I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

White curtains embroidered with clover had already been drawn around the execution ground.

The Kyoto Guardian Matsudaira Katamori, the Kyoto Shojidai Inaba Masakuni, the Kyoto Town Magistrate Nose Ryosuke, and a host of other prominent figures in Kyoto were all invited to witness the execution.

They sat facing south, arranged in a row according to their social status.

The people sitting in the main seats were naturally Aoto and Matsudaira Katamori.

The main purpose of today's public execution is to establish the prestige of the Shinsengumi and to publicize their determination to "pacify the capital region".

Such an important event naturally cannot be attended in a shabby manner.

Therefore, Qing Deng put on his most flamboyant... ah, no, his most formal attire.

He wore a black lacquered hat with gold leaf lining, symbolizing a high-ranking courtier, tied with a white ribbon under his chin, white socks, and straw sandals with white sashes, and a Sendai-hira-style haori (traditional Japanese ceremonial robe).

During the Edo period, wearing white socks was a symbol of status.

Because white socks get dirty easily, wearing clean white socks is like using a large bill to light a cigarette—it conveys the message, "I'm rich and powerful, I can afford to waste money!"

As time passed, and the sun sank from its highest point in the sky, the main characters of the day finally arrived one after another.

Escorted by fully armed soldiers, Ayase Taichi and the others were driven one by one into the center of the execution ground.

They had all been forced to wear white clothes, their hair buns had been removed, leaving them disheveled and looking as wretched as could be.

Immediately, shouts of curses and insults erupted.

"Ayase Taichi! You've finally gone to hell!"

"Well done! Well done!"

"It is because there are too many villains like you who, under the banner of 'honoring the king and expelling the barbarians,' commit evil deeds that are even worse than those of the barbarians, that we, the true patriots who uphold the king and expel the barbarians, suffer unwarranted slander!"

"To witness the horrific deaths of you beasts in my lifetime, I can die in peace!"

……

If it weren't for the soldiers responsible for maintaining order at the scene desperately stopping them, a large number of emotionally charged people would probably have rushed onto the execution ground and attacked Ayase Taichi and the others.

Although the crowd was too agitated, causing some disorder at the scene, the execution proceeded in an orderly manner.

After being led to the center of the execution ground, Ayase Taichi and the others were forced to kneel on the ground and lined up in a row.

The executioners—the inspectors of the Shinsengumi—stepped behind them and took their positions.

Buckets and long-handled ladles, prepared beforehand, were placed beside the executioners' legs. They picked up the ladles, scooped up water from the buckets, poured it onto the blades of the knives in their hands, then raised the knives, stood facing the sky, and assumed the eight-pair stance.

Under the sunlight, the water droplets clinging to the blade reflected a crystalline light.

Even at this point, some people are still desperately begging for mercy and praying for their lives.

The increasingly loud cries of "Lord Ju, spare my life!" and the increasingly urgent plea of ​​"Lord Ju, I am willing to atone for my sins through meritorious service"... Qing Deng was already tired of their rhetoric.

Once the executioners were all ready, he waved his hand without hesitation.

"Let's do it!"

In an instant, a flash of silver light appeared, illuminating the scene.

Immediately afterwards, a dull thud, like fruit hitting the ground, echoed throughout the stadium.

Decapitation has always been a technical skill.

The head must be decapitated perfectly by making a precise cut between the third and fourth cervical vertebrae.

A keen eye and skillful knife work are both essential.

Some people decapitate perfectly.

Others... whether out of nervousness or something else, either hit the back of the person's head or the back of their head.

Seeing that the decapitation attempt had failed, they hurriedly pulled their swords back and then swung them again.

Thus, the execution, which should have ended immediately, took more than a minute before all the prisoners were finally beheaded.

It's worth mentioning that the person who executed Ayase Taichi set a record for the number of blows in this execution—he swung his sword a total of 5 times before finally severing Ayase Taichi's head.

The five cuts landed evenly on his back and the back of his head.

It wasn't until the fourth stab that he managed to strike Ayase Taichi's neck.

However, because the angle of the knife was wrong, it failed to cut in two smoothly, and the blade became embedded in the middle of Ayase Taichi's neck.

The neck was about to break but was not quite—the head was hanging limply in front of the chest, a truly terrifying sight, and just looking at it made one feel excruciating pain.

