A "shooting case" also occurred in China. Zeng Guofan shelled the body of Hong Xiuquan.
Introduction: In 1864, the Hunan Army of the Qing Dynasty captured Tianjing, the headquarters of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, dug up the tomb of Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King, and carried the body to Zeng Guofan to meet him. Zeng Guofan issued the most severe punishment: "Kill the corpse and burn it with fire!" Hong Xiuquan's body was dragged out and chopped into pieces with knives and axes. Zeng Guofan also ordered people to mix meat paste with gunpowder, load it into cannonballs, and then fire them out one by one, burning the corpses to eliminate traces and raising ashes.
In traditional societies where politics and law are not separated, the stability of the political power is relatively weak. Every day, the rulers are uneasy. The most worry-free way is to nip all crimes in the bud, execute criminals in the most cruel and shocking way, and announce it to the society. This can have the greatest deterrent and "educational" effect.
The extreme representative of torture-shooting. This "excessive" execution method that makes modern people stunned has been used by rulers since the invention of artillery that uses gunpowder to launch projectiles. It can be traced back to the 16th century.
The "gunshot" originated from the Mughal Empire.
Some historians believe that "gunmanship" originated in the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. This empire was established by the descendants of Genghis Khan who invaded India. "Mughal" means "Mongol".
The armies of the Mughal Empire were among the first to use artillery and muskets on a large scale. They were very good at using these new weapons and using them to attack cities.
Since artillery can be used to kill enemies, it might as well be used to kill criminals or deserters. In the Mughal Empire, the torture of "shooting" was mostly used on rebels, deserters or military prisoners. In addition to this, "shooting" is also used in some other crimes. For example, in 1714, theft problem in the army was so serious that officers set a trap to catch two thieves and put them to death. I have to admit that this kind of punishment played a very good role in "leading by example", and the problem of desertion in the Mughal army during this period was thus eliminated.
This method was also used by colonists such as Portugal very early. Later, the popular "shooting" gradually appeared in Africa, Latin America, Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan and other places.
How to implement "shooting"
Having said that, let's take a look at how "shooting" is actually implemented. A common form of this execution is to tie a mortal to the muzzle of a cannon with a rope, and then "fire" the cannon after it is fixed. There are stylish solid ball shells in the gun chamber, but more often than not, the gun chamber is filled with blank bullets, or grapeshot with high lethality at close range, that is, shotguns, which will fly away after being fired, leaving nowhere to hide.
There are also some non-mainstream "shooting" methods. For example, in Istanbul in 1596, a prisoner was stuffed into the barrel of a gun and shot. Others tied the prisoner to a bullet casing and shot him. As a result, the body was smashed into pieces.
Evidence of British cruel rule in India
Among the "shootings" carried out by various countries, the British rulers carried out the most, mainly in their colony of India. When they found that the "shooting punishment" originated in this land was more deterrent than the "whipping" commonly used by the local army, they started a large number of "killing chickens to scare monkeys" mode.
In 1871, some Sikhs in India tried to restore Sikh rule over Punjab. In 1872, they clashed with the police and 66 Sikhs were tied to guns and shot to death. In 1857, 44 "shooting incidents" occurred between May and September alone.
From 1857 to 1859, national uprisings against British rule broke out in northern and central India. This uprising ended the British system of administering India through the East India Company and brought India under direct British rule, and is therefore often regarded as India's first war of independence. During this period, "shooting shots" were also used by the British colonists to execute captured rebels. This cruel method of execution was inconsistent with the funeral customs of Hindus or Muslims, and was a method used by the British army to demoralize the rebels.
The "gunshot" in modern Chinese history
In China, Hong Xiuquan of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was a figure with similar treatment. In 1864, the Hunan Army of the Qing Dynasty broke through Tianjing, the headquarters of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, dug up the tomb of Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King, and carried the body to Zeng Guofan for an interview.
Zeng Guofan issued the most severe punishment: "Kill the corpse and burn it with fire!" Hong Xiuquan's body was dragged out and chopped into pieces with knives and axes. Zeng Guofan also ordered people to mix minced meat into gunpowder, load it into cannonballs, and then fire them one after another.
——Burn corpses and raise ashes to death, Hong Xiuquan will be wiped out, and the ghost will never return.
"Fire shooting" was also used by the Kuomintang army to execute captured Red Army soldiers. In October 1936, after the three main forces of the Red Army successfully joined forces on the Long March, the 9th Red Army and its brother troops launched a bloody battle with the Ma Jiajun of the Kuomintang who had long been entrenched west of the Yellow River. In March 1937, the army was besieged and blocked by the Ma Jiajun, and the entire army was eventually annihilated. It is said that Sun Yuqing, commander of the 9th Red Army, was muzzled and beaten to pieces. Historian Harrison? Salisbury mentions this grim detail in The Long March: The Unheard Story, but there is not enough evidence to prove that it actually happened.