On the high river beach, gunpowder smoke filled the air, and artillery shells from the Qing army on the other side continued to fall.
An armored personnel carrier stopped under the city wall. The commander blew a sharp whistle. A dozen soldiers jumped out of the vehicle and spread out to lie down. A "Woodpecker" machine gun was set up on the slope, condescending, ready to shoot.
Behind is the broken Nanjing City Wall. A few hundred meters away is the fortification area, and further ahead is the open river.
This is five kilometers south of Dinghuai Gate. This place has obviously not been breached yet, but the defenders on the defensive line have partially retreated. The defenders' own military police could not suppress them, and some military police even fled.
There was not a single Qing soldier below, but Ming army guards kept crawling out of the tunnel and running up.
The People's Guard machine gunners under the city wall lowered their muzzles, aiming at the approaching retreating troops, waiting for orders from their superiors. Although the eyes under the helmets were cold, their hands were a little trembling. Although they were deserters, they were our own troops after all.
of people.
The sound of the loudspeaker on the armored vehicle floated:
"We are the Imperial People's Guard, ordering you to return to combat positions immediately... His Majesty is still in Nanjing, and you are not allowed to take a step back. Anyone who violates this rule will be shot to death... Your defense has not been lost, and you have voluntarily given up shoot-to-kill... We are the Imperial People's Guard.
…”
The broken soldiers below were running closer and closer. They hesitated when they heard the broadcast. They stopped and looked at the armored vehicles in the distance above and the flying black sword military flags on a yellow background. They didn't know whether to continue running or go back.
The defeated soldiers at the back also followed up. Seeing that the people in front did not run away, they stopped to catch their breath and asked one after another:
"what happened?"
"Yes what's the matter?"
"People's Guard! I won't let you run away, I'll kill you without mercy!"
"Run, you're a fool if you don't run! Everyone in the north who didn't run away will die!"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a harsh hissing above his head, and a cloud of dust exploded from the soil under his feet.
The defeated soldiers were stunned. They looked up and saw smoke from machine guns in the distance. A People's Guard officer waved his hand to tell them to go back.
At this time, the "shoot to kill" order from the loudspeaker of the armored vehicle in the distance stopped, and an officer took a microphone and shouted on the spot:
"Everyone go back!...The Qinglu Emperor has already announced that he will capture Nanjing and burn it for ten days! Now you throw down your guns and run away. Soon Nanjing will be filled with corpses!...Not only Nanjing, but soon your hometown
It will be the same!... Her Majesty the Queen is still in Nanjing now, and it is up to you to defend her! If you are still a soldier of the Ming Dynasty, if you are still a man, go back and fight now!... As a soldier of the same Ming Dynasty, I do not want to be executed
You! I don’t even want to despise you!...Go back quickly!!!"
"Take Nanjing and burn it for ten days" and "It will be the same in your hometown" almost immediately woke up all the defeated soldiers. They looked at each other and rushed towards the defense line.
The People's Guard officer took off his hat, touched his sweaty hair, and let out a sigh of relief. The machine gunner on the side also lowered his head and secretly rejoiced.
Under the strict supervision of the People's Guard, the defenders on both sides of the gap in the defense line resumed their tenacious fighting, the gap in Dinghuai Gate did not continue to expand, and the entire Nanjing defense section avoided a full-line collapse.
…
Panic has spread to the Purple Mountain Fortress.
The news that the Qing army had entered Nanjing caused chaos here. The military police in the fortress had all been replaced by Zhu Yourong's Imperial Guards. Wearing helmets and holding submachine guns, they stood neatly in the central command hall, motionless and staring.
Not squinting, bringing a sense of stability to this chaotic hall.
Zhu Yourong was restless in her room, pacing around. She knew that she could not leave the command hall in this state, so she just asked the maid to go to the command hall every once in a while to get the latest battle report.
Next to her, Zheng Gongyin, Zheng Yucong, and Mrs. Li were all sitting there, staring at her anxiously. They were here to persuade Zhu Yourong to leave Nanjing. Shen Rongxuan originally asked Zhu Yourong to live in the Purple Mountain Fortress. On the one hand, it was difficult to break through, even if Nanjing Even if everything fell, the fortress would be impregnable; on the other hand, the Purple Mountain Fortress is connected to the transportation tunnel of the Yangtze River Defense Line. In critical moments, you can evacuate to other cities through the defense line tunnel.
