A small soldier of the frontier army in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 856 Nirvana
(Old Bainiu: Thank you for the book friends who voted for monthly votes, such as Shuanglanghou.)
The shrill shouts from the top of the wall continued, and more and more child soldiers jumped down from the top of the wall. They were all dressed in hard clothes, with their weapons behind them.After they entered the city, they immediately pulled out the weapons behind them and slashed at the defenders at the top of the city.

The city was chaotic in an instant, some people were frightened, and when they met a thief suddenly, they only knew that they were slaughtered.Some people ran away screaming, and even took off their clothes and wielded their swords, lest they be known as soldiers.There were also people who resisted eagerly, but in the panic, everyone's skill was [-]% but not [-]%.

In addition, these shearers are extremely ferocious, and they are all fearless of death. They don't care about themselves, and just slash wildly.Have the soldiers of the Beijing camp ever seen such a style of play?Caught off guard, in a blink of an eye, he was stabbed multiple times, bleeding all over his body.

The squadron at the head of the city only had mandarin duck battle jackets. To put it bluntly, they were just thick cotton jackets, and their protection was not strong.As for the soldiers of the Beijing camp, the armor on their bodies did look mighty, but they were just appearances, with a shiny appearance, and the inside was full of tofu dregs. They were mainly used to fool people, especially the emperor during military parades.

Although those child soldiers mostly used light knives, such as short knives, waist knives, etc., and their armor-piercing ability was not strong, but when they slashed on these people's armor, they still made a big hole, and once they stabbed through, they penetrated straight into it.

Even if they meet well-armored and calmer ones before the battle, they will fight and bite desperately, as if they will kill the enemy in front of them if they die together. Such desperadoes are really shocking.

The drizzle was misty, flickering, and under the dim torches, these small figures howled and rushed towards them like ghosts.They were holding knives, all of them had distorted faces, and their expressions were extremely ferocious. There were bloodstains all over their bodies, and many of them were still dripping blood from the knives in their hands.

Panic spread like a virus, and the top of the city was in a panic. Many guards fell to the ground when they saw the boy coming.Frightened, they jumped off the top of the city regardless of what was below or how high the wall was.

The orders of the officers were completely useless, let alone some officers fled in a panic like themselves.In the midst of the chaos, suddenly the newly promoted Dingcheng Bo, Chief Military Officer of the Beijing Camp, and Yongdingmen City Guard Fu Yingchong's sharp voice sounded: "Brothers, don't panic, follow me to kill the thieves, and drive all these hair-shearing thieves out of the city!"

While screaming, he saw Fu Yingchong coming with a Qinglong Yanyue Saber, accompanied by the four armored soldiers, each carrying heavy soldiers, including maces, spears, sledgehammers, heavy swords and so on.A group of soldiers followed behind him.

At this time of panic, the appearance of Fu Yingchong undoubtedly made the chaotic defenders at the top of the city find their backbone, and today's rewards also played a role. Soldiers to kill.

"kill!"

The cold-faced armored soldier held a mace in his hand. He first greeted a few child soldiers, lifting the heavy mace in his hand as if it were light.He swung the mace heavily on the head of a child soldier, immediately blood and brains splashed all over the ground, like red and white tofu brain mixed with tomato.

The child soldier didn't say a word, and his body was slanted to one side.

He swiped again with the mace, and with the sound of bones shattering, a child soldier spewed blood and flew out. He fell heavily on the ground without making a sound, obviously being swept to death on the spot.

A few boy soldiers roared and gathered, swiping their knives and slashing at him, but it was of no use at all except for sparks splashing around.

The armor on this soldier's body is all made of refined iron, which is extremely thick. How can such an ordinary, light knife work against his heavy armor?

Another armored soldier came up to meet him, holding a spear in his hand, he swept across, and three or four child soldiers were swept away by him.Then he thrust out his long spear again, and amidst the piercing sound that pierced through the flesh, he stabbed the two howling child soldiers on the spear.

"when."

There was a sound of wind coming from the side, the armored soldier raised his left arm to block, the waist knife cut by a child soldier was blocked by his iron arm, sparks shot up in a row.

