The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 271 Please, General, declare yourself King and establish a system!
When Liu Zhibo, a man of strong principles, heard that Zhu Xieyuan planned to reopen the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, he couldn't help but hesitate.

"Governor, shouldn't we reconsider this matter?"

"Digging the Dujiangyan Irrigation System is no small matter; what will happen to the tens of thousands of people downstream?"

But Zhu Xieyuan had made up his mind. He was short of soldiers and generals and really couldn't think of any way to defend the city.

Upon returning to the South Gate, he immediately summoned He Yingxiong, the Vice Commander of the Chengdu Left Guard, and instructed him:

"Commander He, I have an important task to entrust to you."

"At midnight tonight, I hope you will lead two hundred elite troops to sneak out of the city, go to Guanxian to dig up the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, use water as an army, and drown the bandits besieging the city."

“You are a veteran of Chengdu Prefecture. I remember that you led the team to Dujiangyan during the last She’an Rebellion.”

"The enemy troops are launching a fierce attack. Only by digging a breach in the dam can we stop them."

Hearing this, He Yingxiong hesitated.

However, his hesitation was not due to concern for the people downstream, but rather because he did not know how to get out of the city.

"General, there's no problem with breaching the dike."

“But the bandits have already surrounded the city. Even if I lead my men out of the city, I will not escape the eyes of the bandits’ scouts.”

"I'm afraid that we'll be surrounded by the bandits' army as soon as we leave the city, before we've even taken a few steps."

But Zhu Xieyuan already had a plan in mind, and immediately explained:

"Commander, there's no need to worry!"

"You can lead your team out through the west gate; the thieves won't notice."

"The city of Chengdu is 26 li in circumference. Even if the bandits had an army of 40,000, they could not guarantee that they could cover every corner."

Upon hearing the words "Xiao Ximen," He Yingxiong suddenly realized what was going on.

This small west gate is an extremely remote side gate of Chengdu. It has been sealed with bricks and mortar for many years, and ordinary people would never notice it.

Furthermore, from outside the city walls, the thieves could not see any trace of them.

And so, He Yingxiong accepted this perilous mission.

He mustered two hundred soldiers on the city wall and, taking advantage of the late night when the fierce fighting had just ended and the offensive outside the city had temporarily subsided, went to the West Gate to await orders.

At midnight, in the deep of night, He Yingxiong and his group quietly pried open the bricks blocking the door and slipped out of Chengdu one by one like rats.

A cold wind, carrying the stench of blood and burnt smell, swept over them. He Yingxiong dared not be negligent and gave a low shout:
"Stay close to me! Don't get separated!"

Under his guidance, two hundred dark figures bypassed the military camp outside the city and rushed along a deserted path towards Guanxian in the northwest.

Chengdu is about 60 li away from Dujiangyan. They marched overnight and were able to reach Dujiangyan the next day.

They walked in silence, the only sounds being hurried footsteps and suppressed breathing.

At noon, the border of Guanxian County was already faintly visible.

Without stopping, He Yingxiong and his party bypassed the city and headed straight for Dujiangyan.

When they reached a key embankment near the Fish Mouth, He Yingxiong looked at the rushing river below, made a firm decision, and gave the order:
"quick!"

"This is it, dig it up!"

The soldiers nearby swung their hoes and shovels, putting all their strength into digging into the sturdy embankment.

The clanging of metal carried far in the humid midday air.

He Yingxiong and his colleagues were digging with great enthusiasm, but they completely forgot that there were villages near Dujiangyan.

At this time, people from Wanquan Township near the embankment had already appeared in twos and threes in the fields.

The faint, strange noises coming from nearby immediately caught their attention.

Driven by curiosity, an old farmer stepped out of the shade, followed the sound, climbed up the ridge of the field, straightened his back, and looked upstream.

A group of soldiers in red coats were working hard on the riverbank.

"What are those thugs doing?"

Seeing this, the old farmer's alarm bells rang, and he immediately rushed towards the embankment.

