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

Chapter 369 Breaking Through Shanhaiguan
May 15th.

Shanhaiguan received news that the area around Shengjing had been attacked by Zheng's navy.

Sony held the military report, his hands trembling, his face deathly pale.

"Father, what should we do?"

"Song'etu, our Great Qing Dynasty is probably doomed."

"Father, hurry up and make a decision!"

"What ideas could we possibly have? There are only two options: either flee to the Heilongjiang River basin or hold out until the last soldier is left."

The warm breeze ruffled Sony's gray hair, making her feel even more desolate.

Soetu whispered:

"Father, let's run away."

"Go and gather your trusted men to prepare for the retreat. Under no circumstances should anyone notice. There are many cavalry on the other side. Once they pursue us, we won't be able to escape. We need to find a good time to retreat."

"Don't worry, Father."

Songgotu took a deep breath, trying to restore his composure, and then walked down from the watchtower.

……

The next day.

Jiang Qingyun believed the time was ripe and ordered the Allied Empire's army, known as the Allied Forces, to launch an unprecedented attack on Shanhaiguan with all its forces.

The army numbered over 100,000, with thousands of formations, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Banners blotted out the sky and sun.

"Chief Minister Chiang," dressed in golden helmet and armor, and wearing his signature black cloak, rode his horse alongside the enemy, brandishing his sword and shouting along the way: "Heaven will punish the traitors!"

Wherever they went, the formations responded in unison.
The war drums sounded.

The auxiliary soldiers pushed countless shield carts toward Shanhaiguan, followed closely by infantrymen carrying ladders, and behind them were countless infantry formations.

Swords and spears filled the air, and the sounds of battle shook the heavens.

This kind of offensive and defensive battle is nothing fancy; it's just the two sides clashing head-on.

The Allied forces that rushed to the city walls and the Qing troops on the city walls engaged in a firefight, with arrows flying like locusts and guns firing incessantly.

Death feasted.

Both sides gritted their teeth and persevered, betting that the other would give out first.

On the city wall, Sony rushed to a red-clad cannon.

Why not fire the cannon?

"Master, the cannon has overheated after firing several shots."

"Quickly lower the temperature."

"Whoo."

The gunners covered the gun barrel with their soaked clothes, and huge amounts of water vapor rose up.

"Hurry, hurry!"

Two pounds of powdered black powder had just been poured into the cannon barrel.
boom!
The gunpowder exploded and ignited, and the two gunners fell to the ground, clutching their faces and screaming in agony.

……

In the trench.

Two gunners, one in front and one behind, carried a thick, short bronze cannon like a sedan chair, running with their heads down.

A group of people following behind each carried a medicine pack and shotgun shells.

There are 30 artillery crews like his.

The sound of cannons booming overhead.

Occasionally, stray bullets and arrows at unusual angles would penetrate the trench, causing casualties.

"Hurry, hurry!"

The trench was not straight; it had a small bend every 50 zhang (approximately 25 meters).

suddenly!

A solid shot landed in the trench, instantly turning flesh into a bloody mess.

The solid shot, still steaming, came to a stop as it struck the mud at the bend.

As they drew closer to the city walls, the threat of arrows suddenly increased.

The Qing army kept hurling arrows, which landed in the trenches.

"You move to the left, you move to the right, spread out, spread out quickly."

As the artillery crews entered the trench level with the city wall and successively erected the pre-placed shields, the pressure from above instantly decreased.

Listen to the sound of arrows constantly hitting the shield.

The gunners quickly dug, then buried the short guns and backfilled and compacted the soil.

……

"Get out of the way!"

A gunner waited until his comrades had all disappeared behind the nearest bend before calmly lighting the fuse.

The launch sounded like muffled thunder.

A tightly bound bundle of gunpowder shot into the air, flew over the heads of the Qing soldiers, and landed inside the city of Shanhaiguan.

Boom~
The explosion was spectacular and impressive.

Within a radius of 6 zhang, no one survived.

Heartless cannon fodder!

