The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 733 Desperate Battle (Part 1)

Shen Yikui is not a nickname, but his real name. The surname "Shen" is indeed quite rare. Shen Yikui also has an older brother named Shen Yiyuan. Both brothers are from the border army and have high military skills.

In the beginning, it was the eldest brother, Shen Yiyuan, who led the uprising. Shen Yikui was just a follower of the eldest brother. The two brothers relied on their excellent military skills to successively conquer border fortresses such as Xin'an, Ningsai, and Liushujian. They also killed a deputy general of the Jin army and occupied Bao'an County.

The Shen brothers quickly gained fame and stood out among the many rebel armies, rapidly growing in strength. However, as the saying goes, the taller the tree, the more the wind blows. The Shen brothers soon received special attention from Zheng Chongjian, the then-general of the Three Border Regions, who dispatched heavy troops to encircle and suppress them layer by layer. Shen Yiyuan was eventually defeated and beheaded.

After his elder brother Shen Yiyuan was killed, Shen Yikui took over the mantle and continued his rebellion. However, under the encirclement and suppression of government troops, Shen Yikui had no chance to catch his breath and soon fell into a predicament. He had no choice but to accept the offer of amnesty from Zheng Chongjian, the governor of the three border regions, and was appointed as the garrison commander of Anse Camp.

However, rebellion is a one-way street, and the stain cannot be erased. Regardless of whether Shen Yikui's surrender was genuine or feigned, the government troops would always be on guard against him. At the slightest sign of trouble, they would immediately escalate the situation. Shen Yikui himself was also suspicious and restless. After accepting the offer of amnesty for three months, he rebelled again, leading his troops to capture Huan County in Qingyang Prefecture. He even besieged Qingyang Prefecture City. However, due to the high walls and thick fortifications of the city, Shen Yikui was unable to conquer it after a long siege and had to retreat to Huan County to defend it.

At this time, Gao Yingxiang and others dug up the emperor's ancestral tombs, and Zheng Chongjian, the governor of the three border regions, was dismissed and punished. Shen Yikui thus gained a precious respite. During the several months of inactivity until Jia Huan became the governor of Shaanxi, Shen Yikui lived a very comfortable life, and his strength continued to increase, with his army reaching 40,000 men.

In July, Jia Huan launched a three-pronged campaign to suppress hundreds of rebel groups in Shaanxi Province from west to east. The decimated rebel groups fled eastward, and many joined Shen Yikui's forces. Shen Yikui accepted all comers, and his strength increased dramatically once again. In just a few months, his forces doubled again, reaching more than 80,000 men.

Shen Yikui was quite pleased with himself and shamelessly teased those around him, saying, "You all say that Jia Huan is a jinx, a broom that brings disaster wherever he goes. But I think he's a lucky star! This kid caused all that trouble and ended up sending me over 40,000 men for nothing. Hehe, let him keep causing trouble. I'll give him a few slaps later!"

Although Shen Yikui was arrogant, he did have the right to be arrogant. As a border soldier, he was different from other peasants. He had high military skills, knew how to train soldiers and use various firearms, and had also captured a lot of weapons from regular troops. Therefore, his army was not weak in combat and was much stronger than the likes of Tuo Yangkun, Luo Rucai, and Zhang Miaoshou.

This is also one of the reasons why Jia Huan ordered Man Gui to hold back and not attack Shen Yikui for the time being.

However, Man Gui was a troublemaker to begin with, a fanatic of war, incredibly brave and fearless. In addition, after months of triumphant advances, he had wiped out dozens of rebel armies with ease, so he inevitably became a little arrogant!
In Man Gui's view, Shen Yi Kui was no different from other bandit troops. Although his forces looked intimidating, they were actually trash that could be easily defeated. Therefore, he did not take Jia Huan's order to hold back very seriously. However, due to the strictness of military law, Man Gui could only suppress his anger and set up camp 30 miles away from Huan County in the west of the city, waiting for Jia Huan to lead the main force to arrive.

However, the tree may wish to remain still, but the wind will not cease. Man Gui stationed his troops without attacking, but Shen Yi Kui was not happy and took the initiative to send troops to provoke him. Hey, this was exactly what Man Gui wanted!

"Hehe, you delivered yourself to my doorstep, it's not that I, the general, disobeyed the commander-in-chief's orders!"

Man Gui had been itching to get back to work for a long time, and the soldiers' swords were itching to be used. Seeing the enemy army come to their door to provoke them was like a godsend, a cause for great joy!
So when Man Gui gave the order, a thousand elite cavalrymen charged into the enemy ranks with lightning speed, their momentum like a tidal wave crashing against the shore, shaking the earth and mountains!

