Dream of the Red Chamber: After being exiled, I went on a killing spree in Liaodong.

"Weren't we only here to reclaim Liaodong? Why are we heading straight for the capital?"

Dorgon stared at Huang Taiji, his eyes suddenly sharpening.

At that moment, he finally understood why this myna bird could sit on the throne of the Great Khan.

Ambitions are never limited to just one city or one place.

"Gentlemen," Huang Taiji said, standing with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, "we now have an army of 380,000, with ample supplies and soaring morale."

"And Shanhaiguan—is defended by a mere 40,000 troops!"

His voice suddenly rose: "Tell me, can we take a city like this?!"

No one answered. Because the answer was already written in everyone's boiling blood.

"More importantly!" Huang Taiji suddenly turned around, pointing south, "Once we take Shanhaiguan, it will be like holding a knife to the throat of the Great Qian Dynasty!"

"Three hundred li! A fast horse can reach the capital in three days!"

"At that time, the entire world... will tremble!"

The wind howled across the city walls, billowing his cloak as if it were spreading its wings.

In an instant, everyone's blood boiled with excitement.

"Great Khan, you are mighty!"

"Long live the Great Khan!!!"

Shouts soared into the sky.

Huang Taiji stood on a high place, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

he knows--

This battle was not just about capturing a city.

Rather, it was the beginning of shaking up the country.

The Later Jin dynasty also wants to contend for this world!

Huang Taiji stood atop the high slope, his gaze sharp as a knife, fixed intently on the majestic pass that stretched across the heavens and earth in the distance—Shanhaiguan.

The wind whipped his dark cloak, making it flutter loudly. He spoke slowly, his voice low and deep, yet like a thunderclap:

"Once we take Shanhaiguan... we'll establish a nation and declare ourselves emperor!"

Before the words were finished, Dorgon, Ajige, and the other princes all looked up, their pupils dilated, and their breath caught in their throats.

In that instant, Huang Taiji's aura surged, like a dragon soaring through the heavens, looking down upon the world!

—The true majesty of an emperor was unleashed for the first time without reservation!

Meanwhile, inside Shanhaiguan.

"Report—!!!"

A roar tore through the dark clouds above the city walls.

"General Lu Qing of Liaodong, leading an army of 80,000, has surrendered to the Later Jin! Jin County... has fallen!"

The messenger knelt on the ground, his voice trembling.

Sun Hai abruptly stood up from his desk, his eyes widening and his face changing drastically: "Eighty thousand men? They've all surrendered?!"

With a loud thud, he slammed his fist into the corner of the table, sending wood chips flying!

"Lu Qing, you bastard! The Emperor Emeritus treated you well, His Majesty trusts and values ​​you, and this is how you repay the Great Qian?!"

He was consumed by rage and nearly flew into a rage.

He had originally hoped that Lu Qing could hold off the main force of the Later Jin for ten days or half a month at the front line, but who would have thought that this guy would turn around and become a traitor, offering up the entire Liaodong as a pledge of allegiance!

Now, only 40,000 of his remaining troops remain at Shanhaiguan, hanging by a thread.

"Lord Zhongyong... how much longer until he arrives?" Sun Hai gritted his teeth and forced out the question, his throat tasting of blood.

The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard stepped forward half a step, expressionless: "Reporting to my lord, even if the Marquis rides at full speed, it will take at least seven days."

Seven days?

Sun Hai's heart sank, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

In seven days, even the city walls will probably be trampled flat!

Once Shanhaiguan falls, the capital will be left without any defenses, its gates wide open, and the Later Jin cavalry will flood in like a torrent, heading straight for the Central Plains!

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, during a forced march.

Jia Yi snatched the secret letter, glanced at it, and immediately cursed:

"Holy crap! How did Lu Qing become the General of Liaodong? Commanding 80,000 elite troops, and he just surrendered like that? Is his brain filled with tofu dregs?!"

Niu Jizong sneered, "How else could it have come about? I bought it with money, of course."

