Chapter 398: Chapter 392: Those Who Commit Crimes, Behead!_1
When Xiang Yu dragged the three Huang Clan elders back to the Huang Family estate, the battle was already over. Amidst the ruins, more than 300,000 members of the Huang Clan knelt, weeping in despair.
Huang Changchen knelt on the ground, continuously begging, "General, I admit my guilt! Please don’t kill me! I will never dare to do it again!"
Xiang Yu flung the three elders of the Huang Clan into the crowd and said indifferently, "If only you knew then what today would bring, why did you act as you did? The laws of the Qin Dynasty will not wrong any good person, nor will they spare any wicked one!"
He felt no sympathy for the Huang Clan’s punishment. As a privileged stratum, they had done nothing beneficial for the country or its people; instead, they had undermined the state and committed all sorts of unconscionable deeds. Among the million members of the Huang Clan, not a single one had joined the army, let alone fulfilled their duty to protect their homes and country!
Perhaps realizing he couldn’t escape death and hoping to preserve their lineage, Huang Changchen began to show concern for his clan members. "General, please spare the women and children! They are innocent!" he pleaded.
Xiang Yu didn’t respond. He formed a hand seal, gathered a faint aura of Fortune, and high in the sky, a sparkling mirror materialized.
The Fortune Cast Mirror!
It used Fortune as a medium to present the desired scenes before the eyes of the nation’s people.
What is that?
Within the Imperial Capital, the people looked up at the floating ’mirror,’ filled with curiosity. In over a hundred domains, all the common folk of the Qin Dynasty could see this ’mirror,’ sparking widespread speculation.
Suddenly, the mirror shimmered. It showed the scene of the Huang Family, with Xiang Yu suspended high in the sky, facing the ’Fortune Cast Mirror’ and holding an imperial edict.
It’s General Xiang Yu! I’ve seen him suppress the foreign tribes. Could he be on the front lines now?
That doesn’t look like the front lines. There are large crowds kneeling behind General Xiang Yu, and the ruined architecture of a clan. Could it be at some clan’s territory?
Maybe they broke the law! I haven’t heard of any major wars recently!
The people put aside their work, chattering with the thrill of watching a spectacle. Surprisingly, their guesses were quite accurate.
In contrast to the leisurely common folk, the members of the various clans were extremely grave; they knew clearly that Xiang Yu was at the Huang Family’s estate.
The Huang Clan... has been exterminated!
Although they were somewhat mentally prepared, it was still quite a shock.
"After investigation, the Huang Family in the Midstream Domain has committed thirty-six crimes. According to procedure, I will now announce their crimes. May the people of the Qin Dynasty take this as a warning!"
"First: The Huang Clan violated the imperial edict, defied its authority, and slandered the imperial court—a capital offense!"
"Second: The Huang Clan cultivated a private army of up to a million strong, a severe violation of the laws of the Qin Dynasty—a capital offense!"
"Third: To nurture their private army, the Huang Clan abducted gifted infants, murdering their parents and relatives. Since the Huang Clan submitted to the Qin Dynasty, they have murdered over 400,000 commoners—a capital offense!"
"Fourth: The Huang Clan hoarded restricted armaments, military-grade weaponry, magical crystal cannons, and other forbidden weapons—a capital offense!"
"Fifth..."
"..."
"Thirty-fifth: The Huang Clan concealed land and property, evading taxes on a massive scale—a capital offense!"
"Thirty-sixth: The Huang Clan manipulated local governance, undermined the local authorities, repeatedly clashed with officials, and effectively established their own local kingdom—a capital offense!"
"The Huang Clan’s crimes are exceptionally vile and have inflicted major losses upon the nation. After deliberation by the Imperial Court, they are sentenced to the extermination of nine relations!"
Xiang Yu read aloud, his resonant and forceful voice echoing in the ears of all the people within the Qin Dynasty through the ’Fortune Cast Mirror’.
Heavens, this Huang Clan is truly wicked beyond measure!
