The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 355 The End of the Rebel King
Sun Chuanting looked down on Deng Qi's visiting army and planned to recruit soldiers from Shaanxi.

The people of Qin have been brave and skilled in battle since ancient times, and their folk customs are fierce. In addition, after the Tang Dynasty, the land in northern Shaanxi became barren, and survival became increasingly difficult. This is why the people of Shaanxi became known for their bravery and fighting spirit.

Not only were ordinary people capable of fighting, but the local garrison troops in Shaanxi, as long as they had sufficient food and pay, were also far superior to regular troops from other places.

Even the most frugal people could produce ruthless figures like Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and Liu Zongmin.

Many of the military families in Shaanxi were indeed capable and competent; after all, without some skill, it would be difficult to control these powerful bandits.

For example, Zuo Guangxian and Niu Chenghu were outstanding figures among the military families of Shaanxi.

Taking the Yansui General as an example, from the Jiajing to the Chongzhen reigns, there were a total of 45 Yansui Generals, of whom 29 were from Shaanxi.

And the number of lieutenant generals and guerrillas below them was countless.

Based on the idea of ​​"using Qin soldiers to control Qin rebels," and also in order to ease relations with local forces to some extent, Sun Chuanting decided to recruit all Qin people into the new army.

His advisor, Chen Jitai, was well-versed in military strategy, so he volunteered to take charge of recruiting soldiers and initial training.

Under Chen Jitai's strict selection process, this batch of newly recruited Qin soldiers were all skilled in archery and horsemanship, and proficient in swords and halberds.

Sun Chuanting did not relax his military discipline at all, and maintained his iron-fisted approach.

He would severely punish any soldier who made a mistake, even if that soldier was a general who had rendered meritorious service.

Even Chen Jitai, who had helped him train troops, was treated without favoritism by Sun Chuanting.

This Chen Shiwu, relying on his official rank in Beijing, was arrogant and domineering in the local area, and even openly embezzled and accepted bribes.

To uphold military discipline, Sun Chuanting did not hesitate to impeach him and dismiss him.

The strictness of its law enforcement is evident from this.

In order to train this new army, Sun Chuanting personally took charge of every detail.

He personally inspected the quality of every newly manufactured weapon, armor, and other military equipment.

Sun Chuanting would patiently explain and repeatedly instruct officers of all ranks on tactical details such as marching and deploying troops, setting up camp, attacking and covering, and retreating.

Of course, Sun Chuanting also learned from the lessons of the previous mutiny, and while strictly managing the army, he greatly improved the treatment of the soldiers.

These newly recruited Qin soldiers were not only guaranteed three meals a day, with ample food, but also received a bounty of five taels of silver per rank for each beheading, all in cash and never delayed.

It was precisely through the combination of strict discipline and generous pay, coupled with the commander-in-chief's dedication, that Sun Chuanting was able to forge an iron-blooded Qin army in just over a year.

Even Gao Yingxiang's elite old troops were no match for this Qin army.

Seeing the ambush troops emerge, Bai Guang'en, who was inside Zijing Pass, also led his men out to attack Gao Yingxiang's troops from the front.

The situation on the battlefield took a sharp turn for the worse.

The vanguard suffered heavy casualties below the pass, the rear guard was decimated, and the central army was forced into a series of defeats.

Zheng Jiadong led his troops in a desperate charge, charging left and right, trying to get as close as possible to the large banner with the character "闯" (chuǎng, meaning "break through").

"Commander! We can't hold on any longer!"

"Retreat quickly!"

Gao Yingxiang looked around and saw that his troops were already on the verge of collapse. He knew that things would probably not end well today, and if it dragged on any longer, his entire army would be wiped out.

He gritted his teeth and called to his personal guards:

"Brothers, follow me and break through!"

"Head south! Evacuate!"

As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn. He was prepared to abandon the main force and only lead the core old camp to forcefully break through a bloody path.

However, just as Gao Yingxiang had finally escaped the main battlefield and was about to flee south, a team suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking his way.

The leader was none other than Zhao Shicheng, a centurion who had infiltrated the rebel army and acted as an inside agent!
It turned out that while the government troops were lying in ambush and the rebel army was in chaos, Zhao Shicheng had taken his three personal guards and hidden away to secretly observe the development of the battle.

When he discovered that Gao Yingxiang was trying to break through and escape, Zhao Shicheng immediately realized that his chance to make a contribution had come!

He abruptly drew his sword and shouted in a low voice to the guards beside him:

"Go! Follow me to gather the defeated troops and stop Gao Yingxiang!"

The guards standing nearby were horrified upon seeing this and quickly advised:
"Commander Zhao, you've gone mad!"

"If you don't take advantage of the chaos and escape now, when will you?"

"We have a history of being traitors. If we are caught by the government troops, we will surely die!"

But Zhao Shicheng smiled meaningfully upon hearing this:

"Who told you I became a thief?"

"Now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to lay my cards on the table!"

"I was acting on a secret order from Governor-General Hong of the Five Provinces to infiltrate the rebel army as an inside agent!"

"We had to keep it a secret before, because it was a military secret!"

Upon hearing this, the three guards beside him were dumbfounded, hardly believing their ears.

Our own centurion was actually an undercover agent?!

Zhao Shicheng, too lazy to explain, quickly pulled out several strips of red cloth from his pocket and distributed them to the men:

"Stop being stunned!"

"Quickly tie the red cloth around your left arm to distinguish yourself, lest you be mistaken for a real thief and killed by the government troops!"

"Quickly, come with me to gather the defeated soldiers and stop the bandit leader. This will be a tremendous achievement!"

The three of them then snapped out of their daze and hurriedly tied the red ribbons around their arms.

