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

Da da da……

In the darkness, the sound of horses' hooves was exceptionally clear.

Hong Niangzi ordered the entire army to halt, strengthen vigilance, and prepare for battle.

After seeing who it was, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Everything is normal ahead, no ambush!"

Cheng Youde spoke without batting an eye.

In the dark, even if someone's expression is abnormal, no one can see it.

Hong Niangzi looked ahead and asked, "Where are the others?"

"I order them to continue scouting ahead. If they discover any enemy activity, report back immediately!"

"Look closely, are you sure you didn't notice anything?"

Cheng Youde confidently declared, "Look carefully, there's nothing there!"

Hong Niangzi nodded and ordered, "Pass on the order to continue!"

Due to the urgency of the situation, the army began to speed up.

As she passed through the abandoned village, Hong Niangzi couldn't help but take a second look.

Under the torchlight, many houses were already dilapidated.

Some of them were severely damaged, not because they collapsed naturally, but because they were bombed by the Ming army.

I remember that night, when I was walking around this spot, suddenly, flames shot into the sky...

Boom!

As Hong Niangzi was recalling the scene from that night, suddenly another burst of flames shot into the sky!

It's the same familiar scene, the same familiar picture...

For a moment, she couldn't tell whether what she was seeing was reality or a memory.

Boom!

Boom!

Explosions rang out continuously, warhorses were frightened and ran wildly in all directions, creating a chaotic scene.

Hong Niangzi finally realized what was happening and shouted, "There's an ambush! Retreat! Retreat!"

"Kill them!"

After the explosion, Ming soldiers suddenly attacked from all sides!

The Red Maidens' Army was bombed into a state of chaos and confusion, and was no match for the Ming army, which was in high spirits.

The Ming army quickly gained the upper hand and began to tighten the encirclement.

Li Ruolian took the lead and arrived at the front of the formation, shouting loudly, "Madam Li, we meet again!"

Hong Niangzi was somewhat exasperated, but she knew very well that the other side had come prepared, and she definitely couldn't win this battle tonight; her only option was to run!

She turned around and called out, "Cheng Youde, you take your men and leave first..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Cheng Youde galloping away on his horse without turning his head.

Hong Niangzi was furious. Last time he ran away at the last minute, and she didn't expect him to come again tonight!

Cheng Youde seemed to hear the voice behind him, turned around and called out, "This subordinate's intelligence was incorrect, I apologize!"

Hong Niangzi roared, "Come back here! Desertion in the face of battle is a capital offense!"

"I didn't run away! I... I... the warhorse was startled and I couldn't control it!"

As Cheng Youde spoke, he walked further and further away, soon disappearing into the night.

Hong Niangzi was furious. She drew her twin swords from her waist and turned around.

"A supposedly elite Warriors Battalion? All they do is play dirty tricks, huh?"

Li Ruolian said, "All's fair in war. You're out in the middle of the night, aren't you also planning a sneak attack?"

"Hmph, do you dare to fight me fair and square?"

"Fine, let's fight! Are you saying we're afraid of you?"

"Take this!"

Hong Niangzi squeezed the horse's flanks tightly with her legs and charged towards Li Ruolian!

His warhorse neighed and puffed out hot air as it began to gallop faster.

Li Ruolian remained where she was, calm and collected, waiting quietly.

Hong Niangzi increased her speed again, wielding her twin swords one in front of the other, assuming a fighting stance, and suddenly...

He felt the warhorse suddenly stop, and then both he and the horse were thrown into the air.

Oh no, it's a horse trap!

Before the matchmaker even landed, she already understood.

If I'm not mistaken, what happens next...?

Sure enough, a familiar fishing net came crashing down!

"I'll fight you to the death!"

Hong Niangzi shouted and struggled violently.

However, the fishing net tightened more and more, eventually binding her tightly, and the knife in her hand fell to the ground.

Li Ruolian dismounted and came to Hong Niangzi's side.

"Despicable! Shameless!"

Hong Niangzi gritted her teeth and shouted curses.

However, no matter how much she scolded her, Li Ruolian didn't take it to heart at all.

"I told you before, all's fair in war, and you lost again!"

"Are you even a man? Why don't you dare fight me fair and square?"

"You dare say you're acting with integrity? Who marches out in the middle of the night with integrity?"

"I……"

Hong Niangzi was not good with words to begin with, and now that she was in the wrong, she was speechless.