When he got closer to take a closer look, he discovered that the government troops were actually digging up the river embankment.

The old farmer's expression changed drastically. He immediately dropped the towel in his hand and ran while shouting:
"Something bad has happened!"

"Those damned government troops are back again! Those beasts are going to breach the dam again!"

The news spread like wildfire through the fields, and more and more people immediately put down their farm work, picked up their hoes, and rushed to the riverbank from all directions.

The crowd grew larger and larger, a dark mass, and the angry shouts drowned out the sound of the flowing water.

He Yingxiong was caught red-handed by the nearby villagers, but he didn't seem to care. He simply turned to a centurion beside him and gave an order:

"Wang Baihu, take a few men and drive these people back to their village."

"Tell them that no one is allowed to leave the village without my order!"

"Anyone who dares to obstruct us will be treated as an accomplice to the enemy and killed without exception!"

Upon receiving the order, Commander Wang dropped his pickaxe, straightened his armor, and, accompanied by a few personal guards, swaggered up to the indignant crowd.

He placed one hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, pointed at the crowd with the other, and shouted sternly:
"What's all the noise about! If you know what's good for you, get the hell out of here!"

"We are ordered by the Governor-General to dig the river and drown the bandits!"

"This is a matter of vital importance to the nation and the military, concerning the suppression of bandits and the quelling of rebellion. You must all immediately retreat back to the village and not step outside!"

"Anyone who dares to gather a crowd to obstruct military affairs again will be considered a traitor and will be executed without exception according to the law!"

Commander Wang spoke with great gusto, exuding an air of authority, as if he were herding a herd of troublesome livestock.

But his words, instead of dispersing the crowd, were like cold water poured into boiling oil, causing an uproar.

"Fuck your motherfucker!"

I think you're the thieves!

A burly man roared, his face flushed red.

"You dug a dam once during the Tianqi era, and all my family's fields and houses were gone!"

"My father starved to death that year, and now, less than twenty years later, you're already eyeing the riverbank again?!"

"Have you all lost your conscience?"

Among the crowd, a middle-aged farmer had a hoarse voice and bloodshot eyes.

"Fellow villagers, those beasts are going to release water again!"

"Our village and fields are all down below. This year, the rebels finally got some land and were able to harvest something. We absolutely cannot let these scoundrels succeed again!"

"Kill them!"

"Kill these heartless thieves!"

Amidst the angry shouts, the people, their eyes red, gathered around.

Stones, mud, and sticks rained down on Wang Baihu and his personal guards.

Caught off guard, Commander Wang was struck hard on the head with the handle of a hoe, causing him to see stars and bleed profusely.

"Reverse! Reverse!"

"You bunch of unruly people, how dare you attack and kill government troops!"

"I think you're planning a rebellion!"

He clutched his head and screamed, while several guards beside him desperately swung their swords to block, protecting Commander Wang as he fled back to the riverbank in a disheveled state.

"Commander He, something terrible has happened! The unruly people have rebelled!"

Commander Wang was left with a bruised and swollen face, and his crimson helmet had fallen off somewhere.
"I just followed your instructions and went forward to drive away the onlookers."

"But these troublemakers not only refused to listen, they started to fight."

"Look at that stubborn person, they clearly want to kill the officials and rebel!"

He covered his bleeding wound and reported the situation to He Yingxiong with a sob in his voice.

Seeing the miserable state of his men and the growing, indignant crowd in the distance, He Yingxiong felt a surge of anger rising within him.

"This is outrageous! It's utterly lawless!"

"Men, form a line and move forward! Kill those ringleaders first, and see if they dare to stop us again!"

At his command, dozens of soldiers behind him dropped their hoes and picks, drew their longbows, and nocked arrows.

Whoosh whoosh—

A volley of arrows rained down, and several civilians who were charging ahead fell to the ground, their screams echoing throughout the land.

"The government troops have opened fire!"

