Indeed, this thing with a seventy-millimeter grip is just barely manageable, with a wall thickness of six millimeters, and the weight of a four-meter section at this moment can definitely be called a heavy weapon. It's not as good as Li Yuanba's, but it's at least on the level of a real-life Li Cunxiao. The problem is...

　　Henry Clark hesitated for a moment, but ultimately accepted reality, shouldering his streetlamp pole like the Monkey King and walking off.

　　Edward Harris followed behind in a bit of a daze.

　　They hadn't gone far before Henry Clark stopped again.

　　"Um, how do we get to Tangshan—no, to Fengrun?"

　　Henry Clark asked.

　　"Your Majesty, we can head straight north out of the Beian Gate, then go to Anding Gate, or we can go east out of Dongzhimen, then take the main road to Tongzhou and head north along the canal. But in this humble servant's opinion, Your Majesty should best go out through Anding Gate. While Dongzhimen is indeed the main road, it passes through Tongzhou City and Zhangjiawan, and the rebel soldiers have surely occupied both by now. Heading north out of Anding Gate leads toward Shunyi. If you want to go to Fengrun, it requires a detour, but you can avoid the rebels."

　　Edward Harris snapped back to his senses and quickly said.

　　"Lead the way!"

　　Henry Clark pointed forward with his right hand, still holding the streetlamp pole.

Chapter 003: The Berserk Chongzhen

　　Henry Clark shouldered the streetlamp pole, accompanied by Old Harris who was holding a musket in a vigilant pose, and, dressed in his eye-catching dragon robe, swaggered down from Jingshan.

　　At this moment, the North Central Gate was wide open, and straight ahead one could see the Beian Gate five hundred meters away. The northern gate of the imperial city was tightly shut, but there wasn't a single guard in sight. On both sides were red palace walls, and between the two facing side gates, eunuchs occasionally hurried by in panic. Thanks to his enhanced hearing, Henry Clark could clearly hear the terrified shouts of eunuchs behind the palace walls, though the sounds of battle outside were still some distance away.

　　Henry Clark dragged the streetlamp pole, walking silently with his head down. The five-hundred-meter corridor between the red walls felt endlessly long, and in the backdrop of a dynasty's end, it seemed as if only the sound of steel scraping against stone behind him remained.

　　Suddenly, a loud bang.

　　The Beian Gate was rammed open.

　　At the same time, a warhorse neighed.

　　A general in armor, riding a black steed, holding the reins in one hand and a spiked mace in the other, leapt into the ancient city gate.

　　Henry Clark let out a roar, dragging his streetlamp pole as he started to run.

　　The general spurred his horse and charged, the sound of iron hooves on stone echoing as he closed the distance in an instant. The spiked mace was raised high, and at the very moment he passed by Henry Clark, it came crashing down with a terrifying whoosh.

　　Henry Clark twisted his body in a strange way.

　　The spiked mace swept over his head, and at the same time, his right hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the horse's tail. The warhorse neighed in pain, dragging him forward two meters, then, as if pulled by an elephant, suddenly toppled backward. The general on its back was thrown off, and at that moment, Henry Clark's left hand lifted the streetlamp pole upward. Over a hundred catties of steel smashed directly into the general's head, knocking him out as he hit the ground.

　　All around fell silent.

　　"This feeling..."

　　Henry Clark rolled his shoulders like an evil final boss, saying with some intoxication, "Excellent!"

　　"Kill!"

　　The Shun army soldiers opposite him finally snapped out of it. The one in front immediately raised his saber and charged, followed by dozens more soldiers launching their assault.

　　Henry Clark suddenly flung the streetlamp pole from his hand. With a deep hum, it crashed straight into the leading soldier. The combination of its hundred-plus catties and the speed of the throw gave it the force of a cannonball. The frontmost soldier was sent flying, and the pole, its momentum not yet spent, continued to smash along the stone pavement. All the soldiers behind screamed and scrambled to dodge. At the same time, Henry Clark grabbed the general's spiked mace and charged like a wild beast, using seemingly clumsy but uncannily effective moves to smash Shun army soldiers into a bloody mess. In just a few minutes, not a single opponent was left standing in the corridor.

　　"Let's go!"

　　Henry Clark casually tossed aside the now-broken spiked mace, picked up the streetlamp pole amid the blood, and said.

　　"Y-Your Majesty, please mount the horse!"

　　Old Harris stammered.

　　"Can this horse even carry me?"

　　Henry Clark said speechlessly.

　　Old Harris looked worried for a moment—indeed, it couldn't. With him and the pole together, it was over two hundred catties. This little Mongolian horse really couldn't handle the load.

　　"Just lead it along!"

　　Henry Clark said.

　　At that moment, a woman's scream suddenly rang out. A young girl ran in through the Beian Gate, and just a few seconds later, two Shun army cavalrymen burst in, laughing. But at that instant, all three froze, staring in shock at the corpses littering the ground. The girl screamed, cleverly pressed herself against the wall, and the two cavalrymen shouted and spurred their horses forward without hesitation.

　　Henry Clark raised the streetlamp pole horizontally, shouting as he charged. Just before impact, he suddenly thrust the pole upward.

　　The two unlucky soldiers were sent flying.