The executioner's assistant stepped forward and raised the head of Chi Ren, whose face was covered in blood and still maintained a frightened and sluggish expression, with both hands, and showed it to the onlookers, and the crowd instantly burst into a burst of cheers.

In the imperial palace, Emperor Meiji, who was drinking tea, heard the cheers from afar, and the hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, but the expression on his face did not change in the slightest.

"It's going to be our turn in a moment......" Shimazu Hisamitsu, who was dressed in a prison uniform and had his hands tied behind his back, looked at the headless body of Chiren who was being carried down, and said in horror.

"I knew that this would be the end, it was better to listen to Yoko's words, go all the way with Nanzhou Weng, and save yourself from being humiliated and dying!" Shimazu Tadashi, who was also bound and awaiting execution, said hatefully.

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Shimazu Hisamitsu was furious when he heard this, and reprimanded: "Do you still want to betray the imperial kingdom with Yoshinosuke traitors?" Do you want the reputation of the Shimazu family to be ruined in your hands? ”

"Sentenced to death for the crime of rebellion that does not exist, what reputation does the Shimazu family have at all!" Shimazu Tadashi said angrily, "Is it that death is imminent, do you want me to thank the emperor for his grace?" ”

"His Majesty the Emperor has specially pardoned the daughters of the Shimazu family and exempted them from capital punishment, so why shouldn't I thank the emperor for his kindness?" Shimazu Hisamitsu looked at his round-eyed son and said loudly.

It is no wonder that Shimazu Hisamitsu said such things when he was dying, and the emperor decreed that all female members of the Shimazu family would be pardoned and protected from insults, which was really a great grace to Shimazu Hisamitsu.

The most despicable and obscene punishment imposed by the rulers of Japan (not only Japan, but also all countries in history) was the punishment of women. Executions not only take the lives of prisoners, but also degrade their status and insult their personality. In particular, female prisoners were stripped naked and executed. In addition to degrading its identity, it also serves an additional humiliating role.

The status of women in Japan has always been low. Women who have committed capital crimes are even more despised by the world, so that their imprisonment is not considered immoral, but is often accepted by both the government and the people.

Why did the ancient rulers of Japan like to punish women? In fact, the ruling class is not very concerned with how to execute women who commit ordinary criminal offences, and sometimes they even show some kindness to avoid humiliation, but this is a different matter when they are confronted with women prisoners who pose a threat to the ruling authority. In Japan, where the status of women has always been low, the women who can pose a threat to the ruling clique are certainly those who have strong political appeal or outstanding military leadership skills. Moreover, they have a high prestige among the people, and simply putting them to death will not affect their image in the eyes of the people, and it will even arouse people's sympathy for them. Therefore, for the ruling group, how to eliminate the influence of such female prisoners in the minds of the people is the core of deciding what kind of punishment to impose on them, and the imposition of punishment involves the most taboo word "sex" in the human subconscious, which is undoubtedly the best shortcut to fundamentally destroy their personality image and even their spiritual influence.

The execution also created a whole group of obscene and boring spectators, and the "executions" were meant to be used by the ruling class to intimidate the people. In fact, it has increased the after-dinner chat for bored spectators, for such people. It doesn't matter what sins these women committed and why they were executed, the point is to appreciate the woman's body, and they subjectively tend to go to great lengths to torture and are more keen to satisfy their sexual desires and satisfy their curiosity. And the official often caters to this need and reinvents the tricks of punishment in order to earn enough eyeballs. In modern times, Japan has been criticized by Western countries for its punishment of female prisoners in the Middle Ages (as was the Celestial Empire on the other continent).

Since the Meiji Restoration, in order to rank among the "civilized countries", Japan abolished the old punishment of the Tokugawa shogunate and replaced it with the new criminal law of Western countries, but still retained many of its own characteristics, and this time the Meiji Emperor pardoned the women of the Shimazu family and exempted them from the death penalty, which was also for this consideration.

