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

With the three garrisons bypassing Xuzhou and advancing south, and possessing cannons weighing thousands of kilograms, ordinary county towns were simply no match for them, leaving Xuzhou an isolated city.

Emperor Kangxi dispatched 30,000 Green Standard Army troops to drive them away, but they all disappeared without a trace, not even a messenger.

This only proves that the 30,000-strong army was either crushed by the Han army or surrendered directly!

It was already the third day of the third lunar month, and spring was in full bloom outside Xuzhou City. The Han army's warhorses were grazing in the wheat fields.

Yes, because of this war, the surrounding endless wheat fields were left uncultivated, and in winter the area was filled with disaster victims. Without the government's relief, hundreds of thousands of people would starve to death.

Death in chaotic times is never just about soldiers killing each other.

Meanwhile, inside the main tent in the center of the Han army camp, Liu Mu looked at the military reports sent by the three adjutants, especially Yin Huaxing's, and couldn't help but ponder.

"I never expected the Dutch to participate in the war. I wonder what treaty the Qing Dynasty signed. Otherwise, given the Dutch people's greed, they wouldn't have gotten involved in the great power struggle!"

"But it doesn't matter. These kinds of treaties are still decided by might. As long as the Han's fist is strong enough, the treaty is just a piece of paper. It might even be evidence of revenge!"

Zhou Peigong, who was checking military affairs nearby, suddenly picked up a piece of paper and stood up excitedly.

"Your Majesty, Xuzhou City is already short of food. This is a secret letter from Pan Yulong blocking Yangzhou. It is a military order personally given by Tu Hai to the prefect of Yangzhou, instructing him to gather grain and send it to Taoyuan along the Grand Canal. This means that they will break through the siege in the next two days."

Liu Mu immediately took the secret letter and found that it had the seal of a general. Although it was written in Manchu, it was still vigorous and powerful, and it was indeed written by a military general.

It doesn't seem like there's anything fishy going on.

Thinking of this, Liu Mu immediately gave the order.

"By imperial decree, Zhao Liangdong is to immediately lead troops south to Taoyuan. We must absolutely prevent Kangxi from escaping back to Nanjing!"

Upon receiving the imperial decree, Zhao Liangdong, stationed at the North Gate, immediately marched towards Taoyuan and deployed spies along both banks of the canal to ensure success.

……

Late at night, Liu Mu was fast asleep, hugging his pillow, when he suddenly opened his eyes and sat up, his forehead covered in cold sweat. He rushed out of the tent in his pajamas.

"Battle, quickly, assemble all the Imperial Guards!"

"Issue another order for all cavalry to assemble at the north gate!"

"Guards, prepare my armor!"

After Liu Mu finished speaking, he returned to the main tent. With the help of his personal guards, he put on that set of flashy armor. By the time he came out of the main tent, Batel had already assembled the Imperial Guards.

"Quickly, follow me to the North Gate!"

Because Zhao Liangdong's large camp was located at the North Gate, Liu Mu deployed seven guards with 40,000 troops to guard the official road south of Xuzhou to prevent Kangxi from advancing south.

However, Liu Mu had been unable to sleep, because he realized that he and Zhou Peigong had been analyzing the battle situation from the perspective of generals and commanders.

But Kangxi was the emperor, and emperors are the most self-serving. The phrase "I am the world" best describes him.

Now that food supplies are cut off, heading south would be suicide. Even if they could retreat to Nanjing and defend the Yangtze River, it would eventually be breached. Moreover, if they returned defeated, the southern gentry would definitely organize to resist them.

In short, heading south would ultimately lead to nowhere to escape, and might even result in certain death.

And what about heading north?

That area is sparsely populated.

These Eight Banner soldiers from the Upper Three Banners, who had a deep-seated blood feud with the Han Dynasty, would certainly continue to follow them.

If Emperor Kangxi had led nearly 20,000 elite troops from the Upper Three Banners to Liaodong or the Mongolian Plateau, the world would have been vast and open.

Kangxi was still young. If he allowed five or even ten years to recuperate and rebuild, during which time he absorbed a large number of displaced people, they would become a new giant bandit in the north, hanging over the heads of the Han Dynasty like a sharp blade.

