Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 582: Emperor Wu Enters the Forbidden City

The door of Heshen's mansion was sealed.

Gold, silver, silk, land deeds, house deeds, jewelry and antiques were piled up like mountains.

The three judicial officials, from the minister to the yamen runners, were all having a great time. During the house searches, any few items they stuffed into their arms would be enough to feed them for several years.

However, the house raids were over.

They had a 20-meter-long list of confiscated items in their hands, but had nowhere to report.

Emperor Kangde, who claimed that he had reached an agreement with the Wu court and led troops to wipe out the bandits north of the Yellow River and east of Taihang Mountains, disappeared without a trace and was never heard from again.

Order gradually breaks down.

……

The best district in the country has turned into a raccoon city.

Black smoke~
Fire
Robbery
Killing~
In the darkness, evil is everywhere.

Yongyan left behind a large number of former officials and soldiers.

These people were respectively affiliated with Shuntian Prefecture, the Infantry Commander's Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of War, and the Eight Banners Commander's Office. They had swords and guns, and they had force. They were completely out of control and robbed everywhere.

Many street thugs also joined in the looting.

What about the emperor's feet, what about the imperial city, what about the inner city, the outer city, the four-nine city, what about the order of rank and hierarchy? Today, I will smash them all to pieces.

From Deshengmen to Chongwenmen, countless people were partying.

……

This also proves that Yongyan's decision was correct.

If he loaded the city's wealth onto a truck and took it away, especially Heshen's property, not to mention how much time it would waste, his intention to escape would definitely be exposed.

Once, the whole city reacted.

He can't get away!

The title of emperor is not useful either.

When the end of the world comes, people's hearts go crazy. This is determined by human nature.

The Saxon officer Emerson and the Eight Banners soldiers he trained had already left Beijing for Xi'an, preparing to meet up in the Western Regions.

Before the Western Hunt, Yongyan was embarrassed to choose and found that there were not many soldiers he could take with him. Although there were many soldiers in the capital, most of them were useless and could not be trusted or relied upon.

……

Yingtai.

A lonely boat slowly approached the shore, and the former chief eunuch Qin Si looked at the island.

At this time, there was no guard left.

Empty and desolate.

He dug and smashed, and after an hour of effort he finally pried open a small door.

"Long live the Lord~"

Before he finished speaking, Qin Si knelt on the ground and burst into tears.

Qianlong's body lay on the cold ground, his eyes wide open, his face full of regret.

Cried for a long time~
Qin Si wanted to close his eyelids, but he couldn't close them no matter how hard he tried.

"Your Majesty, do you have any regrets? Tell me."

Obviously, this goes against medical common sense.

After a long while, Qin Si suddenly understood, and with great effort he dragged the corpse out of Yingtai and onto the boat.

……

There are many people in the Forbidden City.

Eunuchs, palace maids, the Imperial Household Department, and inner city bannermen, hundreds of people were busy moving things, and from time to time people would fight because they had their eyes on the same thing.

All this has nothing to do with Qin Si who was rowing the boat!
He paddled the oars with determination and composed a hymn of loyalty in the North Sea.

After landing,
He struggled to carry Qianlong on his back and went to Coal Hill.

On the way, some people avoided him, some lowered their heads and hurriedly passed by him, and some saw Qianlong's body and knelt down and cried loudly.

"Your Majesty, you are no worse off than Chongzhen."

Coal Hill is not high.

Qin Si tore the clothes apart and connected them into a rope, put one end around Qianlong's neck and the other end around the crooked tree. He gritted his teeth and pulled up, until the corpse's toes were 1 inch off the ground.

"Your Majesty, please close your eyes."

After saying that, he put his palm on Qianlong's face and pressed it down. Hey, it really closed.

Qianlong finally died in peace.

……

5 days later~
It's a sunny day with no clouds in the sky.

Wu Ting's Northern Expedition Army arrived outside the city of Yanjing with neat military appearance and high morale.

Li Yu rode a strong white horse, wearing a woolen marshal's dress uniform designed by himself, and slowly approached surrounded by the Royal Guards.

Yanjing, undefended.

"Your Majesty, we invite you to fight."

Li Yu looked at the excited generals, drew his sword and pointed it towards Yanjing.

"Tell all soldiers to remember this day, it was they who swept the Qing Dynasty into the dustbin of history."

"Everyone will obey the order."

"The 6th Legion, enter the city from the west."

"I obey your command." Zhao Erhu knelt on one knee.

"The 8th Legion, enter the city from the east."

"I obey your command." Li Xiaowu's eyes lit up.

"The 10th Legion, enter the city from the north."

"I obey your command." Liu Akun, wearing heavy armor, looked like a mountain of flesh, and his voice was muffled.

……

These days, everyone is discouraged and has no intention of resisting. No one even closes the city gates, and people come and go freely.
Looking down from the air, the Wu army poured in from every city gate like a tide.

About half an hour later,

Li Yu estimated that the time was almost up, and said loudly:

"The 2nd Expeditionary Force will enter the city from the south, and the Royal Guards will follow and enter the city with me."

Yongding Gate is open~
The city gate officer and his soldiers knelt in unison on both sides of the city gate.

