ragginovel Chapter 88: Qin is Fallen
Chapter 88: Qin is Fallen
October of the first year of the Han Dynasty.
The north wind swept up the cold fog outside the city, pressing heavily on the Guanzhong Plain.
At this moment, Xianyang was eerily quiet.
Now that Yaoguan Pass has fallen and the Lantian army has collapsed, Liu Bang's tens of thousands of Han troops are arrayed at Ba Shang, and there is nowhere left to escape in the vast Guanzhong region.
Outside the city, banners stretched for miles, and armor and weapons gleamed in the grim sunlight.
Inside the city, the palaces were silent, and all the officials remained quiet.
Liu Bang reined in his horse and stood at the front of the battle, gazing at the former imperial center, quietly waiting for something.
Not only him, but also the armored soldiers, generals, strategists and scholars behind him all looked expectant, their eyes fixed intently on the massive Xianyang city gate.
"Crunch—"
A piercing sound suddenly shattered the silence.
Under the watchful eyes of countless people, the gates of Xianyang Palace slowly opened.
There was no grand procession symbolizing imperial power, no magnificent imperial carriage as in the past, and no imperial robes or dragon emblems representing the emperors of the Qin Dynasty.
They followed only the oldest rites for surrendering a conquered nation.
Four white horses pulled a deathly white chariot, carrying "Ziying" and the last King of Qin, slowly making their way to the Zhidao Pavilion in the east of the city.
Ziying was dressed in a plain white robe.
A plain white silk sash is neatly tied around the neck, with the white rope hanging down to the chest; this is the ancient custom of "tying a sash around the neck".
This shows that he has regarded himself as a prisoner, willingly awaiting his fate, without the slightest thought of resistance or a desire to survive.
The wheels rolled over the bluestone pavement, like the last pulse of the empire, sounding exceptionally clear in the silent city.
Beside Ziying, there were only a few old ministers and attendants.
The once powerful officials of Qin now silently accompanied their king and country on their final journey.
The carriage came to a stop beside the Zhidao Pavilion.
Ziying bent down to get off the carriage, his posture upright, showing neither a pathetic or pitiful act nor any sign of grief or loss of composure.
He solemnly presented a tightly sealed black lacquered wooden box with both hands. Inside the box were the Qin Imperial Seal, the Emperor's sash, the military tally, and the ceremonial staff.
These are all the legitimate tokens of the First Emperor's unification of the world.
At this moment, everything is perfectly sealed and intact, with nothing missing or hidden.
The Imperial Seal, inscribed with "By the Mandate of Heaven, May Your Reign Be Long and Prosperous," gleamed with a warm luster in the sunlight.
Liu Bang stared intently at the treasure that symbolized the mandate of heaven for the Qin Dynasty, a trace of infatuation flashing in his eyes, as if he saw supreme power beckoning to him.
However, this obsession lasted only a moment before he withdrew from it.
He subconsciously looked around, memorizing the most subtle changes in everyone's expressions, but showed no sign of it on his face.
Liu Bang knew all too well that the path to power allowed no room for error.
The cold wind howled, lifting the corners of Ziying's clothes, and the white rope around her neck swayed gently in the wind.
He stood by the roadside, facing the Han army camp at Ba Shang, and stepped out step by step. When he reached Liu Bang, Ziying lowered his eyes, held his breath, and spoke loudly.
"Because of his lack of virtue, the infant continued to perform the sacrifices of Qin for forty-six days."
"The world is in chaos, and the people are suffering. I dare not shirk my responsibility for Qin's crimes."
"Now that Liu Bang's army is approaching Ba Shang, in order to avoid the slaughter of soldiers, all the people in Xianyang have been dispersed so that they can find their own way to survive."
"As for the wealth accumulated from generations of government treasuries and tributes from the nine provinces, Ying has sealed it all away in the Epang Palace and given it all to Liu Bang."
"I now respectfully present the imperial seal and tally, and surrender myself to the Emperor."
"The Qin dynasty's state came to an end here."
"I only hope that the Duke of Pei will pacify Guanzhong, treat the people kindly, and leave the lives and deaths of the children to his command."
Having said this, Ziying said nothing more, but simply handed over the Imperial Seal of the State with both hands and stood silently in the cold wind.
Liu Bang's army stood solemnly, their armor and weapons forming a forest.
After a brief silence, the oppressive atmosphere was broken.
"Your Majesty, the King of Qin should be killed."
"Brother, kill him."
"Yes, Duke Pei, we should kill him quickly and wipe out the remaining Qin forces!"
The generals on both sides all advised that Ziying be executed.
Liu Bang, however, raised his hand and decisively stopped the commotion.
The moment that hand was raised, all advice came to an abrupt halt!
A subtle smile played on Liu Bang's lips as he gazed at the solitary figure on the Zhi Road and spoke with a sigh.
"King Huai ordered me to enter the pass to bring peace to the people. The people have already surrendered, and killing them would be inauspicious."
Ziying lowered his eyes, holding the imperial seal, and silently awaited punishment.
As if none of this concerned him, he devoted forty-six days to exhausting all the struggles that the last emperor of the Qin Dynasty could muster.
And with the most solemn ancient rites for the fall of a nation, the powerful Qin dynasty was given a final measure of dignity in its collapse.
The cold wind continues, dispelling the century-old imperial aura of Xianyang.
The world was silent.
In the winter of 206 BC, the Qin Dynasty, which had lasted for fifteen years, finally came to a complete end in the cold wind of Zhidao, with the bowing of its last ruler.