As one gunpowder pack after another exploded inside and outside the city walls, the defenses of the southern city of Shanhaiguan completely collapsed. The Qing army suffered heavy casualties, and those who were lucky enough to survive were driven mad with fear.

Sony, bleeding from his ears and nose, stared helplessly at the chaotic city walls and roared in despair.

"withstand!"

"Hold on!" As the saying goes, there's no such thing as a bad nickname.

The Heartless Cannon, as its name suggests, has no conscience; it can kill not only the enemy but also itself.

A flash of fire appeared in the trench, and the gunner responsible for lighting the fire was instantly killed.

There was no time to scream, no time to escape.

The shockwave even destroyed the bend, and the collapsing soil buried half of the artillery crew underneath. If no one had come to their rescue, several more people would have been killed.

Heartless cannons, bombarding repeatedly.

The city walls were so badly damaged that no one could stand on them, and countless people fled in panic.

That's incredible! I've never seen such an outrageous cannon before.

……

4 miles away.

Surrounded by a group of generals, Jiang Qingyun observed the battle through binoculars. In the footage, Shanhaiguan City was shrouded in flames.

"Prime Minister, this humble general requests permission to fight."

"That's right."

"Thank you, Chief Minister."

Wang Fuchen excitedly mounted his horse and galloped towards Shanhaiguan. He thought to himself, "How can such a fierce battle proceed without my steed, Yaozi?"
"Who else wants to make a contribution?"

"This humble official is willing to go."

Meng Xiongchen knelt on one knee.

Jiang Qingyun smiled and helped him up.

“No, your father will resent me.”

"Chief assistant?"

"Just watch. We have hundreds of thousands of troops attacking the city. We don't need your sword."

In the lens.

Countless ladders were erected on the gate.

The Qing soldiers on the city wall began to pour grease and throw stones.

Soon, the two sides engaged in a fierce struggle around the crenellations, falling like raindrops.

……

In the lens.

Wang Fuchen, dressed in the robes of a governor with armor underneath, holding a flag in his left hand and a sword in his right, climbed onto the battlement, his bravery seemingly inhuman.

Her attire attracted many Qing soldiers.

Under siege, Wang Fuchen showed no fear, fighting until he was covered in blood. His steel blade was invincible, and he cut down more than a dozen people.

The Qing army scattered in panic.

Plant the flag!

Go first!

Such a brilliant performance even prompted Jiang Zhongcheng to praise, "Ma Yaozi's bravery is well-deserved."

Jiang Qingyun slowly drew his sword.

"Everyone will obey the order."

"The end will be here."

Everyone knelt down on one knee in unison.

"Each of you must urge your troops to break through Shanhaiguan today. In this battle, take no prisoners."

"As ordered."

Dozens of riders left the banner, eager to claim credit.

This was also a political tactic employed by Chiang Kai-shek: he wouldn't act until he saw the benefits, and he wouldn't let these people leave him until the outcome of the war was certain.

……

Two quarters of an hour later.

With the fall of Shanhaiguan, a massive wave of allied forces surged into the city.

Jiang Qingyun breathed a sigh of relief:

"Order that the Banner Guards need not enter the city, but rest outside the city for the time being."

"As ordered."

A short while later, a soldier from the front line came to report.

"Reporting to the Grand Secretary, some Qing cavalry have broken through the encirclement and headed north."

"Order the Zhili cavalry to pursue and kill them relentlessly until they are dead."

"As ordered."

Two thousand Zhili cavalrymen kicked up dust and charged toward Shanhaiguan, carrying out the kill order.

One hour later~
The sounds of fighting abruptly ceased.

Jiang Qingyun then slowly ran towards the First Pass Under Heaven, where black smoke billowed. Wherever he went, corpses piled up and blood flowed like rivers.

More than 20,000 Qing soldiers and their families stationed at Shanhaiguan were slaughtered, except for a very few who escaped.

"Reporting to the Grand Secretary, we have captured General Sony of Shengjing."

"Sony is guilty of heinous crimes and should be executed on the spot."

"As ordered."

This battle was fought with composure and ease, demonstrating Chiang Kai-shek's superb military command skills.

(End of this chapter)