Huangming

Chapter 504 Fierce Battle at Two Passes, Sweeping Away the Southwest

The morning mist at Fotu Pass was thick with the pungent smell of blood.

The shouts of attack gradually subsided, leaving only sporadic groans coming from the piles of corpses, mingling with the howling cold wind beneath the city walls.

This strategic pass, which was so formidable that "one man could hold off ten thousand," finally fell to the relentless and fierce attacks of the Yongning soldiers.

The Ming soldiers guarding the pass threw away their broken weapons, raised their hands above their heads, and slowly walked down the stone steps. Their armor was already shattered, and their faces were full of exhaustion and despair, but there was no shame in their eyes, only a thirst for survival.

These garrison soldiers were not elite troops to begin with. They usually lived scattered in the countryside, farming to make a living, and the drills were just a formality.

The imperial court often delayed the payment of rations and salaries, sometimes not even receiving a single tael of silver for half a year. It was already the limit for soldiers to hold out for three days with just a sliver of their instinct.

They watched as the Yongning soldiers climbed the gate wall over the corpses of their comrades, and looking at their own broken longswords, they finally lost the courage to resist.

Zhang Tong stood beside the crenellations of the fortified wall, several broken crossbow bolts stuck in his heavy armor, his helmet hanging askew around his neck, his exposed forehead covered in blood and sweat.

His gaze swept over the densely packed corpses below the mountain, some of them Yongning soldiers, others of the Ming army, piled up in layers on the pass, almost blocking the way. His heart ached as if it were being cut by a dull knife.

In order to capture this pass, his three thousand most elite brothers fell here forever, with an average of a thousand men lost every day. Every step forward was paved with blood and flesh.

"General, the Ming army has all surrendered!"

A guard stepped forward to report, his voice hoarse with the pain of surviving a disaster.

Zhang Tong closed her eyes briefly, suppressing the bitterness in her heart, then suddenly opened them, her gaze sharpening:

"There's no time to be sad!"

He pointed to the damaged crenellations and collapsed parapet of the gate wall, and said sternly:

"Immediately organize manpower to move the corpses to fill the trenches! Repair the damaged fortress with rammed earth bags, and move all the crossbows and rolling stones onto the fortress walls!"
"Fotu Pass is our retreat. Holding it is crucial to preventing Ming reinforcements from reaching us. Anyone who dares to neglect this duty will be punished according to military law!"

The guards responded with a resounding roar and immediately turned to work.

Soldiers dragged corpses into the trenches below the pass, rammed earth bags were piled up layer by layer at the damaged areas, crossbowmen were busy calibrating their crossbows, and rolling stones were pried up to the sides of the ramparts. The stench of blood mixed with the stench of mud in the air was nauseating.

Looking at the southern horizon, Zhang Tong knew that this was only a temporary peace, and that Ming reinforcements could arrive at any time. The battle for Fotu Pass was not yet over.

Meanwhile, the armory and surrounding areas of Chongqing's old city had become a living hell.

"Kill! Charge in!"

Fan Long's roar pierced through the roar of cannon fire, and the Yongning soldiers surged toward the armory gate like a tidal wave. Even as those in front fell, those behind continued to rush forward, stepping over corpses, their eyes filled with a bewitched madness.

Huang Shou-kui leaned against the inner wall of the armory, panting heavily. The long sword in his hand was already chipped and worn, and his armor had several gaps cut into it, with blood flowing down from the gaps.

He stared at the surging Yongning soldiers, his eyes filled with disbelief and fury:

"Aren't these scumbags really afraid of death?"

Within three days, the arsenal had run out of firearms. The breech-loading cannons were no longer usable, and the flintlock muskets had run out of lead bullets. Now, they could only barely survive on bows and arrows, oil, and rolling stones.

But the Yongning soldiers' offensive grew increasingly fierce, with wave after wave of soldiers advancing, seemingly never to be defeated.

"It's not that they're not afraid of death, it's that She Chongming, that scoundrel, is utterly depraved!"

