Chapter 108: Severe Punishments

On the eighteenth day of the fourth month, Xiangyang erupted in internal strife. Two of Fan Qiong's senior generals—Han Li, commander of the Left Army, ordered his entire force to surrender and then vanished without a trace, while Wang Jun, commander of the Right Army, contacted Fan Qiong's directly subordinate personal guards and incited them to revolt, directly binding Fan Qiong and surrendering Xiangyang city.

That evening, Hu Yantong took the lead in braving the rain to lead troops across the river, marching swiftly into the city to seize control of the city gates.

At this time, Liu Yan, the sovereign's favored general whose official career had been fraught with setbacks, was delayed by the rising waters of the Han River. Together with the young Commander Xin, he only arrived some twenty li west of the city, having missed yet another great opportunity through a twist of fate.

Of course, none of this affected the overall situation. The next morning, His Majesty Zhao led the main force of the Imperial Guard across the river, and by midday, having gathered Generals Liu Yan and Xin Yongzong, he arrived beneath the walls of Xiangyang. He then ordered Generals Wang De and Fu Qing to enter the city first to assist Hu Yantong in fully securing the city's defenses.

Thus, in a total of sixteen days, the Fan Qiong rebellion was quelled—remarkably swift.

However, since the sovereign had come in person, he could not avoid personally handling some of the mopping-up work.

"I read the letter Lin Qing sent early this morning via a trusted servant while on the road, and I have a general understanding of the situation in the city... Are these all Fan Qiong's family members?"

At midday, His Majesty Zhao arrived at Xiangyang but did not stay within the city. Instead, he rode straight through on horseback, heading to a large pit on higher ground south of the city, where he found his trusted close minister, Little Academician Lin. But upon arriving and seeing the corpses strewn around the pit, especially several young women among them, he could not help but frown.

"Your servant is ashamed..." Little Academician Lin, snapping out of his somewhat dazed state upon seeing the sovereign arrive, bowed in salute. "Your servant truly did not expect Fan Qiong to be so perverse—first flaying people alive, then slaughtering his own wife, concubines, and daughters."

Zhao Jiu did not reply, instead drawn by the corpse nearest to his horse's hooves... In the intermittent midday sunlight, His Majesty Zhao could see clearly that this corpse was that of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl from a wealthy family. She had three or four massive wounds, so large that half her body was stained crimson with blood, while the other half, drained of blood, appeared withered and pale. Coupled with her goose-yellow clothes, stained by the dark, muddy water beneath, she was a striking sight.

"This is Fan Qiong's daughter..." Little Academician Lin grew increasingly uneasy.

"Killing the women of his own household at the drop of a hat—killing the good and the bad alike, utterly disregarding that he himself caused the trouble." His Majesty Zhao stared expressionlessly at the corpse, but could not help sighing. "And when I finally encounter someone with a bit of backbone, someone who spares some thought for his family, he turns out to be a traitor... I heard Fan Qiong is still alive?"

"Yes." Little Academician Lin, who had been somewhat flustered, suddenly calmed down.

"Understandable. The hardest thing through the ages is to die. This sort of thing—killing one's wife and daughters—is common among great men in the histories. I noticed that those generals and Counselor Liu showed no surprise; it seems they've grown accustomed to such affairs over the past couple of years." His Majesty Zhao gazed thoughtfully at the pit before him. "And what do you think, Academician Lin? I sense you have something to say, something you didn't fully express in yesterday's letter?"

"Yes." Little Academician Lin bowed. "Your servant must apologize in person. In truth, I should have dealt with Fan Qiong yesterday, to spare Your Majesty the trouble. But Wang Jun, blinded by greed, thought Fan Qiong was a rare prize, and I could not command him. I am truly ashamed."

Zhao Jiu gripped his reins with both hands, looking slightly puzzled: "Setting aside Wang Jun for now, why do you think that not being able to deal with Fan Qiong would cause me trouble?"

"Since the Jingkang Incident, Fan Qiong has repeatedly committed evil deeds, deserving death ten thousand times over, and Your Majesty has always hated evil as an enemy. But as the sovereign, carrying out open punishment according to the law is the proper course..." Little Academician Lin replied awkwardly in a low voice. The men behind the sovereign, such as Wang Yuan, Liu Yan, and Hu Yantong, quickly and discreetly reined in their horses and fell back. "Your servant should have shared Your Majesty's burden and not allowed Your Majesty to bear a bad reputation, but I was truly incapable."

