After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 831 - 821: Punishment

Liu Qin’s face turned pale, and he began to tremble. He hurriedly looked at Liu Yi, eyes pleading.

Liu Yi, indeed loyal, directly said, "The rebellion was my mastermind; if you want to kill, kill me and spare him."

Zhao Hanzhang returned to her seat, sat down, and looked down at them with a gentle smile, saying, "Liu Yi, we’ve not just met today. You know me, but I know you even better. Without someone instigating, at most, you would think of escaping but not staging a rebellion."

"However, whether you are trying to escape or plotting rebellion, both are crimes in my eyes, so rest assured, you will both be punished."

Liu Yi guaranteed he would not commit again; he was willing to sincerely surrender to Zhao Hanzhang, only begging her to spare Liu Qin’s life.

Not just Liu Qin himself, even Xuan Yuxiu and other Han ministers were deeply moved, seeing Liu Yi willing to humble himself for a subordinate, they couldn’t help but tear up.

Zhao Hanzhang swept her eyes across their emotional faces and said expressionlessly, "I’m naturally pleased if you are willing to genuinely submit. In the past, I would certainly give you face, but not today."

Liu Yi was dumbfounded, "Why?"

Zhao Hanzhang pointed to the letter on the table, "Your General Shi Le killed our Great Jin’s Great General, so Liu Qin must die."

Zhao Hanzhang leaned forward, staring into Liu Qin’s eyes and said, "To be buried alongside our Great General, General Liu should feel honored."

Liu Qin: ...

Zhao Hanzhang said emotionlessly, "If you sincerely surrender, I will treat you with sincerity. If you pretend to submit, I am kind-hearted and, when without major losses, I am willing to turn a blind eye and treat you gently. But if you rebel against me and kill my people, that’s a different story."

Zhao Hanzhang raised her hand and waved, and the personal soldiers immediately stepped forward to drag Liu Qin away.

Liu Qin, pale-faced, hurriedly shouted, "Zhao Hanzhang, I am royalty. If you dare kill me, the Xiongnu army will not spare you!"

Zhao Hanzhang sneered, and Fan Ying stepped forward to curse at the gradually being dragged away Liu Qin, "What kind of riffraff dares to claim royalty in front of our Inspector? Our royal family has the surname Sima, you are merely pretending to be the Liu family, you really think you are descendants of the Han court?"

Only after Fan Ying finished cursing did Zhao Hanzhang lightly cough to attract everyone’s attention, then stood up and said, "Let’s all go to the city gate to witness the execution."

Liu Yi’s face turned white, "Witness the execution?"

"Yes," Zhao Hanzhang walked to him, reached out to help him up, and looking into his eyes, enunciated each word, "That scoundrel Shi Le hung our Great General’s corpse in front of the army; both being rebels, I must reciprocate."

After speaking, she pulled Liu Yi to go out together to the city gate.

Liu Qin was pushed onto the city wall by the personal soldiers, tied with a rope, then pushed down the city gate. Liu Yi and other Han ministers, who were being escorted under the city gate, exclaimed, seeing the familiar Liu Qin hanging above them, eyes bulging, glaring at them, feet continuously kicking, hands randomly clawing at the rope around his neck trying to untie it.

Zhao Hanzhang just glanced at it then looked away, focusing on the onlookers.

The Han ministers among the spectators were trembling in fear, but the surrounding common people watched with great interest, not afraid at all.

Zhao Hanzhang glanced around and sneered, it was truly strange, these ministers, except Liu Yi who was a little white flower, the rest, whose hands are not covered in blood?

Among them, the innocent ones were countless, even Xuan Yuxiu, had a history of indulging house servants to seize land, forcing the good into slavery, killing to steal land. These people, were unflinching when they killed or ordered others to kill, but when one of their own was being killed, they became compassionate.

Liu Yi’s knees went soft, kneeling at Zhao Hanzhang’s feet.

Watching the closest elder hanging dead in front of him, Liu Yi couldn’t accept it for a moment.

Zhao Hanzhang did not force him to continue watching; there were already too many perverts in the Hu people Liu Family, she had no intention of cultivating another one. In the first place, this wasn’t for him to watch, but for Xuan Yuxiu and other Han ministers to see.

So Zhao Hanzhang waved her hand, and someone immediately stepped forward to prop Liu Yi up.

The others were not so lucky; they had to kneel at the city gate and watch for two full hours before they could leave.

One of the main conspirators, Xuan Yuxiu, returned to his residence, pale-faced, and from a pile of messages pieced together the reason for Zhao Hanzhang’s anger.

News came from Central Plains that Gou Xi’s rebellion was crushed and he was killed; Shi Le hung his corpse at the front of the army and captured Xiaxi County, taking twelve Wu Castles at one go, heard the army was already pressing close to Chen County.

At first glance, the situation seemed favorable to them, but in reality, for the captured Xuan Yuxiu and others, this counted as bad news.

Pingyang City had been captured for ten days, Zhao Hanzhang showed no intention of leaving, instead sending her army to continue advancing north and east; within these ten days, they took twelve county cities and fifty-seven Wu Castles.

The attitude was unlike when they previously captured other counties in Si Province peacefully, instead ruling with an iron fist. Some Wu Castles were clearly Han people and quite powerful, but even when our Majesty was around, they needed to be treated with courtesy; as a result, she attacked them too, making the Wu Castles follow her orders; anyone who defied was killed on the spot.

Clearly, Zhao Hanzhang had no intention of leaving Pingyang County to support elsewhere, and Shi Le had no intention of giving up the already captured territories in Yan State and Yu State to provide support, so the interests had nothing to do with those of them captured.

Instead, they had to bear the brunt of the damage and pressure Zhao Hanzhang faced from outside.

The head hurts, it seems no matter what, they were the ones getting hurt.

As Xuan Yuxiu sat down and was about to burn the received information, a team of Zhao Family Army barged in, he hurriedly threw the things in his hand into the brazier.

A Zhao Family Army soldier kicked away the brazier with one foot, then took people to stomp out the fire, conveniently stepping Xuan Yuxiu underfoot too.

The leading Colonel bent over to turn over the half-burnt paper, saying expressionlessly, "Take them away, send them to the Prisoner Camp."

"Yes!"

All those involved in the rebellion were taken away along with Xuan Yuxiu.

Zhao Hanzhang, having said to punish them, punished them indeed; those in the military camp doing hard labor, if still not enough, were dragged outside to dig canals.

This year was a drought, and what the climate in the upcoming years would be was unknown, so she had people dig more wells and canals, so even if one day she lost Pingyang City, the local people could still use these things.

Even the cute little Liu Yi was tossed by her into the army kitchen to chop wood and cook rice.

In such ways for two days, Xuan Yuxiu and others were driven to the point of almost being unable to catch their breath, these people, pampered and privileged, could endure hardship for battle, but never had they done such grueling labor as digging wells and fixing canals; clearly only two days felt as long as two years to them.

At this time, the clerk overseeing them finally hinted they could redeem themselves through meritorious service, as for what kind of merits, they had to figure it out themselves.

Xuan Yuxiu gritted his teeth unwilling to give in, but one day, while digging mud in the cramped, dark well, due to hunger and overexertion, passed out from lack of breath, fainted right into the well.

When he was finally hoisted up in the basket, swinging back and forth into the bright, blinding sky, Xuan Yuxiu suddenly had an epiphany and was willing to confess the contact channels between himself and the Han court.