You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 47 Suppressing the Plain Blue Banner Together with Ao Bai
Taiji Factory Street.

More than a hundred patrolmen from the Five City Garrison blocked over a thousand Plain Blue Banner people, and the two sides were locked in a standoff.

"Make way, we're going to the Ministry of War to find Hong Chengchou!"

"You are not allowed to move forward, or you will be imprisoned."

The verbal abuse between the two sides quickly escalated into pushing, shoving, and punches.

The yamen runners from Shuntian Prefecture who rushed to reinforce the city were stunned and hid to the side, too afraid to make a move.

There was a cavalry camp nearby with 500 cavalrymen, but they dared not move out without orders. The commander only ordered them to strengthen their defenses.

……

Forbidden City, inside the Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Shunzhi was completely stunned; he could hardly believe his ears.

"Are the people of the Plain Blue Banner rebelling or just trying to cause trouble?"

"I don't know."

The guard thought to himself, "How dare they define that? The difference between causing trouble and rebellion might be very slight."

"Where are they now?"

"It is less than two miles from the Ministry of War."

"Have troops been dispatched to intercept them?"

"The Five Cities Garrison and Shuntian Prefecture are intercepting us. If the Banner Army is to mobilize troops, an imperial decree is required."

At this moment, the important officials who were working in the Wenhua Hall also rushed over.

As soon as you step across the threshold~
Fan Wencheng disregarded etiquette and shouted loudly.

"Your Majesty, more than a thousand people from the Plain Blue Banner have gathered and are causing trouble because Minister Hong's smallpox inoculation program failed, and many officers and sergeants have contracted smallpox. They want to go to Minister Hong to demand an explanation in person!"

……

"Report~"

Another guard from the Bordered Yellow Banner brought back the latest news.

"Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard, Ao Bai, and Vice Censor-in-Chief Jiang Qingyun are preparing to lead troops to suppress the rebellion."

"No, absolutely not!" Fan Wencheng hurriedly stopped him. "Your Majesty, the Eight Banners are the foundation of the Qing Dynasty. We must appease them, we absolutely cannot escalate the situation. Otherwise, they will always be a problem in the future."

Emperor Shunzhi was furious and was about to reprimand him.

A familiar voice came from the rear of the hall—"Grand Secretary Fan is right."

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang appeared, her steps slightly hurried.

Everyone immediately knelt down.

"No, no. The most urgent task is to quickly appease and prevent any potential vicious fighting."

Under the command of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang~
In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the guards established an "uninterrupted communication line," with 20 mounted guards running back and forth between the two points, changing riders but not horses to ensure smooth command.

After all, it's quite a distance from the Qianqing Palace to the Six Ministries.

……

"Issue the imperial decree to deploy 500 elite wrestling battalions to be stationed outside the Meridian Gate and await orders."

"Quickly find Prince Doni and ask him to help dissuade them. Tell him that if he continues to let the bannermen cause trouble, he will lose his position as banner chief."

"From the Meridian Gate to the Qianqing Gate, all the palace gates were open to facilitate the movement of knights."

"Tell Aobai that absolutely no fighting is allowed. Under no circumstances should we, the Eight Banners, have internal strife."

"Your Majesty, what if the Plain Blue Banner attacks first?"

Shunzhi suddenly asked a question in return.

"If that's the case, we have no choice but to suppress them. Tell Ao Bai and Jiang Qingyun that I'm warning them not to fire the first arrow or the first shot. Also, tell the people of the Plain Blue Banner not to storm the Six Ministries."

"Whoever crosses the line, I will chop off their head."

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang suddenly became ruthless.

The people inside the hall fell silent, trembling with fear.

All that's left is the ticking of the clock hands, click-click-click~
Shunzhi suddenly remembered that this bell was presented by Johann Adam Schall von Bell. Now, he wondered if Schall von Bell was in heaven or hell.

"Where is Hong Chengchou?"

"He is supervising the Miao people outside the city, not in the Ministry of War."

“Summon him back to the palace.”

……

Thanks to the five-eyes surveillance and flag signal communication, the Wucheng Military Command reacted quickly and mobilized troops rapidly.

Zhao Zesheng arrived and whispered, "Sir, 400 patrol soldiers have been ordered to stand by inside Zhengyang Gate, along with 100 cavalry and 300 infantry."

Jiang Qingyun nodded, signaling him to step back first.

At this moment, a large crowd could be seen ahead, with pebbles and rotten cabbages flying everywhere.

A group of people wearing blue banners carried the body of a man who had died of smallpox and charged at the defense line.

