The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 382 Blood Falls (Thanks to the book friend Jiajiawonangjiawaixiong for the reward and support!)

"kill!"

Cheng Liang suddenly thrust out a shot, the gun shot out like a dragon, and a young bandit who was rushing towards him screamed and covered his neck, blood gushing out from the gaps between his fingers. Before the bandit could die, he was trampled under the feet of the bandits who swarmed forward.

Cheng Liang retracted the gun, gathered some strength, and then stabbed out again, taking the life of another bandit.

"Commander Cheng! Why haven't you left yet?"

Instructor Huang Youlun raised his loaded flintlock pistol and pulled the trigger. With a bang, the immense recoil knocked him off balance, nearly causing him to fall. Ten steps away, an old thief with a drawn bow and arrow was struck in the head, his brain shattering as he fell to the ground.

"I am an old man from Kaiyuan, protecting the central army camp. The emperor's soldiers are almost dead. If I don't go, who will?"

Cheng Liang was panting and trying hard to pull out the spear tip, but it was stuck in the bone gap and could not be pulled out. He looked forward anxiously, swung the short axe and threw it forward with all his strength. A bandit with a face full of flesh was hit by the flying axe and disappeared among a group of running people.

"Okay, old friend, let's hold this ditch together today and protect Emperor Wuding."

~~~~~~
The artillery on the city wall roared continuously, and the shells rained down on the dark crowd like hail. Each shell plowed a bloody groove in the crowd, and the hot iron balls smashed the bandits' bodies into pieces, with their hands, feet, and internal organs scattered everywhere, as if they were being reassembled to make human-shaped dolls.

However, the power of solid bullets could not deter the refugees from attacking frantically.

Tens of thousands of refugees began to cross the river. They roared at the top of their lungs, venting their inner hatred. They laughed and cried, their faces grim.

Millions of faces finally blurred into anger that soared into the sky.

Who are they?

They are refugees, who used to be contented farmers who cultivated the land.

They are the most cunning and cruel people. They appear honest but are the best at lying. They will lie about anything!

Whenever a war breaks out, they kill the remaining soldiers and steal their weapons. When the imperial court is in danger, they gather together to rebel. They are the most stingy, cunning, cowardly, and poisonous as snakes and scorpions. They are always bewitched and used by conspirators. In this ancient country, from the Dazexiang Uprising of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, how many so-called peasant movements were truly for the peasants?

But who made the farmers become like this?

The government, the gentry, the humble gentlemen, they all deserve to die!

In order to fight wars, they burned villages, ravaged fields, forced people to do forced labor, raped women, and sucked their marrow out of their bones!
Farmers had to do odd jobs for the landlords (patrol, construction, and miscellaneous work), and give them gifts during festivals (winter animals, New Year meat, and reed marrow). However, during the autumn harvest, the landlords could receive more than 50% and up to 80% of the harvest.

Landlords used violence to collect rent, sometimes beating farmers, sometimes killing them, and even "breaking the sack and removing the kidneys" of farmers who owed rent.

Their fields have become barren, their villages have long been in ruins, and their loved ones have starved to death and become food for others.

In the end, their lives, like this mini-glacial climate, are desperate and cruel.

Even if they could escape back to their hometown alive, these people would starve to death or be eaten.

Following the rebel named King Chuang across most of northern China and all the way to where they are today, what has sustained them is their bestiality and animal instinct.

Now, they want to return all the humiliation double to the government, to the Qi Dynasty that replaced the Ming Dynasty, and to Emperor Wuding Liu Zhaosun.

"Kill! Kill the government troops, kill! Kill them all!"

The last row of spearmen blocking the trench were overwhelmed by the frenzied refugees...
A sharp bamboo whistle was heard from the breastwork, followed by a whistling sound close at hand, which almost broke Gao Yingxiang's eardrums. The pungent smell of gunpowder almost made this strong thief cry.

"Donkey balls, what the hell is that!"

Gao Yingxiang arched his back like a cat that had just woken up, and moved the long sword from his left hand to his right hand.

The last black tiger-head flag was still flying brightly above the battlefield.

There was a faint smell of blood in the air.

The ground was littered with corpses of Kaiyuan soldiers.

Suddenly, hundreds of rockets with long tails of flame rose up from behind the breastwork. The bright light from the rockets made Gao Yingxiang almost unable to open his eyes. He squinted and saw the rockets rise to mid-air and then dive down. With a loud explosion, the dense crowd of bandits on both sides of the moat were enveloped by fireballs.

"What the hell is this?"

Gao Yingxiang didn't have time to think. He looked up and saw a rocket hurtling toward him. Knowing the power of this thing, Gao Yingxiang quickly stood up and fled. But as he stood up, his ears buzzed, and a heat wave lashed out from behind, as if he'd been shoved. He fell back into the pit, instinctively covering himself with the corpse. The surroundings were scorching, and from the sky rained down thousands of flaming balls. The screams of the bandits echoed all around. The moving fireballs screamed and darted around, plunging headfirst into the icy moat, sinking into the ice and fire.

