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

Chapter 249: A magnificent era slowly unfolds~
Forbidden City.

The rebels finally stormed Shenwu Gate.

The imperial harem was in a state of utter devastation, with eunuchs and palace maids running in panic and concubines weeping and screaming.

Shunzhi roared:

"Has the army that came to the emperor's aid not arrived yet?"

A head guard, his face covered in blood, replied:

"Your Majesty, we currently have not a single soldier. If reinforcements do not arrive soon, the Forbidden City will be doomed."

Half an hour later, several more wounded guards helped each other down.

"Your Majesty, let's retreat. We can't hold out any longer; there are too many rebels."

Shunzhi gripped the hilt of his sword, hesitant.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from not far away. Everyone looked closely and saw that it was the Grand Eunuch San, leading dozens of skilled eunuchs to help.

The three men spoke clearly and distinctly:
"Your Majesty, do not panic. Even if the rebels break in, we loyal eunuchs are still here. I will stand here today and not retreat an inch. If the rebels want to harm Your Majesty, they will have to step over our dead bodies first."

To be honest, the sight of a bunch of eunuchs serving the emperor is quite comical.

But at this moment, no one looks down on them.

Even Emperor Shunzhi was slightly moved.

……

"Your Majesty, reinforcements have arrived! Reinforcements have arrived!"

Suddenly, a guard led a man running from the south.

The man immediately knelt down upon seeing Shunzhi.

"Your Majesty, the Grand Secretary has sent this humble general to the palace to protect you."

"Where is Chief Minister Chiang? Where are the reinforcements?"

"Your Majesty, a thick fog descended this morning, and the rebels launched a surprise attack on the central command tent. Chief Minister Jiang fought to the death and killed many rebels. Inspired by the Chief Minister, the brothers finally repelled the rebels."

"I'm asking you, where are the reinforcements?"

"Your Majesty, the Grand Secretary is gathering troops and will soon enter the palace to defend the Emperor. He sent me here first to reassure Your Majesty."

How many soldiers does he have?

"The whole city is on high alert."

……

Shunzhi felt slightly relieved, but then became nervous again. What if Jiang Qingyun did something else while leading the army to defend the emperor? The emperor's heart was like that of a young girl who was not yet in love, both afraid that the other party would not come and afraid that the other party would do something reckless.

The Third Eunuch was secretly delighted; he had made the right bet!
Thanks to his merit in "protecting the emperor" today, he is a living "Wang Chengen," with the emperor's favor and external assistance. His future is sure to be bright and prosperous.

Time passes minute by minute.

The rebels and the Forbidden City guards fought fiercely, their exquisite carved railings and painted pillars collapsing in the fire, and their beautiful palace maids falling in a hail of arrows.

Emperor Shunzhi was going crazy.

"Have the reinforcements arrived yet? Huh?"

The jagged battle lines were less than a hundred feet from the Qianqing Palace, and the shouts of the rebels could be clearly heard.

"Your Majesty, shall we retreat?"

"I will not retreat! My beloved ministers, are you willing to fight to the death with me?"

The stubborn young man slowly drew his sword, and the youthful passion that should have been there finally took hold.

……

At this point in the battle, military command and tactics have become obsolete; both sides are focused on only one word: fight.

Grit your teeth and fight, fight like your life depends on it.

Whoever's will breaks down first will be the first to perish.

Prince Zheng, Jirhalang, had lost his silver helmet somewhere. He was surrounded by several fierce guards. After a hundred breaths, he collapsed, covered in blood, on the central axis less than a hundred feet from the Qianqing Palace.

Prince Zhuang, Shuo Sai, no longer worked as a ranged mage, but instead transformed into a warrior and rushed to the front lines.

The king must not meet the king! If the king does meet the king, one of them will surely perish.

As Shunzhi watched his elder brother, clad in a dragon robe, charging left and right, he wished he could tear him to pieces with his own hands.

……

One mile away from Shenwu Gate.

Jiang Qingyun finally arrived, leading a massive army of loyalists to the emperor.

He was dressed in silver helmet, silver armor, silver spear, and riding a white horse, with a fiery red cloak, truly a man of both literary and martial prowess.

