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Chapter 254: Step by step

Looking at the two children, Tan Zong shook his head slightly, looking a little regretful, picked up his pen and drew a big red cross on the list.

In order to maintain the rule of imperial power, treason has always been severely punished by rulers of all dynasties. If the death row prisoner was sentenced to be executed for other things, children under the age of thirteen would be dismissed by the court and sent to the northern border for hard labor. However, for treason, it would be a crime of killing without mercy to serve as a warning.

As the executioner's steel knife fell, twenty heads rolled down, and the onlookers burst into cheers again.

After several rounds of executions, an accident happened. Perhaps it was because the executioner's knife was already dull after killing several people, or perhaps someone secretly accepted the benefits of someone. He didn't want the death row prisoners to die so happily. When Tan Zong retaliated against a group of death row prisoners, the executioners stabbed them and two male death row prisoners did not cut off their heads, and half of them were still connected to their necks.

The two death row prisoners suddenly let out shrill screams, looking extremely painful.

Seeing this, the executioner in charge of the two death row prisoners raised his knife again, and chopped the two death row prisoners several times like chopping vegetables, which then cut off their brains. The scene looked very bloody.

"Change the knife!" Seeing this, the sergeant with a national face waved at the audience.

A group of soldiers immediately rushed to the execution office and replaced the twenty executioners with brand new knives. After all, this is beheading, not chopping them.

As the executioner raised his sword and fell, fewer and fewer dead prisoners on the field. Finally, when the execution round was over, Wang Hao and his family were dragged over by the soldiers and pressed on the wooden pier for the execution.

The only prisoners who were executed in this group were Wang Hao and his family. Although the number of death row prisoners in the last round was not enough for twenty, the soldiers did not drag the Wang family to make up the numbers. It seemed that Tan Zong was preparing to kill them alone.

"Sir, I have experienced it and made it clear!" After checking the identities of Wang Hao and his family, the sergeant with the names of Wang Hao and others handed the paper written on it to Tan Zong.

Perhaps this was the last group of death row prisoners who were beheaded, and everyone's eyes were focused on Tan Zong, waiting for Tan Zong to gain mercy and Wang Hao and others. The scene was silent for a moment.

"Mr. Zhao, Wang Hao led the Japanese to kill your wife and children. Do you want to chop his head in person?" Tan Zong raised his pen and was about to fall down, but suddenly stopped and looked up at Zhao Yuanchang, who looked angry in the audience.

"Sir Xie, the officials wish they could eat their flesh and drink their blood!" Zhao Yuanchang walked out of the officials who were watching the execution, bowed to Tan Zong, and said in great grief.

"Come on, give Lord Zhao a knife." Tan Zong nodded and ordered the soldiers below.

A soldier immediately ran over with a blunt knife with a curled blade. Tan Zong had promised Zhao Yuanchang to kill Wang Hao with a blunt knife.

Wang Hao, whose head was pressed on the wooden pier, closed his eyes in despair when he heard this. He was unwilling to accept it. It turned out that it was Zhao Yuanchang, a despicable villain, who came to kill him.

"Slow down!" Seeing that the soldier was about to hand the blunt knife to Zhao Yuanchang, Tan Zong suddenly spoke to stop him.

Zhao Yuanchang was confused and looked at Tan Zong in confusion, not sure what he meant.

"Wang Hao, don't you have anything to say?" Tan Zong smiled and looked at Zhao Yuanchang, then shouted loudly at Wang Hao who was lying on the wooden pier and waiting for death.

At the same time, the soldier who held Wang Hao let go of his hand. When Wang Hao heard Tan Zong's shouting, he couldn't help but open his eyes, his mind was messy and he didn't react for a while.

The officials who watched the punishment looked at each other suspiciously, and no one could guess the meaning of Tan Zong's move.

"Sir!" Zhao Yuanchang was stunned for a moment, and looked at Tan Zong in confusion. For some reason, he had an unknown premonition in his heart.

"Mr. Zhao is a little restless. Wang Hao was talking nonsense in the prison yesterday, saying that we were wronged and killed Zhongliang. I want him to understand." Tan Zong nodded slightly at Zhao Yuanchang, then his face darkened, and he shouted at Wang Hao again, "Wang Hao, are you wronged?"

"Secretary...Secretary is wronged!" Wang Hao was awakened by Tan Zong's shouting, suddenly straightened up, used all his strength to shout at Tan Zong on the stage.

Buzz!

The scene suddenly became turbulent. Not only the officials who were watching the punishment whispered, but the onlookers were even talking.

