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

"Ao Zhongtang?"

Cao Yin, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "Lord Nemo, I'm afraid you won't be able to see your Ao Zhongtang again."

"What do you mean?" Nemo's heart skipped a beat.

Cao Yin gave a cold laugh and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Ao Bai plotted rebellion and murdered the emperor. He was executed yesterday in the Imperial Garden! His accomplices, including Mulima and Bamburshan, have all been beheaded!"

boom!

These words were like a bombshell, exploding directly within the ranks of the Bordered Yellow Banner army.

All the soldiers looked on incredulously.

Is Ao Zhongtang dead?

Why so suddenly!

"Bullshit! You're talking nonsense!"

Nemo's eyes instantly turned red, like a mad dog whose tail had been stepped on. He drew his sword and pointed it at Cao Yin, roaring, "My uncle is invincible, a pillar of the Qing Dynasty! How could that immature little emperor possibly kill him?! This is a forged edict! This is rebellion!!"

He turned around and roared at the soldiers behind him, "My men! The Emperor has been kidnapped by treacherous officials, and Ao Zhongtang's fate is unknown! Follow me into the pass! Cleanse the court of corrupt officials! Save Ao Zhongtang!"

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Upon hearing these inflammatory words, the more than a thousand loyal followers in the front row drew their swords, their warhorses neighed, and their murderous aura instantly pierced the sky.

A bloody battle was about to break out.

Just then, Tong Guowei moved. He took a deep breath and suddenly shouted in fluent Manchu, "Let's see who dares to move!!"

This roar was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, carrying the unique imposing aura of the Manchu nobility.

He spurred his horse forward and charged directly to the front of the two armies, ignoring the gleaming swords and spears, his eyes scanning the restless officers with piercing gaze.

"Listen up, all of you!"

Tong Guowei continued shouting in Manchu, "You are the Bordered Yellow Banner! You are the leading banner personally led by the Taizu Emperor! You are the Emperor's personal guard! Not Aobai's retainers!"

"The rations and salaries you receive are issued by the imperial court! The armor you wear is a gift from the emperor! Your wives, children, and elderly parents all live in the capital!"

This series of parallel sentences was like buckets of cold water poured on those feverish heads.

Tong Guowei pointed at Nemo and said sternly, "Aobai's treason is well-documented, and he deserves to die! His Majesty is merciful and knows you have been deceived, so he issued a special decree: the ringleader must be punished, but those who were coerced will not be questioned!"

"Now, as long as you lay down your weapons, you will still be loyal subjects of my Great Qing! But if you follow this madman in rebellion..."

Tong Guowei sneered, pointing his riding whip at the Juyongguan fortress behind him: "Look up! Whose flag is that?!"

Everyone instinctively looked up.

Suddenly, black flags were erected on the previously empty city tower, fluttering in the wind.

That was the battle flag of the Mongol Eight Banners!

"The Empress Dowager has already dispatched the Khorchin Mongol cavalry into the pass, and they are currently behind Juyong Pass!"

"You are also commanders of troops, you should know that Juyong Pass is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Add to that the Mongol cavalry's scimitars, what are your chances of victory?!"

"Are you willing to sacrifice your entire clan's lives for a dead Ao Bai, earning the infamy of a traitor? Or will you lay down your weapons and continue being the arrogant rulers of the Bordered Yellow Banner?"

"Do I really need to teach you how to choose this path?!"

The entire room fell silent.

Deathly silence.

The soldiers of the Bordered Yellow Banner who had been holding swords began to look away, and the swords in their hands began to tremble slightly.

People join the army for wealth and glory, and to bring honor to their ancestors.

Now that Aobai is dead, the backbone is gone. In front of us are fortified cities and Mongol cavalry, and behind us is the charge of treason and extermination of the clan.

How can we fight this battle?

"Don't listen to his nonsense! He's lying to you!"

Seeing the wavering morale of his troops, Nemo panicked completely, wildly brandishing his knife: "Charge! Kill him! Whoever kills Tong Guowei will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver and promoted three ranks!"

However, only the sound of the wind answered him.

No one moved.

Even his personal guards quietly lowered their swords, not daring to look him in the eye.

"You...you all..." Nemo watched this scene in despair.

Clang.

It's unclear who let go first, but a steel knife fell to the dusty ground.

Immediately afterwards, a series of clanging sounds rang out.

Like a domino effect, thousands of soldiers of the Bordered Yellow Banner sheathed their swords or threw away their weapons, hanging their heads in dejection.

The tide is gone.

Upon seeing this, Ananda sighed deeply, dismounted, and knelt on one knee: "Your humble servant Ananda receives the decree!"

As the commander knelt down, the ten thousand soldiers behind him fell to their knees in a rush, like wheat being harvested.

Only Nemo remained, riding his horse alone, standing forlornly in place, like a comical clown.

Cao Yin looked at him, a cruel smile playing on his lips: "Lord Nemo, will you come down yourself, or shall I ask you to?"

Nemo looked at his subordinates kneeling all around him, and the knife in his hand slipped limply from his grasp.

Alas, this Bordered Yellow Banner still belongs to the Emperor!

This mutiny, which could have overthrown the Qing Dynasty, was averted in a psychological battle between Tong Guowei and Cao Yin.

Tong Guowei looked at Dajun kneeling on the ground and secretly loosened his hands, which were already soaked with cold sweat.

There is no such thing as the Eight Banners of Mongolia.

Behind Juyong Pass, there were only a little over a thousand soldiers guarding the pass.

This is both an empty city stratagem and a strategy to undermine someone's morale.

Fortunately, I won.

.....

The next day, early in the morning.

As dawn broke in the east, the morning light pierced through the thick clouds and shone upon the red walls and yellow tiles of the Forbidden City.

Last night in Beijing, the wind howled and cranes cried, and the sound of horses' hooves clattered.

But by this morning, everything seemed to have returned to calm.

Outside the Meridian Gate, officials lined up in formation.

The atmosphere at today's morning court session was extremely strange.

Officials who usually whispered and inquired about each other's affairs were now all keeping their eyes down, not daring to even breathe loudly.

We're all shrewd people who've navigated the officialdom. Last night, the six ministries were shut down, martial law was declared at the nine gates, and the troop movements outside the city were all pointing to a shocking fact.

The world has changed!

As the Jingyang Bell rang, the heavy palace gates slowly opened.

"Attend court!"

The eunuch's high-pitched voice echoed along the imperial road.

With their heads bowed, the civil and military officials crossed the Golden Water Bridge and filed into the Taihe Hall Square.

When they looked up, everyone's pupils contracted sharply.

The number of imperial guards, who are usually just ceremonial decorations, has more than tripled today!

Hundreds of imperial guards, clad in heavy armor and wielding sharp blades, stood like steel sculptures, nailed to every corner of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The suffocating aura emanating from them was not something they had practiced; it came from people who had actually seen blood.

Amidst the forest of swords and spears, Hong Xiguan, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, strode up the steps of the palace, surrounded by Suo'etu and others.

He walked very steadily.

He is no longer the puppet boy who darts around and cowers in the face of Ao Bai, nor is he the "actor" who needs to pretend to be stupid to hide his sharpness.

Thus, he took each step firmly, his back straight, as if the vast land was beneath his feet.

He ascended the dragon throne, turned around, and sat down.

His movements were fluid and graceful, exuding an innate imperial majesty.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The courtiers knelt in worship, their shouts echoing like a mountain collapsing and a sea roaring.

Hong Xiguan looked down at the group of officials who were groveling at his feet with a cold gaze.

Last night, I was still a gambler dancing on a tightrope;

Today, I am the dealer in this world!