Chapter 26 Chapter 23 Blood Splattered Heaven Festival

"Cut!" Gang Yi ordered again. The executioner came to his senses, boldly raised his knife forward, and in an instant, a column of blood shot up to the sky, and Tan Sitong's head rolled to one side... Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, and Tan Sitong all went to find someone to rescue Emperor Guangxu. Kang Youwei went to the British embassy. Unfortunately, the consul general went to Beidaihe, and the rest of the British consulate expressed helplessness.The answer Liang Qichao got when he went to the Japanese embassy was also a polite answer, and Kang Youwei had no choice but to follow the secret edict of Emperor Guangxu and leave.

Liang Qichao went to the Japanese Consulate to find Minister Lin Quansuke and former Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi who was visiting China to ask for help to rescue Emperor Guangxu. Tan Sitong hurried to the Japanese embassy to find Liang Qichao. "Ah! Fusheng, you are finally here." Liang Qichao hugged his arms tightly for fear that he would fly away, stared at Tan Sitong with concern and said, "Fusheng, I asked someone to call you, and I was afraid that you would not come. , now that you are here, you will stay with me at the Japanese embassy, ​​and then take their warship to Japan."

Tan Sitong shook his head and said, "Zhuo Ru, I'm not leaving. I'm here first to find out if Mr. Kang has escaped, second, to see if you have avoided the embassy, ​​and third, please take my manuscripts away. Seal the letter." "What! You won't go? Fusheng, you have to go. Although Mr. Kang has escaped from Beijing, his life and death are unknown. If we all die, wouldn't the reformers be killed by Empress Dowager Cixi? Good brother, I have always admired your integrity, but Guanzai, please choose to leave, and leave the green hills, so you don’t have to worry about running out of firewood.”

"Zhuo Ru, what you said is true, but I am traveling as a military plane. When I am in danger, the life of the emperor is still in danger. How can I just escape by myself, I will try to rescue the emperor." "Brother Fusheng, I really admire your loyalty, but we left to escape their massacre, and then make a comeback to revive the glory of the reform. Now we can't die in vain, and you alone can't save the emperor." "The current emperor is an enlightened monarch, which is rare. His life is in danger because he adopted our proposal. How can we leave him alone?"

The sky was originally covered with dark clouds, but suddenly there was a thunderclap. Seeing that the storm was coming, Liang Qichao looked up and said eagerly: "Didn't the emperor's secret order ask us to flee and try to save him? If we don't go, we will all die One, how can we save the emperor? Resurrection, it’s going to rain heavily, come in quickly!” Liang Qichao hurriedly grabbed Tan Sitong's hand again. "No, Zhuo Ru, I've made up my mind and I won't change it. You should go and I should stay. The division of labor is different. There is no room for dispute in the face of a catastrophe."

"Resurrection." Liang Qichao was so anxious that he almost shouted, "If you go back, you will undoubtedly be arrested and beheaded. I won't let you go. Let's go into the house." "No, I'm here to say goodbye to you right now..." It was getting dark, thunder and lightning, big raindrops began to fall... "Resurrection, hurry up, enter the house." "No, Zhuo Ru, goodbye, I am determined to sacrifice my life for my country to thank the world, and reforms in various countries are all formed by bloodshed. Today, China has never heard of bloodshed due to reforms. The reason why this country is not prosperous. Yes, please From Sitong to the beginning!" Tan Sitong turned around and left after saying that.

"Wait a minute," Liang Qichao ran down the steps and hugged Tan Sitong tightly. "Brother Fusheng..." Liang Qichao burst into tears. At this time, the rain was pouring, Tan Sitong let go of Liang Qichao's hand, turned around and ran out, Liang Qichao stared blankly at Tan Sitong's tall body in the lightning... exactly: In an extraordinary period, the Forbidden City shrouded in darkness is heavily guarded. Not to mention the Imperial Guards at five steps, one post at ten steps and one sentry, the patrolling guards are almost guarding one after another, imprisoning the palace so that it is difficult for birds to enter .For the purpose of guarding, the trees around the palace wall have been cut down long ago, leaving the inside and outside of the palace wall bare, which is really hard to penetrate.

