A few hours later, the Emperor of the Ming Empire hanged himself on Coal Hill. A little over a month after that, the iron cavalry of foreign invaders trampled this city, followed by a massacre that swept across China, with the blood of tens of millions of innocent people forming a surging sea, drowning the picturesque land.

“Lord Eunuch, please, open the gate!”

The desperate plea of the companion who had fled first startled Brian Carter awake. His gaze fell upon the city wall, where a high-ranking eunuch was anxiously directing the scant soldiers to set up defenses. But these soldiers were clearly far from elite—each one sallow-faced, emaciated, and panic-stricken. Some were so young they didn’t even have beards, holding matchlock guns more like firewood sticks, and most were eunuchs. The rest, like himself, were members of the Jinyiwei.

These were Chongzhen’s last defenders.

No generals, no officials—just a group of eunuchs, Jinyiwei, and hastily recruited civilians.

And even they were few in number.

“What a failure!”

Brian Carter turned to look at the fierce, murderous men from the northwest charging toward them, then shook his head helplessly.

The eunuch supervisor glanced at them indifferently.

Clearly, he was kind-hearted. Although opening the city gate was out of the question, he still beckoned to a young eunuch, who immediately lowered a wolf-tooth ladder. The Jinyiwei who was with Brian Carter grabbed the rope and began to climb. By now, the Shun army cavalry was almost upon them. Brian Carter casually took a bow and arrow from beside the saddle. Whether it was the instinct of this body or something else, at this moment he felt not only full of strength, but also an indescribable sensation toward killing.

A very mysterious feeling.

As if he had personally killed thousands or tens of thousands before—everything had become instinct.

Just like earlier, when he killed four cavalrymen in a row, he didn’t even have to think about what to do. Once he acted, his moves were nearly flawless—his footwork agile, his attacks precise, everything flowing smoothly.

And now, it was the same with the bow and arrow.

Though he had never touched such a weapon before, he picked it up as naturally as using chopsticks. Drawing an arrow, pulling the bow, aiming, and shooting—all in one seamless motion. He even instinctively adjusted for the crosswind, and the arrow struck a cavalryman’s face thirty meters away.

Almost in the blink of an eye, his second arrow flew.

Again, it hit a cavalryman square in the face.

The remaining cavalry hurriedly dodged to either side. One archer can make ten hesitate to advance—a sharpshooter’s deterrent is formidable. Brian Carter simply held his bow at the ready, unmoving, watching them. Behind him, his two companions quickly climbed the wall, and then, retreating to the rope, Brian Carter fired three arrows in rapid succession. Then, tossing aside the bow, he grabbed the rope, pushed off from the horse, and leapt upward. His feet kicked against the wall, and his hands alternated as he climbed. The nearly twelve-meter-high wall was scaled in just a few steps.

“Hurry up! You rascal, if you didn’t look like a brute, you’d make a fine general!”

The eunuch supervisor called from above.

Suddenly, a strange noise rang out.

“Watch out, Lord Eunuch!”

shouted Brian Carter.

The next moment, a sharp arrow whizzed by, striking the battlement in front of the eunuch, who shrank back in fright. At the same time, Brian Carter gripped the parapet with one hand and, with a powerful pull, flipped himself over. But as he rolled, something slammed into his back—

“Lucky you!”

The eunuch supervisor laughed, pulling an arrow from Brian Carter’s back.

The arrow had pierced his cotton armor but was stopped by the iron plate inside.

“Thank you, Lord Eunuch!”

Brian Carter said, taking the arrow. He then grabbed a bow from a nearby soldier, nocked the arrow, and shot it back without hesitation. The enemy cavalryman on the other side had just nocked his second arrow when Brian Carter’s shot struck him square in the face.

Cheers erupted on the city wall.

A young enemy officer among the cavalry glared at him from nearly a hundred meters away, then led his men to turn and leave.

“That was the vanguard. Their main infantry force will arrive soon. Zhengyang Gate can’t be held!”

said Brian Carter.

At that moment, the sound of firecrackers erupted in the distance.

“There’s no hope for the capital now. If His Majesty does not wish to be humiliated by the rebels, he must leave the city under cover of night. There are sea vessels in Tianjin that can reach Nanjing. Lord Eunuch, please take me into the palace. I swear to protect His Majesty on his journey to Nanjing with my life.”

He said to the eunuch supervisor.

Those were firecrackers welcoming the army of the rebel king into the city.

“Oh my, you’re quite impatient! Fortune isn’t gained this way. Officer, you can’t just see His Majesty whenever you wish, and whether the Emperor goes to Nanjing isn’t for you to decide. Just stay here and guard Zhengyang Gate. If you drive off the rebels, I’ll be sure to recommend you for merit. Young people—always a bit too impulsive!”

The eunuch supervisor said with a half-smile.

Brian Carter was speechless for a moment. Suddenly, he drew the saber from a nearby soldier. Before anyone could react, he flashed behind the eunuch supervisor at lightning speed, then stepped back against the wall, locking the eunuch’s neck with one arm and pressing the saber across it.

“Lord Eunuch, please take me into the palace to see His Majesty!”

Brian Carter said earnestly.

“You scoundrel, are you trying to rebel? Let go now, and I’ll pretend this never happened!”

the eunuch supervisor shouted sternly.

“Lord Eunuch, if I wanted to rebel, I’d be over there already!”