Chapter 150: Execution (Part 2)

On the flat open ground outside the south gate of Baoanzhou city, Wang Dou’s three corps of soldiers stood in solemn silence, each man clad in iron armor, motionless in the biting wind. Their long spears and firelocks clustered thick as a forest, and that stern, imposing presence made onlookers’ hearts pound with fear.

Beside Wang Dou, Department Magistrate Li Zhen and a group of subordinate officials were all pale-faced, watching the scene with some bewilderment. Company Commander Tian Changguo and the city granary superintendent Zhang Gui also stood by Wang Dou’s side. They had already learned the news that Wang Dou intended to execute all the mutinous troops before the assembled commoners; while they rejoiced that they themselves had not joined the mutiny, they were also shocked by Wang Dou’s decision, unable to believe in their hearts that he would actually do it. They stood there dumbly, not daring to utter a single word.

Beside Wang Dou’s three corps of soldiers, several hundred men under Company Commander Tian Changguo’s command also stood trembling with fear. These men had not mutinied, but they knew everything about the day’s events. When the mutineers ran rampant through the streets, some of them had stirred restlessly, secretly cursing their superior officers for not letting them go out into the streets, otherwise they too could have enjoyed themselves.

Yet the cold, merciless suppression Wang Dou had carried out next made them tremble with terror. They were stunned by the Garrison Commander’s ruthlessness. Just as they were on edge, Company Commander Tian Changguo arrived, leading a large force of his retainers, his expression extremely grim. He assembled his men and marched them out of the city, saying with a fierce voice and stern countenance: “All of you behave yourselves properly. Don’t stir up any trouble. If anyone dares cause a disturbance, I will be the first to cut him down.”

At that moment, one Squad Commander, tactlessly presuming on his usual good relations with the company commander, laughed and asked a few questions. Tian Changguo immediately slapped him dozens of times forehand and backhand, and said sharply: “Shut your mouth.” His face was livid, and his subordinates were so frightened they dared not even breathe loudly.

Once outside the city, the heavy atmosphere before them also deeply awed them. Gazing at the thousand-plus iron-armored troops beside Wang Dou, they dared not make the slightest movement or noise, each man merely standing there woodenly.

“Have all the commoners assembled?”

Wang Dou spoke suddenly, startling Li Zhen and the others. Li Zhen said: “They have assembled. They should all be here.”

As he said this, he felt that speaking this way in front of everyone was beneath his official dignity and decorum. He cleared his throat and said to the Department Captain Han Daguan beside him: “Captain Han, you were responsible for summoning the soldiers and civilians inside the city to come out. Have they all come out?”

Han Daguan said: “Replying to my lord, upon receiving the orders of the two lords, this humble officer immediately dispatched aides to summon the soldiers and civilians. They have now all come out of the city.”

Opposite them, a dense, dark mass of soldiers and civilians from Baoanzhou city — residents of the city, merchants from outside — numbered nearly ten thousand, though perhaps some people were still hiding inside their homes, too afraid to come out. The morning’s mutiny had terrified them. Even those who had come out of the city now were still in shock, each one fearful and uneasy.

They had received a notice within the city saying that the Department Magistrate and the Garrison Commander had ordered them to come out and assemble. They dared not disobey. Under the notification of each ward chief in the city, household by household they emerged from the city. Having just suffered calamity, everyone’s faces were pale, and they did not know what this assembly was about. Seeing soldiers standing everywhere around them, they were even more afraid. But when they saw the two city officials here, and saw Wang Dou’s iron-armored troops, knowing the Garrison Commander’s troops had strict military discipline, they were only slightly reassured.

Some of Han Daguan’s civilian militia were maintaining order. In the cold wind, a dark mass of people stood packed outside the city.

Looking at the varied gazes around him and the silence stretching across the fields, Wang Dou said: “Bring forth the mutineers!”

Han Chao clasped his fist toward Wang Dou and shouted: “Bring forth the mutineers.”

Soon, a chorus of shouts and curses came from that direction. Everyone looked together and saw a squad of firelock soldiers under Han Chao escorting several hundred mutineers forward. These men, whether officers or common soldiers, were all bound tightly with ropes. As they were driven forward, their expressions were uncertain and alarmed; they did not know why they were being brought here.

