The sacrifice of prisoners is not so much a ritual as a form of abuse. Through this kind of etiquette, what is revealed is not the merits of one country and one dynasty, but the atrocities of one emperor and one king!

This is Shen Huashan's direct conclusion on the sacrifice of prisoners.

Shen Huashan once participated in a prisoner sacrifice ceremony, which was in the early years of Changtai. At that time, he had just been a jinshi for a long time, and he was still serving in the Jixian Palace, so he saw what a prisoner gift was.

The reason for the holding of that captive ceremony is not much different from Bian Zhihe's statement today, all of which are to show the merits of Dayong, to pay tribute to the temple heaven and earth, and also to intimidate and deter foreigners. The main procedure of the ritual is to kill the captured captives after the trial.

Shen Huashan can't forget that serious and terrifying process. Those captives were brought in by the officials of Dali Temple, their hands and feet were shackled, their upper bodies were **, and their bodies were only covered with white cloths, and the white cloth with round holes passed through their heads, covering their chests and backs, but they could not stop their blood.

The thousands of pieces of white cloth sprayed blood at the same time, and thousands of headless corpses were abandoned in front of the Hanyuan Palace, and the courtiers and the people were silent. This scene, Shen Huashan thought that it would never appear again, but he didn't want to, now that he can hear the word prisoner gift again, will that scene appear again?

If it is on the battlefield, if it is a battle between two armies, it is not a matter to kill 2,000 people, because it is for the country and the family, and it is the blood of the soldiers and the world is close to the world. But these captives have surrendered and have been sincere, so they can be dealt with in accordance with the military law set by Taizu, why bother to torture and kill in the name of etiquette?

What made Shen Huashan feel cold was not the killing of the prisoner itself, but the emperor's intention hidden in it. Just like Emperor Changtai killed Lu Wuhou with his staff, what he hid was the heart of a single husband; If Emperor Jingxing really killed these nearly 2,000 captives with a gift of prisoners, what would be the emperor's intentions? If you can kill these two thousand, what is there not to kill?

The tyrannical heart takes human life as a mustard!

Your Majesty, will this be the case? Thinking of this, Shen Huashan glanced up at Emperor Jingxing, and saw that he was listening carefully to the court discussion, and he couldn't see any intentions.

At this time, Bian Zhihe spoke: "Lord Shen thinks this is a small achievement. However, the official thinks that the destruction of the Nanyue clan is a great achievement of the country, especially when the emperor is newly enthroned, the significance is even more extraordinary. Otherwise, the officers and soldiers of Lingnan would not have to travel thousands of miles to escort prisoners to Beijing. The minister thought that it was the right time to hold a prisoner ceremony, and asked the emperor to allow him to play! To raise the power of my great eternity! ”

After that, Bian Zhihe knelt directly on the Xuanzheng Hall and asked Emperor Jingxing to hold a prisoner ceremony. After Bian Zhihe knelt down, Zong Zhengqing Shangguan Tang and Hongluqing Mu Xiuji came out and seconded Bian Zhihe's proposal;

Subsequently, more officials who had a good relationship with Shangguan Tang and Mu Xiuji came out one after another, thinking that there were nearly 2,000 captives, which was God's blessing and the right time to offer the prisoners.

These officials don't think that there is anything wrong with killing these captives, presumably when these people were in Lingnan, they also killed many soldiers of Dayong, these captives are the enemies of Dayong, what can't they kill? Killing prisoners is ominous, that's just a saying in the pile of old papers!

Shen Huashan stood in the Xuanzheng Palace, listening to the speeches of these courtiers, only feeling cold all over his body, but he didn't know that at this time, the scorching heat of Jingzhao June was coming.

Emperor Jingxing, who was sitting on the Xuanzheng Palace, listened to the argument between Shen Huashan and Bian Zhihe, and couldn't make up his mind for a while. It was the first time he had heard of the prisoner offering. Although I don't know the specific process of the prisoner sacrifice, listening to Bian Zhihe's speech, it seems to make sense.

