When Xu Jian led people into Wanshou Temple to search, Shengjing City was already in chaos. The streets were full of people, running in panic in the streets and alleys of the city, looking for shelter, as if the end of the world was just around the corner.
In the propaganda of the Manchu and Qing government, the Beihai Navy was portrayed as a group of extremely vicious barbaric bandits. It is said that every time they enter a city, they will be massacred regardless of their banners. The survivors who are lucky enough to survive will be sent to a bitter cold land to serve as hard labor for the rest of their lives. It is completely a dead end.
Although no one believed such lies in the coastal areas of Guan Nei, it was different in Liaodong. This is the place where the Manchu Qing Dynasty started and the hometown of the Manchu people. Most people will instinctively trust the imperial court.
Apart from other things, of the Eight Banners soldiers who went to Jilin to fight, very few of them escaped back. Even if someone is lucky enough to escape and come back, whenever he mentions the war with the Beihai Navy, he will immediately feel as if he is possessed by a demon. His hands and feet will tremble inexplicably, his words will be inconsistent, and some will even roll their eyes and faint.
The ancient people of the 18th century did not understand what "shell shock" was. They instinctively believed that it was evil. No matter how fierce and brutal the battles in the Cold Weapon Age were, they would kill each other with swords, guns and arrows, and there would always be a corpse left behind. However, when fighting against the Northern Navy, they would often be bombarded with shells that would blow up their bodies. This kind of terror had a direct impact on the Qing army's soul.
At this moment, the bannermen running around on the street immediately went crazy as soon as they saw the appearance of Bei Haijun. They all ran to avoid, crowding and trampling each other, and the street was soon blocked by the flow of people.
Seeing that the road ahead was blocked, many people began to climb over the walls of other homes and even climbed onto the roofs of houses. As people walked on the roof, the broken tiles crackled and fell like hailstones. People hiding in the house did not dare to shout for fear of attracting the Northern Navy.
The situation is even worse for those houses with thatched roofs. The fragile roofs cannot bear too many people. When the purlins and beams make a cracking sound that is about to break, the owner of the house is so frightened that he runs away. Often, before the family can come out, the roof collapses with a "bang", and the people who fall down and are hit They fell to death and were injured, and screams and cries could not be heard.
Many banner women were afraid of being insulted, so they blackened their faces with ashes, even killed chickens and ducks, smeared their bodies with blood, and scattered their hair, making them look like ghosts.
More than twenty minutes later, the people running for their lives in fear on the street gradually disappeared. But on the roofs of every household, in the house, in the firewood piles in the yard, in the livestock sheds and even in the pig pens, Eight Banner family members and "banner followers" were hiding everywhere. At this time, all the houses and shops were closed, and everyone did not dare to breathe and waited quietly. Occasionally a cough or a child's cry would come from the house, and the faces of everyone inside and outside the house would change drastically. The mother could only grit her teeth and cover the child's mouth, her face turned purple and she dared not let go.
All this is just like the scene of the Han people when the Qing army first invaded Yangzhou City and Jiangyin. It’s just that one hundred and fifty years have passed, the country has changed hands, the north and the south have interchanged!
However, these people are lucky. Today's Beihai Town is not the Manchu Qing Dynasty back then, and the Beihai Navy is not a revolutionary army mixed with party members in another time and space in history. Today, there are many Manchu soldiers and reformed former Qing troops in the Eastern Front troops, and some even have their homes in Shengjing.
Although some people in Beihai Town's Chuanzhongli fantasized about giving Shengjing City a "Ten Days", but that could only be a fantasy. Because they themselves also know that the people in Beihai Town, which has a territory of more than 10 million square kilometers, are basically a mixture of various ethnic groups and are eclectic.
As an army with a clear political purpose, every soldier of the Northern Navy knows exactly why he is fighting. Eliminating the Manchu and Qing court was only a means, but the fundamental was to let the people of the world have enough to eat and no longer have to be slaves.
