Deshengmen is a gate to the west of the northern wall of Beijing.
Taking the meaning of "victory with virtue" and "moral victory", it is known as the "Military Gate".
Looking at the Desheng Gate, which is more than thirty meters high, Chongzhen's eyes were a little complicated.
During the Zhengtong and Jingtai years of the Ming Dynasty, fierce battles were fought between the capital and Wala.
Seventeen years later, Li Zicheng led a peasant uprising army to invade Beijing.
It is a great irony that Desheng and Desheng are defeated one after another.
A moment later, Chongzhen boarded the arrow tower of Deshengmen, followed by hundreds of officials and generals from the capital.
Outside Deshengmen, hundreds of tied people stood, surrounded by dozens of executioners wearing white clothes, red scarves on their heads, and holding machetes. Behind each executioner stood a criminal or royal guard.
The expressions on these people's faces are like those of all living beings.
Anger, unwillingness, fear, and more importantly, relief. They must also know that they have done so many evil things and will be liquidated sooner or later. So many years of glory and wealth are worth it.
There are tens of thousands of people around, and they are still coming from the city in a steady stream.
"Your Majesty, among the remaining criminals of Wei Zhongxian, who were the first to rebel against his accomplices, rebelled against the evil army, and flattered his supporters, he was sentenced to execution and execution of his clan members. A total of 397 people in Beijing have been brought to you. Please give me your Majesty's instructions!"
"Cut them!"
Before Chongzhen could speak, a roar suddenly sounded.
"Your Majesty, kill them, behead these beasts who are corrupt, pervert the law, and harm the people."
"The sky has eyes, these people have finally been punished, and the old man can die in peace."
"My poor son was seriously injured just because he blocked Wei Liangqing's way. He is already dead..."
"Kill them!"
"kill!"
"kill!"
"kill!"
…
The people who were watching started to be angry, but in the end they turned into the word "kill".
"As you can see, the reaction of the people shows everything. It shows that these people really deserve to be killed. It also shows how bad the relationship between the court and the people is."
"Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. If the relationship between the court and the people is not good, and the people don't trust the court, do you expect them to help us one day in the future?"
"The people are the most valuable, the country is the second most important, and the king is the least important. You should think about this carefully."
When Chongzhen said this, he felt a little sad. He thought about the future generations. What did they rely on to rise from the siege and interception? It’s the support of countless people.
During the passionate years of the battle between 600,000 and 800,000 horses, and during the 66 days and nights of war, 5.43 million people bravely marched forward, with an average of 9 ordinary people "escorting" behind each soldier.
If Li Zicheng attacked Beijing, the people of Beijing would do the same. How could they destroy the country?
After Chongzhen finished remembering him, he waved his hand and said, "Fathers and fellow villagers, please be quiet and listen to what I have to say."
Under the human loudspeaker, tens of thousands of angry people fell silent.
"Fathers and fellow villagers, since I brought them here, I have never thought of letting them go."
"Since you have made a mistake, you must accept the corresponding punishment. As the old saying goes, it does not mean that you will not retaliate. The time has not come, but when the time comes, everything will be repaid."
"But what I want to say is that these people are only a small part of the tens of thousands of officials in the Ming Dynasty. There are many more officials who are sincerely fighting for the people and the Ming Dynasty. We cannot put all our hatred on the officials and the court. .”
"I am here to tell those scholars that if you want to be an official, don't think about getting rich. If you want to get rich, don't be an official. If you dare to raise your hand, this is the end."
"Please believe in me and the court. The future will be better. I believe that my dream will definitely come true."
The whole place was silent, and everyone had a thoughtful look on their face.
"Prove your identity!"
"kill!"
Under the roar of dozens of human-made loudspeakers, a chilling atmosphere filled the air.
The first batch of fifty people were pulled out. Officials from the Ministry of Punishments read out the charges, guards in golden robes verified their identities, and the executioner raised his knife and dropped it at the same time.
Dozens of heads fell to the ground, and blood spurted out meters high. The impact of that scene made everyone tremble.
Even generals such as Qin Liangyu and Ma Xianglin, who had participated in battles involving hundreds of thousands of people, had somewhat changed expressions.
Although fighting on the battlefield is cruel and more people die, it is far less impactful than this.
Several officials on the city wall began to vomit.
"Keep your eyes open for me!"
Chongzhen turned his head to look at the ministers who were turning their heads, and roared angrily. He suppressed the discomfort in his stomach and the unbearable feeling in his heart, and stared straight at the execution scene.
It's not that he was cold-blooded, but he knew that in history, Chongzhen only killed 258 people because of his soft heart and the mercy of the presiding officer.
As a result, during the seventeen years of Chongzhen's rule, people who were involved in the case continued to want to overturn the case. By the time of Hongguang in the Southern Ming Dynasty, the voices for overturning the case became even more arrogant.
He is going to kill this group of people this time. The struggle for power is inherently cruel and merciless. Incompleteness, soft-heartedness, and hesitation will inevitably lead to historic mistakes.
This execution lasted for a full hour. The large number of people was not only one aspect, but also the verification of identity and the reading out of the evidence of guilt.
Either don't kill, or be convinced to kill.
Li Banghua said loudly under the city gate: "Your Majesty, all the main personnel in Wei Zhongxian's rebellion were killed, a total of 397 people. Please give me your instructions!"
Chongzhen was silent for a moment and said in a deep voice: "People are dead, and all the things in life have disappeared. Death is the most important thing. We allocate funds from the internal funds and give each person a coffin and bury them outside Juyongguan, so that they can see how the Ming Dynasty will last forever." Solid."
"Your Majesty has mercy!"
Li Banghua knelt down and worshiped.
In the past, people who committed crimes like this were simply thrown into mass graves and eaten by jackals, tigers and leopards. The emperor's move was truly merciful.
"Long live your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
…
After appeasing the people, Chongzhen and his ministers returned to the Huangji Palace.
"Li Ruolian, print out all the charges against these people and distribute them to the entire city starting tomorrow!"
This move was to let the people know that he was right to kill and these people deserved to be killed.
"Guo Aiqing, your household department will be responsible for counting the proceeds from the inspection. Except for the fertile farmland, all the rest, such as antiques, calligraphy and paintings, etc., will be sold. I only want cash."
"Thirty-and-a-half percent of the proceeds from the inspection will go to the internal funds, 50 percent will go to Taipu Temple, and half will go to Taipu Temple's Changying Treasury, Gongbu Jieshen Treasury, and Guanglu Temple's Silver Treasury. Is this a feasible distribution?"
The temporary directors of the mentioned ministry were stunned. They all thought that they would all come into the money. They wanted it, but they really didn't dare to ask. They didn't expect that the emperor would take the initiative to allocate it to them.
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
Several people knelt down and worshiped.
"Okay, the temporary chiefs of the Cabinet, Li Banghua, the Ministry of Revenue, Taipu Temple, and the Ministry of Industry will stay to discuss matters. The rest of the Ai Qings should withdraw from the court!"