When Liu Mu arrived at the North Gate with three thousand Imperial Guards, the city walls were brightly lit, and more than three thousand Green Standard Army soldiers had already gathered below the city, blocking the official road leading north!

Emperor Kangxi has fled! He has definitely fled!

This guy is blocking the road with a death wish.

Moreover, to prevent the Green Standard Army from causing trouble, it is estimated that the Green Standard Army soldiers inside the city were unaware of the situation, while the three thousand Green Standard Army soldiers outside the city were the so-called veteran lackeys of the Manchu Qing Dynasty.

An overwhelming rage welled up in Liu Mu's chest, but he forced it down before coldly looking at the three thousand Green Standard Army cavalry.

"Bartel, kill them!"

"Leave no one alive!"

Batel had not fought the enemy for a long time. Upon receiving the order, he immediately charged forward. The Imperial Guards rode the finest Ili horses, which were extremely fast.

Meanwhile, Tu Hai immediately formed ranks, and his more than three thousand Green Standard Army soldiers, all cavalry, began their counterattack in perfect formation, their bows already drawn and arrows nocked.

However, the Imperial Guards, instead of bows and arrows, pulled out a different kind of flintlock pistol with a barrel only eighty centimeters long, and fired at the Green Standard Army soldiers while charging at top speed.

The Green Standard Army cavalry in the front row fell from their horses as soon as they were hit in the torso, while the Imperial Guards, even if shot by Green Standard Army arrows at a distance of fifty paces, remained lively and energetic, and could even survive after being bandaged up.

This is the biggest difference between firearms and arrows.

Because being shot meant certain death, which was extremely horrifying.

After the Imperial Guards in the front ranks finished firing, they lowered their flintlock muskets, secured by ropes at the breech to prevent them from falling off their horses, and simultaneously drew two short muskets.

When they reached within twenty or thirty paces, they would fire their short muskets from both sides. At this distance, even heavy armor could not withstand the impact of such a short musket.

Because the Imperial Guards were in a pocket formation, their firing range was very large. After firing their firearms, just as the Green Standard Army soldiers were about to win in hand-to-hand combat, they collapsed and began to scatter and flee.

Watching the battle from afar, Liu Mu nodded with great satisfaction. The activation rate of these two types of firearms was only 60% due to the bumpy horseback riding and the strong wind, but it was still the most powerful cavalry configuration of this era.

Once the three firearms have been fired, the enemy army, with the same number of cavalry, has at least a 50% chance of collapsing and an 80% chance of becoming disorganized. Disorganization is tantamount to slaughter.

It is clear that while the Green Standard Army was brave, it was still not an absolutely elite force. It suffered 30% casualties under ranged attacks, and most armies could not withstand it, let alone the Green Standard Army soldiers.

Unfortunately, production capacity is limited, and currently only the Imperial Guards are equipped with them. If all the cavalry were equipped with three-gun rifles, they could really wipe out the Eight Banners soldiers by a ratio of one to three, or even one to four.

At this moment, Batel, carrying Tu Hai's head, rode up to Liu Mu, intending to claim credit.

"Your Majesty, this is the head of that old dog Tu Hai!"

Liu Mu knew Batel's straightforward nature and didn't take offense. "I'll remember his merit. Smash his head and feed it to the dogs. Then pass down the order: stop pursuing the fleeing soldiers. After reloading their ammunition, prepare to follow me in the pursuit of Kangxi!"

After Liu Mu finished speaking, he dismounted and sat down to rest. He had only fifty riders with him, and he didn't dare to dismount. If he had been killed by that unknown fierce man with a single spear thrust, it would have been a huge loss.

Not long after, Zhou Peigong arrived with 7,000 cavalry. Seeing that Zhou Peigong was still confused about the situation, Liu Mu told him about his earlier guess and Kangxi's northward march. After giving a few more instructions, he led 10,000 cavalry northward to pursue Kangxi.

With 10,000 against 20,000, the advantage of firearms is significant!

Zhou Peigong was left standing there sighing.

"Only the heart of an emperor can truly understand the power of artillery!"