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

Since leaving the Datong military factory and reuniting with Zhao Liangdong a month ago, Galdan easily persuaded Ma Ning, the Shandong governor, to surrender.

After gathering Green Standard Army troops from various regions, and adding Zhao Liangdong's 30,000-strong army, the total strength of the Han army reached 50,000.

While stationed in Daming Prefecture, Ma Ning suggested taking advantage of the fierce battle between Wu Sangui and the Manchus to immediately send troops south to Xuzhou and occupy this important place in the Central Plains.

Galdan had his eye on Xuzhou, so he led 50,000 troops south that very day. Pei County was defended by 1,000 troops, all of whom were Han Chinese Eight Banners soldiers.

Ma Ning said he could persuade Galdan to surrender, and Galdan naturally agreed. Little did he know that Ma Ning was a traitor who refused to come out after entering the city and even lit beacon fires.

Galdan didn't know it was a trap at the time, so how could he let this traitor go? So, on the same day, after the Flying Thunder Cannon broke through the city, he executed Ma Ning.

However, they were surrounded by Tu Hai, a veteran general under Kangxi, who joined forces with the garrison troops of Kaifeng, Xuzhou, and Daming Prefecture.

Galdan then realized that Ma Ning was from Ningxia, so how could he have surrendered to the Han for no reason?

Since both sides initially had 50,000 troops, Galdan, confident in his flying thunder cannons, naturally positioned himself outside Pei County, ready to fight the Manchus head-on. However, he suffered a crushing defeat and had no choice but to retreat to Pei County.

In fact, this siege was a carefully planned scheme by Tu Hai, who mobilized thirty large cannons, sixty other 500-pound cannons, and more than two hundred Ming-made mother-and-child cannons weighing around one hundred pounds each, all to Xuzhou.

This shows that the Flying Thunder Cannon has been thoroughly studied. Although the Manchus did not know how the Flying Thunder Cannon was made, they knew that the Flying Thunder Cannon had a limited range, so they mobilized this cannon.

Large-scale operations are not about attacking fortified positions, and the Flying Thunder Cannon's range of less than 200 meters is practically useless.

After both sides took their positions, more than thirty flying thunder cannons were lost in just three rounds of shelling. These things were more easily damaged than real cannons; once they were bumped and dented, they were unusable.

Without cannons, Galdan chose to retreat back into the city. However, this was also due to Galdan's underestimation of the enemy. He stumbled while things were going smoothly. The ancients were right!

"As expected, that Ma fellow is untrustworthy!" Galdan muttered to himself after criticizing Ma Ning, then turned to Zhao Liangdong, "Minister Zhao, how much grain and fodder is left in the city? Is it enough to sustain the army for half a month?"

Upon hearing Galdan's question, Zhao Liangdong, who was gnawing on a dog's paw, immediately spat out the bone and reported back, displaying a very respectful attitude.

"Your Majesty, thankfully you were worried about the war in the Central Plains and feared that the people along the way would not have enough to eat, so you ordered that more than 20,000 shi of grain be brought out. Although this is still not enough, we still have so many battles to fight. If we eat sparingly, it will be enough for a month."

Zhao Liangdong can now mobilize at least half of the more than 50,000 troops inside the city. Tu Hai outside the city also sent a letter of surrender, trying to sow discord, but Zhao Liangdong just won't fall for it and instead took the initiative to hand over military power to Galdan.

This was partly because he had two sons in the Han army, but the most important reason was that he gained the most important trust and respect in the Han army in just three or four months.

Unlike in the Qing Dynasty, where everything required approval, the minor bannermen of the Eight Banners could practically do whatever they wanted.

Galdan was very pleased to see Zhao Liangdong's sincerity. After all, he had to face the internal turmoil of the Dzungar Khanate after transmigrating, and now it seemed that this was a rare opportunity!

Boom boom boom, just as Galdan was about to say something, the drums of siege sounded again from the north of the city.

