MLMD -Chapter 184 All Executed

When the four words “execute on the spot” left his mouth, every official on the platform sucked in a sharp breath.

Since the mid‑Ming period, the garrison system throughout the empire had gradually become nothing more than a hollow shell. Several million garrison soldiers depended on court subsidies to survive, yet the imperial treasury was empty, and pay and grain were rarely delivered in full or on time. As a result, mutinies over arrears occurred everywhere; if there weren’t a few each year, that would actually be abnormal. Usually, the court dealt with them by appeasement. An order to slaughter every mutinous soldier, like today, was unheard of. Thus, even the civil officials—who normally despised soldiers—were struck dumb when they heard that Yue Yang intended to kill them all.

Jiang Xin stared at Yue Yang as though meeting him for the first time and stammered,
“Lord… Lord Yue, these men… they’re all imperial troops.”

“Of course I know that,” Yue Yang replied coldly.

Liao Chunyu sighed beside him. “Lord Yue, these soldiers are all natives of Hunyuan Prefecture. They have parents, wives, and children in this city. If you kill them all, won’t you be creating hundreds more households of widows and orphans? In my humble opinion, you should punish only the ringleaders and release the rest after giving them a lesson. They would surely be grateful for your mercy.”

Yue Yang looked at Liao Chunyu for a moment. He knew the old man was speaking out of goodwill toward him, but he still shook his head and said heavily:

“Lord Liao, what you say makes sense. I could indeed spare these mutineers, and they might even thank me for it. But have you considered this—what about the innocent civilians who were butchered by them? What about the women and children they violated? Who will seek justice for them? These are soldiers, men who were supposed to protect the people, yet they turned their blades on women and children. Creatures worse than beasts like this—if they are not killed, where is justice in heaven?”

There was a chilling murderous intent in his voice, and everyone could hear the finality in his words.

Yue Yang made no effort to lower his voice, so everyone around heard him clearly—including the mutineers below. Panic instantly spread among them.

After surrendering, they had not been very afraid. Mutinies over pay were common, and usually the court only scolded the troops a bit—sometimes even tossing them a few coins. When they were first captured, many of them had been calm, some even joking with each other, boasting about how many people they had killed or which women they had taken. But once Yue Yang announced that all of them would be executed, they were thrown into utter terror. Many began screaming hysterically.

“Spare me, my lord! Spare me! I only followed my officers’ orders, and we hadn’t been paid for months—I had no choice! I’ll never dare again!”

“My lord, spare me! I’ll never do it again!”

Most of the mutineers fell to their knees begging for mercy, but not all of them. Seven or eight officers led by a thousand‑household commander surnamed Bai leaped up and shouted hoarsely:

“I protest! I am an officer appointed by the court! You, Yue Yang, have neither reported to the Ministry of War nor received the emperor’s vermilion approval. What right do you have to execute court officials? I will report you—I will sue you!”

“That’s right! We’re court officers! Without orders from the Ministries of War and Justice, you have no right to execute us!”

Yue Yang’s face grew even colder. He turned to the thousand‑household commander standing nearby and barked, “Commander Chu!”

Chu Di jumped in fright and hurried forward. “Y‑Yes!”

“Have your men and the soldiers who did not participate in the mutiny arrived?”

“Yes, my lord. Over two hundred of my men and the loyal troops are all present.”

“Good. Bring them down at once and have them line up to watch the executions.”

“What?!” Chu Di was startled—this had nothing to do with him. Why make them watch?

Yue Yang turned his head slightly. “What? Commander Chu, are you unwilling?”

“N‑No!” Chu Di shook his head like a rattle drum. “My lord, I’ll bring them down immediately!”

Yue Yang nodded. “Very well. Feng Xiaoming, you will be in charge of the executions. Begin.”

“Yes!”

The usually half‑smiling Feng Xiaoming now wore a completely solemn expression. He cupped his fists to Yue Yang in a formal salute and strode forward, barking out his orders.