At this time, the thick fog that had enveloped the capital city finally dissipated by most, and visibility improved significantly.

Jiang Zhongcheng refused to give up. "Yun'er, are you really going to come to the emperor's aid?"

"It's absolutely true, right now."

Jiang Qingyun raised his spear.

"Issue my military order to protect the Emperor and annihilate the rebels."

"kill!"

"Kill."

Clad in three layers of heavy armor, Jiang Zhongcheng spurred his horse on at breakneck speed. Something inexplicable was rapidly swelling within him—ambition.

The loyalist cavalrymen, without slowing down, charged straight into the Shenwu Gate.

Shenwu Gate was formerly known as Xuanwu Gate.

This is a place where bloodshed has never dissipated, a land where dragons rose to power.

Iron hooves shattered the rebels' dreams.

Swords and spears shattered the Qing Dynasty's dream.

Along the central axis, heavily armored cavalrymen wielding long spears charged forward at breakneck speed, overthrowing any rebel forces they encountered along the way and reaching the Qianqing Palace in one fell swoop.

Jiang Zhongcheng saw Shuo Sai dressed in a yellow robe, roared, and thrust his spear forward, using the full force of the horse to send Shuo Sai flying half a zhang away.

Then~
Dismount and behead.

The blood of royalty is no different from that of ordinary people; it is also warm.

……

Just a quarter of an hour~
The rebel army collapsed, and the loyalist's mission to save the emperor was successful!

Jiang Zhongcheng and his son Jiang Qingyun walked toward the Qianqing Palace, surrounded by a group of confidants.

Shunzhi gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his face expressionless.

When the distance to the guard was 5 zhang.

Father and son stopped at the same time and bowed to each other.

"Your subject Jiang Qingyun, Your subject Jiang Zhongcheng, pay homage to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor! The three traitors Jirhalang, Luo Keduo, and Shuo Sai have been beheaded, and their heads are here. Please forgive me for not being able to perform the full ceremony due to my armor."

"My dear minister, you've worked hard."

Seeing that Shunzhi was ungrateful, Jiang Qingyun simply made his own demands.

"Although the rebels have been defeated, they may still rise again. I request Your Majesty to issue an edict granting me the authority to make decisions on the spot in the capital region. I will pursue the remaining bandits, pacify the capital, appease the soldiers and civilians, restore normal order as soon as possible, and minimize the impact of the rebellion of the Bordered Blue Banner and the Bordered Red Banner."

At the scene, countless people held their breath, watching Shunzhi with intense anticipation.

Emperor Shunzhi hesitated, his words trailing off, making the atmosphere at the scene exceptionally tense.

Chiang Kai-shek and his son's trusted elite troops drew their swords and nocked their arrows. Now that they were on the train, there was no turning back. If they didn't achieve their goal today, they would assassinate the emperor. They couldn't back down; they had to win.

Now that everyone has already stood before the emperor with weapons in hand, there's no point in trying to repair relations.

Taking a step back means losing.

If you lose once, your entire family will be wiped out.

This is politics.

……

"master?"

The third eunuch hurriedly tugged at Shunzhi's sleeve, frantically signaling with his eyes that if he didn't take the opportunity presented to him, he would really die.

Shunzhi glanced again at the endless army of loyalists, took a deep breath, and spoke with extreme bitterness.

"Issue an imperial decree to grant Grand Secretary Jiang Qingyun the Emperor's Sword, authorizing him to act as he sees fit."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Jiang Qingyun gave Shunzhi a slight bow, then turned around, raised his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" in front of everyone.

One call and a hundred responses!
First, his confidants shouted, and then all the soldiers shouted together.

The shouts of tens of thousands of people were like crashing waves, stirring the heart.

Emperor Shunzhi's expression changed.

The surviving guards turned pale.

Something inside everyone suddenly broke down.

……

Jiang Qingyun mounted his horse and left Qianqing Palace without looking back. Behind him, iron cavalry were like clouds and swords and spears were like a forest.

The dense fog has mostly dissipated, and the sun is shining brightly.

A magnificent era is slowly unfolding.
(End of this chapter)