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

Next up was Tai Bitu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Tai Bitu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was a notorious lecher. Tonight, he was in high spirits. As soon as he got home from work, he took his two beautiful concubines and started playing "double flying swallows" (a euphemism for sexual intercourse).

"Bang!"

The bedroom door was kicked open, and a cold wind mixed with the smell of blood rushed in.

"Ah!" The two women on the bed screamed and curled up into a ball.

Taibitu jumped up naked, enraged and humiliated: "You bastards! Who let you in! Get out! All of you, get out!"

Li Xu, carrying a blood-dripping knife, stepped over the threshold and looked at the absurd scene before him, his killing intent growing even stronger.

"Tai Bitu, the Vice Minister of Revenue, is a high-ranking official who colludes with rebels and is licentious and immoral..."

"What...what do you want? I am an official appointed by the imperial court..."

Tai Bitu finally saw the blood-soaked body of the newcomer, and his legs went weak with fright, a strong stench of urine filling the air.

"What are we doing?" Li Xu sneered, "Sending the lord on his way!"

"I am the dignified Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue! A Manchu of the Bordered Yellow Banner..."

"Tai Bitu has stubbornly resisted; he must be killed without mercy!"

Li Xu didn't give him a chance to finish speaking before slashing down with his knife.

puff!

A human head rolled onto the bed, and the two women fainted from fright.

"Execute everyone in the mansion! Leave no one alive!"

It was yet another bloody massacre.

For Li Xu, one reason is enough, even a reason like "not wearing clothes" is a reason.

"Next! Bambursan!"

Li Xu didn't even glance behind him before turning and leaving. His list still had a long string of names on it, and he hadn't met his sales target for tonight.

.......

When Li Xu and his men surrounded Grand Secretary Banburshan's residence and broke down the door, they found it completely empty, without a soul in sight.

Only a few old servants who were in charge of guarding the gate were still dozing off there.

"Where is he?!" Li Xu grabbed the old servant by the collar and demanded sharply.

"The...the master left the city early this morning..." the old servant stammered, trembling with fear.

"They've left the city?" Li Xu's heart sank.

He rushed into Bamburshan's study and found the desk spotless, and the bedroom was also empty.

Even after a full-scale search of the prefecture was ordered, no trace of Bambursan was found.

"Damn it! That old fox got away!"

Li Xu slammed his fist on the table.

Banburshan was a collateral branch of the Aisin Gioro family and also the strategist of the Aobai clique. This old man was more cunning than anyone else.

It seems he sensed the danger early on and ran away beforehand.

Or perhaps, he was acting on Ao Bai's orders and preparing something?

"My lord, what should we do?" Zhao Sheng asked, his biggest worry being that Banburshan had taken over the Green Standard Army outside the city.

"He can't get far!" Li Xu gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "Go to the Green Standard Army camp outside the city! Even if we have to turn the ground upside down, we have to dig this old bastard out of here!"

"Leave a few men to ransack the house; the rest of you, follow me!"

Li Xu mounted his horse and led his bloodthirsty troops, like a black whirlwind, hurtling towards the outskirts of the city.

Tonight, nobody's getting away!

.....

On the banks of the Yongding River in the western suburbs of Beijing.

The night was deep, the stars and moon were not shining, and it should have been a time of complete silence, but it was broken by the deafening sound of horses' hooves and footsteps.

A massive army, like a winding black python, sped across the wilderness, heading straight for the capital.

This is the elite Green Standard Army unit stationed in the suburbs of Beijing, the Yongding River Battalion, a force of ten thousand men.

At the very front of the procession, on a chestnut horse, sat a middle-aged Tartar with a sinister face; it was none other than Grand Secretary Banburshan.

At this moment, there was no trace of panic on his face; instead, he displayed a kind of morbid excitement.

"Faster! Faster!"

Bamburshan brandished his whip, urging the generals beside him, "If we're late, none of you can afford the consequences!"

According to the script he and Ao Bai had agreed upon: Ao Bai would gather evidence in the palace, replace the guards, and then mobilize the Green Standard Army outside the city to enter the city. At the court meeting the next morning, he would announce the abolition of the emperor, and the Qing Dynasty would change!