Upon seeing someone fall to the ground, a commotion and panic inevitably broke out in the crowd, and many villagers instinctively tried to run away.

"Stop right there! No one is allowed to run!"

"Our lifeline is right here on this riverbank. If you run away, what will happen to our wives, children, and elderly parents?!"

"Don't be afraid, just step back a hundred paces."

Seeing this, the village head of Wanquan Township stepped forward and directed the crowd to slowly retreat.

After retreating to a safe area, the village head suddenly pulled the young man next to him and instructed him:

"Doggy, you're fast! Go back and tell them!"

"Bring out my mule, ride it to Guanxian immediately, find Captain Zhou of the righteous army, and tell him that the government troops are going to dig the dam, and ask him to send troops to rescue us as soon as possible!"

Gouwa, on whom the village head had placed high hopes, nodded vigorously upon hearing this and then hurried off towards the village.

After he ran far away, the head of Wanquan Township immediately grabbed another man and shouted urgently:

"Eldest son of the Zhang family, hurry back to the village and beat the drums and gongs to call out all the men, women, and children in the village!"

"Tell them that the calamities of the Tianqi era have returned, and if they don't want their families to be destroyed, they'd better grab their weapons and come over here!"

"Have every household take down their doors and bring them over!"

"The county town isn't far from here. If we can delay for an hour or two, the rebel army in the town will surely arrive!"

"Go!"

Without a word, the eldest son of the Zhang family pushed through the crowd and rushed back. Soon after, the village was filled with the urgent sound of gongs and his desperate shouts:

"Listen up, everyone in the village, young and old! The corrupt government troops are going to dig a dam and flood us!"

"Old Zhao said, everyone who's still breathing, come out here, grab your weapons and follow me!"

"Remove the door panel! Quickly, remove the door panel!"

Wanquan Township is a large village with several hundred households.

The anxious shouts and urgent gong sounds were like thunderclaps, instantly igniting the entire village.

The heavy wooden doors were pushed open one by one, and the men, their faces full of anger, grabbed machetes, hoes, and rakes.
The women picked up kitchen knives, fire pokers, and even scissors;
Even the young boys picked up stones, and in twos and threes, they carried door panels out of the village and headed straight for the riverbank.

Hundreds of people arrived at the riverbank in no time and awaited the instructions of the village head.

The reason why the people of Wanquan Township were able to work together so unitedly was mainly due to the serious lack of morality and integrity of the government.

The tragic events of the Tianqi era are still vivid in people's minds, and many elderly villagers are witnesses to them.

That year, in order to defend against bandits, the government troops also dug up the dam in the same way.

The sudden, devastating flood swallowed up farmland and houses, leaving countless families broken and people dead.

In addition, it was wartime, and there was a shortage of food, leading to famine.

The tragedy of exchanging children to eat is not a story in the book, but a nightmare they personally experienced or passed down by word of mouth.

Now, they have finally rebuilt their homes and planted rice seedlings, but the damned government troops have come again to try to dig up the river embankment.

New and old grudges surged in my heart; this time, I absolutely cannot let those scoundrels succeed.

At the village head's command, hundreds of villagers roared in fury, carrying makeshift door panels as shields and wielding farm tools as spears, as they charged toward the government troops on the riverbank.

Seeing this, He Yingxiong was furious and immediately gave a stern order:

"Fire arrows!"

"Shoot these scoundrels to death!"

Arrows rained down, heading straight for the villagers who rushed forward.

But the villagers in the group were prepared. When they saw the government troops firing arrows, they immediately put the door panels on their heads to protect their fellow villagers.

The arrows thudded into the door panel, failing to achieve their goal.

Before they could draw their bows again, hundreds of villagers rushed forward in the blink of an eye, and the two sides immediately engaged in close combat and grappled with each other.

This was a chaotic yet extremely brutal battle.

The people of Wanquan Township had no formation, no coordination, only a surge of anger and valor.

