You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 97 Imperial Censor Jiang Suppresses the Three Shun Kings
evening.

In front of the silk shop, two sides stood facing each other.

The onlookers stood far away, wanting to watch the spectacle but also afraid of getting blood splattered on their faces.

The Battle of Bingmasi against the Tianyou Army!

Imperial Censor Jiang battles the Prince of Dingnan!

That's exciting!
……

"Brothers, which government department are you from?"

"Five Cities Military Command".

"We are the Tianyou Army under the command of the Prince of Dingnan."

"If you are soldiers, why are you openly robbing people?"

The commander laughed. If there hadn't been so many civilians around, he would have shouted loudly: "It is precisely because we are officers and soldiers that we have the right to openly rob!"

However, since things have escalated to this point...

There was no way out; we had no choice but to grit our teeth and face it.

"This silk shop is a hideout for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the shopkeeper is the head of the secret service."

……

The shopkeeper's face turned pale instantly.

He slumped to the ground, large beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. Once secret agents are involved, there's no way to downplay the matter.

"Sir, I am a law-abiding citizen."

The patrol captain gave him a disgusted look. Before his men arrived, he had assumed they were just a bunch of petty thieves.

This shopkeeper is dishonest; he's not telling the truth.

Tianyou Army's commander-in-chief also gave him a disgusted look.

It was you who called the city patrol soldiers and blocked our way, which has led to a situation where there is no room for negotiation between the two sides, and we can only fight head-on.

"General Sun, let's charge out! These cowards can't stop us."

"He said in a low voice."

The Tianyou Army had been fighting in various places, and it was too easy for them to defeat a group of armed yamen runners who were maintaining order.

"No, this is the capital, not Hunan. You go back and call for reinforcements."

Sun Yanling remained relatively calm. The capital was the capital, and Hunan was Hunan; they were not comparable.

……

Both sides have concerns and are calling for reinforcements.

Two incense sticks later, 150 soldiers from Tianyou Army and 200 soldiers from Bingma Division arrived, and the entire street was suddenly filled with soldiers.

The soldiers of Tianyou Army were all nonchalant, their eyes gleaming with menace.

The soldiers were clearly inexperienced, but they had the home advantage, and were well-equipped with cotton armor, spears, crossbows, and even matchlock guns, so they were quite confident.

The onlookers all ran away. If they didn't run, blood would really splatter on their faces.

"The Left Vice Censor-in-Chief has arrived!"

The patrolling soldiers finally found their leader and made way for them.

Jiang Qingyun, dressed in the robes of a fourth-rank civil official, rode into the crowd. The horse's hooves moved at a steady pace, and he himself remained unhurried, his gaze coldly sweeping across the crowd.

Sun Yanling braced himself and stepped forward, bowing respectfully.

"Reporting to you, sir, the officer under your command is Sun Yanling, a captain under the Prince of Dingnan. We have just captured a spy, and we suspect he has connections with the Yongli Emperor."

……

As they were speaking, Shang Kexi's Tianzhu Army arrived, numbering over 50 men, all wielding gleaming steel blades, and came rushing in with a commotion.

It's unexpected that the Three Princes are so united.

Jiang Qingyun sneered, took off his warm hat and tossed it to the guards, then slowly and deliberately unfastened the centipede-shaped buttons one by one.

Everyone gasped.

They immediately knelt down in unison.

Underneath his official robes was a brand-new yellow jacket!
In the early Qing Dynasty, the yellow riding jacket was a rare and highly prestigious item, with an excellent deterrent effect.

Jiang Qingyun, looking majestic, spurred his horse forward.

slap~
With a whip, Sun Yanling's warm hat was pulled off.

Kneeling, Sun Yanling dared not utter a sound, but in his heart he wished he could chop the silk shop owner into 80 pieces. He dared not hate the man in the yellow jacket, only the shop owner.

……

Not far away, a beautiful young girl was watching intently.

