Chapter 45 of Part One

  I originally didn't write words at the beginning, but this time I'm making an exception. I had already written four or five chapters and was planning to release them on the 9th. However, due to frequent power outages in the entire Hunan region (Hunan friends might know about this), some of my things often get cut off suddenly. After several days of effort, I finally managed to come up with three chapters, which I'll release together. The 46th chapter will also be released tonight. To be honest, writing has been feeling laborious lately, but after seeing everyone's book reviews, my inspiration has been sparked again! Tonight, since a friend is having a birthday, I'll only release Chapter 44. Tomorrow, I'll continue with three more chapters. Hehe, please don't rush me anymore, or I might end up vomiting blood while writing, and it would become a "cut-off" book (a book that gets cut off abruptly). Remember: "I won't produce any 'cut-offs', as this would damage my glorious image." Ah~~~~~~~~~~! Don't throw bricks at me! Please vote generously! Blood Sea wishes everyone a happy new year. I'll continue writing, and you big shots can keep reading.

  Lü Jun looked at the distant city gate of Baoding, this was the last line of defense for Beijing. The Shunzhi Emperor was now completely trapped in this encirclement. His fiery temper made him lose the grandeur of founding a great dynasty and instead seemed like the setting sun of a declining imperial clan.

  Ye Jun held a telescope in his hand, looking at the distant Baoding city gate. The thick iron gate seemed like an upright door god. The ruthless flames of war had consumed everything without leaving any trace on it.

  Lü Jun, after more than a year of trials in the Dabie Mountains, had matured greatly. The childishness on his face was gone, replaced by an air of calm and composure that often revealed itself. Lü Jun looked around at the terrain, then thought for a moment before speaking to Ye Jun beside him: "Brother Ye, I recall Sun Tzu's Art of War saying: 'War is a deceitful affair.' And also: 'One energy makes a presence, twice and it declines, thrice and it exhausts.' Is that right?"

  Ye Jun looked at Lv Jun with a mixture of surprise and nostalgia, as if he was watching his brother grow up before his eyes. The current Lv Jun was indeed much more mature than before, having transformed from a hot-headed young man who relied on instinct to make decisions, to someone who could accurately analyze the situation in front of him. Ye Jun couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration and relief, which eased the tension in the air as he said: "Speak up, what is it that you can't tell me directly? If you think it's right, then we don't need to worry about the 15-day agreement. We'll take on all the responsibility together, just the two of us. As long as we can resolve the Qing dynasty situation better, I believe even if the Commander-in-Chief wasn't in a coma, he would still support us." He looked at Lv Jun and asked: "What do you say, Xiao Jun?"

  Lü Jun let out a sigh and said, "As the ancients often said, 'If Yu was born, why was Liang also born?' I've always been pondering the true meaning of this phrase, while also ridiculing Zhou Yu for being driven to death by anger. Only now do I feel that when one person is firmly grasped in another's mind, the fear they experience is so intense. Fortunately, we are not enemies but friends; otherwise, I would have also been driven to death by you."

  "Alright, alright. You can stop being so sentimental here. Let's just finish what we need to discuss. Once we're done, you can go wherever you want and be as sentimental as you like, I won't bother you."

  Lü Jun shook his head helplessly and said, "My point is that now we hold Shunzhi back here, so with his personality he will not give up on the inner passes no matter what, even if there's just a tiny bit of hope. Then other troops can take Beijing, and we'll completely block their escape route to outside the pass."

  Baoding, in the temporary palace of Shunzhi, the dim lamp light had lost the brilliance of the Golden Hall. Although this temporary palace was still newly painted, it could no longer conceal the faded color beneath the new paint. The golden yellow curtains were newly hung. As the north wind blew, the lamp light swayed. Shunzhi sat in front of the military map, carefully observing the deployment chart. For several days, a series of unfortunate news had made this Qing dynasty helmsman look somewhat haggard. Fear, anxiety, and unease surrounded this young emperor at all times. Shunzhi adjusted his imperial robe, stood up, and slowly walked to the side of the lamp stand. He picked up the silver needle on the lamp stand and stirred the wick inside. The dim lamp light suddenly became bright again.