But now the southern passage has been cut off. The Qing army has formed a breakthrough at Zimuzhou between Nanjing and Ma'anshan, and that section of the defense line has been lost. Moreover, more than a thousand meters of Dinghuaimen have been flooded. Now it is no longer possible to go south to Ma'anshan. If you want to leave, you can only go east to Zhenjiang. If the Qing army makes another breakthrough between Nanjing and Zhenjiang, it will be cut off at both ends and it will be completely impossible to go.
"Rong Rong," Mrs. Li looked at her anxiously, "We can't hesitate any longer! If you hesitate any longer... we will all fall into the hands of the Qing Dynasty!"
Zhu Yourong's face was pale, and he was holding on to a fan with all his strength. His chest kept rising and falling, and he suddenly stood up and started to pace again.
"Rongrong," Zheng Gongyin was so anxious that he had bubbles on his lips, "Rongrong, listen to me. Even Mr. Shen Ge has suggested that you leave now... Come on, let's go. Mr. Shen Ge will handle the Nanjing matter. of!"
Zhu Yourong stopped suddenly, with bloodshot eyes showing, and said in a dry voice:
"Have you heard about it too?"
"What did you hear?"
"The Qinglu Emperor promised to capture Nanjing and burn it with troops for ten days."
Zheng Gongyin and Mrs. Li looked at each other, and Mrs. Li said softly:
"Rong Rong, you believe this. Emperor Qinglu was just talking. He would do anything to capture Nanjing... He may not really be willing to send troops to burn and kill."
Zhu Yourong stared at her, his voice trembling:
"Nanny, you said you don't necessarily see it, what if you do?"
Mrs. Li licked her lips. Now she was just anxious to get Zhu Yourong to leave Nanjing. She couldn't imagine where this silly girl had heard the news. Now, compared to Zhen'er, it was getting harder and harder to leave.
Zhu Yourong had already asked his relatives to leave first. It was these royal relatives who insisted on accompanying the emperor because they were unwilling to do so. Now that the situation was critical, Zheng Gongyin had just quietly told Mrs. Li that he might as well leave first, but Mrs. Li No matter what, I can't let go of Zhu Yourong. This is no longer a question of whether to accompany the emperor or not. She breastfed Zhu Yourong, just like her own daughter. He left first regardless of her life or death. Zheng Gongyin could do it, but Mrs. Li couldn't.
Zheng Gongyin glanced at Mrs. Li and made nonsense to Zhu Yourong:
"Rongrong, it doesn't matter. Mr. Shen Ge will continue to send out messages saying that you are still in Nanjing..."
Zhu Yourong ignored his uncle's clumsy lie. He picked up a report on the table and said:
"Now there is a big hole in the defense line. The Qing captives want to use this hole to tear it open on both sides, but our defenders on both sides can still fight to the death. Why? Because the soldiers know that I am still in Nanjing! Xiang Qing's troops are here Helping me to block my mouth, their slogan is 'Your Majesty is still in Nanjing, you can't take a step back'! If I leave at this time, the soldiers' will to resist will collapse! Nanjing will be over!...Nanjing...Nanjing will be destroyed They burned, killed and looted for ten days! The tragedy of the Tenth Day in Yangzhou...the tragedy of the Tenth Day in Yangzhou is now alive in Nanjing!"
After saying that, she threw the report away, rushed to the inner room and slammed the door, threw herself on the bed and cried loudly, refusing to be opened by anyone.
Mrs. Li was still distressed and called the door. Zheng Gongyin came forward and quietly called her aside. With a wink, all the maids outside went out.
Zheng Gongyin whispered:
"Madam, you are His Majesty's wet nurse, and I am His Majesty's uncle. We are most familiar with His Majesty's character. Your Majesty is usually gentle and kind, but once he becomes stubborn, even eight horses can't pull him back."
Mrs. Li shook her head and said:
"Master Marquis, there is no need to persuade me. If you want to leave, please do so. If Your Majesty insists on staying, I will not abandon her and leave."