~~~~~~
When the emperor passed by the Wanggongchang gunpowder depot, he decided to inspect the gunpowder depot on the way, perhaps because he was worried about the Tianqi explosion or because he thought of someone.

After Zhang Yan's death, Lao Kang was squeezed out of the cabinet by Yang Guozhang, and his position was demoted again and again. Finally, he became the supervisor of Wanggong Factory, responsible for supervising the production of landmines.

The second-in-command of Kaiyuan has now lost his rank, and even Lei Jiangtou can tell him what to do.

In the mine artillery workshop, Emperor Wu Ding met Kang Yingqian, whom he had not seen for many days. Kang Yingqian's temples were completely white and he had lost a lot of weight. Seeing him, Liu Zhaosun couldn't help but shed tears.

After not seeing him for two months, Lao Kang has aged so much.

After dismissing his attendants, Liu Zhaosun pointed outside the door and cursed, saying that his father-in-law should not take advantage of others' misfortune. Emperor Wuding immediately ordered Kang Yingqian to be recalled to his side to continue serving as his military supervisor.

Kang Yingqian just laughed, did not fiddle with his mine cannon, nor did he accept the order and express his gratitude.

Emperor Wuding's Great Qi, like gunpowder grains on the table, had been shattered into pieces and turned into a pile of loose sand.

The shrill cries of the Divine Fire Crows were heard from Yongding Gate, and countless lives rose into the sky along with the rockets.

Kang Yingqian remained silent.

Liu Zhaosun said, "I came to see you today as a farewell. I will be leaving soon."

Kang Yingqian put down the gunpowder bag and said:

"Your Majesty, today's outcome was predetermined the moment you protected the merchants. Kindness does not command the army, and righteousness does not command wealth. Those who achieve great things must not be merciful. You have stubbornly acted on your own, ignoring my advice until today! Do you realize your mistake?"

"A kind heart, you say it is kind to you?"

Emperor Wuding seemed to be smiling.

He showed mercy to Kang Yingqian's men. If he hadn't taken action himself, Kang would have been killed by Yang Hao's group.

Kang Yingqian smiled coldly:
"I thank Your Majesty for sparing my life. I am already a dying man, so what difference does it make whether I live or not? The plague is rampant in the army, and the casualties are heavy. Your Majesty, do you really want to defend the capital to the death?"

Liu Zhaosun nodded.

"Your Majesty treated the refugees and the common people with kindness, but you never imagined you would end up like this. Do you know how the historians will record you after your death?"

Emperor Wuding said indifferently, "Bao Qi? The second Gao Huan?"

Kang Yingqian added: "The Great Qi is not as good as the Northern Qi. After all, it existed for less than half a year."

"Hahaha, it's also the best in history!"

Liu Zhaosun laughed loudly.

"General Kang's words make sense."

"Then, Your Majesty, what are your plans? Do you wish to negotiate peace with the bandits? I can go see Li Xianzhong."

Liu Zhaosun's laughter stopped abruptly, his face turned pale, and the scene of the tragic death of Shen Lian and others appeared in front of his eyes.

"The enemy is at the gates, and the city is about to fall. What's there to talk about? It will only bring humiliation upon ourselves."

He took off a jade pendant from his neck and handed it to Kang Yingqian.

"This is a token my adoptive father left me. If General Kang can escape, please bring this back to Nanchang Prefecture in Jiangxi Province and return it to my adoptive father's grave. Tell him that Little Thirteen's journey has come to an end."

Kang Yingqian grabbed the emperor and said anxiously:

"Do you really want to be like Xiang Yu?! Guang'anmen is closest to Wanggongchang. The bandits outside the city are few in number, so the chances of breaking out are quite high. As long as we leave the capital, gather our troops, and then go to Liaodong, the Great Qi can still succeed. Victory and defeat are common in the military. We've weathered so many storms, so we're not afraid of another one!"

Liu Zhaosun remained silent, and finally said:

"I am ashamed to see the people of Liaodong again! This retreat will make seven years of hard work go to waste. Reentering the pass will be harder than climbing to heaven. Since Sarhu, the world has been ravaged by war, and countless lives have been lost. It's time to end it!"

Kang Yingqian was speechless.

He knew Liu Zhaosun's character, so he accepted the jade pendant without saying much.

Emperor Wuding pushed the door open and went out. Suddenly, he heard someone behind him say, "Your Majesty, do you regret it?"

The traveler stepped out of the light with one foot and stopped in the darkness with one foot. He was silent for a long time:

"I've lived two lives. In my previous life, I was muddle-headed and bent over backward for a few pieces of silver. Now, I'm striving for dominance, with beautiful women by my side. I've lived a glorious life. Even if my soul scatters and my bones are crushed to dust, I'll have no regrets."

After saying that, he turned around and left with Pei Dahu.

After Emperor Wuding left, Kang Yingqian sat alone at the table in a daze. He looked at the floor under his feet, at a piece of gunpowder fuse exposed on the floor. His sparse beard trembled slightly, and a strange smile appeared on his face.

(End of this chapter)