Ming Dynasty: Moral blackmail? I, Emperor Chongzhen, have no morals!

The following morning, a cool autumn breeze swept across the land.

The Ming army adopted Hong Chengchou's plan and steadily advanced towards Liangcheng.

The vanguard was reassigned to Lu Xiang-sheng, with Li Fu-ming on the left wing and Yang Guo-zhu on the right.

Behind Lu Xiang-sheng was the central army, a combination of Hong Cheng-chou and Sun Chuan-ting.

The left flank of the central army consisted of Cao Bianjiao and Gao Jie, while the right flank consisted of Hu Dawei and Meng Ruhu.

As for the rear guard, it naturally consists of Wu Aheng's troops who marched south from Yutian, and they haven't arrived yet...

At this time, the advancing Ming army was unaware that the Qing army had stopped north of Ninghe and was preparing to launch a counterattack.

Just then, a Ming scout suddenly appeared before Lu Xiang-sheng and urgently reported, "General Lu, the Qing army has assembled north of Ninghe and is preparing to launch a surprise attack on our forces!"

Lu Xiang-sheng was startled, then shouted loudly, "All troops, prepare for battle!"

At this time, Zhu Jian, Hong Chengchou, and others in the central army were unaware that the Qing army was about to launch a counterattack and were steadily advancing.

An hour later, they received a battle report from Lu Xiang-sheng's troops.

Lu Xiang-sheng's vanguard and left flank of the vanguard both suffered damage.

Zhu Jian looked at the report, handed it to Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting, and said angrily, "Damn it, Dorgon pulled a surprise attack; this is a feint!"

After reading it, Hong Chengchou said urgently, "Your Majesty, I will lead troops to provide support!"

"Go! Displace Cao, transform into a dragon! Gao Jie, Hu Dawei, and Meng Ruhu, all of you, join the battle!"

"That's not advisable. If we do that, the Emperor will only have the 8,000 men of the Brave Guard left!" Hong Chengchou still prioritized Zhu Jian's safety. Even if they were defeated, the losses caused by the Qing army's invasion of the pass would not be significant, so the Emperor's safety was the most important thing.

"Wu Aheng's rear guard is almost here. Don't worry about me. If things get bad, I'll leave!"

Hong Chengchou thought about it again and realized that it made sense. Wu Aheng, Wu Sangui, and Wang Tingchen were less than a hundred miles away from here, so they could certainly guarantee the emperor's safety.

He then cupped his hands and said, "Your subject obeys the decree!"

.....

Two hours later.

Hong Chengchou led his troops to the scene and quickly stabilized Lu Xiangshan's retreat. However, Hong Chengchou's left flank of the central army also encountered a fierce attack from the Qing army.

The troops under Hu Dawei and Mengruhu on the left wing suffered heavy losses.

He Renlong's troops also suffered heavy losses. At this moment, He Renlong was organizing his soldiers for a strategic retreat... His disengagement instantly increased the pressure on his left flank...

But Hu Dawei and Meng Ruhu continued to fight to the death...

Although they received support, Lu Xiang-sheng's troops in the vanguard suffered heavy losses, their command system nearly failed, and they fought entirely by distinguishing clothing.

At this moment, Zhu Jian was standing on the high platform, scanning the entire battlefield, his hands clenched and his brows furrowed.

He discovered that the entire battlefield had become a complete mess; the generals couldn't find their soldiers, and the soldiers couldn't find their general's flag, running around in all directions. The Ming army was showing signs of a rout.

This is a sign of impending defeat...

Standing beside Zhu Jian, Sun Chuanting also frowned and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the battlefield is in chaos. If this continues, we will be routed!"

The collapse can happen in an instant; it's like a chain reaction—once it starts, it's unstoppable...

At this moment, Qing generals Dorgon, Yuetuo, and Haoge, among others, wore smiles. Yuetuo laughed and said, "Once the Ming army loses a city, they're just a flock of sheep!"

Hauge laughed and chimed in, "How can these guys who can't even get enough to eat be a match for my Eight Banners warriors?"

Dorgon nodded: "Although the Ming army has a large number of troops, the generals on all sides can't find their soldiers, and the soldiers can't find their generals. They are all fighting independently. If this continues, desertions will begin soon, and the rout will be unstoppable..."

