I, Emperor Chongzhen, have extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by five hundred years.

Miao Gang felt his arm go numb, and the long knife almost slipped from his hand.

He reined in his horse, pointed his sword at the other men, and shouted, "Who are you? State your names!"

"Zheng Siwei, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Route Army of the Great Shun Dynasty, who are you?"

Zheng Siwei made no attempt to hide his disdain.

As they marched forward, the Ming soldiers along the way were terrified at the mere mention of Zheng Siwei's name.

"Pooh!"

Miao Gang spat on the ground and said, "I knew it! How could ordinary bandits dare to storm a military camp? Turns out they're rebels!"

Upon hearing the words "thief," Zheng Siwei was instantly enraged.

Those who joined the rebel army were all poor people. If they hadn't been desperate to survive, who would be willing to risk their lives to rebel?

From the moment the rebellion began, life and death were no longer a concern.

Over the years, they have been cursed as bandits, killed and scattered, and fled into the deep mountains and forests...

Now that the army has grown stronger and the rebel leader has even declared himself emperor in Xi'an, the rebel army has transformed into the regular army of the Great Shun Dynasty. What they hate most now is being called traitors!

Before the establishment of the Great Shun Dynasty, we were rebels.

Now that we have the Great Shun Dynasty and Emperor Yongchang, we are still rebels.

Wasn't the Great Shun Dynasty established in vain?

Zheng Siwei, his face dark, gritted his teeth and said, "No matter who you are, if you survive tonight, I'll take your surname!"

"Hahaha!"

Miao Gang threw his head back and laughed loudly, then said, "Listen up, I am Miao Gang, the Left Wing Army General of the Fifth Army Battalion. If anyone asks you about me in the future, remember that your father's surname is Miao!"

"Fuck your mother, prepare to die!"

Zheng Siwei roared and urged his warhorse to charge forward!

Miao Gang advanced instead of retreating, swinging his long sword. The two steel blades clashed in mid-air again, producing a piercing sound.

The two engaged in a fierce battle, their weapons clashing and sparks flying.

The soldiers on both sides were also engaged in a fierce battle, and the riverbank was filled with shouts of battle and screams of agony.

Miao Gang was in the midst of a fierce battle when, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw flames shooting into the sky behind him.

Just as he was distracted, Zheng Siwei swung his long sword down, almost grazing his nose and shaving off all the hair on his forehead.

Miao Gang roared, "You scoundrel! You have no martial ethics! You actually arranged for someone to set fire to the place!"

Zheng Siwei laughed and said, "Don't think I don't know your mission. Isn't it to escort the families and assets of those high-ranking officials to Nanjing? Tonight, no one is leaving until we've decided who wins!"

Miao Gang was extremely anxious. How could the other party know so much? Could there be a traitor within their ranks?

Now that the fleet has been burned, what does this mean?

The镖师 (bodyguard/escort) were escorting a shipment, but the shipment disappeared!

If the mission has failed, going back won't end well for me either.

"kill!"

Miao Gang roared and charged at Zheng Siwei with his knife once more.

The two clashed again, and after several rounds, neither could gain the upper hand.

However, the situation on the battlefield is becoming increasingly clear.

The Shun army was in high spirits and charged forward, driving the Ming army into a series of defeats.

Miao Gang looked back and saw his men fleeing in a panic, completely unable to fight back.

This is understandable. The Ming army spent their days dredging the waterways and were exhausted. Where would they find the strength to fight?

Miao Gang made his decision immediately, and slowly raised his knife...

Zheng Siwei thought that his opponent was preparing for a desperate fight, so he dared not be careless and held his long sword horizontally in front of him.

"withdraw!"

Miao Gang suddenly shouted and turned his horse around to run away.

This move completely stunned Zheng Siwei. He had just been holding a knife and ready to fight to the death, but he ran away so quickly.

"Fuck your mother, don't you dare leave!"

Zheng Siwei was filled with resentment. He had just been called a traitor. If he didn't avenge this tonight, and that bastard got away, where would he find him?

Upon seeing their commander flee, the Ming soldiers abandoned their resistance and turned to run away.

The scene became even more chaotic, with the Ming and Shun armies mixed together, making it difficult to distinguish them in the darkness. The Shun army dared not act rashly for fear of accidentally injuring their own comrades.

Zheng Siwei continued his relentless pursuit, shouting, "Chase them! Leave no one alive!"

Miao Gang kept whipping his warhorse, desperately fleeing north.

Zheng Siwei chased after them for a while, but because they were too far from the Ming army camp and there was no firelight to illuminate the area, he lost them.

Left with no other choice, he had to order a withdrawal and temporarily return to the Ming army's garrison to rest.

Miao Gang was still fleeing for his life when his warhorse, exhausted, neighed and fell to the ground.

Pfft!

As the warhorse fell, Miao Gang was also thrown off, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

By this time, dawn had broken, and just as I flew out, I seemed to see someone.

With this thought in mind, he struggled to get up, looked up, but everything in front of him was blurry.

He rubbed his eyes hard, and when he looked again, he saw an army.

Looking up at the military flag, it was the Ming army!

"Help me! Help me!"

Overjoyed, Miao Gang ran forward with all his might.

This army is quite large, appearing to number three thousand. If reinforcements are sent now, it is entirely possible to repel the rebels and reclaim the fleet!

"I am Miao Gang, the guerrilla general of the Fifth Army Battalion!"

"Which unit are you from? Quickly help me stop those bandits!"

Miao Gang stumbled forward and then saw what the other person looked like.

He recognized the man; he was Li Ruolian, the second-in-command of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

What he didn't know was that Li Ruolian's current identity was the commander of the Warriors Battalion.

The army in front of him was the Warriors Battalion, which was formed by drawing elite troops from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"stop!"

At Li Ruolian's command, the soldiers of the Warriors Battalion immediately stopped.

He spurred his horse forward, carefully discerning the other person's identity in the dim morning light.

"Are you Miao Gang?"

Li Ruolian's voice carried a hint of doubt, after all, the person in front of her was disheveled and looked quite disheveled.

"Yes, yes, I'm Miao Gang! Li Qianshi, please help me!"

Miao Gang responded urgently, his hands clenched into fists, his eyes gleaming with a desire to survive.

Li Ruolian thought to herself, Miao Gang's disheveled appearance suggests that he has already clashed with the Shun army and suffered a complete defeat.

We're still a step too late!

If Chen Yan's family falls into the hands of the Shun army and is used to blackmail them, the 200,000-strong army is very likely to surrender without a fight.

"Miao Gang, do you know your crime?"

Li Ruolian suddenly spoke, her voice deep and powerful.

Upon hearing this, Miao Gang turned pale and said, "I...I was ambushed by the bandits. I did my best, but the bandits have no martial ethics..."

"Save those words for His Majesty!"

Miao Gang's expression changed drastically, and he murmured, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty?"

"good!"

Li Ruolian nodded, then ordered, "Men, seize Miao Gang!"

Miao Gang was shocked and slowly took two steps back, asking, "Why are you arresting me?"

"Don't you know what you've done?"

"I...I...I was ordered by Minister Chen to escort the fleet south..."

"Who are the people on board? What cargo is it carrying?"

"this……"

Miao Gang hesitated, unsure how to answer.

Li Ruolian didn't want to waste words with him; her immediate priority was to get the people back on the ship.

"Take it down!"