Chapter 411 - 178: Execution (First Update)
July 12th is a special day.
...
The island, caught in the dry season, remained as arid as ever. Rare clouds stretched across the sky, shielding the sun.
The indigenous islanders, gradually adapting to their new life, had taken a bath just yesterday.
To ensure they were cleaner, Sunday even brought out a small box of detergent, demanding that everyone scrub the dirt off each other’s bodies, right down to the soles of their feet.
After bathing, the islanders’ complexion visibly brightened, and each appeared much more spirited.
Once their bodies had dried, the islanders received their assigned clothing.
There were plenty of sailor uniforms brought from the ship, with various sizes, but shoes were somewhat scarce. Therefore, only three fortunate ones among the seven well-performing islanders received shoes; the others continued working barefoot.
Those with shoes could not only avoid injury while working but also skipped the hassle of washing feet at night.
For the islanders, having the special "wear" that only a few possessed was undoubtedly a symbol of identity and status. Chen Zhou observed with satisfaction that those without shoes worked more diligently than ever.
...
The construction of the gallows proceeded smoothly.
For Chen Zhou, now half a "master at building," the most challenging parts of construction were transporting the building materials, digging holes to set the posts, and erecting the beams on the posts.
For these heavy tasks, the islanders could lend a hand, leaving Chen Zhou to supervise and tweak the details.
In less than three days, a sturdy and towering gallows stood firm by the fields, adjacent to the wooded area on the open slope.
All the weeds around the gallows had been pulled out by the roots, and stones rolling from higher ground were cleaned up by the islanders.
Even the slightly uneven ground was leveled under Sunday’s supervision and the islanders’ work.
Despite the lack of roads, the gallows carried a solemn aura that made this desolate wilderness feel especially dignified.
...
The first native to be named "Zebra," was also the first to wear shoes, the first to be allowed to perform the kneeling ceremony to Chen Zhou.
His new home was quite near the gallows—
A wooden shack that could barely accommodate one person and a small table.
It offered slight rain protection, barely enough to resist the mountain winds.
Inside the shack was a raised floor and a bare wooden bed, without windows or doors, incomparable to Saturday and Sunday’s cozy little homes.
Though the shack was simple, it was ultimately a home, a far more comfortable place than sleeping outdoors, where he could store utensils, and lay down to sleep comfortably.
Even though Saturday and Sunday looked down on Zebra’s shack, the other islanders were envious.
Sleeping on the wooden floor, being monitored throughout the night was unpleasant; they dreamed of having such a shack—
And truth be told, these islanders felt the shack Chen Zhou built in just one morning was better than the dwellings in their tribe.
...
At midday, after lunch, the seven islanders who should have returned to the wooden floor to rest were all gathered before the gallows.
Whip in hand, Saturday stood by their side; Sunday, with his Long Saber always at hand, stationed next to the rarely-seen Chen Zhou on the wooden platform of the gallows.
Out of respect for authority, upon seeing Chen Zhou, all the islanders averted their gaze.
...
Regarding the purpose of gathering here, Zebra already had a suspicion—
Sunday and Saturday had spoken to him about it to some extent.
He quietly stationed himself at the far right, not far from Saturday, looking down at the tips of his shoes, awaiting orders.
Once Chen Zhou steadied himself on the wooden platform of the gallows, within five seconds, Zebra heard Saturday speak to him.
"Follow me."
"Yes!"
What Zebra heard was the native language, but he responded in Mandarin.
Don’t be fooled; only five days have passed since he was captured.
Yet, these five days were more eventful than his entire previous life combined.
Witnessing the "miracles" in the interrogation room, tasting sweet chocolate that bestowed strength, seeing the once arrogant Spaniards whipped and stripped—
Receiving a name, benefiting from his exceptional performance, donning shoes, moving into a house, and being entrusted with distributing meals among the natives.
With a naive appearance but a keen mind, Zebra had already subtly confirmed that Saturday and Sunday were once like him, just arrived earlier.
He thus keenly sensed that a broad avenue lay ahead of him.
Of course, trust was yet to be fully earned, so Zebra wasn’t impatient. His first task was to work diligently and then quickly learn the language used by the "new leader."
Deliberately trying to grasp a few words was not difficult at all.
At least, under Zebra’s humble inquiries, simple words like "yes," "no," "good" were learned within days.
However, having not learned phonetics, his pronunciation remained somewhat stiff and peculiar, much like using phonetically similar native language to mimic Mandarin.
...
Upon hearing this strangely pronounced response, Saturday gave Zebra an unexpected look but said nothing, instead gesturing with his hand.
The two walked one behind the other, directly toward the side of the cave dwelling.
...
Approximately three or four minutes later, an "old acquaintance" reappeared in the islanders’ line of sight.