Li Ruolian asked, "This is the second time I've captured you tonight. Do you submit?"

"I refuse to accept this!"

"snort!"

Li Ruolian snorted coldly and said, "His Majesty values ​​talent and, considering your kind intentions, devised this scheme for you tonight. Otherwise, we would have doubled the amount of explosives and blown you up!"

Hong Niangzi remained noncommittal and turned her face away.

"take away!"

Li Ruolian immediately stopped talking nonsense and ordered his men to escort Hong Niangzi and several hundred surrendered soldiers back to Baoding.

Cheng Youde galloped wildly through the darkness, not knowing how long he had been running, until the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn. His warhorse was so exhausted that it was foaming at the mouth, and only then did he stop.

He calmed himself down and went through everything that had happened last night.

There are now two paths to take. The safer option is to go far away and fly away.

Whether it's Emperor Chongzhen or Li Zicheng, go ahead and fight, I'm not going to get involved!

I'll find a remote place, change my name and surname, and regardless of whether the world belongs to the Zhu or the Li family, I'll settle down to farm and live out the rest of my life in peace!

But I'm not willing to accept it!

If he had been content with the status quo, he wouldn't have had to join the army!

Now I am a centurion appointed by the Ming Dynasty court. Although the official position is not high, it is legitimate!

Li Zicheng offered him a high-ranking official position, but he was unsure of his own worth.

After much thought, I decided to go back.

The problem now is how to get back?

As he was lost in thought, his warhorse, knowing the way, began to wander forward.

"Lieutenant Cheng, why did you come back alone?"

Cheng Youde was startled. He looked up and saw that they had already returned to the camp.

Sensing something was wrong, the sentry at the gate asked again, "Lieutenant Cheng, what exactly happened?"

"oops!"

Cheng Youde instantly adopted a sorrowful expression and shouted, "Something terrible has happened! We've fallen into the Ming army's ambush again! Take me to General Li immediately!"

A moment later, Li Yan saw Cheng Youde and was completely dumbfounded.

"What happened? Why did you come back by yourself?"

Cheng Youde knelt on the ground, weeping, and said, "Reporting to General Li, our army has fallen into an ambush again!"

Li Yan was shocked and asked, "Tell me clearly, what exactly happened?"

Cheng Youde wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes and said, "Last night, during the march, I sensed something was amiss and repeatedly reminded Hong Niangzi to be careful, as there might be an ambush ahead. But Hong Niangzi... she was so eager for revenge that she wouldn't listen!"

"I realized the danger of this mission, but my attempts to dissuade them were futile, so I had no choice but to grit my teeth and continue the march. When we passed an abandoned village... oh, it was the same village as last time. The Ming army is too cunning; they've set up an ambush here again, planting explosives..."

"After the Ming army detonated the explosives, they suddenly attacked from all sides. I tried my best to cover Hong Niangzi's retreat, but the Ming army's firearms were too fierce. Many warhorses were frightened and ran wildly. My own warhorse also lost control and ran wildly for dozens of miles until it could no longer run and finally stopped!"

"I wanted to rush back to rescue them, but it was too late. When I got back, all that was left was devastation. I... I have failed the General's trust!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan frowned, his eyes revealing a hint of doubt.

This was Cheng Youde's second time coming back, but no problems could be found in his account.

"Lieutenant Cheng, please get up."

Li Yan frowned in thought, somewhat at a loss.

"General Li, I heard that Cheng Youde has returned on his own?"

At this moment, Ma Chongxi rushed over and happened to come face to face with Cheng Youde.

After a brief eye contact, Cheng Youde quickly repeated what he had just said.

After listening, Ma Chongxi also frowned.

Li Yan asked, "Mr. Ma, what should we do now?"

Ma Chongxi sighed inwardly, "Your wife is such a busybody!"

"According to what Hong Niangzi said, Emperor Chongzhen's intention was to persuade her to surrender, and he should not have harmed her."

"But...sigh!"

Li Yan sighed and said, "This battle was truly humiliating!"

As he spoke, he slammed his fist on the table, sending the teapot flying.

The tea had just been brewed, and the scalding hot tea poured over Cheng Youde, making him grimace, but he dared not utter a sound.

Ma Chongxi thought for a moment and said, "Now that things have come to this, we can only send someone to negotiate and see what Chongzhen's demands are before making any further plans."

Li Yan nodded and looked at Cheng Youde.

"you go!"