Thirty heavy cannons weighing over 1,000 jin were positioned 300 meters away, with Green Standard Army soldiers loading ammunition. Behind them, siege ladders and battering rams were slowly advancing.

As for the moat?

It was already full yesterday.

Bang bang bang.

The cannonballs struck the side of the north gate with precision. The aim of striking the side was to avoid the barbican and prevent two attacks, but it had no effect because a large number of sandbags were suspended from the wall by ropes.

The cannonballs hit the sandbags, breaking them, but they did little to damage the city wall. Even if the shells were fired at other locations, it wouldn't make a difference.

Most importantly, there was a team of a thousand men who were specifically tasked with targeting the enemy's cannons. They would throw sandbags wherever the cannons were fired at, and for the sake of this mud, they would shoot through the rocks. The houses near the city walls were completely demolished.

Although Galdan failed physics and only knew the basics, it was still usable enough.

Tu Hai governed his army with the utmost discipline, and any slight mistake could result in execution. The Green Standard Army soldiers dared not delay, and the siege engines crashed directly into the city walls. One after another, the heavily armored Green Standard Army soldiers began to climb the ladders.

Moreover, this siege was much fiercer than yesterday's, with even the Han Eight Banners being dispatched to charge alongside the Green Standard Army, demonstrating the Qing Dynasty's impartiality.

Peixian City was only 6.5 meters high, and the Green Standard Army soldiers climbed it very quickly, but what awaited them was "golden juice," which was made by boiling filth from latrines.

Pouring this stuff on your body not only causes a foul stench and burns, but also leads to festering wounds afterward. If it causes extensive burns, it's practically a death sentence.

One of the Han Bannermen soldiers lost his hat while climbing. When the molten gold liquid was poured onto his scalp, in addition to his piercing screams, his scalp started smoking directly, just like putting pork belly in a pot of oil.

With over 50,000 troops in the city having enough to eat, drink, and relieve themselves, plus the reserves of the several thousand civilians in the city, there was absolutely enough of this golden juice. Even the Han soldiers had to hold their breath to get enough.

The battering ram below finally smashed the gate, but the Green Standard Army soldiers were dumbfounded because they could see through the hole that the entire inside of the city gate was made of stone. Helpless, they could only go back to relay the message.

Indeed, all four city gates were completely blocked. After realizing he had fallen into a trap, Galdan had no intention of running away, nor did he intend to go out and join forces with the Qing army from both sides.

They were prepared to hold out for a month, seeing how many troops the Qing Dynasty had mobilized. Were Wu Sangui and his men all fools? Especially since Geng Jingzhong was about to break through southern Zhejiang.

It all comes down to who can outlast whom.

After learning that the city gates were blocked, Tu Hai treated the Green Standard Army soldiers as nothing, and directly ordered another 3,000 Green Standard Army soldiers to attack the city, while the Eight Banners cavalry followed behind, driving them away like pigs.

After an hour of siege, under the Green Standard Army's desperate attack, some soldiers had already reached the top of the city walls.

Zhao Liangdong also stepped forward to take command in a timely manner.

"Thunderbolt! Throw the thunderbolt!"

"Blow up the siege towers and the Tartar arrow towers for me!"

Upon hearing that gunpowder packs could be used, Agula's firearms battalion immediately began throwing them.

A one-pound fire pack, landing at the bottom of the ladder truck, can overturn the entire vehicle, sending the people on top crashing to the ground. Even with heavy armor, the chances of being fatal from a height of five or six meters are still very high.

That's right, the ladder is a vehicle.

It was a large wooden box with wheels at the bottom and a tilted ladder extending out, somewhat like a crane in later times.

Tu Hai, who was watching the battle from over 800 meters away, saw the violent explosion, pulled a craftsman over, and handed him his binoculars.

"Look, what's that?"

"If I couldn't tell, I'd kill you today!"