The news of the Qin army's defeat in Dong'a caused shock in Sanchuan. At this time, the Qin State's politics became more violent and authoritarian because of the further implementation of the art of supervision and accountability, because cases and prisoners were being interrogated every day in Qin's prisons. As a result, there were so many people who were killed, had their noses dug out, their toes chopped off, tattooed and whipped, that half of the pedestrians on the road had been tortured. Because the Qin State implemented a method of inspecting officials: those who killed more people were considered "loyal officials", and those who taxed more heavily were considered "clear officials". Xianyang City has actually become a veritable hell on earth, and the root cause of all this is because of Zhao Gao's power. Zhao Gao originally came from a humble background. Because he was proficient in the law, he was favored by the emperor. Now he also showed his excessive greed for power, so he regarded Li Si as a thorn in his side and a thorn in his flesh. At this time, Zhao Gao relied on his cunning scheming and vicious conspiracy to play with the dandy Hu Hai. He wanted to use the emperor's hand to remove all obstacles on his way to do whatever he wanted. It seemed that God had destined him and Hu Hai to do whatever he wanted. Hu Hai was the culprit who wanted to destroy the magnificent empire created by the great Qin Shihuang.
One day in August of the second year of the Second World War, a gust of autumn wind came, and people felt frightened and chilled. In Qin's prison, the guards escorted more than a thousand people out of it and then gathered them in a spacious courtyard in the prison. These people were all wearing shackles and looked like they had been tortured beyond human appearance. They were all dressed in rags, like beggars. This major case was unusual. It was ordered by the Second Emperor to kill people for a pretext to deter the people of the country, and to fully implement the "Art of Supervision and Responsibility" as its purpose.
It turned out that most of these prisoners were political traitors, and the leader was Song Liu, the leader of the Zhang Chu army who was captured by the Qin army after losing the battle. Song Liu was the fifth anti-Qin general conferred by King Zhang Chu. He was from Jue County and was twenty-nine years old at the time. After the army he led captured Nanyang, they attacked Wuguan, but they encountered resistance from Qin general Wang Ling, who blocked him firmly at Danshui Pass. Later, he was defeated by Yang Xiong from behind, and finally caught him in Xincai and sent him to Xianyang in a special car. At this time, Song Liu looked very thin, unshaven, wearing a torture device, barefoot, and his whole body had been beaten to pieces. The people were divided into several rows and stood in the middle of the courtyard. They faced Qin's judicial officials, Sikou, the warden, and some jailers who took notes. According to Qin law, they will all be sentenced to death and executed. The punishments in the Qin State were numerous, and their cruelty was outrageous, including the death penalty: killing, which was to humiliate the prisoner and then kill him; abandoning the city, which was to torture the person with a knife in the city; and 甔, to be executed late and late In the city; fixed killing, this is for leprosy patients, that is, they are thrown directly into the water and drowned; for the clan, it is to kill the three clans. Some of these various crimes for death row inmates are prescribed by law, while others are privately created by judicial officials.
Sikou first convicted and sentenced Song Liu. The charge was naturally treason, and was designated as one of the tortures of breaking a car apart. The remaining dozens of rebel generals and fugitives were sentenced to beheaded, cut in half, dismembered, swollen, disemboweled, tripped, gouged, whipped, and cooked in a wok. The remaining several hundred people were all sentenced to death. . After Sikou pronounced the sentence, the sergeants took them to Xianyang City for execution. After Song Liu and other serious criminals were taken away, Sikou also convicted some other minor criminals. Most of these people are ordinary people who were caught for escaping from labor or performing various chores. Originally, they were going to be sent to Afang Palace to serve as laborers, but now the country needs a large number of soldiers to fight. The Sikou decided to punish the leaders by chopping off their feet and digging out their noses, respectively, based on the principal or accomplice. Most of the remaining punishments were classified as tattooing, flogging and contortion. After receiving their sentences, they were all assigned to serve in the army. More than 300 old, weak, sick and disabled were also designated as Chengdan pounders, that is, men were sent to build the city, and their families had to go to the government to pound rice. The prison terms were five to six years. There are also some people who are sick, and they are punished to collect firewood or choose rice. The period is four years. For those who were too sick to move, their wives were punished as concubines, that is, serving as handymen in the government or in the homes of dignitaries for a period of one year. After all the people were convicted, they were sent to different places to serve their sentences.
