20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 657 Massacre
Three days later, Liu Kuaitui led his men back to Shenjiadian and brought the good news:

What Lao Mang said was true. The culprit of the "Anti-Fengtian Army" had been arrested in Hunchun and reported to the Fengtian authorities. Zhang Xiaokun would return to China soon and would personally supervise the execution of Gao and Lu.

The rebellion in Kanto has finally come to an end.

Lao Mang was no longer of any use and seemed to be finally free.

By this time, he had already been "wearing flowers" for three days and suffered all kinds of torture. He was no longer like a human, nor a ghost. He had no other wish but to die.

The so-called "穿花" means that in summer and autumn, people are stripped naked and tied up in the wilderness, leaving them to be bitten by snakes, insects, rats and ants. This is a common torture used by the Guandong gangs.

It sounds like nothing, but if you think it's nothing, you might as well find a thatched nest and lie down naked in it for two days.

This is a severe punishment that can cost someone’s life!

It may be a bit of an exaggeration to say that someone who was "pierced by flowers" would be sucked to death by mosquitoes overnight, but it is not impossible.

Mosquitoes and flies bite you lightly, and ants crawl around blindly. Although they are small and not uncommon, they come in groups in the mountains. They are poisonous insects. When they lie on your body, they do more than just suck your blood. In the end, your whole body will become red, swollen, itchy, and painful. If you are weak, you will have a fever the next day and die the day after tomorrow.

Even if a man is as strong as a rock, after a night of tossing and turning, regardless of whether his body is seriously injured or not, his spirit and energy will collapse first.

Lao Mang's physique was average, and he couldn't have stood up to such abuse, but the bandit Hu deliberately kept him hanging on for a while. Seeing that he was about to die, he let him down to rest. After he recovered, he tied him up again and continued to torture him.

In just three or two days, Lao Mang's whole body was red, swollen and festering. He became fatter and itchy from head to toe.

Every time at this time, Sun Xiangyang would come over with the horse whip in hand, and said with a chuckle: "Old Mang, are you itching? Can I help you relieve the itch?"

After saying this, there was a horrific sound of "pop".

Dip the horsewhip in cold water and whip it with one blow, causing the skin and flesh to burst.

After several lashes of whipping, the skin and flesh on Lao Mang's body looked like fish scales turned upside down, and the texture of the flesh and blood could be seen.

The smell of blood attracted more snakes, insects, rats and ants, which lay on the body and devoured the food with relish, and it was impossible to get rid of it. Especially those tiny ants, which came in groups and climbed up along the toes, as if they wanted to eat the person alive and carry him into the hole. Not to mention the scavenger birds of prey, which perched on the trees with murderous eyes, quietly waiting for the person to die.

Lao Mang howled in the forest for three days and three nights, his voice becoming weaker and weaker. In the end, only when you get close to his mouth can you hear him clearly. What he kept saying was:
"Give my brother a happy ending... Give my brother a happy ending..."

However, no matter how hard he begged, admitted his mistakes and surrendered, he never saw Jiang Lianheng and Li Zheng again.

Without the order from the two big bosses, the other brothers naturally did not dare to act on their own and let Lao Mang go easily. So they continued to whip and torture him as ordered, as if there was no end in sight.

It was not until Liu Kuaitui returned to Shenjiadian and verified Lao Mang's confession that the "flower-piercing" torture was finally stopped...

…………

It was noon, and the forest seemed much quieter than usual. The sound of footsteps gradually came over...

Lao Mang was shirtless, tied up behind his back under an old pine tree, his head hanging limply, his whole body was covered with wounds, and there were still a few blind bulls lying on his shoulders, sucking his blood desperately, making his belly bulge out round.

Hearing the sound, Lao Mang slowly raised his head.

His left eyelid had been stung by some poisonous insect and was now swollen like a duck egg, squeezing his eye into a dark slit.

"How's it going? Are you feeling good?"

Li Zheng led his men forward, lifted up Lao Mang's chin with the box gun in his hand, and pressed it against the tree trunk behind him.

As soon as Lao Mang saw that it was him, without waiting to open his mouth, his chest began to heave violently, and he began to gasp, with blood foam constantly coming out of his mouth.

Seeing this, Li Zheng suddenly smiled and asked coldly: "Why, you still have a temper and you still don't accept it?"

Lao Mang squinted one eye, still breathing heavily. He seemed to have something in his mind, but he dared not say it out loud.

Sun Xiangyang's mouth twitched, and he swung his arm, stepped forward and slapped Lao Mang in the face, pointing at his nose and cursing, "Glaring! Glaring me again!"

