Ancestors, please don't crawl out again.

Chapter 180 Heavenly Pattern

Yintai's plan to counterattack Luoyang was actually aimed at replacing outdated industries with new ones.

As a veteran who climbed up from the bottom entirely through fighting, he has a clearer understanding of the current situation than Ma Ge, who is completely swayed by emotions.

This war is unwinnable.

Their food supplies have all been cut off.

Don't even mention that the Battle of Baoding was definitely fake...

Of course he knew it was fake. Even if Ma Ge kept it from him, he knew it was fake based on experience alone. He had become a governor, and he had done this kind of thing countless times before. If it was a real victory with tens of thousands of heads taken, why didn't they take back Baoding? What kind of army, after losing 20,000 heads and being routed by 100,000, did not completely collapse and then lose city after city?

Battle reports can be deceiving, but the battle lines don't lie. We gathered almost all the elite troops we could muster to fight a decisive battle against the enemy, but in the end, the battle lines didn't even budge.
That means we've lost.

The defeat wasn't too devastating; it didn't lead to a complete collapse, and the enemy only pursued them for hundreds of miles.

But the problem is that this is exactly what the capital city fears. If the canal transport is cut off, it will collapse within three months if the deadlock cannot be broken.

Of course, even a great victory wouldn't change this situation.

After all, even if they defeated the heavenly army in the north, they still had to open up Henan, reclaim Xuzhou, and then go to Yangzhou to face that demon.

The canal transport wasn't blocked in Baoding.

Facing that demon...

That's a slap in the face!
The wisest choice for Ma Ge next is to go west.

They can't go back to Liaodong. They can't go back to Liaodong anymore. What can the current die-hard farmers do if they go back?

He can't farm, he can't draw a strong bow when hunting, he can't withstand the cold winter, he's probably long forgotten how to fish by breaking ice, and he probably can't dig ginseng either.

They may not even recognize what the ginseng they used to make soup looked like when it was alive.

However, I've learned all sorts of entertainment methods.

If we really go back to Liaodong, even with the current stable crop yields, less than a third of them won't survive the first winter.

But the Western Hunt is different. Guanzhong can provide a stable supply for the Qing Dynasty, and given the demon's methods, the gentry of Jiangnan won't side with him. Instead, the Qing Dynasty will be their ally. This way, they can hold Guanzhong, be supplied by grain from Shanxi and Sichuan, and form alliances with the gentry downstream. The latter will still acknowledge the Qing Dynasty, at most playing the role of mutual protection under the banner of resisting the demon, but they won't abandon the Qing Dynasty. They might even provide some money and grain, since with the Qing Dynasty on the flank, it will be difficult for the Heavenly Army to launch a large-scale southward invasion.

Furthermore, through the alliance with the Mongols and the cooperation of the masters, they were able to form alliances with the various Oirat tribes and gain their support.

Of course, we also need to give them some territory.

In short, the Western Hunt, based in Guanzhong, allied with the gentry of Jiangnan in the south, relied on the Mongol tribes in the north, and allied with the Oirat in the west, and was able to persist.

But there's a problem with the Western Hunt.

Tens of thousands, even nearly a million, loyal farmers followed Brother Ma on his westward journey. They needed a place to be accommodated in Shaanxi; they needed space to live.

Robbing Han Chinese?

Did they think they wouldn't directly rebel and lead the heavenly army westward?

What is needed now is to appease the Shaanxi gentry, and even the troublemakers, and coax them not to rebel. After all, even if Yin Tai believes he can hold Tongguan, he cannot withstand a fire breaking out from behind.

Since they couldn't rob the gentry, it was obvious who else could be robbed. They controlled prime locations, and neither the Mongol princes nor the gentry liked them. Robbing them would be a win-win situation, even a shared achievement. Therefore, before taking action, they needed to deplete the young and strong as much as possible. The plan was to capture Luoyang and Kaifeng, allowing them to burn, kill, and plunder at will, even providing them with newly formed Eight Banners, making various promises, and enticing the leaders to continuously send their men to their deaths for personal gain.

"One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand. If you want wealth and glory, you have to risk your life. Kill, kill to earn a title and a legacy for your family, kill to make your descendants noble and powerful for generations!"

Yintai brandished the knife and roared with great force.

The newly formed Eight Banners generals, carrying the dream of their descendants becoming dukes and marquises for generations, personally urged their subordinates to act.

Driven by their trusted leader and the Mongol cavalry supervising the battle, wave after wave charged toward the walls of Luoyang, rushing into the blood-soaked moats, stepping over layers of their fallen comrades, only to become part of the corpses themselves. Other valiant soldiers, clutching gunpowder barrels, desperately charged toward the walls, only to be engulfed in flames by the bullets striking them, not only shattering themselves but also taking with them a pile of others.

This was the era of gunpowder, not modern explosives. Even a random bullet could cause it to explode.

The heavenly soldiers on the city wall continued to leisurely shoot down these suicidal enemies.

