Beheaded!
It is one of the most cruel executions recorded in the history of the country!
That is what the common people call death by a thousand cuts!
Strictly speaking, this kind of punishment first appeared during the Five Dynasties. However, looking at its actual frequency of use, it originated in the Tang Dynasty.
Any kind of punishment actually takes a period of evolution before it takes shape. Now it seems that it is difficult to verify who actually enjoyed this kind of perverted and cruel punishment in the first place.
However, later during the reign of Renzong of the Song Dynasty, this punishment had been written into the "Song Xingtong" and used as a special punishment. Therefore, this kind of punishment should have been formed in the early Song Dynasty, or the previous Five Dynasties period.
According to various historical records and folk legends at the time, the era when this kind of punishment was most likely to be actually used was the chaotic Five Dynasties period.
Because the Five Generations changed frequently, and most people did not know who the emperor was, the ruling class often resorted to torture to stabilize their position in order to gain authority. Therefore, rulers at any level will take extreme measures against the weak.
It is said that this cruel punishment was commonly used by tying people to a wooden stake. Then the executioner cut off the prisoner's flesh piece by piece. At first it was only 120 knives, but later it was said to have grown to 360 knives.
Just hearing about this kind of punishment is already terrifying enough, let alone seeing someone executed who has seen it, it is naturally even more frightening. Everyone present here lived close to the Tang Dynasty, so they have naturally heard countless legends about executions.
So when they heard Liu Jixing say this, they felt that Liu Jixing might just be talking, but when they saw that the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty were silent, they vaguely felt that it would not be so simple.
Especially since Anle Gong Meng Chang came to the Xing Palace for a short period of time, he had heard many legends about Emperor Liu Jixing. Seeing him looking at Zhang Wenbiao calmly, Meng Chang was a little surprised at first, and then a little scared. Because he was just a defeated criminal, and the law of the winner has always been there. When he thought of this, Meng Chang was already shuddering.
Because the term "cutting to death" was practiced by some people during the Tang Dynasty, it had not yet taken shape. But after the Five Dynasties, similar punishments were implemented in all areas of the Central Plains.
Especially since the Liu family entered Lingnan, it has achieved considerable development and implementation. According to Liu Jixing's own understanding and the thoughts of Liu Yuan he recalled in his heart, knowing that this punishment was in the hands of Liu Sheng's father and Liu Yuan's grandfather, Emperor Liu Yan, he had already implemented it thoroughly and even quite completely.
However, Liu Jixing speculated that the reason why Liu Yan was so cruel was entirely related to his rule over the Lingnan barbarians. This is not Liu Jixing's excuse for the Liu family, because at that time, if the Liu family wanted to gain a foothold in the territory of the descendants of the Baiyue nation, it would be impossible to convince them without some torture.
And Liu Yan, who is proud of the world, was once the number one person in the "Celebrities and Strange Arts List". Because of his original domineering and prestige, the people in the Central Plains did not dare to set foot in Lingnan.
Even now, Dong Jialuo does not dare to surpass Liu Yan's reputation, which shows his prestige and domineering attitude towards Liu Yan. As for Liu Yan's own rule of Lingnan, although he was not able to invade the Central Plains, this was related to many historical factors at the time. In order to control the border people in Lingnan, some torture methods originated in the Tang Dynasty were devised.
Liu Jixing once saw some records that Liu Yan had read in the records of Emperor Gaozu collected in the palace, and later made some reviews, in which a minister of the Tang Dynasty was mentioned. This man's name is Heng Yanfan. It is said that he was the prime minister of Empress Wu's dynasty. He served as a supervisory censor and censor Zhongcheng. Later, he was eventually sentenced to death because of the Five Kings incident against Empress Wu.
The book records the ending of this Heng Yanfan: He was ordered to bind the left and right, placed on the bamboo rub, the flesh was removed to the bone, and then killed with a stick!
This method of tying a person to a bamboo washboard, cutting off the flesh on the body, and then pulling it around until all the flesh is cut and the bones are exposed is simply unimaginable. Especially the method of killing him with a stick without dying in the end is actually extremely cruel and inhumane.
When Liu Jixing saw this, he felt cruel in his heart. However, through Wang Yu's explanation, Liu Jixing learned that this was the earliest prototype of execution.
Of course, another lucky person at this time was a nanny fairy boy from almost the same time.
At that time, Yang Sixu, who helped Tang Xuanzong Li Longji seize power, was named General Zuojian Gatekeeper by the emperor. This Yang Sixu is a great eunuch with an extremely cruel temperament. Knowing that the emperor wanted to punish Niu Xiantong for corruption and bribery, he adopted this capital punishment to frighten the courtiers and increase the emperor's prestige in the court.
Later, a more famous figure was sentenced to this cruel death penalty. But strictly speaking, it also happened during the Xuanzong Dynasty. That person was Yang Guozhong, who was in power at the time. Due to the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion, he was slaughtered in the wild by the rebels when he ran away with the emperor.
The record at that time described it as follows: The sergeant chased him, butchered his body and body, and used a gun to expose his head outside the post gate!
Yang Guozhong's deeds are recorded in history books, just like the previous ones, so many literati should be aware of these cruelties.
As for another more famous minister, who was also a very famous scholar, it was saddening to suffer such torture. It also happened during the Xuanzong period, when Yan Gaoqing, who was loyal to the court, was tortured to death by An Lushan's orders.
It was recorded at that time: Gao Qing cursed loudly and was cut to pieces, but he still continued to curse. After his tongue was cut off, he still cursed in a vague way until he died!
Of course, these are only the records of senior officials in the previous dynasty. As for those that have not been recorded, I don’t know how many there are. At that time, the Anshi Rebellion led to great chaos in the country and the world. People lamented that even the princes and princesses of the highest society had no way of knowing their fate, let alone the common people and petty officials.
Liu Jixing has always believed that just because there is no record in history books, it does not mean that it did not happen. Because this era was just a continuation of the Anshi Rebellion and Huang Chao Rebellion, people often said that torture was used in troubled times, and Liu Jixing gradually did not object to this matter.
Judging from the reputation left by the Liu family in Lingnan, the effect is actually excellent. Because at least in the territory of the descendants of the barbaric Lingnan Baiyue, the Liu family in the Central Plains could stand firm and even ruled for half a century. This kind of torture that Liu Yan picked up again had a great effect.
Xiao Yuan, the commander of Ximen Youya, and Zhao Yuan, the newly appointed Baoan County Lieutenant, actually ignored the imperial regulations and the emperor's preferential treatment of ministers who submitted to the imperial court, and dared to extort money. This is what the imperial law and the emperor Liu Jixing cannot do. things to tolerate.