The most tragic thing was Song Liu and hundreds of political fans. They were shackled, tied together with ropes, and escorted by soldiers to be executed. These soldiers all wore eerie hooded helmets and held long spears in their hands. They looked intimidating. The officials of Qin State also asked the common people to watch in order to warn others. After everyone arrived at the execution place, the soldiers gathered them together. At this time, the officials of the State of Qin also accused Song Liu of being a bandit, a traitor, and a murderer. They also asked the people to come forward to besiege him, curse him, insult him, and then torture him by cutting his body into pieces. Song Liu died tragically, and the scene was too tragic to watch. After executing Song Liu, he executed other criminals one by one. Poor these hundreds of passionate men who died violently in Xianyang City in an instant. Their living lives were unbelievably cheapened in this way, just like the wheat stalks waiting to be harvested by farmers in autumn, and finally turned into Fresh fertilizer that nourishes mother earth.
After Sikou finished executing the prisoners, he went to report to the Second Emperor. After hearing the report, the Second Emperor praised him greatly: "You are a good official who truly understands the art of supervising and responsibly!" He rewarded him with ten pieces of gold and three hundred pieces of silk. Zhao Gao was very happy when he saw what the Second Emperor had done, and said to the Second Emperor: "Now that people can't even save their own lives, who would have the desire to rebel again?" The Second Emperor also said happily: "I didn't think of implementing supervision. The benefits of the art of responsibility are so great!" The two laughed happily.
The next day, Zhao Gao had just walked out of the palace when someone suddenly came to report: "Sir, it's bad, General Zhang Han was defeated in Dong'a!..." Zhao Gao suddenly said viciously: "Well! You can't speak well. Be careful!" The official who reported the incident was too frightened to speak, so he had to follow Zhao Gao to the Prime Minister's Mansion. Zhao Gao then slowly asked about the situation in Shandong, and then he thought to himself: Now in the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, two old guys, General Feng Jie and Right Prime Minister Feng Quji, often brag and glare at me, but they both It's a rectum, and it's too easy to deal with. The most difficult person to deal with is Li Si, because this person participated in the plot of Sand Dune and often wants to take credit for being the first to do so. If he is not eliminated now, he is afraid that the second generation will only favor him. When Zhao Gao thought of this, he slyly rolled the black eyes in his triangular eyes that were about to fall out, and came up with a bad idea with ulterior motives.
Within a few days, the news of the Qin army's defeat in Dong'a caused a stir in Xianyang City. At this time, someone came to report that Li Si wanted to see the emperor. As soon as Zhao Gao heard that the opportunity had come, he smiled and said to the man: "Go and tell him that your Majesty is not available." The man went and told Li Si. Li Si could not see the second son, so he went to discuss with the general Feng Jie and the right prime minister Feng Quji. Feng Quji listened to Li Si's statement and said sadly: "The country is in danger, but Zhao Gao deceived Sheng Cong and hid His Majesty, hum! Let's go find Zhao Gao now and ask him where he hid His Majesty?" "The three of them said and came to see Zhao Gao together. But Zhao Gao had already sent people to keep an eye on them. Now that he heard that they were all looking for him, he quickly hid.
