Summoning the Peak of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 2989 Three Strikes Shatter the Soul of the Ming Dynasty, General, I Am a Man of Qin

Chapter 2986 Three Strikes Shatter the Soul of the Ming Dynasty, General, I Am a Man of Qin
Although Zhang Liang had a little selfish motive, his words still convinced Zhuge Liang and Su Lie. After all, if he could really eliminate the hidden dangers in Qingnan with 10,000 troops, it would be reasonable for him to share the delicious political cake of Qingxu with them.

Therefore, 210,000 Qin troops stationed in Qingnan marched south, leaving only 10,000 troops to guard the three prefectures.

Zhang Liang knew in his heart that no matter how careful and meticulous he was in making his plans, there would still be risks involved.

The biggest risk is that if the rebellion is too large and the 10,000-strong army cannot quell it as quickly as possible, the rebel forces may grow stronger and potentially cut off the supply lines of the front-line army.

Knowing that this risk existed, how could Zhang Liang possibly only use 10,000 troops to defend the three counties?

Even if 10,000 Qin soldiers were enough, Zhang Liang would not take the risk, because there was no need for such an adventure. His real trump card was actually another 3,000 elite troops.

Yes, Zhang Liang could actually mobilize not 10,000 troops, but 13,000.

These other three thousand troops did not belong to the Qingxu battlefield, but were elite troops borrowed from Bai Qi's subordinates when he passed through Yanzhou on his way to take up his post.

Zhang Liang divided his three thousand elite troops into smaller groups. Some disguised themselves as guards for merchant caravans, others pretended to be visiting relatives in their hometowns, and some even infiltrated opera troupes and security escort agencies. They then crossed the river in batches, gathered at designated locations, and then dispersed into the mountains and mines outside Linzi City, disappearing silently like water droplets seeping into sand.

This move not only kept Zhu Di's spies in the dark, but even the Qin army in Qingnan was unaware that such a force was hidden right under their noses.

Under Zhang Liang's planning, the 10,000 troops on the surface were deployed in a grand manner, while 3,000 controllable troops were already waiting in ambush.

The fighting force of these 13,000 troops was enough to plow through the three counties of Qingnan, which was the source of Zhang Liang's confidence in thoroughly wiping out Qingnan.

But despite all his calculations, Zhang Liang overlooked one thing—the stubbornness of people's deepest obsessions.

Even after his reassurance, seventeen rebellions still broke out in the three counties.

Although Zhang Liang was still confident in clearing out the three prefectures, he was clearly going to plow deeper, and the resulting killings and casualties would be much greater than expected.

This is the real reason for Zhang Liang's anger: he was angry at himself for being too confident, thinking that he could appease people's hearts with his personal prestige.

He was angry at himself for scheming too much, but he forgot that people's hearts are not like chess pieces on a chessboard, and they will not move exactly as expected.
He was furious that if he had another five thousand soldiers—no, even two thousand more—he could have used a massive army of fifteen thousand to sweep through the heart of the rebellion within three days, nipping it in the bud and minimizing the bloodshed.

But unfortunately, once the arrow is released, there's no turning back; it's too late to say anything now.

Zhang Liang's words, which struck at the heart, made Feng Yunshan break out in a cold sweat. After a long pause, he carefully replied, "My lord, the Ming Cult has been operating in Qingnan for many years, and its doctrines have become ingrained in our very bones."

Although Your Excellency has implemented benevolent policies, the time has been short, and some things... cannot be changed overnight.

"Is it still too early?"

Zhang Liang chuckled, but there was no warmth in his laughter.

"Should we let them continue to believe those nonsense about 'the descent of the enlightened one and eternal bliss'? Should we allow them to, for the sake of a slogan, have just received land deeds and tax reductions, only to turn around and smash their hard-won peaceful lives with their own hands?"

Zhang Liang walked to the map, his finger sweeping across "Linzi" and dotting Jimo, Zouping, Bochang... Each red dot felt like a red-hot branding iron, searing into his heart.

Feng Yunshan opened his mouth, but ultimately remained silent.

Seeing that Zhang Liang was truly enraged, and with no one able to dissuade him, Fan Zhongyan couldn't help but ask, "May I ask, sir, what kind of thunderous method will you employ to unleash such a swift and decisive action?"

