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

The Ming army was in high spirits and encountered no significant resistance during their charge.

Miao Gang followed the large group forward in a daze, but was greatly puzzled, because the Shun army he saw today seemed... to be very different from the one last night!

I remember last night, it was the same army, howling and charging forward.

Today, however, they're all wilted, like eggplants that've been hit by frost!

They either get killed crying for their parents, or they throw down their weapons and surrender on the ground.

Why did you hit me so hard last night?

Today, we've become lambs, slaughtered and running for our lives.

If I hadn't personally killed several enemy soldiers and gotten wounded myself, I would have thought I was dreaming!

What he didn't know was that the Shun army's formation had already been torn apart by the Ming army's cavalry.

The left and right front battalions flanked the enemy from both sides, directly attacking the rear of the Shun army and immediately disrupting their formation.

The Shun army is now just like the Ming army last night, scattered and disorganized by the cavalry, unable to support each other.

The Ming army's attack, though seemingly reckless, was actually well-planned.

Li Ruolian slightly modified the Mandarin Duck Formation from the military manual, removing the powerful but slow-moving wolf soldiers and increasing the coordination of cavalry and firearms, making it perform even better overall.

Moreover, all the units in the formation are readily available and do not need to be created separately.

In just a few days, they can develop considerable combat power.

In the Shun army's ranks, Zheng Siwei looked utterly incredulous.

Snapped!

The lieutenant looked over and saw Zheng Siwei raise his hand and slap himself hard across the face...

"My lord, victory and defeat are common occurrences in war, please don't be like this!"

Zheng Siwei looked bewildered and asked, "Damn it, is this a dream?"

Lieutenant General: ...

"Order to retreat!"

In fact, no orders were needed at all; the Shun army was already withdrawing.

"kill!"

The Ming army became even more excited and continued their pursuit.

At this stage of the battle, command is no longer needed.

The Shun army fled for their lives, and the Ming army pursued them relentlessly.

In order to pursue the enemy, they even abandoned their formation.

Zheng Siwei was filled with resentment, but he knew very well that the tide had turned and the defeat was complete.

The entire army suffered more than half its casualties, and the eight hundred cavalrymen were almost completely wiped out. Thinking of the scene of those cavalrymen being shot off their horses, my heart couldn't help but bleed.

Half an hour later, the battlefield finally calmed down.

The Ming army began to clean up the battlefield, gather prisoners, and await their disposal.

Miao Gang looked around, and Wang Dalong asked, "What are you looking for?"

"Looking for my wife and kids!"

"What the hell?"

Wang Dalong was puzzled and thought he had misheard.

Miao Gang had no time to explain. He had been defeated in the chaotic battle last night, and his fleet had fallen into the hands of the Shun army. His family members were among them, and he didn't know if they were still alive.

Finally, near the riverbank, a group of people were spotted.

Miao Gang thought to himself that Heaven had eyes, and hurriedly ran over.

These people were the family members of the ship, who had been captured by the Shun army last night and had not yet been dealt with.

In today's battle, the Shun army suffered a great defeat, and even the soldiers responsible for guarding the prisoners fled.

"master!"

Miao Gang's wife, Wang, with her sharp eyes, came forward weeping.

Seeing this, the others crowded around, asking all sorts of questions about the battle.

Chen Yan's son, Chen Ruxiu, rushed over and asked, "General Miao, what exactly happened last night? Why did you abandon us and flee?"

"Last night's sudden attack must have been quite a shock for you, young master!"

Miao Gang was displeased, but dared not show it, so he could only bow his head and apologize.

After all, he is the son of the Cabinet Chief Minister's family; it's best not to offend him.

Unexpectedly, Chen Ruxiu became even more dissatisfied and questioned, "The general has failed in his duties, leaving us to suffer the humiliation of bandits. I must report this to my father!"

"My lord, please calm your anger. Last night, bandits launched a surprise attack, catching me completely off guard..."

"Why were there no precautions? Why weren't sentries and patrols posted during the night camping?"

Faced with Chen Ruxiu's aggressive questioning, Miao Gang forced himself to remain calm and said with a forced smile, "The river was blocked, and in order not to delay our journey, the soldiers worked through the night to clear the river..."

"That's your problem!"

Chen Ruxiu waved her hand impatiently and said, "All I know is that you were ambushed and suffered a crushing defeat, causing us to fall into the hands of thieves. This matter must be reported..."

"Go to hell!"

Miao Gang could no longer hold back and slapped him across the face.

Snapped!

Chen Ruxiu was stunned by the beating, staring wide-eyed at Miao Gang, unable to utter a single word.

The others were also at a loss. Miao Gang was good at reading people's expressions and was usually very attentive to everyone, so they were all used to it.

It's really hard to accept that he suddenly started hitting someone today.

Chen Ruxiu's face flushed red, and she shouted, "I'll report this to Father and have you punished! Just you wait!"

Snapped!

Miao Gang raised his hand and slapped him again.

This time, he used all his strength, making Chen Ruxiu spin around on the spot and almost faint.

"Why was I ambushed? Wasn't it because I was helping you dig the riverbed?"

Miao Gang went completely berserk, pointing his finger at Chen Ruxiu and cursing, "Of my five thousand soldiers, more than half have been killed or wounded, and the rest have fled. If the imperial court investigates, it's a capital offense. And you're still here causing trouble?"

"I, I...you, are you going to rebel?"

"I'm a guerrilla general appointed by the imperial court, not a dog of your Chen family!"

Miao Gang's face was terribly gloomy as he turned to look at the others.

"Listen up, all of you! From this moment forward, everyone will obey Commander Li's orders. Confess your identities and the wealth you possess. Any concealment will be your own fault!"

Chen Ruxiu asked, "What Commander Li? Which Commander Li?"

"Li Ruolian, Commander of the Warriors Battalion!"

Just as Miao Gang was about to speak, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

He quickly turned around, only to find Li Ruolian already standing behind him.

"Commander Li, you've arrived!"

Li Ruolian nodded, took two steps forward, and looked at the crowd.

Chen Ruxiu, however, looked disgusted and asked, "Li Ruolian? Sorry, never heard of her!"

Miao Gang angrily retorted, "I advise you to show some respect to Commander Li!"

"It's alright."

Li Ruolian waved her hand and then said, "You are Chen Ruxiu, son of Chen Yan, the current Grand Secretary of the Cabinet?"

Chen Ruxiu turned her face away, gave a soft snort, and said, "Exactly!"

"very good!"

Li Ruolian looked at a woman and asked, "Are you a relative of Vice Minister He of the Ministry of Rites?"

The woman simply nodded without replying.

Li Ruolian then looked at the others and asked them about their identities one by one.

The group didn't hide anything, since they were all relatives of high-ranking officials and were not worried about anything. They were just curious about where a commander of the Warriors Battalion had come from, as they didn't seem to have heard of him before.

Miao Gang was secretly surprised. As expected of someone from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, their intelligence work was really thorough.

Everyone present, except for their wives and children, was questioned.

Chen Ruxiu said, "Commander Li, now that the rebels have retreated, when do you plan to escort us on our way?"

Li Ruolian chuckled and said, "Let's set off now!"

Chen Ruxiu said with satisfaction, "You seem like a decent person, more reliable than that Miao Gang!"

Miao Gang was about to lash out when he saw Li Ruolian waving her hand, so he had no choice but to give up.

Chen Ruxiu added, "However, the river ahead is silted up and needs to be cleared. Commander Li, please hurry up and don't delay our journey."

"No need!"

Li Ruolian shook her head and then said, "We don't need to travel by water back to the capital!"