These captives were only held in Dali Prison, and he had not yet thought about what to do with them. Now it seems that it can not only solve the problem of these captives, but also show their own merits, killing two birds with one stone, Bian Zhihe's proposal is really good!

Moreover, the captured South Vietnamese leader is a descendant of the Lingnan Zhao thief, and he should be dealt with more severely! (Here in the Jingzhao Dynasty, whether it is a monarch or a minister, they will never call Zhao Jia a descendant of the Zhao royal family, and what they can have is only Lingnan Zhao thief.) ）

However, Shen Huashan, the minister of Gu Ming, fiercely opposed Bian Zhihe's proposal, and heard Shen Huashan say that it was a small achievement to break South Vietnam, and Emperor Jingxing was a little displeased. At this time, he remembered that it was Shen Zegao, the third son of Shen Huashan, who made the contribution to South Vietnam.

How could Shen Huashan belittle his son's merits? Is it to oppose this sacrifice of prisoners? What was the point of the prisoner offering they were arguing about?

"The Ministry of Rites is still in the book, let's talk about it, this is a prisoner gift." After thinking about it, Emperor Jingxing said. It's just a etiquette, why do these two ministers fight like this?

After listening to Emperor Jingxing's words, Wei Jindu sighed in his heart, but he also respectfully stepped out and explained in detail the ceremony, process, and significance of the prisoner sacrifice. The reason why he sighed was because he foresaw Emperor Jingxing's tendencies.

When Emperor Jingxing inquired at the exit, he knew that this prisoner sacrifice would definitely be held. Only when the emperor is interested in a thing, will he ask about it.

Wei Jindu's thoughts, although they were not as deep and far-reaching as Shen Huashan thought, he also thought that killing prisoners was ominous. Especially now that Dayong Chengping has been peaceful for a long time, Xiyan and the Turks have not been at war for a long time, and there is no need to kill these two thousand prisoners.

No matter what Wei Jindu was thinking in his heart, after Emperor Jingxing heard what a prisoner gift was, he had previously thought that Bian Zhihe's proposal was very good, but he became more firm. At this moment, he was sitting in front of the Xuanzheng Palace, and suddenly remembered the scene when Xia Qi, the waiter, was killed by a rod, and the scenes of blood dripping down seemed to echo in his heart.

If the blood of 2,000 people was splashed at the same time, what would it be like? Just imagining it, Emperor Jingxing felt slightly excited, and his throat tightened.

"For the sake of Hongdae Yongwuwei and comfort Emperor Taizu, I think that it is feasible to offer a prisoner gift! The Ministry of Rites is still in the book and drafts the charter, and sends it to the province of ......" The voice of Emperor Jingxing sounded in the silent Xuanzheng Palace, and the voice echoed.

Shen Huashan felt that he had fallen directly into the ice cave, he looked up at Emperor Jingxing again, and after seeing the smile on the corner of Emperor Jingxing's mouth, he mourned in his heart! Endless desolation, endless remorse instantly surged into his heart.

This is the emperor of Dayong, this is the emperor who he and the Shen family have single-handedly supported! How could the arrogant and self-contained young prince have such a brutal and violent tendency?

Was he wrong? Is the Shen family wrong? Or, is the emperor himself wrong?

“…… For example, the emperor's mistake, each of us has the responsibility to supervise, to admonish, and even to question and oppose! As long as it is for the sake of the country's peace and security, even if you have experienced a hundred calamities, you are not afraid! The merits and demerits of the merit and demerits have their own posterity comments. The so-called righteous heart is also the way of righteousness! ”

The heart of righteousness, that is, the way of Kuang Zheng, Yu Jinzhi's words in the Guozijian back then, appeared in Shen Huashan's heart at this moment, and he remembered every word clearly!

There was Yu Jinzhi back then, and Shen Ke, who else is there now? Can the emperor's mistake be corrected?

