bayedsolid Chapter 333: Public Trial
Chapter 333: Public Trial
"These guys deserve to die. Let them pay with their lives for the people of Dongxi Village!"
"I heard that they are all slaves from Jinyang City. They should be sent back to Jiaoshan to be slaves for the rest of their lives!"
"We can learn from the methods of Jinyang City and use the methods of 'skinning frogs' and 'lighting sky lanterns' on them to let them have a taste of what it's like!"
"I think we should take out their hearts, livers, and intestines to see whether they are black or green. We can use them to offer sacrifices to the people of Dongxi Village who were killed by them!"
……
The common people stopped the prison van and it couldn't move at all. They couldn't hit, scold or yell at them. The four guards just said, "Please make way, please make way. The general wants to take them away for questioning." Instead, the common people yelled and yelled even more fiercely.
It was not until Ding Qi arrived with eight cavalry guards and guarded both sides of the prison van that they were able to squeeze through the crowd and move forward.
After finally arriving outside the general's tent, they saw that the open space outside was filled with men and women, young and old, all shouting on behalf of the villagers of Dongxi Village, shouting that they were innocent and begging General Bi Ye to seek justice.
Chu Xiaomu and the others saw this situation and knew that the public anger was hard to calm down. Zhang Hou and Su Mishun also calmed down at this time. They sat motionless in the prisoner car like idiots, staring blankly at the Bicheng people who were shouting and cursing outside.
Li Qi rode on a red horse, led a group of soldiers to stop the crowd, and prevented the noisy crowd from getting out of control. Seeing Ding Qi coming with the prisoner cart, he opened a hole and let them in. He said loudly: "Everyone, I am Li Qi of Zhongjing Army, please listen to me!" When he spoke, he used the original force, and the sound was like a long bell, resounding inside and outside, making everyone's ears buzz, and the crowd gradually quieted down.
Li Xian's Zhongjing Army was responsible for the garrison inside and outside Bicheng. The Zhongjing Camp was also within the city walls of Bicheng. He often walked around the city, so almost all the people present knew him. Except for General Biye, he was respected more than the other four Zhongjun.
Li Qi said: "The general only heard about what happened in Dongxi Village yesterday. After he found out about it, he didn't eat or sleep for a day and a night. Those dozens of people were his people, and he was more heartbroken than any of us."
A scoundrel with a finger-sized mole on the right side of his face said loudly, "We all know that the general loves the people. But there are some rumors out there..."
Li Qi asked, "What rumors?"
The gangster with the black mole said: "Many people have heard that Zhou Zhongjun of the Nanding Army rushed to the general's tent yesterday afternoon and pleaded with the general to let these murderers go!" He pointed at the prison car next to Li Xian, looking extremely angry.
Immediately, many people shouted: "Yes, I heard that too!"
"Not only did I hear about it, I also saw Zhou Zhongjun riding over here with my own eyes. His mount was a Qinglu horse, which is easy to recognize."
……
Li Qi said, "Brother, please don't talk nonsense without any evidence. Although I, Bicheng, cannot restrain speech, I will not tolerate nonsense that harms the general! You are right. Zhou Zhongjun did come to the general's tent yesterday, but he did not come for the matter of Dongxi Village."
"What's that for?"
"Yes, I heard that the murderer saved Zhou Zhongjun's daughter's life. Why did he run to the general's tent instead of saving him?"
Li Qi frowned and said, "We have a law in Bicheng that says, 'Anyone who oppresses and harms the people, regardless of their relationship or merits, shall be beheaded.' Please believe me and ask for pardon for the real murderer. That will never happen!"
Seeing his handsome appearance and resolute eyes, he said this with great seriousness, which made everyone believe him. Many people said, "We believe that the general and Li Zhongjun will never deceive the people in this matter."
"The laws of Bicheng were set by the general. He has never been partial to anyone. I believe he will not let these murderers off just like that!"
The black mole scoundrel shouted again, "The evidence of murder is irrefutable. Li Zhongjun, why don't you execute these bastards who are more evil than evil spirits? Everyone is waiting to see the good show, what are you still hesitating about?"
Li Qi said: "When executing a murderer, you must first ask questions clearly. If you don't ask questions or investigate, what if you kill the wrong person? In my Bicheng, this is also killing innocent people."
The scoundrel shouted, "You can ask the others, but I don't think it's necessary to ask these few. Looking at their faces, I can tell at a glance that they are thugs who are used to killing people. No need to ask, just kill them with a single blow!"
Li Qi ignored him and said loudly: "Everyone, the murderer has been brought here. Why don't we interrogate him in front of everyone? Everyone will know the cause and effect of the Dongxi Village incident. In the end, whether he should be executed or not will be decided by everyone together!"
Everyone thought that Li Qi dared to judge the murderer in front of the people, and let the people decide whether to execute him. Even if a few people wanted to protect them, it would be impossible. Many people agreed, saying that this was the best and fairest way.
Li Qi ordered several soldiers to open the prison van and pull Chu Xiaomu and the other nine out one by one and stand them in a row.
Before they were pulled out, many people in the crowd started to curse, cursing their origins, ancestors, appearance, and facial features. The words were extremely filthy and unpleasant. Chu Xiaomu and the other nine had never been subjected to such vicious insults during the months they had been slaves in Jinyang City. At once, embarrassment, shame, anger, grievance, confusion, and sadness all came over them, and they wished they could die immediately.
Zhang Hou cried, "Li Zhongjun, we are innocent. You...you should talk to the general."
Li Qi just glanced at him, sighed softly, then waved his hand towards Ding Qi and said, "This is General Ding from the Dongzhong Army. He witnessed the incident in Dongxi Village with his own eyes, and he also captured these people himself. Let him interrogate the prisoners."
Then he said to Ding Qi: "Second brother, please come and interrogate him. You know more about the things happening near Dongzhong Army than we do."
Ding Qi did not refuse and said, "Okay." He rode his horse to Chu Xiaomu and the others and shouted, "Murderer, tell me your name!"
Chu Xiaomu and the other nine people said their names one by one. Zhang Hou's voice was so thin that it was almost inaudible, and Ding Qi ignored him.
"Did you kill the sixty-seven villagers of Dongxi Village?"
Chu Xiaomu and the other nine nodded slowly. The crowd was even more furious, and many of them picked up rocks and dirt from the ground and threw them at him. Ding Qi had to shout several times before he could suppress them.
"Who gave the order?"
"It's me." Chu Xiaomu answered honestly.
"Why did you order the killing of villagers?!"
"They...they have all changed. They are no longer human, but monsters..."