However, some were indeed lucky enough to make it through, but that was pointless and only provided a bit of fun for the militia.

Some militia members even specifically requested that the heavenly soldiers release a few to the city wall.

While Yintai was fighting a bloody battle in Luoyang, Yinzhen, under Ma Ge's strict orders, had no choice but to cross the Cao River again in an attempt to break through the formation of the Heavenly Army and the militia.

They chose a day with continuous spring rain.

But it's of no use.

In the continuous spring rain, squads of Mongol cavalry charged futilely into the muddy battlefield, only to be killed by accurate bullets, just like last time.

They didn't even last long. Even the Mongol cavalry unit that charged the furthest only penetrated less than ten miles into the formation before facing the seemingly endless militia ahead and choosing to retreat hastily from the battlefield. Moreover, even the Mongol princes who participated in the battle were now beginning to feel dissatisfied. After all, Ma Ge could no longer provide them with sufficient supplies because the boatmen on the canal had rebelled, and the area around the capital was in chaos. Although the Eight Banners in the capital had no problem suppressing the boatmen, the problem was that suppressing them was ineffective.

The boatmen had no food either.

So Brother Ma can only arrest corrupt officials in the capital.

That is, the gentry around the capital, especially those former noble families who welcomed the imperial army and whose families had served in the Qing Dynasty for generations.

In short, he could only do his best to scavenge as much food as possible to supply the front lines, which could not bring him victory.

But we can't just not provide for them!

While providing for them may not bring him victory, not providing for them could easily bring him defeat.

Even so, Mako still had to face his crumbling rule.

Jining.

On the city wall.

Where is Kong Yuqi?

Amid the sounds of gunfire, Zhao Shixian, the River Governor covered in blood, roared.

“Duke Yansheng, Duke Yansheng just escaped. This servant watched him run down the city wall and tried to stop him, but his servant shot him back.”

His servants shouted in the melee.

He had barely finished speaking when he was hacked to death by several strong young men who were surrounding him.

"That bastard! His Majesty gave them so many rewards for nothing, but a leopard can't change its spots!"

Zhao Shixian raised his pistol and shot down a young man who was rushing towards him, while cursing his fleeing teammates.

He was a member of the Bordered Yellow Banner Han Army, which meant he could legitimately call himself a servant in front of Ma Ge. Because he was sandwiched between Yu Chenglong, Zhang Penghe, and Chen Pengnian, who could be considered famous officials, the most famous legend he left behind was his rivalry with wealth.

He used more than 10,000 lamps to host a banquet, thus overshadowing the previous official who had entertained him with 6,000 lamps.

He was originally stationed in Qingjiangpu, but after the Kaifeng upheaval, considering the importance of the Grand Canal, he was transferred back to Jining, the original location of the Grand Canal Governor.

Together with the Shandong governor, one in the south and one in the north, they blocked the eastward advance of the imperial army. As for Kong Yuqi…

Of course, it refers to the Duke Yansheng at that time.

The Qing Dynasty had supported their family for so many years, and now it was time to use them. Therefore, upon arriving in Jining, Zhao Shixian immediately visited the Duke of Yansheng. At his urging, the Duke of Yansheng also realized that the time to repay the Emperor's favor had come. So he personally persuaded the gentry of various places in Yanzhou to jointly form the Loyalty and Righteousness Camp, or rather, a local militia, which was then personally commanded by Kong Yuqi and joined Zhao Shixian in defending Jining. During this time, they held their ground, mainly because the Heavenly Army hadn't attacked. Originally, they were supposed to attack, but the Second Heavenly Army was temporarily transferred to Xuzhou by the Celestial Venerable. Only after the Celestial Venerable went south did they directly march north from Xuzhou to attack Jining.

And that's how we ended up in the current situation.

Under the cover of fire from cannons and guns outside the city, the young men and strong men from all over southern Shandong who followed the Heavenly Army northward charged up the walls of Jining and fought fiercely with the resisting Qing army.

This is now the standard offensive tactic of the Heavenly Army. No matter where they attack, they divide up the land and purge the gentry along the way. Then they mobilize the able-bodied men as militiamen, who sweep forward with their numerical superiority. The Heavenly Army provides fire support, while simultaneously inciting the poor in the target city. The rest is a coordinated effort from both inside and outside, which can be described as overwhelming.

The Qing troops still resisting on the city walls now also have to face the rising tide of young men and strong men inside the city.

After cursing the Duke of Yansheng, Zhao Shixian threw his short gun, which had missed its target, at the young man rushing towards him, then drew his sword and ran towards the city tower behind him.

Several Qing soldiers who were still resisting immediately followed.

But just as they climbed the stairs, a burst of bullets suddenly came in from outside, and several Qing soldiers were immediately riddled with blood and flesh by the large-caliber bullets that were clearly fired by the cannon.