"Miss, what should we do?" "Shh~ This pretty boy on horseback is really something else. He has a handsome face, broad shoulders and a slim waist, arrogant eyes, and a tall and straight figure. What's most remarkable is that he doesn't have any fat. He's quite good-looking."

"Miss, but he just whipped General Sun."

"I know."

The one whose eyes were sparkling was Kong Youde's youngest daughter, Kong Sizhen.

She could have stayed at the inner city post station with her father, but she heard that the southern city was fun, with its dazzling lights, bizarre sights, and everything in between, so she moved to the southern city with her maid.

I happened to witness this scene.

The maid stared at Kong Sizhen in shock, not understanding her stance, but knowing to keep quiet.

……

"Heaven-suppressed army, Heaven-aided army, are you going to rebel?"
"I dare not bid."

"I will personally report today's events to Prince Sanshun. The truth will eventually come to a conclusion. Leave your token and go."

"Whoo."

The horde of soldiers sheathed their weapons and returned to camp.

The fierce soldiers still maintained a great deal of awe for the yellow-robed soldiers. In other words, they revered the Eight Banners army.

Watching the group's retreating figures, Jiang Qingyun seemed lost in thought.

After traveling through time, he assessed the Qing court's internal military power structure from various perspectives, trying to find the weakest link.

Step 1: Weaken the Manchu Eight Banners.

The second step: to dispel the Han army's awe of the Manchu Eight Banners.

Step 3: Weaken central authority.

Only after completing the above three steps could he step forward to be the "savior" of Shunzhi and his mother, and thus naturally seize military power.

……

"grown ups?"

"Withdraw the troops and return to camp."

As he left, Jiang Qingyun glanced unconsciously at the roadside. He didn't see Kong Sizhen at all, and even if he did, he wouldn't recognize her as the woman who had been sitting in the carriage when they entered the city that day.

However, Kong Sizhen seemed to be electrocuted.

She shivered twice, her face flushed, and she lowered her head, clutching her handkerchief, seemingly lost in thought.

"Miss, shall we go too?"

"Yeah, we're going to Dashilan again. There are still so many shops we haven't visited yet."

After getting into the carriage, Kong Sizhen suddenly tossed a piece of silver to her maid.

"Go and find out who that man was."

"Yes."

The maidservant, clutching a few loose silver coins, bought only a bowl of wontons at a nearby shop and inquired about the matter. After all, Imperial Censor Jiang was the undisputed ruler of the southern city; how could the common people not recognize the authority above them?

The little maid, munching on a candied hawthorn, happily pocketed the remaining silver.

……

South City Military Command.

The lights were on; a meeting was being held.

Everyone looked unwell and felt the pressure.

If the other party were merely a prince with a nominal title, it would be fine, but these three are princes who lead troops outside the capital, each with several thousand elite soldiers under their command, and are the vanguard of the imperial court's campaign against the Ming army.

"My lord, shall we ask the Left Censor-in-Chief for a favor?"

“With the Censorate as his backing, Prince Sanshun wouldn’t dare to go too far.”

"My lord, I will lead troops to arrest that Commander Sun. We will interrogate him tonight, obtain his confession tonight, and first prosecute him for the treason of being a traitor to Dorgon."

“Zhou Cang is right. So what if it’s the Three Princes? It’s not like we’ve never dealt with such a big shot before.”

Jiang Qingyun smiled.

Along the way, Dorgon, Ajige, Chen Mingxia, Hong Chengchou—who wasn't a big shot?—were all defeated.

They're just three coal miners.
What's there to be afraid of?

……

"Brothers, you're all doing a great job. Don't panic, it's a small matter. At worst, I'll have to fight a lawsuit with Prince Sanshun in front of the emperor. Don't be afraid, I have friends all over the world."

"Let's go grab some late-night snacks."

The crowd cheered and expressed their admiration.
The Censor-in-Chief possesses strong personal charisma; he is a natural leader and the soul of any small group. Furthermore, he is never stingy with official titles and rewards, promoting those who deserve it and bestowing those who deserve it.

(End of this chapter)