Xie Ming

The once-famous capital of Huaizuo has turned to ashes, and the bright moon shines on a lonely soul.

Ten years of writings contain so much resentment, yet the river flows on endlessly, carrying the spring of Guangling.

The words came after the Qing army, which had defeated Li Zicheng in the northwest, was at the height of its military might.

If we occupy Shanxi and Shaanxi, then the north will be temporarily safe.

Thus, at the gates of Beijing, the Qing regent Dorgon, seizing the opportunity, began to deploy his vanguard, Dodo, to lead the main force in a major invasion southward.

Thus, in just over a year, the Hongguang court's wishful thinking of "using the barbarians to quell the rebellion" ultimately failed and was completely shattered by the Tartars.

In April and May, Shandong collapsed, and the situation became extremely dire.

However, the Southern Ming court was in a state of chaos and had no effective solutions to this predicament in the north.

Throughout the court, both the emperor and his ministers lived in constant fear, each harboring their own secrets.

There are countless examples of those who were once pillars of the court, but at crucial moments, they did nothing but show up and did nothing, and were eager to submit a letter of surrender.

Everyone feared getting burned. Whether it was the country or not was a secondary concern. The most important thing was not to ruin their own family and clan's wealth.

With such internal strife and internal and external chaos, it is no wonder that the Qing army swiftly captured Jinan, sweeping away all obstacles and advancing directly towards the north bank of the Yangtze River.

To say that he reaped what he sowed, he truly had no fault whatsoever.

Since mid-May.

Just as the Qing army entered Huai River, the sound of war drums could be heard at the head of the Yangtze River.

Even within the imperial court, various factions were still engaged in verbal battles and power struggles.

The kung fu mastery lies entirely in the three-inch tongue.

In addition, after the rebellion of Zuo Liangyu in the west was quelled, most of Xiao Jun's army, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, was stationed in Jiujiang, where they prepared for war and were ready to be sent east.

However, the imperial court did not seek aid, fearing that an attack from the east would cause chaos.

Inside, Zhu Cilang of the Hongguang Emperor was trapped and coerced by the ministers of the Southern Court.

The Northern faction, including Ni Yuanlu, was greatly weakened and its influence waned due to the breakdown of the peace negotiations and the assassination attempts against them by the court officials. They were even struggling to protect themselves.

Meanwhile, the Southern Party, including figures like Qiu Weizhen and Ma Shiying, were in an ambiguous state, harboring desires to surrender but unwilling to make any progress.

The news arrived immediately, saying that the Qing army had entered Huai and was closing in on Yangzhou.

Amidst this complex and tangled web of events, Shi Kefa, the Minister of War, dared to speak out and volunteer for battle. He single-handedly broke through the political machinations in Nanjing, received the imperial decree, gathered his troops, and crossed the river to defend Yangzhou.

On May 15th, he led his troops, including a contingent of Southern Ming soldiers, and advanced into Gaoyou.

On that day, Shi Kefa issued a series of orders.

The order concerns the mobilization and deployment of troops in the cities along the Huai River.

What seems absurd is that, in reality, many of the troops stationed in the north had already decided to surrender by now.

Those who went further north, and those who brought their own troops, have now become the Qing soldiers' treacherous dogs.

From this, we can see the whole picture from a single spot. Although Shi Kefa was determined to defend the country and sacrifice his life for it, he was actually willing to do so.

But if orders are wrong or disorderly, one's composure will be thrown into chaos.

By the nineteenth day, his troops from Jiangnan were ready to enter Yangzhou.

Ma Weimin had just led his men south by boat when Shi Kefa entered the city and joined Yan Yingyuan, the prefect of Yangzhou.

At this time, the Vice Minister Xianzhi (Shi Kefa, courtesy name Xianzhi) had previously ordered reinforcements from various towns, but none of them arrived.

The main force of the Qing army under Dodo, with Liu Zeqing leading the vanguard, marched south all the way, reaching less than twenty miles north of Yangzhou. They set up camp that night to prepare for the attack on the city the next day.

On the morning of the 20th, Generals Zhang Tianlu and Zhang Tianfu led their troops to surrender to the Qing and defect to the enemy. Soon after, they were ordered by Dodo to begin the attack on the city.

Inside the city, the only troops capable of defending it are Liu Zhaoji's forces and He Gang's Zhongguan Battalion, which are weak in combat and have a huge disparity in strength between the inside and outside.

