Before reading this article, please click to "follow" , which not only facilitates you to discuss and share, but also brings you a different sense of participation. Thank you for your support.
"If you want to rob, you can rob the emperor, and if you want to sleep, you can slept, the imperial concubine!"
Robber Kang Xiaoba said this to the 70-year-old Cixi . Cixi was furious after hearing this and directly ordered him to be dragged down and executed by Lingchi.
At that time, Just one month after the Qing Dynasty abolished Lingchi, Kang Xiaoba broke the example and became the "last criminal executed by Lingchi" in Chinese history .
On the day of the execution, almost the people in the entire capital came to watch. As a result, Kang Xiaoba was not ashamed, but proudly showed off to everyone: "I scolded Cixi and I will be lingchi!"
How terrifying is "lingchi"? Where is this Kang Xiaoba from? What crime did you commit again?
Cruel Extreme Suppression
One day in May 1905, a large group of people surrounded Wuyang, Caishikou, Beijing. They went to watch the execution scene of a criminal. What surprised everyone present was that the prisoner was going to be executed by Lingchi.
The so-called "lingchi" is also called "cut into pieces" by the people. This kind of punishment was used before th generation , because it was too cruel and was banned.
was not included in the formal law of punishment until the Liao Dynasty. is used to punish those who committed the crime of rebellion, caused chaos, and spoke wildly. of course, the most important thing is those criminals who threaten the status of feudal rulers.
There are many cases of "lingchi" execution in history: for example, The eunuch in the late Ming Dynasty was once ordered by the emperor to be executed by lingchi.
It is said that he was cut for 3 days at that time. On the first day, he cut 357 knives on his nails and chest with a break of 10 knives. After three days, a total of 3,357 knives were cut and died completely.
The famous anti-Qing general in the late Ming Dynasty Yuan Chonghuan , who made great military achievements for the Ming Dynasty, but was slandered by treacherous officials, saying that he secretly colluded with the Qing soldiers and let the Qing soldiers enter the pass. This time, he won the anti-espionage plan of . The suspicious emperor of Chongzhen ordered him to be executed.
Yuan Chonghuan
And the people didn't know the truth or falsehood of the matter. They really thought he was a traitor, and they all hated him so much that they hated him. What's more, they even bought his meat and cooked it home to relieve the hatred in their hearts.
It was not until the Ming Dynasty was destroyed and the Qing Dynasty compiled " Ming History " that the truth was made public. Yuan Chonghuan's death was also the first unjust case in the late Ming Dynasty.
Although it was before the Qing Dynasty. The extreme punishment of Lingchi existed, and there have been many criminals who have been punished by Lingchi throughout the ages. However, after Emperor Guangxu issued the "New Deal", he had ordered the complete abolition of the extreme punishment of "Lingchi".
In April 1905, Fu Zhuli was sentenced to death by killing his master (Mongolian prince). He should have been the "last prisoner who was lingchied" in China, but he didn't expect Kang Xiaoba to emerge from the middle of the road and stole his name.
Kang Xiaoba was executed scene
A sinful life
Kang Xiaoba was not originally surnamed Kang. He was born in a poor family named Wu in Tianjin Wei . Because of the thinning hair, I got the nickname "Wu Tuzi".
People in that era flattered themselves from having more children and more blessings, and often ignored the actual situation of their families, which led to a situation where "the more you are born, the poorer you are, the more you want to have a child."
The Wu family has too many children, and the family is getting poorer and poorer, so they can't support him, so their parents gave him to the Kang family in Donghuangzhuang, Beijing.
After adoption, Kang's parents named him Kang Tianxin . Because he ranked eighth, he was also called "Kang Xiaoba", and he himself prefers others to call him "Kang Ba Grandpa".
In that era, the family conditions that could afford eight children were quite good. The Kang family has three donkeys for picking up goods, so they run errands to earn some money for living. After Kang Xiaoba came to the Kang family, he was also arranged to do this kind of footwork.
However, he is a naughty person by nature, and the Kang family's parents don't care much about him, which leads to him often mingling with gangsters at a young age, fighting, bullying the people, and doing all kinds of evil.