The disciples of the Great Swordsman Wang Wu were divided into several groups, and they were secretly lying in ambush outside the palace wall, waiting for the signal from the Great Swordsman Wang Wu... The great swordsman Wang Wu, who possesses unique skills, tried several times but failed to get over the wall. Finally, he climbed over the high wall. He lay down on the top of the wall and lightly threw a stone down in the dark as a test. Immediately, a few guards jumped out of the darkness and shouted, "Who are you?" Dao Wang Wuchang jumped over the wall and walked away with a sigh. He came to Tan Sitong's residence overnight. Tan Sitong saw that his face was full of guilt, knowing that the rescue of Emperor Guangxu had not been accomplished, he sighed heavily and poured him a bowl of water.

Dao Wang Wugulu drank all the water and said, "Master Sitong, come with me! The emperor can't be rescued now, the palace is too tightly guarded, please let me protect you and go to the south of the Yangtze River, unite with Lord Kang, gather troops, and come to rescue the emperor again ,how?" Tan Sitong was very moved when he heard this. He patted the shoulder of Da Dao Wang Wu and said, "Hero Wang, thank you for your loyalty. Although the matter has not been accomplished, the brothers of Restoration will remember you, and the emperor will remember you too... Now that the country is in crisis, heirs cannot be determined, if you want to stay here, you should hurry up and go with your brothers, and go to Mr. Kang, he must be in danger now."

Da Dao Wang Wu still persuaded: "Master Tan, if you keep the green hills, you may not be afraid of running out of firewood. You should go with us. It's too dangerous for you to stay here." "No, I have to stay, you guys go away, it's almost dawn, officers and soldiers are searching for you, go away, see Lord Kang, and say hello to him..." Tan Sitong's voice choked up when he said this. At this time, there were dogs barking and shouting in the street... "Let's go, knight, see you in the future..." "Master Tan..." Dao Wang Wu held his hand with tears in his eyes...

