I wield power with my innate talents, and forge the Heavenly Court.

Chapter 187 Choosing and Occupying Datong, Attacking and Assimilating
"Hoo~!"

Taking a deep breath, Wang Pu began to ponder.

Conferring a noble title sounds like an excellent thing.

However, how great could the title he received for surrendering the city be?

"General, what are the other two options?"

"The second option is to join my General Staff and become a staff officer, specializing in providing advice, compiling military manuals, and so on."

"The third option is to continue serving in the military. That would require you to undergo basic training in a recruit camp. Once you pass the training, the Heavenly King will naturally transfer you to a suitable position."
"At least I could be a guerrilla general in a city."

After hearing Yang Zonghan's three choices, Wang Pu's expression changed, and he fell into deep thought.

To be honest, if he really had to choose, he would naturally choose the title of nobility.

But as I said before, with his meager contribution of surrendering the city, what kind of good title could he possibly be given?
At most, he'd be a count, right?
Moreover, he was probably a nominal earl without real power or fiefdom.

Well, if Yang Zonghan knew what he was thinking, he would definitely spit in his face. You really dare to think that way.

For the mere act of surrendering the city, you think you can become a count?

Yang Zonghan felt that, given the Heavenly King's classification of the new titles, he would be lucky to get a viscount, let alone an earl.

To be granted the title of Earl, one must at least have real military achievements, or even the merit of truly expanding territory and occupying large areas of land.

Those who surrender the city should not be considered.

Anyway, it's just a forced attack, it won't take much effort.

Ultimately, Wang Pu chose to continue serving in the army.

However, even if he chooses to continue serving in the army, he won't be able to enter the recruit training camp for a while. He'll have to wait until the war is over.

However, although he was unable to enter the recruit training camp, his status as the General of Datong allowed him to help the Salvation Army take over Datong Guard more easily, which was also a merit.

In the following days, he followed Yang Zonghan to besiege the Qing army still in Datong and take over the city.

With Wang Pu's status as the General of Datong and the fighting strength of the People's Salvation Army, the defending generals of various cities basically surrendered after only a moment of hesitation.

Yang Zonghan showed no mercy to those stubborn officers and generals who insisted on dying for the Ming Dynasty, and directly launched a forced attack on the city, killing the defending generals.

You said that when the Qing army was swaggering around outside the city and abusing the people, you didn't dare to go out and attack. Now you suddenly want to be loyal to the emperor and love your country.

Since that's the case, then I'll grant your wish.

At the same time, Yang Zonghan also reported to the court that some militia and administrators were once again dispatched from the Hetao region to quickly take over Datong Guard.

By the time Cao Wenzhao arrived nearby, Datong Guard had already been completely occupied. After his attempts to attack failed, he had no choice but to detour to Xuanfu.

At this time, Yang Zonghan had also left Datong and begun to suppress the Qing army in Xuanhua Prefecture.

However, because of the delay of a few days, Daishan, who had narrowly escaped, had already entered Xuanhua Prefecture and joined Dorgon and others.

Naturally, Dorgon and his men also learned about the situation of the People's Salvation Army.

At this time, they also received news that Wu Xiang, the general of Ningyuan in western Liaoning, and You Shiwei, the general of Shanhaiguan, had led 20,000 Guan-Ning troops to provide support.

Upon receiving the news, Dorgon and the others couldn't help but frown. The army of just one side was already enough to give them a headache.

Now, however, two armies have emerged, both of which are hostile to the Qing army.

Even though the militia and the Ming army were enemies, they were all Han Chinese after all, and there was a high probability that they would unite to deal with the Qing army first.

"What do we do next?"

"What else can we do? Hey, I don't believe that my Qing army would be less capable of saving the people's army?"

So what if we have powerful firearms? We still possess divine power.

Even if we add another 20,000 Guan Ning soldiers, what difference would it make? We still have 80,000 troops here.

Even if they join forces, what then? Their military strength is still inferior to ours.
I think we can completely annihilate them.”

Although Dodo's expression was somewhat solemn, his tone was very disdainful, and he glanced at Daishan intentionally or unintentionally.

Upon hearing this, Dai Shan's anger flared up.

What does this mean? Does it mean he's incompetent?
"You~!"

In an instant, Daishan stood up abruptly and glared angrily at Dodo.

"Ah!"

Faced with the furious Daishan, Dodo merely gave a cold laugh.

If it weren't for the fact that Daishan and other princes hadn't recommended Huang Taiji, Dorgon might have been the one to succeed Nurhaci as Khan.

Therefore, there is a very deep conflict between the two sides.

In fact, although Nurhaci initially preferred Dorgon.

However, at that time, only Daišan and Huang Taiji held real power, so Dorgon really didn't have much of a chance.

Moreover, Daishan's recommendation of Huang Taiji was not entirely willing.

After Nurhaci died, his two sons approached him, wanting to recommend Huang Taiji to succeed him.

If his son is like this, what about the others?
Under the circumstances at the time, he had no choice but to recommend Huang Taiji.

In fact, after Huang Taiji ascended the throne, he was not friendly to him, but instead constantly suppressed him.

"Alright, Dorgon, just say less."

Dorgon glared at Dodo. What time is it now? They're still fighting amongst themselves.

"Prince Li, Dodo has always been like this, please don't take offense."

Dorgon's relationship with Daishan was actually quite complex.

Dorgon was raised by Daišan, and the two had a very close relationship.

However, after Nurhaci's death, Daišan not only did not vie for the Khanate himself, but also did not choose Dorgon; instead, he chose Huang Taiji.

As a result, the relationship between the two parties naturally broke down.

