fight on horseback and govern when he is not on horseback. Under his command, Dongwang Province ranks among the best in the Great Sun Dynasty in terms of economy, military, and even agriculture.
Among the 18 rebel kings, He Guang had the best foundation. It was a pity that he had no ambition and his rebellion was forced by the situation at the time. It was a helpless act.
The current situation in the world cannot be influenced by his own power, so he can only go with the flow and obey the emperor's call for surrender.
There is no need to say much about Zhou Xin, the governor of Liaogu Province. He is a joke. Not to mention other colleagues and common people, even Xiang Yun himself looks down on him. However, from the fact that he was able to remain calm in the face of danger at Duanlong Mountain and lead his soldiers to launch a counterattack, it can be seen that this person does have courage. If he were to lead troops to kill the enemy on the battlefield, this alone would make him a great general.
The last Weihaiwei admiral Gan Ce is said to be in his early thirties this year, but looks like he is in his forties or fifties. He is rough, nine feet tall, with a big beard, muscular body, and shiny dark skin. One can tell at a glance that he has been exposed to the wind and sun for many years, and his skin is very dry and rough. Only his teeth are dazzlingly white.
He has a million naval forces under his command, which is what Xiang Yun values most now. He went to the Di Ling Island to look for the Di Ling Fruit, counting on this Gan Ce!
The entire Golden Palace fell into silence and stillness. The five rebel kings did not dare to stand up until the emperor told them to. If they were in their own territory, it would be fine as they would not be bullied. But now that they were in the emperor's base camp, if they still dared to be arrogant and were caught by the emperor and killed on the spot, it would be a huge joke.
At the same time, the five people all knew in their hearts that the more the emperor acted like this, the more likely the storm would come. If they could withstand it, the world would be at peace in the future. If they couldn't, they would lose their lives here.
No one dared to speak, and they all waited quietly for Xiang Yun's reaction. After a long time, Xiang Yun slowly said: "You call yourselves criminals, but do you really admit your guilt in your heart? Do you think you are wrong?"
The five people felt a tightness in their hearts. Their originally nonchalant hearts became heavy. How could the pressure emanating from this young emperor be so great?
The five of them looked at each other, and then all said in unison: "We know our crimes and mistakes, please punish us, Your Majesty!"
"Okay!" Xiang Yun asked loudly, "One of you can tell me what crime I have committed and where I have gone wrong. If anyone says it's right, I will spare your life today!"
The five people were stunned. Fang Xinghai, who was the most educated and quick-witted person among the five, only thought for a moment and then tentatively replied: "To reply to your majesty, we were blinded by greed and committed the crime of rebellion, which is a big mistake in itself!
The emperor was kind and had issued a letter of amnesty to each of us, but we were stubborn and still had wishful thinking, treating the emperor's letter of amnesty as nothing. This was the second mistake.
The imperial court sent troops to suppress us, but we knew we were wrong but refused to correct our mistakes. We recruited soldiers and fought against the imperial court's army, resulting in countless casualties. This was our third mistake.
Now that the emperor has shown great kindness and issued a second letter of amnesty, we know our crimes and mistakes, and we want to turn back. Please punish us, Your Majesty!"
What a great three mistakes! After hearing this, the other four thought it made sense and said in unison: "Your Majesty, please punish us!"
But Xiang Yun still didn't react and didn't say a word. After a while, Fang Xinghai felt his scalp tingling and cold sweats all over his body. He raised his head slightly and was immediately scared out of his wits, because Xiang Yun's face was so terribly gloomy and cold, as if he said keep away from strangers. Even if ordinary people saw it, they would know that the man in front of them was about to lose his temper.
"Asshole!" Xiang Yun yelled, and stood up and cursed: "What bullshit three mistakes, in my eyes, you have only one mistake, and that is harming the people!"
“You were comfortable when the Eighteen Rebel Kings rebelled, but you didn’t know how many people were displaced and starved to death; in order to recruit soldiers, you even spared the people in your own territory, forcibly levied taxes, extorted money, and expanded the army, causing the local people to live in poverty and hunger, and worry all day long!
If you go to war with the imperial court, even if you take Kyoto, you will still have to continue fighting with the other 17 rebel kings to compete for this world!
Eighteen rebel kings, eighteen armies from different camps, do you know what will happen if they fight each other? The people of the Great Sun Dynasty will suffer countless casualties, rivers of blood will flow, and there will never be peace!
You almost pushed the people of the entire Great Sun Dynasty into an endless abyss of hell, and now you are still ignorant and smug, and you are so proud of your status. It really makes me angry!"
