It was the beginning of May, the twenty-second year of Qianlong's reign.
The Dragon Boat Festival is approaching, and the scorching sun is scorching the earth like fire. At this time, the air is already filled with a hot breath, making people extremely uncomfortable and sweating at every turn.
Under the direct sunlight, you can see the rolling heat waves on the ground, which makes people feel intimidated and can't help but want to escape from the hot environment and hide in a cool place to rest.
This year's heat is rare compared to previous years. Some older generations said that it was almost as hot as the eighth year of Qianlong's reign①, and the weather was so hot that many people died.
The hot weather is so irritating that even the locals in Xuzhou find it unbearable, let alone the Eight Banners frontier troops who were ordered to be transferred from the south.
These Eight Banners border troops all come from remote and cold places such as Jilin. They can tolerate the cold, but the hot weather in Xuzhou makes them suffer.
Therefore, these Eight Banners frontier troops had a lot of complaints in private. Complaining that the court did not choose the time, but chose this extremely hot weather for them to come down and suffer.
It is said that there are even voices saying that they are preparing to give up the defense of Xuzhou and wait for the autumn to cool down before leading troops to counterattack.
As soon as this rumor came out, the officials in Xuzhou City were so frightened that they sent money and food. They even turned a blind eye to their misdeeds, and then left this group of "arrogant soldiers" behind. Come down.
The war is about to begin, and battle reports are constantly coming and going from the major gates in Xuzhou City. Under the vigorous propaganda of the Manchu and Qing court, the people around Xuzhou City were extremely afraid of the arrival of the bandit suppression army, causing the number of people pouring into Xuzhou City to increase rapidly every day.
The increase in population will naturally increase the burden on public security, housing and food in Xuzhou.
Especially for food, the price of food in the city keeps rising every day, soaring all the way. Even before we have seen the rumored rebels, food prices have already risen ridiculously. Even the old grains in previous years have risen to a high price of almost four liang and one stone, so the people have to tighten their belts and drink a few more bowls of water. Hungry.
"Dang...dang...dang..."
On Nanmen Street, a rapid sound of gongs came. At this time, a group of police officers armed with official swords and sticks were seen walking quickly on the street, pushing the crowded crowd to clear a path.
"Get out of the way, get out of the way, get out of the way quickly, get out of the way..."
…
"What's going on? This street is already crowded. If these losers don't sit in the yamen to enjoy the cool air, how can they come here to clear the road?" A voice from the crowd who was pushed aside murmured in displeasure.
"Young man, there is a saying that trouble comes from the mouth. For the sake of your family, say less. If you want them to listen, you have to cause a lot of trouble. What else could it be if the official came to clear the way? I guess it was who The high-ranking officials are leaving the city!" Another voice warned in a low voice.
"This big brother is right, I guess that's the case..." Another voice sounded, attracting the approval of the surrounding people.
"Hey, you didn't know this! The reason why these officials came out to clear the way is because there will be death row criminals who will pass through here and beheaded at the entrance of the market street." Someone who claims to know the inside information is saying Bragging proudly.
"Brother, you've said it before! It's not like we haven't seen executions of criminals before. When are we going to set up such a battle? They just pull them over and execute them when the time comes. Look, it's a high-ranking official. The possibility of traveling is high,” said an opposing voice. This statement was immediately echoed by many people around him.
"If they were just ordinary death row criminals, that would indeed be the case. But they are not..." the person being questioned pretended to be mysterious.
"Could it be that they are..." At this time, someone seemed to have guessed something. It made everyone around him curious.
Under the eyes of everyone seeking knowledge, the insider man's vanity was greatly satisfied. At this time, he said slowly: "It seems that this little brother has figured out that, yes, they are the rebels. They are the ones who will The group of rebels who came to besiege our Xuzhou City."
"Wow…"
As soon as the insider man's voice fell, there was a roar around him. It wasn't until he caught the attention of the official in the distance that he became quiet.
"In that case, we have to go take a look later..."
"That's right, I've always heard that rebels are coming, but I've never seen them. Unexpectedly, the court has already captured and executed many of them. It seems that this group of rebels are just grasshoppers after the fall, and they won't be able to survive for a few days."
…
Xuzhou City, at the entrance of Nanmen Food Market Street.
It was just noon, and the scorching sun in the sky was radiating its heat with all its strength, vowing to scorch the ground.
The execution ground in the open space in front of the vegetable market was already crowded with people. Although in previous years when prisoners were beheaded, there would be many people watching, but compared with now, it is not worth mentioning.
When most people heard that rebels were being killed here, they either gritted their teeth or came to see the "world". They were all happy to see it, so the fierce sun still couldn't stop them. They have a "gossip" heart.
"Why hasn't anyone come yet? This is so annoying..."
"Why are you so anxious? It's just noon, and it will still be a while before it's three quarters past noon!"
"Will it take so long? No, I have to find a darker place to hide. The sun is too 'poisonous'..."
"Just leave! Don't look at how many people are guarding outside now. You are going out. You will definitely not be able to squeeze in for a while. Then you won't be able to see others beheading the rebels."
"You're right, then I'd better stay here, lest I miss watching someone's 'beheading'..."
"Well...it's good to know..."
Since ancient times, beheadings have been carried out at different times, that is to say, beheadings have different severity.
Probably because of the superstition of the ancients, they believed that there are ghosts in the world.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, when Yang Qi is at its strongest, Yin Qi will dissipate immediately. If the prisoner is beheaded at this time, his soul will be scattered instantly and he will never be reincarnated, not even a ghost.
Generally, beheading is performed at noon, so that he can still be a ghost; but for repeat offenders or heinous criminals, the beheading must be performed at three quarters of noon, so that he can no longer be a ghost as a punishment.
"Dang...dang...dang..."
Under the sound of gongs, four prison cars were slowly transporting four prisoners.
The prison car bumped and swayed all the way, which was uncomfortable to watch. At this moment, I saw four prisoners talking and laughing, but they looked at death as if they were home, which was "admirable" to watch.
"You are so young. What can you do wrong at such a young age? You have to be a rebel. Now you have to die an unexpected death in your prime years. It's really disappointing." Looking at the prison car shaking all the way, someone couldn't help but say with pity.