Jiang Qingyun suddenly tugged at Ao Bai's sleeve: "Brother Ao, do you want to relieve some heat today?"

"What?"

"How about we first beat up Dorgon's remaining Plain Blue Banner followers, then open his coffin and mutilate his corpse?"

"It's a word."

Ao Bai trembled with excitement, and even uttered a word.

……

The two men tacitly retreated on horseback. Before long, the defensive line composed of Shuntian Prefecture yamen runners and soldiers from the five cities was on the verge of collapse, with several gaps being breached by the bannermen.

The situation is completely out of control!
The imperial guards, who had just arrived on horseback, shouted urgently.

"The patrolling soldiers are not allowed to use force, and the soldiers of the Plain Blue Banner are not allowed to attack the Six Ministries. This is the Empress Dowager's decree. Anyone who disobeys will have their head chopped off."

Unfortunately, the sound was too quiet.

Hear! No! I can't!
……

The gates of the Hanlin Academy were tightly closed.

A young junior scholar climbed a ladder, looking at the surging crowd outside, and cried out anxiously.

"Oh dear, how are we going to clean this up if this keeps going on?"

"To the north is the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and further north is the Forbidden City. How come you Manchu nobles understand absolutely nothing about politics?"

Just now.

Inside Zhengyang Gate.

Jiang Qingyun was giving a menacing pre-battle pep talk:
Where is the Five Cities Military Command?

"Here!" the 400 soldiers responded loudly.

"The remnants of the Plain Blue Banner disregarded the dignity of the imperial court and the city, and stormed the Ministry of War in broad daylight. They were courting death."

"Listen up, all of you! Immediately discard your swords, spears, and bows and arrows. You may only use whips, scabbards, and clubs."

"have you understood?"

……

suddenly~
Jiang Qingyun spotted his colleague Fan Chengmo, who was hiding among a group of people wearing red-tasseled hats, and went over to pull him out.

"Lord Jiang, what... what are you going to do?"

"Imperial Censor Fan, standing beside me is Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard, Lord Ao Bai. I am preparing to suppress the riots of the Plain Blue Banner. Now tell me, do you agree or disagree?"

……

"It has nothing to do with me, this matter has nothing to do with me."

Fan Chengmo was shaking so badly that he couldn't even stand up straight.

Ao Bai grabbed him by the collar, lifting his feet off the ground.

"Fuck your mother!"

"Speak! For or against?"

The sound was like thunder.

Fan Chengmo was instantly terrified and echoed repeatedly, "Agreed, agreed!"

Ao Bai then released his grip, mounted his horse, weighed the rather heavy hardwood stick in his hand, and exchanged a glance with Jiang Qingyun.

hehehe~
"on!"

"Go ahead."

Under the watchful eyes of the officials of the six ministries, 100 short-staffed knights spurred their horses and charged forward, followed by 300 long-staffed infantrymen.

……

The angry members of the Plain Blue Banner were still banging on the door and hurling insults.

"You son of a bitch Hong Chengchou, get out here right now."

"Hong Chengchou, you dare to betray your master, you bastard!"

The Ministry of War's gate was tightly shut, with a dozen or so servants holding it up with wooden bars, refusing to let go no matter what.

Suddenly, both the attackers and defenders felt the ground shaking simultaneously, from a distance to a closer distance.

"cavalry!"

"There are cavalry!"

"Run."

The soldiers, of course, knew how formidable the cavalry was, and immediately took off running westward.

But how can a man outrun a warhorse?

……

One hundred short-staffed knights caught up with the crowd in perfect unison and trampled into it.

The short stick was wielded with ruthless force.

"Fight them!"

The brave and fierce Manchu bannermen attempted to launch a counterattack by forming ranks with their bare hands, but unsurprisingly, they were routed by the cavalry.

Before long, Bu Yong, wielding 300 long sticks, arrived and began a more detailed beating.

Jiang Qingyun couldn't resist joining in as well.

He used the speed flagpole to catch up with a lone little brat and smashed him on the back of the head.

A crisp, muffled sound.

The little brat fell straight to the ground as if electrocuted, and then began to convulse uncontrollably.

Ao Bai became even more reckless. He actually spurred his horse and charged into the dense crowd at high speed, instantly sending several people flying and ruining their warhorses.

This made Jiang Qingyun wonder again what kind of torture he had experienced in prison.

……

A quarter of an hour later, a large contingent of Imperial Guards arrived.

The capital city of Beijing was shocked!
(End of this chapter)