An executioner is a profession that specializes in carrying out executions and is often seen as a marginal figure in society. Their job is to bring the convicts sentenced to death to the scene of execution and carry out the execution. The work of executioners is often seen as unpleasant and cruel because they have to end a person's life with their own hands.
The cold air before dawn gradually dissipated, and the executioner Deng Haishan, who walked on the execution ground, wearing a black robe and black hat provided by the official, and holding a long knife that ordered the execution, stepped out, his eyes firm and solemn. The crowd of onlookers came to visit the scene of this large killing.
The crowd peeked at this murderous "execution weapon", which was a demon to others, but only for himself to uphold the justice of the imperial court. With the wave of the long knife, the criminal's cervical vertebrae were broken, and his life returned to Huangquan.
Even so, Deng Haishan did not feel sorry or afraid, but felt that it was a noble responsibility. Throughout the ridicule, insult, and even scolding him for being able to "manipulate yin and yang", Deng Haishan still did not change his face and still carried out the horrific mission. More than 300 people died under his knife.
However, the years have passed, the wheel of history has rolled forward, and the profession of executioner has finally entered the long river of history. So what is his ultimate fate as the last executioner?
The last executioner
Deng Haishan was born in the late Qing dynasty, when the times were turbulent and the corruption of the Qing government deepened the suffering of the people. Deng Haishan, who has lived in poverty since he was a child, has been living without food, which makes him deeply aware of the importance of money.
Deng Haishan felt helpless and sad for his family, and the difficulties in life led to the family's inability to receive timely treatment when they fell ill, and eventually passed away. This deeply touched his heart and made him more determined to pursue wealth.
Deng Haishan followed his parents to make a living as early as he was very young. The family struggled but could not guarantee three meals a day, a poor state of life that made young Deng Haishan feel uneasy and helpless.
In order to improve the family's situation, Deng Haishan began to seriously think about how to earn more money to support the family. Early on, he learned a seemingly small but crucial lesson in life: that a skill or craft needed to be learned to earn a steady income.
When Deng Haishan became an adult, he began looking for a job that would earn a good pay. By chance, he discovered that executioner is a very promising profession, and although it is a very hard and discriminated work, there seems to be no other way to survive in such a hot world.
Learn from a teacher
Deng Haishan's adult life has always been extremely difficult, and the world was cold at the end of the Qing Dynasty, not to mention that Deng Haishan, who had no ability, had almost no stable source of income. One day, desperate, he began begging, dressed in tattered clothes and on an empty stomach, begging around the city.
On the way to beggar, Deng Haishan saw the scene of Tong Shaoji eating meat. As a famous local executioner, Tong Shaoji is not only notorious, but also has a unique work treatment and high salary. Although executioner is a job with a bad reputation, there is no face in that world.
For Deng Haishan, seeing Tong Shaoji eating so fragrant made him immediately think of the sound grumbling in his stomach. He decided to bravely go over and ask Tong Shaoji to help him, so Deng Haishan rushed forward, knelt in front of Tong Shaoji, and begged the other party to take him as an apprentice.
Tong Shaoji looked at the young and ignorant teenager in front of him, his heart was full of complicated emotions, for this child, it was already a very difficult thing to survive in the chaotic world. Tong Shaoji knows how much Deng Haishan needs a stable job and source of income at this moment.
But Tong Shaoji also understands very well that this profession is different from other professions, it has unique moral and ethical standards, and it will be despised by everyone in peaceful days, Tong Shaoji can hardly imagine how a young and kind teenager can bear to make such cruel decisions every day.
Tong Shaoji hesitated for a moment, and then asked Deng Haishan why he wanted to become an executioner. Deng Haishan replied firmly: "As long as I can eat, anything will do." In the end, under the soft grinding and hard bubble, Tong Shaoji still agreed to Deng Haishan's request.
Deng Haishan became an assistant to Tong Shaoji, which meant he would become a trustee in the performance of official duties. Although he initially had some difficulty coordinating the emotional and moral pressures of carrying out tasks, he gradually adapted and understood his responsibilities as the work progressed.
Tong Shaoji is very strict, and during the training process, Deng Haishan is required to achieve every movement without fail, and the knives need to be polished before and after. Whether it was speed, power or accuracy of wielding a knife, Deng Haishan had to face great pressure and determination.
Tong Shaoji found Deng Haishan very intelligent and powerful, so he began to teach Deng Haishan his skills and experience in this profession. He taught Deng Haishan how to swing his sword properly and how to retain compassion and kindness when needed.
As time passed, Deng Haishan became more and more skilled, and had a greater sense of responsibility and mission. He began to be actively involved in the whole process, being good at making suggestions and thinking about how to solve the offender in the least possible way.
Through Deng Haishan's superb skills, work ethic and tenacious courage to survive in his work, Deng Haishan finally found his place in this cruel and demanding society. Tong Shaoji watched his beloved apprentice thrive, and he felt extremely relieved and helpless at the same time.