Even this cowardly coward groaned in despair:

"Brother... give me a quick death... stop torturing me...!"

His humble wish was fulfilled with the fifth blow.

According to custom, once the heads of the condemned have been severed, the entire execution can be declared over.

However, Qingdeng suddenly spoke loudly in a tone devoid of joy or sorrow:

"Collect their heads and build a mound of skulls!"

These words shocked the entire audience, and the uproar spread rapidly like ripples on a field.

The high-ranking officials led by Matsudaira Katamori, the Shinsengumi officers represented by the Souji standing beside them, and the onlookers not far away all wore expressions of utter astonishment.

Jingguan – at first glance, one might think it's some kind of elegant cultural landscape.

In reality, Jingguan was a tall mound formed in ancient times by gathering the corpses of enemies and sealing them with earth to show off military prowess.

Simply put, it was about piling up corpses to form a "pyramid," both to show off martial prowess and to intimidate the enemy.

The high-ranking officials and nobles looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Th-that! Lord Tachibana!"

Noriyuki Ryōsuke stammered:

"Building a mound of skulls... such a drastic measure is really unnecessary, isn't it?"

With Yoshisuke taking the lead, the others chimed in with their own opinions:

"Yes, Lord Tachibana, building a mound of corpses is too much killing!"

"Lord Tachibana! Please reconsider!"

……

From any perspective, Japan today has entered a period of great chaos comparable to the Warring States period three hundred years ago.

But people's thinking has not changed; everyone's mindset remains stuck in that long-standing era of peace and tranquility.

Therefore, they simply couldn't imagine what it would look like to build a conspicuous Kyoto mound in the city of Kyoto...

In fact, not only them, but even the members of the Shinsengumi were learning about Aoto's "Kyōkan Project" for the first time.

Therefore, the commander and others standing to the side also looked at each other, finding expressions of shock on each other's faces.

"..."

Matsudaira Katamori remained expressionless and silent, making it unclear what his stance was.

The advice given by Noriyuki Ryōsuke and others was undoubtedly earnest and heartfelt.

However, Qing Deng didn't even glance at them, completely ignoring their suggestions, and expressionlessly repeated the order:

"Collect their heads and pile them up into a mound of skulls!"

The general's order has been issued... there is no reason not to obey.

The executioners exchanged glances, then bent down to pick up the severed heads from the ground and piled them up in the very center of the execution ground.

Before long, a “pyramid” composed of more than twenty heads, not particularly tall but extremely imposing, came into view.

For a moment, the entire room fell silent; no one spoke…

*******

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Chapter 580 A New Female Character: Kyoto's Most Beautiful Legendary Geisha: Miss Shiyang! [4500]

Unless you see it with your own eyes, you can never truly appreciate the visual impact of a Jingguan!

A single severed head is enough to send chills down the spines of ordinary people accustomed to peaceful lives, let alone more than twenty heads stacked together to form a "pyramid".

His eyes were wide open, filled with terror.

The dirty blood pooled together.

Pale, bloodless skin overlapped one another.

Crows, drawn by the aroma, circled overhead, cawing and pompous, ready to swoop down and feast.

Such a scene, the terror and shock brought by these human heads is not additive, but multiplicative!

Just seconds before, the onlookers who had been jubilant over the deaths of Ayase Taichi and the others were now all silent, trembling with fear.

At this moment, Qingdeng stood up unhurriedly.

Soon, everyone who could see Qingdeng looked at him, and a variety of gazes with different emotions fell on him.

"Everyone!"

With the blessing of the talent "Piercing Clouds and Splitting Stones +2", and because of the complete silence in the arena, Qingdeng's voice carried far.

"Today is a good day."

"Today, the ringleaders and accomplices of the Nanmu Group have all been executed!"

"Today, a new chapter will be turned in Kyoto's history!"

"The reason I'm executing these traitors so ostentatiously today and building a mound of their heads is to tell everyone in Kyoto, to tell everyone in the world—I, Tachibana Seito, am not here for tourism! The Shinsengumi is not just a bunch of disorganized rabble in name only!"

"I will faithfully fulfill my duties as the Garrison Commander of the Capital Region!"

"I will quell the internal strife in the capital region as quickly as possible!"