From Zhao Xin to Liu Sheng, Deng Fei, Wu Siyu, Ding Guofeng and Fan Tong, they spent ten years using various systems and propaganda methods to continuously strengthen military discipline and create an army that astonished the natives of this time and space. . And once such an army starts to engage in "massacre", all the efforts made will collapse in an instant.
"Tum!"
A whistling cannonball passed over the tower of Huaiyuan Gate in a parabola, and landed in the front yard of Prince Su's Mansion in a blink of an eye. Seven or eight Qing soldiers received box lunches on the spot. The surrounding Qing soldiers were all horrified. They ignored the wailing wounded and ran towards several rooms. However, a few minutes later, two artillery shells landed on the roof of a room almost at the same time. Under the raging shock wave of the explosion, Below, the house collapsed, and more than 20 Qing soldiers were buried under the rubble and bricks.
Since we want to fight, we must not hold back in order to completely destroy the Qing army's will to resist and achieve a quick victory. Therefore, under the guidance of drones, the Northern Navy's mortars, as if they had eyes, targeted the areas with the largest number of Eight Banners soldiers in the inner city, and exploded into pieces. In addition to Prince Su's Mansion, the main gate of the General Office, Prince Jingjin's Mansion, Prince Zheng's Mansion, and Raoyu County Prince's Mansion were all bombed, killing thousands of Qing troops and bannermen.
Seeing that it was no longer safe to hide in the palace, the clan members took their families and fled out of the back door, running around like headless flies with their servants, and finally many people ran outside the gate of the Khan's Palace. To everyone's surprise, this place was not bombed.
"Open the door! Let us go in and take shelter! Open the door quickly!"
"Eunuch Zhang, we are from Prince Ying's Mansion! Please open the door!"
"Eunuch Zhang, okay! Let's go in and hide for a while, the Beihai pirates are about to come in!"
However, no matter how hard these people banged on the door, there was no response inside. The eunuch on duty was beaten to death and did not dare to open the door. At this time, someone suggested taking a ladder over the wall, going in and opening the palace door. The man spoke plausibly, saying that we are all the descendants of the old Khan King, and taking shelter under the eaves of his old man's house can be regarded as caring for future generations. This idea, which is usually rebellious, was unanimously approved by everyone present.
The Khan's Palace is said to be a palace, but it is actually a courtyard with two entrances. The courtyard walls are not as high as those in the Forbidden City. There is a three-room gate similar to the Great Qing Gate in the outer courtyard, and there are three spacious and tall rooms in the north of the inner courtyard, which were where Nurhachi lived. There are three auxiliary halls on the east and west sides, where the concubines live. They are very simple. Back then, when Nurhachi wanted to discuss matters, he would always go to the Dazheng Hall in the south.
Soon, several servants of the palace built a ladder and climbed in, removed the heavy door latch, and then hundreds of people swarmed in. At this time, several angry Beizi and Guo Gong came to the eunuch's residence with their men Bao Yi, broke open the door and rushed into the house, grabbed several eunuchs and beat them.
"You bitch slave! You didn't open the door to me! The pirates haven't even entered the city yet, and you dare to rebel! I will teach you a lesson today on behalf of the emperor! Beat me to death!"
"Master Beizi, have mercy on me! Have mercy on me! I don't dare! No outsiders are allowed to enter without permission!"
"The city is surrounded by pirates from the North Sea. Where can I go to ask for orders? Are there hundreds of people waiting to be bombed by cannons!"
Several eunuchs instinctively held their heads and huddled together, wailing in their mouths, and did not dare to fight back. By the time the beating master finished his anger and left, the eunuchs were already bleeding from their mouths and noses and were covered in scars. When the North Navy found them afterwards, one of them had already died.
These eunuchs in Shengjing City are actually poor people from Guan Nei. Of course they want to enter the Forbidden City to serve the emperor. The problem is that after being purified and entering the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they can no longer make the decision in their own lives. They have to go wherever they are arranged. . The only benefit of guarding the Shengjing Palace is that you can have enough to eat. Isn’t the price of food cheap?
