I was living at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and I dealt a brutal blow to the Eight Banners!

It was the end of December in the fifteenth year of the Chongzhen reign.

Marquis Pinglu led over ten thousand Liaodong cavalry in a surprise attack on Shengjing, the capital of the Qing Dynasty. They tricked the city gates into opening and blew open the inner city gates.

The Imperial Guard battalion that stormed the inner city gate did not advance further, but instead remained entrenched around the gate.

Their purpose is self-evident: to seize the gate!

Zhang Jingchuan had not yet entered the city, while Cao Mingsheng's main force was still rushing towards this side.

For the Qing army, the situation was still uncertain, and there was still a possibility of turning the tide.

At the city gate,

The Imperial Guard cavalry were still fighting with the Bordered Yellow Banner soldiers who had rushed to the scene, among whom the twenty-odd personal guards led by Buzhai posed the greatest threat.

Upon discovering this hidden danger, the commander of the Imperial Guard led more than ten men, who formed a fan-shaped encirclement and rushed towards Buzhai and his men.

"Ming Gou!"

Buzhai, holding a shield in one hand and a knife in the other, stood at the very front, as steady as a rock.

Facing a charging Ming cavalryman, he bent down and swept his sword, severing the horse's foreleg.

After the Ming cavalrymen fell off their horses, they were surrounded and attacked by a group of soldiers from the Bordered Yellow Banner.

Then,

Several more Ming cavalrymen were dragged off their horses by Buzhai in various ways, and were eventually hacked to death by a group of Bordered Yellow Banner soldiers.

Before long,

The dozen or so Imperial Guard cavalrymen who had charged forward earlier were actually repelled by Bu Zhai and his men, leaving behind seven or eight corpses. The two riders who retreated still had arrows stuck in their bodies.

Instead of chasing after the Ming cavalry, Buzhai formed a circular shield formation and moved step by step toward the inner city gate.

The objective is clear: recapture the city gates and then close them!

For a time,

The cavalry of the surrounding Imperial Guard repeatedly charged the circular formation, but were repelled each time.

Just as Buzhai approached the inner city gate, he quickly retreated, leading several armored soldiers to charge towards the barbican.

Both the inner and outer sides of the city gate needed to be temporarily blocked to ensure that the gate could be closed.

While defending against the Ming cavalry inside the fortified city, he roared behind him:

"Close the city gate!"

Four or five soldiers of the Bordered Yellow Banner gritted their teeth, ignoring their injuries, and began pushing against the city gate.

When there was only one person's width left in the city gate

Zhang Jingchuan made his move.

As Zhang Jingchuan charged forward on horseback, he hurled the Overlord Spear in his hand.

The Overlord Spear, entirely black and weighing tens of kilograms, shot like an arrow released from a bow, whistling as it hurtled towards the closing inner city gate.

"boom!"

The spearhead of the Overlord Spear plunged directly into the bluestone slab beneath the city gate, jamming it and preventing it from advancing any further.

Bu Zhai stared wide-eyed at Zhang Jingchuan riding towards him, trying to pull out the spear, but how could he possibly pull out the heavy spear that was deeply embedded in the ground with his hasty strength?

If this gun isn't drawn, the city gate simply can't be closed.

Just as Bu Zhai was about to send someone over to help, Zhang Jingchuan appeared in front of him.

Zhang Jingchuan did not slow down the horse's speed, but instead pulled the reins up forcefully, causing the horse's hooves to lift into the air.

People and horses, propelled by inertia, crashed into the city gate.

It stomped its two front hooves hard against the city gate.

"boom!"

The city gate, weighing a thousand pounds, was kicked open by the hooves of Zhang Jingchuan's warhorse.

The immense force struck the three or four soldiers of the Bordered Yellow Banner, sending them flying after spitting out blood.

The inner city gates were also flung open.

Bu Zhai's eyes narrowed, and he was about to swing his knife at Zhang Jingchuan.

As Zhang Jingchuan kicked down the door while riding his horse, he drew his Overlord Spear. In response to Bu Zhai's slash, he instinctively raised his spear to parry.

"clang!"

this moment,

Bu Zhai felt a jolt in his right arm and his body tremble. He was forced back several steps by the enormous force of the recoil.

Before he could regain his footing,

Zhang Jingchuan's Overlord Spear swept over.

"puff!"