Crazy for money, more than 300 people were slashed
Deng Haishan became a qualified executioner under the guidance of his master Tong Shaoji. He enjoyed a life of meat to eat and no longer worry about food and clothing, and he was secretly happy in his heart.
However, something subtle changes seemed to occur deep in his heart. He felt that killing had become more and more common to him, as if there was no resistance, no doubt.
Time flies, and teacher Fu Tong Shaoji of Deng Haishan is breathing the hospital bed before his death, thinking thoughtfully. He knew that his time was running out, so he gently woke up his disciple Deng Haishan next to him and began to teach him his last life lesson.
Tong Shaoji told Deng Haishan seriously: "As the saying goes, there is a family law, there are rules, you have been doing this for many years, I believe you have accumulated rich experience and skills." However, you also need to clarify one of the most basic principles: you must not kill more than a hundred! ”
"Listen, that's the most important thing I'm going to say." Tong Shaoji said firmly, "When you are engaged in this industry, you must not kill too many people, 99 is the limit, and then you must thoroughly wash your hands in the golden basin." ”
At that time, Deng Haishan was not awakened by these words, and he had become more and more numb to the fact that he was ruthless about his profession. At this time, Tong Shaoji's words suddenly changed: "The line of executioner is really not an easy task, if you don't stop in the end, then your old age must not be peaceful." ”
Soon Tong Shaoji passed away, and Deng Haishan slowly became numb and gradually blinded by the temptation of money. He began to behead continuously, unable to extricate himself, and even after cutting off the 99th head, he still did not stop, completely abandoning his master's dying teachings.
Deng Haishan thought to himself: "Since you have accidentally cut more than 99 people, why can't you cut more people?" So with the attitude of breaking the jar and breaking it, Deng Haishan lived a languishing life. Deng Haishan drank alcohol at home every day, and by this time he had been engaged for more than 10 years, cutting off nearly 300 heads.
There are too many killings, and the old age is not peaceful
Deng Haishan lived a very lonely life, and he remained alone for decades after his master's death. Deng Haishan gradually realized that this kind of work in such a feudal society would only make it difficult for him to establish relationships with the people around him, so much so that he remained alone later.
For marriage, Deng Haishan also knows nothing. Although he longed to have a family, a person to live on, he knew that he was easily disliked and blamed because of his career. He tried to find love, but the matchmakers also shunned him because of his profession.
As the times changed, Deng Haishan lost his only source of livelihood. The fall of the Qing government announced the collapse of the Qing dynasty, and society underwent tremendous changes under the advancement of hot weapons. Cold weapons are no longer popular, and executioners have lost their usefulness.
Although the Republic of China government also had prisoners, shooting has become the mainstream, replacing beheading. Deng Haishan could not adapt to such a transformation, and no one needed his sharp knife anymore. Deng Haishan tried to find a new career, but after hearing about his previous job, he chose to go out of the door.
Deng Haishan, who is getting poorer, faces unprecedented difficulties. Deng Haishan felt that he was helpless and hesitant, the previous wealth began to disappear, his heart was full of anxiety and unease, the whole person fell into despair, Deng Haishan returned to the downfall of his youth, begging on the street.
Even in his later years, Deng Haishan still felt the pressure of society. Although he has done his best to make amends for the sins he has committed, people still cannot completely forget his past. He became lonely, destitute, and even lost shelter and food.
I don't know how long it took, and there was no trace of Deng Haishan on the street. Until one day, a stranger walked into a dilapidated thatched hut in a remote mountainous area. It was desolate and silent, with only the occasional sound of wind and grass, and there was an eerie atmosphere in the room that made people shudder.
The stranger opened the door and saw the body of a man, as if he had been dead for years. The corpse was huddled in a corner, holding its head in its hands, as if afraid of something, and some large knives next to it looked rusty. There was a rancid smell in the air, which was unbearable.
The stranger carefully observed his surroundings, and when he came closer, he saw that it was an old and haggard face, although he was in a dead state, but from the still frightened eyes, he could see that this person had experienced many unimaginable things.
In the end, later generations concluded that this person was Deng Haishan, who completed a long and bumpy life, and finally left this world lonely with fear. People say that he often felt frightened when he wandered the streets, constantly shouting: "Let me go, let me go!" "The neighborhood leader also felt that his sins were too heavy, and some unjust souls sought his life.
epilogue
Looking back on Deng Haishan's later years, it can be said that it is very bleak. He lost all his friends and loved ones, leaving behind no possessions, not even friends and relatives. After his death, no one came to arrange for him, and he was eventually buried deep in the mountains without even a tombstone.
If Deng Haishan had followed the teachings of his master and chose to wash his hands in the golden basin after cutting 99 people, would his end be better? He was pathetic, pitiful that he was born in troubled times, and at the same time hateful, hateful and greedy.
Such a bleak ending seems to be somewhat inconsistent with Deng Haishan's heroic and courageous image in his early years. But perhaps this is the cruelty and ruthlessness of history, which did not tolerate Deng Haishan, as the executioner of the Qing Dynasty, miserably played and abandoned by fate. Deng Haishan is a product of an old society, and his decline is also the end of an era.