Liu Yingjie’s words were direct and simple, understandable to everyone in the crowd, even the illiterate.
At this moment,
He coldly surveyed the entire crowd, raised his hands, and then lowered them, shouting loudly:
“Bring the criminals forward!”
The assembled populace craned their necks. Musketeers escorted four hundred Japanese pirates, all kneeling on the open ground below the large platform. Everyone had seen executions and knew that those with wooden plaques inserted into their backs were to be beheaded. But what was different today was that among these people, only fifty to sixty were clearly native bandits, while the majority were foreigners, including over twenty or thirty red-haired devils, and quite a few small, short Japanese pirates…
*Huala!*
*Boom!*
“Damn Japanese pirates!”
“Retribution!”
“They got what they deserved!”
“Flay them alive!”
“The Japanese pirates massacred civilians!”
“The red-haired devils are the worst!”
“Japanese pirates deserve to be cut into a thousand pieces!”
“Long live the Great Ming!”
“…”
Tens of thousands of people in the crowd, many of whom had relatives and friends who had suffered from Japanese raids, were now filled with righteous indignation. Many shouted radical slogans, while some spewed profanities.
Liu Yingjie, unhurried, waited for the crowd to vent their anger before waving his hand and speaking loudly:
“The Great Way has its own laws!”
He had a military background, and as soon as these words were uttered, the entire crowd immediately fell silent.
“Read the official indictment of the Great Ming’s Zhoushan Prefecture!”
*Huala!*
A judicial clerk from the Provincial Surveillance Office stepped forward, picked up the dossier, and began to read—
“It is investigated and found that Mario, a native of France, male, thirty-five years of age, in the Battle of Taozhu in the thirty-fifth year of Jiajing, killed eight innocent civilians and burned over twenty houses. With eyewitness and material evidence present, the Zhoushan Prefecture, in accordance with the Great Ming Law, sentences him to immediate execution.”
“It is investigated and found that Inukai Jiro, a ronin from the domain of Suruga, Japan, male, forty-one years of age, in the Battles of Taizhou in the twenty-sixth year of Jiajing and Taozhu in the thirty-fifth year of Jiajing, killed twenty-four innocent civilians and burned over a hundred houses. With eyewitness and material evidence present, the Zhoushan Prefecture, in accordance with the Great Ming Law, sentences him to beheading and public display.”
“It is investigated and found…”
These judgments were very concise, having been personally reviewed by Liu Yingjie and Zhu Mo. Considering that the public trial could not be too long, only fifty death-row inmates and fifty convicts to be punished were read out, totaling one hundred. Reading for about half an hour would suffice.
But at this very moment,
The entire crowd did not find it tedious at all. Everyone listened intently, occasionally bursting out with shouts like “Damn them!” or “Flay him,” listening with more absorption than they would a storyteller.
Zhu Mo and Liu Yingjie sat upright on the platform, both feeling deeply moved.
Liu Yingjie sighed:
“Zixuan, this method of public trial is truly excellent! Look at those pirates, all bowing their heads now, their savage aura completely gone.”
Mm,
Zhu Mo smiled faintly, thinking: You don’t know the true brilliance of this method! The primary purpose of a public trial is to uphold public sentiment and boost morale…
“Old Liu, when have you ever seen those who were habitually bullied now turn the tables? Heh heh, this public trial is precisely a trial of justice and public conscience, using righteousness to restrain brutality. It is not just a conflict between armies, but also a struggle for the world’s sentiment and conscience… We must let all under heaven believe that evil cannot triumph over good!”
Mm-hmm,
Liu Yingjie had been following Zhu Mo in enacting reforms for a year and felt that his life had entered a completely different realm. Furthermore, his early life had been very arduous, always stationed in the harshest frontier regions. He deeply empathized with the plight of ordinary people, and at this moment, he couldn't help but say:
“Indeed, never mind me, in a thousand years, who has ever seen such a scene? Perhaps in the era of Yao and Shun?”
