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

When Metsuyi saw that Zhou Peigong had left after speaking, and that the Han army was also heading south, he was completely bewildered.

What is there to be afraid of among ordinary people?

Those indigenous people in Southeast Asia were also completely obedient!

However, thinking of Zhou Peigong's confidence, Metsuike was still uneasy, so he personally led the guards to patrol the city of Nanjing.

As it remained dark, nothing unusual was discovered because all the people were hiding in their homes.

"Perhaps that Han official was just trying to scare me, hoping I'd back down?"

"Forget it, never mind all that!"

"The city has ample food supplies; a six-month siege wouldn't be a problem. Now we're just waiting for the Han army to compromise!"

After muttering a few words, Metsuyi returned to the palace to sleep soundly, still young at heart despite his age, and had the newly acquired concubines of Chani serve him in bed.

The Lin family mansion, as the largest porcelain supplier in Nanjing, was built with extreme luxury.

Late at night, one by one, gentlemen with pig tails and dressed in Manchu-style clothing sneaked into the Lin residence from the backyard.

The servants of the Lin family would secretly peek over the wall to observe, and whenever a patrolling Dutch soldier appeared, they would let out a clear meow.

Upon hearing the sound, the gentry immediately stopped and quickly hid in the alleyway to the side. Only when they heard the cat meowing again did they enter the backyard of the Lin residence.

Lin Xianghao, the head of the Lin family, was nearly fifty years old and had the appearance of a kind old man. He sat on a grand chair in the backyard, and the gentry who entered the backyard all stepped forward to pay their respects.

Seeing that there were already more than thirty gentry members, Lin Xianghao tapped his cane lightly twice.

"Gentlemen, the Qing dynasty is indeed pathetic. Their 20,000 to 30,000 troops in the city were easily disarmed by the Dutch!"

As Lin Xianghao continued speaking, the gentry members all sighed and lamented. One of them, a fat and obese man, was even in tears.

"In the Ming Dynasty, my Zhang family produced a continuous stream of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) and Vice Ministers. Every time those foreign countries saw us, they bowed and scraped. I never imagined that under the rule of the Manchus, we would rebel against Heaven, and I, Zhang Jian, would have to stay with my daughter!"

Upon hearing the words "accompanying daughter," all the gentry were enraged. The families of the Eight Banner soldiers had been wiped out in Beijing by the Han Chinese, yet they were now being asked to come to Nanjing to marry their wives.

The key is that they don't want ordinary women, but instead want the daughters of gentry and wealthy merchants. Do those uncivilized savages in the mountains deserve well-educated and courteous ladies?

They naturally resisted, but money was no match for swords, and in the end the Eight Banners succeeded, while also coercing them. It has to be said that Kangxi's move was brilliant!

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"My youngest daughter was also threatened by Nalan Mingzhu and forced to serve that red-haired devil in bed, bang!"

Lin Xianghao, who had originally wanted to hear some opinions, became even angrier when he heard about accompanying his daughter. He threw his cane away and then looked at everyone.

"The Manchu barbarians forced us to shave our heads when they entered the pass. Are we supposed to let those red-haired devils rule us and end up eating raw meat and drinking blood like them?"

"My Lin family can provide eighty servants. Everyone should contribute. If no one can, we'll hire warriors. Tomorrow at noon, we'll break through the Shangyuan Gate and welcome the Han army into the city!"

"This time, my Lin family is taking the lead. All the fine porcelain pieces will be shared afterwards. What do you all think?"

Upon hearing Lin Xianghao's words, everyone stood up and swore an oath. After all, this was a matter for everyone, and the Lin family was willing to pay the price, so what was there to hesitate about?

The next morning, Metsus woke up in a fright amidst a crowd of beauties, his head covered in cold sweat that had already trickled down his neck.

He dreamt that an Easterner dressed in golden armor ordered him to be castrated and made a eunuch, and even though he was almost seventy years old, he was so frightened that his face twitched.

Without a second thought, Metsuyi quickly dressed and, accompanied by equally dashing guards, left the palace to inspect the defenses of the various city gates.

When we arrived at Shangyuan Gate, it was already noon. Food was being cooked along the city wall, consisting of rice, meat broth, and rye bread.

Having grown accustomed to the delicacies of the imperial chefs, Metsuiko had no desire to eat such things, so she led her guards toward the imperial city. However, they had only gone halfway when they heard shouts of battle.

One by one, men dressed in Manchu-style clothing or hempen-style clothing rushed out from alleys. They carried waist knives and even matchlock guns, but most of them carried long wooden sticks and various farm tools.

They rushed towards the Shangyuan Sect at an extremely fast speed; with just a rough punch, they had already wiped out no fewer than a thousand people.

They seemed to have calculated that the Dutch were about to eat, choosing this crucial moment to attack, catching the Dutch completely off guard.

Don't be fooled by the fact that those people are carrying sticks; they are the ones who punish clan members. If the clan leader wants someone dead, three slaps on the buttocks can be fatal.

When these Dutchmen and Native soldiers were struck on the head with sticks, without exception, they all met their demise.

The number of soldiers stationed at Shangyuan Gate was only a little over six hundred. About half of them were eating and resting, and the more than three hundred were all killed in less than a quarter of an hour.

But the Dutch on the city walls were not to be trifled with; seeing their men being killed, they immediately opened fire.

With a crackling sound of frying beans, the hastily assembled servants and warriors were instantly shot down and collapsed.

Ultimately, they are not an army.

Some gentry who were watching from the sidelines all looked fearful. If they couldn't break through the city today, the Dutch would definitely settle scores with them.

Meanwhile, Metsuiko, who was also watching the battle, smiled upon seeing this. After loading his fifty guards with ammunition, he prepared to charge forward to provide support.

Metsuiko was also frightened by these people. After all, with thousands of people charging in, and him only having fifty guards, he was bound to be afraid.

Meanwhile, Metsuiko knew where these people came from, and a sinister smile immediately appeared on her face.

"These are the people that the Han officials were talking about. They are indeed a formidable force, far stronger than those Southeast Asian natives!"

Just as Metsuiko had charged halfway, he heard shouts of battle again.

One by one, old or strong women, and some teenagers, rushed out of the alleys, carrying bricks, hoes, or sickles.

The number of people was at least three thousand. After being shot at by the Dutch on the city wall, these civilians did not collapse, but continued to charge one by one.

They quickly rushed onto the city wall and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Dutch, often taking down one Dutchman for every five or six of them.

One of the older women even put down her broom and pounced on a dark-skinned Dutch soldier, biting his neck and tearing off a chunk of flesh.

Upon seeing the Dutch soldier die, the old woman collapsed to the ground and burst into tears.

"These red-haired devils eat people! They're eating my grandson!"

"I've avenged my child!"

The people around who heard this became even more indignant, and they swung their sickles even more forcefully!