novelAbuy Chapter 223 Bronze Casting is Still Delightful
Chapter 223 Bronze Casting is Still Delightful
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With the Han Dynasty now holding the advantage of righteousness and momentum, why would it need to conquer cities one by one?
Liu Mu merely sent messengers to various prefectures and counties to announce the defeat of Wu Sangui's 300,000-strong army and his capture. He also stated that all civil and military officials of Wu's army could be retained after assessment.
As expected, a soft approach was more effective. In just ten days, the entire Nanyang and surrounding counties surrendered.
Only a small number of officials resigned; most were still willing to follow the Han Dynasty, and some even brought a little food to reward the troops.
On the twentieth day, the entire Hubei province surrendered. Almost all of Wu Sangui's civil officials wholeheartedly welcomed the Han people, and the common people adorned themselves with red ribbons and colorful decorations.
A month later, Xia Guoxiang and Wu Shifan were both arrested in Hengzhou City. The person who arrested them was none other than Qian, the commander of Wu Sangui's imperial guards.
Liu Mu was not surprised. Historically, it was this guy who surrendered when the city was opened. Now, Wu Sangui did not die by accident, but was captured alive at the first meeting. He would only surrender even faster!
At the same time, news came that Ma Bao, Hu Guozhu, and Xia Guoxiang had gathered more than 10,000 troops and had retreated to Kunming, Yunnan, to prepare for a last-ditch resistance.
Liu Mu kept his word. He led the army to the front lines and executed Wu Shifan by slow slicing. Then he ordered the army to continue south.
This southward expedition involved a total of 120,000 troops, of which 100,000 were Wu soldiers. They came from five provinces: Guangxi, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan. After promising to divide the garrisons and distribute land, the morale of the troops was restored!
As for the 20,000 troops of the Beijing Garrison, they controlled the most important artillery, providing fire support for the various armies.
This time, Zhou Peigong was the commander-in-chief, and the various deputy generals were the vice generals. They gradually recovered the southwest.
Liu Mu himself, along with the newly replenished 100,000-strong Jingying garrison, returned to Beijing in a grand procession.
In those days, the southwest was not a good place. A single mountain could often hold off a large army for one or two months. It would take one or two years to conquer the entire area, and Liu Mu did not want to suffer!
……
While Liu Mu was returning to Beijing, Zhao Liangdong swept through the entire Jiangxi province in just two months.
When Zhao Liangdong arrived in Guangzhou, all the city gates were already wide open. The Guangdong gentry who had been ravaged by the attack looked at the Han soldiers dressed in khaki uniforms and carrying red flags with black dragons, and they were all on the verge of tears.
When Shang Kexi entered Guangdong, he slaughtered hundreds of thousands of people. Every person in Guangdong hated the Shang family to the bone.
Zhao Liangdong, a northerner, and having a past relationship with Shang Kexi, didn't want to get involved in these matters. After entering the city, he first stormed the Pingnan Prince's Mansion in the city center.
In this timeline, Shang Kexi, perhaps because the Qing Dynasty was over, felt less guilty, which made him feel less bad. Instead, he was completely unaffected and continued to spend time with his concubine in the courtyard.
When he saw Zhao Liangdong leading his troops in, he was completely devoid of desire, gently put down his teacup and stood up.
"General Zhao, it's been a long time!"
"That wretched Shang Zhixin led his men out to sea three days ago; I'm afraid we won't be able to catch up now!"
Shang Kexi had a decent reputation and could get along with all the generals. He was also a close friend of Zhao Liangdong, despite their age difference. Logically, Zhao Liangdong should have been all smiles, but he was quite indifferent at the moment.
"Shang Zhixin can't escape!"
"And you, His Majesty the Emperor has decreed that if Shang Kexi is captured, he shall be cast in bronze at the Great South Gate, and his lineage shall be exterminated!"
