Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 143 Resurrection, my brother!

Finally they found a place to rest. All the friendly soldiers dismounted and found a place to sit down, eat food and drink water to replenish their strength.

After a long period of running for life, my thighs and buttocks could no longer bear it.

There were several bruises on Zu Dale's face, his cloak was torn in several places by flying arrows and swords, and his helmet fell somewhere unknown. Only a bun of hair was left intact.

"Oh hoo..."

Zu Dale took a deep breath and then exhaled.

He took the food and water handed to him by the servant and ate a few mouthfuls. Just as he was about to choose a room to take a rest, he heard a roar like a tiger's roar from the side.

"Zu Da Le!"

Hu Dawei's expression was solemn, his facial features furrowed, like a tiger locking onto its prey and entering hunting mode. The knife in his hand was covered in flesh and blood.

Hu Dawei's servants also dismounted and spread out in all directions with the general as the core, surrounding the "Zujia Army".

As if aware of the bad behavior of Hu Dawei's troops, Zu Dale winked at Zu Kuan, who hurried to the village entrance to call for help.

Zu Dale gripped the hilt of the sword on his left waist, ready to draw the sword at any time. "What do you want to call me for?"

"You caused the defeat of eight thousand soldiers, so you have nothing to say?" Hu Dawei's voice was full of hatred, like an orphan who had escaped a disaster many years ago and returned to his enemy's home.

Zu Dale was not afraid.

His elder brother was Zu Dashou, the Left General of the Left Army General's Office, the Admiral of Liaoxi, and the General Commander-in-Chief of the Liao Expedition Vanguard. He was in a high position of power and was in charge of the safety of Liaoxi in the Ming Dynasty.

Since the rise of the Eastern Tartars, the Zu family has been operating in western Liaoning and has married into the marriages of many military generals. Wu Sangui is Zu Dashou's nephew, and many of his relatives and friends are "working" for the Qing Dynasty.

It is no exaggeration to say that most of the Liaoxi Corridor has become the "private property" of my ancestors.

If it weren't for the hundreds of thousands of acres of military settlements in western Liaoning, the countless Liao taxes every year, and the fact that they might not have received the current treatment even if they had surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, their family would have given up on the Ming Dynasty long ago.

The abundant financial resources also allowed the Zu family to bribe various governors and high-ranking officials. Even if there was a conflict with friendly forces, who would dare to provoke their Guanning Army?
Zu Dale was confident in his deep background and strong backing, so the other party didn't dare to do anything to him. He immediately sarcastically said, "General Hu, you should worry more about yourself. The 8,000 cavalrymen in the vanguard have all been killed. Even if the commander-in-chief spares your life, His Majesty will take your head!"

After hearing this, Hu Dawei's gaze towards Zu Dale changed from ferocious to murderous, and the personal soldiers around him also started shouting, insisting that Zu Dale should be punished.

Zu Dale changed the subject, "Although I am just a warrior, I still have the dignity to ask the military supervisor to speak a few words to His Majesty.

The vanguard commander's poor command led to his troops being ambushed and defeated. The Black Flag Battalion underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, ruining the overall situation.

Although there is only a slight deviation between the two, it can save General Hu from the suffering of imprisonment..."

When Hu Dawei thought of the Battle of Julu, he realized that the Guanning Army stood idly by and that Zu Dale was also responsible for the disastrous defeat in Jinan.

Coupled with the fact that the other party was shamelessly putting forward a deal behind the scenes, not taking him, a general, seriously at all, and even maliciously slandering the Black Flag Battalion, he could no longer suppress the anger in his heart.

"You, a scoundrel, underestimated the enemy and recklessly advanced, ruining the overall situation and killing thousands of my brothers. And you still want to throw dirty water on the Black Flag Battalion!"

He raised his steel knife and slashed at Zu Dale, but the latter dodged it desperately and only hit the arm armor on his right arm.

But this strong force is enough to injure bones.

Zu Dale screamed in pain, like a goose being strangled, "Ahhhhhhh! Hu Dawei, you're crazy!"

"I'm not crazy, I'm sane! I should have killed you with my sword before the battle. The Black Flag Battalion and all the generals' men would not have died!"

"Help me!" Zu Dale cried out anxiously. His right arm was in so much pain that he couldn't pull out the knife. He could only use his left hand to hold the handle and pull it out.

