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

Chapter 318 The Elegy of Pidao
On the coast where flames mingled, the Qing army's five-colored flags fluttered continuously, and more and more troops continued to land.

Seeing that the Tartars had fully landed on the island, Deputy Commander Jin Riguan glared angrily and roared at his personal guards:
"Gather your forces and retreat to higher ground!"

Even if I die, I will still break a few of the enemy's teeth!

He led his deputy general Chu Jigong and others, and in the midst of the chaos, he tried his best to gather the defeated soldiers, fighting and retreating all the way to a high ground on Pi Island, attempting to make a final stand by taking advantage of the terrain.

High on Pi Island, smoke filled the air, flames soared into the sky, and corpses littered the ground.

Jin Riguan stood with his sword at the foot of a dilapidated watchtower, while Chu Jigong and other generals guarded the left and right sides, holding the pass tightly.

The Bayara guards swarmed in from three sides, and heavy arrows from the Qing army and lead bullets from the Korean musketeers rained down, causing Ming soldiers to fall to the ground from being hit by arrows one after another.

While wielding his sword to deflect stray arrows, Jin Riguan ran around shouting and directing the archers to retaliate, fighting and retreating simultaneously.

After retreating into the ruins of the island's fortifications, an even more brutal battle ensued.

Jin Riguan led by example, using every broken wall and ruin to fight against the Qing army.

General Chu Jigong and others were also covered in blood, and with their personal guards, they held off wave after wave of Qing army attacks.

Seeing their commander's fierce bravery, the Ming soldiers were also filled with rage. Relying on the familiar streets and dilapidated barracks, they engaged in a fierce street battle with the Qing army.

The battle raged from night until dawn, and then continued until dusk the next day.

However, the disparity in troop strength could not ultimately be overcome by individual bravery.

Under the pincer attack of the elite Bayara troops led by Aobai and Zhunta, Jin Riguan and his last dozen or so personal guards were trapped in a small courtyard.

In the midst of the fierce battle, a heavy arrow rang out and pierced the edge of Jin Riguan's iron helmet. The sharp arrowhead then pierced his visor, and blood gushed out immediately.

The scalding blood instantly blurred his vision, flowing down his cheeks and staining the front of his armor red.

He groaned, casually removed his faceplate, wiped the blood from his eyes, and then reached for his waist.

Even then, Jin Riguan tried to take more arrows from the quiver and draw his bow, but he found nothing; he had run out of arrows.

He looked at the empty quiver, then at the layers of Qing soldiers gradually approaching, and smiled bitterly.

"When the bow is exhausted and the arrows are all gone, it is the time for us warriors to meet our end!"

Having said that, he abruptly threw the bow to the ground, then drew his sword, held it to his neck, and shouted sternly:
"I have received great favors from the country, and today I should repay them with my life. I cannot be humiliated by the barbarians!"

Amidst the astonished gazes of the surrounding Qing soldiers, Jin Riguan resolutely committed suicide by cutting his throat, sacrificing himself for his country.

Although his body slowly fell, his eyes remained wide open, gazing towards the capital.

The Qing soldiers, enraged, swarmed forward and hacked his body to pieces, displaying extreme brutality.

With Jin Riguan killed in battle, General Shen Shikui, though willing, was powerless to organize an effective counterattack, and the fall of Pi Island was inevitable.

Shen Shikui made a decisive decision and ordered his son, Shen Zhixiang, to evacuate by boat first.

Seeing his stepfather push him onto the small boat, Shen Zhixiang hurriedly reached out to pull him onto the boat:
"Father, get on the ship quickly!"

"Where there is life, there is hope!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Shikui shook his head and abruptly shook off Shen Zhixiang's hand:

"I am the General Commander of Dongjiang Garrison of the Ming Dynasty. If the island falls, I shall die here!"

After saying that, he ignored Shen Zhixiang's desperate attempts to stop him and used all his strength to push the small boat away into the distance.

Shen Zhixiang shouted anxiously on the boat:

"father!"

However, Shen Shikui ignored him and resolutely turned away from the shore.

Meanwhile, the Qing army's pursuers had arrived, and Shen Zhixiang on the ship could only watch helplessly as his father was surrounded and captured alive by the Qing soldiers.

Upon learning that the commander-in-chief of Dongjiang Town had been captured, Qing officer Ma Futa was overjoyed and immediately brought Shen Shikui before the commander-in-chief, Ajige.