His tone was chilling. "Now that the Great Qian Dynasty is rife with corruption, the court is in disarray, and official positions are openly paid for. As long as the money is right, even a butcher can become a military governor, let alone a general!"

Jia Yi gripped the letter tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Last time, he gave an early warning, which allowed the people of Liaodong to escape.

But this time...

"Those people have suffered terribly," he murmured, his eyes blazing with fury. "If they fall into the hands of the Later Jin, they'll be ravaged and their bodies will be reduced to dust!"

"Move!" He suddenly raised his hand, and his warhorse neighed. "The entire army, speed up! March day and night, push like mad!"

"Sun Hai, you absolutely mustn't give up..."

If they don't arrive within seven days, Shanhaiguan will surely fall, and with their limited forces, they simply cannot recapture it!

One day later.

The Later Jin army pressed in, vast and mighty, with dust obscuring the sky and sun.

An army of 380,000 swept in like a black tide, among which were 80,000 armored surrendered soldiers—Lu Qing's former troops.

Sun Hai climbed to the top of the city wall and looked down at the sea of ​​people below. His scalp tingled instantly, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

At the enemy's front, Lu Qing spurred his horse forward, stopped two hundred paces away, and shouted loudly:

"Sun Hai! Surrender! 380,000 troops are pressing in; you can't hold out! As long as you open the city gates and submit, the Great Khan personally promises you wealth and honor, and your official rank will not be diminished!"

The sound rolled on, and the city wall fell into a deathly silence.

The defenders wavered; some had shifty eyes, while others remained silent with their heads down.

Only the Embroidered Uniform Guards stood in a line, hands on their waist knives, their eyes sharp as blades, fixed on Sun Hai's back.

As long as he dares to utter the word "surrender"—

Immediately dismember him!

Sun Hai stood on the city wall, his battle robe fluttering in the wind.

He slowly drew the hard bow from his waist, nocked an arrow, and aimed it at Lu Qing, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Lu Qing, who do you think you are? You dare talk about 'glory and wealth'? Have you forgotten whose dogs your ancestors were?!"

Whoosh-!

The arrow pierced the air, and although it did not travel far, it firmly embedded itself in the ground more than ten steps in front of Lu Qing, the arrow tail humming and vibrating!

His response was a cold and ruthless order from Huang Taiji:

"Attack the city!"

In an instant, bugles sounded mournfully, and war drums thundered!

The Later Jin supervisory team, swords in hand, stepped forward and drove the 80,000 surrendered soldiers, carrying newly built siege ladders, towards the city wall like ants!

The crowd surged, the noise was deafening, and the earth trembled!

Dorgon frowned and stepped forward: "Great Khan, such a forceful push... the casualties will be difficult to estimate. Isn't this going too far...?"

"I know," Huang Taiji interrupted him, his eyes as cold as frost, "but this way, we can exhaust their arrows, rolling stones, and stamina the fastest."

He glanced indifferently at the charging surrendered troops, as if they were nothing more than weeds:

"I wouldn't care how many die."

Dorgon shuddered and stared blankly at Huang Taiji's profile.

At that moment, he suddenly understood something.

That myna bird... it's fucking ruthless!

On the city wall.

"One hundred and fifty steps—stay steady!"

"One hundred paces! Fire the arrows!!!"

With a sharp shout, a volley of arrows was unleashed!

Arrows rained down like locusts from the sky, accompanied by screams and a cloud of blood!

"Whoosh—!!!"

A rain of arrows, like dark clouds pressing down, tore through the sky and crashed heavily onto the earth.

The 80,000 surrendered soldiers swarmed forward like a flock of sheep being driven, with nowhere to escape. Beneath their feet lay muddy, blood-soaked ground, and above them hung a net of death; they could only grit their teeth and charge forward.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

The sound of arrows piercing flesh was as dense as a sudden rain pounding on banana leaves. The soldiers in the front row didn't even have time to scream before they collapsed to the ground, twitched a few times, and then remained motionless.