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In ancient China, beheading was the legal punishment for the most vicious criminals. Decapitation is old torture most misunderstood by modern people. It's not like the TV series; the executioner cuts off the head. But in fact, "decapitation" has a highly complete process. If you do not take any small step, no one will die.

Time
First of all, "decapitation" has a precise time limit. Except for essential criminals and special periods (such as war), which can be executed immediately, generally executed prisoners sentenced to decapitation must be held in prison and can only be executed after a certain period. In Chinese history, except for the Qin Dynasty, which could execute prisoners all year round, all other dynasties executed prisoners after the autumn. Because autumn is cold and bleak, it is the best season for decapitation. With the fall being so long, can a decapitation be done on any day? Of course not! Different dynasties have different requirements for the specific date on which a decapitation can be performed. The Tang Dynasty stipulated that the death penalty should not be executed on the twenty-four solar terms, holidays, and days before the rain. In the Ming Dynasty, the regulations changed again: the first, eighth, fourteen, fifteen, eighteen, twenty-third, twenty-four, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, and twenty. The death penalty shall not be executed on any four solar terms. Page text.

In other words, there are very few days that can be executed this year. But it's not over yet. After having a specific execution date, you have to look at the "hour." Generally, there are two hours: if the execution is carried out during the day, you must wait until noon, from 11:00 to 13:00. If the execution is carried out at night, it must wait until the moment of dawn. This has been the norm in all generations. After all, for the feudal and superstitious ancients, "killing" is a matter that will bring soaring resentment. Killing people at night is easy to provoke unjust souls.

Place
In addition to the strict execution time, there are specific beheading locations. For ordinary prisoners, the place to be beheaded is very fixed: the famous street market. Only by attracting enough attention can the warning effect of "decapitation" be maximized. One of the most well-known places of execution is the "Cashikou" (shop) in the Qing Dynasty. Under normal circumstances, the swordsman will choose a shop with a lot of traffic and execute the beheading at its gate. But this is a bad thing for the shop, and no one wants to be affected by the financial path. Therefore, when the merchants in Caishikou learned that the execution was going to be executed, they would bribe the executioner the day before to not see blood at the door of their shop. A little bribe is not the same treatment as a lot of bribes. For those who don't give money, the executioners will not be polite, sharpen their knives directly in front of their shops, and invite the masses to watch the live broadcast. As for those generous bosses, the sworders will change the execution location.

Supervisor
On the execution ground of the beheading, there is always a person wearing a black gauze hat. He is the "supervisor." When performing beheadings, there must be a supervisor. This is also a rule that has existed since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. However, the supervisor is not an independent profession but is held by the officials responsible for hearing the case or by someone appointed by the court or the superior. They would not sit leisurely in a chilling execution ground and have a lot to do. First, the supervisor needs to lift the prisoner out of prison and take it to the execution ground before the specified time. At the same time, there are specific rules for the way prisoners are held. Generally speaking, when prisoners are escorted to the execution grounds, they take a dew car (the sides of the vehicle are not covered) and wear three torture devices (neck, hands, and feet). Not only that but the prisoner's name and the major crime should be written on the wooden board so that the onlookers can see it at a glance: this is called the "death card." Page text. After the prisoner arrives at the execution site, the execution will not start immediately but let the prisoner have a good meal, commonly known as the "guillotine meal." At this time, the escorts were not allowed to gag the prisoners' mouths or cover their faces; otherwise, they would not be able to eat. Also, supervisors will enable prisoners to meet and say goodbye to their families. When prisoners meet with their families, supervisors will supervise the whole process like correctional officers. One is to control the meeting time, and the other is to verify the person's identity.

Decapitate Progress
In ancient times, the tools of decapitation mainly were axes. Axes are cold weapons, so before each use, the executioner must repeatedly sharpen them to make them sharp. The execution begins when the overseer says the executioner and the crowd are already. The first step is to straighten the prisoner. The prisoner's legs were kneeling in the center of the execution ground, and his hands were tied upside down on a wooden stake. Meanwhile, the executioner will come to the stage. Page text.

They are usually a duo, one in the lead and the other in the second. The second step is to touch the bone. Although the human neck is relatively thin because cervical vertebrae are in it, the executioner cannot use brute force when beheading the head. They need to use their rich experience to determine each person's cervical vertebrae position. If a knife is cut on the bone, the director may not fall off instantly but half-cut and half-adhered to the bones and flesh. Prisoners in this situation will feel a hellish life rather than death. And the executioner will be embarrassed. After all, not showing ability in front of so many people are already a significant mistake in work. Page text. The third step is to decapitate. Beheading is just an errand for the executioner, and the prisoner in front of him is like a fish struggling on the case. After looking at the head of the next prisoner, he walked behind the other prisoner. In ancient times, beheading was not just beheading a person (after all, there were only a few days when the execution was possible). Since the axe is often worn out or even falls off the handle during use, and the execution consumes a lot of physical strength, the government will send many sworders to execute the execution simultaneously, or one executioner will execute the execution first and kill several people. Then he will be replaced by another swordsman. Therefore, the number of people that can be cut in a row has become a rigid indicator for judging the executioner's business ability.