Kang Xiaoba also made a name for himself because he was not afraid of dying in the fight. A rich man surnamed Zou took advantage of his courageous spirit, so he offered a high price to ask him to be a bodyguard for him. Seeing that money was jealous, Kang Xiaoba quickly followed the rich man happily.
In order to help him protect himself better, the rich man also spent a lot of money to buy a Japanese revolver from Japan, and equipped it with 300 bullets, and told him: "You can use the gun at will, but you must protect me well."
However, the rich man's approach is undoubtedly to attract the wolf into the house and put himself in a dangerous situation.
With the pistol and bullets beside him, Kang Xiaoba became even more unscrupulous. Whenever he encounters something that makes him unhappy, he will immediately take out his pistol to subdue others, and become more domineering and bullying outside.
When the rich man saw this situation, he kindly reminded the rich man to take back his pistol. After all, Kang Xiaoba is a rogue. It would be fine if he used to be a scoundrel, but now he still has a gun in his hand, so he must be even more arrogant. If one day a lawsuit arises, you will be the one who suffers.
The rich man thought that this made sense, so he found an excuse to try to get the pistol back. If we say that Kang Xiaoba was quite obedient in the past, but now he has a gun in his hand, it is completely impossible for him to be obedient.
So he said without caring:
"If you really get into trouble, when the man just spoke up and messed with you, I shot him and broke him. Isn't this the end? You can't use the gun, what's the use of holding it?"
The rich man was afraid that he would collapse himself without being happy, and he didn't dare to say anything else. However, he had already begun to slowly alienate him in private, and even proposed to disband later. When he heard that he was about to part, Kang Xiaoba also began to think about how to get out. But he is not very educated, and there is only one thing he can think of, that is, to eliminate the roots.
So Kang Xiaoba found an opportunity to scare the rich man in a sparsely populated place, and then spoke quietly behind him: "Are you scared? Then I'll give you the gun." Just as the rich man turned around and took the gun, Kang Xiaoba pressed the trigger and the rich man died on the spot.
killed someone, and Kang Xiaoba had to be forced to escape with a gun. It is precisely because of the gun that whenever he goes, he will gather local gangsters to rob.
However, he was still very proud of his face. Although he was robbing the family, he beautified himself into a thief who robbed the rich and helped the poor, requiring his subordinates to only rob the money of the rich businessmen, not the wealth of the poor, and even took out the money he stolen to distribute to the poor for the first time.
For the sake of his image as a "ravaged thief", Kang Xiaoba also made it very mysterious. Not only do he commits crimes in masks every time, but his subordinates will also commit crimes with his identity.
Gradually, Kang Xiaoba's name spread completely. Everyone knows that there is such a robber. The rich regard him as a "demon", while the poor regard him as a "knight", but no one has ever seen his true face. This also led to the subsequent tragedy.
That day, Kang Xiaoba went to the street to shave his head, and two people happened to be talking about him.
"Have you heard that? That Kang Xiaoba killed someone again!"
"This is no longer a strange thing."
Kang Xiaoba immediately became vain, wanting to hear how others praised him, but he heard a curse: "People like him will definitely be punished by God in the future, and they will not die well!"
Kang Xiaoba was so angry that he was itchy, but he still held back his temper and asked if the two had seen Kang Xiaoba himself. After receiving a negative answer, Kang Xiaoba smiled sly, then took out his pistol and shot it at the two of them. The two fell down and died innocently.
This is not the first time Kang Xiaoba has done this kind of murder in broad daylight. In addition, he has already formed his own power at this time and has colluded with people in the officialdom. It can be said that as long as he does not overestimate his ability to challenge the royal dignity and bottom line, no one will care about his murder and arson.
However, people always have to pay the price for their own arrogance.
The courageous and angry royal
One day Kang Xiaoba came to celebrate his friend's father's birthday. He had already booked a private room in the hotel, but the person arrived there and the room was gone. He was snatched away by a certain Beile Master from , the Qing .
Everything comes first and then comes. At this time, Kang Xiaoba didn't lose his temper for the sake of his friends, and was waiting for the store to deal with it.
But this Beile Ye is also a rude master. When he heard that someone dared to compete with him for territory, he cursed at them directly, and even humiliated them with alcohol: "I am from the Huangqi of the Qing Dynasty. Are you a group of Han slaves worthy of fighting with me?"