After these mutineers had been captured, they had been held under guard in the military camp. At first they were utterly unconcerned — just a pay riot, what was the big deal? In particular, the trusted officers and retainers of Chi Dengshan, Zheng Yu, and the others even comforted their own subordinates: mutinies over pay had happened more than once or twice in the dynasty, and each time they ended with appeasement.

They were government troops; the court needed them to garrison and defend. Without them, where would the superior officers find men to serve as soldiers? Everyone should relax; soon they would all be free, and perhaps they would profit from misfortune and make a big gain. While under guard, they still laughed and talked loudly about how much they had looted during the mutiny, how much silver they had seized, how many women they had toyed with, how many shops they had burned, and so on. Of course, Wang Dou’s suppression still left lingering fear in their hearts, but fortunately that was all over now; those of them who remained would certainly be fine.

They comforted one another, and it was only when they were brought out bound hand and foot that each of them began to panic. The situation did not look right. Once outside the city, seeing the dense mass of heads everywhere, and the iron-armored troops under the Garrison Commander — troops that made their gall bladders quake — arrayed in solemn formation, their expressions grew even more terrified.

As these mutineers were escorted out, countless pairs of eyes turned toward them, and among those eyes were gazes of hatred — one after another. It was these men who had committed every kind of bestial atrocity in the city, seizing their property, violating their wives and daughters, burning their houses, even murdering their families. They wished they could eat these men’s flesh raw.

Under those hateful gazes, there was a collective, silent stillness. Sensing those gazes, even the most ferocious of the mutineers’ veteran ruffians grew deeply uneasy, and many among them sensed something was terribly wrong, their whole bodies beginning to tremble uncontrollably.

Among the crowd of commoners, there were also some who were family members of these mutineers. Seeing their men bound tightly and escorted forward, they all cried out in alarm, not knowing how their men would be dealt with. Their cries drew cold, hateful stares from the commoners around them, which made some of the mutineers below even more uneasy. Some men’s legs had already gone weak, and they could no longer take a step.

The mutineers were escorted over, and Han Chao reported to Wang Dou: “Reporting to my lord, of the more than five hundred officers and soldiers who mutinied in the city, one hundred fifty-eight were killed on the spot, and three hundred eighty-seven were captured. According to investigation, these mutineers all belonged to the units of Squad Commander Chi Dengshan, Squad Commander Huang Xianen, and Garrison Supervisor Zheng Yu, and among them are many of their personal followers and retainers.”

Wang Dou laughed coldly: “Chi Dengshan, Huang Xianen, Zheng Yu — these three rebel scoundrels have outrageous gall.”

He swept a glance over the bloodless faces of Li Zhen, Tian Changguo, Zhang Gui, and the others, then looked at the equally pale-faced crowd around them, and said: “Bring out the bodies of the commoners who suffered.”

Han Chao went to carry out the order. Soon, the bodies of the commoners killed in the mutiny were brought out one after another, piling up more and more, until finally they numbered over a hundred. Among them were men and women, the elderly and children, all bearing the extreme terror of their final moments on their faces. Half of them were the naked corpses of women who had died in the violence. In every calamity, it was always the women who suffered first, especially those with some beauty. The torments they had endured were too horrible to behold, and now they were merely wrapped roughly in straw mats.

Most of these bodies had been collected by Wang Dou and his men from the streets. It was estimated that during the mutiny, many more victims’ bodies still remained in individual households, not yet counted. Looking at the corpses on the ground, the sound of weeping finally rose loudly among the commoners. Many soldiers and civilians who could not find their family members could already guess that among those bodies on the ground were their own kin.

Hearing the weeping of the commoners and seeing those corpses on the ground, the mutineers could no longer contain themselves. They sensed their final hour approaching. Many collapsed to the ground. Even among the mutineers, those veteran ruffians and retainers who prided themselves on their ferocity were all trembling from head to toe.

Li Zhen and the others all sighed and shook their heads. The several hundred officers and soldiers under Company Commander Tian Changguo also stood with mouths agape. As the bodies of the commoners were laid out one by one, the impact on them was immense. For the first time, they realized that as government soldiers, if they did not strictly observe military discipline, how much harm they could inflict upon the common people.

Wang Dou stepped forward. He slowly looked over everyone and began to speak: “I once read the military manual of Grandfather Qi. In his book, he said: soldiers are the instruments for killing bandits, and bandits are the instruments for killing commoners. As government troops, we are meant to protect the common people, to guard our villages and neighbors. If we do not abide by military law and bring harm to the common people, then we are no different from bandits and rebels — indeed, we are even more detestable!”

