Chapter 801 - 559: Public Trial and Land Redistribution
The midday sun hung over the city walls.
The high execution platform was constructed from thick round logs.
One by one, the country gentry were shoved onto the stage by the Supreme Dao’s disciples dressed in gray robes.
Their former appearances of being wrapped in silk and satin, with shiny faces, were now long gone. Now, they were in tattered clothes, hair disheveled, with faces covered in dirt and tear stains.
Some were so frightened their legs went weak, barely able to stand with the support of the Supreme Dao’s disciples, while others shouted with false bravado, their voices muffled by the rags stuffed in their mouths.
"Now, announce the crimes!"
A loud command rang out, it was the Law Enforcement Daoist of the Supreme Dao, wearing a Profound Daoist Robe, with a stern face, holding a Peach Wood Sword, his voice resonant as a bell, echoing in the open execution ground.
"Criminal Lu Zhao, colluded with powerful families, assassinated our Daoist Master, extorted the people’s wealth... a crime worthy of death!"
"Criminal Zhang Zhaoxun, assassinated our Daoist Master, embezzled and perverted justice, withheld grain funds under the guise of disaster relief, utterly devoid of conscience..."
"Criminal Wu Yunlong, assassinated our Daoist Master, relied on clan power to oppress neighbors, forcibly took women, driving families to ruin..."
"..."
The crimes were announced one by one, each line seemed to bleed, each one more horrifying than the last.
The gentry on the stage trembled all over, some collapsing to the ground, others with ashen faces, their previous arrogance completely vanished, leaving only deep-seated fear.
Beneath the execution platform, a dense crowd of commoners surrounded the area tightly, most wearing patched coarse clothes, their faces pale with hunger, yet their eyes burned with fierce anger, clenching their fists so tightly that they creaked.
If not for the Warriors of Mana maintaining order on the side, they would have already rushed onto the platform to tear those villains apart.
Elsewhere in the city.
Wang Xuan wore a clean Daoist Robe, holding a yellowed propaganda paper, the characters on which were neat and powerful, detailing the monstrous crimes of these gentry.
He stood on an earthen platform, repeating it over and over, with several commoners who had been persecuted by the gentry standing by his side, some with tattered clothes revealing scars, others full of tears, choking while recounting their bloody pasts.
Some had relatives who were driven to death by the gentry, some had their homes taken over, some had their children sold...
Every cry of anguish tugged at the hearts of the surrounding commoners, many wiping away tears, softly sobbing, their hatred growing stronger.
Public trial!
Decapitation!
These two events created a massive storm in the city!
The number of onlooking commoners grew, with elderly people leaning on canes, trembling as they squeezed into the crowd, their eyes full of hope.
Women held their children, pointing at the gentry on the platform, softly telling their children about these people’s evil deeds.
Young men clenched their fists, eyes filled with excitement and anger, eager to rush to the execution ground immediately.
At this moment, it had been exactly five days since the Supreme Dao entered the city.
After breaching the city, Chen Sheng did not let the soldiers loot like other rebel armies, but immediately summoned Li Shi, solemnly instructing:
"We, the Supreme Dao, act in accordance with divine will, rescuing the people from water and fire, must not imitate bandits, harming the common people."
"You must quickly restrain your disciples, establish village covenants, strictly prohibit looting and slaughter, any violators will be dealt with according to Daoist rules, heavenly punishment and earthly annihilation."
Li Shi bowed to accept the order: "Yes!"
If it were an ordinary peasant rebel army, after breaching a city, there would surely be burning, killing, and looting.
After all, those soldiers born from peasants mostly suffered enough oppression, and once breaching the city, they would vent their grievances under the guise of rebellion, plundering wealth.
It is precisely because of this that the "three articles of law" set by Liu Bang after entering Xianyang became famously renowned through the ages!
Not because it was perfect, but because it was too rare, too scarce.
However, the Supreme Dao was different!
Since Chen Sheng began preaching, a strict organizational framework was established, clearly hierarchical from top to bottom.
The entire Supreme Dao wielded both kindness and authority, possessing compassion while also having strict Daoist rules, restraining every disciple.
Moreover, Chen Sheng himself was "the Celestial King descended to earth."
During the breaching of the city, his miraculous deeds of riding the Celestial Thunder and becoming invincible had long been deeply imprinted in the hearts of every Supreme Dao disciple, his prestige reaching the peak.
No one dared to defy his orders the slightest bit!
No one dared risk "transmigrating into beasts, never to be reincarnated" in the afterlife.
After receiving his orders, Li Shi immediately summoned all the Supreme Dao disciples, reading out the village covenant, strictly enforcing discipline.
All disciples responded in unison, their voices loud and clear, resonating throughout the city.
Soon, under the orderly organization of the Mana Warriors and core disciples, the streets of the city were cleared one by one.
Those who took advantage of the chaos or tried to fish in troubled waters, as soon as they acted, were caught by patrolling disciples, punished lightly with beatings, or severely with immediate decapitation, serving as a warning to others.
The chaotic situation stabilized with visible speed.
The previously panicked commoners running in all directions were peeking at the outside scene from behind their doors or window sills.
Each of the Supreme Dao disciples, dressed in gray or Profound Daoist Robes, holding bamboo staffs, marched in orderly steps through the streets, faces solemn.
Yet not one had barged into commoner homes, nor had any looted property!
Even elderly commoners who fell to the ground would be helped up by disciples who would offer them warm rice porridge.
The hearts of the commoners, previously tense, gradually relaxed!
"These chaotic troops are really different!"
"No, they should be called righteous troops!"
...
As the public trial continued, with more crimes listed at the execution ground, the emotions of the city’s commoners grew even more fervent.