The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 43 Chopping melons and vegetables
At his command, Hei Zi and Dong Erzhu behind him responded and led their respective teams to charge forward, while Shao Yong led the cavalry to shoot arrows from the side.

Jiang Han is not a saint, and his border troops are even less likely to care about the lives of these people.

Arrows rained down like locusts from above the village entrance, piercing the crowd with sharp whistling sounds.

The refugees fell in droves, like wheat cut down by a sickle.

Some were shot through the chest, staggered a few steps, and collapsed to the ground; others were shot in the leg, clutching their wounds and rolling on the ground, howling in pain.
Jiang Han stood on high ground, coldly observing everything.

He knew, of course, that these people were pitiful, but there were pitiful people like that everywhere in northern Shaanxi.

He had no choice. That's how it is in chaotic times. Human life is cheap. It's either you die or I die. Only the ruthless can survive.

This is the survival rule of northern Shaanxi.

The refugees scattered and fled, gradually disintegrating. Seeing this, Li Laowai prepared to lead his men in pursuit, but then noticed that clouds of dust suddenly rose up not far away.

Looking around, Li Laowai saw two groups of infantrymen spreading out to the sides like a tide, revealing a row of cavalry behind them, charging towards them with murderous intent.

"Enemy attack!"

Old Li roared at the top of his lungs, then turned and waved to signal his soldiers to form ranks.

He had just drawn his sword, ready to meet the enemy, when suddenly a murderous intent appeared from the fleeing crowd of refugees.

Rolling Dragon, the third leader of Yangtashan, had been waiting in the shadows for a long time. Suddenly, he sprang into action, leading two hundred elite bandits to charge out from the side and rush straight towards Li Laowai's group.

"Damn! Someone's in!"

Li Laowai cursed angrily, turned around, and brandished his knife to fight.

Rolling Dragon grinned maliciously, holding a large, ghost-headed knife, and led a dozen or so bandits to surround Li Laowai, the leader.

He swung his blade down at Li Laowai, who quickly dodged to the side, the blade grazing his shoulder armor and sending sparks flying.

Startled and covered in a cold sweat, Li Laowai swung his knife backhand, aiming straight for the third leader's abdomen, but several thieves around him blocked his weapon with their knives, preventing him from breaking free for a moment.

A bandit nearby seized the opportunity and thrust his dagger straight at Li Laowai's neck.

The blade was less than half a foot away from him, and it seemed there was no way to avoid it; he was about to die on the spot. In the distance, with a "whoosh," an arrow pierced the air and struck the bandit in the throat.

The arrowhead pierced through flesh and blood, drawing out a cloud of blood. The bandit clutched his neck and staggered backward, making "hoarse" sounds as he wildly waved his long knife, trying to pull the arrow away, but to no avail.

Shao Yong stood at a distance, the bowstring in his hand still trembling.

With a blank expression, he drew three new arrows from his quiver, nocked them, and fired them in quick succession. The arrows streaked across the sky like shooting stars, heading straight for the third leader in front of Li Laowai.

The third leader was unable to dodge in time and was shot in the shoulder by an arrow and pierced through the arm by another, immediately suffering serious injuries.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Laowai broke free from his restraints, nodded to Shao Yong who was not far away, then drew the three-barreled gun from his waist, deftly lit and loaded it, and fired a shot at the third leader in front of him.

"boom!"

With a muffled thud, the smoke cleared, and the rolling dragon was seen with its face covered in lead pellets, its flesh torn and rolled, howling in pain as it clutched its face and fell to the ground.

Not far away, Lu Tao led his cavalry, along with the elite veterans behind him, and the scattered refugees, and suddenly accelerated towards the village's defensive line.

Seeing this, Jiang Han decisively gave the order:

"Swordsmen and shieldmen! Push forward!"

At his command, Dong Erzhu led his swordsmen and shieldmen forward, holding heavy swallowtail shields and forming the first line of defense.

The spearmen followed closely behind, their spear tips protruding from the gaps in the shields like hedgehogs.

The first wave of cavalry had no time to slow down and charged to the front of the formation. Their warhorses neighed and crashed into the spear formation, the spears piercing their bellies and blood gushing out.

