Ancestors, please don't crawl out again.

Chapter 174 Traitors, all traitors

On the city wall of Xuzhou.

"Kill one demon soldier and you'll be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver; kill that demon and you'll be rewarded with a hundred thousand taels of silver. Right now, the silver is piled up behind me. Whoever kills a demon will be rewarded!"

"Ma Ge's confidant, currently the most notorious corrupt official in our Great Qing Dynasty," said Gali, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, brandishing his knife.

Behind him, beneath the city wall, protected by a group of guards, were open chests, each containing gleaming silver in the sunlight.

This guy has been embezzling for decades.

When he was governor of Shanxi, he was impeached for ordering a 20% increase in the province's fire tax.

This was an extra charge he made, not including the charges made by local officials. In other words, after the local officials had already added their own surcharges, he demanded an additional 20% for himself, ultimately amassing 400,000 taels of silver in one go.

However, as a close confidant of Ma Ge, he not only escaped punishment but was promoted to governor, while the censor who impeached him was dismissed from office.

The person who filed a complaint on behalf of the people of Shanxi was labeled a fugitive.

The reason given was that his incorruptible conduct as an official in Shanxi aroused the jealousy of others, who then deliberately bribed these people to frame him.

Historically, at this time, he was impeached by Governor Zhang Boxin for selling the title of Juren in the Jiangnan imperial examinations. In the end, Ma Ge (Zhang Boxin's brother) was dismissed from office to protect him. However, two years later, he was reported by his own mother for plotting to poison him. Of course, this is not important. What is important is that he secretly colluded with the deposed Yinreng. He privately adopted the son of Yinreng's uncle Changtai, who was in cahoots with his uncle Suo'etu. After Suo'etu was arrested, he should have gone into hiding. But his ending is even more bizarre, because it is only recorded that he was dismissed from office before the deposed crown prince, but there is no record of when or how he died.

Moreover, when the crown prince was deposed, Ma Ge specifically emphasized him and Suo'etu together, clearly showing that he hated both of them with a passion.

But Gali, a corrupt official who had been personally protected by Ma Ge for decades and had been impeached time and time again without any consequences, actually secretly adopted Changtai's son...

This is clearly a betrayal of Ma Ge.

This is because they see that Ma Ge is getting old and are betting on Yinreng in advance.

In the end, Gali, who sold 500,000 taels of silver for selling his imperial examination degree in Jiangnan, was only dismissed from office. Moreover, he was dismissed along with the Han Chinese governor who had reported him. This time, he was simply given death by Ma Ge. Moreover, the death was only to show the benevolence of the wise and virtuous ruler. In reality, Ma Ge had him tortured before forcing him to commit suicide.

However, Yang Feng's appearance saved him. After all, compared to Yang Feng's rebellion, his trivial matter of selling the title of Juren in Jiangnan was no longer important.

Besides, who was he selling the title of Juren to?
I understand this.

Of the 500,000 sold, probably 400,000 would go to the Imperial Household Department.

Ultimately, Ma Ge issued an edict severely reprimanding him and Zhang Boxin, demanding that the governors and viceroys unite to maintain peace in Jiangnan and not to let unfounded accusations damage the harmony between the governors and viceroys.

Zhang Boxing wisely withdrew from the fray.

Besides, he really wasn't in the mood for this anymore. His family was from Yifeng, and by this time they had already been corrupted by demons, and were among the first to be corrupted. He was already in a state of utter confusion, so how could he be in the mood to continue advocating for the people?

In the end, Gali won again. Deeply grateful for the Emperor's grace, he spared no effort in mobilizing the Eight Banners and Green Standard Army troops that could be gathered in the two rivers region to march north to Xuzhou for a final battle against the demon. He even invited a large number of extraordinary individuals—martial arts masters, semi-immortals, sorcerers, and foreign monks—all brimming with confidence. Furthermore, because the cities previously captured had been infiltrated by unruly civilians, he ordered the entire population of Xuzhou to be expelled upon arrival. Those who refused to leave were executed on charges of colluding with the demon.

Therefore, only his army of over 100,000 men is currently inside Xuzhou City.

Of course, there were also the women that these hundreds of thousands of soldiers had looted during this period, after all, everyone needs entertainment.

At his shout, the Eight Banners and Green Standard Army soldiers, their spirits suddenly lifted, immediately opened fire on the city walls. At the same time, the strange and unusual people who had come with Governor Ga also took to the stage, performing various acts on the city walls: chanting scriptures, performing shamanistic dances, and several missionaries were also busy. On one side were soldiers bravely firing cannons, and on the other side were various performances that could only be described as comical...

There were even some legendary formations set up, so the women who had been played with and ruined were forced to continue to exert their remaining energy on the city wall.

As for their target, it was naturally the Immortal Venerable's Palace outside Xuzhou City.

Yang Feng, who was already within cannon range, looked at the city wall with some confusion, after all, the sight was still quite spectacular.

Shells kept falling around him.

But none of them hit the palace.

This isn't his; it's the so-called God's toy. Of course, the latter wouldn't let the cannonballs land on his own toy.

Meanwhile, on the two gun emplacements in front of and behind the palace, two divine cannons were firing continuously.

The 14.7mm bullet struck the city wall, but it couldn't penetrate the blue bricks of the parapet. After all, this thing wasn't a DShK. The old-fashioned round-nosed lead bullets had limited penetrating power, while the blue bricks of the ancient city wall could withstand it completely. However, those extraordinary people were unlucky. The whistling bullets passed through them instantly, and they were all blown to pieces. The women who were setting up the formation were not attacked. They watched as the extraordinary people fell, and they screamed in terror and lay down.