The soldiers of the expeditionary army wore masks to cover their faces, walked with resounding steps, their plate armor gleaming in the sun, and they looked as majestic as gods.

Subsequently,

Two infantry battalions of the Guards Corps took control of the city wall and hoisted the military flag. Only then did Li Yu officially enter the city of Yanjing surrounded by a large number of guards.

Safety comes first.

……

Inside Yongdingmen, commonly known as South City or Outer City, is a famous slum.

They knelt down in a black mass, with countless braids hanging to the ground.

Li Yu looked around and saw shacks, sewage, and garbage everywhere. Among the dilapidated scenery, the steeple church was particularly eye-catching.

Several missionaries bowed their heads respectfully; they stayed to continue their missionary work.

Li Yu took a glance and continued forward.

……

Under the Zhengyang Gate.

Hundreds of former officials knelt on the ground regardless of the dirty water and shouted "Long live the emperor".

The soldiers of the Second Expeditionary Army drove them away roughly, clearing a wide enough path. These guys who "welcomed the king's army" were hit by spears and hurt, but they did not forget to grit their teeth and shout "Long live the king".

Li Yu walked through Zhengyang Gate arrogantly with the attitude of a conqueror.

Then comes the Meridian Gate.

After passing through the Meridian Gate, the view is suddenly open. The dilapidated, bleak and gloomy place is gone, and it is spacious and tidy.

More people were kneeling on both sides of the square.

There were bannermen, Mongolians, Han people, eunuchs, palace maids, and royal family members.

Some soldiers from the three corps that had entered the city earlier had also arrived here. The loyal soldiers and the flattering former Qing bureaucrats shouted wildly together.

"Long live! Long live! Long live!"

The cheers were like thunder, intoxicating.

……

Two battalions of the Guards Corps ran into the Forbidden City first.

Half an hour later,

Li Yu, wearing a black cloak, urged his horse on and whipped it, and surrounded by hundreds of cavalry guards, he crossed the ** Bridge and entered the ** Gate.

Enter the Forbidden City.

Along the way, there was an armed infantryman every 2 meters.

When they saw the emperor coming, they all raised their spears and shouted "Long live the emperor".

The Guards cavalry armed with swords spread out from both wings and stood guard along the way.

A young eunuch who was at a loss what to do was perhaps frightened and tried to stand up and hide, but the cavalry treated him as a suspicious person and chopped him down mercilessly with a knife.

Li Yu did not slow down his horse until he reached the front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where he reined in his horse.

The warhorse raised its front hooves and neighed off the ground.

……

Li Yu looked at the soldier next to him and stretched out his right hand:
"Here comes the gun."

The soldier quickly handed over his brand new flintlock.

Li Yu opened the hammer and aimed at the plaque with yellow characters on a blue background in the middle of the hall. There were three eye-catching characters on it: Hall of Supreme Harmony.

boom!
The bullet hit the plaque and fell to the ground.

"Long live, long live, long live." Amid the thunderous cheers, Li Yu threw the smoking flintlock rifle to the soldier and praised, "Good rifle."

The war horse stepped on the jade steps, entered the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and crossed the threshold.

The light in the hall was dim.

The huge golden nanmu pillars come from the deep mountains of the southwest, and the gold bricks underfoot are produced by the Suzhou Imperial Kiln.

……

"Xu."

Li Yu dismounted from his horse, walked up the steps step by step, and sat on the dragon throne.

to be frank,
Not comfortable.

It doesn't lean forward or backward, nor does it lean left or right. The design is not ergonomic.

Suddenly, he pulled out a piece of bright yellow silk from under the armrest.

When I unfolded it, I was instantly delighted.

"Everyone, this is the temple name that Yongyan proposed for his father. Emperor Huizong of Qing~hahahahaha."

The Hall of Supreme Harmony was filled with cheerful laughter.

Li Yu held up the silk.

"I have decided to obey the filial son's wishes and take it down, so that all the old and young people in the capital can see it. So that they won't blame me behind their backs!"

……

Li Yu stood in the square and suddenly raised his right arm and clenched his fist.

Shouting:

"From today on, the Qing Empire is gone. Long live the Great Wu Empire."

The soldiers cheered wildly.

After that, we searched the whole city.

Many valuable items were stolen in the imperial city, and the investigation had to be carried out house by house.

Emperor Wu was merciful and did not want to kill after entering the city.

but,

These thieves are going too far. They dare to take things from the Forbidden City and the six ministries back home?

Wu Jun posted a notice that day.

We need these people to come forward, return the items, and admit their mistakes. Otherwise~
……

the next morning,

Wu's army divided into platoons, searched in different areas, and conducted door-to-door searches.

South City will not be investigated.

There are so many poor people there, so there is no need to bother. Even if someone is bold enough to steal something, it is considered as a mercy from the Emperor Wu.

The search was limited to the North City, which is the inner city.

Those in the inner city will be searched, the walls of the houses will be broken down, and the ground will be dug up.

Outside Donghua Gate,

The soldiers broke into the home of a member of the Bordered White Banner.