Kang Xiaoba heard this and got angry. He took out his pistol very quickly and shot Beile Ye Ye twice in the head. Soon the news about "Belle's death in the restaurant" spread wildly.
In the past, he robbed some wealthy and powerless businessmen. This time he killed the royal relatives, and the nature was immediately different. The government did not dare to shelter him anymore and immediately issued a wanted order.
Kang Xiaoba also knew that the matter was getting big this time. He was afraid of eating in prison and fled from Beijing overnight and to an unknown small place. He stayed there for several years. After the rumor passed, Kang Xiaoba finally returned to Beijing secretly.
However, in recent years of escape, Kang Xiaoba has long been no longer the top topic in the capital, and the name of "Rogue" is no longer useful, and he is gradually forgotten by people. The gap like
made Kang Xiaoba extremely dissatisfied. In order to return to the top throne of the world, he planned to do a big shot, and his goal was to get Caoyin.
The so-called canal silver is the taxes given to the court by the local government, so it is also called "imperial bar". This is a royal asset, and the government attaches great importance to the escort of Caoqian.
Kang Xiaoba also noticed this. When he went to the site to check in, he found that the soldiers responsible for escorting Caoyin were equipped with the most excellent weapons, and even invited powerful gangs to track and protect them.
Although Kang Xiaoba had a pistol, they were all old things from several years ago. He was still single-handed and just hitting the stone with an egg, so Kang Xiaoba decisively gave up the idea of robbing Caoyin.
But he was still unwilling to stay silent and he soon thought of another trick: if is not really grabbing, he will release the message, just let everyone know that Kang Xiaoba is back again.
So he picked up his pistol and fired his gun at the sky, then shouted: "My Grandpa Kang Ba is back again. I'm optimistic about your Caoyin, I'll get it right now!"
never thought that his bluff really worked. People in the capital began to discuss the matter of his robbery of Caoyin, and the court also attached great importance to it. In order to save Kang Xiaoba's face from shooting the royal relatives before, the court ordered the arrest to be increased and Kang Xiaoba must be arrested!
in the world, it is said that Kang Xiaoba is very good at martial arts and is also good at shooting skills. The court was worried that ordinary officers and soldiers would not be able to catch him, so it even sent someone to invite the eunuch Li Lianying 's personal guard Shang Yunxiang to help.
This Shang Yunxiang is a martial arts master of a generation and is mastered by Xingyiquan Grandmaster Li Cunyi . Because of his high martial arts skills, no one dared to provoke him in both black and white, and even respectfully called him " Iron Foot Buddha ", and the eunuch Li Lianying even spent a lot of money to ask him to be a bodyguard.
Shang Yunxiang
Ma Yutang people were nicknamed "Zhu Tian Monkey", and their strength is no weaker than Shang Yunxiang. Being jointly pursued by two such masters can be regarded as the highlight of the life of Kang Xiaoba, a gangster.
Kang Xiaoba naturally couldn't beat others, but he was not convinced and wanted to attack with a gun, but was subdued by Ma Yutang.
In fact, before arresting Kang Xiaoba, Ma Yutang and the others were worried that he would be a difficult opponent. After all, this person is known as a thief with flying eaves and walls and great light skills. He can be arrogant in this generation for several years. I believe he must have strong skills.
As a result, they thought too much about everything. Kang Xiaoba did not know any martial arts. At most, he had a few three-legged kung fu and Ma Yutang captured him with one move.
Ma Yutang
Kang Xiaoba did not resist, and he took the initiative to explain all the crimes he committed during the trial.
The people of the court saw that he was so honest, and they even exempted him from his handcuffs and shackles. They offered him delicious food and drink every day. There were even three women from the eight great Hutongs who sent him to enjoy.
These three women became famous because they went to prison to serve the famous thief Kang Xiaoba. They were called "Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust", and there were endless customers.
Kang Xiaoba's romantic affairs in prison were circulating among the people, and even spread to the palace.
teasing Cixi was lingchi
The palace maids were talking about Kang Xiaoba's story in an interest, and were heard by Empress Longyu .