Xiang Yun cursed loudly: "The court has offered amnesty twice but you have ignored it. If it weren't for General Qin Su who led the army to wipe out the other rebel kings with overwhelming force, I'm afraid you five guys would still be dreaming of conquering the world at home!
Has any of you ever thought that this kind of war is fought with the blood and flesh of ordinary people? Have you ever felt the slightest bit of self-blame in your heart?
I’m afraid not. During my reign, I issued two edicts of guilt in blood, but even so, it cannot cover up the ambitions in the hearts of the five of you! "
The emperor's words were too harsh. The five people felt cold in their hearts. They prostrated themselves on the ground, extremely respectful and pious, fearing that the emperor would get angry again. Fang Xinghai said in a deep voice: "We know we were wrong. We hope that Your Majesty will give us a chance to make amends!"
"Haha!" Xiang Yun sneered, "Why, do you really think that I recruited the five of you to the capital just to make you high officials? Do you really think that I must keep the five of you?"
"Boom!" These words exploded in the five people's minds like a bolt from the blue. They all lost their minds and looked up at Xiang Yun in horror, somewhat at a loss.
Xiang Yun waved his hand and shouted angrily, "Come here, drag these five people out and behead them in public!"
"Yes!" Outside the Golden Palace, a large number of imperial guards rushed in with swords and surrounded the five people. Such a murderous scene shocked everyone. Deng Yan, Gan Ce and He Guang would not just sit there and wait to die. They immediately stood up and prepared to resist.
But the number of the Imperial Guards was too large. One of them kicked the three men away. Dozens of swords were placed on their necks, and their hands and feet were grabbed, so that the three men dared not act rashly again.
These imperial guards grabbed five people and dragged them out of the Golden Palace. Xiang Yun turned around and never looked at these people again. It looked like he was really ready to kill them!
Fang Xinghai, who was constantly being dragged out, became confused and panicked. He had made a great determination to enter the palace to meet the emperor. He thought that this was a life-threatening journey and that if he did not surrender, he would die. However, he did not expect that after all his calculations, this would be the result.
Gan Ce shouted at this time: "You dog emperor, you go back on your word, you will not have a good death!"
"We five brothers were so foolish that we trusted you. We never thought that the emperor would be such a shameless villain. We were really wrong!"
As soon as he said this, several imperial guards beside him raised their hands and slapped him four or five times, making his mouth bleed.
Xiang Yun waved his hand to signal them to stop, and said with a gloomy face: "When have I ever gone back on my word? I gave you a chance to live, but none of you five realized where you were wrong. How can I spare your lives!"
"I can forgive you for your heinous crimes, but can the people of the Great Sun Dynasty forgive you?"
These words made the five people feel extremely disappointed and desperate. Yes, the emperor gave them a chance to survive, but they could not save themselves!
Xiang Yun waved his hand with a gloomy face and shouted coldly: "Drag him away and behead him!"
"Wait!" Fang Xinghai suddenly shouted at this time: "Your Majesty, the five of us are willing to ask for forgiveness from the people of the Great Sun Dynasty to pardon our own sins. Please show mercy, Your Majesty!"
Xiang Yun asked in surprise: "Oh? What are you going to do?"
The other four also looked at Fang Xinghai, wanting to get an answer. Dense beads of sweat appeared on Fang Xinghai's forehead. He looked around in panic, then closed his eyes and thought hard.
Just when Xiang Yun was about to lose his patience, Fang Xinghai said in a deep voice: "I am willing to give away all my wealth and distribute it to the people who have suffered because of us, so that they can live a better life. I am also willing to kneel down in front of every victim and ask for forgiveness until everyone forgives me!"
Xiang Yun flew into a rage upon hearing this, and shouted angrily: "This is ridiculous, it's just a foolish dream. Even if you get forgiveness from one person a day, you will never be able to kneel down and die in this life!"
"Death cancels all debts. If you want to be forgiven by the people as quickly as possible, then you have to use your heads! All right, drag them down and behead them!"
The emperor's words made Fang Xinghai feel very cold in his heart. The last glimmer of hope was extinguished. In such a desperate situation, he could no longer think of any idea to change the emperor's attention.
Just as the five men were about to be escorted out of the Golden Throne Hall by the Imperial Guards, Zhu Qiyu stepped out and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, although these five men are guilty of unforgivable crimes, they have admitted their mistakes and repented. In addition, the Great Sun Dynasty is in need of talents right now. I beg Your Majesty to spare their lives. After they have obtained the forgiveness of the people, they will expand the territory of the Great Sun Dynasty and make amends for their crimes. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider!"
Wang Shu also stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, these five people can be the pillars of the court. It would be a pity to kill them. Please think twice!"
Liu Yiyi also stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, please think twice!"
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