Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 156 Emperor
In the early morning of Guangzhou City, the rumbling sound of artillery fire could be heard from all sides of the city.
The intelligence from outside the city turned out to be correct. After learning that reinforcements from Zhaoqing were about to arrive, the Qing army still decided to continue attacking the city, attempting to break into the city before the reinforcements arrived.
Today, at daybreak, the Qing army once again surrounded the city and began to attack it, not wanting to delay even a moment.
Zhu Lang stood in front of the government office. The Guangzhou government office was located in the center of Guangzhou City. However, even in the most central part of the city, he could clearly hear the sounds of artillery fire and fighting coming from all directions. It can be seen that the Qing army was attacking the city fiercely at this time.

In the open space in front of the government office, more than 200 young men were standing. All of them were holding spears and swords, but at this moment, all of them were pale and stood there in panic.
Last night, a group of inspectors took the imperial edict of granting land and announced it in the army. Then they continued to publicize the recruitment in the city.

However, the brutality of the siege in recent days had already frightened the people in the city. Even with the generous rewards from the court, the people tried their best to hide the young and strong men in their homes, fearing that the young and strong men in their families would be driven away to defend the city.
After a night of hard work, using bribes and forced conscription, the inspectors used all means to recruit more than 600 young and strong men before dawn.

However, only an hour after the siege began, most of the 600 men had been transferred away from various places. Now there are only these 200 people left in front of the government office, who can serve as the last reinforcement.
Zhu Lang stood in front of the government office, looking up at the pale blue sky. The rumbling sound of artillery fire kept echoing in his ears, but surprisingly, he had no thoughts in his mind. He was not afraid, worried, anxious, or angry. He had no emotions at all. It was clearly an extremely urgent moment, but his mind was blank and extremely calm.
He had done everything he could. The siege began, and there was no time to recruit more. Ministers such as Lu Daqi and Gu Yuanjing were also sent to the top of the city to show the court's determination.
Now there was nothing he could do but wait.

Now he couldn't even escape. Last night was his last chance to escape. The South City was too small to accommodate a large army, so it was definitely not the main attack direction.

But the Qing army surrounded the city from all sides. In order to disperse the forces in the city, the southern city was also under siege, so there was no chance to escape.

Zhu Lang had prepared poison in his sleeves. According to Li Chengzhi, it was a secret medicine he found after taking over Jinyiwei. After taking it, one would pass away without knowing anything. However, Zhu Lang did not really believe it. How could such a high-end product be produced in this era?

But he had already prepared himself anyway. If he fell into the hands of the Qing army, he would be worse off than dead. Just look at the end of Hongguang Lu Wang. In this case, he might as well die happily. Maybe he could even leave a good reputation for himself in the future.
This should be enough to go down in history books.
The sound of gunfire rumbled in his ears, but Zhu Lang's thoughts had nothing to do with what he saw.

The sound of horse hooves on the street woke up Zhu Lang who was daydreaming.
Two cavalrymen came galloping from the east and west. They quarreled in front of the government office for a while, and then Li Chengzhi hurriedly walked towards Zhu Lang who was standing at the door.

Li Chengzhi looked solemn and spoke in a deep voice

"Your Highness, the commanders on both the east and west sides said that the Qing army was attacking the city with all their might, and the casualties on the city walls were heavy. They all requested to transfer another 200 young and strong men to help defend the city, but there are only these 200 people left in the city as reinforcements."

"How is Jiao Lian doing?" Zhu Lang said calmly.

"Li Chengdong is in the north of the city. He is determined to attack the north of the city. The shouts and cries of killing are loudest in the north of the city, but General Jiao Lian has not sent anyone to ask for help, so he must have held on."

"Does the government have enough manpower? Are the bailiffs from Nanhai and Panyu counties, and the prisoners in the jails, available?" Zhu Lang said again.

"They have all been sent to the city walls. Apart from these two hundred strong men, the government office currently has no available personnel."

"Your Highness, why don't we send a hundred men to each side first, so that both sides can deal with the emergency, and then we can find a way to recruit in the city."

Li Chengzhi also had an ugly look on his face and said

Zhu Lang was silent for a while, then suddenly spoke in a deep voice

"Which side did Ma Bao attack?"

Li Chengzhi was stunned when he heard this, and then he immediately spoke

"Ma Bao is in the west of the city, Li Chengdong is in the north, Tong Yangjia's headquarters is in the east, and Tong Yangjia's people are also in the south."

Zhu Lang thought for a moment with a gloomy face, and then his expression suddenly became firm, and he spoke in a deep voice

"Send 150 people to East City. I have 10 imperial guards with me. You and I will take the rest to rescue West City."

When Li Chengzhi heard this, his expression changed and he was about to speak, but Zhu Lang waved his hand and interrupted Li Chengzhi.
"No need to say more. Everywhere in the city is a dead end. If the Qing army breaks into the city, what's the difference between here and on the city wall? I can still boost morale on the city wall, which is better than waiting here and waiting to die in fear."