Lao Mang tilted his head and tried to catch his breath. He was clearly only slapped once, but it seemed as if his whole body was in pain. He rubbed his bare feet on the ground a few times, and his legs were trembling with his legs bent inward. He wanted to curl up, but his body was strangled purple by the hemp rope. He gasped for a long time, and his shoulders began to tremble, and he suddenly cried.

That’s right, I cried.

The grown man was completely exhausted. He cried weakly and intermittently, and finally banged the back of his head against the tree trunk.

Unfortunately, the hemp rope was tied too tightly, leaving no space.

With the way he crashed, he wouldn't necessarily die even if he crashed on New Year's Day.

When Lao Mang cried, all the Hu bandits burst into laughter.

Even if some people can't laugh, you have to force yourself to laugh along. If you want to gain a foothold online, you have to get rid of your compassion first.

Sun Xiangyang poked Lao Mang's ribs with the butt of his gun and cursed, "Stop crying here! Your father is not dead yet, stop crying here!"

Lao Mang sobbed and cried, and seemed to be laughing at the same time. He kept repeating: "Kill me... Kill me..."

"What did you say?" Old Whistle put his ear close to him and said with a smile, "I'm hard of hearing and can't hear you clearly. Speak louder!"

"Brothers, please be kind and give me a quick death, just kill me..."

"Who the hell is your brother? Call me daddy!"

Lao Mang leaned against the tree like a pupa, shivering back and forth. After a moment of preparation, he finally shouted, "Dad, please... I'm begging you... I can't stop killing you... Please give your son a quick death!"

The bandits burst into laughter again, they got the advantage but did nothing.

A fallen phoenix is ​​no better than a chicken, let alone a mere bandit who joined the "Anti-Feng Army"?

Lao Mang has lost all his dignity and can now only be slaughtered by others.

Li Zheng showed disdain in his eyes and asked in a deep voice: "Old Mang, tell me the truth, do you accept it?"

"I give in, I give in!" Lao Mang was out of breath, and emphasized again and again like a madman, "I really didn't lie, Gao Shibin and Lu Yonggui are in Hunchun, just kill me..."

Li Zheng curled his lips, looked him up and down, and suddenly moved very close to Lao Mang, sneering in his ear: "I know you are not convinced at all, you are just scared, right?"

Lao Mang shuddered all over, looked at Li Zheng in horror, and shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, I surrender, I really surrender... Boss Li, I really surrender..."

Because he was too scared, his voice only stopped in his throat, like a shabby door panel, making a creaking sound.

Li Zheng ignored him, took two steps back, and finally looked Lao Mang up and down.

Sun Xiangyang and others came over and asked, "What should we do with the boss?"

"Look at the sky!" Li Zheng stared at the sky and said these two words lightly, but Lao Mang felt completely hopeless. His shoulders sank and he stopped crying and shouting. Most of his soul was gone and his eyes were empty and dark.

Half of them will die before being executed.

The so-called "watching the sky" or "looking at the sky" means finding a willow tree as thick as a wrist, cutting off the branches and leaving only the main trunk, sharpening the top, and then using a hemp rope to pull down the sharp spikes on the top like pulling a bow, inserting it into the human body and tying it up. Then, cutting the hemp rope with a knife, the prisoner will be lifted up into the air by the toughness of the willow tree.

At this time, the person being punished may not have died yet, and the whole person is pulled down by gravity, slowly falling until his body is pierced. The process can be long or short, but there is always one thing in common, that is, when dying, the persons being punished all look up at the sky.

There is no need to elaborate on the tragic situation.

Upon hearing the order, the bandits swarmed forward without hesitation, untied the hemp ropes, drew out their knives and axes, and then searched around for suitable wood in preparation for the execution.

Looking at Lao Mang again, he was already frightened out of his wits and had lost all consciousness. He didn't even have the will to resist. His whole body was limp, like a puddle of mud.

Just as Sun Xiangyang and Lao Shaozi were about to go forward and lift him up, they smelled a disgusting, foul odor.

When a vicious dog sees a butcher, it can smell the murderous aura, which is probably what Lao Mang is like.

As the boss, Li Zheng naturally had to supervise the execution personally, and he had to watch Lao Mang suffocate to death before he could stop.

It's not because of preference, but because of the rules - in the gang's business, any severe punishment of killing must be carried out with the personal presence of the boss. He can do it on behalf of others, but he cannot avoid it.

Jiang Lianheng is a kind-hearted man who cannot bear to see others suffer, so he did not go to watch the fun.

In fact, since he shot and killed Mr. Rong Wuye in Luda eight years ago, he has never killed anyone again, and he has never even looked at anyone. Decent people like the Jiang family have always valued peace. If you can't have peace, please look for problems in yourself.