Xu Keqiu leaned against the wall, his face as pale as paper, his lips cracked and bleeding, and his voice trembling.

"Look down there! He's driven all the city's residents here, using them as human shields to wear down our defensive equipment!"

Huang Shou-kui looked down and his heart clenched.

Beneath the armory wall, densely packed civilians were forced forward by Yongning soldiers with knives. The elderly, women, and children all looked terrified and staggered.

Among the common people were many Yongning soldiers dressed in plain clothes. Taking advantage of the Ming army's hesitation, they secretly moved forward and waited for an opportunity to climb the city wall.

"brute!"

Huang Shou-kui's eyes were bloodshot, but he could only grit his teeth and give the order.

"Fire arrows! Use oil! Don't let them get close!"

Arrows rained down, oil spilled, and the cries of the people and the screams of the Yongning soldiers rose and fell.

The Ming soldiers shot arrows with their eyes closed, their faces contorted in pain.

They didn't want to kill civilians, but if they didn't, the armory would fall and they would all die if the Yongning soldiers infiltrated.

Every arrow shot, every barrel of oil poured, cut like a knife into their hearts.

Fortunately, the armory was a major military stronghold in Chongqing Prefecture, with ample supplies of equipment, bows and arrows, kerosene, and rolling stones, which allowed them to barely survive for three days.

However, on the afternoon of the third day, She Chongming actually dismantled the cannons installed at the four gates of Chongqing and lined up twelve cannons, aiming them at the gates of the armory.

"Boom boom boom!"

The cannons roared, shaking the earth.

The armory's walls were not as sturdy as the city walls; they were just made of blue bricks. How could they withstand such a fierce bombardment?

After several rounds of shelling, a large section of the wall collapsed, and the heavy wooden door was directly pierced by the shells, with wood chips flying everywhere, revealing the Ming army's defenses inside.

"The gate's broken! Charge!"

Upon seeing this, Fan Long roared with ecstatic joy, and the Yongning soldiers surged toward the breach like madmen.

Huang Shou-kui's eyes widened in fury. He suddenly drew his sword from his waist and roared:

"Push the shield wagons forward! Shield bearers, form ranks! Hold the breach! Reinforcements are on their way. Hold this position, or we'll have a chance to survive!"

Soldiers pushed heavy shield carts to block the breach, with shield bearers following closely behind, forming a dense shield formation. Long swords protruded from the gaps in the shields, and they engaged in a fierce battle with the Yongning soldiers who surged in.

The clanging of swords, the shouts of soldiers, and the screams of those about to die mingled together, turning the armory and its surroundings into a veritable battlefield of carnage.

The shouts of battle in front of the armory were deafening. She Chongming stood with his hands behind his back on a slope a hundred paces away from the city gate, his scarlet cloak fluttering in the cold wind.

He stared at the gate, which was teetering on the brink of collapse from the bombardment of cannons but was still held firmly by the Ming army's shield wagons, his brows furrowed in worry.

"Trash! A bunch of trash!"

He cursed under his breath.

For this armory, he lost nearly two thousand soldiers and even dismantled four cannons to bombard it, but Xu Keqiu and Huang Shoukui were like nails driven into it, impossible to remove them.

He knew in his heart that Xu Keqiu dared to hold out to the death because he was certain that reinforcements were coming.

However, he was not unprepared.

The wooden palisades inside and outside the city were layered upon each other, the moats were filled with icy water, and three thick iron chains stretched across the Yangtze River, making it impossible for ships coming from upstream to escape.

With the downstream Fotu Pass breached, the Ming army would have to step over Zhang Tong's corpse before they could rush to the aid from the south.

"Hmph, so what if reinforcements arrive?"

She Chongming sneered, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

"Chongqing is mine, the Yangtze River is mine, hold it for a few days, and I will definitely grind that bastard Xu Keqiu to dust!"

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps interrupted his thoughts.

She stumbled over, her face filled with panic, her voice trembling as she spoke:

"Father! Something terrible has happened! The Fu River... the Fu River is full of Ming warships!"