For three days, Li Si couldn't see Zhao Gao and was very anxious. On the fourth day, Zhao Gao secretly came to see Li Si and said: "I heard that bandits are rife in Guandong and rebellions continue, but your Majesty only cares about the affairs of Afang Palace. He also sends people around to collect famous horses, famous dogs and beautiful women, which are useless. They are indifferent to state affairs. I want to see you, but my status is too low. Prime Minister, what do you think we should do?" Li Si mistakenly thought that the opportunity had come, and said, "Isn't it? General Zhang is eating in Dong'a. If the battle is defeated, the ministers will all go to court to see His Majesty to discuss the matter." Zhao Gao said hypocritically: "The Prime Minister is really worried about state affairs, this is great! I will send someone to inform you as soon as Your Majesty is free. "Li Si was very grateful, so he went back to wait for the news.
The next day, Zhao Gao came to see the second generation and said: "Zhang Han and the prime minister's son Li You recommended by Wang Ben to your majesty are useless people. They were defeated in Dong'a and are now defeated and retreating to the west. Sanchuan has returned. It's dangerous." After hearing this, the Second Emperor asked Zhao Gao urgently: "Does the Prime Minister not know about this? Why didn't he come and report it?" Zhao Gao said: "How could he not know? He just didn't dare to see Li You. Just you. He came to see me in private yesterday and asked me to intercede with His Majesty and forgive Li You for his defeat before he dared to come to see you!" The Second Emperor got angry and said, "What should I do now? The general I sent out We are losing battles one after another, what do you think we should do?" Zhao Gaodao: "The Prime Minister said that we can only send some more reinforcements." The Second Emperor said anxiously: "How can the imperial court send reinforcements? Doesn't he know the situation?" Zhao Gao said: " Your Majesty, the Prime Minister said that there are still 500,000 or 600,000 prisoners who built Afang Palace. Can they be organized into an army?" The Second Emperor patted the table and said, "My palace has not been completed yet. He, Li Si, thought so well. , hum!" Zhao Gao said: "I told him the same thing, but the Prime Minister said that national affairs cannot be delayed for His Majesty alone." After hearing this, the Second Emperor was naturally furious. Zhao Gao quickly advised him: "But please rest assured, Your Majesty, Zhang Han just fought a small battle, it doesn't matter. As the saying goes, 'victory or defeat is a common thing for military strategists.' I have sent troops and horses to various places to reinforce him. Please Don't worry!" The second son then turned from anger to joy and said: "Teacher is still thoughtful, but you must report the war in Shandong at all times, but you must not imitate Prime Minister Li: come forward when you encounter good things, and show up when encountering bad things. Hide. If the prisoners from Afang Palace are really needed, they can be sent to fight. I can't delay national affairs for my own sake. The prime minister is right." Zhao Gao nodded and said yes.
After Zhao Gao came out, he felt very proud and thought of ways to punish Li Si. Once, Zhao Gao saw the second son enjoying the vaudeville show in the palace, so he quickly sent a message to Li Si, saying that he could pay an audience. Li Si hurriedly came to ask for an audience. However, the second generation was having fun at this time. When he heard that Li Si was coming to see him, he felt extremely disappointed and rejected him directly. Another time, the palace servants came to send a message to Li Si, saying that His Majesty was free today and could pay an audience. The result was another rejection. Li Si didn't see the emperor twice and felt puzzled, so he came to ask Zhao Gao what was going on. Zhao Gao pretended to be puzzled and said: "The emperor was indeed idle the last two times, but why didn't he see you? I'll ask you tomorrow to see what's going on." Li Si left with great gratitude.
The next day, Zhao Gao came to see Li Si and said, "I have found out the reason why Your Majesty did not see you twice before." Li Si asked what the reason was. Zhao Gaodao: "The first two times your Majesty asked the palace people whether the ministers came together or the prime minister came alone, the palace people replied that there was only the prime minister. I asked your majesty specifically about this matter, and your majesty told me to wait until the prime minister brought all the ministers together. Let's all gather them together to see you again, so that you can handle a lot of things in one day." Li Si suddenly realized when he heard this, and said: "Master Zhao has taken the trouble, so please see when His Majesty is still free. I will definitely summon all the civil and military officials of the dynasty to come to court." Zhao Gao agreed with bad intentions, and then left.
