Sky Curtain: The Overlord Charges into Battle, Shocking Emperors of All Dynasties

"I never expected that Ming Dynasty civil officials weren't as lacking in integrity as the description on the screen suggested; there were indeed loyal and upright individuals among them!!"

After seeing Hong Chengchou's plight, Cao Cao couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

He admired loyal and righteous men the most, and Hong Chengchou enjoyed such trust from the emperor.

In addition, he was skilled in both literature and martial arts, and unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness.

This is practically Cao Cao's version of himself in his dreams.

"It's truly a pity that Hong Chengchou was killed by the Qing Dynasty in the end. Those Manchu barbarians were utterly despicable!!"

Cao Cao angrily denounced the Qing Dynasty for daring to kill Hong Chengchou.

If such heroic figures were under his command, he would certainly treat them with all his might.

Just like Guan Yu back then,

Venison, fine wine, fine horses, beautiful concubines.

Governor Hong will get whatever he wants!

Not only Cao Cao, but everyone in front of the screen except for those from the Qing Dynasty naturally assumed that Hong Chengchou was doomed.

During the Ming Dynasty, Hong Chengchou was even ranked alongside Wen Tianxiang.

Both were captured alive by a foreign race and ultimately died heroically.

As for the other possibility, Hong Chengchou surrendered?

This is utterly absurd, like a eunuch going to a brothel!

What reason did Hong Chengchou have to surrender?

He had power, status, wealth, and the king's trust.

If he wanted to surrender, the Qing army had besieged Songshan for six months, during which time he had countless opportunities to do so.

Why wait until you're captured to surrender?

The possibility of this happening is extremely slim!

After expressing this opinion, someone was immediately met with a barrage of criticism from those around them.

You are not allowed to slander the noble and principled Grand Coordinator Hong Chengchou of the Ming Dynasty!

After being captured and taken to Shengjing, Hong Chengchou went on a hunger strike, refusing to yield even when insults were directed at Qing officials and a knife was held to his neck.

As the highest-ranking Ming army commander captured before the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains, Hong Chengchou was extremely knowledgeable about the Ming army, terrain, and military system. Huang Taiji was determined to recruit Hong Chengchou as a guide for the Qing army's invasion of the Central Plains, so he treated Hong Chengchou with great courtesy and never subjected him to torture.

When news of the fall of Songshan reached Beijing, the entire nation mourned. Everyone believed that Hong Chengchou had died in battle. Emperor Chongzhen, Zhu Youjian, suspended court for three days, bestowed nine altars for sacrifice, personally wrote a eulogy, and planned to build a shrine to honor Hong Chengchou.

Commander Hong, well said!

Hmph, those inherently evil Manchu barbarians,

Did they intend to use such a petty trick to force Governor Hong to surrender?

You underestimate the integrity of our Ming Dynasty civil officials!

Seeing Huang Taiji's strategy towards Hong Chengchou, the Ming Dynasty officials became even more convinced of their beliefs.

People in previous dynasties may not have heard of Wen Tianxiang, but surely we have? How could Governor Hong not have studied him?

This is practically a carbon copy of the Yuan Dynasty's attempt to persuade Wen Tianxiang to surrender; only a fool would fall for it and give in.

"Since ancient times, no one has ever escaped death; let my loyal heart shine in history."

These are lines of poetry that we had to memorize during our elementary school years!

Moreover, Emperor Chongzhen (Zhu Youjian) treated Hong Chengchou very well.

He personally wrote the eulogy and built a shrine to honor the martyrs.

With such treatment, even death would be worthwhile!!

To persuade Hong Chengchou to surrender, Huang Taiji used every means at his disposal. Historical records state that Huang Taiji first sent Fan Wencheng to persuade him to surrender. During their conversation, dust fell from the roof beams, and Hong Chengchou repeatedly wiped his robes. Fan Wencheng reported back to Huang Taiji: "Hong Chengchou cherishes a piece of clothing so much, let alone himself."

Huang Taiji then personally visited Hong Chengchou, took off his own fur coat and draped it over him, asking softly: "Are you cold, sir?"

Deeply moved, Hong Chengchou secretly pondered the Ming court's corruption, Chongzhen's impatience, and Huang Taiji's exceptional courtesy. He realized the Qing dynasty was the rightful ruler and ultimately knelt and surrendered.