Shen Huashan knelt heavily on the Xuanzheng Hall and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty! During the reign of Taizu, he fought countless battles and made countless achievements in his life, but he never offered a prisoner gift! Therefore, there are poems among the people: whether it is cutting or wanton, it is absolutely ignorant, and the Quartet is incomprehensible! How is the emperor compared to Taizu? How can this gift of captivity be performed? ”

"Nowadays, the Western Yan is strong, and the Turks are invading. Officials and soldiers in Xining Province and northern Xinjiang were cautious and worried about the situation. The emperor should look at the world, how can a mere 30,000 South Vietnamese be a gift for prisoners? ”

"Killing is ominous, and it hurts the heavens and the peace. The emperor has newly ascended to the throne, it is only three months, when the people of the Sishe Ji Li Min, how can they show their achievements? Killing 2,000 prisoners is a trivial matter, but it is absolutely impossible to kill and abuse atrocities! The minister thought that the sacrifice of prisoners was nine evils and none of the good. I beg the emperor to retract his will and not to offer this prisoner gift! ”

Shen Huashan's words were also echoing in the Xuanzheng Hall one after another, rumbling. With these words, he fell to his knees, hiding the wetness and remorse in his eyes. Wrong, he was really wrong, and the Shen family was wrong!

And the courtiers in the Xuanzheng Palace, listening to Shen Huashan's words, their faces were extremely shocked, and some officials even forgot to close their mouths open! They heard you right, right? Shen Huashan, the emperor's first minister, what is he talking about?

These words are a serious duty and an accusation. Comparing the emperor with Taizu, he thinks that the emperor has no merit and no achievements; thinks that the emperor is short-sighted and does not think about society; accusing the emperor of wanting to perform this prisoner sacrifice is atrocity and cruelty......

This...... Is this the right word for a courtier? If you are a subordinate, you should be loyal to the monarch and fall in love, and you can follow the emperor's wishes, and you can do it, how can you blame the emperor in it? This is a question of the imperial power! How dare he, how could he?

Bian Zhihe listened to Shen Huashan's words and smiled slightly. My father's guess was not wrong, as long as he proposed a prisoner gift, Shen Huashan would definitely come out to oppose it, and he would definitely stand on the opposite side of the emperor...... Those who stand on the opposite side of the emperor will definitely be disgusted and resented by the emperor, Shen Huashan and the Shen family, this is self-defeating!

What my father said, seeking the heirloom of a family, it turns out that this is what it meant! Sure enough, it didn't take a single soldier to pull Shen Huashan down.

And Jiang Chenghai, Zhang Shu, Gu Wenlan and other officials, after being shocked and discolored, the rest are full of fear! How could he say such a thing?

His words are inconsistent with his usual way of dealing with people. Even if he thinks so in his heart, he can't say it in public, this will not do anything at all except arouse the emperor's anger and disgust! Hasn't he always known how kings and ministers get along? How so?

Sure enough, Emperor Jingxing's face was extremely ugly, and he only said one sentence: "Shen Huashan, do you know what you're talking about?" ”

Calling him by his name, he didn't even bother to add his official position, which shows the anger and disgust in the emperor's heart.

Emperor Jingxing's voice was mediocre, but it seemed to be sandwiched with bloody rain.

"The emperor is angry! The emperor is angry! Lord Shen is ...... was stunned" Jiang Chenghai and Gu Wenlan immediately knelt down, kept kowtowing, and pleaded guilty for Shen Huashan.

They couldn't understand why Shen Huashan would lose all his weight today, and why he would do such a stupid thing, but the emperor was angry, and it would be a matter of falling on the head at any time, so it was to ask for blame and blame!

"Shen Huashan, are you guilty?" Emperor Jingxing ignored Jiang Chenghai and Gu Wenlan's words, and just asked Shen Huashan, the anger in his tone was still irrepressible.

"Minister...... Conviction of sin. Shen Huashan still knelt down on the hall and replied.

From the trivial matter of the bow field to the present, for this prisoner gift, Shen Huashan finally stood directly opposite Emperor Jingxing.

He didn't know what the consequences would be if he said this, but he said it anyway. didn't know what was waiting for him and the Shen family, he only thought of one sentence in a daze: Those who die in their own way will be right.

There's nothing wrong with that, right?