  A eunuch walked in and knelt down respectfully, saying: "Your Majesty, Prince Gong and the Emperor's brother request an audience."

  Shunzhi did not turn around, he just looked surprised for a moment, then said: "Have him come in."

  The tall figure of Prince Gong had already stepped inside, his sleeves brushing against the doorframe as he walked forward and knelt down before Shunzhi, calling out three times: "Your Majesty, I have something to report to you. I don't know if it's suitable to speak or not."

  Shunzhi's expression didn't change as he stood in front of the map and said, "If you have anything else to say, speak up."

  He Shuo Gongqin Wang seemed to have let out a sigh of relief as he stood up, stuttering: "Your Majesty, the Han bandits... have already..."

  Shunzhi remained calm and said: "If there's anything to say, Uncle Emperor, just speak directly. Don't hesitate, I will pardon you."

  The Prince Regent grasped his hands tightly and said resolutely: "Your Majesty, the Chinese Empire has cut off all roads from Baoding to Beijing. The entire city of Baoding is now completely isolated from Beijing. We are now a dead city."

  When Shunzhi heard this, the silver needle in his hand had already fallen to the ground, and the crisp sound of it hitting the floor was particularly jarring on that quiet night. Shunzhi made an effort to calm himself down, supporting himself against the table beside him as he looked at He Shuo Gongqin Wang and asked: "Where did this news come from? Is it accurate?"

  He Xiao Gongqin Wang nodded silently, and the matter suddenly came to an end. Shunzhi no longer had any mood to care about whether He Xiao Gongqin Wang was respectful to himself or not. At this time, there was no need for any words or expressions, it had already been declared that his own dynasty was coming to an end. Shunzhi's trembling hands grasped the edge of the table, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something. Suddenly, he swept away the military map on the table. With a "wow" sound, he spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted onto the edge of the table.

  Lü Jun stood on this hill again. Time passed like flowing water, and now the siege of Baoding City had lasted for over ten days. The telegram from Changsha had already arrived, and Zhu Xiao was slowly recovering his body. This gave these soldiers a reassurance. Along the way, they had repelled several probing attacks by the Qing army, and in the face of the fierce People's Army, the Qing army could only exchange blood for blood with a large amount of blood. However, this also made the Qing army in Baoding dare not move again. This allowed other troops to besiege Beijing and cut off their retreat route, gaining a lot of time to completely crush the Qing army's hopes.

  The entire Qing army knew that their last retreat had been ruthlessly cut off, and they fought like trapped beasts and dogs jumping over walls. At this time, the Qing soldiers no longer cared about or feared your hail of bullets. Wave after wave of attacks appeared so powerless in front of Lv's iron-clad defense.

  Shunzhi walked out of the palace with a weak body. Looking at the soldiers with despair in their eyes, Shunzhi sighed and said in a low voice: "You are all the Eight Banners brothers who followed me into the pass. We Manchu people have had enough of the life of white mountains and black waters. The Han people occupy the good rivers and mountains but have no achievements. What virtue do they have to gain the trust and pity of Heaven? And we can only live in cold places for generations." He swept his eyes over the Qing soldiers below, looking very satisfied, and continued: "Since Taizu, Taizong, my Manchu people, the Eight Banners brothers, have been working hard day and night to escape the cold. Now we are facing another retreat. My sons, since I ascended the throne, I have always thought of our Manchu people. The Han people have an old saying: 'Raise soldiers for a thousand days, use them in one moment.' I hope all Manchu people will fight for the rivers and mountains, fight for future generations. I decide to accompany you until the day of triumph."

  The entire campus was filled with thunderous roars. Shunzhi's face was still very pale, and all the Qing soldiers voluntarily made way for him to pass through. He walked down the steps of the palace one step at a time. At this moment, Shunzhi had already achieved his desired effect, and the key to victory or defeat lay here. The eunuchs beside him knelt beside his horse's saddle. Although Shunzhi was not like his father who spent his whole life on military campaigns, the Manchu bloodline still taught him these simple things from a young age. Slowly drawing out his sword, he raised it to the sky and roared: "Open up a bloody path! Victory or defeat will be decided in this one battle."

