The fire in Thanh Hoa City burned for two days and two nights.
The city is all made of wooden buildings, and it is impossible to put out a fire like this.
The horse fodder and grain that were originally used to defend the city have now been burned to ashes.
On the third day, it suddenly rained heavily and the fire was extinguished.
Chen Ying looked at the raindrops falling on the back of his hands and was very confused.
"Your Highness, why is the rain here black?"
After Zhu Qiyu heard this, he stood up and came outside the tent. He was shocked when he saw the black rainwater accumulating on the ground.
The reason is simple: the dust from the fire was mixed into the rainwater.
But the problem is that it can turn the rain black, so you can imagine how terrifying this fire is.
After the rain, the sky clears up and the clouds open to reveal the sun.
The black dust returned to the earth along with the rain, and the burning smell in the air disappeared. It seemed that the fire never happened at all.
Zhu Qiyu took a deep breath of fresh air and immediately ordered: "Let's start!"
Chen Ying immediately sent an order: "The engineer battalion will stay at the position, while the others change their guns, load their bullets, and enter the city!"
At this time, Qinghua City has become a hell on earth.
There are broken walls and ruins everywhere, puddles of black water on the ground, dead bodies everywhere, and flies flying all over the sky...
Thanh Hoa City is the capital of the Annan Kingdom. It originally had a population of more than 100,000 people, but with the troops mobilized from various places, the total number was 200,000.
There were tens of thousands of casualties in this battle. The most fatal thing was the fire that followed. Since the city gates were all closed, everyone had no place to escape. The vast majority of people were either burned to death by the fire or inhaled.
Too much smoke, suffocating to death.
Most of those who survived had varying degrees of burns.
Although the sky has cleared after the rain and the air has been filtered, many people are still coughing desperately, but it is because they have inhaled too much smoke and dust, which hurt their lungs.
The South City Gate and a large area of the city wall collapsed. Some people from the Shenji Battalion were left to guard the position. The rest were divided into more than ten teams, first taking over the city defense, and then entering the city in batches.
"The Ming army has entered the city!"
"The Ming army has entered the city!"
The Annan people who were lucky enough to survive learned that the Ming army had entered the city, and immediately fled in panic from the streets and found a nook and corner to hide.
The Shenji Battalion did not encounter any resistance along the way. They divided their forces to control the main entrances and exits of each street, and soon arrived at the palace.
Emperor Li Sicheng and his son had already fled, and the eunuchs and maids in the palace also fled in all directions.
Some ministers in the city who had not had time to escape, or who were unwilling to flee because they were guarding their property, heard that the Ming army was entering the city, so they simply wrote a surrender form, ran outside the palace, and knelt in line.
Annan people are deeply influenced by Han culture, especially the court ministers, most of whom have read Confucius and Mencius. Here, they also pay attention to the etiquette of monarchs and ministers.
However, at this point, no one cares about the king and his ministers. As long as we can survive, we will be the ministers of whoever becomes the king!
The leader was Pan Peng, the Minister of Rites, who not only knelt down first to ask for surrender, but also went bare-chested and carried thorns on his back.
When the others saw this scene, they couldn't help but feel jealous.
The Minister of Rites is different, everyone is surrendering, and they still know how to plead guilty. Are you angry or not?
It was enough for me when I was an official, but now that I have surrendered, the trouble is even worse...
At this time, there was a noise in the distance.
Chen Ying took people to see him, and saw a man dressed as a military general walking towards him with more than a dozen soldiers, so he stepped forward to stop him.
"Stop!"
The leading general quickly knelt down and saluted, and said in stiff Chinese: "I am Fan Jinglong, the Minister of War, and I want to see the general of the Celestial Dynasty!"
With such a general name, it’s no wonder that Annan people are rough in their work.
Since the Ming army occupied the city and landed, and marched all the way, it has only taken two months until now. Annan does not even know who is leading the troops...
Anyway, it shouldn’t be wrong to call him a general.
Chen Ying asked again: "What's the matter with you?"
Fan Jinglong waved his hand, and the people behind escorted someone forward.
"General, this person is from the Annan royal family, Li Sicheng's younger brother, Prince Gong Li Kechang, who was specially captured to offer to the general!"
Hearing this, several civil servants kneeling aside couldn't help but turn blue.
Look at others, they are also surrendering. I am holding up a surrender form. Although I have racked my brains and written it as beautifully as possible, they have arrested a prince, how sincere it seems!
Pan Peng, the Minister of Rites, looked at the thorns behind him and sighed secretly in his heart. He thought he was superior, but he didn't expect that there were people above him, and there were scrolls outside the scrolls...
Chen Ying stepped forward to take a look, and saw that this man had disheveled hair and was extremely embarrassed. He didn't look like a prince.
