Chapter 166

The Cheon-ja’s imperial decree was twofold.

The first measure was to curb the influx of narcotics.

“Tang Yeon-cheol, Vice-Chancellor of the Hallim-won, is hereby appointed as governor. You are hereby granted the authority to oversee both civil and military administration of all trade ports. Ensure that goods not verified by the government do not enter Chinguk.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The Cheon-ja had called on a renowned incorruptible official for a special task.

It was none other than Im Sung-hwan, who had once reported his own father for accepting bribes to the censorate. While his inflexible nature made him unpopular among his peers, he was nonetheless suitable for this mission as it would make him immune to bribery.

Of course, the Cheon-ja also realized it might not be enough.

‘This alone might just provoke the merchants instead of stopping the trade.’

There was already next to no diplomatic relations with the Britannia Empire.

Still, it was impossible to arbitrarily cut off trade with other countries.

Even closing the borders entirely wouldn’t guarantee stopping the flow of contraband.

Clearly, this measure alone was far from sufficient.

Therefore, there was one other countermeasure that came to mind. However, the decision to enact it weighed heavily on him.

It wasn’t due to any indecision in Tang Yeon-cheol’s character. The countermeasure was simply too oppressive and violent to execute without hesitation.

But Cheon-ja didn’t remain undecided for long.

“A report from the floor! An incident has occurred.”

“…Unless it’s an urgent matter, don’t bring it up one by one. Another appearance of ganɡsi in some district, I presume. Summarize and report once a day.”

“Forgive me, but it’s a calamity!”

Another incident had arisen.

This time, it was a massacre.

“Yesterday, the remnants of the Nan-gung and Hwang-bo families launched a sudden attack on the Medicine King Sect. By the time the imperial army arrived, the situation was already over. …Most members, including the sect leader, were killed. The death toll reached fifty-five.”

“Wasn’t the Medicine King Sect a sect founded by healers?”

“Yes, but rumors circulated that they sold the无形之毒to followers of the Blood Sect for exorbitant prices. The attackers argue it was legitimate retribution.”

“Hmph.”

“During the arrest of the attackers, quite a few imperial soldiers were injured.”

Word of a major incident caused by the families that lost their leadership at the Dragon Summit.

Of course, they had gone berserk. The term ‘remnants’ already hinted at the devastating blow they had suffered. Even so, how could they massacre dozens of people based on mere rumors?

‘At this rate, they’ll all die.’

The martial arts world, already suffering devastating blows.

If left unchecked, they would self-destruct, one by one. Every sect that had any connection to poison research was likely to become a target.

‘This won’t do.’

This wasn’t the time to worry about future evaluations.

To put an end to this chaos, Tang Yeon-cheol issued the second decree with a stern expression.

“Kill them all.”

“Your Majesty?”

“Kill them all… The servants and courtesans who secretly administered narcotics to attendees of the Dragon Summit and their families. Kill them all. Also, those who destroyed the Medicine King Sect and resisted the imperial army must die as well. No matter the number, kill them all.”

“Yes, I will pass the message to the Minister of Punishments.”

“They are traitors now.”

Executing hundreds of people in one go was an unusual occurrence.

What’s more, it wasn’t just a regular execution.

Tang Yeon-cheol also instructed that it should be conducted in various places day and night, as visibly as possible to as many commoners as possible, for maximum impact.

This was an execution to set an example.

The Lord Cheon-ja Tang Yeon-chel believed that without measures like this, creating awareness about the dangers of narcotics was impossible.

It was a measure to kill hundreds and save hundreds of thousands.

…

Three days later.

The crowd gathered in the middle of the Zhuque Avenue.

A public execution ordered by the Cheon-ja was about to take place. Although the brutal deaths of over two hundred individuals were anticipated, the execution being novel drew a mixed audience brimming with tension, anticipation, and fear.

The executioners weren’t unbothered either.

The method was particularly dreaded, as it was dismemberment punishment.

While the mad executioners sharpened their swords, one of the wardens brought out the convict and stepped forth before the crowd.

“This person is Wang San, a waiter at the Xin Feng Inn, located in Huainan Province’s capital.”

“S, Spare me!”

“Hold your tongue… This individual was one of the minions of Alan Medoff, the powerful noble of Britannia Empire. On the directives of this cruel man, Wang assisted in feeding narcotics to famous martial artists for personal gain.”

“I never…!”

Pffkk!

Wang San fell down after lashing out and receiving a blow.

The warder stared down at him like an insect and then turned his gaze back to the crowd.

Because of the mention of Alan, the onlookers grew stiff. In the capital, Nanjing, the acts of this feared enemy were well-documented topics of conversation; a man who had corrupted entire nations with a drug that drove people mad.

