I, Emperor Chongzhen, have extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by five hundred years.

The Warriors Battalion surged into Jinan like a black tide.

After the three thousand men entered the city, they immediately split into dozens of small teams and disappeared at various intersections.

Wang Dalong knew the area well and led more than thirty people straight to the Provincial Administration Office in the north of the city.

At this time, all the troops in Jinan were gathering towards the armory in the southwest direction.

After crossing a street corner, a group of soldiers encountered Wang Dalong on the road. They mistook him for one of their own and went up to stop him.

The leading general said, "The commander-in-chief has ordered everyone to proceed to the armory to put out the fire. Why are you heading north?"

Wang Dalong, quick-witted, said, "Our orders are to assist in the defense of the Provincial Administration Commissioner's office!"

"The provincial governor has fled, what kind of defense are you even capable of providing?"

"I don't know, it's all orders from above."

Seeing this, the other party ignored them and told their men to continue heading towards the armory.

Wang Dalong slowly raised his hand, and everyone raised their rifles, aiming them at the backs of those people.

bang bang bang...

After a burst of smoke, all those people fell to the ground.

Wang Dalong stepped forward and saw that the general who had been speaking to him was still alive, covered in blood, and staring at him with disbelief.

He had no choice but to pick up his gun, pull the trigger, and bang!

"Blame it on the fact that you followed the wrong person!"

After he finished speaking, he remembered what the other person had said: "There's no one left in the Provincial Administration Commissioner's office, so what's the point of going there?"

Thinking of this, he called to everyone, changed direction, and rushed towards the armory in the southwest corner of the city.

Bang bang bang!

Bang bang bang!

Sporadic gunshots could be heard throughout Jinan, and the distribution of the sounds indicated that the Warriors Battalion was moving quickly.

Liu Zeqing was directing his men to put out the fire at the armory when he first heard the sporadic gunshots. He didn't pay much attention, thinking that something in the armory hadn't burned completely.

However, as the sounds continued, he gradually realized that something seemed amiss!

I think I've heard this sound before; it's the arquebus used by the Warriors Battalion during Emperor Chongzhen's personal campaign!

Moreover, its sound is more concentrated and crisper than that of a shotgun, so it must be a modified version...

Realizing this, he was terrified and hurriedly ordered, "Enemy attack! Pass on my order to prepare for battle!"

However, no sooner had the order been given than the sound of orderly marching began to echo from the front.

Li Ruolian personally led the elite Warriors Battalion, forming three columns. The flintlock muskets in the soldiers' hands gleamed coldly in the firelight, and the bayonets mounted on the barrels looked even more menacing.

"First row, ready!"

At the command, the first rank of soldiers raised their guns in unison.

Liu Zeqing then realized something was wrong and hurriedly ordered a defense, with the soldiers at the front raising their shields...

"put!"

A deafening gunshot rang out, shields were pierced by a barrage of lead bullets, and soldiers in the front ranks fell like wheat being harvested, their blood flowing everywhere.

"Second row, ready! Fire!"

There was no time to react; another salvo followed.

Liu Zeqing finally realized what was happening and shouted, "It's the Warriors Battalion! Scatter!"

But it was too late. Wang Dalong's thirty elite men had already flanked them from the flank. They operated in groups of five, using a rotational firing tactic. After the first group fired, they immediately retreated to reload, and the second group followed suit, creating a continuous barrage of fire.

"Third row, ready! Fire!"

Li Ruolian commanded with composure, and the third volley completely shattered the morale of the rebels.

Seeing that the situation was dire and that escape was impossible, Liu Zeqing decided to fight to the death, hoping for a glimmer of hope.

"Everyone, charge with me!"

Upon seeing this, Li Ruolian immediately ordered, "Prepare bayonets!"

The soldiers of the Warriors Battalion neatly fixed bayonets and then formed a defensive formation.

When the rebels charged within ten paces, all the soldiers suddenly thrust forward simultaneously. The sharp bayonets easily pierced through the armor, stabbing the rebels at the front through the armor.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Liu Zeqing quickly pulled on the reins, turned his horse around, and galloped towards the city gate.

With his departure, the rebel army behind him was leaderless and even more routed, their lives being harvested by the Warriors Battalion like weeds.

After more than half of the troops were killed or wounded, someone finally realized something was wrong: the commander had escaped!

As the battle drags on, everyone is confused, and many don't even know what they're doing.

Now that the leaders have all run away, what's the point of fighting anymore? So the soldiers in the rear threw down their weapons and knelt down to beg for surrender.

In the darkness, Liu Zeqing galloped on his horse, followed by only a dozen or so personal guards.

Finally arriving at the city gate, from a distance, a guard stepped forward and shouted, "Open the city gate at once!"

Soon, a voice came from the city wall: "Who are you? Why are you out of the city in the middle of the night?"

The guard hurriedly shouted, "Are you blind?! Commander Liu wants to leave the city, open the gate at once!"

"Which Commander Liu?" the man on the city wall asked slowly and deliberately. "Does the Ministry of War have any documents for opening the city gates at midnight?"

Liu Zeqing flew into a rage and spurred his horse forward: "You bastard! My words are orders! Open the door now, or you'll lose your head!"

Suddenly, torches lit up the city wall, and Luo Yangxing's mocking face appeared in the firelight: "Oh, isn't this General Liu? What are you doing at the city gate in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

Liu Zeqing's expression changed drastically, and he reined in his horse, taking two steps back: "Luo Yangxing? You... what are you doing here?"

"That's a question I should be asking you!"

Luo Yangxing leaned against the city wall, looking down at him. "General Liu, what was your purpose in breaking into the city gate at night?"

Liu Zeqing looked back and saw the sound of pursuing horses' hooves approaching in the distance.

He gritted his teeth and lowered his voice, saying, "Commander Luo, spare my life! How much silver do you want? Just name your price!"

Luo Yangxing stroked his chin, feigning thought, and said, "I see. Then... I need the warhorses for all of you."

"A warhorse?" Liu Zeqing was taken aback. "What do you need a horse for?"

"What, you can't even part with a few horses?"

Luo Yangxing shook his head and sighed, feigning regret, "It seems General Liu isn't very sincere!"

Liu Zeqing then realized he had been tricked, and his anger flared: "Charge forward and open the city gates!"

Upon hearing this, a dozen or so guards immediately rushed toward the city gate winch.

"Release the arrows!"

At Luo Yangxing's command, dozens of Imperial Guards suddenly appeared on the city wall, firing their crossbows in unison.

The first few guards fell to the ground, while the rest hurriedly raised their shields to defend themselves.

"kill!"

Dozens of Imperial Guards emerged from the shadows on both sides of the city gate, wielding embroidered spring knives and charging forward.

Although Liu Zeqing's personal guards were brave, they were outnumbered and were quickly divided and surrounded.

"Protect the commander!"

As soon as one of the guards finished shouting, he was pierced through the chest by three embroidered spring knives at the same time.

Another guard fought his way to the winch and was about to turn the mechanism when he was pinned to the winch by a crossbow bolt shot down from the city wall.

Seeing no hope of breaking through, Liu Zeqing was filled with despair. He held the knife to his neck, slowly closed his eyes, and prepared to commit suicide.

However, he hesitated for a long time, holding the knife, his hands trembling slightly, but he still did not make a move.

Luo Yangxing laughed and said, "If you commit suicide to atone for your sins, I'll consider you a true man!"

After a long while, Liu Zeqing sighed and threw the knife on the ground.