eurekapd Chapter 977 The Ceremony of Presenting Captives
Chapter 977 The Ceremony of Presenting Captives
The day Emperor Wenchu was escorted to the capital happened to be the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, commonly known as the 'Little New Year'.
On this day, people would buy sugar melons to offer to the Kitchen God, hoping he would speak well of them in heaven and bring good fortune back to the palace.
The Kitchen God Festival is also held in the palace. The ceremony is extremely grand and is one of the formal sacrifices.
The capital city was already filled with the sweet aroma of maltose and the lingering smoke from firecrackers.
In front of the Kitchen God's shrine in every household, people offered glistening, sticky candy melons, hoping that he would go to heaven and say some good things about them.
However, in the palace, Li Che issued a special decree to advance the time for the Kitchen God Festival.
It wasn't that he didn't value it, but rather that there was an even bigger plan today, one that could shake the world and bring even more comfort to the ancestors than the Kitchen God Festival.
That was the Daqing Navy's prisoner presentation ceremony!
The ceremony of presenting prisoners of war was not unfamiliar to Li Che and the civil and military officials of Daqing.
Back when they were in Fengguo outside the Great Wall, the leaders of various barbarian tribes, and even the kings of Goryeo and other countries, participated in Fengguo's ceremony of presenting captives. However, they were the ones who were presented.
The ceremony of presenting captives in the capital was the first of its kind since Li Che ascended the throne.
Of course, some officials who adhered to ancient rites also reported that presenting prisoners of war was a bloody affair, and holding it at the end of the year to welcome the new year was probably not auspicious and would offend the harmony of heaven.
Before Li Che could even react, the other officials in the hall were already being verbally abused by the official in charge of rites.
The current court officials, both civil and military, are mostly veterans who fought their way out of the Great Wall with Li Che. They are all tough guys who have been through thick and thin.
Bloodshed is an ominous sign, but if it is blood from the enemy, then it is a good omen, not a bad one!
If you dare say another word, I'll stuff your head into your wife's 'ominous sign'!
A barrage of harsh rebukes instantly crushed any remaining dissent.
Officials from Fengguo were mostly influenced by Li Che's spirit; while their political style leaned towards "war maniacs," they were certainly not pedantic.
Thus, the ceremony of presenting captives was officially set in stone.
. . . . . .
At noon that day, the sunlight dispelled the winter chill and shone on the walls of the capital.
The procession of prisoners entered the capital through the main gate, and the people, who had already received the news, flocked to both sides of the street, craning their necks to watch the spectacle.
The first thing that catches the eye is the naval flag, which is quite different from the usual black and red military flags of Daqing.
The white and blue colors, like the sea and sky, are refreshing yet sharp, with the character "庆" (Qing) on it fluttering in the wind.
After dressing and grooming himself, Li Jie left the city ahead of time to join the troops. He was now at the very front of the procession, playing the role of the main figure in presenting the captives.
He stood tall and straight like a pine tree, dressed in a neatly tailored blue and white naval admiral's uniform, his epaulets gleaming, and his pure white cloak fluttering in the breeze.
The other marines who accompanied the prisoner were not wearing armor, but rather simple and sturdy naval uniforms, and moved slowly forward with the prison van.
The common people, accustomed to seeing black armor and red tassels, were momentarily confused, and a buzz of discussion arose:
"Whose army is this? It looks really interesting!"
"Why aren't you wearing armor? Will that cloak even protect you from a knife?"
"Could they just be some ragtag group there to make up the numbers?"
"Shh! Watch your words! Our Great Qing army has no ragtag troops!"
The common people didn't understand the navy; they were just curious to see it.
In particular, among the prison carts being transported, only Emperor Wenchu managed to maintain a semblance of dignity, being imprisoned alone in a carriage.
The other civil and military officials of the Southern Dynasties were all disheveled and shivering in their cages, no different from ordinary prisoners awaiting execution in the marketplace, and hardly attracted any attention.
The procession slowly made its way to the main gate of the imperial city, amidst the slightly doubtful and scrutinizing gazes of the people.
Suddenly, a dark canopy appeared on the city wall.
A tall figure stood atop the city gate tower, looking down.
The emperor himself visited the city gate tower!
The crowd fell silent instantly, then erupted into a deafening roar:
"Look! It's His Majesty!!!"
"Long live your Majesty!"
"His Majesty has come in person?!"
"It seems that the one who is presenting the prisoners this time is no small fry, that His Majesty would personally receive him."
At that moment, all the escorting naval officers and soldiers straightened their backs, their steps became more powerful and resounding, and even their eyes became sharper.
In just a moment, the entire team's morale and spirit changed dramatically, like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, radiating cold light!
Even without armor, he exuded a murderous aura that made him a force to be reckoned with.
Huai En, who was standing to the side, stepped forward and shouted with all his might:
"Daqing Navy, Second Fleet, Deputy Commander Li Jie—presenting prisoners!!!"
The clamor suddenly subsided, followed by an even greater uproar.
The people stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the general in the white cloak at the front of the procession.
Good heavens! I thought they were just a ragtag army, but I never expected that the leader would be such a high-ranking official?
Li Jie immediately walked to the city gate, clenched his right fist and placed it on his chest, giving a naval salute.
Li Che, standing on the city wall, nodded slightly in return and said in a deep voice, "General, you've worked hard."
Then, the military clerk stepped forward and began to read the prepared words:
"All comrades of the Daqing Navy respectfully report: The usurper of the false dynasty, whose pseudo-emperor is known as Wen Chu, has usurped a high position by virtue of the nation's favor."
They usurped the title and changed the era name, tearing apart our territory; they levied exorbitant taxes and oppressed the people, poisoning their lives.
Furthermore, they colluded with disloyal people and coveted the imperial throne. Their crimes reached the heavens above and profaned the earth below, incurring the wrath of both gods and men, and were intolerable to the entire world!
Your Majesty is divinely mighty, upholding Heaven's will to punish the wicked; wherever the royal army goes, the barbarian invaders are utterly defeated.
After more than a year of campaigning, they were finally driven to the southern wilderness of Lingnan.
The remaining enemy forces were in a state of panic, and they wanted to carve out a territory in Hainan and prolong their lives overseas.
However, the might of Heaven is so great that it will not allow villains to escape.
Our Daqing Navy, commissioned by Heaven, sets sail to break through the waves and pursue the enemy.
Off the coast of Qiongzhou, they burned their ships, destroyed their armor and weapons, and annihilated their army.
The officials and civil servants of the false dynasty all became fish in the net; the usurper Emperor Wenchu ultimately became a prisoner in a cage!
Presenting the captives before the palace today demonstrates Your Majesty's power and virtue, and reveals the mandate of Heaven.
The rebel leader is here; we humbly submit to Your Majesty's judgment!
After the clerk finished reading, the people below the city were silent at first, and then burst into even louder cheers and applause.
They didn't understand many of the fancy words and phrases, but they heard the last few sentences very clearly.
It turns out that these prisoners were actually the rebellious false emperor and his ministers!
"kill him!"
"Pooh!"
"Rebels deserve to die! Traitors deserve to die!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Great Qing Dynasty!"
The crowd was outraged, and their voices rose like a tidal wave.
Emperor Wenchu, in his prison cart, looked ashen-faced and buried his head deeply.
Those officials of the false dynasty trembled like leaves, some even wetting their crotches, the stench of blood filling the air, revealing their ugly behavior.