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

The establishment of the Shandong Governor-General and the subsequent occupation of Hebei, Shanxi, and Liaodong were the result of discussions between Galdan and Zhou Peigong. As for the tax-paying lands in the southeast, those had to be addressed later.

As for heading directly south to Jiangsu, Henan, and Anhui, with Galdan's small force, he would be vulnerable to attacks from the Three Feudatories, which would undoubtedly be courting death.

However, if the southward advance is slowed down, the three feudatories will break up, and Wu Sangui will very likely declare himself emperor, resulting in them fighting each other like dogs.

After arranging things in Shandong, Galdan then discussed with Zhao Liangdong the matters of recruiting soldiers and recovering Shandong.

Zhao Liangdong's suggestion was to march south from Tianjin in the name of the Han Dynasty, recapturing cities and recruiting soldiers along the way, and then make adjustments after occupying Shandong.

At this time, Shandong and Hebei were occupied by the Eight Banners, leaving a large number of people with no land to cultivate. It was no problem to easily recruit 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers.

Galdan highly approved of this strategy, as Shandong's defenses were weak and it was also very suitable for sustaining the war through warfare.

Therefore, Liu Xin was left behind as a military supervisor, and more than 3,000 warhorses were allocated, with another 10,000 to be sent later, to create an advantage for the Shandong army in fighting on the plains.

The main reason for keeping Liu Xin was his unwavering loyalty.

Galdan could only eat after he was made the military supervisor.

This is an army of 30,000, with countless troops and soldiers, enough to establish a regional power.

The next day, Galdan hurriedly went to the Tianjin coast and found that the Tianjin Navy at that time, after the withdrawal of the Ming troops, was no longer called a navy, but just a few forts at Dagu.

As for the ships, there were only a dozen or so.

It was still a small Fujian-style ship.

After leaving a centurion there to manage the ships in the Gulf, Galdan returned directly to Beijing.

……

In Dayu Village, Wuqing County, an elderly woman in her fifties or sixties is cleaning the bruises on the head of a man in his early twenties in a dilapidated thatched hut.

Judging from his appearance, this person is none other than Emperor Kangxi.

However, at this moment, he was only wearing a tattered hemp garment, with small wounds all over his body, and his eyes were staring blankly at the thatch above his head.

He was still reeling from the porridge mixed with unknown herbs; after all, he was used to a life of luxury and had never experienced such a hardship.

I'm still alive today.

They all have Galdan on their minds.

"Mother, I'm back!" Just then, a man with a braid at the back of his head, dressed in Hanfu, carried a hoe in. When he saw Kangxi, he immediately brandished the hoe and became alert. "Who is this person?"

The old woman rubbed her eyes, groped her way to her feet, and realized that her eyesight had deteriorated.

"Your second uncle found this by the river. He said it looked fair and tender, and might belong to a scholar who had met with misfortune!"

"Don't wander off, or you'll run into some thugs!"

Upon hearing this, the man stopped looking at Kangxi, put down his hoe, and started jumping around in the house.

"Mother, don't worry. I didn't come home yesterday because I went with the soldiers to bury the bodies. Big Dog said that they were all Tartar guards from the palace, more than five hundred of them!"

Upon hearing this, the old woman clapped her hands happily, her face crinkling into a smile.

"Good riddance! Good riddance!"

"These damned Tartars! They seized our land, burned our houses, and even killed your father!"

As if remembering something, the man took out a large piece of meat from his bundle. "Mother, look, everyone who went to bury the corpse got ten catties of horse meat. You'd better eat a lot later!"

Kangxi, who was still in a daze, heard the word "Tartar" repeatedly. He forced himself to sit up, but did nothing. Instead, he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, just like the Han people.

"My lord, I am a scholar from Nanjing. I have come to the capital to study. I wonder what the situation is like outside? Is there any army of the current imperial court passing through?"

Upon hearing this, the man scratched his head again. He was an illiterate farmer and didn't understand any of this.

"Never heard of it, but all the Green Standard Army soldiers and officials in the county town have left!"

Upon hearing this, Kangxi's eyes narrowed.

This means that news of Beijing's fall has spread, and some officials loyal to the Qing Dynasty are evacuating. Going further north would be a certain death sentence.

Clang, clang, clang.

Just then, the sound of an iron gong came from outside the thatched hut, accompanied by an old man's shouts.

"The old and young men of Big Fish Village!"

"The Eight Banners Tartars in the capital have all been wiped out by the army of the Great Han Kingdom. This morning, Han troops have already occupied the county government office. We no longer need to be afraid of those Tartar dogs!"

Upon hearing this, the old woman and the man were stunned for a moment before tears welled up in their eyes, and the pent-up frustration in their hearts suddenly erupted.

"Heaven has opened its eyes!"

Taking advantage of the two men's inattention, Kangxi slipped away through the back door. He knew that if he didn't leave now, once the Han dynasty arranged for officials to check the household registration, he would never be able to leave again.

And so, Kangxi, dressed in ragged hemp clothes and tattered trousers, ran wildly along the wheat field. Fortunately, the villagers of Dayu Village gathered together to cheer, otherwise he would have been arrested and interrogated.

After running for three miles, Kangxi could no longer continue. He collapsed to the ground, his body limp, and fainted from the pain in his inner thighs.

Just then, a dozen men dressed in Green Standard Army uniforms walked over, carrying swords. One of them, with a pockmarked face, tapped Kangxi on the head with the scabbard of his sword.

"Brother, this is another penniless wretch!"

"It seems no wealthy families will be heading south. We're really not going to catch any fat sheep here, so let's call it a day. Besides, the Great Han Kingdom doesn't necessarily want to kill us. Could that dog of a magistrate be just trying to fool us?"

Emperor Kangxi, who had fainted, was awakened by the scabbard. When he saw the dozen or so Green Standard Army soldiers, he was about to speak but forcibly held back, because if his identity was exposed, he would most likely be handed over to Galdan.

The leading Green Standard Army sergeant was burly and strong. Upon hearing this, he immediately took off his uniform and threw away his badge.

"Damn it, let's go straight back to the county government!"

"No matter who's emperor, we'll still have to collect taxes and suppress bandits. They can't possibly kill us, can they?"

"As for this person, he's fair-skinned and looks like a scholar; let's just kill him!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Zi chuckled and pulled out another dagger from his pocket, preparing to bleed Kangxi on the spot.

Are you pretending to be dead so you can still kill me?

Kangxi, with a burst of strength from who knows where, stood up and rammed his head into the pockmarked man's chest. He then picked up the fallen sword and drew it with a clang.

"I am the Emperor of the Great Qing. Let's talk this out. Leave your name and leave today, and I will repay you a thousandfold in the future. Xuan Ye never goes back on his word!"

Faced with imminent death, Kangxi no longer cared about his identity and being beheaded; he could only choose to reveal his imperial identity and offer bribes.

The men who were about to rush forward and chop down Kangxi looked at the leader upon hearing this, unsure of what to do.

Unexpectedly, the Green Standard Army soldier in charge drew his sword and launched into a tirade against Kangxi.

"You? The Emperor of the Qing Dynasty?"

"Where are your guards? Where are your troops?"

"Lying to people even when facing death? Pah!"

"Go to hell!"

After the Green Standard Army soldier finished speaking, he brandished his sword, clearly a trained fighter, as the long sword in his hand moved extremely fast.

shhhhhh!

Just then, the sound of arrows being shot rang out!

More than a dozen Green Standard Army soldiers were all shot dead!