Soon the first hundred mutineers were dragged up. Knowing death was upon them, their true natures were laid bare—some struggled wildly, while others collapsed into quivering heaps of flesh, dragged along by two soldiers behind them.

The civilians around the parade ground were also in turmoil. In all their lives, they had never seen so many people executed at once. To witness such a scene was a tremendous ordeal.

No matter how desperately the first batch struggled, their fate was sealed. Today was the day they would die.

Feng Xiaoming led two hundred arquebusiers to the center of the field, threw the tightly bound mutineers to the ground, and then ordered the soldiers to step back ten paces. The gunners raised their weapons, and rows of black muzzles pointed at the trembling men on the ground.

Feng Xiaoming drew his saber, raised it high, and shouted, “Execution begins! First squad, ready—aim!”

With a sharp clatter, the muskets were leveled. The hundred mutineers shook violently; some wailed, others, knowing escape was impossible, cursed at the top of their lungs.

“Fire!”

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Deafening shots rang out. In the thick cloud of smoke, time itself seemed to freeze. No one dared make a sound. When the smoke cleared, a row of corpses lay on the parade ground.

Feng Xiaoming’s voice rang out again, “Bayonets fixed. Step forward and check the bodies.”

The gunners advanced. Any man still alive was finished off with a thrust of steel.

Then came the second batch… the third… the fifth. In the end, more than five hundred mutineers were all executed on the parade ground. Corpses piled up like a small hill, and a thick, suffocating stench of blood hung in the air, making countless onlookers vomit on the spot.

Commander Chu and the loyal troops standing closest to the executions were pale as death. While grateful they had not joined the mutiny, they were also deeply shaken by Yue Yang’s ruthless decisiveness. Looking at Yue Yang standing expressionless on the platform, Chu Di made a silent decision in his heart…

On the sixth day of the tenth month of the seventh year of Chongzhen, the original garrison of Hunyuan Prefecture mutinied over unpaid wages. Yue Yang, then Assistant Commander of Shanxi, led troops to suppress the rebellion. After two hours of fierce fighting, the uprising was crushed, and all those who took part were executed. Among the dead were two thousand‑household commanders, one regional garrison officer, and thirteen hundred‑household commanders. When the news reached Datong, it shocked everyone.

Lu Xiangsheng was stunned by Yue Yang’s ferocity. Executing more than five hundred mutineers in one stroke was almost unheard of in the Great Ming. Recruiting soldiers was difficult everywhere, and most commanders cherished their men like precious treasures—normally, even when their troops committed crimes, punishment was light. Yet this man, less than three days into his new post, had slaughtered almost the entire original city garrison. Was he not afraid of provoking the soldiers’ families into rebellion?

It wasn’t only Lu Xiangsheng who was shocked. Other generals were equally dumbfounded. Even the hardened veteran Hu Dawei sighed, “This Yue Yang… his killing intent is far too heavy. Still, perhaps it’s for the best. From now on in Hunyuan Prefecture, anyone who thinks of mutiny will have to feel their own necks and ask whether they’re tougher than a blade.”

As Shanxi’s provincial governor, Xu Dingchen naturally heard the news as well. Looking at the report in his hands, he sighed, “This Yue Yang… already an assistant commander, yet he acts so rashly. Killing over five hundred mutineers in one breath—he isn’t afraid of offending heaven?”

“These mutineers slaughtered civilians; they deserved to die,” his aide Tang Xueying replied. “In my view, Lord Yue did nothing wrong. Besides, he brought three thousand elite troops with him, so he doesn’t lack men to defend the city. And he’s famously wealthy—if he loses soldiers, he can just recruit more.”

“Hm… that’s true.” Xu Dingchen nodded with a smile. “I forgot—Yue Yang isn’t like others. He has plenty of silver and grain. Recruiting a few thousand men is nothing to him. Very well… let him do as he pleases.”