Chapter 174: Forbidden City (Silver Alliance Leader Warm Sun 1314 Extra Chapter)

Outside Wu Men, several thousand civil and military officials gathered standing.

All that met the eye were birds and beasts; the scene was spectacular.

"Even when holding a grand court assembly, they couldn't gather this many people, could they?"

Lin Dao rode up on horseback, his horse whip sweeping across: "How many are here, three thousand? Four thousand?"

On this side, Wei Zao De hurriedly spoke: "Replying to the Grand Marshal, the various capital officials and supplementary appointees in the capital number over four thousand."

"There are actually this many."

Lin Dao was somewhat surprised.

He also hadn't expected that the Great Ming's capital officials alone numbered several thousand.

No wonder all kinds of supplies had to be embezzled thirty percent before leaving the capital city.

With this many people all needing to eat well, use well, and live well, if they didn't embezzle thirty percent, where would their benefits for living the good life come from?

Large batches of Righteous Army armored soldiers entered the Imperial Palace in a mighty, surging tide.

Correspondingly, the Guan Ning Army that had previously been searching for the Emperor's traces inside the Imperial Palace withdrew in queues.

Lin Dao wasn't stupid either; how could he possibly allow the Guan Ning Army and the Capital Camps to continue staying in the city?

They were all arranged to leave the city and garrison at designated positions.

"Hm?"

Lin Dao saw that among the Guan Ning Army exiting the palace, some people were carrying out headless corpses.

On this side, Wu Sangui hurriedly explained: "Grand Marshal, they are all soldiers who violated military discipline."

"They looted property and molested palace maids; this End Commandant has already disposed of them all by military law."

"Hmm~~~"

Once an army loses military discipline, it becomes the most ferocious bandits.

The Guan Ning Army's upkeep was considered not bad; there were far fewer incidents of this sort.

If it were Zuo Liangyu's troops, they would simply be even more bandit-like than bandits.

Lin Dao asked Liu San Dao: "Have the patrol camps been properly arranged?"

"Grand Marshal, seventy patrol camps have already been arranged, patrolling the whole city under strict alert."

"Anyone who dares take advantage of the chaos to commit crimes, kill without pardon."

The forest is large; all kinds of birds exist.

It's the same when there are many people.

In chaotic times, all kinds of reckless and audacious people, having lost shackles and constraints, naturally dare to do anything.

At this time, heavy punishments must be used to deter the petty villains.

"Don't just purely patrol the streets for prevention; you must also understand to take the initiative to strike and eliminate hidden dangers."

Lin Dao looked toward the dense crowds not far away and shouted: "Prefect of Shuntian, Wanping County and Daxing County officials, all step forward!"

A commotion arose in the crowd.

Before long, several dozen capital officials wearing bird-embroidered robes timidly stepped forward.

On Ming Dynasty civil officials' official robes, birds were embroidered.

While on military officers' official robes, beasts were embroidered.

Later generations said the court was full of birds and beasts; combined with their conduct, this is indeed a true statement.

"You all presumably know the city interior very well."

Lin Dao instructed with a pleasant expression: "You go act as guides, leading the soldiers to seek out the city foxes and temple rats, the beggar gangs' old nests and branch halls."

"Bring more bamboo poles and wooden clubs; don't let a single one slip through."

The capital officials breathed a sigh of relief; they weren't beheaded to establish authority, but assigned tasks.

This is a good thing.

If the tasks are done well, they might even be able to continue being officials afterward!

They immediately invested twelve parts of enthusiasm, actively leading the way to search for those gray forces' old nests in the city.

For these existences that contribute nothing and only bully the common people, Lin Dao has always directly eliminated them by physical means.

There are no city foxes and temple rats that cannot be eliminated.

Only those city foxes and temple rats backed by powerful figures are difficult to eliminate.

Another commotion in the crowd; another several dozen civil officials wearing bird-embroidered robes ran out, expressing that they were also Prefect of Shuntian, Wanping County and Daxing County capital officials, willing to serve the Grand Marshal.

"Not coming out before means harboring ulterior motives."

"Coming out now means deceiving and cheating me."