"You're overthinking it." His Majesty Zhao sighed softly, then looked up at the blazing sun overhead. "Who are you? From a family full of jinshi, a so-called literary official, steeped in wealth and honor. Your conduct here has already surpassed countless others. As for me... Fan Qiong brought this utterly unforgivable crime upon himself. Why should others blame me for being a bit harsh? Besides, I am no wise and mighty, perfectly benevolent ruler, nor do I wish to be like Emperor Renzong... Do you know that Liu Yu has erected temples in Jinan for Chen Dong and Ouyang Che? What reputation do I have left?"

"..."

"But truly, is there no saying we can use to fend off criticism?" Zhao Jiu looked down again and asked with a smile.

"There is." Little Academician Lin, who had been staring at the corpse at his feet, fell silent for only a moment before looking up with a start, his voice firm. "The Rites of Zhou says: 'To govern a chaotic state, use severe punishments.' And Zheng Xuan of the late Han, born into chaos, annotated: 'Using severe punishments' means to transform evil and eradicate it.' As Your Majesty said, since Fan Qiong committed such evils, he cannot blame Your Majesty for transforming and eradicating evil!"

"A chaotic age calls for severe punishments... I thought that was a saying of Wei Wu, not a Confucian classic." Zhao Jiu suddenly recalled a certain low-end game he liked that involved crunching numbers, and then thought of some operations in high-end films and TV dramas, nodding repeatedly. "Since the Sage of the Classics has spoken, I won't be coy... Don't bury these people yet. Fetch a coffin and bring Fan Qiong here. Then, have all the generals in the city—except Hu Yantong, who will remain on guard—come to witness the punishment."

"All of them?" Little Academician Lin was slightly taken aback.

"Correct. Everyone from the Imperial Guard, from Wang De on down, and the surrendered troops, from Wang Jun on down, will all witness the punishment."

Little Academician Lin heard clearly, hesitated no longer, bowed, and withdrew to relay the orders. His Majesty Zhao sat motionless on his horse.

As for Liu Ziyu, Liu Yan, Wang Yuan, and the others who had followed, they had initially stepped back to avoid the sovereign's conversation with Little Academician Lin. Now, hearing such orders, they knew a major punishment was imminent and should have offered counsel... But for some reason, seeing the sovereign standing alone on his horse amidst the pile of corpses, silent, they exchanged glances and dared not approach.

After a while—perhaps because coffins were in short supply, or because the assembly of officers from various units was slow—a full half-hour passed before Little Academician Lin returned.

However, since it was the Son of Heaven's oral command, none of the officers, especially those among the surrendered troops, dared to be negligent. From Wang Jun on down, they all disarmed and lined up around the pit.

"The sun is already to the west." Zhao Jiu saw the coffin and Fan Qiong, who had long since collapsed into a puddle of mud, carried over together. Without any superfluous words—no summoning, no interrogation, no speech to the officers—he directly ordered: "Dispose of this man quickly!"

"May I ask what punishment Your Majesty intends to use?" By now, Little Academician Lin had no more scruples and gritted his teeth to ask. "As the saying goes, 'Major punishments use armor and weapons'—Your Majesty's campaign itself embodies that intent... Next come axes and halberds, then knives and saws for medium punishments, and then drills and chisels... Which does Your Majesty intend to use?"

"These are inhumane and too bloody." Zhao Jiu shook his head repeatedly, as if he were not the same man who had said 'I won't be coy' half an hour ago. "As a sage sovereign, how could I use such things? Not only that, I had words with Chancellor Li that day—I said I would not kill him. So I must keep my promise, or I won't be able to face Chancellor Li."

Little Academician Lin fell silent. Not far away, Fan Qiong, sprawled on the ground, stirred slightly, and a commotion rippled through the assembled officers.

"Put him directly into the coffin, nail it shut, and lower it into the pit." Zhao Jiu paid no attention to the surrounding stir and continued. "Then bury his wives, concubines, children, and the other dead together with him. Cover them with earth and tamp it down firmly!"

Little Academician Lin was stunned for a moment, but only a moment later, he turned his head and looked at Liu Yan behind him. Liu Yan's scalp was already crawling, but as the highest-ranking officer among the accompanying Imperial Guard, he had no way to avoid it and could only turn and relay the order.

Liu Yan was not the only one with a crawling scalp. As His Majesty Zhao's command was carried out—as several armored soldiers stuffed the tightly bound but unharmed Fan Qiong into the coffin, as Fan Qiong, finally realizing what was happening only after being placed inside, wailed incessantly but could not stop the soldiers from nailing the coffin shut, as the loudly thumping coffin was gradually covered layer by layer with corpses at the bottom of the pit until it fell silent—the surrounding officers felt a chill run through their bodies, yet not one dared to leave.