Zhao Yuanchang's face changed a few times and soon returned to normal. He glanced at Tan Zong, who was expressionless, and thumped, knelt down at Tan Zong, and shouted angrily, "Please make the decision for the subordinates, don't let Wang Hao go, a treacherous person."

"Kill him!" Suddenly, a shout came from the onlookers.

"Kill him, kill him..." Immediately, the people in the audience shouted, waved their right fists together, and shook their voices, asking Tan Zong to kill Wang Hao.

This was the first time that officials who watched the punishment had encountered tens of thousands of people shouting together. They turned around and looked around, whispering in a low voice.

Amid the increasingly excited shouts, some people began to rush forward, and the soldiers responsible for maintaining order quickly crossed their guns and formed a blockade line to block their way.

The people were getting more and more excited, and the soldiers pushed were tilted. Seeing this, a bearded official who was observing the punishment stood up and walked to the observation platform, bowing to Tan Zong, "Master Tan, Wang Hao is evil, and the evidence is conclusive. Please understand the punishment of the righteous!"

"Please understand the punishment of the sanctions!" As soon as the bearded official finished speaking, all the officials who watched the punishment stood up, stood behind the official, and saluted Tan Zong together.

"Silent, quiet!" Tan Zong glanced at the officials below, then looked at the excited people, reached out and slapped the table, and said in a deep voice.

Seeing this, the sergeant with a national face waved at the drummers not far away.

Immediately, more than a dozen cowhide drums arranged around the execution ground sounded, and two tall drummers stood in front of each drum.

The drums were thick, from slow to rapid, gradually overshadowing the calls of the people.

At the same time, the sound of rapid footsteps came from the entrance of the execution ground. A team of fully armed soldiers rushed in. About 2,000 people dispersed and protected the execution ground. They all used swords and guns to face the people, with serious expressions.

These soldiers were reinforcements from nearby prefectures and counties to pursue Japanese bandits and were stationed outside Suzhou City. Not long ago, they suddenly received the order from Zhao Yunan, so they hurried to the execution ground to maintain order. They arrived just in time when the drum sounded. People who were not aware of it thought it was deliberately arranged by Tan Zong.

After hearing Cao Qiaomu's report, Zhao Yunan finally agreed to Tan Zong's plan after some thought. After all, he was a dignified prince and would never want to see himself being played with in his hands.

Although Zhao Yuanchang, who was regarded as a hero of anti-Japanese trial in front of tens of thousands of people, is very risky, he may be exploited by those who are interested in it when he is not careful and aroused civil unrest.

But then again, once Tan Zong exposes Zhao Yuanchang's true face in front of the people, it will definitely inspire the hearts of the people in Suzhou, not only will it give Zhao Yuanchang a warning, but it will also demonstrate Zhao Yunan's decisive demeanor, but it will also increase Zhao Yunan's reputation in the court and the country.

After all, there were many people on the scene. Zhao Yunan was worried that Tan Zong would not be able to control the situation at the scene, so he transferred these soldiers to serve as helpers for him.

Faced with the bright swords and guns in the soldiers' hands and the increasingly desolate drums, the shouts of the people gradually calmed down and the surroundings became quiet again.

"Do you know why the Japanese bandits came and went without a trace?" Tan Zong slowly stood up, walked to the front of the observation decree, and shouted at the people around him.

Although there was no loudspeaker, the mountains and fields were empty, and Tan Zong's voice was loud. The people standing in front could hear it clearly, and then passed his words to the people behind him.

Soon, all the people raised their ears and waited for what Tan Zong wanted to say later.

"That's because there are insiders of the Japanese bandits in Suzhou Prefecture. Those insiders are hidden in the dark, not only informing the Japanese bandits, but also hiding them. I can tell you with certainty that the Japanese bandits' inner men are hiding among everyone. At this time, they are watching the jokes of my official and the jokes of us Suzhou people." When everyone at the scene focused their attention on themselves, Tan Zong shouted again.

There was a commotion in the crowd. Not only the people, but also the officials who were observing the punishment, were also confused by Tan Zong's sudden words: Isn't it that the death row prisoners were executed? Why did they involve the internal response of the Japanese bandits!

Zhao Yuanchang's face looked a little ugly. He had vaguely guessed that Tan Zong's target was himself, and a hint of gloom appeared in his eyes.

Tan Zong waved his hand, and the drum sounded again, and the scene immediately became quiet.

"The things that those inner men like to do the most are disturbing the bureau. Before I tried the Wang Hao case, if anyone dared to bewitch people's hearts and disturb my case, then who is the inner men of the Japanese. Everyone must keep their eyes open, maybe the inner men are by your side." Tan Zong stretched out his finger and pointed at the people at the scene, warning the people with a serious expression.