He retreated repeatedly, wielding his sword to block attacks, while enduring the severe pain and shouting, "Where are all the dead people?! Save me! Yang Guozhu! Chen Shiyou, are you blind? Tell Crazy Tiger to stop!"

Zu Dale's servants did rush over, but were blocked by the remnants of several generals.

"Go to hell!"

Zu Kuan was also stabbed in the neck by an unknown young general who had been holding a grudge for a long time.

With this general taking the lead, the servants took revenge, drew their swords, brandished their hammers and attacked the soldiers of the Guanning Army, killing them all.

But in just a moment, the once majestic and awe-inspiring commander Guan Ning, who often bullied his allies, was left alone.

The truth that those who lose their moral principles have few supporters is vividly reflected here. Zu Dale looked around -

All the generals' servants stood still, watching Zu Dale's ugly appearance coldly, and no one wanted to go up to help.

The warriors were filled with anger.

They hated the Guanning Army, a useless force that was on the front lines and consumed the most Liao military pay but could not recover an inch of lost territory.

They only know how to bully their own people, bully their friendly forces inside the pass, and snatch their heads. When faced with a tough and difficult battle, they hide aside and watch.

The Guanning Corps, which claims to be the strongest army in the Ming Dynasty, does not take other friendly units seriously. It has caused the great disaster today and is still trying to use backdoors to confuse right and wrong.

Then let him see clearly today that even the desperate weeds will vent their anger!
"You bastard! I want revenge for all the soldiers in the army! I want revenge for the soldiers of the Black Flag Battalion!"

Even though Hu Dawei had previously broken through the encirclement and killed many Jiannu soldiers, consuming most of his physical strength, it was still more than enough for him to chase a "half-disabled man" with an injured right arm.

He cut through Zu Dale's defense with a knife and kicked the latter in the stomach, knocking him to the ground.

Zu Dale fell to the ground and tried to stand up, but was pushed back by another foot on his chest. "Have mercy! General Tiger, General Tiger! I deserve to die. It was me who allowed my men to snatch the heads of our allies. It was me who led the troops into the ambush and killed all of you brothers! It's all my fault!"

But even if you kill me, you can't save the lives of the soldiers! Let me go! I'll speak well of you in front of the military supervisor and ask for your reward! I'll ask my brother to give you a lot of money... Please, please spare my life——

You can’t kill me! My brother is the governor of Liaoxi! The military supervisor will hold you accountable! You can’t kill me!

"Damn it!" Hu Dawei did not respond to any of Zu Dale's proposals, but raised his sword and stabbed from top to bottom.

Hu Dawei was like a madman, he raised his knife and swung it, blood splattering.

He only felt that the sound of the dog thief under him was getting smaller and smaller, and he was unaware of the blood splattering on his face. He just kept stabbing, raising, and stabbing again, as if he wanted to vent all the humiliation and anger he had experienced several times.

Zu Dale died of joy.

The servants and followers who had fought with him were basically wiped out, leaving only Gao Qiquan and some remnants of the Guanning Army.

Yang Guozhu walked over without saying a word, but handed a rag to Hu Dawei, who took it and tried his best to wipe the dirty blood sprayed on his face.

The two men were silent, staring at Zu Dale's tragically dead body for a long time. Yang Guozhu finally spoke, "If you kill Zu Dale, the commander-in-chief will not forgive you, and the Zu family will not let you go either."

As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a bucket of cold water pouring down the murderous zeal.

Hu Dawei also knew that the best outcome for him would be demotion and meritorious service.

If Gao Qiquan and the Zu family's "agent" in the court say a few bad words in front of His Majesty, there is a high probability that His Majesty will kill him in anger.

What's more, Hu Dawei's cavalry were the elite of the regular barracks. Most of the thousand cavalry were killed or wounded, which was equivalent to losing the soul of the army, and the remaining infantry could not exert much combat power.

The imperial court had no qualms about using him as an example to scare the monkeys.

After figuring out the difference between life and death, Hu Dawei suddenly felt relieved.

He walked to the horse, took down the water bottle and drank a few sips. The cold water almost killed him.

He randomly chose a place to sit down by the wall of a dilapidated house. "If the imperial court wants to kill me, I will send my men to surrender to Lieutenant General Li. He was able to train such a brave Black Flag Battalion, so he will certainly not mistreat his men."