"Go!" The Great Sword King Wu had no choice but to bid farewell to Tan Sitong... When Rong Lu led his troops to surround the Nanhai Guild Hall, Kang Youwei had already fled, and Liang Qichao also hid in the Japanese embassy, ​​and five people including Tan Sitong, Lin Xu, Kang Guangren, Yang Rui, and Liu Guangdi were arrested.And went to death row. September 28, 1898 (August 13th in the twenty-fourth year of Guangxu) is a day that will never be forgotten in history. On this day, the sky was gloomy, Caishikou Square was heavily guarded, and there were many guards, showing a murderous look.The execution ground was crowded with people watching the execution. Soldiers maintained order on both sides of the street, and people were discussing secretly. Caishikou is not only a traffic artery in old Beijing, but also a place where the capital is famous for killing people.For hundreds of years, besides all kinds of felons, there have been many heroes in Caishikou. For example, Wen Tianxiang, a famous official in the Southern Song Dynasty, was publicly beheaded in Caishikou (called Chaishikou at that time) by the Yuan court for fighting against the Yuan Dynasty and saving the country. , His eternal work "Crossing the Lingding Ocean" and the soul-breaking Chai Shikou made him the embodiment of the national integrity of preferring to die rather than surrender in order to resist the Japanese and save the country. There are also historical figures who lost their officialdom in Caishikou, such as Sushun who was executed in Caishikou in the Xinyou coup that was conspired by Cixi and Prince Gong Yiqi.University scholar and Hubu Shangshu Sushun was the first of the eight assistant ministers appointed by Emperor Xianfeng before his death.After the death of Emperor Xianfeng in the Xinyou year, Cixi and Yiqi conspired to seize power. They colluded with Ronglu and launched a coup on the way to escort the emperor Zigong back to Beijing, and arrested Sushun and the other seven ministers who were sleeping soundly.The next day, the little emperor Tongzhi ascended the throne, and Cixi listened to the government in the Forbidden City. Sushun, Duanhua, and Zaiyuan were beheaded in Chaishikou, which became the stepping stone for her first time to listen to politics behind the curtain. Unexpectedly, after a lapse of thirty-eight years, Cixi launched a palace coup again, and the Six Gentlemen of 1898 became the cornerstone of her third time to listen to politics (the second time was the death of Emperor Tongzhi, and Guangxu ascended the throne at the age of four to before her wedding), Caishikou , this historical witness will forever record the shame and glory of history. On this day, the sky was gloomy, as if a storm was coming. Tan Sitong, Lin Xu, Yang Rui, Liu Guangdi, Yang Shenxiu, and Kang Guangren were taken out of the prison. One stood on a prison cart with his hands tied upside down and his head sticking out of the prison cart. Sent to Caishikou Execution Ground... Standing on the prison cart, Tan Sitong's hands were cut and tied behind him, and his head was exposed on the prison cart. Due to the wind blowing, a few strands of long hair fell down from his broad forehead, but it couldn't cover his big, condescending eyes. He was thinking, how much heroic spirit of the pioneers has been left behind on this road from the imperial palace to Caishikou.Although death is the most difficult thing to achieve in life, how many martyrs have achieved it.He thought of Wen Tianxiang's eternal quatrains "No one in life has died since ancient times, keep his loyalty and history", he looked around the bustling streets on both sides, and he felt the taste of people who really want to live when they die... Father, how much my son wants to live to be a filial piety for you... Wife, how much my husband wants to live to share the love of his old age with you, fathers and folks in the village, how much your son who has grown up misses you!Citizens, how much I want to reform the law to benefit you.Your Majesty, how much I want to expand the grand plan with you, revitalize the country, and benefit the people... Sitong wants to live so much, Sitong wants to live so much, Sitong only has thirty steps!The road of life has just begun, but the corrupt and fatuous rulers will not let us live... The prison van was approaching the execution ground, and both sides of the street were crowded with black crowds, and the ferocious soldiers were shouting with guns, not allowing them to come forward. He saw some people in the crowd sighing, some were only curious, and some even showed interest in watching the excitement. He lamented the numbness of the people from the indifferent faces, and his heart was bleeding... I Tan Sitong could escape completely. The reason why I chose to die was to shake the execution ground with my head and the hot blood sprayed out by me, and awaken the people who are still sleeping. The Qing Dynasty was too dark and corrupt, and the Empress Dowager Cixi was too autocratic and brutal, and she strangled the Reform Movement of 