You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 242 Please Abdicate, Emperor!
At this moment, outside the Meridian Gate.

Sony, the Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard, was finally ready to quell the rebellion.

Sony looked around at the crowd, which included Tong Guogang, Shi Tingzhu, Cai Yurong, and Wang Shixuan.

Zu Zefu did not come; he had fallen ill and fled. Since surrendering to the Qing Dynasty, the Zu family had completely given up and refused to exert any effort, a stark contrast to his nephew Wu Sangui.

Sony:

"Listen up, all of you. We're not here to kill people today. We're here to stop the fighting. If anyone charges at us, shoot them with your matchlock guns, arrows, or spears, but you're not allowed to chase them down."

"The Imperial Guards will lead the vanguard, displaying royal regalia, play music, and advance!"

The sound of drums and music filled the air.

Bright yellow flags, bright yellow jackets, yellow helmets and yellow armor—the whole city was adorned in golden armor.

Sony was unlucky; aside from using royal authority to intimidate the rebels and frighten them into dispersing, he couldn't think of any other good ideas for the time being.

The thought of today being a day of fighting between bannermen, with big wins and big losses, or small wins and small losses, made him feel suffocated and bitter.

……

The rebel forces of the Bordered Blue Banner and Bordered Red Banner launched a fierce attack and had already reached the gates of the Infantry Commander's Office.

The sudden appearance of a third-party army put both sides in a tense situation.

Who is Sony helping?
Jirhalang and Rokodo dared not be careless. They dispatched a cavalry unit to flank the enemy, not to launch an attack, but to remain vigilant nonetheless.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the Ming army brought out eight Western cannons.

One after another, scorching shells fell into the alley, and the soldiers on both sides, bombarded indiscriminately by the shells, couldn't help but curse Sony's mother.

Sony: "We're telling them to stop fighting."

The neatly arrayed Han army arquebusiers, under the command of their officers, shouted in unison: "By order of the Emperor, lay down your weapons and go home; all past transgressions will be forgiven."

When they started shouting it for the third time.

A mushroom cloud rose in the distance, the next second, the sound of an explosion reached everyone's ears, and the next second, the shockwave of the explosion arrived.

……

The explosion was deafening.

A powerful gust of air swept over them, like a Force 14 gale sweeping across the ground. Flagpoles snapped, formations crumbled, soldiers fell, and warhorses galloped wildly.

Sony was so shocked that blood flowed from his mouth and nose, and he suffered from severe tinnitus. He struggled to get up and stared at the rare mushroom cloud in the southwest, his eyes devoid of light.

It's over, it's over.

The mushroom cloud gradually expanded and spread outwards.

Forbidden City.

When Shunzhi rushed out of the Qianqing Palace, he looked at the rising mushroom cloud and saw that he had become visibly hunched over.

Confined to Yingtai, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang watched the mushroom cloud rise, expand, and then disperse, her eyes filled with terror, anger, and despair.

Within 50 zhang of the explosion's epicenter, there were no survivors; within 100 zhang, walls collapsed, houses crumbled, and all doors and windows were destroyed.

The explosive power was far less than that of the Apocalypse Explosion, but its actual impact was no less significant.

About 15 minutes later, freezing rain began to fall.

The cold raindrops brought the war to a standstill; the soldiers simply couldn't fight any longer.

The parties have entered into a standoff.

Under the orders of Jirhalang and Rokodo, the rebels switched to a defensive posture, building barricades and erecting chevaux-de-frise to challenge the imperial authority.

The Bordered Blue Banner and Bordered Red Banner defense zones were originally adjacent, and now they have been connected to form a city within a city.

……

The next day.

Hundreds of miles away.

The riverbank near Shilibao in Miyun.

Jiang Qingyun was fishing by the river when the calico cat squatting next to him suddenly straightened up alertly, pricked up its ears, and stared wide-eyed in shock.

"what happened?"

"Meow~"

"homesick?"

"Meow~"

Without a language barrier, communication is impossible; it's like casting pearls before swine.

It suddenly started raining. Winter rain is quite unpleasant, so Jiang Qingyun released the fish in the wooden bucket to do good deeds. Afterwards, he went back to his room and ate hot pot with his wives and concubines.

The outdoor temperature was bitterly cold, but Jiang Qingyun felt as if a raging fire was burning in his heart.

Humans are a special kind of pressure vessel, with a limit to the pressure they can withstand. When a person's own pressure becomes too great, it is necessary to release the pressure in a timely manner and transfer the excess pressure to others in order to maintain one's own physical and mental health.

