Chapter 955 - 794: Auspicious Signs Descend from Heaven, My Lord Shall Rise

The Jingjiang County was in chaos.

Huang Que sat in the Warm Pavilion of the county government’s main hall, seated behind the public desk, caressing the armrest of the chair, and then picked up the Gavel on the desk for a close inspection.

The Gavel was made of Yellow Pear Wood and had been through several owners, smooth and shiny.

Huang Que was momentarily lost in thought.

His confidant stood by side with his hands tied, softly flattering, "Landlord, the nobleman promised to appoint you as a county magistrate to start with, and also promised you a lucrative position in a big county. Could it be like Jiangning County, which manages the Ten-mile Qinhuai?"

Huang Que snapped back to reality, casually responding, "Jiangning is the largest county in Southern Zhili, and regular officials and nobles wouldn’t even dream of getting this lucrative position, why would it be given to me? Having this Jingjiang County is already enough."

The confidant smiled and probed, "Who exactly is the nobleman behind you?"

Huang Que shot him a cold glance, "That’s not for you to ask."

The confidant immediately lowered his voice, "Understood, sir."

Huang Que put the Gavel back on the table, looking at the group of Salt Gang key members below the hall, "Li Qi, take people to patrol the county to prevent anyone from committing crimes. If any of our Salt Gang members are found stealing or looting people’s property, behead them for public display."

"Yes," Li Qi cupped his fists, received the order, and left.

Huang Que pointed to another person, "Zhang Zhan, take people to open the official granary and set up twenty porridge stalls in the city."

"Yes."

"Wang Yanli, take people to drag out the bodies in the city and cover them with lime, bury the headless bodies of the pirates separately by the Yangtze River, erect a warning monument with the inscription ’Islanders daring to offend the Central Plains are buried here as a warning to those who come. Cross the boundary and die without pardon.’ Bury the fallen Anti-Japanese Army, Salt Gang, and Cao Guild members in the north of the city, with a stone inscription ’Jingjiang Defending Sea and Pacifying the Wokou Monument’."

At this point, someone looked up at Huang Que, "Landlord, what about the 1,927 pirate prisoners, how should they be dealt with?"

Huang Que pondered for a moment, then called out to Wang Yanli, "Dig the pit for the pirates a bit bigger."

Everyone below was startled, looking at each other.

Without giving the crowd time to think, Huang Que continued issuing orders, "Li Duo, have the people move the rubble, fill in the bloody mud, seal the sewage pits, burn decaying items, and sprinkle wood ash in every house to prevent miasma epidemic growth."

"Yes."

"Zhou Chuang, you..."

One order after another was issued, and the main hall of the county government quickly became quiet. One by one, the Salt Gang core members left in groups. After walking out of the main hall, someone looked back at the county government gate and sneered, "He really thinks he’s a county magistrate, hasn’t even started yet."

At this time, inside the main hall of the county government, the confidant worriedly said, "Landlord, will the nobleman go back on his word? Those in power tend to use people upfront and discard them when not needed..."

Huang Que confidently stated, "No, it’s true for others, but absolutely not for him. This person keeps his promises and will definitely do what he promises."

"Did the nobleman personally promise it?"

Huang Que hesitated, as it was Zhang Xia who promised it, not Chen Ji.

But after thinking for a moment, "No matter, it doesn’t matter who promised it."

Huang Que didn’t want to say more, and instead instructed his confidant to bring a candlestick and light it. He took a piece of turtle shell from his sleeve and placed it over the flame, performing the legendary Burning Turtle Divination.

The next moment, within the main hall of the county government, an indistinct wailing sound arose, as if traveling from thousands of years ago. The wailing echoed incessantly, and the confidant dared not even take a deep breath.

With a crack, a crack appeared on the turtle shell, and Huang Que scrutinized it for a moment, "Is today the day?"

He raised his head and ordered, "Go find a Yellow Cow and get the scapula."

The confidant seemed familiar with this and brought back the scapula moments later, still with some flesh and blood stains. Huang Que didn’t mind, drawing a short knife from his sleeve and engraving the sacrificial method, the purpose of the sacrifice, the year, month, and day, and the number of sacrificial animals on the scapula.

When the confidant saw the number of sacrificial animals being 1,927 on the scapula, his eyelid twitched. The sacrificial method was "felling sacrifice," and the year engraved on the scapula was not "Jianing," but "Great Shang."

Until deep in the night, Wang Yanli returned for his report, "Landlord, the pit is ready, and the firewood is also prepared."

Huang Que, holding the scapula, went outside, "Let’s go."

He led the Salt Gang members to the Jingjiang Riverbank. In the black night, over a thousand pirates were seen tethered with ropes, standing by the pit in confusion, the Salt Gang members’ eyes displaying a hint of fear.

Huang Que took a torch from the hands of a gang member, standing silently before a pile of firewood two Zhangs high, lost in thought. A gust of wind came, making the flame on the torch crackle, casting uncertain shadows across his face.

The Salt Gang members held their breath, staring intently at the torch in his hand.

The next moment, Huang Que threw the torch onto the two-zhang high pile of firewood, and a blazing fire soared into the sky, illuminating everyone’s faces in a crimson hue.