He stretched out his right arm suddenly, and his hand wearing an iron glove grabbed the child soldier's neck. The fourteen or fifteen-year-old brat struggled desperately in his hand, roaring desperately with a hideous face.

The armor soldier looked at him coldly, without the slightest pity in his eyes, he suddenly thrust the child soldier onto the battlement, his brains splashed out immediately, the child soldier's neck was twisted strangely, and he died beyond death.

He slapped out again abruptly, and a child soldier who was rushing screaming was thrown away by him. When he was flying in the air, his eyes, nostrils, and ears kept bleeding.

A child soldier raised his saber and roared at him, but the armored soldier didn't even draw out the blade at his waist, he punched him hard.

The hand wearing the iron glove first knocked the boy soldier's weapon away, and then hit him heavily on the chest. Hearing the sound of bones breaking, the boy soldier staggered and fell down spurting blood.

The four armored soldiers were invincible, and quickly turned the situation around. Fu Yingchong swung the Qinglong Yanyue Saber a few times, but found that he couldn't move at all. He stood the long saber upright, and shouted nervously: "Kill, kill, kill, I will kill you all!" !"

In the flickering lights, he suddenly found a black shadow rushing towards him. Without thinking, he drew out the sword at his waist and swiped it out. A cloud of bright red sprayed out, but it happened to hit the black shadow's neck.

Fu Yingchong looked intently, and saw a child soldier rolling on the ground and struggling continuously. He clutched his neck and screamed hoarsely.Fu Yingchong could smell a strong smell of blood in his nose, and Fu Yingchong didn't know what it was like. This was the first time he had killed someone with his own hands.

Before he had time to think about it, another black shadow was kicked by someone and flew towards him. Fu Yingchong instinctively stepped forward to make up for it with a sword.

However, in the light of the torches on the battlements, Fu Yingchong met the black shadow's eyes, childish face, and slightly frightened eyes, but it was a thirteen or fourteen-year-old child who was the same size as his nephew.Fu Yingchong hesitated for a moment, the boy soldier jumped up like a civet cat, he grabbed the hook rope on the battlements, and slid down like an ape.

There are only a few hundred child soldiers in the night raid. After all, it is impossible to deploy a large force in the night attack, and it does not mean that there are all the elite child soldiers in the bandit camp.

At first, the guards at the top of the city were panicked and unorganized. When they came back to their senses, especially with Fu Yingchong as the backbone to block their crazy attack, they formed a formation of spears, knives and shields, with bows and arrows in between. Those child soldiers are not enough.

They don't have long-range weapons, and with thin knives in their hands, they are not opponents of organized troops at all.They were not afraid of death, but after the death toll reached a certain level, they still collapsed and fled, sliding down from the original hook rope.

If they couldn't escape, they were beaten to death. Some people were even cut off by the defenders on the way down, and then fell straight down the city to die.

Finally, there was not a single child soldier alive on the city wall. Seeing the mess in the city and Fu Yingchong panting, he looked out of the city with lingering fear, and said, "Phew, these little bastards are finally gone... "

……

On March [-], a sandstorm suddenly broke out in the capital, with yellow sand blocking the sky, sudden rain and bitter wind, and sudden hail, thunder and lightning.The thieves are attacking the city with increasing urgency, and the sound of artillery is getting louder. The nine gates are guarded, and there is no way to come, and there are no pedestrians on the road.

In the early morning of Bingwu, it was rumored that King Qin's soldiers had arrived, but they were Tang Tong's rebels, who made false claims and demanded payment, and people became more and more frightened.

The thieves drove the flying ladder to attack all the gates, and the situation was very critical. The superiors sighed and said to the cabinet ministers: "It's better for everyone to finish in Fengxian Hall." The defenders were shocked, and it was rumored that the city fell, and the admiral Wang Chengen tried his best to suppress it.

At noon, the gates of the inner city were difficult to attack, and the thieves mainly attacked the gates of the outer city. Li Zicheng set up a seat at Guang'anmen, and some vassal kings who had surrendered and captured sat on the ground.

At the end of the day, Du Zhizhi, the rebel supervisor, went to the city and entered the palace together with Wang Chengen, the chief supervisor.

The emperor scolded him angrily, and suddenly got up. All the ministers asked Du to stay. Du Zhizhi said: "There are relatives in the camp. If you don't return, you will be slaughtered." Then he left.