An old man, his shoulder pierced by a government soldier's spear, lunged forward, clutching the spear shaft tightly, and roared at his son behind him, "Erwa! Kill this bastard!"
The women closed their eyes, brandished their kitchen knives, and frantically slashed at the heads of the government soldiers, completely disregarding the blades aimed at them.
Several young men used carrying poles to strangle the lone soldier, dragging him to the ground. The surrounding villagers rushed forward, and hoes and machetes rained down on him...

Blood instantly stained the embankment red.

Roars, screams, the dull thud of weapons piercing flesh, and the sound of doors being cleaved all blended together.

The people used their flesh and blood and simple farm tools to stubbornly block the soldiers on the riverbank.

Every step forward came at a terrible price, but not a single person retreated even half a step.

He Yingxiong felt a chill run down his spine as he watched the reckless fighting style of the unruly people before him.

He never imagined that the docile people could have such a fearless side.

He Yingxiong served as an official in Chengdu for twenty years, and he was also present during the digging of the dam in the Tianqi era.

At that time, all it took was a military order, and although the people had complaints, they could only pack their belongings and flee their homes with their families.

These bandits are truly adept at bewitching people; they've turned honest, obedient citizens into a bunch of ungrateful scoundrels!

"They've gone mad...they've all gone mad..."

"How did these peasants suddenly turn into fearless lunatics?!"

He muttered to himself, at a scene he couldn't comprehend at all.

Having a spirit of resistance is one thing, but actually fighting is another.

The common people are, after all, the common people. Even if the Wei army is weak, they are still not people that ordinary people can withstand.

After successfully repelling the first wave of attack, the government troops quickly organized themselves into small groups and launched a counterattack.

Faced with the counterattack of the government troops, the villagers of Wanquan Township were unable to resist and were forced to retreat in defeat.

Just as the villagers huddled together, trying to fight to the death, a loud roar came from afar:

"Hang in there, folks!"

The people in the camp were invigorated upon hearing this; the righteous army from Guanxian had finally arrived.

They recognized the voice; it belonged to Zhou Chao, a militia captain in the rebel army, who had visited Wanquan Township recently.

Zhou Chao was originally a hunter in Shiquan County, but was later conscripted into the army.

Because of his meritorious service in resisting government troops in Shiquan County while following Li Zicheng, he was later promoted to militia captain.

Zhou Chao led more than 300 militiamen dressed in uniform numbered gowns and wearing red headscarves, and charged directly into the battle.

These militia members had previously fought against government troops in northern Sichuan, and were therefore highly trained.

The militiamen formed groups of three to five, with sword and shield bearers at the front and pikemen close behind, specifically targeting the weak points of the government troops to attack.

The captain, Zhou Chao, was unerring in his aim, shooting down two officers who were forming a defensive formation with just two arrows.

The arrival of fresh troops instantly turned the tide of the battle.

The Chengdu guards led by He Yingxiong had already traveled a long distance and had fought with the villagers earlier, so they were exhausted.

At this moment, they were met with a fierce attack by this militia force and were immediately plunged into a desperate situation, suffering heavy casualties.

The resistance on the riverbank was quickly broken down, and the government troops scattered and fled, soon being divided and surrounded by the rebels and the people.

Screams rose and fell, those who dared to resist were killed on the spot, and those who knelt and begged for mercy were overwhelmed by the angry crowd...

The battle ended in less than half an hour.

He Yingxiong and the two hundred Chengdu Left Guard soldiers he brought were all annihilated on the embankment.

The corpses lay scattered about, and the blood stained the Dujiangyan River red.

On the walls of Chengdu, Governor-General Zhu Xieyuan had not slept for a day and a night.

His hair and beard were disheveled as he anxiously gazed in the direction of Guanxian in the northwest, hoping that a loud noise would suddenly come from there and that he would see a raging flood sweeping in.

"He Yingxiong...should have succeeded by now, right?"

He prayed silently, for this was his last glimmer of hope.

However, the bandits did not give him time to wait.

