A lowly soldier becomes king, I slaughter my way through the late Tang Dynasty!

"General, shouldn't it be our turn to go now?"

Seeing the rebel army charging towards him, Chen Xiaoniu was eager to try.

Li Rui glanced at the rebels but didn't take them seriously.

"Since we're going to use flintlock muskets, we can't let one slip by. This secret weapon of flintlock muskets must not be revealed."

Chen Xiaoniu was overjoyed upon hearing this!

"Look! I guarantee it won't be like Zhao Heida's, whose pee is split and hundreds of drops leak out."

Helpless, Li Rui waved his hand, telling Chen Xiaoniu to handle it himself.

He then shifted his gaze back to the battlefield at Baimajin.

After all, the two hundred rebel soldiers charging towards him were not much of a threat.

He was mainly concerned about his Divine Sword Army; he felt a pang of heartache at the loss of even one soldier!

Chen Xiaoniu led forty-four soldiers of the Shenji Battalion, riding forward to form a battle formation.

The formation is very simple.

There are 23 in the front row and 22 in the back row.

Once the flintlock muskets were fully loaded with gunpowder and projectiles, they were immediately reloaded after the first volley of fire.

Those in the back row stepped forward, aimed, and fired.

This alternation ensures a continuous supply of firepower.

Although their numbers were small, their power was undeniable.

Zhang Yanzhe and his men charged forward, only to see the Shenji Battalion soldiers carrying a strangely shaped short gun.

Little did they know what the purpose of this short gun was.

As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss.

They didn't know, and naturally they weren't afraid.

He charged straight at the dark muzzle of the gun!

until……

Thud! Thud! ...

A burst of intense roaring sounds!

Not a single one of the twenty-three gun barrels in the front row was blocked or misfired.

Thick smoke exploded in the night, coalescing into a dense fog that drifted towards the horizon.

At the same time the gunshots rang out.

Chaos erupted around Zhang Yanzhe in an instant!

Like harvesting wheat, a large swathe of crops fell down in unison!

"ah--!"

Screams rang out all at once.

Zhang Yanzhe was startled and quickly turned his head left and right, shouting.

"What is that!?"

He reined in his horse abruptly and stared intently ahead.

"Tripwire? Barbed caltrops?"

He searched diligently for things that could cause the cavalry to fall over.

But no matter how I looked, there was clearly nothing in front of me!

Coupled with the roar just now, Zhang Yanzhe couldn't help but look up in fear at the dozens of strange short guns in front of him.

Is it...

Before he could think further...

The twenty-two men in the back row of the Shenji Battalion spurred their horses forward.

Aim and fire.

BOOM! BOOM!

Now Zhang Yanzhe saw it clearly.

It was so clear it couldn't be clearer.

He witnessed firsthand the thick smoke erupting from those strange short guns.

Then, accompanied by a roar, something seemed to shoot out from between the pistols.

It was these projectiles that sent them flying!

What kind of weapon is this?!

Zhang Yanzhe was so shocked that he couldn't think any further.

Because one of the bullets hit him squarely in the face!

puff!

Zhang Yanzhe was like a punching bag on the ground, as if he had been hit hard.

He fell backward!

He fell flat on his back from his horse and was already unable to move.

After the second round of firing, Zhang Yanzhe's personal guard had been reduced to nearly seventy men.

Some were hit directly, while others were tripped up, fell off their horses, and were trampled.

At this moment, Zhang Yanzhe landed silently, without moving.

Everyone turned pale instantly, and no one dared to continue the charge.

Didn't you see those terrifying pistols raised again?!

"Run! Li Rui has the Thunder God's help; if that thing goes off, we'll all be struck by lightning!"

"The general has been killed!"

"Run! Run!"

The remaining light cavalry almost completely scattered and fled for their lives in panic!

Chen Xiaoniu naturally wouldn't let them off the hook.

After another salvo following the reloaded ammunition, the order was immediately given.

