I, Kangxi, am here to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming!

Unlike the somber and arrogant atmosphere of the Manchu Eight Banners elite camp where Emperor Shunzhi resided.

The Han army's main camp, located several miles away, presented a completely different scene.

Inside and outside the camp, a mix of accents from all over the country created a scene that resembled a large and independent armed group rather than a Qing Dynasty military camp.

Most of them were former Ming soldiers disguised as Qing troops.

Among its core members was the Liaodong military family, which the Ming Dynasty court both loved and hated.

Late at night, inside Hong Chengchou's command tent, the lights were on and the silence was so profound that even the slight crackling of the candle flames could be clearly heard.

Inside the tent, several Han army banner generals, clad in heavy armor, stood with their hands at their sides, each with a different expression, their eyes revealing a seasoned warrior's ferocity and shrewdness.

Every single one of these people had served under Hong Chengchou, the former Governor-General of Jiliao during the Ming Dynasty.

Hong Chengchou was the last "headmaster" of this Liaodong military family, and the only backbone they had to stick together in the new court after surrendering to the Qing.

"Gentlemen, you must have all heard the rumors." Hong Chengchou finally spoke, slowly skimming the foam off the teacup with the lid, his voice old and steady, as if he were discussing the weather.

A one-eyed general said in a muffled voice, "My lord, are you saying... that young emperor has personally visited Xiamen?"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere inside the tent suddenly became tense.

Another, lean general scoffed, "Coming in person? What a show of power! What's he doing here on the front lines, where swords have no eyes, when he's not drinking milk in the Forbidden City?"

These were extremely bold words, but everyone present was one of their own.

During the Ming Dynasty, this group of people were notorious for being "protective of their food".

The entire Liaodong region was managed by them like an iron barrel, impenetrable to any water.

The imperial court?

The imperial court found it harder than climbing to heaven to mobilize them, and could only provide them with the "Liaodong tax" of several million taels of silver every year.

To put it bluntly, they were a group of professional warlords.

I'll work my life for whoever feeds me.

But nobody can touch your rice bowl!

Now, they've changed sides and submitted to the Qing Dynasty.

They thought that since the emperor was far away, they could still be local tyrants on the southeast coast, continue to control military and political power, and turn this rich land into their private money bag.

But now, that young Manchu emperor has actually come to "personally lead the expedition"!

What are you here for?

Are you going sightseeing?

Stop joking!

Everyone present was a shrewd individual, having spent decades navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom and shedding blood on the battlefield. Who didn't understand?

This young emperor is here to reap the rewards! He's here to seize their military power!

Once their military power is taken away, these surrendered generals will be instantly reduced to their original state, becoming fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of the Manchu nobles! This is worse than killing them!

"My lord, please give me an answer!"

The one-eyed general grew anxious, stepped forward, and lowered his voice: "We brothers will all listen to you! We can't lose this livelihood!"

"Yes, sir! The Manchus cannot be trusted!"

"We can't just sit here and wait to die!"

Inside the tent, the crowd was in a frenzy, and all eyes, filled with murderous intent, were fixed on Hong Chengchou.

Hong Chengchou took a leisurely sip of tea, his cloudy old eyes sweeping over the crowd, a profound and unfathomable smile on his face.

"What's the panic? The sky isn't going to fall."

Hong Chengchou put down his teacup and said, "Breaking this deadlock is very simple!"

As he spoke, he dipped his finger in the tea and slowly wrote three characters on the table.

Tumubao.

hiss!

A collective gasp filled the tent.

All the generals turned pale instantly, as if struck by lightning.

They stared intently at the three wet characters on the table, feeling a chill run from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads, and the hairs on their bodies stood on end!

Tumu Fortress!

That was a nightmare that had hung over the Ming Dynasty for two hundred years!

Back then, Emperor Yingzong of Ming, Zhu Qizhen, was also young and impetuous. He also personally led an army that was said to number 500,000. What was the result?

The Oirat army was annihilated, and even the emperor himself was captured alive and became a prisoner!

The Grand Marshal's meaning... was actually...

The group looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and a flicker of madness, a flame that had been ignited within them.

A general asked in a trembling voice, "My lord... this... this is regicide! What if..."

"Foolish!" Hong Chengchou hissed, his eyes suddenly turning sharp as knives. "What do you mean by regicide? We are all loyal subjects of the Qing Dynasty, fighting valiantly to protect the Emperor! But on the battlefield, swords have no eyes, and cannons are merciless. Who can guarantee absolute safety?"

As he spoke, he stood up and walked to the front of the crowd, his voice very low.

"Back then, the defeat at Tumu Fortress was caused by Wang Zhen's usurpation of power, which led to a great disaster. Now, doesn't the young emperor also have a Wu Liangfu by his side? Such treacherous officials have bewitched the emperor, causing him to personally face danger. If something truly happens to him, it will be the fault of these treacherous officials, and has nothing to do with us."

