Chapter 382: Third-Class Citizens of the Han Empire

In a flash, a quarter of an hour passed in an instant.

Now, those who came out all gathered together.

And those who did not come out are unlikely to appear.

The Han Army kept its word, and immediately a large number of Han Army Soldiers marched toward the homes where the Qiang civilians lived.

Those who hid at home and did not take the Han Army's words to heart were all found.

Then, in front of those who had come out, they were slain on the spot.

Seeing the spray of blood, the Qiang civilians who had never witnessed such a scene felt a chill run through their bodies.

Some of the timid collapsed on the spot in terror.

Soon, every resident's home had been visited.

At this point, seeing that matters were largely settled, Pang De stepped before the civilians.

He first scanned them with a sharp gaze, then, in a voice full of authority, shouted loudly at the Qiang civilians:

"First, you should feel fortunate for choosing to step forward!"

"Congratulations, you may live on."

After saying those two lines, Pang De paused, watching the crowd's reaction.

Upon hearing that they could live, everyone showed a look of joy.

Many people had collapsed, having just been holding their breath and forcing themselves.

Now, as they exhaled, a wave of helplessness washed over them.

Having taken in everyone's reactions, Pang De continued:

"Originally, your Qiang dared to offend Great Han's Heavenly Might during the Han Empire's internal turmoil, and should have been exterminated."

When Pang De finished speaking, the crowd instantly knelt, weeping and wailing:

"General, spare us! Those deeds were done by Che Liji and his men!"

"We are merely common civilians; how could we dare oppose the Han!"

"Please, General, spare us!"

"General, spare us…"

In an instant, pleas for mercy and cries filled the entire scene.

Seeing the panicked Qiang civilians begging for mercy amid the clamor, Pang De roared:

"Silence!"

The crowd, frightened by Pang De's shout, stopped crying and fell silent.

They watched Pang De cautiously, fearing he might utter words of death.

Looking at the now‑quiet crowd, Pang De glared at them and continued:

"His Majesty the Emperor of the Han Empire is merciful and does not wish to cause more bloodshed, so he pardons your death sentence."

Hearing this, the Qiang civilians immediately breathed a sigh of relief and gratefully said:

"We thank His Majesty the Han Emperor for his mercy of not killing us!"

Seeing them thank Liu Bian, Pang De nodded with satisfaction.

"However, while the death penalty is lifted, the living crime cannot be escaped; by His Majesty's decree, you are now demoted to slaves."

"After you labor for the Han Empire for ten years, you may obtain Third-Class Citizen status in the Han Empire."

At that moment, the Qiang civilians felt as if the heavens had collapsed.

They are to become slaves! Once a slave, life is truly worse than death.

Whether they can survive the arduous labor is a huge question.

Immediately, they cried out to Pang De, their voices trembling with tears:

"General, please have mercy; we are willing to submit to the Han Empire, and we beg His Majesty to rescind the sentence!"

"We are willing to submit to the Han Empire; we implore His Majesty to forgive us!"

Deep down they still harbored hope, for they numbered over a hundred thousand; surely the Han Army would not kill them all!

Thus, everyone's thoughts were unusually unified, as if pre‑arranged.

"Heh heh heh!"

Seeing the Qiang civilians before him trying to intimidate, Pang De laughed at their audacity.

Their reasoning was indeed rather laughable.

Honestly, if the Han Empire's emperor were not Liu Bian, it might truly be as they imagined.

The Han would accept their submission, as it has always been done before.

But their calculations were off; if Liu Bian learned of this, he would certainly not yield to their threats.

Originally, his initial plan did not include keeping the Qiang, but after Guo Jia and others persuaded him, he decided to leave them.

Now they try to use this to blackmail Liu Bian—what a way to court death!

"Hmph!"

Pang De sneered at them, then said in a cold voice:

"This is not a notification; it is not a discussion with you!"

"Moreover, this is an Imperial Edict personally issued by His Majesty; do you think you can defy it?"

After speaking, Pang De's icy gaze fell on the ignorant Qiang before him.

These civilians are truly ignorant; they fail to consider that those who would reject the Qiang's surrender and slaughter all Qiang soldiers would not yield to their blackmail.

They truly think that sheer numbers make the law inapplicable to the many.

Hearing this, a few of the bold raised their voices: "General, please spare us; we are willing to submit to the Han Empire!"

"We humbly ask you, General, to spare us; we are willing to submit to the Han Empire!"

When someone took the lead, the others followed, shouting loudly.

Seeing that style, it felt rather like a generous, righteous charge!

"Hmph, that's really courting death!"

Seeing their reaction, Pang De let out a cold snort.

He then waved his hand toward the army behind him.

In an instant, they stepped forward, their bows aimed at those Qiang civilians.

Those wielding Long Spears and other close‑quarters weapons also pointed their arms at them.

Seeing the Han Army in such formation instantly intimidated the Qiang civilians.

They huddled together in an instant, faces full of fear, eyes wary as they stared at the soldiers.

"Now, is there anyone still willing to oppose? Step forward quickly!"

Pang De, observing the crowd's reaction, gave them a cold glance and said in an icy tone.

After seeing Pang De's question, the people exchanged glances, and no one dared to step forward.

"Since none of you object, it's settled then; from now on, you are slaves of my Han Empire!"

"If anyone dares not obey the Han Empire's orders, they will be executed on the spot!"

"After you labor for the Han Empire for ten years, only then can you atone for your sins."

"When that time comes, the authorities will grant you the status of Third‑Class Citizen of the Han Empire."

"You will also enjoy all the rights that Third‑Class Citizens of the Han Empire are entitled to!"

Seeing that no one caused a disturbance, Pang De decided not to waste words with them.

He immediately told them, in one breath, the matters of how the Han Empire would treat them.

"Now, what does it mean to be a Third‑Class Citizen?"

"To put it simply, you are like those captured as slaves after fighting the Han Empire and being defeated."

"After completing the labor re‑education tasks, you will automatically be promoted to Third‑Class Citizen of the Han Empire."

"Your status as Third‑Class Citizens can only be upgraded to Second‑Class Citizen if you make a significant contribution to the Han Empire."

"Moreover, your offspring will be the same as you!"

"This is the price for daring to strike the Han Empire!"

Pang De, regardless of whether they heard clearly, explained the Third‑Class Citizen status to the pallid faces before him.

After speaking, he ordered the army to split them into several groups and send them to different cities of Liangzhou.

There, what awaits them is ten years of labor…