The field was utterly silent. Over ten thousand pairs of eyes were fixed solely on Wang Dou. Among the crowd also stood the young madam of the Department Magistrate’s residence and Young Lady Ji. Beside them were some guards and maidservants. As Wang Dou spoke, they too watched him speak.

Wang Dou continued in a clear, ringing voice: “I, Wang Dou, am ashamed. The government troops under my command have committed such bestial acts. I, Wang Dou, have failed the soldiers and civilians of this prefectural city!”

He bowed deeply to everyone. A stir ran through the crowd; no one had expected Wang Dou to express himself this way.

Wang Dou continued: “Cowering and hesitant before the slave rebels, but like wolves and tigers before the common people. What use are such government troops?”

He shouted: “Without discipline, an army cannot be strict. When officers and soldiers mutiny, the crime is unforgivable! Today, before the assembled commoners, I shall execute all of these mutinous rebel troops according to law, to console the spirits of the soldiers and civilians who died, and to serve as a warning that all troops must heed!”

“I desire that governance be pure and bright, beginning with my Baoanzhou city. For this, I, Wang Dou, would not flinch even if blades were pressed to my neck or battle-axes loomed over my body!”

The field was so silent one could hear a pin drop. Wang Dou’s words had frightened everyone. Execute all these several hundred men? Not only did the soldiers and civilians listen in stunned disbelief, but even those who had been weeping were so shocked that their crying stopped.

Department Magistrate Li Zhen, Company Commander Tian Changguo, and the officers and soldiers under him were all drained of color. Only Han Chao, Han Zhong, Zhong Diaoyang, and Xie Yike behind Wang Dou still stood in solemn silence, each of them stone-faced, their expressions extremely grave.

Among the crowd, Young Lady Ji also said to the young madam in astonishment: “Sister Wanyun, did that Wang Dou just say… that he would execute all these mutineers? Did I mishear?”

The young madam said: “It seems… it seems so.”

Her sparkling eyes were fixed intently on Wang Dou, her gaze filled with utter disbelief.

The mutineers broke into a chorus of wailing and begging for mercy. They cried: “We are not mutineers, we are government troops. We only wanted our pay, our pay…”

Wang Dou pointed at the corpses on the ground and shouted: “Say those words to the dead commoners.”

He looked at the wailing family members of the mutineers opposite him, shook his head, and sighed: “If you wanted your pay, you could have demanded it from this official. Why did you bring calamity upon the common people and commit such bestial acts? To uphold the law and discipline, this official must execute you. But I will not bring harm upon your wives and daughters. Just as this official is implementing new policies in the prefectural city, they too will be allotted farmland.”

He shouted: “Men, carry out the execution.”

Commands rang out from all sides: “Carry out the execution!”

“First Corps firelock squad, prepare!”

“Prepare!”

The two firelock squads of Han Chao’s First Corps emerged. The two squads combined, over a hundred men raised their firelocks high and strode forward. After advancing several dozen paces across the flat ground between the troops and the civilians, they halted.

“Bring forth the men!”

One hundred mutineers were hauled forward by the two squads of spearmen from the First Corps. They screamed in terror: “I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die…”

No matter how the mutineers struggled or pleaded, it was useless. They were lined up in a row in front of the firelock squad. Staring at the dense, dark mass of firelocks before them, their whole bodies trembled violently. Many men’s trousers were soaked without them even realizing it, and still more wailed aloud.

“Execution commence. Ready…”

A row of firelocks was lowered, aimed at the mutineers ahead.

“Fire!”

“Fire!”

The deafening roar of firelocks erupted, and a cloud of smoke billowed up.

All sound ceased. Everyone in the field was silent as the grave. No one dared to move even the slightest bit.

Only after a long while did the crowd hear the command called out from up front: “Inspect the execution results!”

The two squads of spearmen advanced, checking each mutineer one by one to see whether he was dead. For those not yet dead, each soldier either used his long spear or drew his waist saber and finished them off.

……

The crack of volley guns sounded wave after wave. After the rebel troops executed one hundred men, they hauled up another hundred. Very quickly, three hundred rebel soldiers were put to death. Corpses piled up like a mountain on the field; the smell of fresh blood and gunpowder smoke drifted over, and many people vomited loudly.

In particular, Wang Dou's use of firelocks for the execution delivered the greatest shock to the soldiers and civilians present. Every face was drained of color, and their legs went weak.