In fact, Little Commander Xin, helpless, even tremblingly threw his own shaved head into the pit in haste.

His Majesty Zhao, standing by on his horse, watched the entire process of Fan Qiong being buried alive. Growing bored, he said nothing more, simply turned and prepared to enter the city to rest.

However, amidst the careful atmosphere, as His Majesty Zhao, surrounded by numerous Imperial Guards and key officials, passed by a general with a wide-open mouth revealing a gap-toothed grin, he suddenly reined in his horse and asked amiably: "Are you Wang Jun?"

"Yes... Your servant pays homage to Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty, ten thousand years!" Wang Jun was clearly dazed, but upon coming to his senses, he ignored the blood and mud on the ground and prostrated himself, knocking his head on the ground.

"I am aware of what you have done." His Majesty Zhao looked at the man and said with a smile. "Xiangyang was taken without a fight, and you deserve the greatest credit. Speak—what reward do you want?"

Wang Jun naturally wanted to keep his position as commander, and even wanted to remain stationed in Xiangyang, for he had been there for over half a year, had already taken a beloved concubine, and had acquired property.

In fact, this gap-toothed man was almost about to blurt out these very words.

But just as Wang Jun raised his head and met the sovereign's gaze—the sovereign silhouetted against the light on his horse, his expression slightly blurred, half-smiling—and with the memory of Fan Qiong's inhuman screams from the pit still fresh, he was suddenly startled. He forcibly swallowed the words he had prepared.

Not only that, as if possessed, the man prostrated himself again in the mud, knocking his head repeatedly. When he looked up again, his face, covered in mud, was streaked with tears, and his voice choked: "Let Your Majesty know: Your servant was originally a guilty wretch. Though I was Your Majesty's subject, I followed that rebel Fan Qiong in many unrighteous acts—this is great disloyalty! And though Fan Qiong was a damned scoundrel, I was still promoted by him. This surrender of the city, though done without hesitation out of loyalty to Your Majesty and concern for the lives of the entire city, was ultimately an act of disloyalty to him! How can a man like me still have the face to ask for a reward?! If Your Majesty does not kill me, I will be more than grateful!"

Zhao Jiu listened carefully to the man's lisping accent, not interrupting. When he finished, the sovereign looked down from his height and replied with a smile: "A meritorious official is a meritorious official. If I fail to reward merit and fail to punish fault, would I not be breaking my word and becoming a laughingstock to the world?"

The gap-toothed man on the ground only kowtowed, not daring to say more.

"It's like this: I heard from Academician Lin earlier that you have settled down in Xiangyang for a long time and don't want to leave. He also said you are a man of extraordinary integrity, one who knows loyalty and righteousness, a rare gentleman of virtue... Today, I see that it is indeed so." His Majesty Zhao's tone remained gentle. "To be honest, Little Academician Lin holds you in high regard, and I truly like you as well. I wish to give you a promotion. What do you think?"

"Your servant will obey Your Majesty's command!" What else could Wang Jun say? He kowtowed again and quickly expressed his agreement.

"Academician Lin." Zhao Jiu turned his head to look at Lin Jingmo beside him. "What do you think of this? I have recently been ordering the various prefectures to recommend talented men for extraordinary appointments. I believe that here in Xiangzhou, Wang Jun is the most outstanding. And having met him today, I am especially pleased. I wish to make an exception and grant him a civil service background, transferring his current military post to a civil one, so that he can serve as Vice Prefect of Xiangzhou. But I fear there is no precedent, and others may object..."

"Congratulations, Vice Prefect Wang!" While Wang Jun was still bewildered, Little Academician Lin had already spoken up quickly from behind the sovereign. Truly worthy of a Hanlin Academician, his reaction was swift. "From now on, you will be a civil official like me. We must become close."

Having said this, Little Academician Lin turned to His Majesty Zhao on his horse, cupped his hands solemnly, and said: "Your Majesty need not worry about others' opinions. There are precedents for talented and virtuous men transferring from military to civil posts... Grand Academician Su Shi once strongly recommended that He Qufei, a palace guard, be transferred to a civil rank, which was celebrated as a fine story. Though I am base, I wish to emulate Grand Academician Su's elegance and recommend talent for the state!"

"Well said. First there was Grand Su, now there is Little Lin. An academician's breadth of mind has its own elegance." The sovereign nodded repeatedly in approval.

Now, when Little Academician Lin turned to speak to the sovereign, Wang Jun had already grasped the intent of the sovereign and his minister before him... Out of a military man's instinct, he naturally wanted to object, but with the knife at his throat and Fan Qiong's gruesome fate still fresh before his eyes, how could he dare to speak?