When I first heard of Du Zhizhi's martyrdom, he gave it to the eunuch, the chief inspector of ceremonies, and Yin Jinyiwei commanded the affairs and set up a shrine.

The siege of the city became more and more urgent, Wang Chengen fired the cannon himself, and killed several people in a row. Wang Huacheng and others drank freely, and the arrows flowed like rain.

……

In Shenshi, Fu Yingchong had just killed a wave of thieves attacking the city. Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he heard earth-shattering howls from the southwest of the city.

Countless people were crying and running, saying in one voice: "Someone opened the door!"

Fu Yingchong felt that his hair was trembling. He saw the crying over there, and the people in the city were rushing to and fro, all crying and shouting that the Guang'an Gate was opened, or that the eunuch opened the door, or that the nobles opened the door, or that the door was opened back, and he couldn't decide what to do. The whole city cried and ran.

Fu Yingchong stared blankly, his guards collapsed in shock, officers and soldiers dispersed, and even the defenders on the You'anmen side went down to the city one after another. The time has come, follow me to take back the city gate!"

For a moment, many generals followed, and even some squadrons followed. Zhang Shouyin of that squadron hesitated for a moment, touched the silver coins in his bosom, then tore off his livery, and went down to the city secretly.

Fu Yingchong rushed to the front with a howl. Along the way, the city defenders descended one after another, and the thieves boarded the city one after another. Soon, Fu Yingchong and his group fell into a lot of thieves.

Fu Yingchong hacked and killed with all his might, and the people around him fell down one by one, even the four armored soldiers who were guarding him were repeatedly scarred, and Fu Yingchong also had multiple cuts on his body.Suddenly he slashed with his sword, and a short figure flew out in front of him. He took a closer look and found that it was the child soldier who ran away last night.

Fu Yingchong scolded: "It's you again, little bastard, you don't learn well at a young age, and you kill others like others?"

He should have made up a sword, but seeing that the boy soldier was slashed by his sword, he seemed to be rolling on the ground and could not move, he hesitated for a moment, and wanted to meet another enemy.

Suddenly there was a howling sound like a wolf, and a soldier shouted: "Master Fu, be careful."

Fu Yingchong turned his head and looked, a spear had broken through his armor and penetrated deeply into his body.A large amount of blood clots gushed out of Fu Yingchong's mouth. He fixed his eyes and saw that the boy soldier was holding a spear in his hand, and his immature face was full of ferocity, while stabbing desperately.

Fu Yingchong staggered back, and instantly felt light and light all over his body, as if his whole body was about to fly.Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an armored soldier rushing up with a roar, stomping the child soldier's head into pieces, and fell backwards.

When he closed his eyes, scenes appeared in front of his eyes, from childhood to adulthood, his sluggishness during the battle of Songjin, and the heroic appearance of the Yongdingmen defense these days. Finally, he thought: "Finally a man. Let it be fun..."

……

The gates of the outer city fell one after another, or the defenders opened themselves, or the thieves sent the athletes to file in. The defenders did not refuse, but used their hands to help the thieves.Then the guards all took off their clothes and turned their clothes. When they saw anyone who refused to obey, they chopped them down with knives, and all the gates collapsed.

When Emperor Chongzhen heard that the outer city was broken, he wandered around the palace. Knowing that the outer city was falling, many people in the inner city didn't know it.

All the cabinet ministers said: "I don't know."

Emperor Chongzhen said: "The matter is urgent! What should we do now?"

The crowd said: "Your Majesty's blessing, you should worry about death. If it is unfavorable, the ministers will fight in the streets and swear to live up to the country." Order to retreat.

At night, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't sleep, and in the rest of the day, an eunuch came to tell him that the inner city was sinking.

Emperor Chongzhen asked, "Where are the battalion soldiers? Where is Li Guozhen?"

The eunuch replied: "The soldiers of the big camp have dispersed, the emperor should leave quickly."

The person will come out immediately, and the call should not be answered.

Emperor Chongzhen and Wang Chengen enjoyed the Nangong, climbed the Longevity Mountain, looked at the flames and candles, wandered over time, and returned to the Qianqing Palace.He wrote to the cabinet in Zhu Shu, ordering Zhu Chunchen, the Duke of Cheng, to supervise the internal and external military forces, to assist the East Palace, and the internal ministers to hold the cabinet.

