Chief Armaments Master of the Ming Dynasty

October of the second year of the Chongzhen reign (1644), in the capital region.

The north wind was like a knife, cutting through the broken crenellations of the Great Wall in Jizhou.

Xifengkou.

Lieutenant General Zhou Zhen stood on the city wall, wrapped his worn cotton armor tightly around himself, and looked at the gray sky to the north, calculating the food supplies for this winter.

Jizhou was bitterly cold, and the salary allocated by the imperial court was reduced by several layers of deductions, with six-tenths of it already in his hands by the time it reached him, barely enough to keep two thousand brothers from starving to death.

As for repairing the city walls and acquiring firearms, those were things they wouldn't even dare to dream of.

"General, there's smoke and dust to the north!" the lookout soldier suddenly cried out.

Zhou Zhen's heart tightened, and he climbed the watchtower in three steps at a time.

On the northern horizon, a plume of yellowish-black smoke rose into the sky, like a winding dragon, approaching Xifengkou at an alarming speed.

Beneath the smoke and dust, there were countless cavalrymen.

That's not Mongolian attire.

They were soldiers with queues (pigtails).

Jin army.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" Zhou Zhen roared hoarsely. "Light the signal fires! Quickly! Close the city gates! Everyone onto the city walls!"

The mournful sound of the bugle shattered the tranquility of Xifengkou.

The soldiers rushed out of the barracks, their armor disheveled, grabbing their weapons in a flurry, and stumbling toward the city wall.

But it was too late.

The speed of the Jin cavalry was astonishing.

They didn't come to attack the city—they came to climb the mountain.

More than ten miles west of Xifengkou, there is a border wall that has been in disrepair for many years. Most of the wall has collapsed, leaving only a pile of rubble up to chest height.

The local border troops all knew about the breach and had reported it for repair, but the Ministry of War always replied that "the funds are insufficient and repairs should be postponed."

The Jin army obviously knew this as well.

Their vanguard didn't linger at the foot of Xifengkou City, but instead went straight around the city and rushed towards the breach.

"Quickly! Send men to plug the breach!" Zhou Zhen's eyes were red.

However, the troops in Jizhou were already insufficient, scattered along the long border wall, and there were less than 500 men that could be mobilized from Xifengkou City.

By the time they reached the breach, the vanguard of the Jin army had already surged over the dilapidated wall like a tidal wave.

A flash of light appeared.

Blood spurted out.

The few dozen defenders offered almost no effective resistance before being overwhelmed by the surging cavalry.

A gap has been breached, and the position has been lost.

The main force of the Jin army, like a flood bursting its banks, poured into the pass from here.

Zhou Zhen stood on the city wall at Xifengkou, watching the thick smoke rising from the gap in the distance, listening to the intermittent shouts and screams carried by the wind, his hands and feet turned icy cold.

He knew the sky had fallen.

---

the same day.

Longjing Pass.

This small pass, located a hundred miles west of Xifengkou, has even fewer guards and its walls are more dilapidated.

Another Jin army force broke through the defenses here with almost no resistance.

The guard was woken from his sleep by his personal guards. Before he could figure out what was happening, the Jin cavalry had already stormed into the city.

He didn't even have time to put on his armor before an arrow pierced his throat.

Meanwhile, at Da'ankou.

The same scene played out again.

The Jin army split into three routes and simultaneously broke through Xifengkou, Longjingguan, and Da'ankou.

The Jizhou defense line was breached in three places within a single day.

---

Beijing, Ministry of War.

It was late at night, but the lobby was brightly lit.

Wang Qia, the Minister of War, sat behind his desk, which was piled high with urgent reports from Jizhou. Each report was marked "extremely urgent," and each one made his face turn even paler.

"Xifengkou...Longjingguan...Da'ankou..." he murmured, his fingers trembling slightly. "Three places captured in one day...What are the Jurchens up to?"