"The women of the Shimazu family are exempt from crime, but all the men are beheaded, how is it different from exterminating the clan? Only a fool like you would think like this! Shimazu Tadayoshi smacked his father in the face fiercely, "It's you ignorant and stupid who ruined the Shimazu family!" ”

"Bastard! The loyalty of the Shimazu family through the ages, how can it be destroyed by you and me! Shimazu Hisako scolded very angrily, "How can I give birth to a rebel like you!" ”

"It is the Imperial Kingdom that is defeated by the Shimazu family, and the non-Shimazu family is defeated by the Imperial Kingdom!" Shimazu Tadayoshi said loudly, "The imperial kingdom is so indistinguishable from right and wrong, loyalty and righteousness are not distinguished, and there is no day to die!" Death is no longer in sight! ”

"Yaga! Are you going to curse Japan for its demise? Shimazu Hisamitsu scolded, and actually stood up and raised his foot to kick Shimazu Tadayoshi, but was dodged by Shimazu Tadayoshi.

"In such a dark country, there is no heavenly reason if it does not perish!" Shimazu Tadashi glared at his father angrily, jumped to his feet, and scolded as he slammed into him, "You are stupid, you have harmed the Shimazu family, and you are the real sinner of the Shimazu family!" ”

Seeing that Shimazu father and son were actually beating each other, the guards hurriedly stepped forward and dragged them aside separately.

After a while, the moment of execution came, two soldiers dragged Shimazu Hisamitsu to a straw mat and knelt down, after seeing the snowy katana in the hand of the executioner, Shimazu Hisamitsu lost the momentum just now, became covered in chaff, frightened and inexplicable, but at this time he couldn't help but be afraid, Shimazu Tadayoshi thought that he would shout a few words praising the kindness of His Majesty the Emperor before his execution, but he didn't expect that he would not be able to say a word at this time.

Shimazu Hisamitsu was not allowed to say anything more, the executioner shouted, his hand raised and fell, only to see a flash of cold light, and Shimazu Hisamitsu's head still had a samurai bun, and rolled onto the white cloth in front of the straw mat.

Then it was Shimazu Tadayoshi's turn, and when Shimazu Tadayoshi was also dragged to kneel on the straw mat, he suddenly struggled, raised his head to the sky, and shouted loudly:

"Yoko! Take care! The Shimazu family is all up to you! ”

"Yoko! ――The future of the Shimazu family rests on your shoulders! It's a heavy burden, but you have to pick it up! ――”

He cried out as the executioner slashed down. Shimazu Tadayoshi's head is also the same as that of his father Shimazu Hisamitsu. Rolled down to the white cloth. Brought out a large area of blood.

The executioner's assistant picked up Shimazu's head and showed it to the onlookers, then took his head and Shimazu Hisamitsu's head to a basin of water to wash off the blood, and then placed it on a wooden shelf.

Somehow, unlike the head of Shimazu Hisamitsu, whose face was dull and depressed, the eyes of Shimazu Tadadayoshi kept their eyes wide with rage, and the executioner's assistant tried to close his eyelids. After trying a few times, he couldn't get it together, which made his heart beat a drum.

He had been in this business for many years, and he had seen many severed heads, but this was the first time he had seen such an eye-closed head as that of the head of the Shimazu family.

After another attempt to fail to close Shimazu's eyes, the executioner's assistant gave up his efforts, placed the head on a wooden frame for public display, and hurried away to pick up the head of a Shimazu man.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Qianguo. Fuzhou.

Yoko Shimazu, dressed in men's clothes, was sitting on the second floor of the teahouse at this time. While sipping fragrant tea, I listened to the conversation of the tea customers.

"Do you know that today is the wife of the pirate leader Huang Jinman, named Han Chunmei, the day of Ling Chi's execution, stay for a while, the show will begin!"

"It is said that this Han Chunmei was originally a female sea bandit, following the golden man, crisscrossing the sea, plundering passing merchant ships, fierce for a while, but she couldn't withstand the hit of the shipmaster and sailor, probably because of the vicious battle of Ye Guan, the courage of the past merchants was raised. Half a month later, not only did the bandits in the nearby sea extinguish the fire, but even the famous Han Chunmei of the red sand beach was also captured alive and locked into the city. ”

"Oops! Execute the female bandit leader, this is a good look! ”

Hearing that the Qianguo people regarded the killing of Han Chunmei as a major event in their lives, Shimazu Yoko couldn't help frowning.