Emperor Chongzhen asked people to drink, summoned Empress Zhou and Concubine Yuan, etc., sat down and drank several gold cups together, said generously, and sighed: "My people are bitter, take the crown prince, King Yong, and King Ding as gifts to your relatives. "

Empress Zhou paused and said: "Your Majesty has been my concubine for ten or eight years, and I never listened to a word. Until today, the big thing is gone."

She held the crown prince and the two kings in mourning, exhorted them again and again, and sent them out, each crying, and the palace people weeping.

Emperor Chongzhen sighed, "Go."

Wave your sleeves to let everyone think their own way.

……

Empress Zhou returned to Kunning Palace, weeping like rain all the way. At this time, the inner door was wide open, and the palace guards and eunuchs were rushing around. She couldn't control it anymore, and only sighed: "If your majesty listened to what I said back then, you wouldn't Today."

He thought again: "The inner city has fallen, and the thieves are coming. My palace is the head of the middle palace, and my mother is honored all over the world. How can I be humiliated by the thieves?"

So I have the heart of self scriptures.

She thought all the way, but she didn't know that all the maids behind her had changed.

Back at Kunning Palace, Empress Zhou suddenly saw that the palace people behind her were all unfamiliar faces, and she couldn't help being startled. Before she could speak, a court lady had already stepped forward, and she clasped her fists and said, "Your Majesty, I will offend you."

She stepped forward and patted Empress Zhou on the neck, and Empress Zhou's eyes went dark immediately, and she fell unconscious.

This scene continued to happen everywhere in the palace city. A steady stream of healthy women entered the Forbidden City. Under the guidance of some court ladies and eunuchs, they split up and rushed towards their targets, such as Concubine Yuan, Concubine Zhou, and Concubine Tian.Empress Dowager Zhang, Emperor Chongzhen's sister-in-law, Emperor Tianqi's empress, and Empress Yi'an Zhang Yan are also their targets.

They were well-trained, methodical, and succeeded one by one, and some important concubines and maids of Emperor Chongzhen were also packed away by them.

And the three little dolls and miscellaneous palace people left the palace, and before they realized what was going on, they had already been pulled into the carriage, and then the crown prince took a cart, Yongwang and Dingwang took a cart, and they left separately.

……

In the dormitory, Princess Kunxing hugged Princess Zhaoren in a daze, but Princess Zhaoren, who was sleepy in the past, was still asleep. She curled up in her sister's arms, her body trembling intermittently.

Suddenly some strange court ladies rushed in, and Princess Kunxing said in shock: "You..."

Princess Zhaoren in her arms hugged her sister even tighter in fright.

A calm and heroic "maid" came over. She opened a scroll of portraits in her hand, compared them with the real person, and said in a deep voice, "Princess Kunxing Zhu Yu?"

Aimee Zhu hesitated and said, "I am, you are..."

The maid suddenly knelt down on one knee, she clasped her fists and said: "The last general is ordered by the general to come to rescue the princess."

Hearing the word "Last General", Auntie Zhu's heart was clear, she tremblingly said: "But Marquis Yongning asked you to come and save me?"

The maid said: "Exactly."

Auntie Zhu hurriedly said: "Okay, I will go with you."

She was about to leave with her younger sister, Princess Zhaoren, when she suddenly remembered something and said, "Then what about my father, queen mother, brother and the others?"

The maid said: "Princess, don't worry, the general has his own arrangements."

……

The third watch drum sounded, and Emperor Chongzhen woke up suddenly. It was already Zishi, the nineteenth day.

At this time, he was patrolling quickly to the Huangji Palace, looking at the magnificent palace in front of him, he lingered and sighed, and finally someone passed on his oral order, ordering the two palaces, princesses and others to commit suicide.He also made people go to Queen Yi'an's house, and persuaded her to commit suicide.Afterwards, he dismissed his staff and entered the Huangji Hall with Wang Cheng'en in his hand.

He lingered in the palace, thinking of the full-dressed beasts in the past, who went to the political council, but now they are thinking about how to cater to the new master, right?
He took a deep breath and said, "I treat scholars well. Why are you here today?"