"Hahahaha, I think I'm hallucinating!!"

"The message on the screen actually says that Governor Hong will surrender to the Qing?"

Zhu Youjian rubbed his eyes with all his might until they went black. When he opened them again and his vision focused, the two characters "Surrender to the Qing" on the sky were truly glaring.

These words were clearly mocking Zhu Youjian.

You've misjudged people again!

With the imperial sword, the governorship of five provinces, and all military affairs of the nation entrusted to Hong Chengchou,

Could it be better than the Manchu Tartars giving him a fur coat?

The genuine friendship, the harmonious relationship between ruler and subject, and the abundant favor bestowed upon them were all a lie!

All those years of trust and favor were ultimately wasted!

Zhu Youjian waved his hands incessantly in the air, his body pacing back and forth uncontrollably.

That sight was heartbreaking.

The feeling of the world collapsing wasn't just felt by Zhu Youjian; everyone under the sky—emperor, ministers, and commoners alike—was utterly stunned.

At this moment, all notions of loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness began to crumble!

"Impossible!!! Absolutely impossible!!"

"How could Hong Chengchou surrender?"

Cao Cao's eyes widened, and he crossed his hands in front of him and waved them to the sides, making a gesture of denial.

"What reason does he have to surrender, just because of a mink coat?"

"Or was Hong Chengchou simply a coward who feared death?"

"Then why didn't you surrender sooner?!"

Cao Cao did not believe that Hong Chengchou would surrender for such a simple reason. Huang Taiji even asked if he was cold, which was just a pretense!

There must be other reasons.

Otherwise, saying Hong Chengchou surrendered to the Qing Dynasty is less accurate than saying Yu Jin surrendered to Liu Bei.

Utterly ridiculous!!

[Of course, this is the situation recorded in the Draft History of the Qing Dynasty. As we all know, the history books of the Qing Dynasty are practically worthless, with too many revisions and too much hidden information.]

According to unofficial historical records—whether they are true or not, we don't know—Huang Taiji went to great lengths and used every means possible to persuade Hong Chengchou to surrender.

On a dark night with a bright moon and few stars, the prison door where Hong Chengchou was imprisoned was suddenly opened, and Consort Zhuang of Huang Taiji, 29-year-old Bumbutai, who would later become Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, walked in.

That night, the sow sat down with thunderous fury, and Hong Chengchou sacrificed all his loyalty and righteousness.

[Actually, it's not really a honey trap, since women in the Qing Dynasty also had to shave their heads, and how beautiful could women from the grasslands be?]

But think about it, Hong Chengchou was besieged for half a year, he was probably really bored and had reached the point where even a sow could rival Diao Chan in beauty.

It's not entirely incomprehensible that someone would submit to Bumbutai's charms.

I just don't know if Huang Taiji knew about this.

This revelation of unofficial history struck the crowd beneath the sky like a thunderbolt, as if something strange had sullied their eyes.

This, him, her?!

what! ! !

What is this? This unofficial history is a bit too far-fetched!

Especially the sentence on the sky, many people showed intriguing expressions, exchanged glances, and smiled knowingly.

The pronunciation of the character "舍" should be changed, and the tone should be adjusted.

It turns out that Hong Chengchou had been caught red-handed.

The land of gentle pleasures is the graveyard of heroes; the ancients were not lying.

Huang Taiji was truly generous; he really went to great lengths to win over Hong Chengchou!

No wonder Hong Chengchou was able to surrender; it seems that night was truly exhilarating!

Beauty plan!

As expected, old tricks are always useful.

"You think it's just a simple honey trap? If it were that easy, you could just find any woman."

"There's a trick to this!!"

A man in a brocade robe, though handsome, had a lewd look between his brows and dark circles under his eyes, which indicated that he was a seasoned womanizer.

"Oh? What insightful opinion do you have, Brother Ximen?"

He closed the folding fan in his hand and tapped it lightly in his palm.

"What I want is status!!"

"Whether she's pretty or not doesn't matter, what's important is that she's Huang Taiji's concubine!!"

"That feeling, the sense of accomplishment, the pride—it's enough to captivate anyone!!"

The people around suddenly understood, but just imagining it made their blood boil, and they almost turned into tough men.

"Brother Ximen, your insight is brilliant!!"