"Moreover!" Hong Chengchou's tone shifted, a cruel smile curving his lips. "This is at sea. Have you ever heard of looking for a needle in a haystack? Let alone a person, even if a ship sinks, what trace could it possibly leave behind?"

Now that things have come to this point, anyone who still doesn't understand would be a fool.

The generals felt their mouths were dry and their hearts were pounding.

This is a shocking and ruthless plan that could change the very fabric of the world!

This is going to... recreate the "Tumu Crisis", except that this time, the stage has changed from the Loess Plateau in the north to the vast blue waves in the south!

"Specifically...how to do it?"

The one-eyed general was already desperate, his eyes flashing with a wolf-like ferocity.

"Simple."

Hong Chengchou smiled, took out a nautical chart from his pocket, spread it on the table, and pointed to one of the locations.

"Siming Port is a narrow harbor with swift currents, making it an excellent place for naval warfare. The Emperor's dragon ship will surely be positioned by that fool Dasu in the best viewpoint, both for watching the battle and for... safety."

"All we need to do is 'accidentally' reveal the news of the Emperor's personal expedition and the approximate location of this dragon boat to Zheng Chenggong on the other side of the river."

"That young Zheng boy is always arrogant. If he knew the Qing Emperor was right before his eyes, wouldn't he fight to the death?"

"At that time, with the two armies locked in fierce combat and artillery fire raging... wouldn't it be normal for something unexpected to happen?"

……

Two days later, outside Siming Port.

On the sea, hundreds of warships stood in formation, their banners obscuring the sun, their murderous aura soaring to the sky.

Emperor Shunzhi, Fulin, stood proudly at the bow of a huge Fujian ship, clad in golden armor.

The sea breeze made the large dragon banner behind him flutter. It was the first time that Shunzhi had personally been to the battlefield. He felt a surge of heroic spirit and wished he could immediately follow in the footsteps of his grandfather Nurhaci and his father Huang Taiji, draw his bow and arrow, and kill the enemy on the battlefield.

"Issue my decree! The entire army is to attack! Raze the Zheng family's stronghold to the ground!"

Emperor Shunzhi raised his arms and shouted, his young voice filled with a desire for great achievements.

Dasu, who was standing to the side, was extremely anxious, but dared not disobey, so he could only bite the bullet and give the order.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

As the war drums sounded, the Qing navy, like tigers released from their dams, charged towards the Zheng family's navy.

Almost at the same time, a deafening shout also erupted from Zheng's army formation on the opposite side.

Zheng Chenggong personally oversaw the operation on his flagship, and the secret report he received shocked him, followed by great joy!

Emperor Fulin of the Qing Dynasty was right across the street!

To catch the thief, first catch the king! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

"Aim at that largest Fujian ship! Point all your cannons at it! Bomb it to death!"

At a command, dozens of Hongyi cannons roared simultaneously!

The sea was instantly shrouded in thick smoke.

Emperor Shunzhi was enjoying the thrill of ruling the world when he heard deafening shouts of battle and the whistling of cannons.

Far from being afraid, he became even more excited, as if he were the chosen god of war.

However, the next moment.

A huge, red-hot iron ball, accompanied by the shriek of death, tore through the air and struck the bow of the ship where he was with perfect accuracy and without any suspense!

boom!!!

A deafening roar, as if the heavens and earth were shattered!

The sturdy bow deck, along with the fluttering dragon flag and the young emperor, were instantly blasted to pieces!

Wood chips, flesh, bone fragments, and pieces of golden armor mingled together, transforming into a dazzling yet bloody firework that exploded in the air before scattering into the turbulent sea.

"Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!!!"

Dasu's eyes were bloodshot, and he roared fiercely as he led his men to charge forward like a madman.

But where is there even a trace of the emperor?

Where a living person was just standing a moment ago, now only a huge, charred hole remains.

Seawater gushed in from the hole, and the ship began to tilt violently.

In the chaos, the eunuch Wu Liangfu stumbled back, his face deathly pale, clutching something tightly in his hand, crying out, "General... His Majesty... His Majesty... His remains are gone!"

Dasu snatched the thing away.

It's a boot.

The bright yellow satin fabric is embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon with outstretched fangs and claws.

These are Emperor Shunzhi's dragon boots!

That was also the last trace left by that young emperor in this world...

Dasu felt dizzy and her vision went black; she almost fell over.

The sky... has fallen!

The emperor, right under his nose, was blasted to pieces by an enemy cannon, his body instantly washed into the sea and fed to fish and turtles.

This is an heinous crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family!

"Block the news!!"

With all his might, Dasu forced out a sentence through gritted teeth: "If even a single word of what happened today leaks out, you... your entire family will be executed!"

Clutching the lone dragon boot tightly, the icy sea breeze chilled Dasu to the bone.

.......

An excerpt from Zheng Chenggong's diary in "The True Record of the Yanping King's Uprising": "In the spring of the year Xin Chou (1661), the Great Khan of the Northern Dynasty was killed by cannon fire in Siming Prefecture (Xiamen), and the local authorities kept the death a secret."