Zheng Gongyin waved his hand and said:
"Madam, I misunderstood. What I meant was..."
He came slightly closer and spoke of his plan in a voice so low that it was almost inaudible.
Mrs. Li was startled, stared at him and said:
"Master Marquis, this is hypocritical! ... Although Your Majesty is our own child, but ... she is the Emperor of Heaven after all! This matter is too big!"
Zheng Gongyin whispered:
"Madam, you are wrong. Madam, please think about it, who is her dearest person in this world?"
Mrs. Li observed his expression, rolled her eyes, and said slowly:
"If you want to talk about the closest people, it's naturally your majesty's grandfather, Prince Yanping, and the eldest princesses... But if you want to talk about the closest people, they are... the Marquis and my concubine."
Zheng Gongyin smiled and said seriously:
"That's right. It's you and me... Your Majesty is a very emotional child. If an outsider did this, it would naturally be a serious crime. But if we did this, even if she was angry for a moment, she would think about it later.
We are doing it for her own good, so it is over. The days are long, and we have saved His Majesty’s life now. Even if His Majesty has grievances, we will be able to slowly resolve them in the future. If we don’t act decisively today, Your Majesty will really fall into the hands of the Qing Dynasty.
, then we’ll have nothing.”
Mrs. Li nodded slowly, then hesitated and said:
"The commander of the Praetorian Guards, I know him very well. It's just the Praetorian Guards. Logically speaking, they only listen to His Majesty! How can we mobilize him?"
Zheng Gongyin said:
"Whoever said they were going to be transferred was just trying to reason with the commander of the Imperial Guard, explain the truth thoroughly, and ask him to cooperate... We are not seizing power or usurping the throne, it is for the good of His Majesty, everyone knows this
It makes sense. Even if he is the commander of the Imperial Guard, no matter how much he claims to be loyal to His Majesty, he is still a human being and does not want to wait for death in Nanjing. If we support him, I will promise him a large sum of money and give it to him later.
Having spent half his life in glory and wealth, and this is not a serious crime of rebellion, there is no reason for him not to cooperate... Haha, it is said to be His Majesty's Guards, but in fact His Majesty doesn't care much about the Guards at all. She is closer to the People's Guards.
That's true. In fact, when it comes to the Imperial Guards, Madam, you are more familiar with them than His Majesty."
Mrs. Li was moved by his words. She glanced at the closed door of the inner room and thought about Zhu Yourong who was being stubborn inside, so she nodded and said:
"Okay, Lord Marquis, I will go and tell the commander of the Imperial Guard!"
…
Zhu Yourong had cried enough in the bedroom. She got up and wiped her eyes. She felt a little strange why her nanny and uncle didn't continue to knock on the door to persuade her. She sat there for a while, and finally couldn't help but opened the door and went out.
The wet nurse and uncle were no longer there, but two Guards soldiers were standing in the room. When they saw her coming out, they looked at each other and then stood at attention.
Zhu Yourong was very surprised, why could the Imperial Guard soldiers enter his room?
she asked:
"Why are you here?"
A soldier looked at his companion and said:
"Your Majesty, it's... the commander ordered us to come."
"Why are you called here?...Well, where is Mrs. Li?"
Zhu Yourong said and walked out.
The two soldiers looked at each other again, gritted their teeth, and stepped in front of Zhu Yourong.
Zhu Yourong was startled, looked up at them, and said with a smile:
"What's wrong with you?... Is there anything you want to say to me?"
A soldier said bravely:
"Your Majesty, please rest in your room for the time being. The Marquis...the Marquis and Mrs. Li are arranging for Your Majesty to leave the capital. He will be there soon. Please...please Your Majesty not to go out."
Zhu Yourong's eyes slowly widened, and she couldn't believe it. She was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said:
"Nonsense, get out of the way, I want to go out."
Another soldier raised his arm, stopped in front of Zhu Yourong, and said loudly:
"Your Majesty, we have an ironclad order to protect your Majesty in this room. Please don't go out!"
The first soldier quickly added:
"Mrs. Li said that Nanjing will fall soon. This is for your Majesty's good!"
Zhu Yourong looked at them. Slowly, she finally realized what happened.
Coup. House arrest.
Her head buzzed, and her heart felt intense pain...