In their mouths, Kang Xiaoba instantly beautified from a gangster to a thief who dares to act and take responsibility. Empress Longyu was also very interested in this "chivalrous man" and even felt that he was wronged.
In order not to let the Qing Dynasty lose such a "chivalrous man", Empress Longyu told the story of Kang Xiaoba to Cixi.
After listening to her story, Cixi felt that this person was still a "hero", and she couldn't help but fantasize about him: an eight-foot man was wrongly imprisoned and imprisoned, but he still remained heroic and proud.
Cixi wanted to meet this "heroic man" in person, so she sent an order to bring Kang Xiaoba to her and she would interrogate her personally.
When they heard about this, the officials who often watched the dishes were happy to Kang Xiaoba.
Kang Xiaoba still doesn't know where the joy comes from. The officials explained that Empress Dowager Cixi likes to listen to good things. If you make her happy, wouldn't you be able to get rid of it? In order to curry favor with him, the officials also taught him some court etiquette.
But Kang Xiaoba didn't agree with it. He didn't want to make the empress dowager happy. What he wanted was to show off, even if it was a bad reputation, what's wrong?
So he scolded Cixi as an "old witch" in prison and wanted to ruin his good deeds. This scared the person who was on duty. If it was heard by the Lord Buddha, his life would probably be insured. Anyway, they will die, otherwise they will feed him a pack of rat medicine to send him on the road the next day.
The next day, this person's attitude changed 180 degrees, and he flattered with a huge favor. Naturally, he was not sure that Kang Xiaoba planned to make another show of the current Empress Dowager.
It was soon the day of interrogation. When the rumored "thief" Kang Xiaoba was brought up, everyone's fantasy was instantly shattered.
This is not a rumored "tall and burly" and "heroic" thief. It is clearly a thin and slutty hooligan with a vulgar look. Cixi was extremely disappointed and instantly lost her interest in interrogation.
But she is still very good at face-saving projects, and she resists discomfort and asks him why he wants to rob Caoyin.
Kang Xiaoba did not answer her positively, but instead evaluated the appearance of the palace maids around Cixi, and then looked at Empress Longyu with disgust.
then turned to look at Cixi and said with a despicable look: "If you want to rob, just rob the emperor, you want to sleep, you have to sleep with the imperial concubine!" then laughed to the sky.
Cixi was even angry when she heard this. She had never seen such a rude madman in her life. She was furious and Cixi ordered Kang Xiaoba Lingchi to be executed.
At this time, Emperor Guangxu had just issued the new policy and just removed Lingchi from the punishment. It is logical that Kang Xiaoba should have been beheaded for public performance.
But who made him angry that the most unprovoked woman in the world? Cixi gave an order and said that Ling Chi was executed and immediately took him to the execution ground.
The people in the capital learned that the thief Kang Xiaoba would be sentenced to Lingchi, and even brought their families to watch.
Under the gaze of everyone, Kang Xiaoba regained the once glorious feeling. He just liked others to look at his own eyes and enjoyed the feeling that others feared him. Even if these people are watching the show this time, he will still show off.
Generally speaking, executioners will blind the criminal's eyes to prevent their cold eyes from affecting the executioner's operations.
But Kang Xiaoba refused to blindfold his eyes. It was not that he really wanted to stare at the executioner resentful, but that he wanted to see with a tough look at how he was "cut into pieces".
When the executioner's knife cut off the flesh on his chest one after another, the onlookers took a breath. Kang Xiaoba not only did not let out a wail, but also laughed directly to the sky:
"Young and young men, please take a look, are you afraid, are you shouting? It hurts!"
Kang Xiaoba is indeed not a coward, and he also acted like a person when facing his lingchi. After being cut for more than three thousand swords, Kang Xiaoba became dying. In the end, the executioner gave him a happy life and ended his sinful life.
Later, his story was written into the novel by Lao She . The difference is that the eighth master in the novel was portrayed as a heroic hero in the world. In reality, the eighth master Kang is always the unforgivable robber.
Although Kang Xiaoba was sentenced to death, he showed off his sacred momentum before his death and died vigorously. He is destined to be a place in the long river of history: people will remember that there was a robber named Kang Xiaoba, who was "the last person to be executed by Lingchi in China.
Perhaps this result is exactly what Kang Xiaoba wants to see.
