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

"What?!"

All the ministers present subconsciously frowned.

Has the front line been defeated?

How is that possible?!

In order to completely wipe out the Zheng family who were entrenched in Xiamen, the Qing Dynasty spared no expense this time. Thousands of warships covered the sky, and a three-pronged attack by land and sea forces, numbering 200,000, was led by veteran generals such as Annam General Dasu and Governor-General Li Shuotai. The scale of the army was the largest in the southeast since the Qing Dynasty entered the pass.

With such overwhelming force, how could they possibly lose to Zheng Chenggong, who was isolated overseas?

Ao Bai suddenly stood up, his tall body like an iron tower. He snatched the military report from the clerk's hand, tore off the sealing wax, and quickly began to read it.

Sony also joined in.

The military report was written in tears by Annamite General Dassou.

The content is simple, yet explosive.

"In May of the seventeenth year of the Shunzhi reign, our army launched a three-pronged attack on Xiamen. The rebel Zheng Chenggong mobilized his entire force, using his main naval force to meet the enemy at Haimen..."

"...At the beginning of the battle, our army advanced downstream with the tide, advancing with unstoppable momentum. General Huang Wu led the southern naval force, bravely taking the lead and breaking through the enemy's formation at one point..."

Upon seeing this, Ao Bai's brows relaxed slightly.

He knew that this was Dasu "acting" for the emperor, and he had to make a brilliant start.

But the following text takes a sharp turn for the worse, as if it has fallen into an abyss!

"...However, the rebel army was fearless and fought to the death despite being at a disadvantage. Marquis Zhou Rui of Min'an and the false general Chen Yaoce fought bravely to the death. Several rebel ships were captured. After the tide receded, the rebel army switched from defense to offense, using small boats to flank and attack. Their cannon fire was fierce, and our army's formation was thrown into chaos. More than ten warships were hit by cannon fire and sank..."

"...Admiral Shi Lang led the northern naval force to seize the beach at Chishanping, but was attacked from both land and sea by the enemy. Three hundred and eight elite bannermen were trapped on the beach and were all taken prisoner..."

"In this battle, our army suffered over ten thousand casualties, and our naval fleet lost more than half of its warships, resulting in near annihilation! Your Majesty and Governor-General Li Shuaitai barely escaped with our lives, leading the remaining troops back to Quanzhou..."

By this point, the hall was deathly silent.

completely annihilated!

These four words were like four heavy hammer blows, striking the hearts of every Manchu nobleman.

This was not only a military defeat, but also a national disgrace!

However, the real horror was yet to come.

At the end of the battle report was a long and shocking list of fallen officers and soldiers.

"...Wu Sha, the vanguard commander; Namse'e, the military commander; and Yiletu, the military commander..."

The list includes three military commanders, three military assistant commanders, one military assistant commander, six acting military assistant commanders, one lieutenant commander, two vanguard officers, twenty-one military officers and acting military officers, six cavalry officers and acting cavalry officers, two battalion commanders, one baron, four light cavalry captains, one cavalry captain, and one cloud cavalry captain, totaling eighty-two generals of various ranks!

One by one, the Manchurian warriors who had made great contributions on the battlefield have now become cold names.

Upon seeing some of the names on the list, Sony's gaze suddenly faltered: "How... how can there be so many imperial guards?!"

The list of the dead includes three vanguard guards, six first-class guards, seven second-class guards, and nine third-class guards...

Imperial guards! Palace guards! The Emperor's personal guard!

How could they have ended up on the battlefield in Fujian, thousands of miles away, and been killed in action as a whole unit?!

First-class imperial guards are officials of the third rank. They are selected from the most outstanding sons of the Upper Three Banners and are the emperor's most trusted guards. They are future generals and ministers!

Now, six have died!

How many first-class guards are there in the entire Forbidden City?

A terrifying thought, which everyone vaguely guessed but no one dared to voice, loomed over the hall like a dark cloud.

If even the emperor's closest guards suffered such heavy losses, then... what about the emperor himself?

At this moment, one of Ao Bai's confidants, Geshiha (a bodyguard), rushed in from outside the hall in a panic, bypassed the crowd, went straight to Ao Bai, and whispered a few words in his ear.

Everyone saw that Ao Bai's face turned ashen white in that instant.

His towering body swayed suddenly, staggering back two steps with a thud, his back slamming heavily against the dragon-carved pillar inside the hall with a muffled sound.

Ao Bai looked at Sony, his lips trembling, his usually fierce eyes now filled with unprecedented fear and bewilderment.

