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

Chapter 80 Escape
Watching Zhang Cunmeng's surrendering figure, the captains in the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness looked at each other, the atmosphere so oppressive it seemed like water could be squeezed out of them.

The fourth brother, Tuo Yangkun, suddenly stomped his foot, breaking the silence and bursting into a tirade of curses:

"That damned Zhang Cunmeng! I was blind to have followed such a spineless coward!"

Tuo Yangkun was Zhang Cunmeng's staunch brother, always available whenever needed and never hesitant to serve him.

Now that even he was so angry that his eyes were red, the other captains were naturally even more furious, each of them gritting their teeth.

Li Zicheng stood in the hall and spoke coldly:
“I killed Ai Wannian’s uncle. That scoundrel is vengeful. Even if I surrender, I’m doomed.”

"I will not surrender under any circumstances!"

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement and said in unison:

"Surrender my ass! We'll fight the government troops to the death!"

The sound was so loud that dust fell from the roof beams, and the crowd, filled with righteous indignation, prepared to rush out and fight the government troops to the death.

Seeing this, Zhao Sheng quickly stepped forward to advise:

"Brothers, now is not the time to act rashly."

"We must preserve our health so that we can make a comeback in the future."

Li Zicheng turned to look at him and asked in a deep voice:

"What brilliant ideas does the strategist have?"

Zhao Sheng lowered his voice, a sly glint in his eyes:
"Let's wait for the government troops to come and take over the surrendered soldiers. We'll hide our short knives in our sleeves and pretend to surrender."

"Once you're outside, seize the opportunity, draw your knife and kill them. Then run towards the back mountain! As many as you can escape, that's what you can do!"

Tuo Yangkun frowned and asked in a gruff voice:

"That's all we can do. Let's leave it to fate."

"If you manage to escape, what are you going to do?"

Zhao Sheng didn't hesitate:

"I plan to go to Yan'an Prefecture and seek refuge with General Jiang."

Li Zicheng shook his head. He had originally wanted to go to Yan'an Prefecture, but before Zhang Cunmeng surrendered, he had slandered him, saying that Li Zicheng was a spy sent by Jiang Han.

After hearing this, Li Zicheng could no longer lead his men to join Jiang Han.

Li Zicheng pondered for a moment and then slowly spoke:

“I heard that Hengtian King is currently in Hequ, Shanxi, and I plan to go and seek refuge with him.”

Tuo Yangkun snorted coldly and glanced at the crowd:

"You all want to be someone's lackeys, but I won't!"

"From now on, I'm going to work for myself! I'll never work for someone else again!"

Clearly, Zhang Cunmeng's defection to the enemy had completely chilled his heart.

Tuo Yangkun was no longer willing to easily trust anyone, fearing that he might have found another surrenderist to be his leader.

Li Zicheng was too lazy to argue with him and decisively made the decision:
"Alright, whether we can even get out of here alive is still uncertain!"

"Just as the strategist said, let's pretend to surrender first, and then charge out when the government troops are off guard!"

“I know the terrain of Mizhi very well. I used to herd sheep in this area when I was a child, and I know there is a path on the back mountain.”

"If you brothers trust me, then follow me, Li Zicheng, and charge out together!"

Everyone nodded in unison, each grabbing a weapon and stuffing it into their sleeve, then taking a long sword and tucking it into their waistband, ready for battle.

Not long after, Ai Wannian led a large contingent of government troops into the mountain stronghold, coming in a menacing manner to receive the surrendered soldiers.

Li Zicheng and his men stood in the ranks with their heads bowed and eyes downcast, their hands hidden in their sleeves, secretly gripping their short knives, while their faces feigned a dejected expression.

Ai Wannian stood on high ground, squinting as he looked down at the crowd, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Now that you have surrendered, you should obediently hand over your weapons and surrender!" Li Zicheng and his men nodded insincerely, slowly stepped forward, raised their long swords above their heads, and made a gesture of surrender.

The government troops beside him dared not be negligent. They carefully took the long sword from Li Zicheng's hand, and only then did they feel relieved and turn to leave.