After beating the people, the master and the coatmen returned to the main hall door and joined those who knelt down to pray. After the evil fire was released, they no longer chanted the curse. Unable to escape and unwilling to commit suicide for their country, they could only kowtow to the main hall and pray, hoping that Nurhachi's spirit in heaven could bless them. However, these people have forgotten that Fuling and Zhaoling have now fallen into the hands of the Northern Navy, and the old Khan and his son cannot take care of them even if they cheat.
Of course, it is impossible for Nurhaci and Huang Taiji to become "big rice dumplings". Both father and son were cremated. The official archives of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties clearly stated that the place buried in the tomb of the two men was called "Baogong" rather than "Zigong". To put it bluntly, it was an urn.
At this time, General Shu Liang of Shengjing no longer looked as bright and majestic as before, sitting on the steps of the general office lobby with a dejected look. The capped base on his helmet was knocked off by a shrapnel, and the "lightning rod" was gone as well. It was ridiculously bare.
At that time, he and Lu Kang, the Minister of War, were inspecting the tower of Tianyou Gate in the south. As a result, a cannonball hit and Lu Kang was killed on the spot. If Goshiha hadn't protected Shu Liang in time and took the shrapnel for him, he would have finished playing.
"Dajunmen! Now the city is about to be destroyed. Alas, everything is over! Xiaguan is an official of the Qing Dynasty, and his death is a ghost of the Qing Dynasty. I still have some things to take care of at home." The person who spoke was the Ministry of Household Affairs. The minister also serves as Yin Bolin of Fengtian Mansion.
"Brother Yuting, go first! Brother, I will be there shortly!" Shu Liang stood up after hearing this, bowed to the other party with difficulty, and was in tears when he stood up again. He knew that the other party was going back to commit suicide with his family and die for his country.
Bolin showed a wry smile and said: "It's just death, why bother to show off? A true man served his country loyally and deserved to die! Dajunmen, let's say goodbye and see you in the next life!" After that, he bowed his hands and turned to leave.
Half an hour later, Bolin left a suicide note at home and hanged himself. The side room also fell into a well. Fortunately, my two children and my wife are both in the capital, otherwise I would have to go with them.
Shu Liang stared blankly at Bolin's figure disappearing at the door. He felt his throat was a little dry. He was about to ask the soldiers on the side to bring him a bowl of water when he heard a "boom" explosion not far away, which shocked him. The entire government office lobby was shaking, and the tiles on the roof crackled along the eaves and fell into the patio.
"Grand Army Gate! Oh no! The North Sea Pirates are bombarding the Fujin Gate and Waihuang Gate! The brothers have suffered heavy casualties and can't stand it any longer!"
At this time, a military commander wearing a leader's uniform and holding a knife in one hand stumbled in, his face black and purple from gunpowder smoke. He came to Shu Liang, knelt down on one knee with a knife in his hand and said, "Dajunmen! Will I protect you and escape?"
"Escape? Haha, hahahaha!" Shu Liang laughed up to the sky, turned around, walked behind the desk and sat down, raised his hand to signal the general to get up, and said: "The eight city gates have been blocked by them, even if they shoot quickly If you touch it, you will be injured, and if you touch it, you will die. Where can you escape? Seventy-six, how many years have you been following me?"
The general named "Seventy-Six" was stunned and said in a deep voice: "It has been more than ten years. That year, Biaoxia and the brothers from Jianrui Camp followed the army to the northwest to fight Su Shisan."
The Manchu people like to use numbers to name their names. Even if they changed their Chinese names after entering the customs, they still retained the habit of using numbers. Generally speaking, the number of names comes from the age of the grandfather or grandmother at the time of birth.
"Thirteen years, life flies by so fast!" Shu Liang murmured to himself.
He came from Xiangshan Jianrui Camp. At first, he followed Agui as a forward to fight against Jinchuan, then cooperated with Hailancha to wipe out Su Shishisan, and then followed Fukang'an to fight against Fuldan City and suffered a disastrous defeat.
