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

Jin Guangzu's words about "half the country" ignited Shang Zhixin's ambition, leading him to make a bold move.

"By order of the Prince of Pingnan, from this day forward, overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming, and avenge the Ming Dynasty by overthrowing the Manchus!"

The generals nearby became excited. In this chaotic world, it was not like to fight for the position of duke or marquis when one was a high-ranking general. Instead, the most secure thing was to serve the emperor.

Even if they are defeated, they may not necessarily die!

After gaining Jin Guangzu's support, Shang Zhixin sent several of his brothers to Guangdong to recruit soldiers, while he himself led an army of 50,000 north to Shaoguan.

Because Emperor Kangxi had drawn on the elite Green Standard Army from Jiangxi, there were not enough troops to garrison the passes. In addition, Shang Kexi's firearms were sharp, and Ganzhou was captured in just half a month.

The surrounding prefectures and counties surrendered almost without a second thought. These gentry from Jiangxi had suffered greatly from the persecution of the Manchu Qing dynasty and were eager for someone to invade. They wanted to help anyone, no matter who it was.

Faced with Shang Zhixin's fierce offensive, Dodo's son, Manchu Prince Chani, had no choice but to withdraw all his troops in Jiangxi and return to Nanchang to await reinforcements!

Shang Zhixin had no political faction. After directly dividing his troops to occupy local government offices, he led his army to continue north.

The gentry along the way gave them a warm welcome.

……

Meanwhile, outside Jingzhou, Wu Sangui's 70,000-strong army was fiercely attacking the city walls, with siege ladders almost covering the east gate and cannons and muskets firing incessantly.

Meanwhile, Yue Dong, who was inside the city, had only 5,000 Manchu Eight Banner soldiers and 20,000 Green Standard Army soldiers. However, relying on the tall and imposing city of Jingzhou, he defended it very well. Some even used binoculars to observe Wu Sangui, who was two miles away, with great interest.

Wu Sangui, though old, still rode a tall horse and stared at Yue Dong through binoculars.

Just then, a messenger carrying a command flag arrived at the central command without any obstruction.

"Report to Wang Wen, urgent news from Jiangxi!"

Jiangxi!!!

Upon hearing these two words, Wu Sangui's face lit up with joy, and he immediately knew that Shang Zhixin had seized Shang Kexi's military power. He then eagerly took the intelligence, and when he saw what he wanted to see, he slapped his thigh in delight.

"Okay, okay!"

"Shang Zhixin is truly a prodigy!"

"Guangchen, just as you predicted, Shang Zhixin has already captured Ganzhou and is on his way to Nanchang. Let's see how Yue Dong can remain calm now!"

Hearing Wu Sangui's excitement, Fang Guangchen shook his head helplessly. He noticed that others became more composed with age, while Wu Sangui became more childlike.

If we had sent troops without hesitation back then, Hubei, Henan, and even the whole country would already be ours.

"My lord, now that Shang Zhixin has marched north, the most urgent task is to mobilize troops from Guangxi to directly attack and capture Jingmen, completely besieging Yue Dong in Jingzhou!"

This time, Wu Sangui did not hesitate and immediately issued a military order. After nearly a year of back-and-forth with Yue Dong, Wu Sangui now only wanted to kill Yue Dong to vent his hatred.

Similarly, Yue Dong in Jingzhou City also received an urgent report from Nanchang City. His expression changed drastically, and he slammed the letter on the table.

"What does the Emperor intend to do?"

"For his own personal grudge, he actually mobilized the elite Green Standard Army of Jiangxi, which was the last force to defend against Geng Jingzhong and Shang Kexi."

"And some of the Chanis have actually come to me for help! Shang Zhixin has rebelled. Once Wu Sangui's troops from Guangxi arrive in Jingzhou, I will be skinned alive by Wu Sangui!"

"Bang!"