"Ao Zhongtang... what... happened?" Ebilun asked in a trembling voice.

Ao Bai took a deep breath and looked at Sony: "Lord Sony... come here."

Sony sensed something was wrong and stepped forward.

Ao Bai grabbed his arm, pulled him to a corner, and whispered, "Da Su... secret report... flagship hit by cannon fire... the Emperor... died at sea, his body never to be found."

boom!

Sony felt as if a thunderbolt had exploded in his mind, and the whole world was spinning.

Although he had a premonition, when this worst outcome was confirmed in such a cruel way, even he, a veteran minister who had served three emperors and seen many storms, could hardly bear it.

The Emperor... is gone?

They were bombarded by pirates and their bodies were never found.

This is no longer a disgrace; this is a cataclysmic upheaval that shakes the very foundation of the nation!

"Hold on!" Seeing Sony swaying precariously, Ao Bai shouted and steadied him. "Lord Sony! Now is not the time for grief! Think about the consequences! How will you explain this to the world!"

Sony jolted awake and instantly snapped back to reality.

as a result of?

The emperor died suddenly on the battlefield thousands of miles away, and his remains could not be found!

Once this news spreads, the already turbulent Jiangnan region will surely reignite the flames of war!

Will those Ming generals who have recently surrendered take the opportunity to rebel?

Will the Mongol tribes in the north break their alliance because of this?

What's even more terrifying is that with no one in the court and the princes all too young, a battle for the throne is already imminent!

Internal and external troubles arrived in an instant!

"Immediately suppress the news..." Sony's voice was hoarse beyond recognition, "It must be... kept secret!"

The two exchanged a glance and instantly reached a consensus.

They slowly walked back into the hall. Sony forced himself to remain calm and said in a deep voice to the astonished crowd, "His Majesty... contracted smallpox in Fujian and his condition is serious."

What?!

At the council meeting, the nobles were once again taken aback.

From "dying in battle" to "contracting smallpox," although both are dangerous, their natures are completely different.

"Smallpox?" asked Suksaha, the banner chief of the Plain White Banner, suspiciously. "Why wasn't it mentioned in the battle report?"

Suksaha was the banner chief of the Plain White Banner and a confidant of Dorgon. He belonged to a different camp from Oboi and Sony and was always suspicious.

He stepped forward, his gaze sharp and intense, looking directly into Sony's eyes.

"Lord Suo, this matter is of utmost importance. The battle report made no mention of His Majesty's safety, only stating that he suffered a major defeat. How did you and Lord Ao know such a top-secret matter as His Majesty's 'smallpox'? Could it be... that there is another hidden story?"

Inside the hall, everyone's eyes were once again focused on Sony and Ao Bai, their faces also showing confusion.

Upon seeing this, Ao Bai cursed inwardly, "Old fox."

He knew that in front of these high-ranking Manchurian officials who were equally influential and had been immersed in power struggles for decades, trying to get away with a mere "smallpox" was nothing short of a pipe dream.

If they cannot give a convincing explanation today, let alone keep the death a secret, the news of the Emperor's sudden death will probably spread throughout Beijing before they even leave this room!

Ao Bai and Sony exchanged a glance, both seeing a decision in each other's eyes.

Sony nodded slowly.

Ao Bai took a deep breath, no longer concealing himself, and took out the letter written in blood by Dasu, which had just been sent by Geshiha, from his bosom, and handed it to Ebilun, who was closest to him.

"You...see for yourselves."

Ebilun was a Manchu of the Bordered Yellow Banner, the same banner as Oboi, and the son of Eidu, one of the five founding ministers.

He took the secret report with a puzzled look and unfolded it.

With just one glance, the color drained from Ebilun's face in an instant. He stood there dumbfounded, as if struck by lightning, his mouth opening and closing silently.

"What exactly happened? Look at you all, so shocked. You're all seasoned veterans, yet you're still like this..."

Suksaha took the secret report with dissatisfaction, glanced at its contents, and instantly fell silent.

The secret report was passed down like a falling leaf in his trembling hands.

From Ebilun to Suksaha, and then to Turg and Asiha... every minister who read the secret report had the same expression on their face.

Shock, horror, fear, disbelief!

"Collapse...collapsed at sea?"

"The remains... are gone?!"

"Oh my god! This...this..."

Suppressed gasps and gasps of shock echoed throughout the hall. The Manchurian high-ranking officials, who had just been filled with doubt, now had a look of utter terror on their faces, as if the world were collapsing.

This is no longer a matter of national importance; this is the sky falling!