222: The Forbidden City was demolished and a new dynasty was established. The Martyrs' Shrine was built to comfort the souls of the fallen heroes. Discussions were held on strategies for conquering Russia in the snowy mountains.

The dew of the fifth watch still clung to the bright silver armor of the Black Armor Cavalry, and the fifty-thousand-strong army had already formed ranks outside the nine gates of the Forbidden City.

General Tu struck his bright silver spear against the ground, and thirty thousand Black Armor Cavalry raised their blades in unison; the blades reflected the morning light, shining even brighter than the Dragon flags on the city walls.

Xie Hui rode his horse, his black iron sword scabbard tapping against the saddle, emitting a "clang" sound—this was the secret signal agreed upon with the Commander of the Nine Gates.

"Creak—" The Zhengyang Gate suddenly opened a crack, and the Commander of the Nine Gates, Total Leader of Heaven and Earth Society, poked half his body out and cupped his hands toward Xie Hui: "General Xie, the thirty thousand Imperial Guards inside the city have surrendered; they are just waiting for you to enter the city!"

Songgotu had long been impatient; he spurred his horse to charge at the very front, his Small Scale jingling at his waist: "Commander Chen, where is the silver treasury of the Forbidden City? This official must count it first, lest it be stolen by someone!"

"Lord Suo!" Wei Xiaobao hurriedly grabbed his horse's reins, "Break the city first, then count the silver! If the Kangxi Emperor finds out you are eyeing the silver treasury, he will chop off your head!"

Xie Hui shook his head with a smile and pointed his sword toward the city tower: "General Tu, you take the Black Armor Cavalry to control the high ground; Long'er, use the improved cannon to blast the moat drawbridge; Fang Yi, take the Heaven and Earth Society brothers to cut off the rear, don't let the remaining Qing Army escape; AQi, you come with me to the Fengtian Hall to receive the Kangxi Emperor."

Before the words had faded, fire arrows were suddenly shot from the city tower, hitting Songgotu's official hat squarely. "Ouch!" He hurriedly took off his hat, revealing his singed hair, "The Qing Army dares to resist! This official's official hat was bestowed by the Kangxi Emperor; they must pay for it!"

Long'er's improved cannon was already set up, and with a "boom," the fireball smashed the drawbridge, sending up huge splashes in the moat. The Black Armor Cavalry charged into the city across the pontoon bridge, the sound of bright silver blades slashing one after another; the Imperial Guards had indeed defected, raising "Shuntian" flags pointing toward the Qing Army camp.

Xie Hui brought AQi and charged into the Fengtian Hall, just in time to run into the Kangxi Emperor taking a few eunuchs and running toward the rear hall. "Your Majesty!" He hurriedly dismounted, "This general has arrived late to protect you!"

The Kangxi Emperor turned around, his Dragon robe stained with a bit of dust, but he laughed heartily: "Not late! I had long calculated that the city would fall today! Xie Hui, convey my decree: all who surrender to the Qing Army shall be forgiven for past misdeeds; all who offer stubborn resistance shall be executed without mercy!"

Songgotu appeared from nowhere at this moment, clutching a golden incense burner in his arms, his Small Scale still hanging at his waist: "Your Majesty, the incense burners in the Fengtian Hall have all been inventoried by this official; there are thirty-three in total, and every single one is a treasure!"

"Songgotu!" The Kangxi Emperor straightened his face, "Attend to serious matters first! I let you manage the Ministry of Revenue, not move incense burners!"

Everyone was amused, and the tense atmosphere relaxed quite a bit. AQi suddenly pointed toward the rear hall: "General Xie, there are experts in ambush!"

Sure enough, several masked men leaped down from the rafters, holding poisonous Short Blades in their hands—they were remnants of the Divine Dragon Cult. AQi drew her Scimitar, her red clothes fluttering, and she cut down three of them in the blink of an eye; Xie Hui swept his black iron sword horizontally, knocking down two more, and the rest knelt on the ground to surrender: "Spare our lives! We are Wu Sangui's men, here to snatch the forty-two chapter sutra!"

Xie Hui's heart tightened, and he touched the small universe key in his chest—all eight scripture books were inside, absolutely safe. He had the prisoners taken away and turned to say to the Kangxi Emperor: "Your Majesty, the Forbidden City has fallen; it is time to establish the New Dynasty."

Atop the Meridian Gate, Xie Hui personally tore down the Dragon flag and unfurled a large flag embroidered with the character "Hui," red background with gold thread, flapping loudly in the wind. Shuanger held the spirit tablet of Mao the Eighteenth, Mu Jianping scattered flower petals, Zeng Rou hugged the ordnance register, Chen Yuanyuan carried a wooden plaque inscribed with "Ancestral Shrine of Loyal Martyrs," and Songgotu was actually hugging a large incense burner, saying it was an offering for the shrine.