A few days later, one morning, someone suddenly came to the palace and told Li Si that the emperor was going to meet with officials, and asked Prime Minister Li to lead everyone to the palace immediately to see the emperor. Li Si was very happy. Knowing that this was the result of Zhao Gao's help, he quickly summoned all the civil and military officials and came to the gate of Xianyang Palace to pay homage to the emperor. It turns out that Zhao Gao found many beauties from Guanzhong and sent them all to the palace last night. The second generation was so happy to get these beauties that he played all night long and was still in high spirits the next day. At this time, he suddenly heard that Li Si led the civil and military officials from all over the dynasty to come to ask for an audience. He said angrily: "I always have free time, why doesn't he come? But whenever it is inconvenient for me, he comes to make trouble. This is deliberately contrary to Are you going to be against me or do you want me to make a fool of myself in front of the civil and military officials of the court?"
When Zhao Gao saw that the Second Emperor was furious, he immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty, if this continues, it will be fine. I only have one thing to worry about." The Second Emperor asked you what you were worried about. Zhao Gao said mysteriously: "The Prime Minister once participated in the Sand Dune conspiracy. Now that you are the emperor, his status has not been improved at all. I heard that he resents you very much and often thinks of revenge against you. Now he suddenly leads The officials who came here must know what you are doing now. Is he deliberately trying to make you look embarrassed in front of the officials?" The second generation became even more angry and said, "It turns out that Prime Minister Li has no good intentions!" Zhao Gao said Then he hesitated and said: "There is one more thing, but..." The second generation asked very angrily what it was. Zhao Gao said: "I heard that the father and son have been secretly in contact with the thieves for a long time. I told you this last time, but your Majesty didn't believe it. Now I have new evidence!" When the second son heard this, he became even more angry. I asked what the evidence was. Zhao Gaodao: "There were envoys from Shandong. They intercepted some letters. These letters were all about Li You secretly communicating with thieves. They also said that the prime minister connived at him to do these things." After hearing this, the Second Emperor said, I was so shocked that I had to read the letter. Zhao Gao took out the letter he had prepared in advance and showed it to the Second Emperor. The Second Emperor read these letters and gritted his teeth and said: "How could the Prime Minister be such a person?" Zhao Gao added more jealously: "I heard that the people who rebelled in Chu were all children of their hometown, and some of them were old friends of Prime Minister Li. . In the past, when Zhou Wen went on a rampage in Sanchuan, Li You refused to arrest him, so they almost reached Xianyang! This is indeed the case. Your Majesty, you must not let Prime Minister Li betray you!" The second generation was shocked. Terrified, he asked Zhao Gao what to do. Zhao Gao replied: "The Prime Minister should be arrested immediately and handed over to the judicial department for interrogation to see if he recruits or not?" The second generation hesitated: "But Prime Minister Li has made great contributions, and the late emperor relied on him. I can't just arrest him!" After a while, the Second Emperor said, "Should we send someone to Sanchuan to investigate again? It's a serious matter, so we can't unjustly accuse him." Zhao Gao didn't dare to say anything more. The Second Emperor then sent an envoy to Sanchuan to investigate Li You's situation, and then dispersed all the ministers who came to remonstrate today.
The next day, when Li Si heard that the emperor had sent special personnel to investigate Li You's misdeeds, he realized that he had asked Zhao Gao to betray him. He was furious and told the ministers about Zhao Gao's continuous deception. The ministers also understood Zhao Gao's face and hated him very much. Later, Li Si led his colleagues to gather outside the gate of Xianyang Palace and strongly demanded that the second emperor go to court. When the second son heard that he was upset, he and Zhao Gao took the dancers and the band, went out the back door and ran to Ganquan Palace.