The tea guests were still talking about it, and it was enough to cause a sensation in the whole city just because of a female prisoner, not to mention that it was also known as "Chunmei". So when everyone talks about it, it seems that their mouths are fragrant and sweet. Everyone first drew up the charges, since it was a rebellion and rebellion, according to the laws and regulations of the great cadres, they should be punished alive. According to the secular method of live chopping: the female prisoner should be stripped naked, naked, cut her hands back, and sit on the back of a donkey; Then with broken gongs and drums, they were escorted to the lotus pond outside the east gate and tied to a single wooden stake on a high platform; First cut off the two lumps of flesh on the chest, then cut off the scalp according to the forehead, cover the eyes, and then cut the flesh from the arms and legs one by one, to ninety-nine knives, and then beware of killing with one knife.

More than half of the people only wanted to see an adult or somewhat beautiful woman, naked and naked, walking in broad daylight, while a small half of the people wanted to see the gentle wailing of a woman when she was tortured, and the ninety-nine knives were bloody to the ground, as if they felt in their hearts the horror of the "Great Dry Law".

A group of Confucian scholars in Western costumes who seemed to have accepted Western civilization also began to express their opinions in such an air. Seeing them, I can't help but remind Shimazu Yoko of the old-fashioned feudal lords at the end of the Japanese Edo period.

An older Confucian scholar spoke of this first, and could not help but say angrily: "This is a barbaric act, and a civilized country cannot do it if a person is chopped to death like this." Let's just say that I am plotting rebellion and rebellion, at most I will cut off my braincase! ”

Another young Confucian said: "Such a criminal law is applied to a man, and it is okay to pay it back, but it is applied to a woman, it is really too disqualified to the country, no wonder those foreigners often scold us for being barbaric, it is really barbaric!" ”

A Confucian scholar who seemed to have a more peaceful temperament said slowly: "Chop, maybe you want to chop, but you can't see it." Why? Do you know that it is said that many of the wealthy clans here have fornications with pirates, and they are afraid of leakage, so they will not use the money to buy off the prisoner and the executioner, or poison her before tearing her clothes and tying them, or when they are about to cut them, they will be heart-warming first? In this way, although the great law of the state is enforced, the tortured person will suffer very little......"

The man who said this was about thirty years old, the oldest of them.

While several people were talking, a man dressed like a subordinate ran in and sweated profusely and said, "Aren't you gentlemen going to see the slashers?" …… It's hilarious! …… Crowds of people in Haiti! ”

Hearing his words, several Confucian scholars jumped up in unison like springs.

The elder said: "Barbarism! Barbarous! How to endure it! ”

The young man said: "But you must look at it." One looks at this once-in-a-lifetime barbaric criminal law. In the future, it may be the material for our writings and speeches. The second is also to practice courage. We're going to have to go bloodied too. ”

Someone stroked his palm and smiled: "I agree with Brother Lei's words." ”

"Of course! As you know, the punishment of 'Ling Chi' is roughly divided into three classes: the first class is to be cut with 3,357 swords, the second class is to be cut with 2,896 swords, and the third class is to be cut with 1,585 swords. No matter how many knives are cut, the last knife should be the time when the criminal is killed. So. Where the knife is stabbed and the interval between each knife must be precisely designed according to the gender and constitution of the prisoner. If the prisoner has been killed without enough knives, or if the prisoner has not died after cutting enough knives, it is considered the executioner's mistake. The minimum measure of the perfect Ling Chi sentence is that the size of the cut meat must be equal, and even if it is weighed on the pole, there should not be too much error. This requires that the executioner must be calm and calm when executing, not only to be careful as a hair, but also to be decisive; It is like a big girl embroidering flowers, and it is like a butcher killing a donkey. Any indecision, any impetuousness. will distort the movements of the hands. It's not easy to do that. Because of the muscles of the human body. The tightness of each part and the direction of the texture are not different, and the purpose of the knife and the size of the force are all based on a subconscious grasp. The executioner of genius cuts with his heart and eyes, not with his knife and hands. Therefore, throughout the ages, tens of millions of cases of Ling Chi's punishment have been executed, and there are almost no that can truly be called perfect masterpieces. The general idea is to cut people to death. So later, the number of Ling Chi's knives decreased. Extended to this dynasty, 500 knives is the highest number of knives. But those who can complete these 500 knives are also rare. The executioner in the lobby of the criminal department, out of deference to this ancient and sacred profession, is still meticulously acting in accordance with the ancient methods, and when he arrives at the province, government, prefecture, and county, there are many people who are engaged in this profession, and most of them are gangsters. A seemingly erudite Confucian scholar gushed.