Lin Dao signaled Wu Sangui with his eyes: "Handed over to you."

Wu Sangui immediately led his household servants to rush up, knocking all these people to the ground.

Ropes tied on, they dragged them away by the hair cleanly and neatly.

Next, these people will undergo cruel torture interrogation.

Lin Dao believed that Wu Sangui, skilled with the bowstring, could torture out even more wealth than Li Zicheng.

Thousands of capital officials subconsciously retreated in unison.

This Grand Marshal doesn't seem as amiable as his face shows.

Only after the Righteous Army troops had completely seized control of the Imperial Palace did Lin Dao ride in on horseback.

The world-renowned Forbidden City.

Riding across the Jin Shui Qiao, Lin Dao suddenly burst into laughter.

"This is way more impressive than driving in."

No one knew why the Marshal was laughing, yet they all joined in with laughter of their own.

All the way to the front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Lin Dao dismounted and proceeded along the Imperial Way, carved with coiling dragons and set off by waves and flowing clouds, up to the terrace.

He tilted his head back to look at the plaque, inscribed with "Establish the Ultimate, Pacify the Way."

This plaque was ordered to be made by Zhu Di.

"Establish the Ultimate" comes from the Book of Documents: "The Emperor establishes the ultimate standard," implying the establishment of the world's ultimate principle, the Emperor himself being the ultimate of the world.

"Pacify the Way" comes from the Book of Documents: "The Great God above has conferred a moral nature on the people below. If they have constant virtue, they can pacify their way — only the sovereign."

The meaning is to pacify all the people of the world and establish human order.

"Heh." Lin Dao withdrew his gaze. "Son of Heaven, huh~~~"

He stepped forward, entering this vast Hall of Golden Bells.

The Hall of Golden Bells, also known as the Supreme Jin Luan Dian.

Built during the Yongle era, initially named the Hall of Heaven's Mandate, later renamed the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The Tartars later changed it to the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

This place is the true central pivot of the world in the genuine sense.

The most conspicuous thing in the hall interior is that Dragon Chair, looking resplendent with gold and jade.

Lin Dao took out his phone to record video, walking a full circle around the great hall.

Seeing that Lin Dao did not go sit on that Dragon Chair, Wu Sangui and the others all showed strange expressions, but they quickly disappeared without a trace.

Then he went to the Middle Harmony Hall (Hall of Central Harmony) behind it, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony (Hall of Preserving Harmony).

Lin Dao was relaxed all along, recording video and taking photos non-stop with his phone.

After the Hall of Preserving Harmony comes the Heavenly Street.

This is the dividing line between the front court and the rear palace.

Walking further back from here is the territory of the rear palace.

For the previous two hundred plus years, this place had always been the private domain of the Ming dynasty's successive emperors.

Today, after the entire Great Ming had thoroughly collapsed, all the former majesty and sacred inviolability had become waste paper.

Stepping through the Gate of Heavenly Purity, the Palace of Heavenly Purity came into view.

Walking further back from there is the Hall of Union and the Kun Ning Gong.

Earlier at the Three Great Halls in front, aside from soldiers, no other people were seen.

Arriving here, only then did he see crowds gathered under the distant palace walls.

They were all palace maids; not a trace of eunuchs was seen.

"Marshal."

Wu Sangui stepped forward to report: "When the End Commandant attacked the Jing City, the eunuch Wang Xiang Yao opened the city gate to welcome us."

"Traitor to his master." Lin Dao decided Wang Xiang Yao's fate with a single sentence.

Wu Sangui understood perfectly, retreating a few steps.

'Sorry, Chief Eunuch Wang, I spoke up for you, but unfortunately the Marshal wouldn't spare you.'

Before the Kun Ning Gong, even more palace maids had gathered, each and every one with a fearful, uneasy expression.

Wu Sangui reported again: "Marshal, the Empress, concubines, princesses, and so on, are all inside the hall."

He had previously strictly forbidden the Guan Ning Army from disturbing them, precisely because he anticipated Lin Dao might have some special tastes.

"Oh?"

