Chapter 422: The Sea Breeze That Brought A Stench Of Blood
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
A slightly salty, slightly wet, and slightly cold wind blew in from the sea chilling Fan Xian's cheeks. He coldly stared at the densely packed soldiers beneath the stage, but the depths of his heart was gradually becoming calm.
In handling the navy matter, the most important and dangerous time was actually last night. Having reached the morning, the most dangerous time had already passed so he was not overly worried.
The generals and provincial officials who did not have inside information all thought that the imperial envoy was praising first before starting his disparaging comments. To clarify Chang Kun's loss of reason to the naval officers under the bright light of day made them think that he would immediately carry out the cruelest and most inhumane attack. When they actually heard Fan Xian's words, they were incomparably shocked that he did not start flogging the corpse.
Fan Xian voice spread extremely far across the expansive training ground. He only warmly and sorrowfully recalled the meritorious deeds that Admiral Chang Kun had performed for Qing Kingdom. He only commended the dead person. His expression was sorrowful and gaze sincere. He did not bring up the matter of the little island on the East Sea at all or the matter of the navy colluding with Dongyi.
Wu Gefei and the third-ranking general from the old Qin family met each other's gazes and then slowly turned their heads away. Last night, Fan Xian had informed these important figures the intentions of the Palace, so they were not surprised.
Chang Kun was a first-level admiral. There was no strong evidence of who exactly the hand behind him belonged to, although they knew that the Eldest Princess' Junshang Conference played an important role. Under the circumstances, the court did not wish to expose their shortcomings. They were not willing to openly and publicly strike Chang Kun to the ground.
A first-level official and important military figure was colluding with pirates and communicating with the enemy. Once this truth spread, where was the Qing court to hang their face? Where would the Emperor hang his face?
They wanted Chang Kun to never be able to meddle in the Jiaozhou Navy again. As for evaluations of his virtue after his death, the Qing Emperor and Fan Xian did not really care about it. The most important task was to complete this matter at the lowest price possible.
Of course, the Emperor probably could not swallow this anger. However, after a bit of time, when the situation in Jingdou was mostly settled, the Emperor would sweep clean those family clans that dared to meddle behind his back. Chang Kun would also be dug out of his grave, have his bones ground into dust, and completely lose his standing and reputation.
After finishing his string of praises, Fan Xian's face was as cold as a rock in the sea. His expression was very ugly.
"Last night, I arrived in Jiaozhou and wished to have a secret meeting with the admiral to investigate the matter of a portion of the navy colluding with sea bandits…however, without seeing him at all, he had already passed. Who dared to be as crazy as to kill inside the admiral's manor? Who dared to get in before the court investigate the case and to use such savage methods to carry out their rebellion? Who dared, after the incident happened, to try and kill all the officials and generals in the admiral's manor in order to silence them? Who was it last night that dared to secretly mobilize the navy, to incite the navy's heart to try and incite a rebellion to take over Jiaozhou, to swallow all this darkness in blood?"
"Who…"
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The previous night, there had been abnormal movements in the naval camp and the rumors had been spreading. However, it was not until the imperial envoy spoke of it in detail on the stage that the naval officers knew the admiral had not been forced to death by the court, rather he had been assassinated. And, there were generals in the navy that dared to collude with pirates and secretly oppose the court.
Naturally, not everyone believed it. At least, Chang Kun and Dang Xiaobo's trusted aides would not believe, so the soldiers on the field gradually began to clamor. Someone began to shout, "Where is General Dang? Where is General Dang?"
Someone else shouted, "Where did the pirates come from?"
The crowd became angry. The soldiers were stirred up. The crowd gradually surged toward the front of the high stage.
Fan Xian's expression was calm, and he smiled slightly.
Xu Maocai gave a meaningful glance toward his trusted aides below the stage. The minds of those officers among the soldiers spun. They began to yell in loud voices, "Revenge for the Admiral! Kill that bastard!"
As for who exactly the bastard was, the tens of thousands of soldiers did not know, but this yell happened to align with the naval soldiers' anger and suppressed atmosphere. Thus, the calls gradually melded into one, their voices shook the horizons and, whether intentionally or not, they suppressed the incitement of those generals who were not yet resigned and had evil intentions in their hearts.
