Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 612 Magistrate Ni: Only Death Remains~
Cannons roar! muskets fire! Swordsmen and spearmen charge upwards!
Two hundred years have passed, and the mite-clearing green camp's approach hasn't changed much.

Under normal circumstances, rioters would be defeated if they encountered these three tactics.

But today is different; they've encountered something even tougher!

The 203mm large pipe shattered their spirit and morale in one shot.

All the surviving members of the pro-independence camp scattered and fled in a frenzy, or were so terrified that they knelt on the ground and wailed.

The earth-shattering noise was truly terrifying.

As for the ragtag militia, they were even worse.

Some cried out for their parents, some stared blankly, their hearts breaking from fright, some stood frozen in shock, muttering to themselves, and some laughed and shouted wildly incoherently.
It's practically a picture of human chaos.

“These local militias are nothing special.” Standing on the heavy hammer of the benevolent father, Lin Dao looked at the panicked crowd on the banks of the Xun River with a look of excitement on his face. “Zeng Guofan’s local militias were the pinnacle of landlord armed forces.”

"Meeting Head~"

Shi Dakai and the others, who had previously fled far away to avoid the aftermath, rushed over in a hurry.

They all looked up, their expressions excited as if they were worshipping a god, shouting, "Let's charge in!"

They couldn't wait for a big battle.

"it is good."

After stretching his neck, Lin Dao waved his hand and shouted, "Kill the Qing demons!"

The generals raised their weapons and shouted in unison.

"Kill the Qing demons!"

The mixed armed force of nearly three thousand members of the Green Camp and local militia collapsed in morale after being mercifully sprayed by the 203rd big pipe.

Don't have any expectations of them.

The Green Camp was accused of withholding and exploiting its soldiers, and when faced with the solid cannon fire of the foreigners, they all ran away like rabbits.

Faced with the large pipes of the forest road, there was no way they could muster any determination to resist.

If people can't even get enough to eat, who the hell would risk their life for the emperor?
The local militias were better, since they consisted mainly of relatives, fellow villagers, and servants of the landlords and local gentry.

The members are indeed ruthless, but that ruthlessness is directed at the weak.

When the large pipe in the forest sprayed water, they collapsed even faster than the pro-independence camp.

When the God Worshippers, mainly composed of charcoal burners, miners, and displaced refugees, charged forward with high morale and brandishing their weapons, both the Green Standard Army and the landlord militias fled in a frenzy.

The resistance was extremely weak, like a few splashes of water that quickly disappeared without a trace.

The God Worshippers, brimming with morale, charged into the chaotic enemy ranks like tigers among sheep, slaughtering indiscriminately.

The reason Lin Dao didn't launch a surprise attack while the Green Camp was crossing the river was precisely for this moment.

The scattered Green Standard Army and local militia were trapped on the riverbank.

The Xunjiang River forms a hook shape here, and the Green Standard Army and local militia members who are caught in it can only escape by swimming.

As for the considerable number of boats, they could have transported hundreds or even thousands of people across the river at once.

In the ensuing panic and frantic scramble, no one was able to get up.

Seeing the rebel army charging towards them, these Green Standard Army soldiers and local militia members, who were in a hurry to escape, became enraged and even drew their swords against each other.

A group of people lay down beside each boat.

"Wait for me~"

"Don't go~"

Some boats struggled to row away from the shore, but people waded after them, clinging desperately to the gunwale and pleading, "Give me a hand!"

Zhang Yong, the Qin Chuan patrol inspector who had already boarded the ship, looked at Magistrate Ni, who was clinging tightly to the ship's side and panting heavily, and expressionlessly drew his knife.

The next moment, under the incredulous gaze of Magistrate Ni, he swung his sword and slashed down.

Several bloody fingers rolled into the boat.

The wailing Magistrate Ni struggled in the river, his blood staining the surroundings red.

A large number of rebels waded across the water and shot down the people on the boats one after another.

Zhang Yong hurriedly lay down, but someone nearby reacted too slowly and was hit by three arrows. His body went limp and he fell into the river.

It didn't even have a chance to struggle before it was submerged, leaving only a string of bubbles on the surface of the river.

By this time, the ship had entered deep water, and the rebel army that had waded through the water could not catch up. They could only fire a few arrows and then turn back dejectedly.

Magistrate Ni, who was struggling in the water, was pulled up. Just as the rebels were about to swing their swords, Xiao Chaogui stepped forward to stop them.

"The one wearing official robes is a high-ranking official."

"Take him back and hand him over to the leader for disposal!"

There was no desperate struggle like a cornered beast, no eruption of desperation.

The pro-independence camp and the militia only had one thought in their minds: to escape.

Those who couldn't escape immediately knelt on the ground, crying and begging.

As for their weapons and equipment, they had long since been discarded.

A battle that could have lasted half an afternoon and involved tens of thousands of people ended abruptly.

Not many died on the spot, only a few hundred.

There were even more wounded.

Most of these wounded soldiers were injured during the escape of routed troops.

Most of the remaining people were taken prisoner.

Only a few hundred of them, ruthless and lucky, stole a boat and escaped back to the other side.

"Bring up all the prisoners of the local militia."

Lin Dao called out to the crowd, "Gather the people together for a public trial!"

Hatred is always the best choice to ignite the flames in one's heart.

These landlord militia members were mostly locals, and no one didn't hate them.

The first person to be dragged up was Xie Qifa, the landlord of Jintian Village.