She Chongming turned around abruptly, his eyes sharp as knives:

"What did you say? Where are the iron chains? The three iron chains I laid down, surely they can't stop them?"

"Can't stop it!"

She swallowed hard, then braced herself on her knees and gasped for breath.

"They broke two of those iron chains, and the remaining one won't last much longer!"
Many warships have already docked, and the Ming army is heading towards Chongqing.

Judging by the distance on foot, it should take at most two hours to reach the outskirts of the city!

"How many people? Under whose banner are they operating?"

She Chongming's voice suddenly rose, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

The Fu River flows directly to Hezhou. He originally thought that the garrison in Hezhou was weak and not worth worrying about, but this suddenly appearing army was no ordinary garrison troops.

"The warships were so numerous and densely packed that they stretched as far as the eye could see!"

She was crying in her voice.

"There are at least ten thousand of them! Their banner... their banner is the character 'Bear'!"

"Bear?"

She Chongming was stunned, and the list of Sichuan military and political officials flashed through his mind.

No general who commands a large army has the surname Xiong.

His pupils suddenly contracted as a name exploded in his mind like a thunderclap: "Could it be Xiong Tingbi?"

She Yan froze, all color draining from her face: "Impossible! Wasn't Xiong Tingbi in Datong and Yansui reorganizing the nine border regions? How could he suddenly come to Sichuan?"

"How is it impossible?"

She Chongming staggered back a step, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.

He finally figured it out.

From Xu Keqiu's feigned weakness to Qin Liangyu's "forced withdrawal," and now Xiong Tingbi's sudden appearance, this is not a coincidence at all, but a scheme that the court has been planning for two whole years!

He had wanted to rebel for two years, but Qin Liangyu's White Spear Army was stationed in Chongqing, which was like a nail driven into his heart.

Later, Xu Keqiu restrained him at every turn, making him hesitant to take action.

He originally thought that forcing Qin Liangyu away would be a turning point, but he did not expect that he had been in the emperor's scheme from beginning to end.

"This Ming emperor is so suspicious of us!"

She Chongming gritted his teeth, his chest heaving violently.

He had meticulously prepared for months, mobilizing 20,000 cavalry and infantry, thinking he could take Chongqing in one fell swoop and then sweep across the southwest. But now, he was trapped like a turtle in a jar.

"Father, how about... we retreat to Yongning?"

She made the suggestion with a tearful voice.

"Where there is life, there is hope!"

"withdraw?"

She Chongming glared at him fiercely, his eyes filled with resentment.

"If we retreat now, the Ming army will pursue us relentlessly. We simply cannot outrun them and will be annihilated!"

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, his mind racing.

Holding out in Chongqing would inevitably lead to a pincer attack from both inside and outside by Xiong Tingbi and the Ming army in the arsenal; retreating would be suicide; the only chance of survival lay with the local chieftains in the southwest.

"We absolutely cannot retreat, but we also can't leave everyone here."

She Chongming's gaze gradually hardened.

"You stay here and take the remaining troops to defend Chongqing. You must hold off Xiong Tingbi and the Ming army in the armory for at least a month!"

She Yan was stunned: "Father, then you..."

"Zhang Tong and I each led three thousand soldiers and set off in two separate groups."

She Chongming said in a deep voice, "I will go to Luzhou, and Zhang Tong will go to Zunyi. Those chieftains have long been resentful of the Ming Dynasty's policy of replacing native chieftains with officials. As long as we take these two cities and raise the banner of 'Oppose the Ming and Restore the Chieftains,' they will definitely rise up in response!"

"We only have 20,000 men now, which is not enough to stop the government troops. But as long as we unite with all the chieftains in the southwest, our strength will increase several times over. At that time, we can not only protect Chongqing, but also drive the Ming army out of the southwest!"

Looking into her father's resolute eyes, She Yan's panic gradually subsided, and she nodded heavily.
"I understand! I will hold Chongqing and wait for Father to return with reinforcements!"