Zhao Shixian was also struck by a piece of wood, which pierced his left eye. He screamed and covered his left eye as he continued running upwards. He quickly reached the second floor, then collapsed beside a pillar, desperately looking at the remaining young men who seemed to be covered in ants like ants crawling on the city wall. At this moment, the red-clad heavenly soldiers also began to advance. Next, these young men would open the city gates and let these terrifying demon soldiers into the city. Jining City had effectively fallen, and the Qing Dynasty's canal defense line had completely collapsed.

"Your Majesty, this servant is sorry, this servant has failed to live up to Your Majesty's grace!"

He cried out in anguish.

At this moment, several Qing soldiers also went up to the second floor. Because they were afraid of being hit by the bullets from the cannon that pierced through the wall, they crowded around the governor. They also looked at the sea of ​​people below in despair.

Zhao Shixian held the knife and wept.

"General, in my humble opinion, we should cut off our queues, take off these clothes, find some new clothes to change into and pretend to be commoners, then find a chance to escape. They won't be able to tell us apart anyway."

"A Qing soldier said."

His suggestion is quite feasible.

Ultimately, there was no difference in appearance between people. Once you cut off your queue, you were considered a troublemaker. Although the governor was likely to be recognized, it wasn't certain that he would be. In this chaotic situation, especially with the influx of young men from other places, you could still get away with it if you were careful. In fact, this was the standard practice. A lot of Qing officials who wanted to escape did it this way.

"You scoundrel! This queue is a legacy from our ancestors. We can cut off our heads, but we cannot cut off our queues. Moreover, I am a member of the Bordered Yellow Banner, and my family has received imperial favor for generations. How can I be afraid of death and betray the emperor's grace?"

Zhao Shixian said angrily.

"Han Army of the Bordered Yellow Banner".

The Qing soldier said speechlessly.

"You dog, are you trying to rebel? So what if you're a Han soldier? You're still a Bordered Yellow Banner soldier, you're still His Majesty's slave!"

Zhao Shixian said angrily.

Of course, he also knew that things were different now than before.

After he finished speaking, he resolutely placed the knife against his own neck.

The Qing soldiers watched coldly from the sidelines, waiting for him to make the fatal blow, but Governor Zhao was somewhat embarrassed. After all, he was a man who liked to flaunt his wealth, and he was still a little reluctant to make the fatal blow.

but……

These bastards just stood by and watched.

Governor Zhao looked in the direction of Brother Ma with grief and indignation.

"Your Majesty, this servant has failed to live up to Your Majesty's grace!"

He wailed.

Then, trembling, he picked up the knife.

"General, look! It's the Duke Yansheng!"

Suddenly a soldier shouted.

Governor Zhao quickly put down his sword and looked in the direction the man was pointing. He saw a unique procession moving forward through the chaotic streets of the city. It was the Duke of Yansheng, Kong Yuqi, who had cut off his queue at some point. He was wearing a python robe from the previous dynasty and holding a memorial tablet in his hands. His son was holding his black gauze hat beside him. He was accompanied by a group of local gentry who had also changed into the previous dynasty's clothing. Under the protection of the militia, they walked solemnly toward the city gate.

At the very front, servants carried a table with an incense burner on it and a large memorial tablet standing upright, on which was written...

"What a piece of shit!"

Governor Zhao cursed, his lips trembling.

It clearly says on it: "May the Immortal Venerable live ten thousand years."

At this moment, the city gates had been opened, and the heavenly soldiers outside swarmed in, with the leading general riding straight forward on horseback.

Duke Yansheng and his entourage quickly stopped, and then the incense table was set up. Duke Yansheng led the gentry behind him to kneel down, holding up the memorial tablet with both hands.

That belongs to Confucius.

"Kong Yuqi, an unworthy descendant of the Kong family, respectfully welcomes the angel. The Immortal Venerable is a friend of my ancestor, the Sage Master, and is also my ancestor. Please convey to the Immortal Venerable that Yuqi is willing to offer one million taels of silver as a birthday gift for the Immortal Venerable."

The Duke Yansheng lay prostrate on the ground and spoke solemnly.

The surrounding people watched coldly, and many of them were even looking at the general.

the latter……

"You too?"

The latter sneered.

Duke Yansheng quickly raised his head and put on a fawning smile.

“Angel, the Immortal Venerable also said that he and a certain ancestor were friends of the Heavenly Realm, so naturally he is no different from that ancestor.”

He said.

"I'm sorry, but the Immortal Venerable has given a decree. Confucius told him that now that his descendants are so ancient, he doesn't know if they are truly his own. Therefore, before leaving, he specifically instructed the Immortal Venerable to send all of you to him after descending to the mortal realm so that he could personally verify your identities. Those who are imposters will be sent to the underworld. Since this is your ancestor's wish, the Immortal Venerable can of course not disobey. Brothers, hurry up and send the Duke Yansheng's family on their way."

The general said with a smile.

Kong Yuqi was instantly dumbfounded.

"Hahaha, Duke Yansheng, your ancestor wants to see you, go quickly!"

Zhao Shixian finally couldn't hold back and burst into wild laughter from the city wall.

……

(End of this chapter)