si-mexico Chapter 1929: Fear is the fastest way to forget
Chapter 1929: Fear is the fastest way to forget
When the head of the last member of the Han royal family was chopped off, the execution platform was piled with corpses and blood flowed like a river.
The cries and commotion gradually subsided, replaced by a deathly silence and a numbness that permeated the air and penetrated deep into the bones.
The people stared blankly at the scarlet scene as the executioners began to clean up the scene.
They threw the headless bodies onto a cart like garbage, picked up the hideous heads one by one, and prepared to hang them on high poles for public display.
The initial curiosity, fear, pity and even a hint of excitement on their faces slowly faded away, leaving only emptiness and confusion.
They lost a familiar, even if not beautiful, old world, and faced a new world defined by absolute violence, iron and blood, and the ruthless emperor deep in the palace.
Chu Ning achieved his goal.
He used this most extreme and bloody method not only to cleanse the bloodline of the previous dynasty, but also to forcibly implant the unshakable authority of the Great Chu and the cold fact that the old era had completely and permanently ended in the hearts of all the people in Chang'an City and even the people of the world who were about to hear about this.
From this moment on, they must learn how to survive in the days without the Han people.
And the spiritual sustenance and illusory backbone that once existed had seeped into the ground along with the blood at Xishikou and completely dissipated.
The afterglow of the setting sun dyed Chang'an City a bloody red, echoing the scarlet that had not yet dried on the execution ground at Xishikou, as if the entire imperial capital was immersed in a thick plasma caused by the change of power.
Inside the palace, the solemn and murderous atmosphere was not lessened by the bloody scene during the day, but became even darker because of the dusk.
The footsteps of patrolling soldiers echoed in the empty palace gardens, heavier and more vigilant than usual.
A heavy and regular sound of footsteps came from afar, breaking the tranquility of the side hall of Xuan Zheng Hall.
Ran Ming's iron tower-like figure appeared outside the palace gate. He was still wearing the black armor stained with blood and dust. His bald head shone with an oily and fierce luster under the newly lit lights in the palace.
A strong smell of blood hit him as he stepped in, even drowning out the scent of incense in the hall.
He strode to the foot of the imperial steps, knelt on one knee, clasped his fists and saluted. His voice was as loud as a drum, with a hint of the excitement after the killing that had not yet subsided:
"Your Majesty! I will report back!"
Behind the imperial desk, Chu Ning was looking down at a huge map of the Central Plains.
He did not look up immediately after hearing the sound, but used a red pen to draw a scarlet cross on the land representing "Han".
"Tell me." He uttered a word lightly.
Ran Ming took a deep breath and reported in a booming voice, "Your Majesty has ordered the execution of the false Empress Dowager Dugu Jia and the false Emperor Liu Xiang at the entrance of the West Market. Their heads have been separated from their bodies! Their heads are now hung on the flagpole of the West Market for public display!"
"In addition, according to the records of the Zongzheng Temple and our army's searches, all the registered descendants of the Liu clan in Chang'an City, totaling 173 people, regardless of whether they were princes, nobles, women, children, or the elderly, have been captured and executed at the West Market Gate! Not a single one escaped!"
"Right now, corpses have piled up like a hill at the entrance to the West Market, blood is flowing like a river, and tens of thousands of onlookers have witnessed it with their own eyes!"
His report was detailed and cold, describing the genocide against the royal family of the previous dynasty as if it were an ordinary mission completed.
Upon hearing this, the faces of several young eunuchs standing in the hall turned pale, their bodies trembled slightly, and they could hardly stand.
Chu Ning finally raised his head and placed the red brush on the pen holder.
There was no expression on his face, as if he had just heard an ordinary report like "The weather is very good today."
His gaze passed over Ran Ming, as if it could penetrate the walls of the palace and see the tragic scene at Xishikou.
"Ah."
He nodded slightly, and the corners of his mouth finally curled up into a very faint, almost non-existent arc of satisfaction.
"It's done cleanly."
These four simple words are the highest praise for Ran Ming and all the soldiers who participated in the massacre.
Chu Ning slowly stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the palace shrouded in twilight.
The lights of thousands of homes in Chang'an City were lighting up one after another, but in his eyes, the light seemed different from before.
"After this incident,"
He turned his back to Ran Ming, his voice calm but with a power that could penetrate people's hearts:
"For the people of Chang'an City, and indeed the entire former Han territory, the last bit of their illusions about Liu Han and their attachment to the old dynasty have been completely severed."
He turned around, his eyes as deep as a pool. "They witnessed with their own eyes the nobles of the royal family whom they once revered as gods being slaughtered like pigs and dogs, their bloody corpses exposed in the streets."
"This kind of impact is far more direct and effective than thousands of edicts to reassure the people and tens of thousands of empty words of appeasement."
His tone was filled with cold certainty: "Fear is the fastest way to make people forget."
"From today on, they will understand deep down in their hearts that the word 'Da Han' has completely become history, a thing of the past."
"A new sky has risen above their heads. If they want to survive, they can and must forget the surname Liu and only remember that they are the people of my Great Chu."
These words revealed the true purpose of his bloody purge—not only physical annihilation, but also spiritual castration and reconstruction.
Although Ran Ming is a rough man, he has been in battle for a long time and has an intuitive understanding of people's hearts and minds.
He nodded repeatedly, echoing in a muffled voice, "Your Majesty is wise! Now, let's see who dares to think about the dead Han Dynasty!"
He seemed to have seen the flags of the Great Chu planted in every corner of the Central Plains, and his excitement was beyond words.
I couldn't help rubbing my hands, took a half step forward, and asked anxiously:
"Your Majesty! Now that the Han territory has been secured and the people's hearts are with us! Should we prepare to march eastward to Wei territory and fight the Tang army to the death?"
"Brothers, our swords are almost rusting from disuse! We await your Majesty's order to crush the Tang camp and capture the Tang Emperor alive!"
There was a belligerent gleam in his eyes, as if he had already smelled the bloody scent of the next battle.
The unprecedented achievement of unifying the Central Plains seems to be just around the corner.
However, Chu Ning's reaction was beyond his expectations.
"Not urgent."
Chu Ning uttered two words softly, walked back to the imperial desk and sat down, his fingers tapping on the smooth table again, making a regular light sound.
"Ok?"
Ran Ming was stunned, somewhat puzzled: "Your Majesty, the Tang Dynasty is a tough nut to crack. We need to solve it as soon as possible..."
Chu Ning raised his hand and interrupted him.
His eyes became sharp, like a hawk scanning the grass where its prey was hiding.
"We have taken Chang'an City and eliminated the Liu royal family, but do you think that this vast Han territory is truly completely under our control?"