Zhao Shicheng, leading a few men, leaped to a high point and shouted to the panicked, fleeing soldiers around him:
"Listen up, you who don't want to die!"

"I am Zhao Shicheng, a centurion of the Nanyang Guard, here on orders from Commander Hong to persuade you to surrender!"

"Lay down your weapons and kneel down to surrender; those who do so will be spared!"

"Those who are willing to follow me to intercept and kill the rebels will be rewarded without punishment!" "If you want to live, come here now, or the imperial army will arrive and kill you without mercy. It will be too late to regret it then!"

In the chaos, many of the scattered rebel soldiers were already disoriented and confused. When they heard that there was a way out, they all gathered together.

Zhao Shicheng's move was a risky one. If someone in the chaos became resentful and tried to surround and kill him in the process, he would not be able to escape.

But these defeated soldiers were clearly not very loyal to Gao Yingxiang. Now that the defeat was inevitable, why make trouble for themselves? They might as well take this opportunity to defect and make a name for themselves!

Taking advantage of the situation, Zhao Shicheng gathered three or four hundred defeated soldiers and quickly organized a defensive line, blocking Gao Yingxiang's only way to break through.

At this moment, Gao Yingxiang was leading his personal guards in a desperate charge, and they were about to break through the encirclement when they were stopped.

Upon closer inspection, he was shocked and furious to find that the leader was none other than the military commander who had recently come to join him.

"The one surnamed Zhao!"

"You damned traitor, you've caused my army to be surrounded! I'll kill you!"

Enraged, Gao Yingxiang charged forward, brandishing his broadsword, attempting to capture the leader first.

But Zhao Shicheng was still injured and was unwilling to fight him head-on.

So he shrank back and gave an order to the guard beside him:

"go with!"

"Take men and stop the bandit chief!"

"General Hong has spoken: whoever captures or kills the bandit chief will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver and promoted to the rank of guerrilla general!"

Upon hearing this, the people around him immediately lit up and rushed forward with shouts.

The two groups collided instantly, but Gao Yingxiang, having fought for many years, possessed extraordinary combat strength. Moreover, being cornered like a beast, he was even more unstoppable.

He cut down several soldiers blocking his way and headed straight for Zhao Shicheng.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhao Shicheng had no choice but to draw his sword and step forward, trying to buy some time. As long as he could hold off Gao Yingxiang for a while, the reinforcements would catch up soon.

But he was injured and couldn't withstand Gao Yingxiang's attacks.

Clang! Clang! Clang! The sounds of weapons clashing were incessant.

Zhao Shicheng's arm went numb and his tiger's mouth split open from the powerful blow from Gao Yingxiang, so he could only fight and retreat.

In the blink of an eye, he was caught off guard and Gao Yingxiang's blade swept across his forearm again, leaving a bloody gash that instantly stained his battle robe.

"Dog thief!"

"Die!"

Gao Yingxiang, seizing the advantage, pressed his advantage and slashed down with another powerful and heavy blow!
Zhao Shicheng raised his sword to parry, but was knocked to the ground by the immense force, and his sword flew out of his hand.

He watched as Gao Yingxiang grinned maliciously and raised his knife to strike him, and a chill ran down his spine.
"Could it be that all our efforts have been in vain?"

At this critical moment, a sharp arrow pierced the air and struck Gao Yingxiang precisely in the shoulder.

"what!"

He roared in pain, and the broadsword in his hand fell to the ground.

"Thief! Surrender now!"

Zheng Jiadong led the central army, pursuing them relentlessly until they finally arrived.

He saw Zhao Shicheng and others with red cloths tied around their arms, desperately trying to stop Gao Yingxiang. Although he did not know their specific identities, he knew that they were probably friends, not enemies.

So he drew his bow and arrow, saving Zhao Shicheng's life.

Seeing the main force of the government troops arrive, Gao Yingxiang knew there was no hope of breaking through. In desperation, he decided to pick up a long knife from the ground and commit suicide to avoid falling into the hands of the government troops again.

Before he could make a move, the Qin soldiers surrounded him and held him down firmly with grappling hooks and lassos.

"Tied!"

At Zheng Jiadong's command, the guards rushed forward and bound Gao Yingxiang tightly.

With that, the battle finally came to an end.

The second-generation leader of the rebel army, who had dominated the world for several years, was captured, and the remaining troops of the rebel army either died or surrendered, resulting in the complete annihilation of the army.

Just then, Sun Chuanting arrived with his men.

He glanced at Gao Yingxiang, who had been captured, and then at Zhao Shicheng, who was covered in blood and almost exhausted, and nodded.

"Which department are you from?!"

"You deserve the greatest credit for capturing the thief today!"

Zhao Shicheng collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

"Governor Sun, this humble general is Zhao Shicheng, a centurion of the Nanyang Guard."

"This time, I was acting on a secret order from Governor Hong to feign surrender to the enemy's army."

"These soldiers around me are all deserters that I has temporarily gathered. I hope the governor will let them go."

Upon hearing this, Sun Chuanting was shocked. He never expected that the person in front of him was the inside man sent by Hong Chengchou.

He nodded and said in a deep voice:

"Rest assured, since it is a battlefield uprising, I will naturally not make things difficult for them."

He then summoned his personal guards and gave them instructions.

"Quickly, carry Commander Zhao back to Zijing Pass and have the army medics treat him immediately!"

After seeing Zhao Shicheng off, Sun Chuanting turned his gaze to Gao Yingxiang, who was standing to the side, looking quite smug.

"Go! Treat the bandit chieftain's wounds too!"

"At that time, we'll probably have to escort him to the capital. We absolutely cannot send him back to his death!"

(End of this chapter)