"Bow to the loyal martyrs!" Xie Hui led the way in kneeling, and the fifty-thousand-strong army behind him bowed their heads simultaneously—on Mao the Eighteenth's spirit tablet, the three golden characters "earl of loyalty and righteousness" shone brightly in the sunlight. Wei Xiaobao wiped away a tear and placed a Tsarist Russian saber in front of the spirit tablet: "Big Brother Mao, this is what I brought for you; in the future, if anyone dares to be disrespectful, I will use this saber to chop them!"

With the New Dynasty newly established, everyone gathered at the Fengtian Hall to discuss. Tu Hai unfolded a map and pointed toward Jade Dragon Snow Mountain: "This general is willing to lead twenty thousand Black Armor Cavalry to sweep away the remnants of Wu Sangui and incidentally teach the Tsarist Russian ice-flame cannons a lesson."

Zeng Rou handed over the improved blueprints: "The ice-flame cannons rely on saltpeter to create ice; our fireball cannons can break them. I added sulfur to the cannon powder; it will ignite upon encountering ice."

Chen Yuanyuan nodded: "The guides from the Miao village are already standing by at the foot of the snow mountain; they are familiar with the terrain and can avoid the ice traps."

Songgotu suddenly raised his hand, his Small Scale still clutched in his hand: "The golden buddha on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain must be inventoried by this official! And the commercial treaty with Tsarist Russia—we must set the tariffs higher, otherwise we will be at a disadvantage!"

"All you think about is silver!" Wei Xiaobao kicked him, "Win the battle first! I still have to go to Yihong Courtyard to tell Miss Xiao Hong that the New Dynasty has been established and she doesn't have to sell her singing anymore!"

Xie Hui smiled and waved his hand: "Lord Suo is right; provisions and military pay are indeed important. In that case, Songgotu will remain in the capital to manage the Ministry of Revenue and the Ancestral Shrine of Loyal Martyrs; Wei Xiaobao will serve as the General Who Pacifies the Distant Lands, assisting General Tu in conquering the snow mountain; AQi will be the cavalry commander, Zeng Rou will supervise the manufacture of firearms, Chen Yuanyuan will pacify the old departments, and Shuanger and Mu Jianping will manage logistics and the infirmary."

After the meeting adjourned, Shuanger hugged the account book and found Xie Hui: "Brother Hui, should the forty-two chapter sutra in the small universe be enshrined in the Ancestral Shrine of Loyal Martyrs?"

"Not for now," Xie Hui touched the key, "Wait until we take Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and find the Treasure Trove; then we will let them see the light of day again. By the way, enshrine Big Brother Mao's big saber in the shrine too, so that future generations will know that this world was bought with the lives of countless heroes like him."

Night fell, and the palace lanterns of the Forbidden City lit up one by one. Songgotu was indeed fiddling with the incense burner at the Ancestral Shrine of Loyal Martyrs, muttering: "Brother Mao, this official has offered you three sticks of incense; once we dig up the golden buddha, I will cast a golden body for you..."

AQi was teaching the cavalry Scimitar techniques at the Drill Grounds, Zeng Rou was testing new cannons at the firearms camp, Chen Yuanyuan was writing a commercial treaty for Tsarist Russia, Wei Xiaobao was pestering Shuanger for silver to buy a gift for Xiao Hong, Mu Jianping was changing dressings for the wounded, and Tu Hai was marking the route to the snow mountain on the map.

Xie Hui stood atop the Meridian Gate, watching the myriad lights below the city tower. On the first night of the New Dynasty, there was no war, no harsh taxes, and the common people opened their doors to welcome the peace bought by the hot blood of countless brothers and beauties. He knew that the ice-flame cannons of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the ambitions of Tsarist Russia were still waiting for them, but as long as these people were by his side, there was no hurdle they could not overcome.

"Brother Hui!" Shuanger's voice came from behind him, holding a bowl of hot soup in her hands, "Drink some soup; tomorrow you still have to send General Tu off on his expedition."

Xie Hui took the soup, the heat making his eyes warm. He suddenly remembered the morning mist of the Black Water River, the poisonous smoke of Fangshan, the persuasion to surrender in Tongzhou, the firelight in Changping, and remembered Mao the Eighteenth's big saber, Zeng Rou's ordnance register, AQi's Scimitar, and Songgotu's Small Scale—these people and these events were all the foundation stones of the New Dynasty.

"Shuanger," he said softly, "After we finish fighting at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, we will hold the wedding, marry all the sisters, and hold it in front of the Ancestral Shrine of Loyal Martyrs so that Big Brother Mao can watch too."

Shuanger blushed like a palace lantern, but nodded firmly: "Okay, I will go prepare the wedding garments, using Cloud Brocade from Tongzhou, and embroider the 'Defeating the Enemy' pattern on them."