"My lord, the vanguard of the Jurchens has passed Zunhua and is advancing towards Jizhou," a physician whispered, his voice trembling. "If Jizhou falls, the capital will..."

He didn't dare to continue.

Wang Qia closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He took office as Minister of War in April of this year. His predecessor, Wang Zaijin, was impeached and dismissed for "negligence in the defense of Jizhou".

After taking office, he also submitted a memorial requesting that the defense of Jizhou be strengthened, but the Ministry of Revenue said that there was no money, the Ministry of Works said that there was no manpower, and the Ministry of War's own inventory was also empty.

The memorial was submitted, and Emperor Chongzhen wrote "This shall be discussed and implemented immediately," and that was the end of it.

The bureaucratic machine of the Ming Dynasty was already rusted and corroded, and even the emperor's will could hardly drive it to function effectively.

"Issue the order..." Wang Qia opened his eyes, his voice hoarse, "Order all garrisons to immediately come to the emperor's aid. Martial law in the capital, close all nine gates. Order Yuan Chonghuan..."

He paused.

Yuan Chonghuan.

Commander-in-Chief of Jiliao.

This name, which once wounded Nurhaci with cannon fire under the walls of Ningyuan and awed Liaodong, has now become Wang Qia's only hope.

"Order Yuan Chonghuan to lead troops to Wei with great speed and intercept the Jurchens."

"Yes!" The doctor accepted the order and hurriedly went to draft the document.

Wang Qia sat alone in the hall, watching the flickering candlelight, and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He was the Minister of War, the highest military commander of the Ming Dynasty.

But he knew better than anyone that this vast empire was already riddled with problems.

The Jurchens in Liaodong, the bandits in Shaanxi, the drought in Shanxi, the famine in Henan, the factional strife in the imperial court, the internal strife in the palace...

Every single thing is like a whip lashing a camel's back.

He didn't know which one would be the last.

But he knew that one would come sooner or later.

---

Shanhaiguan.

The atmosphere in the central command tent of Yuan Chonghuan, the military governor of Jiliao, was as heavy as congealed blood.

Yuan Chonghuan was forty-six years old this year. He was not tall, had a thin face, and three long strands of beard, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

He was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the 47th year of the Wanli reign, yet as a civil official, he earned a formidable reputation on the Liaodong battlefield.

In the Battle of Ningyuan, he wounded Nurhaci with a cannonball; in the Battle of Ningjin, he repelled Huang Taiji.

He was regarded as the "Great Wall" of the Ming Dynasty by both the court and the public.

But at this moment, the Great Wall looks worse than anyone else.

"The Jurchens breached Xifengkou?" His voice was low, tinged with suppressed anger. "Is the defense of Jizhou made of paper?"

"Commander, the Jizhou garrison is weak, and the border wall has been in disrepair for years..." Deputy General He Kegang said cautiously.

"I'm not asking for a reason!" Yuan Chonghuan slammed his hand on the table. "I'm asking, where are the Jurchens now?"

"The vanguard has passed Zunhua and is advancing towards Jizhou." He Kegang pointed to the map, "Zunhua... I'm afraid we can't hold it."

Silence fell over the tent.

Zunhua is an important town in eastern Beijing, only 300 li away from Beijing.

If Zunhua is lost, the capital will be in grave danger.

"Zhao Shuaijiao," Yuan Chonghuan said in a deep voice.

"Your subordinate is here!" A burly general with a weathered face stepped forward in response. He was Zhao Shuaijiao, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan, one of Yuan Chonghuan's most capable generals.

"You will lead four thousand elite cavalry and set off immediately to reinforce Zunhua under the cover of night." Yuan Chonghuan stared at him. "You must reach Zunhua before the Jurchens. Defending Zunhua is defending the gateway to the capital."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Zhao Shuaijiao clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned around, and strode away.

Yuan Chonghuan then turned to the other generals: "Zu Dashou, you lead the main force and follow me. He Kegang, you stay and guard Shanhaiguan, make sure the pass is safe."