She Chongming said no more, turned around and roared at his personal guards:
"Pass on my order! Zhang Tong shall immediately lead three thousand troops from Fotu Pass to aid Zunyi!"
I personally led three thousand soldiers straight to Luzhou!

Tell the brothers, in this battle, it's either death or taking the Southwest; there is no other way!

Not long after.

The sound of galloping hooves could be heard on the mountain road outside the west gate of Chongqing Prefecture.

Wearing the heavy armor of the Yi people adorned with a bronze breastplate, and with a gold-inlaid curved sword hanging at his waist, She Chongming stood on the mountaintop, his gaze sweeping over the three thousand elite troops behind him.

These soldiers were all the best among the Yongning soldiers, each with sharp eyes and a fierce, fearless spirit.

"Let's go! Passing through Jiangjin and Longchang, straight to Luzhou!"

She Chongming suddenly swung his whip down.

The team immediately sprang into action.

As they passed through Jiangjin Town, the villagers who had just opened their doors were immediately surrounded by Yongning soldiers. Several strong Yi soldiers, wielding curved swords, shouted in a mixed Yi and Han language:

"Commander She has raised an army to rebel against the Ming Dynasty and wants to restore the old Tusi power! All men shall go on the expedition with the army, and their families may enter Luzhou City to avoid disaster. Those who disobey shall be treated as Ming spies!"

The people looked at each other in dismay, some showing fear and trying to back away, but the soldiers pressed the backs of their swords against their chests.

Some young men were forcibly dragged out of the crowd and pushed to join the line.

Some elderly, weak, women, and children, carrying their valuables, moved towards Luzhou under the "escort" of soldiers.

She Chongming reined in his horse and walked in the middle of the procession. He watched as more and more people were being swept up in the crowd, but his brow remained furrowed.

He would look up at the sky from time to time; the cold wind swept across the horizon, carrying wisps of clouds, as if urging time to pass.

"My son, you must hold on for a month..."

He knew in his heart that if Chongqing fell, the banner of "occupying the prefectural city and rebelling against the Ming" would become a joke, and those already wavering chieftains would never risk responding.

He's racing against time!
At the same time, the sound of oars splashing could be heard on the surface of the Qijiang River.

Zhang Tong stood at the bow of a junket, clad in black leather armor, gripping an oar, and roared at the dozens of ships behind him:
"Hurry! Faster! The Qijiang River flows slowly; we must reach Ganshui Town before sunset!"

The boats on the river were lined up end to end, each carrying fifty or sixty Yongning soldiers. The soldiers were bare-armed, their muscles taut, and they rowed the boats with all their might, cutting through the water and leaving long, narrow streaks.

The lookout stood atop the mast, holding a telescope, vigilantly watching both banks.

The banks of the Qijiang River are mostly steep cliffs. If Ming troops were hiding there, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"General! The Ganshui Town Wharf is ahead!"

The lookout suddenly shouted.

Zhang Tong looked in the direction he pointed and saw several fishing boats moored by the dock, with several fishermen running frantically towards the shore.

"Take over the dock! Leave ten ships to guard it, the rest of you follow me ashore!"

Zhang Tong leaped onto the dock, brandished his scimitar, and the Yongning soldiers abandoned their ships and went ashore, quickly taking control of the entire dock.

He gazed at the rising smoke from the chimneys of Ganshui Town in the distance, pondering:

Once we pass Ganshui Town, the territory of the Zunyi Tusi (chieftain) will be to the south. At that time, with the She family's reputation, we will surely be able to persuade the Zunyi Tusi to send troops.

Little did he know that the Ming army outside Chongqing was pressing down like dark clouds.

Outside the North Gate of Chongqing Prefecture.

Thirty thousand border troops stood in neat square formations, their black "Bear" banners fluttering in the cold wind.

Xiong Tingbi was clad in heavy armor with nine sides, his shoulders covered with tiger-head shoulder guards, and he held a horsewhip inlaid with iron in his hand. His eyes swept across the city in front of him with piercing gaze.