When Tan Zong's words spread among the crowd, the people looked at me and I looked at you, looking at the people around them, looking at them to see if the other party was just the gap in Tan Zong's mouth.

Seeing this, Tan Zong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. In his plan, the people on the scene were the most important link. As long as the people were appeased, his plan would be half completed.

As for the public trial of Zhao Yuanchang, in his opinion, it was a matter of ease.

"Who was the leader who shouted the slogan just now?" Then, Tan Zong glared at the people and shouted, "I suspect that he is the inner responder of the Japanese bandits and attempted to interfere with the officer's handling of the case. I don't want the officer to find out his accomplices."

Hearing this, the people looked around, as if they were looking for the first person to shout.

A moment later, the crowd in the southeast suddenly became riot.

Immediately afterwards, several young men walked out of the crowd with a tall and thin man in their thirties. Tan Zong waved his hand and the soldiers let them over.

"Sir, it was the slogan he took the lead and wanted to slip away just now." The young men took the tall and thin man to the observation stage, and a burly young man bowed to Tan Zong.

"Sir, it's unfair." The tall and thin man was pressed to the ground by the young men, and his face was covered in sweat, shouting at Tan Zong.

"If you don't do bad things, don't be afraid of ghosts calling the door, don't be guilty, why are you going to run away?" Tan Zong sneered and shouted at the soldiers below, "Take it down."

Several soldiers rushed over and tied the tall and thin man up and dragged him aside.

Tan Zong raised his hand, and a soldier walked over with a tray covered with a red cloth and handed it to the burly young man who had spoken before. The young man lifted the red cloth and was stunned. There were four or five ounces of silver on it.

"This is a reward for you. If I find out that he is indeed an insider of the Japanese bandits, I will still have a reward for it." Tan Zong smiled at the young man and said.

"Sir Xie, Mr. Xie." The burly young man was overjoyed when he heard this and thanked Tan Zong with his companions. With the envious gaze of people around him, he returned to the crowd happily.

"Sir, do you have anything to say?" After the young men left, Tan Zong looked at the officials below who asked him to kill Wang Hao.

"Listen to the Lord's orders." The former leader of the bearded beard quickly bowed to Tan Zong, looking a little frightened. Tan Zong instantly took down the tall and thin man suspected of being a Japanese bandit. It was obvious that he had prepared himself. If his mind was not enlightened, the officials over the years would have been in vain.

"Listen to the Lord's orders." The other officials hurriedly saluted, everyone was worried, afraid that Tan Zong would regard him as an introductory supporter of the Japanese bandits.

Tan Zong waved his hand, and the officials retreated tactfully, leaving only Zhao Yuanchang in front of the stage. After the initial shock, Zhao Yuanchang regained his sad expression.

"Mr. Zhao, this matter is related to the prince's reputation and the national prestige of the Dashun Kingdom. Don't you mind that I will find this clearly, right?" Tan Zong glanced at Zhao Yuanchang and said with a kind look.

"Let the master make the decision." Zhao Yuanchang bowed to Tan Zong, looking at a clear conscience.

"Don't worry, I will definitely give you an explanation." Tan Zong nodded and shouted at the two soldiers standing behind Wang Hao, "Bring him here."

Two soldiers, Wang Hao, who had weak legs, took him to the observation stage and placed him beside Zhao Yuanchang.

"I've seen the master." Wang Hao knelt on the ground and kowtowed at Tan Zong with an excited expression. He never thought that Tan Zong would do such a thing, and vaguely saw the hope of living.

"Today, the prison chief told me that you were talking nonsense in the prison yesterday and slandering Lord Zhao's innocence. Is this true?" Tan Zong raised his hand and signaled Wang Hao to stand up, asking expressionlessly.

Wang Hao gritted his teeth, stood up shakingly, looked at Zhao Yuanchang beside him, and said in a deep voice, "Sir, the Xiaguan did not surrender to the Japanese bandits. The one who surrendered to the Japanese bandits was Zhao Yuanchang Zhao. The Xiaguan saw him drinking and laughing with the Japanese leader that night."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked. Not only the people looked at each other, but even the officials at the scene were also stunned. At first, they thought that Wang Hao just wanted to defend his crime of surrendering to the Japanese bandits, and no one expected that Zhao Yuanchang would be involved.

At first, the people on the scene just whispered, but later, the conversation became louder and louder, buzzing like a group of flies flying in the air.

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Chapter completed!
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