"Quickly, they're useful, let them continue!"

Gali thought their formation was really effective, so he immediately shouted to the Eight Banners soldiers who were lying down to avoid bullets.

The latter had no choice but to get up and drive the women away, but at the same time, the archers in the palace who used sharpshooters aimed at these Eight Banner soldiers and kept sniping at them.

Gari didn't care about their casualties; all he wanted was to defend Xuzhou for Ma Ge. The fact that these women hadn't been killed proved that their formation was effective.

Then continue!
The unfortunate Eight Banner soldiers, risking being sniped, forced the women to get up and continue their outrageous performance on the city wall.

At the same time, the elite Manchu Eight Banners troops who rushed out from another city gate also drove the Jiangnan Green Standard Army to attack Yang Feng's palace.

However, what they faced was the Heavenly Army, which had already dug trenches. The soldiers of the Second Heavenly Army, having swept through the Green Standard Army in western Shandong, had gained some combat experience. They stood calmly in their trenches, aiming their sniper rifles at the charging Green Standard Army. But the cannons at their positions fired first, a dense hail of bullets sweeping through the Jiangnan Green Standard Army soldiers, leaving them in droves of dead. Then the infantry opened fire, instantly snapping the Jiangnan Green Standard Army to their senses, and they turned to flee. But the elite Manchu Eight Banners troops behind them advanced in perfect unison, shooting down the fleeing soldiers with muskets and arrows. The Green Standard Army cursed their Eight Banners masters, helplessly turning back again, but unfortunately, the dense hail of bullets from the other side was even more terrifying!

After weighing their options, they didn't hesitate to target the Manchu nobles.

If I can't beat the demons, can't I beat you?
"Traitors! They're all traitors!"

Gali looked at the Green Standard Army soldiers who had instantly overwhelmed the Eight Banners of Manchuria, and said with trembling lips.

The two Green Standard Army officers behind him exchanged glances.

One of them gestured to a group of guards below, who understood and rode straight to the distant city gate.

Meanwhile, the fleeing Green Standard Army was already stepping over the submerged Manchu banners and heading towards the city gate.

When the guards arrived, the defeated soldiers also arrived, but the Eight Banners soldiers guarding the gate were not going to open the gate for them.

"You bunch of bastards, don't think I can't see through you. You dared to betray the Banner soldiers. You'll all die out there today. When I get back, I'll slaughter your whole families and capture your women to be your slaves!"

The Eight Banners generals on the city wall cursed at the defeated soldiers who were knocking on the gate.

He didn't notice that the guards were climbing the city wall, and that the Green Standard Army on the wall was also watching.

"General, open the door quickly and spare our lives!"

"The demon's firearms are too powerful; we can't defeat them!"

……

The pro-independence camp outside is pleading.

Of course, they were actually faking it.

Because the heavenly soldiers didn't pursue them at all, but countless troublemakers appeared behind them. These were the people from the city of Xuzhou whom they had previously driven out, plus the people from the surrounding areas who came to serve the Immortal Venerable.

"You bastards, if you can't beat them, just die!"

The Eight Banners generals watched them with delight.

At that moment, he finally heard footsteps. He instinctively turned his head and stared at the group of guards approaching him, momentarily stunned.

"Whose men are you, and how did you get here?"

he shouted.

But the next moment, the leading guard drew his sword and brought it down. He frantically raised his own sword, and the two blades clashed. The sword slipped from his grasp; clearly, having become accustomed to firearms, he was no longer adept at hand-to-hand combat. Without hesitation, he dragged a Manchu soldier aside, using him to block the guard's falling blade, and then fled like a madman. At the same time, the guards who had stormed the city wall charged at his Manchu troops. Caught off guard, and having long been equipped with firearms, the Manchu soldiers were actually less skilled in combat than the Green Standard Army, whose use of firearms was restricted. This was especially true for the elite guards of Green Standard Army commanders.

In the blink of an eye, one after another, the Eight Banner soldiers were hacked to death on the city wall.

But the Green Standard Army soldiers who were also defending the city watched with schadenfreude, and even deliberately blocked the Eight Banners soldiers from escaping.

"Master, please forgive me!"

With nowhere to turn, the Eight Banners general, blocked by Green Standard Army soldiers, knelt down and kowtowed to his personal guards who were chasing him, begging for mercy.

But the latter cut off his head without the slightest hesitation.

"Quickly, open the city gates, let's go back to Jiangnan!"

The guards removed the key from the corpse and threw it directly to a Green Standard Army officer.

The latter laughed and quickly ran down. Soon the city gate opened, and the defeated soldiers outside swarmed in.

Meanwhile, the personal guards and Green Standard Army soldiers watched as the Green Standard Army was being mobilized in chaos within the city behind them...

"Run! The demon soldiers have entered the city! Run! The city has fallen!"

The Green Standard Army officer who opened the door shouted in a serious tone.

The Green Standard Army soldiers inside the city, completely unaware of what was happening, stared in astonishment at them, then at the fleeing soldiers swarming into the city gates…

"Run! The city has fallen!"

Then they ran away without hesitation.

Meanwhile, the fleeing soldiers entering the city were also shouting that the city had fallen. They spread panic and dragged along the bewildered Green Standard Army soldiers in the city. They looted the city's supplies and rushed through Xuzhou City toward the other gate. Thus began the massive collapse of the hundreds of thousands of troops in Xuzhou City.

(End of this chapter)