The city walls of Chongqing are towering, and the figures of Yongning soldiers can be vaguely seen on the walls. The city gates are tightly closed, and the drawbridge is suspended high, indicating that defense preparations have been made long ago.

"This humble general, Ma Xianglin, pays his respects to the Commander-in-Chief!"

A rapid sound of hooves came from the side. Ma Xianglin, wearing the distinctive silver armor of the White-Clad Soldiers, dismounted and knelt on one knee, his voice full of respect.

Behind him followed dozens of soldiers with white spears, each with a dark complexion and holding the distinctive white-shafted spears, clearly having just come from the mountains.

Xiong Tingbi nodded slightly and reached out to help him up.
"Get up. We heard that General Qin 'withdrew' from Chongqing and thought that the White-Spear Army had returned to Shizhu. We didn't expect you to still be here."

"My mother was certain that She Chongming would rebel, so she ordered me to lead five hundred brothers to hide in the mountains outside the city to scout out the enemy's situation."

Ma Xianglin stood up straight, his eyes filled with admiration for Xiong Tingbi.

He had long heard of Xiong Tingbi's achievements in reforming military discipline and defeating the Jurchens in the Nine Garrisons. Today, having met him, he felt even more that this border commander had an extraordinary demeanor.

What is Chongqing like now?

Xiong Tingbi abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming urgent, and pointed his whip at the city wall.

"Is She Chongming's main force still in the city?"

"Reporting to the General of the Army."

The respect on Ma Xianglin's face faded somewhat, replaced by a more solemn expression.

"There are about 10,000 Yongning soldiers in the city, who guard the city walls day and night, but neither She Chongming nor Zhang Tong are among them."

Yesterday, my scouts spotted She Chongming leading three thousand elite troops towards Luzhou, while Zhang Tong led his ships south along the Qi River, seemingly to make contact with the local chieftain.

"What about Xu Keqiu and Huang Shoukui? Are they still resisting in the armory?"

Xiong Tingbi pressed for details, as this was what he was most concerned about.

If Xu Keqiu were still alive, taking Chongqing would have been much easier with a pincer attack from both inside and outside.

Ma Xianglin shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness:

"This... I don't know. Ever since She Chongming occupied Chongqing, the city gates have been under strict martial law day and night, and the checks are extremely rigorous."

The scouts sent by his mother, as well as the agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Western Depot, all found it difficult to infiltrate the city.

Many of the Yongning soldiers were Yi people, and their speech was mostly a mixture of Yi and Sichuan dialect. Even if the barbarians disguised themselves as merchants or farmers, they would be exposed as soon as they opened their mouths. Some of them couldn't even say the local market day or local specialties, and they were arrested as soon as they approached the city gate.

Upon hearing this, Xiong Tingbi frowned deeply.

He looked up at the Chongqing city wall, where Yongning soldiers were pacing back and forth. Occasionally, arrows would be shot towards the outside of the city, but they all landed outside the formation.

"In that case, we have no choice but to launch a full-scale attack."

"If Xu Keqiu is still resisting, he will be able to hold back the enemy troops in the city when we launch a strong attack; if... if he has met with misfortune, we must take Chongqing as soon as possible, lest the situation become even more difficult to manage after She Chongming contacts the chieftains!"

"However, to conquer Chongqing, we cannot attack the city of Chongqing by force; we must first take these two passes!"

"Erlang Pass is located on the mountainside of Gele Mountain, with cliffs on the left and deep valleys on the right. It is the last barrier in western Chongqing, and one man can hold the pass against ten thousand men."

Fotu Pass guards the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers, controlling the vital north-south passage and serving as the throat for entering and leaving Chongqing.

With both passes in hand, Chongqing becomes an isolated city, unable to escape!

Ma Xianglin stepped forward and said:
"My lord, if we were to attack both passes, Governor Xu and Vice Commander Huang in the city would likely..."

Before he could finish speaking, his eyes were already filled with worry.

"you are wrong."

Xiong Tingbi shook his head.

