Chapter Eighty-Five: The Emergence of Another Butcher

Upon arriving in Yongning, Hong Chengchou first paid his respects to Governor Zhu Xieyuan and announced the Emperor’s secret imperial decree. After exchanging views with Qin Liangyu and Lu Qin and securing a detachment of White-Pike soldiers and Imperial Guards, he set to work.

He began by vetting the detained tribal chieftains and leaders, encouraging them to denounce one another. He then gathered those who had been coerced into the rebellion and clearly informed them that if they wished to return home, they must have their families pay a ransom to atone for their crimes. Naturally, the amount of the ransom varied based on the duration of their participation and the severity of their offenses.

As for the chieftains or leaders who had voluntarily surrendered or secretly colluded with the imperial forces, they were rewarded according to the timeliness of their cooperation. For the remaining die-hard elements, Hong announced that they would all be beheaded in public at noon the following day, and he mandated that all tribal chieftains and leaders be present to witness the execution.

On that day, a large platform was erected on the widest street in Yongning. Dozens of Imperial Guard infantry stood around it with their muskets primed, while even more soldiers were stationed in nearby rooms and at both ends of the street to prevent any disturbances.

At high noon, Hong Chengchou first read the imperial decree: "The Emperor decrees: The rebel She Chongming of the Yongning Pacification Commission has ignored the imperial grace, wantonly murdered the officials of the Celestial Empire, seized Chongqing, and resisted the heavenly army. You have aided the tyrant, humiliated our border people, and slaughtered our border troops. All under heaven belongs to the King. I hereby command the military and civilians everywhere: all who participated in the rebel She’s insurrection shall be beheaded, their three generations of kin executed, and their property confiscated. Respect this."

After the chilling decree was read, Hong ordered the executions to begin. Ten men were brought onto the platform at a time. The executioners struck, and heads flew into the air, landing on the wooden planks; after rolling a few times, they came to a rest, their eyes wide open as if expressing regret or defiance.

As one group of ten was finished, another followed. Over a thousand people were executed in just over two hours, requiring several shifts of executioners. A thick, metallic scent of blood permeated the street. The tribal chieftains watching from the side turned deathly pale; some lost control of their bowels, while others fainted from terror. Even Lu Qin, who had been a vocal proponent of killing, could not bear to watch any longer. Only Hong Chengchou remained calm, savoring a cup of local fragrant tea. Once the executions were over, he looked at the chieftains with a grim expression and said, "Let this serve as a warning to you all." With that, he turned and left.

A few days later, Hong Chengchou investigated the corruption of Ming officials who had been extorting the tribal people and soldiers. Having served in the Ministry of Justice for many years, such matters were trivial to him. Based on the severity of their misconduct, he meted out punishments ranging from execution to imprisonment and confiscation of assets. On the same platform used days prior, a group of officials was executed. These officials displayed far more cowardice than the chieftains, with nearly all of them losing control of their bladders. In contrast, the local people watching the scene cheered loudly.

Subsequently, Zhu Xieyuan announced the decree: the Yongning Pacification Commission was abolished, replaced by a prefecture governed by imperial officials, with Hong Chengchou appointed as the Prefect of Yongning. These two rounds of bloodshed—the first cowing the locals and the second venting their grievances—quickly stabilized the social order in Yongning, allowing Zhu Xieyuan to proceed with the appointment of civilian officials smoothly. It was believed that under Hong’s ruthless methods, the new officials would not dare to provoke the local people, and with so many tribal leaders dead, the locals were too terrified to even consider unrest.

In his report to the Emperor, Lu Qin praised Hong Chengchou highly, writing, "In my opinion, when it comes to decisiveness in slaughter, only Sun Chuanting can be compared to him." Upon reading this, Zhu Youxiao recited the passage to his generals and scoffed, "Isn't he just saying they are both butchers? Lu Qin acts as if he himself is merciful, yet he has killed far more people than Sun and Hong combined. There is no difference between killing on the battlefield and killing on the execution grounds. Killing is merely a means; once the goal is achieved, it suffices. You must remember this on the battlefield: never mistake the means for the goal." The generals all nodded in agreement.

At this time, the situation in Guizhou took a sharp turn for the worse. An Bangyan, the Assistant Commissioner of the Guizhou Pacification Commission, and Song Wanhua, the tribal chieftain of Shuidong, joined forces with other tribal leaders across Guizhou to surround Guiyang with an army of one hundred thousand in the second month.

Upon receiving the news, Zhu Youxiao ordered Governor Wang Sanshan of Guizhou to lift the siege and commanded Qin Liangyu, Lu Qin, and Zhou Yuji to provide reinforcements.

Qin Liangyu led six thousand White-Pike soldiers, along with over seven thousand Imperial Guards (including the baggage train), marching grandly toward Guizhou.

Within a few days, the army reached Chishui Guard, while Wang Sanshan was still mobilizing troops in Yuanzhou to advance toward Zhenyuan. The Baisa Post at Chishui Guard was still occupied by remnants of the She rebel forces. After discussion, the commanders decided to remove this thorn before heading to Guiyang to secure their rear.

The Baisa Post was situated on a mountain peak surrounded by cliffs on three sides, with only one narrow path leading to the summit. A direct assault was clearly difficult, and more importantly, the cannons could not be hauled up, which would result in heavy casualties. Zhou Yuji first took a few White-Pike soldiers who understood the local dialect to demand surrender. Unexpectedly, as soon as the soldiers spoke, a rain of arrows descended from above. Fortunately, their armor was of high quality, and they suffered no injuries, hearing only the clatter of arrows against their plates.

Seeing that the arrows could not pierce them, the She rebels began hurling stones, forcing the group to retreat in disarray. Zhou Yuji cursed, "Useless. Switch to the second plan."

Zhou Yuji ordered an infantry company to advance to within stone-throwing range, where they formed two lines and began firing their flintlock muskets at the ramparts. They initially downed a few rebels, but the defenders soon learned to hide behind the walls, popping out only to fire random arrows, which rarely struck the infantry.

Thus, both sides began a tedious shooting game. Zhou Yuji kept rotating troops, seemingly intent on capturing the position via musketry. Mocking laughter echoed from within the walls.

After a stalemate of nearly an hour, a large amount of thick smoke suddenly rose from the summit. The infantry cheered in unison. The She rebels, confused, looked back and realized their rear was ablaze. They were torn between rushing up to save their families and holding their ground. However, their hesitation soon became irrelevant, as a large force of White-Pike soldiers began charging down from above. This time, the Emperor had provided three thousand sets of iron scale armor for the White-Pike soldiers. Donning the armor, they became truly formidable, and attacking from above, they quickly routed the rebels, sending them fleeing in all directions.

In such a confined space, there was nowhere to escape. Many of the She rebels knelt and surrendered. Soon, the White-Pike soldiers reached the gates and opened them, and when the Imperial Guards entered, there was no more resistance to be found.