Outside the city, the war drums of Jiang Han's army sounded again, more urgently and fiercely than before.

"The thieves' second wave of attack is here!"

"Everyone, stay alert and hold on!"

Zhu Xieyuan shouted hoarsely, brandishing his long sword to urge the officers and soldiers to defend the city.

However, the soldiers defending the city were already exhausted and suffered extremely heavy casualties.

Fewer and fewer people could stand on the city wall. The militiamen who had been forcibly conscripted earlier had either died or fled, and no one was left to replace them.

The stockpiled logs and stones had long been used up, and the kerosene and molten metal were almost gone.

The remaining defenders had numb eyes and were only mechanically swinging their weapons out of instinct, trying to resist the enemy soldiers.

"boom!"

A deafening roar suddenly came from the direction of the city gate, followed by a tsunami of shouts of battle!
"It's breached! The city gate has been breached!"

The piercing screams, like a death knell, struck the hearts of every soldier defending the city.

The fierce rebel army poured into the collapsed city gate and engaged in fierce street fighting with the remaining Ming troops inside the city.

But these soldiers, who were already exhausted, couldn't withstand more than a few moves before being captured on the spot.

The resistance around the barbican was quickly crushed. Cao Er and Hei Zi led their teams into the city first, and then swept towards various key locations within the city.

Zhu Xieyuan, leading his personal guards, tried to put up a final stand, but they were met with a dense rain of arrows, and his body was instantly riddled with arrows.

This last pillar of the Ming Dynasty in Sichuan staggered a few times before collapsing heavily at the city gate, dying with his eyes wide open in disbelief.

Upon hearing of the city's fall, Huayang County Magistrate Shen Yunzuo kowtowed to the north, then resolutely set fire to the county government office and committed suicide for his country.

Magistrate Liu Shidou attempted to organize the constables to resist, but was hacked to death by the black-clad men who rushed in.

The imperial inspector Liu Zhibo was captured alive by a group of rebels, but he showed no fear and cursed loudly, only wanting to die for his country.

Enraged by the insults, Cao Er, the leader of the team, ordered Cao Er to be beheaded and his head displayed to the public.

It wasn't until the deafening shouts of battle approached the palace walls that Prince Zhu Zhishu of Shu truly felt the impending doom.

Inside the Shu King's mansion, chaos had already broken out.

Palace maids and eunuchs fled in all directions, clutching their valuables, their cries echoing everywhere.

This wealthy but stingy prince finally remembered to recruit soldiers to defend the city.

He turned to the pale-faced chief secretary and eunuch beside him and urgently ordered:
"Quickly! Go to the treasury and fetch some silver!"

"Carry the silver to the gate of the Prince's mansion!"

"I will offer fifty taels! No! One hundred taels per person! To recruit brave warriors to defend my palace!"

Soon, several large boxes of gleaming silver were carried to the gate of the Shu Prince's Mansion.

The chief secretary shouted in a trembling voice:

"His Highness has ordered that silver be awarded to recruit soldiers to protect the Prince's Palace!"

"One hundred taels per person, cash settlement!"

Some routed soldiers and audacious street ruffians gathered around upon hearing the news, their eyes gleaming with greed.

They swarmed forward, grabbing the silver and stuffing it into their pockets.

"Once you've taken the money, you're obligated to work your life for the prince!"

The eunuchs nearby screamed, trying to control the chaotic scene before them.

"Stand behind the guards and prepare to defend against the enemy soldiers!"

However, the defeated soldiers and scoundrels, stuffed with silver, exchanged glances and scattered in a panic, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

All that remained were the empty boxes and the dumbfounded guards of the royal palace.

"It's reversed! It's all reversed!"

"How dare they steal my silver! Kill them all!"

Upon receiving the report, Zhu Zhishu was so angry that he almost fainted on the spot.

With his last hope dashed and the sounds of battle growing ever closer in the city, Zhu Zhishu knew his days were numbered.

