The Ming Dynasty began in the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign.

Emperor Chongzhen disregarded his own life and death, which terrified Wang Xiantong.

As the commander-in-chief of the city and a count of the Ming Dynasty, he could not allow the emperor to be harmed in the slightest, so he hurriedly grabbed a shield and stood in front of Chongzhen.

"Your Majesty, it's dangerous here! We must quickly take shelter in the arrow tower!"

Chongzhen reached out and pushed the shield aside, saying angrily:

"It's alright, let me see how these refugees will attack the city. I can't understand how a group of refugees could so quickly reach the gates of the Ming capital!"

Yes, Emperor Chongzhen really couldn't understand it. In the early stages, Lu Xiangshan relentlessly pursued and killed Li Zicheng, and the rebels could only flee at the mere sight of him.

Lu Xiang-sheng died defending the capital, and Hong Cheng-chou then annihilated Li Zicheng's entire army, leaving only eighteen horsemen to escape into the deep mountains.

Just a few years later, Li Zicheng, like an unkillable cockroach, rose up again taking advantage of the great disaster in Henan and marched to the gates of the capital.

Wang Xiantong sighed and personally took up his shield to protect Emperor Chongzhen, allowing Chongzhen to observe the bandits attacking the city through the gaps in the shield.

Outside the city, the shouts of the rebel army were deafening, and they surged towards the city walls of the capital like a tidal wave.

The densely packed refugees numbered in the hundreds of thousands. They carried ladders and charged forward desperately, while the main force of the rebels stayed behind to oversee the battle and did not advance to attack the city.

Arrows rained down on the refugees from the city walls like locusts, and they fell one after another. But the refugees behind them did not stop and continued to charge forward.

"Archers! Musketeers! Fire on the city walls!"

At the command of the bandit general, countless arrows and bullets flew towards the city wall, and soldiers on the wall fell one after another, hit by arrows and bullets...

"fire!"

At Wang Xiantong's command, more than a dozen cannons on the city wall roared, and more than a dozen solid shot bullets crushed bloody paths through the crowd of refugees...

But there were just too many refugees. As soon as one fell, another would immediately take their place. They charged towards the city walls like madmen...

Seeing the refugees' bravery, Emperor Chongzhen frowned and looked at Wang Xiantong, who was directing the defense, and asked:

"Lord Xinjian, why are the refugees so brave? If all Ming soldiers were like this, wouldn't the Ming army be invincible...?"

Wang Xiantong was somewhat aware of this, and he hurriedly replied:

"Your Majesty, I am not entirely sure either. It is said that these refugees have no pay and are only trying to get food..."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen was stunned for a moment before roaring:

"They risked their lives for a meal. It is the ministers who have deceived the emperor, it is I who have failed to govern the country well. Corrupt officials should all be killed..."

Upon seeing the emperor in such a state, Wang Chengen couldn't help but burst into tears, and Wang Xiantong and several deputy generals also had red eyes...

After two hours of fierce fighting, the cannons on the city walls ran out, and the army of refugees reached the city walls. They began to erect ladders to attack the city...

Wang Xiantong relayed the order:

"Quickly, apply the golden gravy!"

The stench of excrement mixed with arsenic in the boiling iron pot was overwhelming. The guards, wearing masks, quickly stepped forward with ladles, scooped up the scalding liquid, and poured it over the rebels on the ladders...

"Ahhh..."

Scalding hot excrement poured down, and instantly, blood-curdling screams erupted from below. Soldiers on the siege ladders were scalded and torn apart, tumbling and falling off the ladders into the moat...

"Go! Oil and the enemy of ten thousand men!"

As the molten gold was poured down, oil and anti-tank weapons were deployed, and another round of screams erupted from below the city walls, but the refugees continued their relentless assault...

The commander of the attacking rebel army was Liu Zongmin. Seeing that the rebel army had suffered heavy casualties, he hurriedly ordered a halt to the attack. The rebel soldiers were all relieved and desperately retreated...

"They came fast, and they retreated fast too. It seems even the rebel army is afraid of death..."

Seeing the rebel army retreating rapidly, Emperor Chongzhen sighed again.

He had just finished his remark when he suddenly saw dozens of red-coated cannons being pushed out of the rebel army's position. Chongzhen's expression immediately changed, and he hurriedly asked:

"Lord Xinjian, where did these bandits get their red-coated cannons?"

In Chongzhen's mind, bandits only knew how to flee; they had no red-coated cannons and they didn't know how to build them!

Wang Xiantong sighed softly and cupped his hands in greeting:

"Your Majesty, the bandits' cannons were all captured during the siege of the city..."