Lin Dao's brows furrowed slightly, he stepped forward bypassing this place, heading for the Gate of Earthly Tranquility to enter the Imperial Garden.

Separated by a large batch of bodyguards, Wu Sangui, who had followed all the way, gazed at Lin Dao's retreating figure, deep in thought.

'From the looks of it, the Marshal is not a man of lust.'

'Truly one who accomplishes great things, treating beauty as nothing.'

'Only such an outstanding hero can seize the world!'

Lin Dao toured the Forbidden City all the way, naturally not for the Empress, concubines, and princesses.

He came for the Chongzhen Emperor.

If nothing unexpected happens, the Chongzhen Emperor should be on Mei Shan.

Exiting the Gate of Divine Might is Mei Shan.

The formal name of Mei Shan is actually Wan Sui Shan.

This is an earthen mountain piled up from soil.

It is said that Zhu Di, to strengthen the Imperial Palace's military defense, piled all the palace coal under Wan Sui Shan, hence the name Mei Shan.

Unexpectedly, after the Tartars entered the pass and occupied the Capital, this place was also renamed, called Scenery Mountain.

Standing at the foot of the mountain, Lin Dao instructed the bodyguards beside him: "Go up the mountain and search."

The bodyguards acknowledged the order and surged up the mountain to search carefully.

Mei Shan may be called a mountain, but it's actually just a dirt mound, not very large in area.

Without expending too much effort, bodyguards came down to report: "Found the Emperor!"

Wu Sangui realized: 'He actually ran to this place.'

When he entered the palace earlier, he had always thought the Emperor was hiding inside the palace.

The Forbidden City is said to have ten thousand rooms; searching room by room would take a very long time.

Moreover, he thought even if the Emperor wanted to die, the greater likelihood was throwing himself down a well, so he searched the water wells but did not come search Scenery Mountain.

"Huu~~~"

Lin Dao calmed his breath, stepping forward.

Everyone naturally followed along.

As expected, on a crooked-neck tree hung the Chongzhen Emperor, dressed in a Daoist robe.

Beside him was another keeping vigil.

"Marshal~~~"

The soldiers stepped forward and took the Chongzhen Emperor down; after a search, they found an imperial edict on his chest.

Lin Dao waved his hand, signaling to hand it to Wu Sangui. "You read it."

Wu Sangui hurriedly took it, opened it, and read it aloud before everyone.

"I, of meager virtue and insignificant body, have offended Heaven's wrath; yet it was all the ministers who misled me."

Reading here, Wu Sangui paused.

Obviously, the Emperor's resentment toward his ministers ran deep.

"I die with no face to meet my ancestors; I remove my crown and let my hair cover my face. Let the rebels divide the realm, but do not harm a single commoner."

The edict was short; while expressing his dissatisfaction, it also reflected his self-reproach.

Especially the final sentence — do not harm a single commoner — that one sentence alone was enough to uphold the bottom line.

Lin Dao stepped forward, surveying the Chongzhen Emperor's corpse.

He wore not a dragon robe but a Daoist robe.

Disheveled hair covered his face; one foot wore only a sock, the other was simply bare.

The news must have come too suddenly; at the time he was surely in great panic.

The King Qin troops suddenly mutinied, attacking the Forbidden City.

The bulk of the Capital Garrison also followed in rebellion.

In the end, only the Imperial Horse Supervisor's troops and part of the Embroidered Uniform Guard fought desperately for the Emperor.

The Imperial Horse Supervisor's troops fought fiercely.

Were it not for the Guan Ning Army's household servants holding fast to the death, plus Zhu Chunchen's defection and pincer attack, they might even have driven Wu Sangui out of the city.

Once the eunuch opened Wu Men, everything was over.

"I've done Li Zicheng's work for him."

Lin Dao raised an eyebrow, his gaze narrowing slightly, and murmured, "Historically, Li Zicheng failed to succeed, and instead lost the Han family's realm."

"I absolutely cannot do such a thing."

"Eliminate foreign troubles, throw myself into the Great Age of Navigation, with sword and plow, seek our Promised Land for the common people under heaven!"

"Hmm, Classic of Mountains and Seas would be quite suitable."

(End of Chapter)