  The headquarters of the Second Army Group, the guard walked in and said: "Commander, the commander of the 3rd Division of the 5th Army, Xie Weibing, reports."

  Lü Jun looked at Zhong Cheng, the commander of the Fifth Army, and said: "Tell him to come in."

  Wearing a neat military uniform, with two bars and four stars on his shoulder, Xie Weibing walked in to report: "Reporting to the Commander. The commander of the 3rd Division of the 5th Army, Major General Xie Weibing reports to you. There is an urgent military situation."

  Zhong Cheng said beside him: "Old Xie, just say it directly. The current military situation is very critical. Don't waste time."

  Xie Weibing nodded solemnly and said seriously: "The Qing army has now gathered about 70,000 troops to launch a fierce attack on the Fifth Army stationed at the West Gate. The morale of this attack is high, and the ferocity is unprecedented. The Qing cavalry has not been seen, and the infantry has been clearing our obstacles all along. Even with our intense firepower, they are still advancing wave after wave. Our troops are now building a second line of defense with all their might. If the Qing cavalry launches a surprise attack, the consequences will be unimaginable. Now, even the snipers are working tirelessly to target the Qing commanders."

  Lü Jun walked to the front of the sand table, looked at Zhong Cheng and Xie Weibing, and said: "You come and see. From the west gate, go out through the inner city wall and you will arrive in Datong. Now the garrison in Datong has gone north to surround Beijing. Only one division is left to defend Datong. The Qing army will exit the city wall and arrive at Miao Tuan (now Hohhot)." After finishing speaking, he looked at the two of them and said: "Alright, pass down my order for the Fifth Army to use all its strength to block the Qing army's advance. Also, take a training brigade from the Group Army headquarters to cooperate in the battle. The Group Army sniper team should be ready to provide support at any time. The rest of the troops will start to attack Baoding with all their might. Try to destroy the enemy's morale within eight hours and capture the city of Baoding. Capture Shunzhi alive."

  After the infantry cleared a path at the cost of their lives, the Qing cavalry rushed out quickly. This was something our army couldn't compare to - the Mongolian Eight Banner soldiers were superior in both horse quality and cavalry skills, which is why Kublai Khan's iron cavalry could sweep across Europe. The Qing army rapidly broke through the first line of defense amidst a hail of bullets. Before the second line of defense had time to retreat, the Qing army beheaded its soldiers with knives. With an aura of bloodlust, the Qing army launched increasingly fierce attacks. Our snipers were still calmly selecting important targets and horses to attack from behind. The artillery in the rear also stopped firing due to the Qing and our armies being mixed together. All that could be done was to prevent more Qing soldiers from rushing out. The troops at the other three gates also began a strong assault. The majority of the Qing army's charge made the defensive forces at the other gates smaller, giving our troops an advantage in both numbers and firepower. Soon, many of our soldiers climbed up onto the city walls - one, two, more and more soldiers ascended to the top of the tower. At this point, the Qing army's resistance was already powerless.

  The Qing army outside was launching a fierce attack. Lü Jun looked at the movement of the Qing army with binoculars and said to the people around him, "Come and see if the person surrounded by a group of people in the rear of the Qing army is Shunzhi?" After others took a look, they all guessed: "I think it's not Shunzhi, but we'd rather kill him by mistake than let him go." Lü Jun said to the sniper behind him, "Give me the gun." He picked up his special new-style sniper rifle and aimed at Shunzhi. With a puff of smoke from the muzzle, Emperor Shunzhi, the first Qing emperor to enter the pass, fell down and never got up again. At this time, the Qing army was already in chaos, and the news spread rapidly. The death of Shunzhi completely destroyed the hopes of the Qing army. The cavalry rushed forward in disorder. When the Qing soldiers inside the city heard from our army that Shunzhi had died, they quickly abandoned their will to resist. Without a spiritual pillar, they fell to the ground. With the retreat of a small group of cavalry, the entire city of Baoding was now firmly under our control. Lü Jun stood on the city wall of Baoding and raised the flag of the Chinese Empire, saying: "Victory belongs to us, send a telegram to the commander-in-chief immediately."