"If we directly launch a strong attack on Chongqing, the enemy troops at Erlang Pass and Fotu Pass will surely attack from the rear, leaving our army vulnerable to attacks from both sides and suffering heavy casualties."

She Yan dared not stand idly by while the two passes were attacked.

These two passes are his escape route; if he loses them, he will be trapped like a turtle in a jar!
He will definitely send troops to rescue us. Then we can besiege the stronghold and attack the reinforcements, thus annihilating the enemy's main force and relieving the siege of the armory—a double victory!

Ma Xianglin suddenly realized what was happening and immediately bowed:

"Your subordinate understands! Fotu Pass has just been ravaged by war, and the city is in ruins. Your subordinate is willing to lead the White-Spear Soldiers as the vanguard, and we will surely break through this pass within three days!"

"it is good!"

Xiong Tingbi nodded and turned to look at his deputy general Cao Wenzhao beside him. "General Cao, the garrison commander of Erlang Pass was originally a Ming general, but he defected to She Chongming. The pass is strong and has sufficient food and supplies, so it is not advisable to attack it head-on."

You will lead five thousand border troops to besiege the enemy, feigning an attack to draw their attention. Once General Ma captures Fotu Pass, we can then join forces to defeat them!

Cao Wenzhao, a burly man clad in heavy black iron armor, clasped his hands in response:
"Your subordinate obeys! We will surround Erlang Pass completely, leaving the enemy no way to escape!"

Dawn the next day.

The silver-gray flags of the White-Spear Soldiers have been raised below Fotu Pass.

Ma Xianglin reined in his horse and stood before the pass, gazing at the dilapidated fortress before him.

The city wall collapsed in many places, and blackened corpses were mixed in with the bricks and stones. Some of them were still wearing the uniforms of Ming Dynasty garrison soldiers, which were obviously the remains of soldiers who had defended the pass to the death a few days ago.

When the Yongning soldiers on the gate tower saw the White-Spear Soldiers approaching, they hurriedly drew their bows and nocked arrows, and a rain of arrows swooped down. However, due to the damage to the gate wall, many arrows fell into empty space.

"Form ranks! Echelon assault!"

Ma Xianglin drew his sword from his waist and gave the order in a loud voice.

The first wave of White-Clad Soldiers immediately stepped forward, each carrying a heavy jujube wood shield with iron-plated edges to block the rain of arrows overhead.

Behind the shield bearers followed soldiers wielding iron spikes. They crouched low and rushed to the foot of the city wall. The iron spikes slammed against the dilapidated foundation of the wall with a "bang," sending stones flying. The already loose bricks and stones gradually fell away, and the gaps in the wall grew wider and wider.

The second echelon of Ming soldiers had already set up ladders. Seeing that the first echelon had opened a breach, they immediately shouted and began to climb the ladders.

The Yongning soldiers frantically threw rolling stones and oil from the gate tower. The ladder was set on fire by the oil, and several soldiers with white spears fell from the ladder, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

But the White-Spear Soldiers, fearless and relentless, charged forward wave after wave. Some soldiers, gripping the ladders with one hand and wielding short swords with the other, cut down the spears extending from above. Finally, someone scaled the gate tower, felling a Yongning soldier with a single blow, and shouted:
"We've captured a corner of the gate tower!"

The third echelon moved immediately, with dozens of soldiers setting up rockets. With a few "whoosh" sounds, the rockets, carrying sparks, headed straight for the gate tower.

The gate tower was originally a wooden structure, but after being ignited by the rocket, it instantly burst into flames, billowing thick smoke. The screams of the Yongning soldiers and the sounds of clashing weapons mingled together in complete chaos.

In Chongqing, She Yan was anxiously awaiting news from the armory in his office when a personal guard stumbled in, his face pale.

"Young Marshal! Something terrible has happened! The White-Spear Army is launching a fierce attack on Fotu Pass, and the pass is about to fall!"

"what?"

She suddenly stood up, knocking her chair to the ground.