Just as Buzhai regained his balance, he felt a chill on his neck and found that he was completely unable to move.

next moment,

His head was cut off.

While tumbling in the air,

He saw the inner city gate ahead being opened by armored cavalry who had stormed into the city.

"Dong dong!"

The head finally landed on the ground and rolled twice.

Buzhai's vision began to blur and darken.

he knows,

Shengjing is finished!

Simultaneously,

He was also somewhat relieved, because he no longer had to grovel before the Ministry of War for his son's sake.

And at that very moment,

The thunderous sound of horses' hooves came from outside the city.

Zhang Jingchuan knew that Cao Mingsheng had arrived, and his cavalry had arrived.

As the armored cavalry entered the city, they began to take over the duties of the Royal Guard, ensuring control of the city gates.

Once Cao Mingsheng's cavalry enters the city, Shengjing will be a foregone conclusion.

Seeing that the number of Bordered Yellow Banner soldiers around him was decreasing and Cao Mingsheng outside the city was getting closer, Zhang Jingchuan did not want to delay any longer. He summoned his personal guards and headed for the palace.

along the way,

After Zhang Jingchuan routed several scattered rebels on the main street,

Team

It stopped in front of the palace gate.

The palace gates were tightly shut, and the imperial guards on the palace walls were pointing their bows and arrows at Zhang Jingchuan and his men.

Zhang Jingchuan was not in a hurry to attack the palace walls because he had no weapons to attack them, no cannons, and no inside help to coordinate an attack.

But he wasn't in a hurry.

The meat is already cooked through in the pot, so it doesn't matter whether you open the lid sooner or later!

Once the cavalry enters the city and the city gates are closed, even if Qing reinforcements arrive, they will not be able to break through in a short time.

but,

"No rush" doesn't mean Zhang Jingchuan is doing nothing.

Zhang Jingchuan had someone bring him pen, ink, and white silk from a nearby shop. After writing a few words, he shot them onto the city wall with a bow and arrow.

……

The Imperial Guard captains guarding the palace gates dared not delay.

Quickly send someone to deliver the arrows and the tied silk cloth to Chongzheng Hall, because the powerful figures in the palace are all gathered there.

Sony, accompanied by a unit of soldiers from the Plain Yellow Banner, stood guard outside the Chongzheng Hall. After receiving the arrows and silk cloth, he merely frowned before turning around and delivering them into the Chongzheng Hall.

On the dragon throne,

Huang Taiji, his face ashen, took the white silk cloth and unfolded it to look at it.

The content is actually very simple:

"If the eggshell is opened from the inside, the entire tribe will be saved; but if the eggshell is broken from the outside, the entire tribe will be slaughtered!"

Huang Taiji had anticipated Zhang Jingchuan's attitude, but when he saw it with his own eyes, his face still showed anger and ferocity.

Immediately following was a violent coughing fit.

Da Yu'er stepped forward and handed over hot tea, while glancing at the contents of the cloth.

Da Yu'er merely frowned, showing no surprise.

quickly,

The contents of the silk were then transmitted to several key figures in the palace.

Sony was the first to speak, saying, "Your Majesty, Shengjing has fallen. With only the Imperial Guards in the palace and the soldiers of this one Niru, I'm afraid it will be difficult to hold out until Dorgon's troops return to reinforce us."

Sony is simply stating a fact that everyone knows.

As for how to make the decision, it is up to Huang Taiji to decide.

Huang Taiji turned his gaze to Fan Wencheng, who was standing silently to the side, and asked, "Fan Wencheng, what do you think I should choose?"

Fan Wencheng glanced at Da Yu'er, then spoke:

"Our Great Qing still has tens of thousands of elite troops in Haizhou Guard, Dongning Guard, and Lianshan Pass. As long as His Majesty is safe, the Great Qing still has a chance to rise again!"

Huang Taiji remained expressionless and pressed on, "You have such high hopes for Zhang Jingchuan's character?"

"I don't know what kind of person Zhang Jingchuan is, but I do know that he is a smart man. A smart man either eliminates the problem completely or leaves room for maneuver."

What Zhang Jingchuan wanted was a Qing Dynasty he could control, not a Qing Dynasty that perished!

Huang Taiji pondered for a moment and said:

"You mean, Zhang Jingchuan wants to keep a bandit in check to enhance his own power?"

……