The cavalrymen tumbled off their horses and were swarmed by the soldiers who had been waiting behind them, hacking them to death with a flurry of blows. The blades made a crisp "crackling" sound as they struck the bones.

"Kill! Charge in!" Lu Tao, riding his tall warhorse, led the charge.

He spurred his horse and knocked a soldier who was blocking his way away, blood splattering on his face, making him look even more ferocious.

But no matter how hard he led his men to charge, they still couldn't break through the turtle shell in front of them.

The so-called "veteran elite troops" were no match for them. Although they outnumbered the enemy, they were no match for the battle-hardened border troops and could only try to outmaneuver them.

An old border soldier, wielding a long spear, remained calm in the face of four or five bandits armed with knives. With a few thrusts and parries, the spear tip precisely pierced their throats, and in the blink of an eye, several bandits collapsed, bleeding profusely. Such scenes were common on the battlefield; the refugees, despite their numerical advantage, were quickly divided and surrounded by the border troops, their cries of agony echoing across the field.

Seeing that the battle was going badly, Lu Tao was furious and turned to look at Zhao Yongxiang, the second-in-command, who was standing to the side:

"Where's Zhang Mengcun? Weren't we supposed to charge together?"

Zhao Yongxiang's face was pale, and his voice was trembling:

"Manager, Zhang Mengcun is probably a coward; he's already fled with his men!"

Lu Tao gritted his teeth:

"Impossible! I promised him so many benefits, there's no way he wouldn't be tempted!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a shout of killing suddenly came from behind him.

Lu Tao turned around abruptly, overjoyed:
"They've arrived! The reinforcements have come!"

"Brothers, hold on!"

But things didn't seem to go as he expected.

Zhang Mengcun's men charged into the battlefield like tigers descending a mountain, their blades aimed directly at Lu Tao's troops!
"Oh no! Zhang Mengcun has betrayed us!"

Lu Tao roared, slashing down a bandit who had ambushed him, his heart filled with icy coldness.

Zhang Mengcun, mounted on his horse, coldly commanded his several captains:

"Capture Lu Tao alive, leave no one else alive!"

Lu Tao's troops were attacked from both sides, and their morale collapsed instantly.

Taking advantage of the situation, Zhang Mengcun ordered his entire army to attack. Spears thrust out, arrows flew, and Lu Tao's troops were routed.

Jiang Han stood at a distance, watching this dramatic scene with a cold eye, his brows furrowed.

At this moment, Shao Yong rode back on horseback, panting heavily:

"Lord Jiang, it seems the bandits have started fighting amongst themselves!"

Should we charge out?

Jiang Han shook his head, his voice calm:
"No rush, let's watch the show first. You take your men and guard the surrounding area, ready to wipe out this rabble at any time."

Shao Yong nodded, led his cavalry to disperse, and coldly watched as the two groups of bandits fought each other.

With Lu Tao's defeat, the battle gradually subsided.

The village entrance was littered with corpses, limbs and torsos scattered everywhere, and blood stained the yellow earth, forming dark red streams.

Zhang Mengcun, who was far away, had already finished the battle. Several of his captains tripped Lu Tao's warhorse and captured Lu Tao alive.

Jiang Han stood at the village entrance and saw several people in the distance holding Lu Tao, who was bound hand and foot, as he walked over.

At this moment, Li Laowai returned and reported:
"Lord Jiang, the man who came seems to be a bandit as well, his name is something like Zhang Mengcun, who doesn't get muddy."

"They say they've tied up the leader of the bandits who attacked us and want to talk to you."

Jiang Han nodded. "Bring them over."

Zhang Mengcun and his several captains escorted Lu Tao over, cupping their hands in greeting and smiling:
"General, I have captured the bandit Lu Tao and brought him here to present to you."

Jiang Han stared at him, his tone indifferent:

"Boss Zhang, what kind of show are you putting on for me, Jiang, today?"

"Turning against them on the battlefield? A ruse?"

Zhang Mengcun's lips curled into a smile, a sly glint in his eyes:
“Lord Jiang, I, Zhang, have always respected heroes. I heard that you led the border troops in a rebellion and killed the generals, so I wanted to make your acquaintance.”

"I'm a rebel, you're a traitor, we can form an alliance."

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(End of this chapter)