In just a few days, Werner, who had confirmed his impending death, had noticeably thinned.
He was imprisoned in a temporarily dug earth pit on the east side of the platform, deep underground, never seeing the light of day.
Though spared the toil, and with regular food deliveries each day, for Werner, he’d rather work naked, continuing to endure ostracism from the natives—
After all, that was the flavor of being alive.
Seeing no hope of survival, he languished in the dark pit, waiting for the days to pass.
Werner had no appetite, nor could he sleep.
The pit was narrow, without toilet facilities, and naked as he was, he couldn’t care less for cleanliness; wherever he defecated and urinated, he would also sleep, covering himself in a reeking layer of filth.
Thankfully, Sunday, who was responsible for bringing him food over these days, understood his state and had placed two buckets of water by the pit in advance, giving "released" Werner a rinse, or else he would have ruined Chen Zhou’s mood while observing the execution.
...
Having not seen the sun for a long time, suddenly exposed to daylight, Werner remained somewhat dazed even after being pulled to the execution platform by the zebra.
The height difference allowed him to overlook the entirety of the natives from above.
His gaze swept over the "Wild Monkeys," dressed and with washed faces, and finally turned to Chen Zhou.
...
This tall, mysterious ghostly face was covered by the shadow cast by the brim of his hat, making his expression invisible.
Ignoring Werner’s gaze, he merely waved his hand lightly, and Sunday, already prepared, slipped the noose around Werner’s neck.
No shouting, no struggle, no pleading or resistance.
This once clothed "civilized man" now stood naked with his wet body, looking in despair at the clothed "savages" below the stage, feeling the world absurd as if in a dream.
"The man on the stage and the people below should switch places instead..."
Just as a thought flashed through his mind, the plank beneath Werner’s feet suddenly vanished—
His entire body was suspended in mid-air.
The coarse rope tightened around his throat, and Werner’s survival instincts spurred him to kick and reach for the noose around his neck.
His emaciated body wriggled and twisted like a fish out of water, finally going limp and straightening out, causing the noose to sway beneath the crossbeam of the gallows.
...
The entire execution process was almost silent.
Only the warm July sun shone on everyone.
They maintained silence, quietly watching the corpse suspended from the crossbeam, from moving to gradually stiffening.
This was a method of execution the natives had never seen before.
The method required a large structure, strong wood, carved planks, and plenty of stone.
For the natives, it was too troublesome.
An act that could be resolved by picking up a knife or crashing a stone had become so complicated.
Perhaps some natives found this method complicated, but at that moment, those who witnessed the entire execution dared not question the authority of the one who gave the order.
Instead, after watching the hanging, they developed a deeper awe for the ruler’s power.
This memory would forever be etched in their minds from today.
Every sunny afternoon, when they saw the layered clouds above them, cloaked in a shallow shadow, they might unconsciously recall the swinging corpse beneath the gallows.
This is Chen Zhou’s objective.
...
"Cruelty" is an important tool for ancient rulers to consolidate power.
Chen Zhou went to great lengths to make a gallows, not to indulge his sadistic taste, or to toy with the brown-haired fellow on purpose.
Previously, managing only two boys who worshiped him, there was no need to resort to such violent means.
Now, facing more indigenous people, possibly increasing in the future, Chen Zhou had to exhibit an impressive form of punishment to demonstrate that "the ruler’s power is unchallengeable."
Relatively speaking, hanging is one of the less impactful and more civilized penalties among various forms.
If imitating the ten great tortures of Hua Xia’s feudal society with public executions by waist severance, skinning, or dismemberment, the psychological shadow left on the natives would be even greater.
However, the crimes committed by the brown-haired were only disobedience, colliding with the ruler, and attempting to escape at most.
These charges were not enough to subject him to greater torment; otherwise, Chen Zhou’s rule would appear too harsh.
...
On the other hand, though Chen Zhou had directly or indirectly accounted for nearly thirty lives, he had become indifferent to the education on life given in the 21st century.
But ultimately, he was still a product of modern times.
The psychological impact of depriving a life through hanging was minimal to him.
But if faced with scenes like dismemberment or waist severance, filled to the brim with gore, Chen Zhou estimated he might not be able to withstand it.
Having just become a "ruler," he might suggest ideas to Saturday and Sunday, but he was truly a bit lost when it came to his own heart—
How to gain the natives’ loyalty? How to train them? How to make them wholeheartedly sacrifice for him?
How to manage when there are more people under him in the future?
How to balance the power of various "small leaders" to avoid internal friction and work together to combat external threats.
How to ensure these fear-inspiring people, who see him as a God, express their ideas honestly, without blind confidence, to provide valuable advice for the future development of the "island’s new power"...
There was still a lot he needed to slowly learn and gradually contemplate.