Emperor Chongzhen was speechless for a moment, then murmured:

"It's over..."

With so many red-coated cannons among the bandits, Emperor Chongzhen knew the capital was doomed. No wonder Emperor Hongwu gave him an early warning...

"Rumble..."

……

Soon, the cannons outside the city began to roar, and bricks and stones from the city walls flew everywhere...

For the emperor's safety, Wang Xiantong hurriedly ordered his men to help Emperor Chongzhen down from the city wall.

"Quickly, help His Majesty down from the city wall!"

"No, I will live and die with the capital!"

But Emperor Chongzhen refused to leave, which greatly worried Wang Xiantong...

"Rumble..."

A cannonball struck Chongzhen not far away. Although Chongzhen was terrified and his face turned pale, he still refused to leave the city.

"Guards, please escort His Majesty back to the palace!"

Having no other option, Wang Xiantong prepared to order his men to forcibly bring Chongzhen back to the palace. Just then, the imperial son-in-law, Gong Yonggu, stumbled in to report:

"Your Majesty, retreat into the inner city immediately! Duke Dingguo Xu Yunzhen and Duke Yingguo Zhang Shize have been killed in battle, and Zhou Yanru and Li Guozhen have surrendered..."

Upon hearing the news that the Duke of Dingguo and the Duke of Yingguo had died in battle, Emperor Chongzhen was struck dumb, his vision blurred, and he nearly fainted...

……

"Damn it, the outer city couldn't even hold for a day! Issue my order: all troops, immediately withdraw to the inner city for defense!"

Wang Xiantong cursed loudly and immediately issued an order for the defending troops to withdraw to the inner city for defense, while he personally guarded Zhengyang Gate.

The troops retreated to the inner city, and Emperor Chongzhen returned to the palace in a daze.

At this time, the vast palace contained only Emperor Chongzhen and Wang Chengen, the most loyal eunuch in history.

Because Emperor Chongzhen dismissed the eunuchs and palace maids in advance, the historical event of Li Zicheng taking the palace maid Dou as a concubine after entering the city would not have occurred.

"I don't know if the Crown Prince can escape this calamity. I regret that I should have sent him south to ascend the throne earlier. Grand Master, please accompany me to Zhongcui Palace to take a look."

Wang Chengen hurriedly cupped his hands and said:

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the Crown Prince is a lucky man and will be blessed by Heaven!"

"I hope so!"

Emperor Chongzhen sighed softly and, supported by Wang Chengen, headed to Zhongcui Palace.

Zhu Cilang had not found his father and had already left with Fang Zhenghua, so Chongzhen naturally could not see him.

Looking at the empty Zhongcui Palace, Chongzhen felt as if his heart was being torn apart. He slowly sat down on the bed and said with grief and indignation:

"My lord, Zhou Yanru served as Grand Secretary twice and was once the person I trusted most. Li Guozhen was a nobleman of the Ming Dynasty who shared the fate of the nation, yet he betrayed us when the Ming Dynasty needed them most..."

"I have failed miserably as an emperor. After I ascended the throne, I wanted to emulate Emperor Taizong of Tang and Emperor Wu of Han, but now it seems that I am not even as good as Emperor Gaozong of Song. How laughable..."

As a eunuch who had served Emperor Chongzhen for many years, Wang Chengen knew the emperor's personality very well. The emperor was always assertive and would never easily admit defeat.

The fact that His Majesty said this today must be because the surrender of Li Guozhen and others to the rebels was too much of a blow to him, causing him to suffer a mental breakdown...

Old Wang hurriedly knelt before Emperor Chongzhen and offered his condolences:

"Your Majesty did nothing wrong; the fault lies with those treacherous officials. If it weren't for their obstruction, Your Majesty could have moved the capital south, and one day we would surely have recovered the lost territories..."

Emperor Chongzhen shook his head and smiled bitterly, then helped Wang Chengen up and said:

"My lord, the emperor guards the nation's gates, and the monarch dies for the state. I will not move the capital, much less go to Nanjing. I will live and die with the capital."

"It was my mistake not to allow the Crown Prince to travel south and ascend the throne ahead of time."

"Failure to ensure the people of the realm have enough to eat, leading to the fall of the capital, is my grave mistake. I have no face to meet my ancestors!"

"Oh, Otomo, I can no longer protect you. Run for your life!"

Upon hearing this, Old Wang burst into tears and hurriedly said:

"This servant will never leave Your Majesty; this servant will stay by Your Majesty's side forever..."