Fan Jinglong was still introducing, saying that Prince Gong had a chance to survive by hiding in a dry well. When he was pulled out of the well today, he was still shivering.
It is conceivable that the terror, like a nightmare, is still lingering in his heart.
In fact, Annan people are not all weaklings. They even have a tradition of martial arts and have a relatively brave temperament.
However, any brave person who encounters crushing firepower and the two armies are fighting will be bombed before they reach the front. The impregnable Thanh Hoa City is like a paper lake in front of other people's artillery.
, in this case, the so-called bravery becomes ridiculous.
This is the case with Prince Gong Li Kechang. Even though this person looks like a quail, his identity cannot be underestimated. He is responsible for the defense of Qinghua City!
Similar to the British Duke of the Ming Dynasty, Wei Guogong of Nanjing was responsible for the city defense of Kyoto, and naturally had considerable power.
Such a person can never be a coward.
If the Ye Ming Army really entered the city, he would take the lead and try his best to fight the Ming Army to the end.
However, after experiencing thousands of cannons being fired, he resolutely chose to hide in a dry well, huddled in a dark corner like a quail, and his last bit of courage was reduced to ashes with the fire.
There was only one thought left in his mind: this Ming army was a force from heaven and could not be defeated!
Those cannons are even more extraordinary than human beings. They can reduce all fortified cities to nothing, and can kill hundreds of thousands of elites in an instant!
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In fact, if you think rationally, it is not difficult to find that the Ming army also has weaknesses.
Artillery is easy to use in positioning, but it is difficult to fight guerrillas.
Furthermore, when the Ming army fought in a foreign land, the ammunition and supplies they carried were very limited. As long as they dispersed their forces, they constantly sent small groups of troops to harass and avoid frontal decisive battles, or they could break up into pieces and hide in the mountains and forests.
, the Ming army wanted to win, but it was extremely difficult.
However, they chose the stupidest way, which was to gather elite troops and defend the city in an attempt to strengthen the walls and clear the country, dragging the Ming army to death.
As everyone knows, their firepower has long exceeded the imagination of the Annan people. In front of such artillery, no matter how strong the city is, it will become meaningless.
Li Kechang was curled up like a bereaved dog, looking helpless.
To this day, there is no difference between the so-called Annan Kingdom and a joke.
The emperor has run away, and as a prince, he will definitely die.
Chen Ying nodded and said to Fan Jinglong: "Your name is Fan Jinglong, right? What kind of minister are you?"
Fan Jinglong hurriedly replied: "The guilty minister is Fan Jinglong, the Minister of War!"
"Well done, just right, I have a task for you!"
"Please give me your orders, General!"
Chen Ying first asked: "How many troops are there in Qinghua City now?"
Fan Jinglong's expression changed, and he quickly said: "The guilty minister fought against the heavenly soldiers and will never be forgiven. Today, he repented and welcomed the king. Long live, long live, long live the Ming Emperor! Everyone from top to bottom of Annan sincerely surrenders..."
Behind him, Pan Peng's eyes were red and he thought to himself, this should be my word!
You are a military commander, why do you talk so much?
You have said all the nice things, what do you want us civil servants to say?
This is a rhythm that will kill people!
Chen Ying was too lazy to listen to this, so he waved his hand and said impatiently: "I'm just asking you, how many more troops do you need? Why are you talking so much nonsense!"
Fan Jinglong thought for a while and said: "Excluding the disabled, there are about ten thousand people."
"Well, now you listen carefully, organize these people immediately, clean up the dead bodies on the streets, and spread a layer of lime or plant ash on the streets to prevent diseases. Also, organize some young and strong people to go to the city.
Open the mountains to cut trees and build houses!"
"Ah?"
Fan Jinglong didn't understand. Shouldn't there be a surrender discussion first? Why did he suddenly start making arrangements?
Moreover, what about cleaning dead bodies and what about laying plaster...
Instead of taking inventory of the palace's belongings and plundering the people, you still build houses for them?
It doesn’t make sense!
Seeing him standing there in a daze, Chen Ying said dissatisfiedly: "Why, can't you understand?"
"This, this... I understand, but..."
"Go and execute it if you understand it. I'm warning you that assigning you a task is a sign of trust in you. If it's good, it will benefit you in the future. If it's bad, don't say I didn't give you a chance!"
"Yes, obey!"
Fan Jinglong didn't dare to hesitate, so he immediately summoned his men and left in a hurry.
Seeing Fan Jinglong, a martial artist, suddenly being reused, Pan Peng and others couldn't stand it anymore.
I am the Minister of Rites, responsible for the education of the entire Annan Kingdom. If you want to take over Thanh Hoa, or even Annam, you should come to me!
"This, may I ask the general..."