The young emperor abdicated, and Aobai became regent. As for Banburshan... as a collateral branch of the Aisin Gioro family, Aobai even promised that he might be allowed to sit on the throne!

Thinking of this, Bambursan's blood boiled.

What are regents or grand secretaries compared to sitting on the dragon throne?

"Sir, what if the Nine Gates Admiral blocks our way into the city with such a grand entrance?" a lieutenant beside him asked with some concern.

"Stop them?"

Banburshan sneered, his eyes full of disdain: "That soft persimmon Gabula? He wouldn't dare even if you gave him ten lives! Besides, the defense of the capital has always been ours. As long as we present Ao Zhongtang's letter, the nine gates will be wide open!"

He spoke with a cheerful smile, as if he could already see himself wearing a dragon robe and receiving the homage of all the officials.

……

This is the scene on the Xizhimen city tower at this moment.

The Nine Gates Admiral Gabula held onto the cold city bricks, gazing at the approaching fire dragon in the distance, his face as solemn as an iron plate.

"Admiral, they are Green Standard Army troops. Judging from their banners, they are Bambursan," the lieutenant reported in a low voice. "There are at least ten thousand of them."

"Pass down the order."

Gabula's voice remained completely still: "All troops on alert! Bows and crossbows cocked! Cannons loaded! Without my order, not a single bird is to be let in!"

"Yes, sir!"

The city walls instantly came alive with activity. Rows of archers drew their bows and nocked arrows, while the dark muzzles of cannons slowly adjusted their angles, aiming at the open ground below the city.

Before long, the Green Standard Army arrived at the city gates.

Bamburshan reined in his warhorse, looked at the tightly closed city gates and the dense torches on the city walls, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Something seems... off?

Didn't we agree to open the city gates wide to welcome the royal army? Why does this look like we're about to go to war?

"Who is the commander guarding the city?! Open the city gates at once!"

Suppressing his unease, Bambursan shouted at the top of his lungs, "I am acting on the orders of the Emperor and Grand Secretary Ao to deploy the Green Standard Army into the city for defense! Can you afford to offend us if we delay military operations?!"

On the city wall, Gabula leaned out halfway, coldly watching the clowns below by the firelight.

"Bamburshan, why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night? What are you doing here causing trouble?"

Gabula's voice, strong and resonant, echoed throughout the area: "By imperial decree: all nine gates of the capital are sealed off, and martial law is imposed throughout the city! No one is allowed to enter or leave without authorization! If you know what's good for you, you'd better take your men and get back to the camp immediately!"

"Gabula?!"

Upon hearing that it was this honest man, Banburshan's anger flared even more: "You ignorant fool! Do you know who you're talking to? This is Ao Zhongtang's order! You dare disobey Ao Zhongtang? Do you want your whole family wiped out?!"

He still thought that Ao Bai was in charge now.

Gabula looked down at the old man who was still acting like a bully, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Ao Zhongtang? You mean Ao Bai?"

Gabula mocked, "Excuse me, Lord Ban, your Ao Zhongtang has already been executed for plotting treason in the Imperial Garden! His body is probably cold by now!"

"What?!"

These words struck Banbursan like a bolt from the blue, leaving him completely stunned.

Ao Bai... is dead?!

The man known as the greatest warrior in Manchuria, Ao Bai, who had held power in the court for so many years, is actually dead?!

"Impossible! You're lying!"

Bamburshan swayed on his horse, nearly falling off: "Lord Ao's martial arts are unparalleled, how could he possibly die? You're lying to me! This is a treacherous plot! This is a treacherous plot by that brat Kangxi!"

He panicked, completely panicked.

If Ao Bai really dies, not only will his dream of becoming emperor be shattered, but he will also lose his life!

"Bamburshan, stop dreaming."

Gabula coldly added, "The Emperor, considering you are a member of the Aisin Gioro imperial family, might spare your life and allow you a complete corpse if you dismount and surrender now. Otherwise, you will surely die tonight!"