Upon hearing Dorgon's words, Daišan opened his mouth, but ultimately sat down heavily in anger.

This time, he was defeated by the militia and almost died in Datong.

Anything else said would seem weak and powerless, lacking confidence.

Moreover, the main issue now is the next course of action. In fact, there's not much left to discuss; faced with the Ming court's Guan-Ning reinforcements and the powerful Salvation Army, they have no choice but to retreat temporarily.

"We have no choice but to retreat for now."

After some discussion and deliberation, Dorgon initially decided to temporarily retreat.

When Yang Zonghan led his army into Xuanfu, Dorgon had already assembled his troops and withdrawn.

Despite their best efforts, Yang Zonghan managed to catch up with Dorgon and his men just as they were about to leave the Great Wall.

After a fierce battle, Ajige, who had already lost an arm, was killed in action, while Dorgon, Daišan, and Dodo fled in disarray with 10,000 remaining troops.

After receiving the news, Yang Zonghan didn't bother to pursue the matter further and instead began to mobilize troops to attack Xuanfu.

Meanwhile, Yang Zonghan was suppressing the Qing army in Datong and Xuanfu, conquering cities and seizing territory.

Zhou Junsheng, the general of Ningxia, has also led 5,000 soldiers to Guihua City in the northeast.

Huang Taiji stood atop the city wall, gazing southwards at the Ming Dynasty, still feeling somewhat worried.

Although the core soldiers in the Eight Banners Army had already mastered divine power.

But could the vast and resource-rich Ming Dynasty have also come to possess such power?
Unfortunately, after the army entered the Ming Dynasty, due to the interference of the Ming Dynasty's national destiny, he could no longer feel the iron-blooded aura of the army.

The approximate location of the army can only be vaguely determined through feedback from the nation's fortunes.

Everything had been fine until yesterday, when the fate of the nation suddenly began to fluctuate.

Through some unseen intuition, it seems that something has happened to the army that entered Datong.

He has already sent people to intensify their investigation, but has not yet received any news.

Looking around at the soldiers clad in heavy armor, wielding swords, spears, and bows and arrows, exuding a powerful aura and sharp eyes, Huang Taiji felt somewhat relieved.

With the core Eight Banners team possessing divine power, they should be able to overcome any setbacks that may arise.
At that moment, a fluctuation suddenly appeared in the dragon aura above Huang Taiji.

Unconsciously, Huang Taiji felt a sudden surge of emotion, as if some danger was about to befall him.

Instinctively, Huang Taiji suddenly looked towards a place outside Guihua City.

He sensed the source of the danger was in that area.

With a thought, Huang Taiji mobilized the nation's fortune to investigate that place.

"Eh~?"

Zhou Junsheng's military staff officer suddenly looked up in the direction of Guihua City and let out a surprised exclamation.

"What's wrong, Lao Xu?"

"Someone just used their power to probe this place; it seems to be the fate of the nation."

"You mean, Huang Taiji discovered us?"

"Well, it's possible!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Junsheng couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hehe, with such exquisite and meticulous use of national fortune, Huang Taiji is far superior to Ligdan Khan. No wonder he was able to force Ligdan Khan to move west."

but
A smile appeared on Zhou Junsheng's face as he glanced at the artillery, which was basically ready.

Even if we discover it now, it's already too late.

On the city wall, Huang Taiji mobilized the nation's fortune to scan the distance, but found nothing.

Could my intuition be wrong?
But that shouldn't be the case. A sudden whim, a warning from the nation's fate, must have its reasons.

Hmm, no, we need to investigate further.
Huang Taiji, increasingly uneasy, frowned deeply. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and the national fortune dragon energy above him fluctuated violently, with a golden radiance suddenly bursting forth.

"Om~!"

As the golden light swept over Zhou Junsheng and the others, the air immediately distorted and fluctuated, and their figures appeared faintly.

Huang Taiji, who had been watching this place, immediately noticed the scene and his heart skipped a beat.

"not good!"

"Enemy attack!"

With a loud shout, the surrounding soldiers jolted awake and sprang into action. Some rushed toward the city wall, while others went to ring the alarm bell.
Although they appeared tense and hurried, they maintained a well-ordered manner.

This shows that the Qing army was indeed well-trained.

Looking at the distorted and broken invisible force field around him, Zhou Junsheng curled his lip.

"Tsk, we've been exposed! But it's too late now."

Artillery, prepare to fire!

"Boom boom boom"

The next moment, accompanied by the booming sound of cannons, shells shot towards Guihua City with sharp whistles.

Hearing the booming cannon fire from below the city and the rapidly approaching shells, Huang Taiji's sense of crisis instantly reached its peak.

The sudden appearance of military artillery, not only because of its long range, must also pose other dangers.

"Danger! Take cover! Be careful and take cover!"

Without hesitation, Huang Taiji mobilized the dragon's energy and shouted loudly.

The sound was deafening, almost echoing throughout the entire Guihua City.

The garrison in Guihua City who hadn't had time to climb the city walls were puzzled when they heard the sound.

"This is...this is the Khan's voice. Hide? Hide from what?"

"There seemed to be cannon fire just now. Could it be that someone is attacking the city with artillery? No wonder the Khan ordered his men to take cover."

However, the soldiers guarding the city walls saw the countless cannonballs flying in and began to obey Huang Taiji's orders to take cover.

Ordinary soldiers simply hid behind the wall.

Some brave soldiers with divine power watched the trajectory of the shells intently, channeling their divine power to easily dodge them.

then
They saw flames shooting into the sky, and deafening explosions rang in their ears, instantly sending them flying.

(End of this chapter)