He stumbled back to the inner palace and screamed shrilly at the weeping concubines and palace maids:
"The rebels have breached the city walls! For the sake of your chastity, you will all die for me!"

"I will never allow you to be defiled by thieves!"

The concubines were terrified and knelt down, crying and begging for mercy.

Zhu Zhishu, acting as if possessed, casually drew a long sword from the waist of a guard beside him and threatened:

"Don't want to die?"

"Do you want to wait to be humiliated by thousands of bandits?"

"Or do you actually enjoy being prostitutes, and only feel happy when you're sold to the brothel?!"

"If you commit suicide now, I will still grant you some dignity!"

"Otherwise, I'll personally kill you all!"

Under his coercion, Consort Zhou cried until she almost fainted, but she could only be held up by eunuchs and guards and strangled to death with a white silk ribbon in the inner palace.

Several other concubines were also forced to commit suicide, while other palace women and concubines who refused to be buried alive with him were killed one by one by Zhu Zhishu.

After doing all this, Zhu Zhishu pulled the princess to the outside of the courtyard, looked at the bottomless glazed well, gritted his teeth, and jumped in.

When Li Zicheng, Shao Yong, Cao Er, and other generals led their personal guards through the palace guards and fought their way to the inner palace, several corpses of concubines who had been buried alive with the emperor were still hanging on the beams of the palace. The palace was in complete disarray, with blood flowing like a river.

Prince Zhu Pingxi, the heir apparent of the Shu Kingdom, stood pale-faced beside the glazed well, trembling all over, hesitant to jump in.

Seeing this, Li Zicheng led his men forward and captured him, binding him tightly.

"Take control of the Prince's residence! Arrest all remaining traitors!"

"Seal off all government treasuries! No one is allowed to touch them!"

"Eliminate the remaining enemy!"

The generals quickly gave the order, and the guards responded enthusiastically and set off separately.

Soon, the stubborn guards of the Prince's Palace were wiped out, and the warehouses were sealed off.

Li Zicheng, Shao Yong, Cao Er, Li Laowai, Hei Zi, and other generals, surrounded by their personal guards, entered the most magnificent Chengyun Hall in the royal city.

The hall was extremely spacious, with carved beams and painted rafters, and was resplendent in gold and green.

A massive golden pillar with a coiled dragon supports the dome, and the ground is paved with shiny blue bricks.

The sheer luxury inside the palace left these soldiers, who came from impoverished backgrounds, speechless for a long time.

Some soldiers couldn't resist touching the cool, coiled dragon golden pillar, clicking their tongues in amazement:

"Damn, how much silver is this worth..."

The group wandered around the spacious hall like country bumpkins who had never seen the world before, touching and looking at everything.

Inside the hall, hundreds of people crowded together, surrounding the high dragon throne at the far end of the hall, constantly looking at it.

Everyone held their breath, but no one dared to step onto the imperial steps.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the hall.

Everyone turned around and saw Jiang Han striding in, surrounded by a group of guards.

Jiang Han looked at the group of generals before him and smiled:

"What the hell are you all doing crowding around here?"

"Are they just going to abandon the city?"

The hall was deathly silent. The soldiers who had been blocking the main path in the center of the hall made way for each other.

Jiang Han was puzzled. He looked up and saw the coiled dragon throne high above at the far end.

He walked forward step by step, and the generals and soldiers on both sides automatically parted, their eyes filled with awe and expectation as they looked at Jiang Han.

Jiang Han walked to the foot of the Sumeru pedestal, stopped, and turned around.

The quick-witted troll was the first to react, abruptly kneeling on one knee, clasping his hands in a fist and roaring:

"Please, Your Excellency, declare yourself King and establish a new order!"

This sentence was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand waves.

All the generals and soldiers inside the hall reacted immediately, kneeling down in unison. The sound was like a mountain roaring and a tsunami crashing, making the entire Chengyun Hall vibrate.

"Please, Your Excellency, declare yourself King and establish a new order!"

(End of this chapter)