They’re a clan rotten to the core! Serves them right to be executed; they deserve the extermination of nine relations!
Upon hearing this, the populace was filled with righteous indignation. They didn’t find the court’s punishment too severe at all. Some even felt it was too lenient, believing the Huang Clan Leader should have been subjected to death by a thousand cuts. When it came to matters of great right and wrong, the common people could still distinguish clearly who deserved their support.
"Execution Platform of God, emerge!" Xiang Yu shouted loudly, tearing open the sky above.
From the black Void, a blood dragon flew out, exuding a potent aura of malevolent energy. It dragged a guillotine shrouded in an aura of blood. The blood dragon roared, transforming into a coiling dragon pillar from which hung countless chains.
"Today, I shall act as the Chief Executioner!" Xiang Yu declared.
He floated in the air, controlling the Execution Platform of God with his Fortune. Thousands of chains shot through the air, binding the kneeling members of the Huang Clan and dragging them beneath the guillotine’s blade.
"Execute!"
The blood-red guillotine fell, and thousands of Huang Clan members were cut in half at the waist. Blood and viscera rained down from the sky, accompanied by horrific screams. The condemned, cut at the waist, did not die immediately but endured several minutes of excruciating agony.
After the first batch was executed, thousands of chains once again shot through the air, binding several thousand more Huang Clan members.
"Execute!" Xiang Yu, expressionless, commanded coldly.
Again, thousands more died, the thick blood mist staining the sky red.
"No!"
"I don’t want to die!" Huang Changchen roared in anguish and terror, tears of blood streaming down his face. Beyond grief, his face was a mask of pure fear. A yellow liquid stained the lower part of his robes. Many other notorious members of the Huang Clan, unable to bear the gruesome sight, fainted outright.
Batch after batch of people were sent to the Execution Platform of God.
The Huang Clan finally paid the ultimate price for their sins.
Gradually, the common people watching the execution through the ’Fortune Cast Mirror’ fell silent, each inwardly vowing never to transgress the laws.
This execution lasted for over four hours.
The Huang Clan was completely wiped out.
"All who commit treachery and violate the statutes shall be punished by the laws of Qin!" Xiang Yu roared, standing amidst a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. A blood-reeking wind whipped around him, his black hair flying, his cape billowing. He looked like a god of retribution, a dispenser of punishment.
At this point, the scene on the ’Fortune Cast Mirror’ ended.
Emperor Qin, are you warning us?
In the Thousand Birds Domain, Xiong Xuekun, Clan Leader of the Xiong Clan, stood atop a mountain, his expression grim. Xiang Yu’s high-profile execution of the Huang Clan was not only because they deserved their fate; it was also highly likely intended as a warning to the other clans.
"There can never be harmony between imperial power and the clans, unless you, Emperor Qin, can eliminate the clan stratum!" Xiong Xuekun muttered, then couldn’t help but laugh.
Destroy the clan stratum? Is that even possible?
As a Clan Leader, he knew well the tenacity of the clans. Exterminate one batch, and another would arise—an almost endless cycle. Moreover, the imperial family was the largest clan in the Qin Dynasty. To destroy the clan stratum, the Emperor Qin would have to start with the imperial clan itself; otherwise, he would never win public approval.
I must also consider the future of the Xiong Clan. The Qin Dynasty’s court is powerful; it’s better to exercise some restraint!
Xiong Xuekun’s expression turned grave. He wasn’t foolish enough to make an enemy of the Imperial Court; the Huang Clan’s fate was a stark lesson. However, thinking about the Xiong Clan’s recent activities, a sense of unease gnawed at him. In the past two years, the Xiong Clan had actively interfered with court affairs, using underhanded means to maneuver many clan members into official positions. If the court were to investigate...
After a moment of thought, Xiong Xuekun gritted his teeth and commanded, "Send out the order: the Xiong Clan is to retain only one official post in the court. All others must resign immediately!"
Sacrifices must be made for future gains.
Meanwhile, several other clans also issued orders similar to Xiong Xuekun’s, continuously erasing evidence of their crimes.