Chương 519: Discussion on the Northern Grasslands

Arrows pierced their arms and thighs, and blood flowed everywhere.

The remaining servants were terrified. They dropped their sticks and ran away faster than rabbits, some even losing their shoes in the process.

Zhang, the wealthy man, turned ashen-faced and collapsed to the ground, his crotch soaked with sweat.

Tian Feng walked up to him, looking down at him. His voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a knife:

"Zhang San, you openly defied the imperial edict, tore up the decree, and assaulted officials. You deserve to die. However, considering that this is your first offense and no one was killed, your life will be spared. His Majesty is merciful and will give you a way out."

"Now, all of Zhang San's land and slaves are confiscated and distributed to landless peasants. Zhang San himself will be flogged fifty times and exiled three thousand li away, never to return! He will be exiled to Jiaozhou, where the weather is hot, perfect for you to lose weight."

"No... no..." Zhang the landlord wailed as he was dragged away by the soldiers.

Zhang San howled like a pig being slaughtered: "I refuse to accept this! I demand to see His Majesty! I want to file a complaint with the Emperor! My family has been..."

His wails grew fainter and fainter until they disappeared around the street corner.

The soldiers brought over instruments of torture and immediately gave him fifty strokes of the cane.

The sound of the paddle hitting flesh was dull yet loud, making the hearts of the onlookers leap with each strike.

Zhang the landlord cried out for his parents, his buttocks were beaten until they were bloody and mangled, and he eventually passed out.

The people erupted in thunderous cheers; some knelt on the ground and kowtowed, some hugged each other and wept, and some threw their hats into the air.

"Long live Your Majesty!"

The old farmer knelt on the ground, kowtowing until his forehead bled: "Heaven has opened its eyes! Heaven has opened its eyes!"

Standing on the high ground, Tian Feng addressed the crowd loudly, his voice echoing throughout the entire street:

"Fellow villagers! His Majesty has said that from this day forward, there will be no slaves or landless peasants in the Han Dynasty! Everyone will be allocated land, and everyone will have enough to eat! If anyone dares to bully you, go to the county government, go to the prefecture government, go to Luoyang to complain! His Majesty is your protector! His Majesty's sword is sharper than theirs!"

He glanced at the crowd and added, "Anyone who dares to block your way, I will chop off their head—these are His Majesty's exact words!"

"Long live Your Majesty!"

Cheers rose and fell, echoing throughout Kaifeng County and the surrounding villages for miles around.

In the following months, one hundred inspection teams across provinces, prefectures, and counties nationwide used the same swift and decisive methods to deal with hundreds of powerful figures who dared to openly defy imperial orders.

Some were beheaded, some were exiled, and some were dismissed from their posts and had their homes confiscated.

The worst case involved an entire family of over a hundred people who were exiled to Lingnan, leaving not even their dog behind.

The bloody lesson made all the observing noble families realize that this new emperor was not just all talk.

He was truly capable of killing and genuinely intended to implement new policies. While previous emperors' words were like farts, this emperor's words were like cleavers.

...

The first year of the Han calendar, the first year of Shenwu's reign, the tenth day of the second month.

The biting wind on the northern grasslands was like a knife sharpened with ice, slapping against the leather tent with a loud "slap, slap" sound. Even the tent poles trembled slightly, making a teeth-grinding creaking sound, as if they might be overturned at any moment.

Outside the tent, snowflakes were whipped up by the wind, making it impossible to open one's eyes.

Thick felt curtains hung at the entrance of Ke Zuitan's large tent, blocking out the wind and snow, while the inside of the tent was warm and cozy.

The cow dung fire burned brightly, and three fat sheep were stewing in a copper pot, bubbling and steaming. The aroma of meat mixed with the sour smell of mare's milk wine and the muttony smell filled the tent, making one's mouth water.

The ground was littered with cleaned sheep bones and empty wine bladders, the bones piled up into a small mountain.

A dozen or so tribal chiefs sat in a circle, each with their fur coats open, revealing their hairy chests. They held gleaming meat-cutting knives in their hands and wine jars in their arms, eating with gusto, their mouths dripping with oil, looking like a group of bears just awakened from hibernation.

Gudujin, a Xianbei from the east, was the biggest eater. He had already finished three lamb legs and was now sucking on a lamb bone with great slurping sounds. After finishing, he smacked his lips, still wanting more.

The western Shamo Khan was a drunkard. He never let go of his wine jar. His face was flushed red, his eyes were almost closed, and he was singing a song incoherently.

Murong Huai from the central region was the most refined. He held a small knife in his hand, slowly slicing mutton, occasionally taking a sip of wine, his eyes revealing shrewdness, like a fox about to steal a chicken.

After finishing the last bite of lamb leg, Ke Zuitan threw the bone on the ground, wiped his greasy mouth, clapped his hands, and shouted:

"Stop it, everyone! Stop eating! We're not gathered here to eat mutton and drink alcohol; we have something to discuss with you! If you keep eating, you'll eat all the sheep for next winter!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up at him.

Shamo Khan let out a burp and mumbled indistinctly:

"What's the big deal? Have you found another place to sneak across the border? We're almost out of salt. The salt from the south tastes so much better than the salt from our grasslands! The salt from the Han people is as white as snow, while our salt is as yellow as dirt. There's no comparison!"

"That's right!" Tuliqi nodded quickly, putting down the half-eaten bone in his hand.

"My wife's silk dresses are all torn, and we can't even buy new ones. She complains to me every day, saying that I can't even afford a dress, so what kind of tribal chief am I!"

"Stop spouting this nonsense!" Ke Zuitan glared at them, his eyes wide as bull's.

"Is that all you've got? Let me ask you, have you all heard about what happened to the Han Dynasty in the south? A few years ago, they were in complete chaos there. The emperor died, and a fat guy named Dong Zhuo led his troops into Luoyang, burning, killing, looting, and committing all sorts of atrocities... But after less than a year of this, things suddenly calmed down, and a new emperor came along!"

"I've heard about it! I've heard about it!" Shamo Khan slammed his wine jar on the ground, spilling half the wine, but he didn't seem to care.

"I know that Dong Zhuo! I heard he's incredibly fat, weighing several hundred pounds! He probably can't even walk properly, and it takes four people to carry him onto a horse!"

"Hahahaha!" Everyone burst into laughter, laughing so hard they were doubled over. Some laughed so hard they slapped their thighs, while others laughed so hard they sprayed wine all over the floor.

Suliba scratched his head, looking bewildered: "I know all that, but I just want to know, who is the new emperor sitting on the dragon throne in Luoyang? That's all I care about, everything else is nonsense."

"Who knows!" Gu Dujin threw the lamb bone in his hand on the ground and said irritably.

"It's all that damned Prince Liu Ce of Yan's fault! His troops guarded the borders of Youzhou and Bingzhou like an iron barrel, with guards every three steps and sentries every five steps, not even a sparrow could fly over!"

Once I sent a scout, but as soon as he crossed the border, he was riddled with arrows by Han archers and his body was never recovered!

He grew angrier as he spoke, slamming his fist on the ground, sending dust flying: "We sent out more than a dozen groups of people to gather information, but they were either captured and beheaded by the Han army, or sent back. Some were even forced to work on the Great Wall for three months before being released. They didn't even see a glimpse of Luoyang! That Liu Ce is practically a door god!"