"Yes!" the generals responded in unison.

The generals in the tent received their orders and dispersed, leaving only Yuan Chonghuan standing in front of the map, motionless for a long time.

The candlelight illuminated his thin face, his brows furrowed, and his eyes filled with worry.

He knew that this battle would be far more dangerous than those against Ning Yuan and Ning Jin.

Ningyuan and Ningjin were in Liaodong, his territory. He was familiar with every inch of the land, every city, and every general there.

This time, however, the Jurchens bypassed his painstakingly constructed Guan-Ning defense line and broke through the Ji-Zhen border.

The battlefield had become the unfamiliar heartland of the capital region.

His opponent was Huang Taiji.

That enemy was more cunning, more composed, and more terrifying than Nurhaci.

---

Zunhua.

This important city in eastern Beijing is now shrouded in a shadow of despair.

Governor Wang Yuanya stood on the city wall, looking at the dark mass of Jin army camp outside the city, his face ashen.

He was a civil official, and although he had the responsibility of defending the territory, he had never actually experienced battle.

The city's garrison numbered less than three thousand, mostly local garrison soldiers who were poorly trained and equipped.

The Jin army arrived too quickly.

They were so close to Zunhua that there wasn't even time to implement a scorched-earth policy.

The villages and towns outside the city were all looted by the Jin army, with flames soaring into the sky and cries echoing across the fields.

Refugees rushed toward the city gates, but Wang Yuanya ordered the gates closed and forbade anyone from entering.

Below the city walls, cries, pleas, and curses mingled together.

On the city wall, the soldiers were pale-faced, their hands trembling as they gripped their weapons.

"Reinforcements...when will the reinforcements arrive?" Wang Yuanya asked her advisor.

"Your Excellency, we have already sent people to request reinforcements from Jizhou and the capital. But..." The advisor swallowed hard, "the nearest reinforcements won't arrive for another two or three days."

"Two or three days..." Wang Yuanya murmured, looking at the Jin army troops that were beginning to assemble below the city, a wave of despair washed over her.

He knew that Zunhua couldn't be held for more than two or three days.

Perhaps, they won't even be able to hold on for one night.

into the night.

The Jin army's attack began.

There was no probing, no feint.

Huang Taiji clearly did not intend to waste too much time in Zunhua.

The first wave of attack deployed the most elite Baiya La soldiers—battle veterans left over from the Nurhaci era, each one experienced in countless battles and fearless in the face of death.

They pushed shield carts and carried ladders, surging towards the city wall like a black tide.

The defenders on the city walls fired arrows desperately.

But most of the arrows bounced off the Jin army's thick iron armor, clanging and tinkling.

Occasionally a few shots hit vital points, causing a few people to fall, but others immediately took their place without the slightest delay.

The shield cart came close to the city wall.

The ladder was erected.

"kill--!"

The Jin soldiers, with short knives in their mouths, climbed upwards using both their hands and feet.

Their movements were astonishingly nimble, as if they were climbing their own courtyard wall rather than a city wall several meters high.

The defenders on the city wall desperately threw down rolling stones and logs, and splashed molten gold.

Amid screams, people continued to fall from the ladder.

But even more people surged forward.

The first Jin soldier climbed the city wall.

A flash of light, and the head of a guard flew off, blood spurting high into the air.

The second one, the third one...

The defenses on the city wall began to crumble.

Wang Yuanya heard the news of the city's fall while in the governor's office.

He did not run away.

He knew that if the city fell, even if he escaped back, he would still be sentenced to death.

It's better to die here than on the execution ground.

He put on the imperial robe and black gauze hat, and knelt down to the north.

"Your subject, Wang Yuanya, has failed Your Majesty's grace and has no face to live on."

Then, he drew his sword and held it across his neck.

Blood spurted out.

Zunhua fell.

Governor Wang Yuanya committed suicide to serve his country.