The color of the cotton armor worn by each banner soldier in the Eight Banners Army was easily distinguishable, and the general of his banner could be seen from a distance, so the situation that occurred with the Ming army was unlikely to happen.

The Ming army's equipment and composition were too mixed, including Qin troops and border troops from various garrisons. None of them had fixed uniforms or command flags, which made it easy for soldiers to get confused in large-scale battles!

Before long, cracks appeared in the Ming army, and soldiers on the left and right flanks, far from the center of the battlefield, began to show signs of retreating and collapsing.

Upon seeing this scene from the high platform, Sun Chuanting said anxiously, his voice trembling, "Your Majesty, please retreat to the rear camp immediately for the sake of safety!"

Sun Chuanting discovered the troops that were gradually collapsing and withdrawing; these were all to be organized and withdrawn...

Zhu Jian also noticed this, and then his gaze swept across the battlefield. He saw a large number of battle flags gathering in the far distance and pointed, saying, "Is that Dorgon's central army?"

Sun Chuanting followed Zhu Jian's finger and nodded after a moment: "It seems that Dorgon has placed the central army headquarters at the very back of the battlefield!"

Zhu Jian then quickly walked down from the platform.

Sun Chuanting followed Zhu Jian quickly down the platform, calling out as he went, "Sun Yingyuan, Zhou Yuji, escort His Majesty on his northward retreat!"

The two men leading the Yongwei Battalion to protect Zhu Jian, who were below the high platform, rushed forward upon hearing Sun Chuanting's shout.

Before the two could speak, Zhu Jian turned to Sun Chuanting and asked, "Who said I was going to withdraw?"

"Your Majesty, the battlefield is ever-changing. I urge Your Majesty to retreat north as soon as possible, rendezvous with Wu Aheng's army, and return to the capital!" Sun Chuanting's voice trembled as he urged Zhu Jian to retreat quickly. He dared not even imagine the consequences if the Ming army collapsed entirely...

Zhu Jian's eyes widened, his hand gripping the sword hilt tightly, his voice hoarse: "The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty would rather die than retreat!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Chuanting was greatly alarmed. He then grabbed Zhu Jian's right leg, which was about to mount his horse, and said in a tearful voice, "Your Majesty, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, please retreat north!"

"As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn..."

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

"emperor......."

Seeing that Prosecutor Zhu was about to go to the battlefield, Sun Chuanting disregarded his image and immediately lay down on the ground, grabbing Prosecutor Zhu's leg tightly...

"Get out of the way!" Prosecutor Zhu pried Sun Chuanting's hands off, kicked him aside, and mounted his horse.

He shouted loudly, "Zhou Yuji, raise my dragon banner!"

Sun Chuanting, prostrate on the ground, wept uncontrollably: "Your Majesty..."

Then Zhu Jian drew his sword, which gleamed coldly, from his waist. Seeing this, the soldiers on horseback in the front row also drew their sabers at the same time.

Zhu Jian rode his horse in front of the Yongwei Camp, his longsword clashing repeatedly with the soldiers' sabers, producing a crisp, resounding clang: "Today, I will live and die with you, my lords!"

"To live and die together!"

"Live and die together!" the cavalry of the Brave Guard shouted in unison.

At this moment, Zhu Jian's eyes were bloodshot, his hands were trembling slightly, and his adrenaline was surging. Now, all that remained was his fighting spirit.

The soldiers of the Brave Guard Battalion in the rear were thrilled when they saw the dragon banner suddenly raised. It was the dragon banner representing the emperor, the dragon banner representing the emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

It turns out that the reason they hadn't participated in the war was because the emperor was present, but now the Ming emperor himself was going to the battlefield...

The five-clawed golden dragon banner fluttered in the wind at the central command of the Brave Guard Battalion, its sound echoing loudly. More than two hundred years later, after the Taizu and Chengzu emperors, the Ming emperor once again personally led his troops into battle...

Zhu Jian then reined in his horse, its hooves rising high and then falling back down, kicking up a cloud of dust. He gripped his longsword tightly, pointing southeast—the location of Dorgon's central army—and roared, "Warriors of the Ming Dynasty, follow me! Charge!"

In an instant, the sound of horses' hooves thundered as eight thousand warriors, like a sharp sword, charged towards the battlefield...