Chapter 10: The Slaughter After the Fall of the City
After bowing to these brothers, Liu Huaguang said
The ice and snow on the ground were melted by blood, and the blood water became increasingly red and thick, so thick that it was almost stagnant, hot enough to seem like it would melt the ice and snow below. The brave men shouted mournfully, "Kill the Eastern Invaders," waving their crude knives and guns as they charged at the Eastern Invaders. Perhaps they did not understand what the Ming Dynasty was, nor what the world was; their hearts were devoid of the lofty ambitions of seeking fame and fortune. They only wished to kill one Eastern Invader before they died, hoping that it would spare one more commoner from being killed by those invaders. Like ants, they harbored nothing but this humble hope.
The scene before him cannot merely be described as tragic, nor can it be summed up with the word "savage," as that would be overly simplistic. In the desperate cries, the crimson blood flowed like water, staining and melting the snow on the ground. Countless lives vanished before his eyes like ants. Witnessing all of this, Zhu Guoqiang felt a burning anger in his heart, but he also experienced a tinge of fear... a fear of death. He questioned himself, knowing he was not a coward; otherwise, he would not have just crossed over and been able to kill without psychological pressure for the sake of survival.
In front of Chen Changgang, Zhu Guoqiang instructed as he pushed open the door to the room on the third floor of the arrow tower
On the roadside, several Qing soldiers were grinning maliciously as they tore at a woman's clothing. A baby was crying beside its mother's corpse, when suddenly a rider galloped in, snatched the baby up, and in the midst of the baby's wails, hurled it against a blue brick wall
... ...
These ceremonial soldiers and tomb guards, when have they ever witnessed such a scene
Chen Changli, hurry up and send these fellows down, this city is about to fall apart!
Indeed, Liu Yuanwai, you need only command everyone, and their heads will bear scars as large as bowls
I hope it will be effective
Despite their hearts being shrouded in fear, at this moment, most of them did not think of fleeing. After all, they had no way to retreat
The city has fallen
Good, good, good brother
However, Liu Yuanwai, you, a distinguished scholar, are not afraid; why should we, the struggling commoners, be afraid of anything!
When the city fell, Liu Huaguang stared blankly at the burning arrow tower, remaining in a daze for quite some time.
The robust men in front of Liu Huaguang exchanged glances, each remaining silent. It was a slender man among them who stepped forward and spoke.
Kill
Connect these spears and rifles
"Bring the silver, bring the silver..."
Then he turned his head and spoke to the brothers behind him
Open the floodgate
The terrified old man held a handful of broken silver coins in his trembling hands, and before he could plead for mercy, the man struck down, severing his hands with a single blow. As the hands clutching the silver fell to the ground, they even twitched slightly, and then the blade descended once more upon his neck
Xu Sanlang said, even in death, one should have someone to take the blame for them
Is this ... ... the battlefield
Everyone, take a good look, who are these people surrounding the city? They are the Eastern invaders, the Eastern invaders. Those who have breached the city will surely massacre it. There is no hope for survival, so before dying, let us at least take someone down with us!
Seeing the soldiers still in a daze, he shouted once again
With a loud bang echoing from beneath the city gate, at the moment the heavy gate fell, the city gate was blocked. The civilians, pursued by the Qing army, looked on in despair at the heavy gate, desperately pounding on it, but the Qing army had already caught up...
He must have committed self-immolation in martyrdom
He looked in astonishment at the boxes of spearheads and the bundles of thick, round wooden gun barrels. Chen Changgen exclaimed in surprise
Have you always been here
Turning his head to look at his son and the strong men he had recruited with his dwindling family fortune, Liu Huaguang clasped his hands in salute and spoke
Open the floodgate
Good Ming Dog
Master Liu, you, a scholar, can exhaust your family fortune to protect Jinan; how much more can we, these rough men!
Father, the city has fallen!
In eighteen years, one will be a true hero again
A wild boar spear head costs 18, the wholesale price is 9.5 yuan, and a 2.8-meter gun barrel is 44 yuan. This has already cost over several hundred thousand. Furthermore, looking at that big fellow in the arrow tower, Zhu Guoqiang felt another pang of heartache.