1898.Emperor Guangxu, I am ashamed of you and failed to rescue you.The swordsman Wang Wu is going to save you, but there are so many guards, it's hard to fly!Even if he has three heads and six arms, he can't rescue you from the tiger's mouth. He shed tears.It was a kind of helpless tears of grief and indignation. , Your Majesty, if you can be rescued from the imperial palace, avoid foreign embassies, escape from the claws of evil, and then unite with the governor of other provinces, King Qin, then it is entirely possible to compete with Cixi.If you can regain power, then you can carry out reforms like Emperor Meiji of Japan, and then China will never be as corrupt as it is now.It's a pity that Da Dao Wang Wu's plan to rescue you failed, and we can't rescue you. This is our eternal regret... Entering the execution ground, people began to commotion, and the shouts of soldiers became louder and louder. Tan Sitong gradually saw clearly the face and face of the supervisor riding a tall horse, it was him, fortitude!A falcon dog under the Empress Dowager Cixi.snort!It is you stubborn dignitaries who are afraid that the reform and reform will violate your interests, so you desperately oppose it, and you can't wait to kill the reform in three strokes.Kill it, the fire of reform and reform cannot be extinguished, the Chinese people will wake up eventually, and history will push you executioners to the judgment seat of history. At three o'clock in the afternoon, the time to kill is approaching. The cannon horn sounded, and the crowd began to commotion, ah!The prisoners came, they held their heads up and their chests straight... Da Dao Wang Wu and several of his brothers crowded in the crowd on the execution ground. They hid knives and weapons and wanted to rob the execution ground, but the officers and soldiers surrounded the execution ground like an iron barrel Yes, they had no choice but to squeeze through the crowd looking for opportunities.Dao Wang Wuzheng stood on tiptoe, raised his head and neck, and watched nervously... I saw the supervisor resolutely riding a tall horse, majesticly heading towards the square under the protection of a hundred rows of infantry. Followed by six prison cars, the prison cars were escorted by heavily armed sergeants on both sides.In order to prevent robbery, there are 200 rows of sergeants in the back. The prisoners who are executed today are extraordinary, and the strictness can be imagined.The Big Sword King's five heads moved forward, ah, I saw it, it was Tan Sitong, Kang Guangren, Lin Xu, Liu Guangdi, Yang Rui, and Yang Shenxiu.They all held their heads high and showed no fear. Gang Yi waited for the supervisor to reach the middle of the square, then got off his horse and sat on the supervisor's platform. After the second cannon blast, the supervisor resolutely stood up and announced loudly: Take the prisoner to identify himself. So the prison van was opened, and the six prisoners in handcuffs and shackles were escorted to the execution platform. Although their long clothes had been torn and their hair was fluffy, they all had bright eyes and looked proudly ahead. "Kneel down." Si Zhanguan shouted. Liu Guangdi did not kneel. Resolutely shouted: "Why doesn't Liu Chengguangdi kneel?" Liu Guangdi asked loudly: "Since ancient times, those who complained of grievances before punishment, even if they were murdered by thieves, should be re-examined in the present. Does this conform to the ancestral system of the country? The Empress Dowager Cixi keeps saying that she must abide by the ancestral system, but have you complied with it?" "Bold, you dare to utter wild words and slander the Mercy when you are about to die. Come and kneel down his staff." "yes." Immediately, two soldiers came out and beat him on the kneecap with sticks. After Liu Guangdi screamed, he was forced to kneel down by the soldiers. Yang Shenxiu, who was on the side, asked Gangyi angrily: "May I ask you to kill the admonishing officials without trial, how is this behavior like the state? How is it like the law of the ancestors?" After saying this, he sighed and shouted: "The Qing Dynasty is over. Exhausted, dying." Gang Yi slapped the table and shouted: "Presumptuous, shut up." Gang Yi began to read the imperial edict: Instructing ministers of military affairs, such as Kang Guangren, Yang Shenxiu, Yang Rui, Lin Xu, Tan Sitong, Liu Guangdi, etc., are rebellious, and they will be punished immediately. ... This is it. After Gang Yi read out the decree and decree, he drew zeros on the names of the six people and threw the ink brush to the ground, announcing that the six people had been sentenced to death and beheaded immediately. Yang Shenxiu asked: "Excuse me, the supervisor, the emperor has been imprisoned, where did the imperial edict come from?!" "Presumptuous! This is the order of the Empress Dowager Cixi, that is, the imperial order." Gang Yi shouted loudly, and then said: "Prisoners are strictly forbidden to speak. Prepare to be executed." When the six gentlemen heard this, they all looked up to the sky and