That was the first time he faced off against the Northern Navy. As the commander of the Zhenghuang Banner Guards, he served as the leading minister and was responsible for commanding the left wing of the "Nine Advances and Ten Chains" formation. The power of the Northern Navy's firearms on the battlefield left an impression that was engraved in his bones. He woke up from nightmares many midnights, and his dreams were full of cavalrymen who were beaten to pieces by a barrage of artillery fire, with blood splattered all over his head and face. . Although Lin Shuangwen finally felt proud when he attacked Taiwan and wiped out Lin Shuangwen, the thought of the Bei Navy outside the border made his scalp numb.
I originally thought that going to Jingzhou as a garrison general would be far away from the Northern Navy and I would be able to sleep peacefully for a few days. However, who would have thought that Fukang'an was transferred to fight against Gorkha the year before last, and Qianlong actually promoted him to the rank of General Shengjing. If this were the case before, it would definitely be a job that would make you happy even in your dreams, a local emperor who is inferior to one person but superior to ten thousand people!
But this is no longer the case. Before Shu Liang took office, he made all arrangements for his family's funeral before leaving. He had a tragic attitude of "the wind is rustling and the water is cold". A few months ago, I received a letter from home saying that my second daughter-in-law was pregnant again. God bless me, I hope it will be a son.
"Grand Army Gate? Grand Army Gate?" Just as Shu Liang was thinking wildly, Qi Liu couldn't hold back his anger. The sound of gunfire outside became more intense, and the shouts of killing were already coming.
"Huh?" Shu Liang suddenly woke up from his short memories, and then laughed at himself.
When he first went into battle to fight Mugu, he didn't care about life and death and only knew how to kill the enemy. Now that I am getting older, I have to think about so many things before and after. I, Shu Liang, have been favored by the late emperor and appointed as the head of the fourteen garrison generals of the imperial court. Even if I am put in danger, I will never surrender. What's more, if you lose your master and humiliate your country, you will die even if you escape.
Thinking of this, Shu Liang stood up, walked up to Qi Liu, punched the opponent on the shoulder, and said with a wry smile: "Seventy Six, are you afraid of death?"
Seventy-six's throat trembled, he swallowed his saliva, and said with a nonchalant expression: "Dajunmen, I am not afraid of death. I have a son and a daughter. That boy is taller than me now, and he also has a wife. He is worthy of his ancestors. Got it!"
Shu Liang shook his head and said: "I want to ask you for something. This thing is much harder than death. If Naxin hadn't blocked the cannon for me and died in the battle, I wouldn't have bothered you."
Seventy-six said in a trembling voice: "Please give me orders from the army gate."
"You have to live, take my head back to the capital and give it to my family, and tell them that from now on, they will farm and study, live a good life, and don't think about revenge. This is what I want to entrust you to." After saying this, Shu Liang bowed and bowed. .
He spoke very calmly, but Seventy-Six was suppressed. He even forgot to reply, and said with a pale face: "Dajunmen, this, this! What did you say? I risked my life to protect you and kill you." go out!"
"No need to say more!"
A quarter of an hour later, Shu Liang, the general of Shengjing, held up the sword given by Emperor Qianlong and committed suicide with the sword facing the direction of the capital. Seventy-six, who had changed into servant clothes, hurriedly cut off his head and wrapped it up. As soon as his front legs slipped out of the back door, several soldiers from the Northern Navy rushed into the government office lobby from the main entrance.
By ten o'clock in the morning, red flags were flying on the eight towers in the inner city of Shengjing. All the remaining Qing troops in the city laid down their weapons and knelt down to surrender. If one stood on the tower and looked at it at a glance, there might be as many as 20,000 prisoners.
"Company commander, when will we break into Shanhaiguan?"
Hearing his subordinates' questions, Xu Jian, who was standing on the tower of Fujin Gate, took his eyes away from the prisoners, turned to look south, and said firmly: "Almost!"
Bolin, also known as Yuting, was born in the Hari family of Huxi, and was a native of Zhenghuang Banner in Manchuria. This man lived until the Daoguang Dynasty, became a bachelor of Tiren Pavilion, and was in charge of the Ministry of War. During the Jiaqing period, he served as the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou. He led troops to annihilate the Burmese chieftains who harassed the border many times, which can be regarded as a contribution to the stability of the southwest border.
(End of chapter)