The head of the bannerman knelt down immediately:

"Sir, I am a bannerman. Bannermen know the rules best and would never dare to steal royal items."

The words sound very nice.

But soon, the soldiers found two jade pendants with dragon patterns and several scrolls of Tang Dynasty calligraphy and paintings from a blue and white porcelain vase.

"Forgive me, I was wrong."

"I was blinded by greed. I shouldn't have gone to the Forbidden City."

The warrant officer drew his sword and gave the guy a chilling blow.

Then, he announced to the people kneeling on the ground:
"Stealing royal property is considered treason. Adult males will be executed and the rest of the family members will be sold."

……

In short, Wu Jun demonstrated the style of a civilized army in Yanjing.

He neither disturbed the people without reason nor arrested or killed people at will. He only punished those who stole royal and government property.

For those who were involved in royal property, males would be executed, and the rest would be sold and their property would be confiscated.

If any of the family members were involved in government affairs, they would be exiled to Lan Fang and their property would be confiscated.

The search in the inner city lasted for 10 days before the Yanjing treasure hunt ended with a sense of unfulfilled desire. Antique calligraphy and paintings, mountains of gold and silver, steeds and clocks, gold seals and jade pendants, countless.

The house-raiding team was so busy that the abacus beads burst.

Li Yu, of course, is free and easy.

First I walked around the Forbidden City and collected some interesting trinkets to take home and play with. Then I toured the city in plain clothes, and everywhere I went was filled with stench.

In a fit of anger, he issued the "Exile Order for People Who Urinate and Defecate Anywhere and Dump Garbage Anywhere".

After statistics, it was found that
More than 200 princes, ministers, and former Qing officials hanged themselves.

Li Yu was very angry:
"To commit suicide is to resist me and to demonstrate to me."

"Search all their properties! Exile them all!"

……

The exiles were divided into groups of 10 and exiled to the south of Lingnan, Lan Fang.

Wu Ting did not have enough ships at the moment, so the exiles had to walk 3000 miles to Guangzhou before they could board the ship.

inside the city,

Shouting every day:

"Bannermen who steal the royal property are guilty of three levels of crime."

"Bannermen who steal government property will be punished twice as severely."

It sounds like Emperor Wu is avenging the Qing Dynasty, which reminds people of the Southern Ming's reaction to the Qing army's entry into the pass and defeat of Li Zicheng.

When the dust settled, the population of Yanjing had dropped by half.

Some of them had already fled to Shengjing.

Some of them followed Yongyan in his hunting trip to the west.

Another 100,000 people were exiled en masse.

……

"Your Majesty, an old bannerman from the Ministry of Internal Affairs is holding a letter from Yongyan and asking for an audience."

"Oh? See you."

After the search was completed, an old bannerman walked into the Yangxin Palace. Two guards held his shoulders and made him kneel, not allowing him to stand up.

Li Yu read the letter at a glance and smiled.

He raised the paper in his hand and asked:

"Is this what Yongyan meant?"

"Yes."

"Go away, and do not mention this matter again. You and your family can continue to live in the original house without worrying about your life."

"Thank you, Emperor Wu. Long live your Majesty. I will take my leave."

The old flag bearer didn't say a word of nonsense from beginning to end.

If Emperor Wu doesn't express his opinion, then it's 7%. Just wait patiently.

……

The content of the letter is roughly divided into 4 points:
1. Yongyan changed his title to the Great Khan of Western Qing and became a vassal and paid tribute.

Second, beg to occupy the area around the Ili River Valley. If not allowed, the Western Qing will continue to move westward and completely leave the traditional territory of the empire.

Third, the Western Qing would never dare to spy on the East, and from now on, they would serve the Wu Empire like a son serving his father, defending against the harassment of the Kazakhs and Cossacks.

Fourth, hope to end the state of war, send hostages, and restore private trade.

The content is sincere and the attitude is humble.

Li Yu couldn't help laughing:
"Yongyan is quite interesting. He is a man who can bend and stretch."

However, he was not optimistic about Yongyan's prospects.

Because the Russians' power had already extended to Central Asia, they would not tolerate Yongyan's rise to power. The Russians knew how to beat a drowning dog. And in terms of military technology, the Qing army was not even as good as the Cossacks.

The house is rotten and can be pushed down with a hand.

"Order the 6th Army to move north and attack Shanhaiguan together with the navy."

"Send the order, the Western Route Army will break through Tongguan and capture Xi'an."

……

At this point, the Northern Expedition was basically settled.

Although there were still local battles, the Wu flag was raised in the area east of Taihang Mountains to the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea.

It was just a repetition of the story of the Qing army entering the pass.

A cavalry team arrived, the city gates were immediately opened, and the officials and gentry knelt to welcome them into the city. They were respectful and well-behaved, without any complaints.

But the situation is changing, and many things must change accordingly.

The previous rules were:

In a city that does not resist, officials and gentry can pay a fine to protect their property, lives and safety.

The previous example has no current reference significance.

You surrendered only after we took over the Forbidden City? This is not surrender, it's speculation.

It is necessary to remove some of them.

5%. , feels too weak.

15%, still a bit weak.

25%, which is quite reasonable.

(End of this chapter)