Fan Xian raised his hands flatly and pressed down gently. With a serious expression, he said, "Heaven is blind, but heaven has a heart, Those crazy evildoers have already been caught last night. After the case is closed, there will naturally be a public sentencing to honor the Admiral's spirit in heaven."
"Who is it?" The navy soldiers all looked at each other. They were all trying to guess who in the navy was so faring. Looking at the stage that was missing a few generals, some clever people began to guess.
As expected, in the names that Fan Xian read out, they were all well-respected generals in the navy in the past. Dang Xiaobo's name was shockingly listed at the top.
The voice on the high stage very clearly told these people that it was indeed these generals in the navy that had played such a rat-sh*t role.
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As he spoke, five bloody generals were escorted forward from the right. These were the generals that had risen in revolt against Fan Xian in the admiral's manor last night. At this moment, these people's expressions were deathly white and spirits dejected. After being tortured, they couldn't even stand steadily. Instead, they fell to their knees directly in front of Fan Xian. No one knew what the Overwatch Council had done. Although these people's expressions were full of indignant hatred, none of them could open their mouths to cry out their injustice.
Below the stage, the tens of thousands of soldiers became silent at the same time. Using a complicated gaze, they looked at this scene on the stage and the usually lofty generals. They knelt in front of the soldiers' eyes with their heads hanging low, with disheveled hair and blood, looking incomparably wretched.
In the death-like silence, Fan Xian looked at this scene. His hands behind his body were preparing to clench into a signal.
As expected, a sharp voice suddenly cried out from among the silent soldiers, "The Admiral was killed by those people on the stage! Treasonous officials meddling in the military! General Dang is innocent!"
Dang Xiaobo had his own trusted aides. The group that had gone to the East Sea had their own thoughts. They all understood what this scene was targeting, so they were not willing to see this matter develop in the way the imperial envoy had arranged it. Following this shout, a few other voices also cried out full of anger and hated. They pointed the blame squarely at Fan Xian and the other generals on the stage.
These people were all directly under Chang Kun and Dang Xiaobo's command, middle- and low-level officers able to influence soldiers below their command. Thus, with this yell, the area below the stage immediately erupted into chaos. The naval officers who had already become a bit anxious from the rumors now did not know who to believe while a thousand soldiers began to push forward.
Fan Xian narrowed his eyes, staring at the people leading the shout. He then clenched the hand he held behind his back into a fist.
The face of the third-ranked general standing behind him dimmed and was forced by Fan Xian to make up his mind. He knew that once a rebellion happened, he, standing on the stage, could only be torn into pieces.
Thus, he came to stand beside Fan Xian. With his eyes glinting brightly, he roared, "You sons of b*tches, are you going to rebel? Will you not even believe our words and the words of the imperial envoy?"
Although he had not been with the navy for long, his status was there. With his roar, the situation below improved slightly, but danger was still lurking beneath. Dang Xiaobo's trusted aides were still hidden in the shadows, endlessly stirring up trouble and taunting in a loud voice.
Xu Maocai, also following Fan Xian's hand gesture, gave a second order with a meaningful gaze. Immediately, a different sound appeared among the soldiers below the stage.
"Kill Dang Xiaobo! Revenge for the Admiral!"
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…
It was only one and did not create a rolling thunder sound, but Fan Xian still smiled warmly and kindly listened to the will of the people, nodding to his side.
Hong Changqing, along with a few uncomfortable looking navy generals, walked to Fan Xian's side and pulled out the straight knives they wore at their sides. With one foot, they pushed against the backs of those generals that were Chang Kun's trusted aides. They pushed these criminal generals to the ground and then chopped down with their knives.
With four cracks, the sharp knives chopped into those sturdy necks, splitting skin and flesh, releasing the blood, and breaking the bone, forcing the heads away from the body. They rolled around on the high stage as a great pool of fresh blood sprayed out.
The bodies of the headless generals swayed for a moment on the stage then returned to silence and death.
Silence fell on both the stage and below it. The navy officers below the stage stared dumbstruck at this scene…thinking, They died just like this? The case had yet to be tried, yet the imperial envoy just killed these generals like this?