laughed. Among the crowd, Dao Wang Wu opened his eyes and wanted to charge forward, but the heavily guarded guards were holding knives, and the guards on the ten floors inside and outside were standing guard, Dao Wang Wu was so anxious that he was sweating... The soldiers brought wine for the death of their heads and let them drink it. It is said that after drinking the wine, they can feel happier before leaving.Their hands were handcuffed, and two soldiers poured wine into their mouths with a barrel and a large bowl.After Lin Xu drank it, he sighed, "I'm waiting for death, and my righteousness will be exhausted." Kang Guangren smiled and said: "Don't worry about my brother, how can my blood be shed in vain? The 400 million compatriots in China are full of talents. Once awakened, they will merge into a river and a sea, sweeping away the old patriarchal system with overwhelming force, and establishing a In a prosperous and powerful China, when the dragons and tigers are leaping, there is no need to worry about righteousness!" After Tan Sitong drank a bowl, he looked up to the sky and laughed loudly, reciting: There was commotion in the crowd, and there were clicks of admiration. Dao Wang Wu waved his hand in the chaos and shouted "Come on!" They rushed to the center of the execution ground. For a while, the crowd was in chaos, and the guards and soldiers exclaimed: "Someone robbed the place!" Gang Yi was shocked and hurriedly said, "Take it for me!" Guard officers and soldiers surrounded the past... The Great Sword King Wuhua had no choice but to rush out among the crowd... Seeing this, Gang Yi became anxious and waved his hand. The third trumpet was fired. Six executioners raised their knives and came over. They were all drunk, their red eyes were wide open, and their faces were smeared with rooster blood, making them look even more terrifying.They all wore red runes on their chests and abdomens, and their swords were also wrapped in red cloth. They stood in a row in front of the six gentlemen and waited for the order to kill. Tan Sitong, who always held his head high and chest high, raised his hands high, clasped his fists to the crowd of elders and elders around him, and said loudly: "Dear elders and compatriots: Tan Sitong bids farewell to everyone. Sitong thought that if China is to become prosperous and strong, it must reform and reform. Bloodshed and sacrifice, the bloodshed begins with me, Tan Sitong." He resolutely shouted: "Shut up, you are dying, and you are still so rampant, you are worthy of being the leader of the rebellious party. Well, I will fulfill you, as long as you die first, and the executioner will behead him first!" "yes." An executioner went to pull Sitong, Tan Sitong waved his hand contemptuously, strode forward and calmly waited for the execution, the executioner was overwhelmed by his righteousness, and forgot to raise the knife. "Cut." Gang Yi ordered again. The executioner came to his senses, boldly raised his knife forward, and suddenly a column of blood shot up to the sky, and Tan Sitong's head rolled to one side. The crowd was in chaos, shouting, some pushed forward, some shrank back, the guards immediately fired nervously to maintain order. He was very happy, but he was afraid of accidents, so he quickly ordered the remaining five people to beheaded together.So the five executioners quickly raised their knives and chopped off the heads of the other five people. Strange to say, the crowd suddenly fell silent, perhaps shocked by the heroic spirit of the Six Gentlemen.After a long while, after hearing a heartbreaking cry from the crowd, people suddenly came to their senses, shouted and rushed up... The sky also changed suddenly. Sand and stones, dust everywhere... Gang Yi was so frightened that he trembled all over, and said in a trembling voice: "Withdraw, go back to the mansion!" As a result, hundreds of infantry commanded the army to hug the ground, guarding the fortitude who changed to sedan chair and fled in a hurry. Caishikou recorded another blood debt. A new layer of blood seeped into the ground of Caishikou Square, and this layer of blood reddened the red scarves worn by officials of the current dynasty.Isn't it, on the day when the six gentlemen were bloody at Caishikou, Cixi issued an imperial edict. The treacherous official Rong Lu was promoted to Governor of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang. Ghost official Li Hongzhang resumed his original post. Yuan Shikai, a thief official, was promoted to the second-rank official position. The flatterer Yang Chongyi, who invited the Empress Dowager Cixi to train the government, was also promoted. The stubborn old man who was dismissed by Emperor Guangxu, Huaitabu, Minister of Rites, and the other six officials all wore black hats again. The reform took a total of 103 days from the edict issued by Emperor Guangxu at Tiananmen to the mouth of the six gentlemen who were bloody vegetables. The Hundred Days Restoration ended when the emperor was imprisoned, concubine Zhen was thrown into limbo, six