The dark surface of the Yangtze River lit up, the entire river appeared like molten iron. Flames flickered across the water, indistinguishable whether the water was flowing or the fire was moving.

Huang Que knelt before the pile of wood and declared loudly, "Today, we offer the captives as sacrifices, to inform the heavens: with the lives of the rebellious barbarians, we cleanse the hostility of the four directions. With the enemy’s blood, we stabilize the unrest of the nation. We pray for the protection of the divine ancestors, perpetuity without end."

He stood up and said coldly, "Behead the bandit pirates and throw them into the pit."

The members of the Salt Gang hesitated, and Huang Que seized a knife from one of them, "Do I have to do it myself?"

The members gritted their teeth, dragged a chain of pirates to the pit’s edge, and forced them to kneel. The pirates shouted in Japanese with expressions of panic, but with the swipe of a knife, twenty heads were severed, and blood sprayed.

The remaining pirates, witnessing this, cried out in Han language, "We are surrendered soldiers, how dare you kill the surrendered!"

This pirate attempted to rush out with others, but they were bound by ropes and surrounded by the armed members of the Salt Gang; escape was impossible. In no time, the members started a massacre, blood flowed like streams along the riverbank and merged with the black waters of the river.

The massacre continued for four hours, one knife was replaced when it dulled, another was used when that didn’t suffice, until every captured Japanese sword too was dulled.

Huang Que watched silently from a distance. Seeing the Salt Gang members run to the riverbank to vomit incessantly, his chest too felt tight, yet he forcibly suppressed it.

When the Salt Gang members returned after vomiting, the smell of blood seeping from the mud sent them running back to the riverbank to vomit anew. They had killed before and thought they were past the stage of vomiting at killing, but today, none were exceptions, everyone vomited.

At this moment, someone, tearing up, loudly accused Huang Que, "Are you still human?"

Huang Que remained silent.

One person’s accusation immediately led others to join in, "Huang Que, you damned monster..."

But before he could finish speaking, a clear sound rang out from the sky, like a bronze hammer gently striking a bronze bell. Immediately, a series of clear bell sounds followed, exceedingly melodious.

Huang Que looked up, and in the black night sky, ribbons of aurora appeared, like silk rivers. The light illuminated the faces of the Salt Gang members, turning their previously pale faces rosy instantly, washing away their earlier fatigue from slaughter.

The members exchanged glances, unsure of what had transpired. They turned to look at Huang Que, only to see him raise his hand towards the sky, and the aurora descended, streaming into his palm.

A trusted aide beside Huang Que witnessed this and shouted, "A great omen! With heaven’s blessing, our lord shall prosper!"

Saying so, he knelt down, as did all the Salt Gang members, chanting ’With heaven’s blessing, our lord shall prosper.’

Huang Que stood amidst the clamoring crowd, looking down at his palm. With a casual wave, the river water surged, creating half-zhang high waves that splashed onto the riverbank. The members rose and retreated, watching as the water repeatedly washed over the mudflats, carrying away the blood but leaving behind the pirates’ heads and bodies.

It was as if he had the power to overturn seas and rivers.

Huang Que looked at the members and calmly said, "Bury the bodies, erect a boundary monument, and send the heads to Jinling."

Saying this, he turned and walked alone into Jingjiang County, wandering aimlessly.

He passed by a tavern with its doors wide open, dark and empty inside. The landlord perhaps had fled to escape the turmoil, or had been killed by the pirates, he did not know.

Huang Que took a jar of wine and a ceramic bowl from behind the red lacquer counter, sat alone in the dark, filled the bowl, and drank it all in one go.

After finishing one bowl, he poured another.

...

...

Morning.

Over forty ox carts carrying ashen heads slowly left Jingjiang County. Each cart was covered with a red cloth to avoid scaring the populace.

If not densely packed, each cart could hold sixty heads; piled like small hills, they could carry over ninety.

The ox carts set off from Jingjiang, moving sluggishly for several days, passing every county and entering every city, and the Salt Gang members shouted to everyone they met, "Great victory at Jingjiang! Pirates beheaded! Four thousand pirate heads have been prepared and are being sent to Jinling for public display!"

Some townsfolk were skeptical, so the members lifted the red cloth, scaring the townsfolk into retreating.

Days later, the ox cart convoy arrived at Jinling City, crossed the Nine Dragon Bridge, and entered Tongji Gate. The grand spectacle of over forty ox carts attracted river workers and townspeople to gather and watch. The Salt Gang members, their voices hoarse, repeated without waiting for people to ask, "Great victory at Jingjiang! Pirates beheaded! Four thousand pirate heads have been prepared and are being sent to Jinling for public display!"

After saying this, they would voluntarily uncover the red cloth on the carts, revealing the distinctive warrior haircuts of the pirates.

The citizens of Jinling were astonished, and some even vomited onto the riverbank, causing the Salt Gang members to laugh heartily.

In the crowd, Er Tong, who had been surreptitiously selling newspapers, stuffed them into his sling bag, stood on tiptoe for a glimpse of the heads on the carts, and then turned around to deliver the news into the city.