The clip-clop of horse hooves and the creaking of cartwheels grew louder amidst the cheers of the common folk, drawing nearer until they appeared outside the Meridian Gate.
Everyone turned their heads in unison, gazing in that direction.
Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen felt a surge of heroic spirit filling their chests. The scene before them was the lifelong aspiration of all military commanders.
Inside the prisoner’s cart, Huang Taiji, however, wore a look of utter disbelief. He still couldn't fathom when the Ming army had manufactured such invincible artillery.
Captured outside Yizhou City, the Ming army had pressed its advantage, pushing all the way to Shengjing. Their artillery had directly breached the city gates, rampaging through the city, crushing Qing soldiers at will, and resulting in the capture or death of numerous officials in his court.
The banners of the Eight Banners had met a similar fate.
The endless procession of prisoner carts behind them was irrefutable proof!
Your subject, Cao Bianjiao, Generalissimo of the Eastern Front!
Your subject, Wang Tingchen, Commander-in-Chief of Liaodong!
The two dismounted, knelt on one knee, and looked up at Zhu Youjian on the Meridian Gate.
Having captured the rebel chieftain alive, we are here to present the captives to the Emperor. We request His Majesty's decree.
This question was a formality, signaling the official commencement of the presentation of captives.
"Granted!"
Zhu Youjian responded with a loud voice.
"Bring forth the rebel chieftain, Huang Taiji!"
With a loud shout, Cao Bianjiao ordered the soldiers behind him to open the first prisoner cart and escort Huang Taiji out.
After taking a few steps forward and reaching beneath the Meridian Gate, the soldiers unceremoniously kicked the back of Huang Taiji's knees.
"Kneel!"
With a thud, both men exerted force, and Huang Taiji’s knees slammed heavily onto the bluestone bricks. He slowly raised his head, meeting Zhu Youjian’s gaze.
"As fellow emperors, though I have been defeated, must I endure such humiliation?"
"A mere Jurchen, and you presume to call yourself an emperor or king?"
Zhu Youjian rose from his chair, looking down at him from his superior position.
"For years you have harassed our borders, violated the Great Ming's territory, and harmed our people, plunging them into misery!"
"The crimes of the Jurchen tribe are too numerous to list, and the blood debt they have incurred is an abomination to gods and men alike!"
"Our Great Ming's benevolence is vast, aiding all those who are obedient; our righteous might is displayed, striking down those who defy us, no matter how strong!"
"If you are not killed, it will not suffice to appease the public anger! If you are not killed, I am unworthy to be the Lord of the Great Ming!"
"The fallen soldiers of Liaodong are watching me from the netherworld, and they too are waiting for you there!"
"Guards, escort the rebel chieftain, Huang Taiji, out and behead him!"
"Take his head to report to the Imperial Ancestral Temple!"
"As commanded!"
Four Great Guards stepped forward, escorting Huang Taiji towards a designated area, where a cordoned-off open space served as the execution ground for the day.
"Long live His Majesty!"
The attending officials and the surrounding populace knelt and shouted in unison.
Zhu Youjian had just quoted a saying of the Wanli Emperor: "Those who defy us, no matter how strong, shall be struck down." This phrase was used in the twenty-seventh year of the Wanli era, in response to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and others.
No words could better boost the morale and spirit of the people.
With Huang Taiji led away, Cao Bianjiao took out a scroll and continued reading the identities of other prisoners.
"Presenting! Daishan, the Prince of the Plain Yellow Banner!"
"Presenting! Hauge, the Prince of the Plain Blue Banner!"
"Presenting! Jirgalang, the Prince of the Bordered Blue Banner!"
"Presenting! Shuo Tu, the Prince of the Bordered Yellow Banner!"
"We await His Majesty's judgment!"
After announcing these four names, Cao Bianjiao closed the scroll and bowed, seeking instructions.
"Behead them!"
Zhu Youjian's curt, single word sealed their fates.
Looking at these Tartars with their queue hairstyles, scenes of Liaodong flashed through his mind.
Ming soldiers massacred, leaving behind seas of corpses.
The lists of fallen Ming soldiers, one after another.
Their families, who eagerly awaited their return, only received a notification of their demise.
Those pairs of heartbroken eyes were staring at him now!
The debt was due for repayment!
Daishan and the other three were dragged away, joining Huang Taiji at the execution ground, kneeling before the stakes, awaiting the final blow.
Huang Taiji himself commanded the Two Yellow Banners, and with these four, six of the Jurchen Eight Banners were present. Only the princes of the Two White Banners had not been captured.
At the Battle of Yizhou, Dorgon had led his troops to retreat to Shengjing. Terrified by the Ming army's artillery, he had no choice but to flee with Dodo back into the primeval forests of Baishan Heishui.
These two brothers were the princes of the Two White Banners!