Although Shen Shikui was now a prisoner, this merchant general, who had been controversial throughout his life and even denounced as "greedy and despicable," showed unexpected integrity at the last moment.

Upon seeing Ajige, Shen Shikui neither knelt nor spoke, but simply sat down on the ground, appearing completely composed. Seeing this, Ma Futa, standing nearby, angrily shouted:
"How dare a defeated general be so disrespectful to the Eighth Prince of my Great Qing Dynasty!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Shikui merely smiled coldly, glanced at Ma Futa, and said indifferently:
“A prisoner under the guard is destined to die.”

"Why waste words? Just kill me if you're going to!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Futa's face grew even angrier, and he yanked Shen Shikui up from the ground:

"You dare to be so arrogant even when you're about to die!"

"Take off your official robes and present them to me, the Eighth Prince!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Shikui abruptly raised his head, his face full of disdain as he sharply rebuked:

"Hmph! A bunch of savages who eat raw meat and drink blood, do they even deserve to wear the uniform of a general of the Great Ming Dynasty?"

"Your ancestors from Jianzhou, back then, had to kneel and pay their respects to me, the General of Liaodong!"

"A lackey is a lackey; even if he wears official robes, he will never become a master!"

"Want this robe? Simple, kill me, and I'll strip you of this blood-stained garment!"

This incredibly scathing mockery lashed out like a whip across the faces of all the Qing generals in the tent.

Sitting at the head of the table, Ajige's face turned ashen with rage. He abruptly stood up, pointing at Shen Shikui and flying into a rage:
"You damned bastard! You're about to die and you still dare to talk back!"

"Drag this bastard out and chop him up! Chop him up right now!"

Ma Futa and his personal guards rushed forward, grabbed the fearless Shen Shikui, and dragged him out of the tent.

Soon after, a muffled groan was heard, and the last commander of Dongjiang Town of the Ming Dynasty died a martyr.

Thus, Dongjiang Town, which had once caused the Later Jin dynasty sleepless nights, vanished completely with his death.

The Battle of Pi Island was extremely fierce.

Although the Qing army eventually captured Pi Island in this battle, it also paid a heavy price.

In particular, the elite troops that launched the surprise landing suffered heavy casualties, including two Jiala Zhangjing, three Niru Zhangjing, one shizhang, fifteen guards, one Xiaoqi Xiao, and two Junmeile Zhangjing.

Even the most elite Bayara Guard suffered 213 casualties.

This was the Qing army's most devastating battle since they began fighting the Ming army in Dongjiang Town.

On the Ming side, apart from some officers and soldiers of the Dengzhou, Laizhou and Tianjin naval forces who escaped by boat, all the thousands of men on the island refused to surrender and were killed by the Qing army.

After the battle, a count of the prisoners revealed more than 3,000 elderly, women and children, 600 horses, 72 boats of various sizes, and 10 cannons.

The supplies in the treasury were even more astonishing:
There were over 40,000 bolts of various types of brocade and plain satin, 30,000 taels of silver, 180,000 bolts of blue cloth, and a large quantity of general merchandise and luxury goods used for smuggling.

Most of these were General Shen Shikui's private inventory.

This was a fortune. You have to understand that during the period of scarcity and soaring prices in the Later Jin Dynasty, a bolt of python silk cost a full 150 taels of silver.

Shen Shikui's smuggling network spanned Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Korea, wielding immense power. Countless merchants traveling with him respectfully addressed him as "Master Shen."

This warlord merchant, who made his fortune through smuggling and was described by Koreans as having a "fierce appearance and speaking wickedly," chose to resist the Qing dynasty and die for his country at the final moment of life and death.

The death of Shen Shikui brought great shock to the Joseon monarch and his ministers, who had previously held him in utter contempt.

After learning in detail about the circumstances of Shim Se-gyu's martyrdom, King Injo of Joseon was greatly impressed by him and praised him highly in court.
"Shen Shikui rose from humble beginnings as a merchant and died for his principles; he was truly a man of loyalty and righteousness!"

Looking at the group of surrender-protesting ministers around him, he couldn't help but sigh:

"If there is a way to escape, yet people choose to die rather than go, then China truly has people of integrity!"

Li Zong immediately ordered that Shen Shikui's body must be found and buried with solemn rites to show respect.

In stark contrast, the Ming Dynasty failed to provide any compensation or recognition for Shen Shikui's heroic sacrifice.

It wasn't until the Qing Dynasty that Emperor Qianlong issued an edict posthumously awarding Shen Shikui the title of honor.

(End of this chapter)