Seeing Zhu Lang's resolute expression, Li Chengzhi knew that the city had reached its final moment, so he said no more, bowed, and retreated to make arrangements.

Soon, more than 150 young men followed the soldiers seeking help and headed towards the East City, while Zhu Lang and Li Chengzhi led the remaining 50 pale-looking young men to the West City.

At the top of the West City, there were shouts of killing everywhere. When Zhu Lang and his men arrived, the corridor on the city wall was already in a mass of fighting. No one in the Ming army defending the city was pushing the ladders. Everyone was engaged in the fighting.
The junior officers in leather armor formed a formation in front, while the young and strong men held long spears and stood in the back with panic, protecting the rear and flanks of the armored soldiers in the front. If the enemy wanted to attack from the side, the young and strong men in the back would thrust their spears out.

But the Qing army was full of veterans, and indeed they were more experienced. Some of them entangled the armored Ming army in front, while some of them went around to the rear. Often, a few Qing soldiers would get close to them and kill the young and strong men in the rear with a few casual strikes.
Once the Qing soldiers killed the young and strong men in the rear formation, they would immediately launch an attack from the rear, and join the Qing troops in front to attack from both sides, encircling and killing the armored Ming troops in front.

When Zhu Lang arrived at the city wall, the situation was in such chaos.

The dozens of gun-wielding young men behind Zhu Lang were trembling all over when they heard the shouts of killing. Some of them couldn't even hold their knives steady and dropped them directly to the ground.

Zhu Lang didn't care about all this, so he left two guards beside him. The remaining eight armored guards formed a battle formation, drove the frightened young men, and charged towards the top of the city.

As long as these young and strong men entered the battlefield, no matter if they were afraid or not, they had to fight hard as long as they wanted to survive. They could not win alone, but with more people, they could always delay and kill a few Qing soldiers. This was the role of the young and strong men in the chaos of war.

As expected, with the arrival of this batch of reinforcements, the Qing army's offensive on the city wall suddenly stagnated and began to be gradually suppressed.
The most crucial thing was actually the eight imperial guards. The eight of them formed a military formation, like arrows. Wherever there were Qing soldiers gathered, these people would rush forward and kill them.

The junior officers on the top of the city wall freed up their hands and began to organize young and strong men to push down the ladders on the city wall. Seeing that the Ming army was coming to support them, the Qing army could no longer attack and had to give up the attack and temporarily retreat from the city.

Although the Qing army retreated from the top of the city wall, they did not retreat far. They stopped a few dozen meters away from the city wall and began to repair. This place happened to be a blind spot for the artillery on the city wall. The artillery of the Ming army was completely useless against the Qing army here.

On the top of the city wall, Su Guansheng and the West City Defender Zhao Xing heard the news and hurried towards Zhu Lang.
At this time, Su Guansheng's gray hair was disheveled, and his scarlet robe was stained with blood and dirt. He looked extremely embarrassed and no longer looked like a serious minister.

But Su Guansheng didn't care about much. When he saw the young man in dragon robes by the city wall, he hurriedly said, "Your Highness, the war is fierce and dangerous, how can you come here?"

"General Zhao and I will guard this place. Li Chengzhi, take His Highness down from the city as soon as possible."

Zhu Lang's face was calm. He looked at Su Guansheng and said

"There are no soldiers left in the city. All the reserve troops in the city have been sent to various places. There is no point for me to stay in the government office, so I led my men to the city."

Zhu Lang waved his hand to stop Su Guansheng from speaking, and said to Zhao Xing on the side:
"General Zhao, you have worked hard. Right now, the most important thing is to arrange for the defense of the city. Go and prepare on your own and don't worry about me."

Zhao Xing looked at His Highness the Regent with a calm expression, and a trace of admiration rose in his heart. For generals like them, defending the city and killing people was naturally a common thing, but His Highness the Regent was a dignified emperor, and it was really beyond his expectation that he dared to come to help in person at this time.

But Zhao Xing smiled bitterly when he heard what Zhu Lang said, and said

"Your Highness, please do as Lord Su said and leave the city first. If something unexpected happens, how will I, Zhao, explain to General Jiao?"

Although His Majesty the Regent said that we don't need to care about him, but with His Majesty the Regent here, who dares to really ignore him?
His Highness the Regent personally guarding the city wall would certainly boost morale, but since His Highness the Regent is here, they will definitely have to divide their forces to defend
Comparing the two, he would rather His Royal Highness the Regent not come. With His Royal Highness the Regent here, he simply cannot let go and defend the city.
Zhu Lang ignored the two of them and looked at the Qing army gathered not far from the city. He looked at the flag with the word "horse" written on it in the Qing army's formation. He was silent for a moment, and suddenly a look of determination flashed across his face.

"Li Chengzhi, raise the dragon flag"

"I'm not going anywhere today. I'll stay here and defend the city with the other soldiers."

"Your Highness..."

When Su Guansheng saw Zhu Lang was going to raise the dragon flag, his expression changed drastically. It would be fine if His Royal Highness the Regent encouraged him on the top of the city wall. But if the dragon flag was raised at this time, the Qing army outside the city would see the dragon flag and know that His Royal Highness the Regent appeared here. No one knew how they would react.