But for Ziying, this is not the end.
In the twelfth month of the first year of the Han dynasty, at noon.
This was the time for execution explicitly stipulated in Qin law.
At this moment, the vast city of Xianyang was deathly silent. The streets were deserted, the market gates were tightly closed, and the pavilions and towers were empty.
Now only three types of people remain in the city.
The Qin dynasty's former officials, who were at their wits' end, Xiang Yu's Chu army, which was besieging the city, and the allied forces of various feudal lords who came to the city to witness the ceremony.
At this moment, the execution ground had already been sealed off by layers of Chu soldiers.
Xiang Yu, dressed in black armor with gilded details, wearing a scarlet battle robe, with a three-foot Chu sword hanging at his waist, sat upright on his horse.
He was tall and imposing, with a fierce and arrogant look in his eyes. His tiger-like eyes showed no mercy as he coldly surveyed the Qin land.
The Xiang family and the Qin Dynasty had a blood feud spanning generations.
His grandfather Xiang Yan and uncle Xiang Liang both died in the Qin campaign. Decades of hatred for Chu and hatred for his clan were all etched in Xiang Yu's heart.
It transformed into a raging inferno.
Therefore, when he led his army into the city and saw not a single civilian or a sound of daily life, but only the empty city and the still palaces, his violent temper swelled to its peak.
In the past, Qin law was strict and never lightly pardoned any enemy king who surrendered.
Now, Xiang Yu decided to use the same methods against him, preparing to use the cruel punishments and laws of Qin to exterminate the last ruler of Qin.
This is the most thorough revenge, and also the most cruel declaration.
According to the old system of the Qin Dynasty, being cut in half at the waist was the most severe form of execution.
The victim had to be naked from the waist up and lie face down on a cold anvil, while the executioner used a heavy, broad-bladed bronze axe to forcefully chop down from the waist and abdomen.
The victim's body is separated instantly, but they do not die immediately.
He will struggle for a while in unimaginable, extreme pain before finding relief.
Fan Zeng stepped forward slowly and earnestly advised in a low voice, "Ziying has already surrendered, and you have already dispersed all the people. If you empty the city and kill the surrendered king, the feudal lords will surely..."
"Father!"
A roar escaped from between Xiang Yu's teeth.
Those crimson tiger eyes coldly swept across the steps below, silently rebuking Fan Zeng. The rage within Xiang Yu rendered him deaf to any further words.
Today, he only seeks to vent his century-old grievances, not to seek benevolence for the world.
A moment later, King Ziying of Qin was escorted to the center of the execution ground by several Chu soldiers.
He was surrounded by countless Chu soldiers and their gloating enemies from various states.
His back was as straight as a pine tree, and his gaze did not linger on these people, but slowly looked at the empty streets and alleys of Xianyang.
A hint of relief flashed across his eyes.
Perhaps the last thing he could do was to disperse the people and save them from slaughter.
The Chu soldiers, unaware of his thoughts, stepped forward expressionlessly and removed Ziying's upper garment.
The biting winter winds cut through his flesh, yet Ziying's body remained completely still.
He silently bent down, lying prone on the cold, black iron anvil, his waist and abdomen precisely striking the center of the anvil.
Not far away, the last few dozen old ministers of the Qin Dynasty covered their faces with their sleeves and wept bitterly on the ground. Hundreds of surviving Qin soldiers all had bloodshot eyes and clenched teeth.
Fan Zeng stood beside Xiang Yu, closed his eyes and sighed deeply, his face full of disappointment and desolation.
Long Ju's expression was cold and hard, Zhongli Mo's face showed reluctance, and Ying Bu was fierce and indifferent.
The various feudal lords and generals of the six kingdoms reacted with indifference, trepidation, or subtle displeasure.
But when their eyes fell on that valiant figure sitting upright on horseback, exuding unparalleled domineering aura, a sense of dread and chilling fear arose in their hearts.
It's already three-quarters of the hour!
A giant axe hung high, and the crowd fell silent.
Xiang Yu stared coldly at Ziying, seemingly waiting for something, but Ziying did not speak.
He merely glanced around, his gaze lingering almost imperceptibly on Liu Bang before finally settling back on Xiang Yu's face.
Two pairs of eyes met silently through the crowd.
Seeing the calm and fearlessness in his eyes, Xiang Yu's savagery intensified. He parted his lips slightly and uttered a single, icy word.
"punishment!"
The next second, a cold light pierced through the midday sun and crashed down!
The Qin Dynasty's more than four hundred years of foundation were completely annihilated here.
quiet!
The world seemed to have been drained of all sound.
The entire execution ground fell into a deathly silence more terrifying than ever before, with only a splash of blood spreading rapidly across the anvil.
"The Qin Dynasty is finished!!!"
I don't know which one of them was on the execution ground.
Perhaps it was a ecstatic Chu soldier, perhaps a long-suppressed surviving citizen of the six states, or perhaps it was Xiang Yu himself who shouted it.
In short, this sound instantly stirred up a huge wave!
"The Qin Dynasty is gone!!"
"The tyrannical Qin Dynasty has finally fallen!!!"
At that moment, the entire execution ground was like a powder keg that had been ignited.
Whether it's elation, relief, secret apprehension, or even a sense of shared sorrow...
Everyone present was swept up in this momentous historical event.
They all shouted it out repeatedly, without prior arrangement.
The sounds converged into a deafening wave, shattering the deathly silence of Xianyang and announcing the complete end of an era.
"The Qin Dynasty is gone!!"
"The Qin Dynasty is finished!!!"