Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 114 Elegy

At the city gate, the Eight Banners soldiers held sharp blades and frantically blocked the city gate, fighting a life-and-death battle with the Ming army defending the city. Their faces were ferocious, with bloodthirsty light flashing in their eyes. They shouted slogans and were not afraid of death.

In this chaotic fight, the city gate became the dividing line that determined the war. Only by defending this place could Turay's cavalry rush in.

The defenders in the city also tried their best to retake the city gate. When Wang Zhiren received the news, he immediately rushed to the city with his personal guards to retake the city gate.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, it's bad, the Tartar army has entered the city." Just inside the government office, when Zhu Yihai was discussing with the ministers, a panicked shout was heard, and a guard was seen crawling into the hall.

Everyone was stunned, and then the situation became like an explosion. No matter whether it was Fang Fengnian or Zhang Guowei, they were all terrified and at a loss as to what to do. Zhang Huangyan hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please leave the city as soon as possible. If you are trapped in the city, everything will be irreversible." There was a sense of urgency in his voice.

Zhu Yihai had just stood up, but he fell down as if he had lost his strength. All his ambitions were shattered. Ningbo was lost again, and the lives of the people in the city, including many gentry who trusted him, were put in the hands of the Tartar army.

As Tulai's cavalry got closer and closer, Wang Zhiren was extremely anxious. He frantically led his men to rush to the city gate, trying to kill all the Eight Banners soldiers blocking the city gate. However, the soldiers Tulai selected were all experienced and brave Eight Banners warriors.

At this tense moment, Wang Zhiren was extremely anxious, as he knew that once the city gate was breached, the consequences would be disastrous. He shouted at the top of his lungs, and the sounds of fighting and shouting could be heard everywhere in the city. The corpses at the city gate had already piled up, and the blood had stained the city gate.

At this last moment, there were only three Eight Banner soldiers left. They were covered in blood, but they were still fighting with swords in hand, holding the gate tightly. The Ming army had been frightened by this Shura-like figure and hesitated to move forward. Tulai's cavalry was less than a hundred steps away.

As Wang Zhiren pressed forward frantically, three Eight Banners soldiers were hacked to death. At the last moment, Wang Zhiren and his personal guards finally closed the city gate.

Tulai's face turned pale. He never expected that he would be blocked just one step away. As arrows were shot from the top of the city wall, soldiers fell off their horses from time to time. Tulai had no choice but to lead his troops to temporarily evacuate the city gate.

Just when Wang Zhiren was rejoicing, a piece of bad news came. He was so excited that he vomited blood on the spot and cried out sadly: "The soldiers fought bravely and were destroyed in an instant."

Upon hearing that the Qing army had entered the city, Fang Fengnian, Zhang Guowei and other civil officials immediately embraced Zhu Yihai and rushed out of the south city, heading straight for the navy and fleeing Ningbo.

As soon as Tulai was away from the city wall, he received the news from the scouts. He was overjoyed and drove straight south.

Wang Zhiren was furious, but he forced himself to stay strong and ordered the messenger to urgently close the South City. However, with the evacuation of Zhu Yihai and others, the people in the city were in panic. Even the defenders in the South City fled in large numbers. There was no one guarding the city wall. At the city gate, there was an endless stream of civilians and gentry who wanted to escape from the city, and the sounds of trampling and wailing were heartbreaking.

As Tulai's cavalry arrived at the South City, they saw that the city gates were blocked. Tulai said happily: "It's really effortless."

The deputy general beside him said at this time: "General, a group of people have fled from the south city. Should we pursue them?"

Tulai narrowed his eyes and said, "It must be Zhu Yihai and his men. Divide the troops. You take two thousand cavalrymen and chase them. If you can capture Zhu Yihai alive, it will be a great achievement."

Soon, a cavalry of more than 2,000 people chased after Zhu Yihai and his men. Tulai looked at the messy city gate and shouted, "Go into the city!"

The panicked people at the city gate fled in all directions. Some even jumped into the river, while others, seeing that they could not squeeze out, turned around and fled into the city.

As Tulai broke through the city gate, the sound of horse hooves resounded through the streets and alleys, and the residents looked at this sudden army in panic. The Eight Banners soldiers, armed with sharp weapons, rushed into the city like wolves into a flock of sheep. The scattered guards in the city were rushed to pieces by the cavalry. The cavalry galloped through the narrow streets, slashing passers-by mercilessly, and the shouts of killing and the neighing of horses resounded throughout the city. Ningbo City fell into the hands of the enemy again.

…………

It was five days later when Meng Jun received the news. At this time, the Meng army had already entered Shaoxing. When the Meng army set out, Bolo had already led the remaining Eight Banners soldiers to retreat towards Ningbo, preparing to join Tulai.

Meng Jun occupied Shaoxing without bloodshed. The city of Shaoxing was in a state of desolation. Although the Eight Banners soldiers did not massacre the entire city, they killed many people. Anyone who refused to shave his head would have his entire family beheaded. The survivors had no choice but to succumb to the tyranny of the Eight Banners.

As the Meng army entered the city, the people in the city were panicked. They were worried that the Eight Banners soldiers would enter the city again, and they were also afraid that the Meng army would kill them at will on the pretext of shaving their heads.

As soon as Meng Jun entered the city, he issued a notice to reassure the people, saying: "The court failed to protect the people, causing them to be in disarray. Now the righteous army has entered the city, and will not harm anyone. Those who shave their heads will not be punished."

The people in the city had just felt relieved, but when the news of Zhu Yihai's defeat came, everyone in the city was in a panic, and there was an endless stream of people leaving the city to seek refuge in the countryside every day.

"Fang Fengnian, Zhang Guowei, Song Zhipu and other cabinet ministers, as well as dozens of civil servants, General Fang Yuanke and more than ten other generals all surrendered to Tulai. Zheng Zunqian angrily scolded Tulai and was beheaded on the spot. General Wang Zhiren died in battle. The court of Lu Jianguo was wiped out, and only a few people escaped," Han Xiong said in a deep voice.

Meng Jun was stunned. He couldn't react for a moment. It was gone just like that. The court was swept away. Then he quickly reacted and asked, "What about the regent?"

Han Xiong shook his head and said, "I don't know. He disappeared. Maybe he ran away. Maybe he..."

“Alas, we have been defeated to such an extent. If we had not retreated and had defended the city to the death, we might have had some hope. Unfortunately, General Wang had already closed the city gates, and we failed at the last moment. It’s really, really…” Meng Jun looked at the news and slammed the table in anger. He sighed and felt both sad and angry.

"After Tulai entered Ningbo City, he slaughtered people wantonly. The scholars, officials and gentry were almost wiped out. In the counties under Ningbo, all the county officials were slaughtered with their entire families. A secret letter was found in the city, which revealed all the gentry and officials in the prefectures and counties of Taizhou. Tulai sent dozens of bannermen everywhere, and officials and their families were beheaded every day." Han Xiong said, lamenting: "In Zhejiang, those who cherish their homeland are almost extinct."

Meng Jun said angrily: "Today I feel the same way. Yue Wumu's words have ruined ten years of hard work. All the counties we have gained have been lost in one day. It will be difficult for the country to revive. There will be no way for the world to recover!"