He led dozens of his clansmen and servants into the punitive expedition, but they were so stunned by the bombardment that they couldn't even escape.

Lin Dao gave a wink, and Wei Changhui, who had a grudge against Xie Qifa, immediately went on stage, holding an electronic megaphone and roaring, recounting the man's many sins in the past.

They resorted to all sorts of trickery and extortion, forcing families to ruin and die by usury, kidnapping women, colluding with the government, and so on.

These kinds of things were commonplace during the era when mites were rampant.

Ironically, almost all the villagers had experienced these injustices. Instigated and named by Wei Changhui, many villagers from Jintian Village also took to the stage to denounce him.

Driven by a shared sense of righteous indignation, the previously frightened people transformed from being terrified into being consumed by rage.

Thousands upon thousands of people were roaring and shouting.

"kill him!"

Lin Dao gave a wink, and Yang Xiuqing immediately brought the weapon onto the stage.

Wei Changhui led the people forward and hacked Xie Qifa and his henchmen to death.

He saw blood and killed someone.

The surrounding crowd grew even more agitated and frenzied, creating an incredibly heated atmosphere.

Next came Lan Rujian from the Lan family of Jiedong Village, which borders Jintian Village. The villagers from Jiedong Village who came to collect the chickens went through the same process: after making their accusations, they took out knives and went forward to kill these bound enemies.

The next group consists of the Liu family head of Wangmo Village, which is located across the river, and his relatives and lackeys.

These militia groups from various villages and towns were defeated without even having a chance to fight before they arrived.

Now, completely bewildered, they've been slaughtered like chickens.

As the atmosphere grew increasingly heated, after the landlord militiamen were all killed, the one dragged up was County Magistrate Ni Tao.

Having lost several fingers, Magistrate Ni's face was pale, and his clothes, soaked by the river, were chilled, causing him to shiver.

Lin Dao walked onto the stage and looked down at Magistrate Ni.

"What does it feel like to recognize a thief as your father and become a dog for the Qing colonists?"

"Do your ancestors ever come to visit you every night when you go to sleep?"

"Did they ever curse at you when they saw the braid at the back of your head?"

Well, these words do have some use.

At least Magistrate Ni was shaking even more.

Two hundred years of colonial rule by the mites was not in vain.

Magistrate Ni closed his eyes, stubbornly raised his head, and his voice trembled.

"Only death!"

Lin Dao laughed, laughing at this person's stubbornness.

Then he sighed again.

It's a pity that Confucianism has done so much harm; people like Magistrate Ni are countless in Manqing.

The most famous, of course, are the barber and the paperhanger.
He waved his hand, and Shi Dakai and the others rushed forward, dragging Magistrate Ni down from the high platform.

Many of the chosen people, under semi-coercion, stepped forward and drew their knives on the magistrate, whom they had never even had the right to look up to.

Because of fear, a single stab usually results in only a minor injury.

But there were just too many people!
Among the common people who had not previously targeted the landlords and local militias, the main targets were the men with families, especially those with several children.

They stepped forward, trembling, and began to execute the officials appointed by the imperial court.

The accumulated pressure over the years is still quite terrifying.

However, now that the imperial officials have been targeted, these people and their families have no way out.

Hundreds of people took turns being stabbed with knives, and at first, Magistrate Ni could still scream in agony.

But as time went by, the screams grew fainter and fainter, until they finally fell silent.

This is not over yet!
"Bring up the Green Standard Army prisoners."

The hundreds of captured Green Standard Army prisoners became visibly agitated upon seeing the pile of corpses of the militia members.

Being taken prisoner is a matter of survival; no one can withstand the prospect of being killed.

Unfortunately, they were tied up tightly, and it took the rebels a barrage of punches and kicks to gradually stabilize them.

Lin Dao, standing on the high platform, raised the megaphone in his hand.

"Bring out all officers, including the platoon leader and officers of rank above platoon leader!"

The rebels swarmed forward and began dragging people away.

Some officers tried to fight back, but were knocked to the ground.

Some officers tried to hide in the crowd, but were pushed out by the Green Standard Army soldiers around them.

Soon, these officers were taken out and placed under separate guard.

"You serve the wild boars and slaughter the people—your crimes are unforgivable."

"To punish your sins, we must first carry out the punishment."

He looked at Shi Dakai and said, "One out of ten draws will result in a kill."

The rebels rushed forward and dragged the prisoners out in groups of ten, untying their ropes.

Ten chopsticks are placed in a bamboo tube and handed over. Whoever draws the only short one is considered unlucky.

Because only one person was to be killed, everyone remained quiet, firmly believing that they wouldn't be so unlucky.

Soon, the first team's draw was over, and the unlucky guy was pale and trembling.

Shi Dakai looked at the other nine Green Standard Army prisoners who breathed a sigh of relief.

"All of you, attack together and execute the order to kill one in ten!"

"Otherwise, you will all die!"

The prisoner who drew the short chopstick was terrified and pleaded with his colleagues.

But when faced with the choice between saving someone else's life and saving one's own, people will choose to save themselves first.

Even if some people refuse, it's impossible for nine people to refuse.

After a period of chaos, the unlucky guy who had been pulled out fell silent.

The remaining nine Green Standard Army soldiers were tied up again and taken aside.

Next up is the next team.

This process continued until all prisoners had carried out the eleven-shot order.

Lin Dao, standing on the high platform, looked at the Green Standard Army officers not far away.

The soldiers might have a chance to live, but these officers absolutely not!

(End of this chapter)