lcionline Chapter 469 Armed March and Standoff
Chapter 469 Armed March and Standoff
Before Commander Niu could react, Qin Tian rushed forward and slammed his command sword, scabbard and all, into his neck. Commander Niu collapsed to the ground before he could even utter the words, "Do you want to rebel?"
The city gate guards stirred, raising their spears and swords, nervously watching the army outside, but daring not to make the first move. They had never imagined encountering government troops who dared to force their way into Nanjing, and had no idea what to do.
However, the Qionghai Navy quickly taught them what to do.
Qin Tian led his special forces soldiers to the front, raising their rifle butts and smashing them down on the guards' heads while shouting, "Put down your weapons, put your hands on your heads and squat down!"
The defending soldiers were dazed and confused by the beating. The more timid ones immediately dropped their weapons and obediently squatted on the ground with their heads in their hands—their leader was already dead, so what was the point of resisting? Did they really want to fight these soldiers who had just come from the battlefield? Besides, these people looked fierce and menacing; even if they wanted to fight, they might not be able to win.
Some, used to being arrogant, tried to fight back, swinging their knives and cursing, "You've all got a death wish, daring to cause trouble in Nanjing? This is the capital city..."
The special forces soldier easily parried his slashes, and with a thrust, pierced him through.
The entire Bei'anmen Gate fell silent instantly. The rest of the soldiers who were itching to move were dumbfounded. Were these soldiers serious?
The Qionghai naval soldiers gave them no time to struggle with their thoughts. A large group of soldiers swarmed forward, beating and kicking them with rifle butts until they were all knocked to the ground. Learning from this experience, the defending troops dared not resist and endured the blows without uttering a sound.
After all the guards at the city gate had been disarmed and bound hand and foot, Liu Ye walked proudly into the city. Passing by the soldier who had been stabbed but was still breathing, he lightly kicked him and laughed, "You're only half right. We certainly all had the guts of a leopard. But you're wrong about the second half. You're not under the Emperor's nose; Chongzhen is a million miles away. You're just a bunch of cowards using the Emperor's name as a shield..."
The army followed Liu Ye into the city in single file. There were still guards on the city walls, but after witnessing everything that happened at the city gate, all they could do was watch these thousands of people leave.
Nanjing, being a secondary capital, possessed a relatively complete city defense mechanism. When the incident occurred at Bei'an Gate, the fleeing soldiers immediately alerted the Bei'an Gate garrison before the Qionghai Army entered the city. The report was then relayed up the chain of command, eventually alarming the Five Military Commissions and the Ministry of War.
A fully armed army broke through the city defenses of Beianmen and swaggered into the city with unclear intentions, causing an uproar at the Five Military Commissions and the Ministry of War.
Upon hearing this news, Minister of War Wang Lin's first reaction was that someone was rebelling. He immediately suspended all business in the government office and summoned everyone from the vice minister to the clerks, whether they were on duty or on sick leave, back to the office to deal with the matter.
When initial reports came back that the troops had been conscripted from Guangdong by the Ministry of War in Beijing to fight bandits, and that the conflict arose because they were prevented from entering the city by the garrison, Wang Lin breathed a sigh of relief. However, his emotions quickly turned to anger: if they were government troops who didn't even understand basic rules and forcibly broke into Nanjing, how were they any different from bandits?
He immediately ordered: "Order the North Gate Garrison to gather troops to block the Beian Gate. The Chihe Battalion, together with the rotating garrison troops, must immediately rush to the North City to intercept this army. Under no circumstances should they be allowed to approach the Meridian Gate!" Nanjing, like Beijing, also had a "Forbidden City" and a "Meridian Gate." The Meridian Gate was the main gate of the palace. If troops from other places were allowed to approach or even desecrate the palace, it would be a political incident—even if there were no imperial relatives or nobles in the Forbidden City in Nanjing at present—no one could bear this responsibility.
After the soldiers on duty left to carry out their orders, Wang Lin sent messengers to the residences of the Duke of Wei and the garrison eunuch to inform these two powerful figures. According to their division of responsibilities, the Ministry of War was in charge of the defense of the entire Southern Zhili region. Although the situation required expediency, and as the Minister of War had the authority to mobilize the rotating garrison troops within the city and some of the Beijing garrison troops, the military deployment within Nanjing required the consent of these two men to prevent them from accusing him of monopolizing power afterward.
After making the arrangements, Wang Lin, accompanied by several vice ministers, personally went to the front line to oversee the situation. The imperial army breaking into Nanjing was unprecedented since the city became the capital; mishandling the situation could at best make him a laughingstock, and at worst, lead to his dismissal. Fortunately, no reports of looting, arson, or vandalism had yet arrived, indicating that the other side was still relatively rational and the situation was still under control.
At this moment, Liu Ye was leading his army slowly through the wide street, heading south. The area was originally bustling and lively, but suddenly an army of several thousand people entered the city in a grand procession. Pedestrians and vendors on the street thought that bandits had entered the city and were so frightened that they scattered in all directions. Instantly, the whole street was in chaos. Shops lowered their doors, vendors packed up their stalls, and pedestrians went home to hide, as if the end of the world had come.
Liu Ye spread his hands innocently, "I offered my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon shone on the gutter. I was just entering the city peacefully, and everyone was fine, but I was forced to force my way in, frightening the people. This was not my intention!"
Yan Guang asked in a low voice, "General, we can't just wander around aimlessly like this. Where should we go?"
“That is a problem.” Liu Ye thought about it seriously, then snapped his fingers: “I’ve got it. It seems that the highest military institution in Nanjing is the Five Military Governor’s Office, right? We were dispatched by the Ministry of War in Beijing to fight in Southern Zhili. We were wronged when we entered the city, so we have to ask our superiors for an explanation. Let’s go to the Five Military Governor’s Office first! You’re a local from Nanjing, so you should know how to get there. Lead the way.”
So the army headed straight for the Imperial Road where the Five Military Governors' Office was located. The Imperial Road, near the Hongwu Gate outside the palace, was a wide street running north to south, popularly known as the "Thousand-Step Corridor." To the east of the Imperial Road were the offices of the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Works, while to the west was the Five Military Governors' Office.
Upon reaching the square outside Hongwu Gate, thunderous footsteps echoed from the streets to the east, west, and south. Large numbers of soldiers clad in mandarin duck-patterned battle jackets appeared, forming a defensive formation and blocking the path forward. A general shouted from afar, "Ahead lie the Six Ministries and the Forbidden City. No one is permitted to trespass. Halt!"
Seeing that the newcomers were hostile, the Qionghai Army also formed a battle formation to deal with them. The soldiers surrounded Liu Ye and his group in the middle, while the four infantry battalions of the Second Regiment formed a dense square formation to protect the four corners of Liu Ye and his group.
The vast Hongwu Gate Square was packed with thousands of people. Both sides had drawn their weapons, and tensions were palpable, with a sense of impending conflict.