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

"Gabula".

"Your servant is here!" Gabula immediately stepped forward and knelt down to receive orders.

"The defense of the nine gates is of paramount importance." Hong Xiguan's voice was unusually stern: "I order you to return to the Infantry Commander's Office immediately to purge the former subordinates of the traitor Tong Baozhi, ensuring that evil is eradicated completely and no future troubles are left. From this day forward, all nine gates of the capital will be sealed off, and martial law will be imposed throughout the city. Without my personal edict, even princes and nobles are not allowed to enter or leave without authorization! Anyone who disobeys will be executed without pardon!"

"Yes, sir!"

Gabula accepted the order and left.

"Song'etu!"

"Your servant is here!"

"You shall immediately take this imperial edict, lead the palace guards, and seal off the offices of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel!"

Hong Xiguan's eyes blazed, his tone chilling: "Seal all troop deployment warrants, official seals, and official rosters! Tell those people in the Ministry of War that from now on, any troop deployment exceeding one hundred men must have my personal approval and the imperial seal! Anyone who dares to deploy troops without authorization, regardless of rank, will be treated as a traitor and their entire family will be executed!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Li Xu".

"Your servant is here!"

Hong Xiguan pulled a gold token from his sleeve and threw it in front of Li Xu: "Take my gold token and go to the Infantry Commander's Office to mobilize three thousand troops! Arrest people according to this list!"

He pointed to the sheet of paper on the table covered with names: "Minister of Personnel Asiha, Minister of War Gachuha, Vice Minister of Revenue Taibitu, Grand Secretary Banburshan... these are all Aobai's cronies. Their homes will be searched and they will all be arrested and interrogated! Anyone who resists will be executed on the spot, without needing to ask for instructions!"

"Your servant obeys! Eradicate evil completely!" Li Xu gripped the gold medal tightly, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

I am just a third-class guard, yet the Emperor has entrusted me with such an important task!

No matter what, it must be done beautifully!

Finally, Hong Xiguan looked at Tong Guowei.

"Tong Guowei".

"Your servant is here!"

"You are a member of the Bordered Yellow Banner. Go to the Bordered Yellow Banner camp outside the city and negotiate with Ananda and Nemo. Tell the Bordered Yellow Banner soldiers that the ringleaders will be punished, but those who are coerced will be spared! As long as you lay down your weapons and abandon the darkness for the light, I will forgive your past transgressions, and you will continue to hold your official positions and receive your salaries! Anyone who still insists on following Aobai down this dark path, then don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"Yes, sir!"

The four decrees were interconnected and perfectly logical.

All potential crises were prevented from arising in various ways.

Moreover, Ao Bai had just died, and the news had not yet spread, making it the perfect time to take action!

Hong Xiguan waved his hand: "Go ahead, I will sit here in Qianqing Palace and wait for your good news."

This is the art of imperial strategy: planning and strategizing within the command tent, and winning battles a thousand miles away.

The group filed out, their bodies radiating murderous intent, and disappeared into the vast night.

……

"Beat the drums! Gather the troops!"

The Nine Gates Admiral Gabula rushed to the Infantry Commander's Office and immediately summoned all the generals for a meeting.

As the Empress's father, he knew that this matter was of great importance, concerning not only his own future but also the future of the entire family.

In the past, Gabula was a nobody in the court. When Aobai was in power, anyone could step on him. Everyone said he was an honest man and a pushover.

But today, the soft persimmon is going to kill!

With the imperial edict tucked into his robes, Gabula strode into the assembly hall.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

The dull drumbeats of the rallying ceremony echoed through the yamen.

Before long, the lobby was filled with officers of all ranks.

Many of them were former subordinates of Tong Bao, the former commander of the Nine Gates. They wore their hats askew, looked at Gabula with disdain on their faces.

"Admiral, what brings you brothers here so late? We're off to drink and have some fun," a lieutenant said sarcastically.

He was Tong Bao's confidant and often gave Gabula the cold shoulder.

Gabula looked at him expressionlessly and slowly said, "By imperial decree, effective immediately, the defense of the nine gates will be personally taken over by me. All your men will be transferred to the main camp outside the city for rotation!"

"Switching positions?"

The adjutant looked as if he'd heard a joke. "Gabula, are you alright? You think you can just change things like that? We brothers only recognize Lord Tong's orders, not the Emperor's edicts! Do you have an imperial decree? Show it to us!"

This is blatant provocation.

A group of officers below joined in the commotion: "That's right! Who listens to you without an imperial edict? You just change garrisons whenever you want? What are we brothers supposed to eat then?"

Gabula looked at this group of ignorant fools, and the timidity in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a chilling ruthlessness.

"You want an imperial edict, right?"

He pulled a bright yellow scroll from his pocket and held it high: "The imperial edict is here!"

The adjutant was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes darted around, still trying to deny it: "You say it's true, but I think it's a forged imperial edict..."

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of cold light appeared.

"Pfft!"

A fine head flew into the air, spraying blood all over the faces of those around it.

The headless corpse of the adjutant swayed twice and then fell to the ground with a thud.

Gabula held a still-dripping knife in his hand, his usually honest face splattered with blood, making him look like a living Yama.

"Who else dares to disobey the imperial decree?!"

He roared, his voice like a thunderclap.

The entire venue was deathly silent.

The officers who had just been joining in the commotion were so frightened that their legs trembled and they all knelt down with a thud.

"Your Excellency dares not! You shall obey the Commander's orders!"

When an honest person gets angry, it can be truly deadly.

Gabula casually tossed his knife to the ground and said coldly, "Drag this bastard's corpse out and feed it to the dogs! Now, all units, immediately change shifts! Anyone who dares to utter another word will suffer this fate!"

This is the game of power.

You can be a cat normally, but you have to be a tiger when it counts!

After gaining complete control of the situation, Gabula immediately began a major reshuffle.

He placed all the trusted confidants he had secretly cultivated over the years, as well as those Eight Banners descendants loyal to the royal family, into key positions in the Nine Gates.

Of the men Tong Bao left behind, aside from a few troublemakers who were killed, the rest were all sent to the outer camp to starve.

In less than an hour, Gabula had firmly grasped control of all nine city gates of the capital, along with every sentry post on the city walls.

Just then, an announcement came from outside: "Imperial Guard Li Xu has arrived!"

Li Xu strode in, exuding an aura of coldness, holding aloft a golden command token: "By imperial decree! Mobilize three thousand troops to arrest the traitors!"

Without saying a word, Gabula handed over his three thousand most elite infantrymen to Li Xu.

Although the Infantry Commander's Office nominally had more than 30,000 troops, the real elite force consisted of just over 20,000 men from the Eight Banners Infantry Battalion.

Gabula looked at Li Xu's young face and patted him on the shoulder: "Guard Li, these three thousand brothers are in your hands. Tonight is a night of killing, so don't hold back."

Li Xu nodded, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "Rest assured, my lord, His Majesty has said that evil must be eradicated completely!"

Watching Li Xu lead his massive army toward those prestigious mansions, Gabula stood at the entrance of the government office and let out a long sigh.

The sky over the capital has finally changed!