As he spoke, his expression became peculiar, and it seemed as if he could truly see the Hua Biao pillars and the Deng Wen drums of the Yao and Shun era… When the people had requests, they were answered; the Great Way was practiced daily, like the sun and moon traversing the sky. How could the world and its people compare to later times?
Seeing that he was genuinely moved, Zhu Mo couldn't help but think: You are teachable… If that Zhang Taiyue had such empathy as you, future matters would be much simpler…
In reality,
He also understood that it was almost impossible to make the old gentry believe this principle, especially people like Yan Song and Zhang Juzheng. Even if they understood the principle, they would not choose this path… Liu Yingjie was different. This man had been stuck in subordinate positions his entire life, and being stationed on the frontier, with the military and civilians united, he was naturally different from ordinary officials…
Thinking of this,
He also sighed:
“Old Liu, if all officials in the world were like you, the world would have long been at peace…”
They both gave a wry smile, feeling that the joy of inspiring public sentiment today was truly the greatest enjoyment of their lives.
Soon,
The clerk finished reading the judgments.
Liu Yingjie announced loudly:
“People of the Jiangnan region! The crimes of the Japanese pirates have been fully revealed to the world! The Zhoushan Prefecture, in accordance with the Great Ming Law, has passed judgment. Now, we invite the Grand Scholar of the Wenyuan Pavilion and Imperial Envoy, Zhu Mo, to affix his signature!”
The clerk stepped forward a few paces, presented a document filled with names, and Zhu Mo, with a swift stroke of his brush, casually signed his name. Then he stood up, walked slowly to the front of the platform, cleared his throat, and said loudly:
“People of Jiangnan, the scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, and the soldiers and civilians! For what purpose do we hold this public trial today?”
His loud question was met with a silence so profound that a needle drop could be heard.
Understand,
The reforms in Jiangnan had been underway for a year. Zhu Mo had repeatedly struck at the Yan family, freed over nine hundred thousand indentured servants, propelled the rapid growth of the silk, porcelain, and tea industries, and achieved victories in the battles of Huating and Zhoushan. The people of Jiangnan now held him in great awe. Initially, they thought this young man was just messing around, but with the personal presence of important figures like Zhang Juzheng and the observable achievements, most people had no remaining doubts about the reforms.
At this moment,
Everyone remained silent, waiting quietly.
Zhu Mo paced a few steps, pondered for a moment, and then spoke loudly again:
“The reason for today’s public trial is to uphold the justice of Heaven and the Great Way of Yao and Shun… Regardless of whether it is the Great Ming or other nations, the hearts of the people are governed by this principle… Therefore, those who, outside of normal diplomatic relations, secretly recruit bandits and, during conflict, indiscriminately kill innocent civilians, I shall call this a war crime!”
“Some people might wonder, the Great Ming Law does not have the crime of war? How are today’s cases being judged? To that, I declare to all under heaven—I am establishing this new crime today! And henceforth, any disputes and lawsuits involving foreigners shall be handled by the Zhoushan Prefecture!”
“Enough with the idle talk! Commence the executions!”
With a *patta*,
He grabbed the bamboo container for drawing lots from the table and threw it high into the air, scattering the lots on the ground.
*Huala!*
*Boom!*
“Heaven has eyes!”
“The Great Way of Yao and Shun!”
“The principle of Heaven, the way of Heaven!”
“Grand Scholar Zhu!”
“Grand Scholar Zhu!”
“Grand Scholar Zhu!”
“…”
Amidst the thunderous cheers of the entire crowd, the sounds of *kacha kacha* continued. Two hundred death-row inmates had been executed, including twenty-four who were beheaded and publicly displayed, and one hundred and seventy-six who were beheaded. Following that, the remaining two hundred were sentenced to flogging, ranging from twenty to fifty strokes. After the flogging was completed, they would be exiled to the nine frontiers and to agricultural colonies.
Liu Yingjie ordered the yamen runners to hang the twenty-four heads of those beheaded on bamboo poles, dividing them into two groups and planting them in the middle of the open ground.
The tens of thousands of people in the crowd erupted in joyous acclamation.