He lingered in the palace for a long time, and after another watchdog, hearing the chaos in the palace, he thought that the two palaces had already committed suicide, and his daughter...

It's just that they were born in the emperor's family, his heart was full of desolation, looking at the dark rainy night outside, he said sadly: "It should be Zhen..."

At this time, a large group of people rushed towards the Huangji Hall, including He Jian, Cui Qi, Gu Yue and others, and among them was a thin, round-faced, fair-skinned little eunuch Wang Desheng.

There was a man wearing a dragon robe beside He Jian. In the dark night, he couldn't see his face clearly. At this time, He Jian sighed, "Brother Zhu, do you really want to do this?"

The man held a lantern and said, "I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

In the Huangji Hall, Wang Chengen opened a bucket of oil cap and poured it on the throne of the dragon chair. Emperor Chongzhen slowly took out a fire bag from his body. Surprised.

But seeing the crowd, Emperor Chongzhen's heart suddenly brightened, and he said flatly: "Wang Dou asked you to come and save me? I won't leave."

He looked up at the sundial and Jialiang around Danbi, and said calmly: "My husband's monarch died in Sheji, and my ambition has been decided, so you don't need to say more."

He Jian and the others did not speak. At this time, a person carrying a lantern stepped forward. Emperor Chongzhen hesitated and said, "You."

This person's body shape and appearance are all like him, and after wearing the dragon robe, he is even more similar in spirit.

The man glanced at him indifferently, then walked over slowly, and a thunderous voice resounded in the hall: "Zhen, Zhu Youjian, has inherited a great career and has been in the ancestors for ten or seven years. In 17 years Yuzi, I only fear at night and day, and I only want to govern. However, if you suffer from famine every year, you will migrate to each other, and disasters will be everywhere. Would you rather be ashamed?"

He threw the lantern on the dragon chair violently, accompanied by kerosene, and the flames ignited immediately. He shouted: "Or ask, the righteous way of kings in ancient and modern times, when the emperor guards the gate of the country, the king dies in the country! I am the king of the country, and I am ahead of you!" In ancient times, he controlled the northern captives and the Western Fans, without the kinship of the Han, without the alliance of the Tang Dynasty, and without the money of the Song Dynasty, of course!"

He walked slowly into the fire, and the flames immediately ignited his dragon robe, and the thunderous voice still roared: "The carnivorous hakama, the brackish dog and pig, waste envy and private collection, indiscriminate punishment and punishment, benefit the gods of the sect!" , The fat is exhausted, the taxation is heavy, and the people are unbearable. In the play! The people have the hatred of dying together, and the scholars have no heart to repay the courtesy!"

The raging fire has swept through his whole body, igniting everywhere in the palace, but his long chant is still roaring, roaring: "...Ah, I feel the flames here, sweeping all over the sky, igniting my heart Clothes, then bone marrow, and then soul. I can't escape, and I don't want to escape, I can't stop, and I don't want to stop. This hot fire, hot fire, ignites the clothes, hurts the bone marrow, burns the heart and burns the bones. Let me nirvana here, just like the phoenix nirvana, reborn from the ashes..."

Emperor Chongzhen stared blankly at all this, and said in a trembling voice: "A strong man."

He Jian and the others also had tears in their eyes: "Brother Zhu..."

Wang Desheng wiped away his tears, came over to pull Emperor Chongzhen and said, "Your Majesty, let's go."

Emperor Chongzhen was dragged away by him, but he still turned his head and said tremblingly: "The strong man..."

They rushed out of the burning palace. At this time, Wang Chengen suddenly knelt down to Emperor Chongzhen, and he said: "How can the monarch die without his important ministers to accompany him? Take care, Your Majesty!"

He kowtowed heavily to Emperor Chongzhen, and said to Wang Desheng: "Little Dezi, take good care of Your Majesty."

Without hesitation, he turned back and rushed into the burning palace.

Emperor Chongzhen tremblingly said: "Big Companion..."

Wang Desheng pulled him and said, "Your Majesty, let's go."

"Big companion..."

A group of them rushed into the darkness, and the palace was still crying like thunder, running wildly.

(End of this chapter)