Therefore, the city walls of Yangzhou are currently high and steep, and the main force of the Qing army has been advancing rapidly, leaving siege equipment, cannons, and ladders behind. These equipment are difficult to catch up with in a short time, which is why the defending soldiers are able to support the city's defenses.

To this end, Dodo also devised a scheme, feigning to send envoys to Shi Kefa and Yan Yingyuan in an attempt to lure them into surrendering. However, Shi and Yan, both men of exceptional wisdom and integrity, remained unmoved.

Two days later, Li Qifeng, the general of Gansu, and Gao Qifeng, the supervising officer, led 4,000 troops to reinforce Yangzhou City.

However, before Shi Gong could even feel a hint of joy, the two generals who came to his aid were there specifically to kidnap Shi and Yan, intending to use their achievements to surrender the city to the Qing Dynasty.

Suddenly, an internal strife and mutiny nearly broke out in the city.

After apprehending the treacherous Li and Gao, Shi Kefa resolutely declared, "This is where I will die. What are you doing here? If you wish for wealth and honor, please do as you please."

Seeing that their men and women were already under their control, Li Qifeng and Gao Qifeng had no opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

So, on the night of the 23rd, having no other choice, he colluded with Hu Shangyou and Han Shangliang, former Sichuan generals in the city, to flee out of the city gates and surrender to the Qing and the enemy.

When Shi Kefa and Yan Yingyuan learned of this, they were filled with indignation.

However, if he were to prevent his troops from escaping, he feared that a riot might break out in the city, and he would have no choice but to accept it with resentment, unable to restrain or prohibit them.

On the 24th, the Qing army continued its siege of the city. Inside Yangzhou, General Liu Zhaoji again advised that they should take advantage of the enemy's instability and break out of the city.

History says: "One should not rashly test one's sharpness, but rather conserve one's strength and await its demise."

Currently, the west gate of the old city is situated on a low-lying terrain, with a high mound outside the city overlooking the city from above, giving it a commanding view. Moreover, it is the ancestral tomb of Li Huan of Xinghua, with shady trees providing unobstructed access from the outside to the inside. The intertwined branches and trunks make it difficult to get out.

The generals repeatedly spoke on this point. However, the Duke, considering the trees planted by the Li family, could not bear to cut them down. He further stated, "The generals consider this place a strategic stronghold; I will defend it myself."

Two more days passed.

Unexpectedly, the enemy's main force arrived at the scene from the rear with Qing soldiers in red coats and cannons.

On that day, everyone started running in unison, without stopping.

Looking again at Yangzhou, the city was in turmoil, and the situation was clearly untenable.

Despite Shi and Yan's efforts to mobilize the military, civilians, and the general public to hold out, their efforts were ultimately futile.

On May 27th, the North Gate was opened, and Yangzhou had fallen.

The defending general Liu Zhaoji died in the chaos of battle, and Yan Yingyuan, the prefect of Yangzhou at the time, died a heroic death.

Shi Kefa, the Minister of War who rushed to the rescue, was captured by the chaotic soldiers and died shortly afterward.

The city of Yangzhou, a major hub for grain transport and salt production in the south, was completely destroyed. After the enemy stormed into the city, the people were massacred.

Ten days later, this place will transform into a living hell.

The Manchu soldiers, wielding their swords, ran rampant within the city, and the common people who witnessed it all lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to move an inch.

If anything goes wrong, the blade is used again, and blood splatters on people's clothes.

Fires broke out everywhere in the streets and alleys of the pass, with smoke and flames obscuring the sky.

The soldiers searched and killed, their cries shaking the heavens and the earth.

Corpses piled up like mountains, and blood flowed like rivers.

The women were abducted, and their cries of agony lasted all night.

Anyone who refuses to submit to insults shall be beheaded on the spot and their head hung on the left side of the door.

The ten-day massacre left corpses strewn across the fields, a truly horrific tragedy.

Corpses piled up like tangled hemp in the city, and the smoke from cooking fires in the countryside had ceased to rise.

According to Lin Zong's postscript, the number of corpses burned, as recorded in the cremation register, was approximately tens of thousands, excluding those who were thrown into wells or rivers, or who were burned or hanged behind closed doors.

Yangzhou, once a prosperous city, was destroyed in an instant.

The carcasses rotted, attracting crows and dogs to fight over the food.

The living were all pale-faced, some weeping over corpses, others wandering aimlessly alone.

The bandits and soldiers looted and plundered all valuables, including gold, silver, precious items, jewels, and rare treasures. Houses were destroyed, and the streets were utterly deserted.
Alas, how tragic! (End of Chapter)