Chapter 9 Decisive Battle

The flags were flapping in the strong wind, and the yellow dragon on the banner showed its teeth and claws, lifelike.

The chaotic sound of horse hooves gradually approached, Duduo glanced sideways and waited quietly.

"This slave is here to apologize to Prince Yu!"

Geng Zhongming knelt on his knees, his eyes averted, his clothes and armor were covered with dirt, and he even lost his helmet as he ran.

The several Han cavalrymen of Zhenghuang Banner who followed behind him were also in shock, embarrassed, and anxiously waiting for the final verdict.

Duduo, who had always been known for his cruelty, was terrifyingly calm at this time. He just glanced at the defeated Han army's remnants indifferently, then withdrew his gaze and looked at the battlefield near the gully.

I didn’t have much hope for these Han people, so I naturally wouldn’t be too disappointed.

The Manchurian guard formation near the gully has been dispersed, leaving only a few dozen people struggling to hold on.

Duduo narrowed his eyes slightly, knowing in his heart that Shang Shan could not be saved.

"The number of cavalry behind Liu Fangliang's palace is only a few hundred. You brought more than a thousand people to rescue them. How could they be defeated so quickly?"

Geng Zhongming looked up hastily, his voice trembling.

"Those cavalry are from the old camp around Li Thief. The slaves were caught off guard, and all their subordinates were scattered. Even killing the defeated troops could not stop them."

"Slave. You really tried your best, Your Majesty!"

Duduo held down the broad-bladed Wild Goose Wing Knife at his waist that had not been unsheathed, exuding a terrifying killing intent. He pondered for a long time, and finally snorted coldly and raised his hand to signal.

"Thief Li came prepared this time. I can't blame you entirely. Get up."

Geng Zhongming and others were immediately filled with surprise and stood up quickly.

"I thank Prince Yu!"

Duduo raised his riding whip, pointed at Dashun's rear formation, and stared into the distance.

"The way the bandits fight tonight is different from the past. Why?"

Geng Zhongming immediately stepped forward, still feeling frightened when he recalled the scene of the battle just now.

"The bandits who robbed the camp tonight carried a lot of firearms. One of them is the unstoppable cannon recorded in the Fire Dragon Book. When released, it will cause poisonous fire and smoke. The Ming army used it exclusively to rob the camp."

"Considering the ravine-shaped terrain, if you are discovered by rogue bandits and fired with unstoppable cannons, you will really have a narrow escape from death."

Duduo's throat twitched slightly and he sneered.

"Bullshit Fire Dragon Book, the name is just ridiculous. I, the warriors of the Qing Dynasty, are never afraid of their firearms!"

Geng Zhongming himself was a defeated general. Although he and Duoduo were both princes, one was the master and the other was a slave. Their statuses were very different, so they had no choice but to flatter and apologize.

Having said that, Duduo's eyes were sunken and he knew that as a coach, he could not underestimate the enemy's carelessness.

In the daytime battle, Shang Shan led 500 Manchurian guards and directly broke through the right wing of the Dashun Army. It was like a sharp knife piercing the center of the army. In the end, only three people were killed.

He had always felt that the 500 elite Manchurian guards led by Shang Shan and the more than 1,000 green camp cavalry could easily defeat any sneak attack by the rogues.

Unexpectedly, the war situation would develop like this. The Manchurian garrison was discovered in an ambush and was trapped near the ravine, unable to move. It was consumed bit by bit. Even the more than a thousand Green Camp cavalry sent to rescue were quickly defeated.

From this point of view, these bandits are something new.

Geng Zhongming was defeated in the first battle and lost all face. He was even more eager to show off in front of his master.

"Your Majesty, this servant is willing to be the vanguard and make meritorious deeds!"

Duduo looked him up and down, shaking the riding crop in his hand.

"No need, I will give you 10,000 green battalions, and you can form a formation outside Jindou Pass to prevent Li Thief from leaving the pass."

Compared with Li Zicheng's army, these exhausted troops near the gully were obviously more like weak persimmons. Geng Zhongming really did not want to face the main force of Dashun's army directly.

But it was obvious that after last night's defeat, Duduo no longer trusted him, the leader of the Han army.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, my servant will live up to his trust!"

Duduo ignored Geng Zhongming's thoughts and took a step forward with his broad-bladed wild goose-wing knife, taking in a panoramic view of the entire situation near the gully.

Then, he waved the riding crop upward in his hand.

Behind him, a large group of Qing troops was rumbling on the move, with people standing next to each other and crowded.

Three large yellow dragon banners were erected in three different directions. When they were about to approach the gully, there was a rapid sound of gongs and they suddenly stopped.