But Zhu Lang did not give them the opportunity to make suggestions. Zhu Lang glared at Li Chengzhi who looked hesitant. Seeing Zhu Lang's insistence, Li Chengzhi could only raise the flag on the top of the city wall.

On the top of the west city wall, a large yellow dragon flag suddenly rose up. The Qing army below the city wall was only a few dozen meters away, and they immediately noticed the unusual movement on the top of the city wall.

When the Qing troops below the city saw the dragon on the flag, they immediately became agitated.

As the dragon flag was raised, a shout soon rang out from the top of the city.
Zhu Lang stood at the top of the city wall and spoke loudly, while several soldiers also stood at the wall and shouted to the people below.
"Han soldiers under the city, listen up. I am Zhu Youlang, the regent emperor of the Ming Dynasty. I am now leading the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty to defend Guangzhou and prevent the Tartars from slaughtering the people in the city."

"I have been leading people to defend the city these days. I originally thought that all the people outside the city were Tatars, but the soldiers in the city told me that the soldiers who died tragically during the siege were all Han people."

"Why don't these Tartars attack the city themselves, but instead drive you Han army forward? Since you are Han people, why do you want to help these Tartars kill the Han people in the city?"

At this time, the city walls were only a few dozen meters apart. As the soldiers repeated loudly, Zhu Lang's voice could be heard between the city walls. The Qing soldiers below the city also began to get agitated after hearing the words from the city walls.

On the top of the city wall, Zhao Xing and a group of soldiers looked at the young man standing by the wall and shouting loudly with astonishment, but Zhu Lang ignored him and continued to speak.

"Since the Tartars entered the Central Plains, they have treated the Han people like cattle and sheep, and slaughtered them at will. Since the Jiashen period, wherever the Tartars have passed, the people have cried, their wives and children have been torn apart, and their lives have been destroyed. The Han people have almost become slaves of the barbaric Tartars. At this time, we Han people should work together to drive out the Tartars and defend our Han country. How can we Han people kill Han people again?"

Zhu Lang's face was filled with emotion, and Su Guansheng, Zhao Xing and others on the top of the city wall also fell silent when they saw His Highness the Regent clenching his fists and shouting loudly.

Over the years, wars broke out everywhere in the Ming Dynasty. Bandits, robbers, and thieves invaded the country. As the Han people fought among themselves, their strength became weaker and weaker. Eventually, the Tartars took advantage of the situation and occupied most of the Central Plains.
After the Qing Dynasty entered the Shanhai Pass, it seemed to be invincible and had no enemies wherever it went. However, in fact, the Qing Dynasty had been attacking and plundering for years since Nurhaci, but had never broken through the Shanhai Pass defense line of the Ming Dynasty.

During the reign of Emperor Chongzhen, the Qing army invaded several times, and the farthest attack even reached the Yellow River. Why did they eventually have to plunder and retreat?
The most fundamental reason was that they could never break through the Shanhaiguan defense line. After the Qing army penetrated deep into the enemy's territory and looted, they had no choice but to retreat.
However, this line of defense that Nurhachi and Huang Taiji had never broken through in their lifetime was eventually handed over to the Qing court due to the internal strife between Li Zicheng and Wu Sangui.

Without a single soldier, the Qing government broke through the solid defense line that the Ming Dynasty had built at a cost of millions of taels every year.
Why were the inland Ming troops unable to fight? Because the border troops that were able to fight were either completely destroyed in the battles with the Han rebels such as Li Zicheng, or all surrendered to the Qing court.
But it was fine before, they changed their surnames and names, and the Han people were the ones who made the final decision. But now the barbarians entered the pass and treated the Han people like cattle, sheep, slaves and servants. If they did not obey, they would massacre them. How could the Han people kill the Han people again?
There was silence on the top of the city wall, with only Zhu Lang's voice constantly echoing. In the Qing army formation below, the commotion in the formation was getting louder and louder as they heard the words of the man who claimed to be the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and saw the dragon flag fluttering in the air.

Zhu Lang on the top of the city wall saw the Qing army in turmoil, his face brightened, and he continued to shout

"Listen, Han people below the city. Today, I will stand in this West City with a group of soldiers to protect the hundreds of thousands of Han people in the city."

Zhu Lang looked around at the young and strong soldiers around him, raised his arms, and then suddenly shouted
"If any of you Han people want to kill the Han emperor and flatter the Tartars, you may pass through here."

As soon as Zhu Lang finished speaking, Zhao Xing suddenly raised his sword and shouted loudly:

"Protect Your Highness, Protect the Han Empire"

As Zhao Xing shouted, all the soldiers on the top of the city wall suddenly shouted loudly. For a moment, the inside and outside of the city wall were filled with the deafening sound of "Protecting Your Highness!"

The people on the top of the city were in high spirits, but the Qing troops below the city became slightly agitated when they heard the shouts from the top of the city.

(End of this chapter)