Moreover, in the Great Song, with its century-old culture of valuing civil officials over military ones, Little Academician Lin's proposal to transfer him to a civil post, though clearly stripping him of military command, could hardly be called anything less than a tremendous favor!

For a moment, Wang Jun, usually so calculating, was utterly confused.

"Vice Prefect Wang!" Just as Wang Jun stood there bewildered, Little Academician Lin jumped down from his horse with a thud, ignoring the filth on the ground, and helped Wang Jun up from the mud, speaking with conviction: "Now that you are a civil official, you must comport yourself like a scholar-official. Even before the sovereign, you need not kneel! Rise quickly and thank His Majesty with a cupped-hand salute!"

Wang Jun opened his wide mouth, revealing his large gap, and was guided by the physically weak Little Academician Lin to offer a cupped-hand salute to the sovereign before the assembled crowd.

Once Wang Jun had completed the salute and received his reward publicly, His Majesty Zhao turned with a smile and entered the city. Little Academician Lin quickly mounted his horse and followed. The surrounding military officers, not daring to slight this newly appointed Vice Prefect specially granted a civil service background by the sovereign, all stepped forward to congratulate him. But as they spurred their horses to follow His Majesty Zhao into the city, clucking sounds arose—whether of envy or mockery, none could tell.

Thus, nothing major occurred that day. Liu Yan first selected two hundred of the best from Fan Qiong's seven hundred cavalry for his own unit, then chose two hundred armored soldiers for Yang Yizhong. After that, Wang De, along with the other Imperial Guard generals, divided up Fan Qiong's remaining ten thousand troops like sharing a pie.

The city was calm, and all were pleased, as if nothing had happened.

However, by evening, within the prefectural offices of Xiangyang City, the Zhao Lord sat idly under the eaves, examining letters and official documents sent from Nanyang by candlelight for a long while, when he suddenly turned to a person beside him and spoke, stirring up trouble for no reason: "Defu..."

"Your subject is here." Liu Yan, who sat with his hand on his sword, hastily bent forward.

"What are you thinking about?" The Zhao Lord asked with a faint smile.

"Nothing else, just lost in thought." Liu Yan quickly shook his head. "Your subject is not as alert as Commander Yang; I beg Your Lordship's forgiveness for my lapse."

"Speaking of which, do you still remember that night when you, I, and Zhengfu met at the Mingdao Palace?" The Zhao Lord put away those documents, turned sideways, and pinched his cheek while asking.

"Naturally, I remember."

"Then are you thinking, how is it that the Lord who so easily pardoned the rebels in the Red Heart Squad back then can now so calmly devise such cruel methods?" The Zhao Lord asked lightly. "And moreover, can remain unmoved in the evening, settling down right here in this room."

"Your subject... would not dare."

"Then that's it." Zhao Jiu couldn't help but laugh. "Compared to Zhengfu, you still don't know how to speak."

Liu Yan grew even more flustered, but as the Lord had said, he was not good with words and had no idea how to respond. In his panic, this Vice Commander of the Imperial Bodyguard could only cast pleading glances at the other person in the room, the young Academician Lin who had been helping the Lord process documents, but the young Academician Lin, who kept his head down writing without pause, turned a deaf ear.

"Don't panic." Zhao Jiu paid no attention to the other's small movements, but sighed deeply. "In truth, ever since I left the Mingdao Palace and traveled all the way here, I occasionally ask myself in the dead of night whether some of my actions were worth it or right... but today's matter is not among them. Fan Qiong deserves this punishment!"

"Yes!"

"Jingmo."

"Your subject is here." The young Academician Lin quickly responded.

"Write a document... like a personal letter, not an imperial decree... to Minister Li in Yangzhou. List Fan Qiong's crimes clearly, and then question him on my behalf: what was he thinking back then? In times of chaos, he could not tolerate a civil official losing his integrity, clamoring for Zhang Bangchang's head, but did he never consider the consequences of a military official losing his integrity? Why did he let that man off back then with that absurd excuse of distinguishing between civil and military?" Zhao Jiu spoke slowly. "Make the wording harsh. Ask him what it means to 'drive beasts to devour men'... Sign it as Zhao Jiu of Cangzhou."

"Your subject humbly receives your command!" The young Academician Lin did not hesitate, bowing his head to accept the order.

Having given this order, the Zhao Lord did not hesitate either, turning directly back into the room, which still bore some traces of sword cuts, to rest. Liu Yan and Lin Jingmo had nothing more to say.

The night passed without words, and the Zhao Lord, in this room that had locked away who knows how many wronged souls, indeed found it hard to sleep all night.