Just then, Li Zicheng seized the opportunity, suddenly looked up, and roared:
"Do it!"

Before he finished speaking, he pulled out a short knife from his sleeve and stabbed it viciously into the throat of the government soldier in front of him.

As the blade sliced ​​through the air, blood gushed out instantly. The soldier didn't even have time to scream before collapsing to the ground, clutching his neck.

Zhao Sheng, Tuo Yangkun, and others followed closely behind, all pulling out their hidden knives and launching a sudden attack.

In an instant, a cold light flashed, and the government troops who came to accept the surrender were caught off guard, clutching their throats and falling to the ground one after another.

The scene immediately descended into chaos, with shouts of battle rising again. Li Zicheng took the lead, picked up a long knife from the ground, and led the crowd in a frantic dash toward the back of the mountain.

The government troops were caught off guard, not expecting the bandits to have such a move. Their instinct was to retreat to avoid having their throats slit in the heat of the moment.

Seeing this, Ai Wannian rushed out, drew his sword and slashed several of the bandits who had feigned surrender, shouting sternly:

"What are you afraid of! They only have short knives. Charge!"

"We must bring these thieves back; I want to chop them up with my own hands!"

The government troops were stunned for a moment before they came to their senses and hurriedly drew their swords to give chase. However, Li Zicheng knew the terrain well and led his brothers to turn left and right, managing to shake off the pursuers and break through the encirclement.

After running for nearly half an hour, they finally broke through the encirclement and reached a safe area.

Li Zicheng, Zhao Sheng, and Tuo Yangkun stood on the hilltop, panting heavily, their clothes stained with blood.

Looking back, only one or two hundred men remained who had broken through the government troops' encirclement.

The 20,000-strong army of Mizhi Village was wiped out in an instant.

Li Zicheng felt a wave of fear wash over him, and after a long while, he thanked Zhao Sheng, who was standing to the side.

"Thanks to the strategist's brilliant plan and the brothers' united efforts, we managed to save our lives."

Looking at everyone's disheveled appearance, Zhao Sheng smiled wryly:
"I've survived, but the road ahead is long."

Tuo Yangkun waved his hand impatiently:
"Now that things have come to this, let's not waste any more words and go our separate ways!"

"Gentlemen, I hope we'll meet again alive! Until we meet again!"

After saying that, he turned and went down the mountain without looking back.

Li Zicheng and Zhao Sheng exchanged a glance, shook their heads helplessly, and turned to leave.

After the destruction of Mizhi Village, the second place to be besieged by government troops was Shen Yikui in Bao'an County.

General Du Wenhuan of Yansui and Deputy General Zhang Yingchang of Dingbian led the Left Battalion Guerrilla Zuo Guangxian, the Right Battalion Guerrilla Bai Bangzheng, and the Rear Battalion Guerrilla Cui Zongyin.

Traveling south from the border wall, it took less than three days to reach Shun Ning.

Inside the central command tent, Du Wenhuan hung the map high and analyzed the terrain surrounding Bao'an County:

"In this attack on Bao'an County, we only have eight thousand men. To be honest, we don't have much of an advantage."

“Shen Yikui has three thousand border troops under his command, and his strength should not be underestimated. If our eight thousand men were to forcibly attack the city, we would probably suffer heavy casualties.”

Deputy Commander Zhang Yingchang, who was standing to the side, also nodded:

"Indeed, I've been to Bao'an County before; it's not easy to fight there."

Du Wenhuan pondered for a long time:
"How to fight in Bao'an County is something I need to think about carefully. What we need to discuss now is how to prevent Shen Yikui from resorting to desperate measures and making a forced breakout."

Looking at the map, Zhang Yingchang suggested:

"I think we should deploy heavy troops at the east gate of Bao'an County to prevent Shen Yikui from escaping east and seeking refuge with Jiang Han in Yan'an Prefecture."

Du Wenhuan nodded:
"Okay then. I'll think about it some more and figure out how to trick Shen Yikui out of Bao'an County."

　There are still two chapters left, and I'm still rushing to finish them. Please wait a moment, godfathers.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)