"I heard that you are also a prince?"
Chen Ying didn't seem to notice a group of people kneeling behind him, but instead came to Prince Gong Li Kechang.
"Tell me, what is your relationship with King Annan?"
Pan Peng was asking for trouble, so he had to shut up and secretly became a melon-eater.
Li Kechang said tremblingly: "I...the guilty minister is, the emperor...no, he is the younger brother of Annan King Li Sicheng..."
Chen Ying nodded and said, "Come in with me!"
Li Kechang bowed his head and said: "Yes!"
He didn't know what he was facing, but he had a vague feeling that there might be no good results.
Is it necessary to behead the public?
Still paraded in the street, and then chopped...
At this moment, he cursed Li Sicheng in his heart, "You ran away, what should we do?"
Having the same father as you in this life is a big misfortune!
The royal palace in Thanh Hoa City was built in recent years. During the design, fire protection was specifically considered. Therefore, it was less affected by the fire and was relatively intact.
Chen Ying brought Li Kechang to the main hall and said, "This is His Royal Highness King Xi of the Ming Dynasty!"
Li Kechang hurriedly knelt down and saluted: "The guilty minister Li Kechang, please bow to His Highness King Xi!"
Zhu Qiyu asked: "Who are you?"
"The guilty minister is the younger brother of Li Sicheng, King of Annan, and was named Prince Gong."
Zhu Qiyu nodded and said: "The fire in Qinghua City was so big that tens of thousands of people died. As a survivor, you should feel very happy, right?"
Li Kechang cried and said: "Fortunately...happiness!"
Zhu Qiyu smiled faintly and said: "When I, the Ming Dynasty, sent envoys to negotiate peace with you, did you ever think of today?"
"The sinner Hu Tu, please forgive me!"
"Forgive me, um..."
Zhu Qiyu pondered for a moment and said, "So, do you know you are wrong?"
Li Kechang had already cried bitterly: "The guilty minister realizes his mistake, and please spare his life. The guilty minister is willing to act like a cow or a horse to repay His Highness!"
Zhu Qiyu frowned and said: "You are also a member of the royal family, how can you act like a cow or a horse?"
Li Kechang felt very desperate. Looking at the meaning, he was not going to let him go.
It's no wonder that since the city is destroyed, the people of Annan can stay, and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty can stay, but only the royal family cannot stay!
Zhu Qiyu continued: "Annan has been the land of the Ming Dynasty since ancient times. It has been stolen by you for a long time. Now that we have returned to the Ming Dynasty, we should restore the old name of Jiaozhi Dusi. Since it is the capital, there will be no King Annan. I will give the emperor some advice later.
How about making you the Duke of Yue?"
Li Kechang was stunned. If you don't kill me, you still want to make me the Duke of the country?
It doesn’t make sense!
I am a descendant of the Annan royal family. Aren’t you afraid that I will seek revenge on you?
Chen Ying said impatiently behind him: "Your Highness is asking you something, are you deaf?"
Li Kechang nodded quickly and said: "Of course I am willing, thank you for your grace, and thank you for your grace, His Majesty the Ming Dynasty!"
Zhu Qiyu waved his hand and said: "Don't thank me in a hurry. I am not that easy to be the Duke of the Ming Dynasty. I need to make great military exploits. What achievements can you make?"
Li Kechang wondered, are you kidding me?
I am a surrendered general, but I have so much merit!
"The guilty minister...has no merit..."
"Do you want to make meritorious deeds?"
Li Kechang was stunned for a moment and hurriedly said: "Whatever His Highness orders!"
Zhu Qiyu then smiled and said: "Qinghua has been destroyed, and only Shenglong City is left in Annan Kingdom. That Li Sicheng has probably fled here. If you can lead people to capture Shenglong, you will be the Duke of Yue Kingdom in Ming Dynasty."
, it’s yours!”
Li Kechang frowned and thought quickly in his mind.
Asking me to lead people to defeat Shenglong means telling all Annan people that I, Prince Gong, have completely become a lackey of the Ming Dynasty.
As a result, even if I rise up in the future and call on everyone to rebel, I'm afraid no one will listen to me.
However, this is the only chance to survive.
What's more, it's only a matter of time before the Ming army captures Thang Long, purely to give themselves a chance.
Do you still need to think about whether to be buried with Li Sicheng or to become the Duke of Ming Dynasty?
"Back to Your Highness, the guilty minister is willing to lead troops to kill the hypocrite Li Sicheng. However, the walls of Thang Long City are high and the pond is deep, and a large amount of grain and grass are stored in the city. I am afraid it will be difficult to break through in a short time."
Zhu Qiyu smiled and said: "You don't need to take care of the siege, you just need to show up!"
Li Kechang was not confused and immediately fell to the ground.