Fan Xian frowned and looked at the fresh blood not far away from his feet as well the deathly pale and heavily breathing Dang Xiaobo who was not far from him. Shortly after, he raised his head and smiled slightly. "I've fulfilled your desires, however, Dang Xiaobo is the leading criminal and will be escorted back to Jingdou…I'm afraid only a lingering death will be enough to satisfy the Admiral's spirit."
These words were a bit shameless, but the naval officers below the stage did not think so. They just looked at the young man on the stage wearing a luxurious official robe and felt an evil chill surge up from deep within their hearts.
In reality, the naval officers were not idiots. They would not believe that Deputy General Dang killed Admiral Chang. He had no reason to do so, and everyone knew of their close relationship. However, there were four people's heads on the stage. Everyone knew that the imperial envoy dared to kill people and was willing to kill people. Admiral Chang was dead and Dang Xiaobo was captured. Even if the court was doing a purge, what could they, insignificant soldiers who had not benefited much from these two figures, do?
Were they actually going to surge up and kill the imperial envoy on the high stage, and then take to the bush and become an enemy of the entire world?
Being bloodthirsty did not mean being animalistic and unable to use the brain to consider problems. Thus, the tens of thousands of soldiers below the stage were silent, including those officers who were trying to incite violent action. Lowering their bodies, they thought about how they could sneak out of the navy.
Killing people to establish dominance. Fan Xian looked down the stage with satisfaction. He knew that Xu Maocai's words had indeed been correct.
However, this matter had not yet come to an end. There were still trusted aides of Dang Xiaobo and Chang Kun's diehard followers on the stage. If he didn't bring these people out, how could the Jiaozhou Navy be said to be peaceful?
Fan Xian stood on the high stage and said, "Last night, someone in the navy received a secret order from Dang Xiaobo and tried to lead the navy in attacking the city. Naturally, such crazed and rebellious behavior cannot be let off easily."
The moment his words fell, the thundering of horse hooves came from outside the camp. Everyone turned their bodies and looked nervously in that direction.
A group of knights in completely black armor sped down from a small hill. With crossbows on their saddles and sharp knives at their hips, they controlled the reins with one hand and held hemp sacks in the other. They came into the naval camp with rarely seen horsemanship and control. They brought in a plume of dust and a sense of the netherworld.
The Black Knights!
This was the naval officers first time seeing one of the most powerful cavalries in Qing Kingdom who, legend said, were numb to killing and moved in secret-like spirits. The officers were all shocked. They did not understand why these people were here. If they were here to kill people, 100 riders seemed far too few.
The hundred Black Knights rode to a stop below the stage and bowed to Fan Xian from horseback. They then threw the hemp sacks in their hands on the ground. Closing ranks, they followed the two sides of the stage and formed two half circles, one on each side of the high stage.
At the same time, on a little hill behind and to the left of the naval camp, there silently appeared two lines of Black Knights just like two very hard black lines deeply carved into the ridge. Facing the naval officers below, they were posed as if preparing to charge.
The navy officers exploded into a clamor.
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The hemp sacks were filled with human heads, either with blood covering their faces, missing noses and ears, or had a giant gash on their foreheads. Hundreds of human heads rolled out and piled below the high stage. Such a bloody and terrifying sight had not been seen for a long time in the long peaceful Jiaozhou. The naval officers jumped back a few steps in fright and left a giant empty space, allowing these human heads to adorn this massacre field under broad daylight.
Fan Xian took one step forward on the stage. His luxurious clothing fluttered, and his expression was handsome. Standing proudly with the pile of human heads, he said, "These were the traitorous soldiers who tried to wash Jiaozhou with blood last night. There is no need to panic. The traitorous soldiers have already been caught, and I am not someone fond of revenge."
The naval officers did not dare speak out of fear.
"However…" Fan Xian slowly said, "I will definitely find who organized this in secret. Whoever dares to act against the court and rebel should be prepared to have their entire families wiped out."
"The people, I have already found." He gazed at the people below the stage. "A total of 17 people, no dogs. Seventeen dogs that used the court's salary to grow their wild ambition!"
The range of the purge was not very big. Including the navy generals on stage, the officers below the stage all sighed. At this moment, the sudden appearance of the 400 Black Knights, as well as the heads on and off the stage, had already intimidated the naval officers' state of mind. Since no one dared to rebel, they could only wait and see how the court would handle this. They only captured 17, so it had little to do with most of the people.
