Chapter 59

"Close the city gates, quickly close the city gates!" Ao Tuo, the city gate commander, rubbed his eyes hard and looked down at the city, where a dense crowd suddenly appeared, like an endless sea of black, numbering at least a hundred thousand.

"When did they reach the city gates?" Ao Tuo was filled with panic. Ao Bai had been on the throne for several days, and everything had been calm. How could so many troops suddenly appear? Could it be that the loyalist forces had arrived?

He had risen from being one of Ao Bai's household guards to become the commander of the northern gate of the capital, a lucrative position. In just two days, he had already earned nearly a thousand taels of silver. Could this be coming to an end?

Under Ao Tuo's tense gaze, the city gates quickly closed. Not long after Ao Bai launched his rebellion, all four city gates were placed on high alert, ready to close immediately in case of any emergency.

Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian and his troops, upon reaching the city of Beijing, initially wanted to seize the city gates and storm into the city. However, suddenly finding themselves in a strange world, his soldiers were somewhat disoriented. Only some elite troops attempted to assault the city gates, such as the Yang family troops at the southern gate, the Yue family troops at the western gate, and the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry at the northern gate. Unfortunately, they had only covered half the distance when the city gates were already closed.

"Troops, rest on the spot for half an hour, then launch the attack!" The generals under the Eight-Nation Alliance ordered their troops to rest on the spot, to restore their morale before attacking the city.

"Listen up, people inside the city, immediately let Ao Bai come out and speak, or else, once the city is breached, your heads will be at risk!" Emperor Chongzhen spurred his horse and shouted at the city gate, full of spirit.

"Ao Bai, come out!"

"Ao Bai, come out!"

...

Emperor Chongzhen's troops echoed his call. The shouts grew louder and louder, spreading far and wide, causing a chain reaction. The sound waves even shook the white clouds in the sky, and the buildings in the capital trembled slightly.

Inside the imperial palace, Ao Bai sat high on the dragon throne, wearing a golden dragon robe, his face slightly pale.

As soon as he returned to his world, Ao Bai secluded himself in his mansion to consume the Shaolin Great Return Pill. He successfully refined the pill's effects, and his Golden Bell Shield broke through to the seventh level. However, he always felt an invisible force moving within his body.

In the world of "Deer and the Cauldron," martial artists who cultivated true qi were already considered skilled. After consuming the Shaolin Great Return Pill, Ao Bai had broken through to the peak of the Later Heaven realm.

In a world where even Later Heaven late-stage experts were hard to find, the peak of the Later Heaven realm was extremely rare. Therefore, the people here had no concept of the Innate realm.

Having visited the Multiverse Tower once, Ao Bai naturally understood the Innate realm and had seen the might of many Innate experts.

The hidden force that continuously disrupted his true qi, Ao Bai believed, was a sign of breaking through to the Innate realm, so he did not pay much attention to it, considering it a minor injury.

He was completely unaware that the hidden force was shot into his body by Lu Xiaofeng, disrupting his cultivation and causing him to feel smug.

"Your Majesty, your imperial edict has been fully delivered to the three feudal lords. Wu Sangui, Geng Jingzhong, and Shang Kexi have all responded, willing to follow your orders," a common strategist under Ao Bai said, now a third-rank official, speaking with pride.

After ascending the throne, Ao Bai first bestowed titles and positions to his subordinates, each receiving a lucrative position.

To win over the powerful generals who held real power, Ao Bai gave each of them a generous title.

For the powerful three feudal lords, Ao Bai directly granted them the status of independent states. After being on the throne for more than two days, only a few small-scale rebellions had occurred, while the rest of the regions were as stable as a rock, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.

However, a heavy stone still weighed on his chest.

The strange looks the emperors, including Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian, gave him at the end of the auction made him restless, even causing him to have nightmares about being beheaded and hung at the Meridian Gate, exposed to the sun for nine days, feeling the stench in his dreams.