gentlemen were killed, Kang and Liang fled overseas, and Empress Dowager Cixi ascended the throne of the emperor in a dignified way and began her political training... exactly: Kang Youwei escaped from death several times, and under the protection of the British embassy, ​​he broke through Rong Lu's net in Shanghai and boarded a British warship bound for Hong Kong. The ship broke through the waves rapidly. Kang Youwei and his two disciples stood on the deck and leaned on the railing to look into the distance. The wind was strong today, and the ship shook a little. Kang Youwei became visibly thinner, his eye sockets turned blue, and his broad forehead became more prominent. He looked at the waves as high as the waves in front of him, and thought of the failure of the reform, filled with grief and indignation... One hundred and three days, it failed in only one hundred and three days, why is God so cruel! From "writing on the bus" to escaping to Hainan, he has experienced too much wind and rain... What happened in the past hundred days seems to have happened in an instant, yes!Protesting the "Treaty of Shimonoseki" and signing a letter with more than a thousand people... I rushed to write a letter of ten thousand characters late at night, which was the paragraph that was enough to make the Empress Dowager Cixi kill him. It seems that the ink is still wet: Issue an edict to encourage the spirit of the world, move the capital to establish the foundation of the world, train troops to strengthen the power of the world, and reform to rule the world. Introduced by Weng Tonghe, his "Examination of the Japanese Coup" and "The History of the Russian Emperor Peter the Great" were sent to Emperor Guangxu... He and Weng Tonghe, Li Hongzhang, Rong Lu, Zhang Yinhuan, and Liao Shouheng, five military ministers, eloquently debated in the West Flower Hall of the Imperial Palace.When he was hit head-on by Rong Lu's "the law of the ancestors cannot be changed", he said without changing his face, "the law of the ancestors is to govern the land of the ancestors. If the land of the ancestors cannot be guarded today, what is the law of the ancestors?" Refuting the other party... After several efforts, he was finally summoned by Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty in the Hall of Renshou in the Summer Palace. During the two-hour dialogue, the proposals such as opening a bureaucracy and abolishing stereotyped writing made Guangxu's eyes brighter and brighter. Emperor Guangxu issued an edict at Tiananmen Square, officially announcing that reforms and reforms would begin across the country. On that day, Liang Qichao, Tan Sitong, and I cheered happily under the tower... Suddenly, the situation changed suddenly and dark clouds covered, Weng Tonghe was vacated by the Empress Dowager Cixi and returned home, and the Reformation was dealt a fatal blow. Farewell to Mr. Weng, the head of the city, has a premonition that a bloody storm is coming... The Empress Dowager Cixi resolutely refused to open the Maoqin Hall, Rong Lu was appointed Governor of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang, and ten ministers including the Minister of Rites, Huaitabu, who was vacated by Emperor Guangxu, knelt down and wept to the Empress Dowager Cixi in the Summer Palace... As soon as the bloody massacre is about to begin. Lin Xu sent Emperor Guangxu's clothes and belt edict, asking me to flee to Shanghai immediately. Tan Sitong visited Yuan Shikai at night, but Yuan Shikai pretended to be righteously angry on the surface, and immediately informed Ronglu. Yuan Shikai, you two-headed poisonous snake. Yuan Shikai deceived us because we have no military power. Lesson ah lesson! The reason why the Meiji Restoration in Japan was successful was because the emperor Meiji regained power from the shogunate. Our reform failed because the emperor had no real power, especially military power, so we relied on this Yuan thief. Great lesson! However, then again, to help the emperor regain power from Cixi, is tantamount to pulling a tooth out of a tiger's mouth. It's not easy! Thinking of this, Kang Youwei felt a little chilly, so he took the coat from the student and put it on. "Teacher, go back to the cabin, the wind is strong, and it's too cold on the deck." "Ok!" Kang Youwei and the others just turned around to go back to the cabin, when they suddenly saw a friend coming up profusely in sweat, and told him, "It's hard to explain because of the electronic performance, Tan Sitong, Kang Guangren, Yang Shenxiu, Yang Rui, Lin Xu, and Liu Guangdi were killed at Caishikou, Emperor Guangxu was imprisoned in Yingtai." what!Kang Youwei almost fainted when he heard this.Guangren, Sitong, Lin Xu, Yang Rui, Guangdi, Shenxiu, my good brothers, you died so miserable! Kang Youwei cried loudly, beating his chest and feet, "My dear brothers, you are all martyred. What is the use of me, Kang Youwei, being alive? I don't want to live, and I want to go with you..." As he said that, he was about to jump into the sea and be left behind. hold tight...