During the six days after arriving at Shilibao, Jiangnan, Lüzhu, and Wanchun took turns serving the emperor, while the other concubines were placed in a more distant part of the village and were never touched. Even Liu Zhangtai, the beloved nun, was not favored.

Safety is paramount!
Even if a superhuman hero were to appear out of nowhere, it's impossible for him to keep his eyes open 24 hours a day.

Suddenly, a guard came to report.

"My lord, Vice Minister Zhou has arrived."

"Please."

Zhou Shao, who had ridden a hundred miles on horseback, was covered in mud and water, and his face was bluish-purple.

"Brother, are you okay?"

"It's nothing, it's just that the road is difficult to walk on, and I fell several times."

"How's it in the capital?"

"It's all in chaos! The Wanggongchang gunpowder depot has exploded! The Bordered Blue Banner and Bordered Red Banner have started an uprising against the imperial authority and the Infantry Commander's Office."

Although Zhou Shao was tired, he was in good spirits.

"Before leaving the city, I set fire to the archives of the Ministry of Revenue, adding to the chaos in the capital."

Jiang Qingyun paced back and forth excitedly, already seeing the gates of power slowly opening towards him, a new journey, a new life, a new empire.

"Excellent! This is our best chance to seize control of the central government. I've decided to make a deal with Shunzhi: he'll let me form a cabinet, and I'll protect his throne. What do you think, brother?"

"I listen to you."

"The opportunity was fleeting, so I immediately wrote to my friends in the capital."

Jiang Qingyun's calligraphy flowed like dragons and snakes, while Zhou Shao was responsible for grinding ink and sealing with sealing wax. One after another, they rode away from Shilibao, carrying letters and braving the wind and rain, heading towards the capital and then towards Daming Prefecture.

……

Forbidden City.

Qianqing Palace.

The haggard and emaciated Shunzhi sat on the dragon throne, his eyes vacant and his expression weary, like a middle-aged corporate slave working 996 every day.

"Your Majesty, Lord Sony has returned."

Sony walked into the main hall, looking travel-worn and sorrowful.

“Your Majesty, Jirhalang and Rokodo refuse to obey the imperial decree.”

What do they want?

"Please have Your Majesty review this."

Although the current emperor is the son of Emperor Taizong, he lacks both Taizong's virtue and talent. Young and arrogant, muddle-headed and incompetent, stubborn and self-willed, he appoints treacherous officials, cruelly slaughters his own people, acts erratically, stifles dissent, and neglects filial piety. Having ruled for only three years, the empire already shows signs of collapse, and the people have long been dissatisfied with Emperor Shunzhi. We, the soldiers of the Bordered Blue and Bordered Red Banners, in accordance with the will of Heaven and the people, wish to elect Prince Zhuang, Shuo Sai, as the new emperor, to restore ancestral traditions, and to revitalize the Qing Dynasty.

Shunzhi tossed the proclamation aside, rubbed his face, and asked, "Sony, do you also think I should abdicate in favor of Shuo Sai?"

"No! This servant will never accept it."

……

Wu Liangfu's successor, the Third Eunuch, entered carrying a roll of white cloth.

"Your Majesty, the Infantry Commander's Office has sent a letter of allegiance."

"Quickly, bring it to me."

The white cloth, when unfolded, was over 4 zhang long.

The main text consists of only eight characters: "Unite our will, protect Shunzhi." Following this are countless bloody handprints and fingerprints, a striking sight.

"Okay, okay."

Emperor Shunzhi grasped at a straw as if he were a drowning man.

"The morale of the Infantry Commander's Office is good, and Jiang Qingyun is still loyal to me. Perhaps we should summon him back to the capital?"

Sony quickly tried to dissuade him.

"Your Majesty, no, absolutely not! The chaos started with Jiang, this man is a great villain who appears to be loyal."

"Then tell me, what should I do now?"

Sony was quite disappointed upon hearing this.

"Sony, if I were to order you to quell the rebellion with armed force, would you succeed?"

"Your Majesty, street fighting is not the same as field fighting. Once it begins, it will be a bloodbath. Even if the rebellion is eventually quelled, the Eight Banners will be wiped out. I believe that negotiation should be the primary approach."

Emperor Shunzhi was distraught and dejected.

The third eunuch slightly raised his eyelids, took the conversation to heart, and decided to report it truthfully to repay Chiang Kai-shek's kindness.

(End of this chapter)