The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

All ten brigade commanders were in the city. Upon receiving the emperor's summons, they quickly gathered at the Pei County government office. They were all wearing purple mink coats, in the style of woolen coats, just like the warlords of later generations.

Upon entering the lobby, he raised his hand in salute.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

High-ranking military officers should dress more lavishly to project an air of nobility and gain more respect. Fortunately, the vast Northeast is now well-off with plenty of furs.

Once everyone had arrived, Liu Mu recounted the entire incident, and then looked at the ten adjutants.

"Therefore, this time, as we penetrate deep into the Huai River region, you need to seize the opportunity to occupy Huaian Prefecture, Fengyang Prefecture, and Yangzhou Prefecture respectively, cutting off the Qing army's supply lines!"

"This mission is dangerous. Who among you is willing to go?"

Upon hearing Liu Mu's words, all ten adjutants quickly stepped forward to volunteer. At this moment, regardless of whether there was any danger, as long as the emperor could see their spirit and energy, that was enough.

Ultimately, the emperor is the one who makes the final decision.

If you don't volunteer, that's cowardly!

Liu Mu finally looked at three of them and called out their names.

"Yin Huaxing, Yang Fengxiang, Pan Yulong!"

"You can choose where to attack this time. As long as you can make a splash in the Huai River region, I will reward you handsomely!"

The three generals selected by Liu Mu were all key figures in the later suppression of the Three Feudatories. Among them, Yin Huaxing had even led an expedition against the Dzungars and was considered a hero of his time.

These three men were able to achieve great things under the conditions of the Qing Dynasty, so it's no wonder they became incompetent after coming to the Han Dynasty.

Upon hearing Liu Mu call their names, all three of them were delighted. They were all in their early thirties, the prime age for earning military merit.

The key point is that Liu Mu is generous enough to give things away, so everyone saluted him.

"This subordinate obeys!" ×3

After receiving their orders, the three men immediately went to the quartermaster's office and arranged for the items they needed. The cheapest items, such as waist knives and spears, became highly sought-after items at this time.

Liu Mu nodded after receiving the message.

They only had a few thousand elite soldiers. After arriving at the local battlefield, it is highly likely that they recruited some militia with cold weapons to assist them in the battle.

As long as we can win, we'll expand our army!

A court that holds others back is not a good court.

The three armies marched south, unable to escape the Qing army's reconnaissance. Upon receiving the news, Kangxi immediately summoned Tuhai for a meeting.

This strategy of besieging a point and attacking reinforcements was Huang Taiji's specialty even before the Manchus entered the pass. Tu Hai saw through it almost immediately and showed a solemn expression.

"Your Majesty, it seems the Han army intends to bypass Xuzhou and cut off our supply lines in the Jianghuai region. If that's the case, our army will be put on the defensive, and Xuzhou will become an isolated city!"

Upon hearing this, Kangxi showed a tense expression, and his body trembled involuntarily, because hearing the words "isolated city" reminded him of his narrow escape from death on the Grand Canal.

"What does the General think should be done?"

Tu Hai could also see Kangxi's embarrassment, but he kept his head down the whole time, pretending not to see it.

"The most urgent task is to find out where they are going, then send troops to intercept them, and at the same time notify all prefectures and counties to recruit soldiers for defense. We must not let them break into the city."

Emperor Kangxi was pleased to hear this, as long as he knew what the other party wanted to do, he was satisfied, so he immediately ordered an investigation.

Just as Kangxi relaxed for a moment, the eunuch accompanying the army hurriedly brought him a letter.

"Your Majesty, an urgent report has arrived from Nanjing!"

The matter was extremely urgent and concerned the very lifeline of the Qing Dynasty. When Emperor Kangxi heard this, he was also unsettled. He immediately opened the report, but his expression remained uncertain.

"Prince An declared himself emperor, establishing the state of Daqing!"

Even when he granted actual control over Hubei and Henan, Kangxi only considered obeying orders but not proclamations; he never expected Yue Le to declare himself emperor.

Hearing this, Tu Hai was not surprised at all. Ever since the families of the Eight Banners in Beijing were all killed, which young Eight Banners member did not hate Kangxi in private?

Only someone of his age, with a strong sense of belonging to the Qing Dynasty, would be so dedicated to his work.

"So be it, so be it!"

"A proclamation shall be issued throughout the land, declaring Prince An disloyal, unfilial, and unbrotherly; his throne shall be stripped and his imperial lineage removed!"

After Kangxi finished speaking, he went into the back hall, and then a series of crashing and smashing sounds came from the room.

……

Meanwhile, outside Huaiyuan County in Fengyang Prefecture, a large group of two to three hundred men gathered together, each holding a weapon, with an old man standing in the middle.

"Gentlemen, Wu Sangui in the southwest has already declared himself emperor, once again disregarding loyalty and righteousness. We can no longer sit idly by and wait for someone else to restore their kingdom!"

"The Han dynasty in the north has now marched south and is fighting against the Manchu barbarians in the Xuzhou area. If we don't gain momentum now, we won't have another chance, no matter who wins!"

Upon hearing the old man's words, all the young men were filled with righteous indignation, but one of the Confucian scholars stood up.

"Without members of the Zhu family, how can we gain influence?"

Upon hearing this, everyone felt disheartened. They were merely the guardians of the Zhu family's tomb, now assassinated and exiled by the Manchus, their power pitifully low.

"Who says there are no members of the Zhu family? I, Zhu Xin, am one, aren't I?"

Looking towards the source of the voice, a woman dressed in black, standing about 1.78 meters tall, appeared, holding a long spear.

The men were all taken aback upon hearing this, and then all looked puzzled. The old man even asked a question.

"Young lady, there are some things you can't say carelessly. If they get out, you could be beheaded."

A woman named Zhu Xin took out a jade pendant made of Hetian jade, with the character "Zhu" carved on the front and the character "Xin" on the back.

"I am Zhu Xin, the ninth-generation descendant of the Huaiyang family, and I have a family heirloom jade pendant to prove it!"

The old man was a respectable person. After touching the jade pendant and closing his eyes to feel it for a while, he showed a look of shock.

Because this Hetian jade pendant is genuine, and it's palm-sized, it's not something an ordinary person could own.

Even if its identity is fake, this piece of jade is more valuable than the lives of everyone present, so the Qing Dynasty had no reason to set up this scheme.

Zhu Xin took the jade pendant and carefully tucked it into his belt before looking at the still shocked old man.

"Now you believe it!"

"I, your humble servant, have traveled all the way from Xuzhou to Zhongdu, hoping to seize the opportunity while the Han court is locked in a decisive battle with the Tartars and launch an attack to kill them!"

The old man, who was already almost convinced, immediately clasped his hands in greeting and pulled out the other three strong men.

"I am Liu Chengzong, a descendant of the Liu family. My ancestor was the Marquis of Yihui. I bring my three sons to pay my respects to the Princess!"

As Liu Chengzong spoke, he pointed to the crowd behind him.

"These are also descendants of the original tomb keepers. There were originally tens of thousands of them, but in recent years, the Manchu Tartars relocated them from Zhongdu under various pretexts!"

Zhu Xin's eyes darkened upon hearing this.

"And what about our Zhu family? Ever since Wu Sangui raised his army, the Manchus have used various pretexts to purge our Zhu family members. They spared no one of the bloodline of the founding emperor!"

"I, Zhu Xin, am here for revenge!"

"Liu Chengzong, that's all I have to say. Will you help me or not?"