"Presenting! Gurusi Kabu, Prince of the Mongolian Plain Yellow Banner!"
"Presenting! Omu Chuhu, Prince of the Mongolian Plain Blue Banner!"
"Presenting! Gengger, Prince of the Mongolian Plain Red Banner!"
"Presenting! Dan Ba, Prince of the Mongolian Plain Blue Banner!"
"Presenting! Lashibucha, Prince of the Mongolian Bordered Yellow Banner!"
"Presenting! Butuku, Prince of the Mongolian Bordered White Banner!"
"Presenting! Gerir, Prince of the Mongolian Bordered Red Banner!"
"Presenting! Lukuhar, Prince of the Mongolian Bordered Blue Banner!"
"We await His Majesty's judgment!"
This time, it was Wang Tingchen who announced the list of prisoners and sought directives for their disposition.
"Behead them!"
The response from Zhu Youjian was the same.
Following these banner princes, Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen exchanged glances and then, in unison, declared:
"Presenting! Fan Wencheng, a Han official!"
"Presenting! Kong Youde, a Han official!"
"Presenting! Geng Jingzhong, a Han official!"
"Presenting! Shang Kexi, a Han official!"
"We request His Majesty's decree for their execution by lingchi, with their heads sent to the Nine Borders as a warning to the world!"
"Enemies are hateful, but those who collude with the enemy are even more detestable!"
Hearing the names of these four, Zhu Youjian's teeth gnashed with hatred.
"Granted!"
The high-ranking officials of the Qing were brought to the execution ground one after another, kneeling before the stakes.
Once the execution ground was full, the executioners, clad in red, raised their nine-ringed sabers, spat a mouthful of strong wine, and roared:
"Blood debt shall be repaid with blood!"
As the words fell, the blades descended.
With a crisp sound, heads rolled one after another.
Blood stained the execution ground. The Great Guards waiting nearby collected the severed heads in wooden cages measuring a foot square, piling them to the side.
The presentation of captives lasted for a day, and the executions continued for the entire day.
The executioners' arms ached from their labor, yet not a single one complained. They wished they could kill all these Tartars.
The wooden cages filled with heads were piled into small mountains at the edge of the execution ground.
Most of the onlookers had relatives who had been harmed by the Tartars. They felt only the satisfaction of vengeance, not the slightest hint of fear.
With each person the executioners beheaded, the crowd shouted their approval. By the end of the day, their voices were hoarse.
As dusk settled, all the captives who had the honor of being brought to the Meridian Gate received their due, either executed or sentenced to mine slavery.
Zhu Youjian took a sip of tea to moisten his throat. Just as he was about to announce the end of the captive presentation, a锦衣卫 (Jinyiwei - Imperial Guard) rushed to the Meridian Gate, holding aloft a flag with a sun and moon.
"Report!!!"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Commander has returned from the capital, and all eight Jin merchants have been apprehended!"
"They entered the city through Wenhua Gate and will be here momentarily!"
Luo Yangxing should have returned one or two days later. However, upon receiving word from his subordinates that the presentation of captives at the Meridian Gate was to take place today, he considered the matter and immediately decided to lead his team back day and night without rest.
Since the eight Jin merchants dared to collude with the Qing, they should also be made to walk the path of the Meridian Gate!
Not long after, Luo Yangxing's figure appeared outside the Meridian Gate. Behind him, the Jinyiwei forces escorted eight disheveled men.
"Luo Yangxing, Commander of the Jinyiwei, presents the eight Jin merchants!"
"Fan Yongdou, Wang Dengku, Jin Liangyu, Wang Dayu, Liang Jiabin, Tian Shenglan, Zhai Tang, Huang Yunfa."
"The eight Jin merchants defied the law, colluded with the Qing Tartars, and smuggled salt, iron, silk, horses, and people!"
"A total of seventy-four million taels of silver, three million piculs of grain, and vast tracts of land and shops have been confiscated. Their exact holdings have yet to be clarified."
"Over two thousand one hundred household members from the eight families have been apprehended, along with Huang Taiji's personal letters. The crimes of colluding with and aiding the enemy are undeniable!"
"We await His Majesty's judgment!"
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd outside the Meridian Gate.
Everyone was stunned by the sum of over seventy million taels of silver.
They could only think of one phrase: wealth rivaling the nation!
Since the Qing uprising, the Great Ming had closed its borders to trade. As the Tartars plundered, they had no place to spend their countless treasures of gold and silver, which eventually fell into the hands of the eight Jin merchants.
Their role was to provide the Qing with all the necessary supplies!
Zhu Youjian's hatred intensified. The national treasury was so poor it couldn't make ends meet, yet these individuals used the Great Ming's resources to aid the enemy. In a way, they were even more detestable than Fan Wencheng and his ilk who had defected.
He spat out four words filled with resentment: "Issue the decree: lingchi!"