“…That’s right. The instigator behind the Dragon Summit atrocities wasn’t from China but the fierce foe of the West. His minions operate throughout Chinguk, ready to turn traitor for a few pieces of silver!”

“How…?”

“We will now present the evidence.”

Subsequently, a pill was inserted into the mouth of the convicted criminal who had been kneeling. It was one of the pieces of evidence collected from the crime scene. A pill containing narcotics of unknown name, accurate distribution route, or ingredients, except that it was supposedly manufactured by Alan Medoff, and much about it remained shrouded in mystery.

The reason for administering the drug to someone about to die was to demonstrate its alarming efficacy to all present.

“By consuming this drug, the individual cannot feel pain. Even if their limbs are chopped off, pierced by spears, or if the bones in their back and knees are shattered, they won’t scream in agony. They will merely blink their eyes dazedly, longing for more of the drug.”

“Such…!”

“You will soon witness the truth of these words.”

The face of the executioner lacked confidence even as he made the declaration.

Regardless, it was dismemberment. A cruel extreme punishment that involved cutting the victim alive.

Ordinarily, prisoners were given opium before dismemberment, though it was incapable of completely eliminating the pain. It was simply administered to make death slower.

But soon enough, the efficacy was proven.

Schrrk.

“Huh?”

“Look over there! He isn’t bending due to pain, is he?”

“Judging from his face, it seems he feels no pain at all.”

“This is horrifying to watch!”

Schrrk, Schrrk, Phst!

Throughout the execution, the convict, Wang San, gazed blankly ahead with a dazed look.

He didn’t scream or thrash about.

There were thousands of spectators watching this scene, and many were so disturbed that they covered their eyes and fled.

Even the executioner momentarily lost for words, letting his arm hang limp.

Finally, a warning was issued to the crowd.

“…Did you see that? Even in this horrific state, the addict would open their mouth for more drugs willingly. You will witness this shortly.”

“I hereby proclaim that the Lord Cheon-ja has decreed that anyone caught handling these drugs should be executed, and their families put to death as well.”

“From now on, the drug shall be named ‘Gang-hon-san.'”

If Gang-hon-san was distributed, the punishment would be death for the whole family.

Though only a few thousand people witnessed the announcement live, the Ministry of Punishments was confident in its deterrent effect.

Over two hundred more individuals were scheduled for execution at different times and locations, regardless of day or night.

incessantly.

By imperial decree of the Cheon-ja.

**

I was in the newly arranged Audience Chamber of the Imperial Palace when word reached me that the Cheon-ja had made an incredibly bold move.

“Her Majesty’s plan is to deem all those who handle narcotics as Sir Alan’s minions and execute them. This is currently underway. She has also declared that all those who riot following rumors shall be put to death.”

The Cheon-ja had publicly accused me in the imperial decree as being the mastermind behind all this.

It wasn’t shocking that the administration of Chinguk figured out my involvement.

After all, I did orchestrate the spread of ganɡsi and blood-cult rumors.

The common people might believe the rumors earnestly, especially because the blood cult was a real extremist group historically known for their proficiency in poison arts. Still, I assumed a small number, including the Cheon-ja herself, would figure it out eventually due to their knowledge about narcotic addiction.

‘But I didn’t expect this outright public accusation.’

Publicly pointing the finger at me was a dangerous move from Chinguk’s standpoint.

It amounted to acknowledging that my influence had already penetrated their kingdom.

And frankly speaking, the infiltration wasn’t minimal, considering over 1.5 million doses of fentanyl had already been consumed in the country.

This was practically admitting the administration’s incompetence as well as their failure to prevent the current chaos.

‘Therefore, it doesn’t feel like a rash decision.’

The Cheon-ja seemed intent on masking the fear of me through large-scale public executions.

Kill those who sell it, those who unknowingly spread it, and those who act on unfounded rumors.

This was something only the Lord of Chinguk could do.

Of course, it was a heavy burden for the Cheon-ja too. If this didn’t work after taking such a drastic step immediately upon ascending the throne, she would be deemed a tyrant.

‘So, she’s determined to see it through till the end?’

I believed that with careful handling, this could lead to submission.

I had initially anticipated that Chinguk might indirectly request the cessation of drug distribution. If they complied by then, I intended to distribute milder substances through legitimate trade moving forward. I thought there was a bit of potential.

But there was no sign of submission from the Cheon-ja. Although it may indeed scare off some of the intermediaries.

I did have a next move though.

A tactic that became viable because Chinguk chose to control by fear.

Before executing that, there was something I needed to do.

…

“Sir Alan, will you accompany me to the execution grounds?”

Compared to Chinguk,

It was because there were people dying from the drug and others soon to be executed in our empire also.

Thus, I had to witness the execution first.

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