Zhang Liang turned around, the anger in his eyes now replaced by a cold resolve, and said calmly, "According to the laws of the Great Qin, those who gather a crowd to rebel shall be executed, and their relatives shall be punished as accomplices."

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Xin Qiji's Adam's apple bobbed. After hesitating for a long time, he finally stepped forward and said, "My lord, this might implicate many people and harm the innocent, which would damage the reputation of our army as benevolent and righteous."

Zhang Liang wanted to retort with "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free," but he swallowed the words back. He knew that once his order was issued, it would shatter tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of families.

He could even picture the scene: rivers of blood flowing in the execution ground, deafening cries, and heads rolling into the dust.

Just a few days ago, these people were kowtowing to him, their eyes full of longing, crying out and respectfully calling him "General Ren Gong." But in the blink of an eye, he personally ordered their execution, their eternal terror frozen under the executioner's blade. This was far too cruel.

How will the millions of people in Qingnan and the millions more in Xuzhou view him as the "General of the People"?
Was the Qin Dynasty's rule in Qingnan based on benevolent governance, or... mountains of corpses and seas of blood?

Zhang Liang hesitated, but he also knew that although the Ming Cult followers who participated in the rebellion only accounted for a small number of the millions of people in Qingnan, they were all staunch believers in the Ming Cult's doctrines.

Dealing with these staunch believers requires more than just reasoning; if we don't take decisive action to make an example of them, it might cause even bigger trouble.

Xin Qiji saw Zhang Liang's hesitation and dilemma, so he advised, "My lord, I believe that killing alone is not enough to deter these heretics. We should use torture to make them fear and never dare to resist the rule of the empire again."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liang frowned. He had an instinctive reaction to the word "torture," and this brought back unpleasant memories. However, he suppressed his dissatisfaction and asked, "What kind of torture?"

"One word: Fight."

Upon hearing Feng Yunshan's words, Zhang Liang's eyes lit up. He naturally knew that the beating Xin Qiji spoke of was not the ordinary caning, but a beating that penetrated to the bone and hurt the soul.

While a beating may not seem as effective as a killing, what if the beating is severe enough?

What if we beat you until you're covered in blood, disfigured, have broken arms and legs, suffer organ failure, or even become unable to take care of yourself?
This kind of torture-level beating may be just as effective as killing, or even more so.

In less than a quarter of an hour, an unprecedented "method of punishing traitors" specifically designed to combat cults was formed in a secret room beneath the Qi Prince's residence.

The core message can be summed up in one word: beating, but it wasn't the usual form of caning.

"Those who participated in this rebellion, regardless of whether they were leaders or followers, were all subjected to the punishment of being beaten with sticks."

A single blow to the spine—to make them remember the price of defying the law;

The second blow, to the palm—to remind them of the hands that raised weapons against their country; the third blow, to the knees—to make them kneel down and think carefully about whom they should kneel before.

Zhang Liang's voice echoed in the secret room. Feng Yunshan swallowed hard and asked, "What happens after the three blows?"

“After the three blows, one must publicly shout things like ‘The Ming Cult is an evil cult,’ ‘I voluntarily withdraw from the Ming Cult,’ or ‘I am a Qin citizen’ in order to be spared death and released without further reprisal.”

Feng Yunshan gasped: "So, if they encounter a tough nut to crack, they just won't open their mouths?"

"Then keep fighting until they scream."

Zhang Liang's eyes remained calm as he said in a deep voice, "If someone refuses to back down no matter how much you beat them, then they have been completely brainwashed and are a cultist who has lost even the most basic will to survive. Such a person deserves to be beaten to death."

The room was completely silent.

Zhang Liang's words, though crude, were not without merit. After all, after this round of beatings, the believers who had not been completely brainwashed would surely be subdued and dare not rebel again.

If they still can't submit even after this, they've definitely been completely brainwashed and have no will to live. They deserve to be beaten to death.

This method may seem benevolent, but it is actually a form of psychological manipulation.

The three blows not only shattered the physical body, but also the obsession with the 'Ming Dynasty,' and the phrase 'I am a Qin person' was meant to reshape identity from its very roots.