He knew in his heart that Fotu Pass was the only way out south of Chongqing. Once it was lost, the Ming army could attack from both the north and south, and he and more than 10,000 Yongning soldiers would be like birds in a cage.

"Quickly! Withdraw the soldiers besieging the armory, gather five hundred cavalry, and head out of the city to provide relief!"

Five hundred Yongning cavalrymen immediately assembled, wielding scimitars and wearing leather armor, and sped out of the south gate of Chongqing, heading towards Fotuguan.

Just as they reached the valley three miles from the pass, shouts suddenly rang out from the mountain peaks on both sides, and rolling stones and logs poured down. Immediately afterwards, Xiong Tingbi personally led two thousand border troops out from both sides of the valley, and the cavalry were blocked in the narrow valley, unable to advance or retreat.

"No! There's an ambush!"

The Yongning cavalry commander roared, trying to turn his horse around, but was blocked by a rolling boulder.

Border soldiers, armed with long spears, formed a dense gun emplacement and advanced step by step. Lead bullets were fired from their muskets, and cavalrymen fell from their horses one after another, their screams echoing throughout the battlefield.

In less than half an hour, all five hundred cavalrymen were wiped out, with not a single survivor.

When the news reached Fotuguan, the morale of the Yongning soldiers on the gate tower plummeted.

The already dilapidated fortress could no longer be defended, and the White-Spear Soldiers launched a fierce attack. At dawn on the third day, Ma Xianglin, holding a blood-stained sword, stood on the city wall of Fotuguan, his silver-gray flag fluttering in the smoke of battle.

Fotu Pass has fallen!

Upon learning of the annihilation of the reinforcements and the fall of Fotu Pass, She Yan, residing in Chongqing, slumped into a chair, his face ashen.

He knew that his retreat was cut off and he could only defend Chongqing to the death, hoping that his father, She Chongming, could return with reinforcements as soon as possible.

Ten days after the fall of Fotu Pass, a secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard was delivered to Xiong Tingbi.

"Lord General, She Chongming has already captured Luzhou!"

The messenger knelt on one knee and handed over the secret report.

"He instigated the local chieftains of Luzhou and Gulin to rise up in response, and coerced people along the way. His forces have increased to more than 50,000 and are rushing towards Chongqing to provide reinforcements!"

Upon hearing this, all the generals under his command looked worried.

With She Chongming's strength greatly increased, if he were to join forces with She Yan in Chongqing, the battle situation might be reversed.

But Xiong Tingbi took the secret report, and after reading it, he suddenly laughed, his laughter deep and powerful:
"Hehe, good! You've come at the perfect time!"

He threw the secret report on the table and said coldly, "The chieftains in the southwest have long been dissatisfied with the court's policy of changing the chieftain system to a system of appointed officials. Now that She Chongming has called on everyone to follow suit, it's a perfect opportunity to gather all these barbarians with ulterior motives!"

"What the Grand Marshal means is..."

Ma Xianglin asked in confusion.

"Annihilate them in one fell swoop!"

Xiong Tingbi's eyes were sharp as knives.

She Chongming believed that by coercing the local chieftains and expanding his military strength, he could resist the imperial court.
He was wrong! Although the chieftain's army was large, they fought independently and their discipline was lax. How could a rabble of 50,000 men possibly stand against my 30,000 elite border troops?
After capturing Erlang Pass and breaking through Chongqing, we can then turn our attention to She Chongming, thus wiping out all the rebels in the southwest and eliminating future troubles!

"Moreover, the elite troops from Huguang have arrived, and we now have 50,000 men. This is a golden opportunity to secure the southwest in one battle!"

Upon hearing this, the generals all suddenly understood and clasped their hands in a fist salute, saying, "The General is truly wise!"

The Ming Dynasty couldn't find a reason to deal with the chieftains who didn't rebel.

They've rebelled now.

Let's wipe them all out at once!
With the chieftains no longer having soldiers, the process of replacing chieftains with centrally appointed officials naturally became smooth.

(End of this chapter)