"yes, yes! It is said that an authentic executioner Ling Chi master, in order to practice a hand Ling Chi unique skills, the executioner of the prison department and the big butcher shop generally established a close relationship, and when the off-season of execution, the master took them to the butcher shop to volunteer to help. They will not know how many fat pigs, sliced into bun filling, and finally practiced the same accurate hand and eye kung fu as the scale, saying that cutting a catty, a knife down, will never be fifteen taels ......" one person said,

When the other person heard this, he laughed obscenously and said, "I just want to see Han Chunmei's body, but I don't want to see her blood." ”

Several people discussed for a while, decided to go and see, then beckoned Xiao Er to calculate the tea money, and each got up and went down the teahouse, Shimazu Yoko was curious, and followed them downstairs, and followed the crowd to the execution ground to watch.

When they arrived at the execution ground, there was a huge crowd of people, and Yoko Shimazu was unwilling to squeeze in the crowd, so she entered a house, gave a few copper coins, and went to the small attic on the second floor of the small wooden building of this house to watch.

The sound of a mountain trumpet blew from the yamen. The spectators outside the stadium also shouted in unison: "Tie it out!" ”

Hearing the shouts of the people, Yoko Shimazu stood on tiptoe, held on to the railing, her eyes wide open, her arms poked out harder, and her heart jumped suddenly, and the sweat on her forehead dripped down like pearls.

The horn of the mountain was blown all the way out, and when it blew on both sides of the stone lions, it stopped.

Then a group of Qianguo soldiers wearing cloth clothes, cotton armor, swords, and guns and several executioners in short clothes and big hats hugged a woman out.

Just as the people said just now, the woman really had a beautiful face, and she couldn't tell that she was a pirate who came and went in the wind and waves. She was bare-chested, revealing half of her pink upper body, she was very white, her chest was high, and she swayed from time to time with her steps. She cut her hands behind her back, and the ropes on her arms kept in her flesh. The hair was pulled together on the top of his head, and he pulled it into a big bun.

As soon as the woman appeared, the audience outside the gate shouted in unison.

Yoko Shimazu thought she was going to push a donkey, although there was no donkey in the execution ground, but she saw the soldiers and the officials in a big circle.

Yoko Shimazu caught a glimpse of Han Chunmei kicking the executioner and kneeling.

And all the people who watched cried out, "Ah! It turned out to be killed here! …… It's better to cut off the skull! …… Not bad! Master Liu is there! …… You see! …… Knife! What a fast knife! ……”

Somehow, at this moment, Yoko Shimazu didn't dare to look at it, she instinctively closed her eyes tightly. I only hated my ears and clearly heard the audience shouting, and the crowd suddenly erupted into an earth-shattering uproar, probably the head of the woman who looked good from a distance had fallen to the ground with the blade of Liu Xiaoye.

Yoko Shimazu opened her eyes, but saw that the crowd had already gathered, and she couldn't see the decapitated Han Chunmei.

Yoko Shimazu left the small wooden building and returned to her hotel, letting out a long breath.

She took out the Western pocket watch in her pocket and looked at it, it was still early to leave the ship, and she didn't want to go out again, so she lay down with her clothes, and fell asleep after a while. (To be continued......)

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