"Most of the soldiers under your command come from the frontier. Can they bear to go to the south?" Yang Guozhu smiled bitterly.

"It's better than being treated like a rag, thrown away wherever it's needed."

"This damned imperial court! We have to work for them and endure their humiliation and hardship. There's no place in the world where we don't have a place to stay. Marshal! Let's just become bandits and avoid being bullied by this damned imperial court!"

"Right! Just rebel and join King Chuang!"

"Why join the rebel leader? The most violent group in Henan right now is the beggar army! Go join the beggar army!"

Seeing that the servants of other generals were also making a fuss, Hu Dawei's heart finally settled down.

As the saying goes, the law does not punish the masses. As long as everyone says something treasonous, then the "counter-words" said by Hu Dawei's servants will not be so shocking.

But he personally didn't want to rebel. "What nonsense! Commander Lu has been so kind to us, and now we've been defeated and want to rebel, do you want to kill him?"

Hu Dawei paused and said, "Today's defeat is solely my responsibility. If anyone else talks nonsense about rebellion or becoming a bandit, don't blame me for being indifferent to anyone!"

Hu Dawei and others rested on the spot and fed some hay to the horses.

The soldiers who participated in the fight, as well as those who did not take part but witnessed the whole process, all spoke with one voice:

The Guanning Army was the culprit for the disastrous defeat. They did not know whether they surrendered to the Jiannu or died on the battlefield.

All the bodies of the remaining Guanning Army were burned on the spot, leaving no trace.

The defeated soldiers who gathered together reached more than a thousand cavalrymen. Hu Dawei and others rested for more than half an hour and then continued to advance in the direction of the main army. They also sent scouts with the best riding skills to the nearby prefectures and counties to warn the police.

Hu Dawei and others soon encountered the main force in Gaotang and Renping areas.

The commander-in-chief also verified the news of the tragic defeat that was "quickly conveyed" by the soldiers of the Black Flag Camp from the report from Tangma.

The news that thousands of soldiers were ambushed and killed once broke the will of the commander-in-chief.

Thousands of soldiers were killed in one battle, the main force of the government army suffered heavy losses and their morale plummeted, and tens of thousands of troops rushing to support Jinan were suddenly in danger.

The pressure of the main force of the Qing army, which could encircle and annihilate the government troops at any time, was like a sword hanging over their heads.

In particular, the loss of all the elite Black Flag troops meant that the remaining Black Flag auxiliary troops and the "criminal army" had lost their combat effectiveness.

Brigadier General Li, who had just joined the main force, nominally commanded nearly 10,000 soldiers and horses, but they were just auxiliary soldiers and civilian laborers, and could be defeated by hundreds of Qing soldiers.

The Black Flag Battalion’s combat effectiveness no longer exists, and the commander-in-chief has lost a powerful “arm”.

Lu Xiangsheng couldn't help but sigh. He won a big victory but suffered a fresh defeat. Was it God's will to kill him?

The other generals who followed the main force were also worried when they heard the news, and their morale plummeted.

Hu Dawei, Yang Guozhu and others were not severely punished. In this situation where powerful enemies were surrounding them, the commander rejected Gao Qiquan's request to kill the generals on the battlefield.

Allow these defeated generals to stay in their original posts temporarily and make meritorious contributions while serving their sentences. After the Jiannu retreat, the court will make the final decision.

If the court could formally decide to allow them to take some heads to offset their merits and demerits, the lives of these good generals could be saved.

The Ming Dynasty could not afford the loss any more. No matter whether it was good generals or brave soldiers, they could not shed blood in vain.
Li Mu, who was promoted to lieutenant general, commanded an army of 9,000, including 2,500 soldiers, 4,000 direct infantry and cavalry, and 2,500 auxiliary troops and prisoners.

The Black Flag Battalion, which had lost all its elite soldiers, was regarded as an auxiliary corps without combat effectiveness and gradually no one paid attention to it. However, Hu Dawei, who was inspecting the barracks, discovered a detail -

He suddenly discovered that there was a soldier in the Black Flag Camp who looked very similar to He Lusi. They were very similar, but not exactly the same person.

Strong curiosity and guilt towards the elite members of the Black Flag Battalion prompted him to step forward and boldly ask the doubts in his heart.

"Brother, you look like an old friend of mine. Could you tell me your name?"

(End of this chapter)