"Our soldiers will have to work hard this time, so they need to be rewarded handsomely."

Zhang Liang looked out the window, but the shouts from inside Linzi City had not stopped. He knew that even more pitiful cries were about to begin.

Zhang Liang and Xin Qiji had good intentions. Using this method of beating people into submission would naturally result in far fewer casualties than direct killing. However, once it was implemented, things were a different story.

As the center of southern Qing, Linzi naturally had the strongest rebellious forces.

Zhang Niujiao, Zhang Baiqi, Ren Qianxing, and others, though caught off guard, swiftly suppressed the rebellious forces within their jurisdiction. However, they had yet to deal with the Ming army believers, who were the most numerous and also the weakest in combat.

After dealing with the rebels from the Sea Shark Palace, Zhang Baiqi intended to finish the job quickly and call it a day. However, he did not expect to first receive news of Ming Cult followers causing trouble in the west of the city, and then receive Zhang Liang's order to "use only the stick, not the knife."

This order immediately drew complaints from all levels of the army. Wasn't this forcing them to fight with their hands tied? There were also some rebels who were armed.

"What's all the noise about? The governor only forbids us from using our weapons against unarmed rioters. These people are no match for us brothers, let alone a stick or even bare hands. As for those with weapons, there is no such restriction. If they dare to resist, just kill them."

When Zhang Baiqi said this, all the Qin soldiers felt that it made sense. After all, they were well-equipped and well-trained Qin soldiers who had fought from south to north, from north to west, and from west to east, winning battle after battle and running rampant.

If you can't even beat these ordinary people, that would be too shameful. How can you still have the face to receive such a generous military salary? You should retire early and go back to your hometown to farm.

Seeing that the soldiers had accepted the order, Zhang Baiqi felt reassured and said, "The Governor-General said that if the rebellion is quelled within ten days, the entire army will be rewarded with half a year's salary; if it is quelled within five days, the entire army will be rewarded with a year's salary. If you want to get the money, you can't disobey the Governor-General's orders. Do you all understand?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of all the soldiers present changed. After all, receiving six months' worth of military pay in one lump sum was no small amount.

At first, the 10,000 troops who stayed behind felt that they were at a disadvantage because they couldn't continue to fight on the front lines and make contributions. But now it seems that they are not at a disadvantage at all. Following this governor is really a win-win situation.

"clear."

All the soldiers shouted in unison.

More than 5,000 Ming Cult followers were organized to rebel in Linzi City. They were unaware that the Zhu Youxiao brothers, who had launched the rebellion, as well as the Haisha Palace and other forces, had all been wiped out by the Qin army.

In the west of the city, more than 1,500 Ming Cult followers gathered on the street. Most of them carried wooden sticks and farm tools, while a few held rusty swords.

At the front of the crowd, an elderly man with white hair and beard stood on a high place, shouting hoarsely: "Your Majesty is above! Drive out the tyrannical Qin! Restore my..."

Before he finished speaking, the sound of orderly footsteps echoed from the street corner.

Zhang Baiqi led three hundred Qin soldiers out in formation, but unlike before, they were not holding swords or spears, but rather long, hardwood clubs.

"The Governor-General has ordered—" Zhang Baiqi's voice boomed, drowning out the commotion in the crowd, "Those who lay down their weapons and kneel to surrender will be spared!"

A commotion arose among the believers. Some retreated, while many more were enraged.

"Qin dog, don't even think about lying to me."

A burly man raised a machete and shouted, "Let's fight them!"

More than twenty people rushed out together.

Seeing this, Zhang Baiqi sighed, waved his hand, and then archers appeared from the rooftops on both sides. A volley of fire fell to the ground, and blood stained the long street.

The crowd froze instantly.

"I'll say it one last time."

Zhang Baiqi's voice turned cold as he shouted, "Put down your weapons and kneel down to be bound. Anyone who resists with weapons will be killed without exception."

Axes, hoes, sticks... fell to the ground with a clanging sound.

But only a small number of people knelt down; the vast majority of over a thousand remained standing, their eyes empty and stubborn.

Most of them didn't even have weapons; they just stood there, like clay sculptures.

(End of this chapter)