However, although Jiang Lianheng was not present, there were many curious villagers in Shenjiadian who climbed up to see the distant view and explored the curiosities.

This can also be considered an "old habit".

There was no other way. Not to mention that rural life was monotonous and boring, even the common people in the city regarded beheading as a lively event, and there was never a shortage of onlookers at the execution grounds.

After working for more than half an hour, I heard a wailing sound coming from the woods, and the sound was extremely miserable.

Then, there was a sound like a bowstring, and the treetops of the entire forest shook twice, and the screams soon stopped.

Jiang Lianheng stood with his hands behind his back at the door of the mud house outside Shenjiadian Village, looking out at the mountains and forests, nodded, and murmured, "It's over."

Zhao Guoyan stood beside him and asked in a low voice: "Boss, is it time to leave?"

"No hurries?"

"This... everything that needs to be done has been done. If you don't leave, what are you waiting for?"

"Who said everything is done? The most important thing is still hanging in the balance, the event of life!"

"I do not understand."

Jiang Lianheng turned around and deliberately joked: "Guo Yan, what do you think of Xiaoqing? If I marry her...your sister-in-law won't fight with me, right?"

Zhao Guoyan was startled and suddenly stuttered. After thinking for a while, he said, "Uh... this... how should I put it? It's really hard to say."

Jiang Lianheng's eyes curved and he immediately laughed, "Hahaha, Guo Yan, you have something to hide!"

"What the hell?" Zhao Guoyan quickly cleared his throat, "I don't understand, what are you talking about! Boss, it's fine if they just make a fuss, but you're making fun of this!"

"Guo Yan, I know you are a man who values ​​friendship and loyalty."

"Boss, let's not do this. I'm a little scared."

"It's normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. If you really know her, just tell her directly. It's not like you can't afford to marry her. I'll give you a house later. You should hurry up and give me your nephew! Don't worry, Dong Erniang is quite open-minded. She will definitely understand!"

"No, no, no, I can't let her down - huh?"

Zhao Guoyan suddenly came to his senses and immediately changed his words: "No, why did you bring up Dong Erniang? What does this have to do with her?"

"How would I know if you two have any relationship?" Jiang Lianheng waved his hand and said, "I'm just telling you that having three wives and four concubines is no big deal. If you really want her, just go and tell her! But, by the way, have you ever had an affair with Dong Erniang?"

"No! I've said this eight hundred times!"

"Tsk, look at you, why are you so excited?"

Jiang Lianheng pulled Zhao Guoyan aside and whispered, "Guoyan, we are all men. I can understand your situation. Sometimes when you are in a hurry, your appearance is not important. But Dong Erniang... Hey, you are not an ordinary person!"

Zhao Guoyan quickly turned sideways and said anxiously, "No, Boss, let's start from the beginning and I'll clarify it for you..."

Before he could finish his words, Li Zheng's cavalry arrived. Jiang Lianheng left Zhao Guoyan behind and stepped forward to meet them.

"Old Jiang——"

Li Zheng led a group of brothers to dismount and said with a laugh, "I came to say goodbye to you. Lao Mang is dead, and it's almost time for me to go back."

"Well, I won't keep you here!" Jiang Lianheng said with a smile, "Although the kiln was not destroyed during the trip of Mr. Li, he gained more than a hundred water beads and a mountain cannon, which can be regarded as a great turn of events. The game is in the red!"

"You're just relying on Boss Jiang's help to give me half of it, right?"

"You've done me such a big favor, I can't let you make a wasted trip!"

Li Zheng grinned, "Oh, that's enough. I won't be so hypocritical with you. The government has been cracking down on people lately, and this place is too close to Ning'an County. I have to go back quickly. Many people in the mountains joined the rebellion and were summoned to serve as soldiers. It's time to redraw the boundaries of Ji Province."

Then he jumped on his horse and asked, "What are your plans? Go back to Fengtian first?"

Jiang Lianheng shook his head: "No, I plan to stay for a few more days. Do you know what I mean?"

Li Zheng seemed to understand. He suddenly looked up and smiled at Zhao Guoyan, and asked, "Brother, let me know when you have the wedding banquet. I haven't been to Fengtian for a long time."

Zhao Guoyan was about to explain, but Li Zheng ignored him and turned to Jiang Lianheng and said, "That's it for now. See you at the whip-beating meeting at the end of this month in Kuanchengzi!"

Jiang Lianheng clasped his hands and said, "Be careful on the road, take care!"

Li Zheng nodded, turned his head, and shouted to his brothers: "Call someone!"

"Boss Jiang, please stay. We'll see you later!"

The bandits clasped their hands and clasped their fists, the sound echoing through the valleys between the mountains, and the horse team gradually moved away in a cloud of fine dust...

(End of this chapter)