In Jiangxia City, the crackling sound of fire, the sound of killing, shouting, people shouting and horses neighing, shot straight into the sky, but it was a brief confrontation.
At this time, the county governor's mansion and the troops were lined up and waiting for orders, and there was silence.
This place was the governor's office. Later, the former governor Zeng Ming and his family were killed and moved in. However, Zhu Kui has now occupied it.
People came and went in the official office, but there was no sound. Only guards standing solemnly could be seen everywhere, and in the distance, the sound of horses neighing could be heard.
As night fell, candles were lit one by one in the hall. Under the gaze of everyone, Zhu Kui took the main seat and waited for the outcome of the battle between the generals.
"Have you taken down all the granaries, arsenals, etc. first?" Zhu Kui asked in a slightly higher voice.
"Back to my lord, according to your instructions, we have sent people to attack and garrison in advance to prevent the thieves from leaping over the wall and burning the granary." Liao Hua turned around and reported.
"By the way, one more thing, Yuan Jian, go to the government warehouse immediately to find out if the household register is still there." Remembering that he will govern Jiangxia, the household register and field register are the top priority. I hope it has not been destroyed by Zhao Ci.
.
Upon hearing this, Liao Hua responded: "No"
After Liao Hua withdrew, a junior high school student came in and shouted: "Sir, General Huang and others have captured Zhao Ci and others and are escorting them back."
The first culprit has been caught, and the battle is decided, Zhu Kui thought in his mind.
After a while, Huang Zhong and Guan Hai took the lead and came back, suppressing Zhao Ci and Zhang Hu. Then Chen Sheng on the other side was also captured by Gan Ning and Zhou Tai. The three of them knelt in front of Zhu Kui.
Seeing Zhao Ci's pale face on the ground, his teeth chattering, and his expression of dissatisfaction, Zhu Kui sneered and said: "What a remnant of the Yellow Turbans, Zhang Jiao is dead, why are you raising an army again, making the people of Jiangxia miserable?"
"Hmph, the enemy is defeated or defeated. If you want to kill him, kill him." Zhao Ci knelt on the ground, tilted his head and looked at him coldly.
Zhu Kui's eyes flashed with fire, and he smiled calmly: "You killed my friend Qin Jie, and I was about to kill you for revenge, but I only killed the leader and three other people. I will spare the lives of the other family members and subordinate thieves. As long as they
Work for a year to atone for your sins.”
These words were spoken so eloquently that Zhao Ci couldn't help but be stunned. He looked at him with confusion. He thought that he had committed the crime of treason and killed Qin Jie. Zhu Kui would definitely not let him go.
Therefore, by refusing to beg for mercy, at least he has perfected his integrity.
Suddenly his expression softened, with tears streaming down his face. He lowered his head and thanked her with a choked voice: "I have offended you a lot, sir. I hope you won't be offended and thank me again for my family for the gift of rebirth."
His parents have passed away, but he still has a wife and a ten-year-old son, whom he is most concerned about right now.
He kowtowed three times.
Zhu Kui waved his hand, stopped the other party from saying thanks, and said: "I promise to let your family go, but before that, I have one more request."
"My lord, please tell me, Ciwu will obey orders." Zhao Ci lowered his head and waited for orders.
"I want you to count your faults before the prisoners are surrendered, commit suicide in front of the battle, and let everyone in the world know that your rebellion is wrong and that Taiping Dao is wrong.
No one expected that Zhu Kui would come up with such a method to put Zhao Ci to death.
For a moment, all the generals were stunned and admired. In this way, they would be freed from the crime of robbing soldiers and at the same time, they would be willing to surrender.
"Ci, I am willing to serve you," Zhao Ci agreed without hesitation.
He nodded with satisfaction, and looked at Chen Sheng and Zhang Hu for a moment. They had no family, so they couldn't deal with it together with Zhao Ci. He said coldly: "Drag these two people out first, and then I will
The execution was carried out under a large flag, and the heads of these two beasts were chopped off and displayed to the public."
The two men were not given a chance to live and were executed directly. They first demonstrated against the rebels and then used Zhao Ci to show their favor.
Give both grace and power.
The soldiers immediately responded to the order. Several people swarmed up and dragged Chen Sheng and Zhang Hu out of the hall. The two lay on the ground, struggling desperately, shouting: "Sir, please spare my life, Your Majesty, please spare my life..."...
The screams were so violent that they were dragged far away and outside the hall. Suddenly, there was a scream that was much louder, and then the shouts suddenly stopped.
After a while, two soldiers came in with two bloody heads: "My lord, they have been beheaded."
"Where is Gan Ning?"
"The end will be here"
"You personally lead two teams of cavalry, hang these two heads in front of the army, and rush to help Zhou Cang and others persuade the rebels who are still resisting to surrender. If they still resist, kill them without mercy and suppress them on the spot."