The man dropped his severed hand and charged at Liu Huaguang with a knife. The other Qing soldiers, resembling a pack of bloodthirsty beasts, shouted as they rushed to kill these militia fighters. In contrast to the heavily armored Qing soldiers, the militia were only clad in cotton clothing and armed with either a waist knife or a long gun. As soon as the two sides clashed, a scene of bloody carnage erupted in the streets.
Yet beside him were faces drained of color from fear, and faintly, Zhu Guoqiang could even hear the teeth of those people clattering uncontrollably, and he could feel the thighs and bodies of those nearby trembling incessantly
When casually responding, Zhu Guoqiang still felt a pang of heartache.
Your Highness, Your Highness...
The Qing army burst into the city like a pack of mad dogs, scattering in an instant as they entered, and then indiscriminately slaughtering the citizens within the city, all the while shouting as they hacked away.
Faced with such slaughter, he felt a chill penetrate to his core. It took him a while to realize that it was not himself who was being killed. He saw that the Qing soldiers, who had been riding and hacking, were now less than ten zhang away from the moat. However, there were still many civilians at the foot of the city wall, crying out and trying to escape into the city. For them, the royal city was their last hope, the hope of survival
Your Highness, Your Highness... the Eastern invaders are pursuing us...
Eliminate this group of beasts
The same scene is unfolding in various corners of the southern city, where the air is filled with cries of slaughter. The Qing soldiers, pouring into the city through breaches in the city wall, are engaged in fierce combat with the local militia in the streets and alleys. Armed with kitchen knives and clubs, the citizens are resisting the invading Eastern bandits who are burning, killing, and looting. Despite many people humbly kneeling on the ground, attempting to offer silver to save their lives, the blades and guns striking their bodies serve as a reminder that prayers cannot guarantee survival. The Qing troops entering the city are facing unprecedented resistance, with many of them falling to the iron hoes and kitchen knives wielded by the populace. Despite many people humbly kneeling on the ground, attempting to offer silver to save their lives, the blades and guns striking their bodies serve as a reminder that prayers cannot guarantee survival. The Qing troops entering the city are facing unprecedented resistance, with many of them falling to the iron hoes and kitchen knives wielded by the populace.
Seeing that Your Highness still seemed a bit dazed, Ding Renjie, who was standing nearby, immediately shouted loudly
The brothers following him also rushed forward with knives and guns, striking the Qing army's armor with a loud "clang," which was deflected. Liu Huaguang saw the beast-like gleam erupting from the man's crimson eyes
Seeing Chen Changkang's skepticism, Zhu Guoqiang casually remarked
As Liu Huaguang stated, for the Qing army, which was without military pay, the moment after breaching the city was when they were the most unrestrained and frenzied, during which they would recklessly engage in killing and looting
Liu Huaguang, leading his brothers just down from the city wall, saw the scene before him and let out a loud roar as he charged towards the nearest Eastern invader with his sword drawn. The man had just severed a woman's wrist and was placing the bloodied silver bracelet into his pocket.
Brothers, these past few days have been arduous for all of you. Now that the city of Jinan has fallen, Governor Song and his men have already perished! I do not dare to compel any brother to accompany me to death. If any brother wishes to leave, I will not obstruct him.
Why is there no dust on these items? Moreover, they look so new
Always here
Governor Song, he, he ... ...
Liu Hanyi called out in some trepidation. Then he saw his father bowing deeply towards the arrow tower
The city walls can no longer be defended, so we shall go down to the city. Once those Eastern invaders enter the city, they will surely scatter to burn, kill, and plunder. We will kill the Eastern invaders in the streets and alleys
Zhu Guoqiang, standing on the city wall, was stunned by the horrific scene before him. As a man, he had harbored many romantic notions about the battlefield; to him, the battlefield was romantic and alluring. However, today, he witnessed the true nature of war with his own eyes. Although it was merely the beginning, it completely shattered the impressions he had formed from books and movies.
Where did these things come from