They felt unconcerned and let matters rest.
In order to protect themselves, they could sell out the superiors whom they were usually terrified of.
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Following the sounds of the third-ranked general calling out the names on the stage, the naval officers below the stage began to gradually move in fear, wishing the be as far away as possible from the named officers. Suddenly, 17 small circles appeared on the training ground, little empty spaces. In each empty pace there stood a naval officer whose face was the color of earth.
These were all culprits inciting trouble in the camp and causing a portion of the naval officers to battle the Black Knights outside Jiaozhou.
The clip-clop horse hooves rang out as the Black Knights led their horses slowly into the tens of thousands of people. The knights' faces were cold. They paid no attention to their surroundings and were not nervous. Although tens of thousands of people were beside them, it was as if they were entering an empty space.
The navy's courage had all been used up. They all moved aside to make way, allowing in the Black Knights who were here on orders to capture these people.
Three knights captured each person. Although some of the officers bravely resisted helplessly, they were still trapped beasts. With a few slaps, they were flipped onto the ground. They only accomplished pain before they died.
Another 17 bloody and cruel sounds, and 17 human heads returned among their brothers' heads. The blood stained the high stage. The stench of blood drew countless flies.
Although Fan Xian was present, his expression did not change. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the sun that was gradually moving above his head. He knew that the Jiaozhou matter could be considered completed.
He then began to announce the edict.
Fan Xian waved his hand. Without caring for the rules and etiquette of the court, he had an Overwatch Council subordinate complete this task while he returned to his chair and rested a little.
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"According to the will of heaven, the Emperor orders…"
Fan Xian did pay much attention to what the Emperor said. Occupied with his own thoughts, he was only looking at the ant-like naval officers kneeling on and below the stage. In the end, he heard a sky shattering cheer and a mountainous cheering of "Long live the Emperor."
Did the navy officers get another increase in salary?
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By the time the news of the Jiaozhou Navy got to Jingdou, it was already news from half a month ago. Jingdou was located more inland and didn't have the moisture from the sea wind, so it seemed a bit drier than Jiaozhou. The climate was not very comfortable. On the contrary, some people whose bodies were weaker began to feel uncomfortable.
Hong Zhu's fire had been quite big recently…his internal heat, not his anger. He rubbed his nose, thinking, if he still had a nosebleed tonight, he would have to go ask the royal doctors to have a look. The skill level of those doctors really wasn't much. If mistress Fan was still learning in the Imperial Academy of Medicine, how great that would be.
He trotted to the front of the palace, respectfully pushing the door open, and then leaned close to the empress' ear to say something.
He had been in the Eastern Palace for some time now and had successfully won the empress' trust. However, the Crown Prince always felt a bit uncomfortable looking at this little eunuch. For a eunuch to grow pimples and to be so full of internal heat as to often have nosebleeds, how was he like a yin person?
Listening to Hong Zhu's words, the empress furrowed her brows tightly and asked, "It is logical for Admiral Chang to be given a title posthumously…however, for such a startling case, why was it not tried by three ministers and instead was just investigated by the Overwatch Council alone?"
It seemed like the empress did not know the inside story of the Jiaozhou Navy, but she had faintly guessed that this matter had to be related in some way to the Eldest Princess. She smiled coldly and said, "Let's see when that Royal Highness will come knocking on our door."
If the matter was really as she imagined, that Fan Xian had gotten rid of the Jiaozhou Navy, it would be like chopping off one of Li Yunrui's arms. This Eldest Princess would certainly go crazy.
However, this case was somewhat blurry and unclear. Would a Deputy General dare to collude with bandits to assassinate the admiral, and coincidentally on the night that Fan Xian arrived in Jiaozhou? Did the Jiaozhou Navy actually collude with the pirates on the East Sea? Did Chang Kun not know?
All of the court officials were suspicious. The military side seemed to have intentions to counter-attack because no matter what Chang Kun did, he was an important figure in the military.
However, no one dared to say anything. Although the Emperor expressed sorrow and pain at Chang Kun's death—the funeral was handled very grandly and his rewards to the Chang manor were very generous—everyone could see that the Emperor was actually…very happy.