"The last general takes orders," Gan Ning said loudly and stepped out.
After that, Zhu Kui asked Zhou Tai to lead a team of guards to send Zhao Ci to see his wife and children for the last time, while preventing him from escaping.
"I only give you two hours, so you can be sure. Then General Zhou will escort you to the prisoner camp."
After Zhao Ci thanked Zhou Tai, he took him out with his hands.
After dealing with the three thieves, the remaining Huang Zhong and others were sent out again to inspect public security, appease the people, and inspect whether there were refugees or rioters harassing the people.
After waiting for a while, Liao Hua came in with two guards carrying two baskets. They put them down and removed the coverings on them. They were all filled with volumes of bamboo slips.
"Lord, the land registers in the treasury are still complete and have not been damaged. I have brought them all."
When Zhu Kui heard this, he stepped over and came to the basket. He picked up a bamboo slip and looked through it: "It's true, it's the land register of the fourteen counties in one county of Jiangxia."
This will be of great use to him in governing Jiangxia in the future.
After flipping through a few volumes, Zhu Kui suddenly frowned. On the bamboo slips, most of the land registered in the bamboo slips was owned by large landowners, such as a certain clan in the area, and few commoners owned it by a single household.
He said to himself: "I don't want the land annexation in Jiangxia to be so serious. It seems that I can take advantage of this chaos to think of some measures to alleviate it."
"It's a pity that there are too few civil servants under my command. It seems that I have to find a way to recruit some, and now I can only handle it myself." Zhu Kui thought for a while, his eyes flickered under the candlelight, and he had an idea in his mind.
"Yuanjian, put all the bamboo slips away first, go back to the governor's house and sort them out, then send them to my study."
"promise!"
After Liao Hua picked up the basket, another two hours passed, and all the chaos in the city was finally cleared away.
Zhao Ci also said his final goodbyes to his family and was escorted to the prisoner camp by Zhou Tai.
The battle lasted until late at night. According to statistics, more than 20,000 officers and soldiers were killed and wounded, and nearly 40,000 rebel soldiers were killed and wounded. After the leader of the bandits was captured, more than 30,000 people were captured.
Groups of surrendered prisoners were imprisoned in the square, surrounded by wooden fences and with only some simple tents.
There were endless torches, and it looked like day under the night sky. Zhao Ci was kneeling beside the torch with a sharp sword in his hand, and Zhou Tai led a circle of officers and soldiers to guard the outside.
Soon all the prisoners' attention was focused on Zhao Ci in front of the stage. The commander-in-chief was sitting on his knees and was not tied up. No one knew why. Some centurions who had originally met him crowded around.
He stepped forward and asked softly.
After a long time, Zhao Ci, who was above him, raised his head with a look of determination on his face. He looked around and looked at the brothers who had followed him in the past. He felt sad in his heart. He looked at Zhou Tai for the last time and saw that the other party signaled the start.
He pulled out his sword and said loudly: "Brothers, the Way of Taiping is an illusion in the sky and cannot be believed. I have deceived everyone. There is no prophecy of good fortune for the world. The great sage and good teacher has gone, and the Way of Taiping has become a thing of the past.
It is my selfish desires that harm everyone."
"I am a sinner, and now I am willing to die to forgive my sins. The Marquis of Jinling is a benevolent man and has promised to pardon you for the crime of rebellion. Brothers, follow him well. I believe that he can create a truly peaceful and prosperous age for everyone."
Saying this, Zhao Ci held a sword in his hand and kowtowed deeply to the surrendered prisoners for forgiveness.
"Commander, Commander." Some thieves and soldiers who were loyal to Zhao Ci shouted loudly, stood up, and shouted that they would fight to the death with the officers and soldiers.
"Whether the officers and soldiers are forcing us, we will fight with the officers and soldiers."
Zhao Ci frowned, with a troubled look on his face. He lowered his head and squinted at Zhou Tai's gnawing eyes. His heart trembled, and he immediately made up his mind. For the sake of his son, he picked up his sword and rushed towards several people with a few strides.
The one who started the yelling came forward and was stabbed to death with several swords.
He returned to the stage in grief and shouted: "Those who insult the Marquis of Jinling will die. Brothers, we must serve the Marquis of Jinling well from now on."
Seeing Zhao Ci massacre the loyal men, the surrendered prisoners suddenly became quiet and nodded as they accepted the orders one by one.
Everything that needed to be explained was done. Looking at the sword in his hand, Zhao Ci's eyes were filled with tears and he shouted the last sentence: "Ci is leaving. I'll see you again in the next life, brothers."
A scratch on the neck, blood overflowed, and he died.