"Ao Bai, come out!"

"Ao Bai, come out!"

...

The roar, like a tidal wave, directly reached the Hall of Secretaries, and Ao Bai could even feel the ground trembling slightly.

"What's going on?" Ao Bai roared at the city gate. Who dared to be so insolent? Such a major event, and no one reported it to him. Was he not being taken seriously as the emperor?

"Your Majesty, a large number of troops, no less than a hundred thousand, have appeared around the city gates," a guard said, trembling. The dense crowd had already frightened them.

As for whether it was a hundred thousand or more, they were not sure.

Hearing this, Ao Bai's face changed. "You immediately dispatch the Eight Banners troops to each city gate. I will go to the city gate to take a look."

Suddenly, the appearance of a hundred thousand troops made Ao Bai realize the severity of the situation. Even if the loyalist forces arrived, they would number at most a few tens of thousands. Now, this situation could only mean one thing.

Ao Bai left the Hall of Secretaries, mounted a black steed outside, and as the new emperor, he allowed the martial generals to ride horses into the court, while the civil officials either rode horses or walked, and only women rode in sedan chairs.

The martial generals were naturally delighted. It took them a full half an hour to reach the Hall of Secretaries from their mansions, but now it only took a few minutes on horseback.

Inside the imperial palace, Ao Bai rode swiftly towards the city gate, heading for the northern gate.

Standing on the city gate, Ao Bai looked down at the countless troops below. The familiar figure at the front of the army made him glare and roar, "Chongzhen, you dog emperor!"

"Oh, isn't this the first hero of the Manchu? How did you get promoted? Your position is quite high, almost on par with mine," Emperor Chongzhen said calmly, slightly surprised by Ao Bai's dragon robe, but not angry.

Even if Ao Bai was now the supreme emperor, it didn't matter. In the face of absolute power, the resistance of an ant was insignificant.

"Who else has come besides you?" Ao Bai was furious. The look in Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian's eyes, as if he were looking at a dead man, deeply angered him. Did he really think he had won?

The city walls of the capital were nearly ten zhang high, built of solid stone, with a three-zhang-wide moat. Even hundreds of thousands of troops were useless; capturing the city was not just about having a large army.

Moreover, the Eight Banners troops, who had won countless battles, were already all stationed inside the Forbidden City, fearless of any enemy.

"Not many, not many, just eight emperors, two million troops," Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian said coldly. "Finally, the tide has turned in my favor."

"What?" Ao Bai was shocked. So many?

"I've heard that the Jurchens are invincible when their numbers are less than ten thousand. I've also heard of the might of the Eight Banners troops. To be fair, each of the eight nations will send one army to face each of the Eight Banners, with equal numbers."

"The two sides will engage in battle. Regardless of the outcome, they must complete eight rounds, and the side with the most victories will be declared the winner, and can propose reasonable terms to the other side."

"We will invite the owner of the Multiverse Tower to be the witness," Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian suggested, seemingly unaware of the fear on Ao Bai's face.

After learning the value of heavenly virtue, Emperor Chongzhen and the others did not dare to slaughter indiscriminately. Directly attacking Beijing was a poor strategy. Directly engaging the Eight Banners troops was the most advantageous for them.

Today, he could come to Ao Bai's world, and tomorrow, a supreme expert might descend upon Shuntian Prefecture. If he had too much karma, he would naturally become a target, and one day, someone might take his head.

Hearing this, Ao Bai's face showed relief. The two million troops had frightened him, but this method of decisive battle was advantageous to him, so he naturally agreed.

After Ao Bai agreed, Zhou Yang and the emperors from the other three city gates gathered at the northern gate.

Ao Bai also moved all the Eight Banners troops to the northern gate. With the owner of the Multiverse Tower as the witness, Ao Bai felt much more at ease, waiting quietly on the city gate for the Eight-Nation Alliance to select the armies to face the Eight Banners.