Yue Dong grew increasingly angry as he spoke, and drew his precious sword from his waist, slamming it down on the table. The blow penetrated deep into the wood!

Upon hearing Yue Dong's words, the generals below began to discuss among themselves. They had fought with Wu Sangui for so long, and the grudges between them were too deep.

Especially Emperor Kangxi, who even killed Wu Sangui's sons and grandsons. If the city were to fall...

The scene is too beautiful to imagine.

Yue Dong was also having a headache, and finally decided to use the methods of his ancestor Nurhaci.

"By my decree, the governors of Henan and Hubei shall, within one month, summon another 50,000 able-bodied men. They must be equipped with uniforms, long spears, and long swords. I do not care what methods they use, but anyone who disobeys this order shall be executed without exception!"

Without silver or resettlement allowance, they simply conscripted men – this was Nurhaci's method for capturing the Jurchen barbarians.

Chaos often begins with the conscription of men.

……

Day three, Pei County!

Galdan stood atop the city wall, wielding a heavy Guan Dao (a type of halberd) weighing a hundred jin (approximately 50 kg) with unusually slow movements, his face already flushed red.

This is not a weapon for killing enemies, but a tool for training physical strength. To qualify as a martial arts champion, one must use a 200-pound Guan Dao (a type of halberd).

As for why he was wielding a knife, it was naturally to impress Emperor Kangxi. This was also known as the Empty City Stratagem. However, Galdan was not Zhuge Liang, nor could he play the zither, so he could only wield a knife.

Of course, sometimes when he got tired of wielding his knife, he would call Zhao Liangdong and they would openly eat dog meat on the city wall, since dogs had already disappeared from Pei County.

There was no other way; we were forced into this situation. The city's food supplies were less than five days' worth, and even if we slaughtered draft horses and warhorses, we would only have enough for eight days at most.

Galdan was also afraid that Kangxi was too persistent. If he really risked losing the country to kill Galdan, then he would have gone too far. So he could only try this method.

Galdan's efforts were not in vain. Kangxi had been spying on his enemy all along, and was always furious. He even suspected that Galdan was not short of food at all.

If there really is a food shortage, would people still have such leisure and elegance to play with knives and eat stewed meat on the city wall?

"Your Majesty, Galdan is merely feigning composure. The more brazen he becomes, the closer it is to the day when our supplies run out!"

"In my humble opinion, we've probably run out of food today!"

Seeing that Kangxi was worried again, Tu Hai, who was accompanying the emperor, immediately stepped forward and offered his opinion in an attempt to calm Kangxi's restless heart.

"I hope so!"

Kangxi, however, was unmoved by these words. He waved his hand, mounted his horse, and headed towards the central army camp.

These days, Kangxi has been looking forward to the decisive battle, to capture Galdan, and to use every torture method he can think of on Galdan, making him wish he were dead.

The result was that day after day passed, and a full day had gone by since Tu Hai had predicted the food shortage, yet Galdan still refused to come out for the decisive battle. Instead, he was practicing with his halberd while eating dog meat, almost driving Kangxi to the brink of madness.

Kangxi had just arrived at the central command tent and hadn't even had time to wake up when a cavalryman dressed in a uniform and carrying a command flag rode up on horseback.

"Reporting to the Emperor, this is an urgent dispatch from Jiangxi, traveling 800 li!"

Jiangxi...

Upon hearing the words "Jiangxi," Kangxi's nerves immediately tightened. He took the letter and began to read it, only to turn pale and then develop an unusual flush.

"Shang Kexi, Shang Zhixin!"

"You scoundrel, you traitor, you slave who has served three masters!"

"puff!"

As soon as Kangxi finished scolding, he spat out a mouthful of blood mist that was a meter long, and then fainted!

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you alright?"

"The imperial physician! Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"

Emperor Kangxi's sudden loss of consciousness and vomiting blood terrified Tu Hai. How could a young man in his early twenties suddenly vomit blood?

That doesn't make sense!