The fire gradually extinguished, and dozens of corpses of the Manchurian guards whose appearance could not be seen lay scattered in the ditch. After occasional crackling explosions, only a piece of scorched earth was left.

After fighting all night, Liu Fangliang, like the others, was already exhausted. After pulling out his iron gun, he fell to the ground, breathing heavily.

There was also a reason why Liu Fangliang went to find the Qing general wearing red-trimmed iron armor. During the day, Liu Fangliang was ordered by Li Zicheng to lead more than a thousand elite cavalry from the old battalion to attack the Qing army camp.

At that time, it was this Qing general in red armor who led the Manchurian garrison and resisted his charge, forcing Li Zicheng to withdraw Liu Fangliang when the front army was in danger.

In the end, it was this Qing general who unexpectedly appeared on the right wing of the Dashun Army with his Manchurian escort, defeating the archers and gunners left by Li Zicheng on the right wing.

Liu Fangliang pulled out the iron gun that was deeply inserted into Shang Shan's body. The black arrow jacket on his body was already riddled with holes. He looked coldly at the familiar figure lying on the ground and spat hard.

"A good death!"

After letting out a breath of bad breath, Liu Fangliang raised his eyes and looked around, and was shocked to realize the changes on the battlefield at this moment.

The Qing army took advantage of the night and advanced rapidly, encircling it from three sides and completely surrounding the gully near the battlefield last night.

There are only two options before the remaining old Dashun Army camps: surrender in humiliation or die in battle.

But the problem is that the Qing army still gave preferential treatment to the surrendered soldiers of the Ming army, but they never spared any effort from the old battalions of the Dashun army.

Since the retreat from Shanhaiguan, all the old Dashun camps that surrendered have been brutally killed. Historically, Dashun's Tongguan guard general Ma Shiyao led 7,000 Dashun troops to surrender at the pass, but were all tricked and killed by Duduo.

So the two roads became one road, just a fight to the death.

The encircled Qing army was full of energy, dressed in bright clothes and angry horses. Although the Dashun army near the gully annihilated the 500 Manchurian guards stationed here, they were all wounded and dejected.

No one thought they would make it out alive today, it was all over.

Liu Fangliang's joy after revenge was gone, and he suddenly felt that he was really not a good leader.

After fighting all night, they not only failed to discover the ambush under the gully in time, but also had no foresight of the Qing army's three-sided encirclement strategy.

Now that the Qing army has completed the encirclement, let alone victory, there is no chance of escape.

The remaining old Dashun camp only had a thousand people, and the encircled Qing troops were at least tens of thousands. The comparison between the two sides is really not worth mentioning.

Now they are like a lonely boat in the sea, and they may be drowned in the crowd of Qing troops at any time.

Liu Fangliang looked gloomy and threw the blood-stained iron gun on the ground.

Li Zijing led the tawny war horse forward, passing over the corpses on the ground that had died in various ways. The look in his eyes was already indifferent.

If others surrender, they may survive, but if you surrender, you will definitely be stabbed.

Having been beaten to this point, Li Zijing no longer wanted to wait for death, but had to fight for a way to survive.

"Boom——"

"Dong dong dong——!"

On the other side of the horizon, the rhythmic sound of drums was heard.

The old Dashun campers who were slumped on the ground all stopped in unison, forming some kind of tacit understanding, and raised their heads and looked into the distance.

That's their familiar marching drum!

Nine months ago, it was with such drumbeats that the Dashun Army, which commanded millions of troops, defeated Ningwu and surrendered to Xuanda. They overthrew the decadent Ming Dynasty with great momentum along the way!

The ground beneath my feet rumbled and trembled, and even the loess and gravel jumped joyfully.

From the southeast to the northwest, fierce shouts of killing gradually sounded from all directions, and the roar of the mountains came like a tsunami.

Li Zijing stood up and stared into the distance, only to see smoke and dust billowing from the Qing army's rear formation, and large groups of soldiers and horses were constantly mobilizing.

More and more old Dashun soldiers stood up, their overwhelming sense of hope shattering their dying despair.

Liu Fangliang picked up the iron gun, gritted his teeth and stood up, just as Li Zijing turned around and looked back.

The two looked at each other, and Liu Fangliang looked at Li Zijing, who was standing under the sunset holding a steel knife, and recognized the burning fire in his eyes that was unlike anyone else's.

Liu Fangliang took a step back, and Li Zijing nodded slightly at him.

"Must win!"

"Da Shun will win!!"

The beating of drums continued, and the shouts got closer and closer.

When the first green Chuang Wang Dajun appeared in the field of vision, more than a thousand Dashun troops could no longer contain their excitement and burst into violent cheers.

Everyone knows that the real decisive battle has begun.
Chapter completed!