Lingchi

Liu Jin being executed via lingchi

Lingchi (Chinese: 凌遲), also known as death by a thousand cuts, was a form of torture and slow execution used in China throughout the second millennium CE.

Description

The process involves tying the condemned to a wooden frame, usually in a public place. Strips of flesh are then cut off the prisoner over a period of days, prolonging their life and extending their suffering.

History

Under the Ming dynasty, lingchi became a regular method of exacting capital punishment on the treasonous. In 1510, it was notably used by the Zhengde Emperor to execute Liu Jin, a disgraced member of the Eight Tigers who had been betrayed by his own lieutenant, Zhang Yong.

In 1521, while the court was transitioning to the new reign of the Jiajing Emperor, the Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins suffered a catastrophic defeat battling the Templars in the Forbidden City. At this point, the Eight Tigers who led Chinese Rite still controlled the court and seized upon this victory to enact a purge of the Assassins, their allies, and their suspected sympathizers. All were tortured and executed via lingchi. One of the chief executioners was the Tiger Ma Yongcheng; his sadistic enjoyment of this role earned him the epithet "the Butcher".

Hence, the use of lingchi only escalated under the Jiajing Emperor, who favoured it over decapitation and employed it frequently against political dissidents and enemies. He was notorious for condemning many of his concubines to it after they attempted to assassinate him.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Embers (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China (mentioned in Database entry only)
• Assassin's Creed: The Official Movie Novelization (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: The Ming Storm (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun (first appearance)