"Chase them! Don't let a single one escape!"

They're chasing us here.

Zhao Kuangyin's side was also pursuing them.

Until dawn was approaching.

The smoke and dust finally settled.

A thousand armored cavalrymen of the Divine Sword Army stood in formation, solemn and respectful.

Armor stained with blood, spears dripping with blood, yet the men and horses stood firm, their formation remaining perfectly intact.

There were no casualties!

On the other hand,

The more than two thousand soldiers Zhang Yanzhe had crossed the river were already lying dead on the ground, their blood soaking the yellow earth.

After counting the number of men, Zhao Kuangyin was delighted and reported the casualty ratio to Li Rui.

How could such a glorious victory not excite the soldiers?

Chen Xiaoniu also promptly brought back good news.

Those fleeing rebels have all been wiped out; not a single one has escaped.

Moreover, according to a rebel who begged for mercy, Zhang Yanzhe had actually been killed by them!

It was only then that Li Rui and Chen Xiaoniu found out.

The two hundred rebel soldiers who tried to attack them last night were actually Zhang Yanzhe's personal guard.

Through identification of the armor, Chen Xiaoniu dragged over a corpse with a red nose.

As for why it has a red nose?

Because the bullet hit this person's nose, and the bridge of his nose was blown off!

Instead, lead bullets were placed in the center of the bridge of the nose.

It was stained red with blood, so it looked exactly like a round red nose.

"This is Zhang Yanzhe?"

Li Rui did not know him.

Although he and Zhang Yanzhe fought together in the Yangcheng victory, the two had never met.

When he was rewarded in Bianliang, Li Rui had not yet attended the grand court assembly, the only opportunity to meet with the emperor.

However, judging from the bright armor on the corpse, this must have been a high-ranking military officer.

It's most likely Zhang Yanzhe.

"Behead him, then send him to Bianliang."

"Here you go!"

……

Zhang Yanzhe had a total of 5,000 cavalrymen, and nearly 90% of the 2,000 soldiers who had crossed the river on the south bank of Baimajin had been wiped out.

The remaining escapees were mostly defeated soldiers, and they were no match for the enemy.

As for the thousand people who have not yet crossed the river, and those who have fallen behind but are catching up.

In Li Rui's view, it was nothing.

In fact.

The thousand people who had not yet crossed the river had already scattered and fled last night!

After all, they could hear the mournful screams of their comrades from the other side of the Yellow River, even across the river.

Who would be so foolish as to cross the river?

When the sky began to lighten slightly.

When they saw the corpses of their own soldiers lying on the other side of the river, how could anyone dare to cross it?

They scattered like birds and beasts!

Just one day later.

Zhang Yanzhe's head was then delivered to the gates of Bianliang by two Divine Sword Army soldiers on horseback.

At this time, in Bianliang City.

Since the news of the surrender of the front-line army to the enemy spread, and the emperor and the court stopped interfering in the affairs of state.

People were already filled with anxiety.

Although Li Rui led his troops into the city and stabilized the order in Bianliang.

But everyone knows that Zhang Yanzhe is leading 5,000 cavalrymen and marching south day and night!

These five thousand soldiers were like a sharp sword hanging over Bianliang.

Once it falls, the entire city's officials and citizens will suffer!

A few days ago.

Li Rui said he was going to intercept Zhang Yanzhe.

But there hasn't been a single piece of news in the past few days.

Victory? Defeat?

Or perhaps they didn't even fight, and Li Rui just left?

Nobody knows.

The people can endure waiting for one day or two.

But three or four days passed.

Human nature is gradually crumbling.

No one could bear the evil deeds Zhang Yanzhe committed after breaching the city.

No one can bear Zhang Yanzhe's reputation for cannibalism.

What if Li Rui is just all talk and no action, and actually can't win at all, or even just runs away?

It's not impossible!

Li Rui either lost or ran away.

What will they do?