Although the bandit army under Shen Yikui was not weak, it only lasted for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before its formation was torn open, and the gap widened until it was finally ruthlessly breached by the cavalry.

"Brothers, kill!" Man Gui gave the order, and the entire infantry battalion pressed forward. He himself took the lead, charging ahead and hacking and slashing fiercely.

Shen Yikui finally could not withstand the attack and ordered his troops to retreat. He fought and retreated, but Man Gui would not let him go. He led his army to pursue and kill him all the way.

Shen Yikui retreated to the outskirts of Huanxian County, but did not enter the city. Perhaps fearing that government troops would take the opportunity to attack, he passed through the city without entering, instead retreating northeast towards Taibai Mountain. Man Gui, caught up in the killing frenzy, had no suspicion of him and led his troops in hot pursuit, slaughtering them until corpses littered the fields and blood flowed like rivers, shouting with delight!

In this chase, the two armies unknowingly arrived near Mount Taibai, the border area between Yulin Town, Qingyang Prefecture, and Yan'an Prefecture. Upon arriving, Shen Yikui stopped running, steadied himself, and awaited Man Gui's arrival, seemingly preparing for a desperate fight.

Man Gui fought his way through the enemy lines, and seeing that Shen Yi Kui was exhausted and ready to fight him to the death, he was not alarmed but delighted. Without hesitation, he ordered an attack, intending to wipe out the enemy army in one fell swoop.

However, just as Man Gui was engaged in a fierce battle with Shen Yikui's troops, a force suddenly emerged from the left, right, and rear. On the left was a large banner with the character "王" (Wang), on the right was a large banner with the character "闯" (Chuang), and behind were two smaller general banners with the characters "李" (Li) and "张" (Zhang) written on them respectively.

That's right, the three groups that suddenly appeared were none other than Wang Ziyong and Gao Yingxiang!
Wang Ziyong was nicknamed Zijinliang, and Gao Yingxiang called himself the "Chuang King." Their two capable generals were Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, who were leading a large army to cut off Man Gui's retreat.

Since Jia Huan was promoted to Governor of Shaanxi and dispatched three armies from west to east to suppress the rebels, his advance was unstoppable. Gao Yingxiang and Wang Ziyong were very vigilant, especially Li Zicheng under Gao Yingxiang, who knew Jia Huan's prowess and kept advising Gao Yingxiang not to be careless.

Therefore, Gao Yingxiang met with Wang Ziyong and Shen Yikui to discuss countermeasures and finally decided on a plan to wipe out Man Gui's elite government troops.

Therefore, Li Zicheng also thoroughly analyzed Man Gui and felt that this young man was young and impetuous, brave in battle, but he also had a flaw: he was prone to impulsive actions. He had been fighting smoothly all the way and was bound to be complacent. As long as he used this point to lure him into an ambush, he could devour him and severely damage Jia Huan!

Thus, Shen Yikui acted as bait, while Wang Ziyong and Gao Yingxiang each led their main forces to ambush in the Taibai Mountain area. Sure enough, Man Gui took the bait. This kid got carried away with killing and chased after them without hesitation all the way to the foot of Taibai Mountain, falling into the trap that the three forces had set up in advance.

"Kill! Kill!" The three rebel armies surrounded the 10,000 elite Jin troops from all sides, surging in like a tide, completely encircling them, layer upon layer, truly impenetrable.

Man Gui then realized he had fallen into a trap and broke out in a cold sweat, but it was too late for regrets. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Brothers, hold on! These are just a bunch of bandits, a rabble. What are we afraid of? Follow me and break through the encirclement! Kill!"

Man Gui brandished his long sword and led his personal guards in a fierce charge to the south. Wherever they went, the enemy soldiers fell to the ground. Seeing the general's bravery, the soldiers were filled with fighting spirit and followed behind him, fighting valiantly.

To the south were the troops of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong. Seeing the government army advancing in their direction, they were terrified and hastily mobilized their troops to fight back. Gao Yingxiang and Wang Ziyong also led their troops to attack from the left and right, while Shen Yikui turned around and pursued Man Gui's rear guard. In an instant, the Jin army was surrounded on all sides, facing annihilation, and casualties increased at a visible rate.

The Jin army was indeed a formidable fighting force, but as the saying goes, even the strongest fists can't fight against four hands. Now, surrounded by an enemy ten times their size, breaking out would not be so easy.

In order to eliminate Man Gui's elite troops, Wang Ziyong and Gao Yingxiang spared no expense, transferring all their best soldiers—not the old, weak, sick, or disabled—so Man Gui's 10,000 elite troops were now in dire straits.

(End of this chapter)