Shang Kexi was neither sad nor happy upon hearing this, because he had been under house arrest by Shang Zhixin for more than three years and had no thoughts left. He simply looked at his ten thousand concubines and then bowed to Zhao Liangdong.
"General Zhao, the blood of Han people is stained on my hands all my life, and I can never wash it clean. On the day Guangzhou fell... I can still hear the crying to this day."
"His death is not a great loss, but this woman is my last concern. I hope General Zhao will remember our past relationship and allow her to return to her hometown in Yongzhou Prefecture!"
Zhao Liangdong didn't reply, but just nodded, which meant he agreed. Shang Kexi laughed three times and then leaned back on the recliner.
"Your Highness!"
Upon seeing this, the concubine immediately cried out and rushed forward to help him up. When she discovered that he had already died, she burst into tears.
Zhao Liangdong shook his head and immediately gave the order.
"Take him to the South Gate and cast him in bronze in a kneeling position!"
……
The gentry at the South Gate had not yet dispersed. When they saw Shang Kexi bound hand and foot and kneeling in front of the dismounting post, everyone cheered loudly.
Over the years, the older generation of Guangzhou residents who barely survived have resorted to throwing mud at anything they can find.
The soldiers paid no heed to any of this. While heating the molten copper, they stripped Shang Kexi of his clothes, bound him tightly with iron chains, and slowly lowered him into the stone urn, leaving only his chest, abdomen, head, and neck exposed.
Then, refractory clay was mixed with hemp fibers and sealed around his body layer by layer, leaving only one pouring opening at the top of his head. Before long, a mold of a living human body appeared.
Under the scorching sun, once the molten copper was boiling, two strongmen immediately stepped forward to push the furnace, and the red-hot molten copper slowly poured into the opening above their heads along the guide channel.
The moment the molten copper touched his shoulder, his skin and flesh instantly charred and turned black, billowing up blue smoke and releasing the smell of roasted meat.
Fortunately, Shang Kexi was already dead, otherwise this pain would have been even more unbearable than being slowly sliced to death.
As molten copper was continuously poured in, it overflowed down the body, enveloping the legs, waist, abdomen, and chest one by one.
The high temperature instantly evaporated the moisture in the body, and the bones shattered inch by inch under the heavy pressure and high heat, but were firmly trapped by the stone urn and mud seal, preventing them from escaping.
In less than the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, the molten copper had filled all the gaps in the urn, sealing Shang Kexi inside and solidifying him into one with the stone urn.
As the wind blew in the west, the bronze shell gradually solidified. After the template was removed, the uneven kneeling bronze figure was revealed. It looked very rough and needed to be carefully polished, but it was still a success!
Zhao Liangdong stood atop the city wall, took out an imperial edict issued by Liu Mu, and began to read it aloud:
"Shang Kexi massacred Guangzhou and betrayed his clan. His crimes are unforgivable. Now his body is cast into bronze and will be forever guarded in the south of the city, to be cursed by passersby for generations, in order to comfort the hundreds of thousands of wronged souls who died in the Gengyin calamity."
Whether they were gentry or ordinary people, everyone below the city cheered loudly upon hearing this.
"Okay, okay, okay!"
"Excellent! Long live the Emperor!"
"That scoundrel deserves it!"
Just then, Xu Chuang and Yin Huasheng, leading three hundred cavalrymen, came galloping towards them!
When they arrived at the city walls, Yin Huasheng pushed with all his might, and a middle-aged man dressed in a black robe and wearing a white jade crown fell off his horse.
The location is right in front of Shang Kexi Bronze Casting!
"Shang Zhixin, this is Shang Zhixin!"
"This guy got caught too! Heaven has eyes!"
"Cast him in bronze, cast him in bronze!"
Shang Zhixin lay on the ground, looking up at the bronze statue of Shang Kexi. The more he looked at it, the more it resembled his father. Coupled with the shouts from the nearby people, he was instantly terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.
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