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

Chapter 81 God One

Outside Bao'an City, the sky was dark, but at this moment, outside the north gate city wall, cannons roared, shouts of battle shook the heavens, and firelight illuminated most of the night sky.

Du Wenhuan led 8,000 elite troops and surrounded the small town of Bao'an.

He was currently mobilizing a large force to launch a fierce attack on the north gate.

Du Wenhuan waved his hand, and the government troops rushed towards the north gate like a tide, some carrying ladders and others pushing shield carts.

Beneath the city wall, ladders stood in rows, and the soldiers of the Trapped Camp braved logs and falling rocks, climbing upwards fearlessly.

The vanguard, with a long shield on his head and bearing the rain of arrows from the defenders, was struggling to climb the ladder up the city wall.

Just as his left hand was about to grip the city wall, several spears suddenly emerged from the battlements and stabbed him fiercely.

The vanguard let out a scream as his body plummeted like a kite with a broken string, landing heavily on the ground.

On the city wall, Shen Yikui, along with his deputy Li Yuan, was personally directing his soldiers to defend the city.

Shen Yikui casually chopped down a government soldier who charged up the wall, then kicked the corpse off the city wall, where it landed on the siege ladder, causing a commotion among the enemy below.

He was panting heavily. Looking around, he saw that the area outside the north gate was densely packed with government troops, numbering no less than four thousand.

Shen Yikui only deployed about 1,500 troops at the North Gate.

Not only the north gate, but also the other three city gates were under attack by government troops, so he had to divide his forces to defend them.

He himself led his deputy general Li Yuan to guard the north gate, because the government troops there were the most numerous and the most aggressive.

"General, the government troops are coming in strong and outnumber ours by several times. This battle will probably be difficult!"

"Why don't we run away!"

Lieutenant Li Yuan looked anxious, his voice filled with unease.

Shen Yikui shook his head and replied:
"No, we're surrounded on all sides now, we have nowhere to run!"

Li Yuan was sweating profusely with anxiety:

"General, I went to check myself. The enemy is least at the east gate. We can break out from the east gate!"

"Just send someone to cover the rear!"

Shen Yikui's face darkened, and he resolutely refused:

"No! They are all brothers who have risked their lives with me. Who should I send to cover the rear?"

"If we run away, the brothers covering the rear will surely die!"

As the two were arguing, a group of soldiers rushed over from below the city wall.

Captain He Kai, panting heavily, rushed forward and shouted at Shen Yikui:
"General, we must retreat immediately!"

"The government troops' offensive is too fierce. If we continue fighting, we'll all perish here!"

Shen Yikui snorted coldly:
"Withdraw? You make it sound so easy."

"If I abandon the city and run away, will the government troops let me go?"

Shen Yikui's concerns were not unfounded. If he abandoned the city and fled through the east gate, the defenders in other directions would soon receive the news.

Once the government troops receive the news, they will surely rush over from all directions to besiege and annihilate Shen Yikui.

In this way, if the government troops outside the East Gate could hold them off for a while longer, Shen Yikui's troops would be attacked from all sides and wiped out.

The best outcome would be nothing more than retreating back to the city and barely surviving.

Li Yuan, who was standing to the side, also nodded:
"The general is right."

"Someone needs to defend the city and hold off the government troops so they won't dare to pursue us freely!"

Upon hearing this, He Kai gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and stepped forward:

"General, let me defend the city!"

"Please allocate me five hundred men, and I will definitely hold the main force of the government troops at the north gate!"

Shen Yikui was stunned by He Kai's words, and felt a sense of emotion.

He Kai was a general he had recruited when attacking Ning Sai Camp. Unexpectedly, at the critical moment of life and death, he stepped forward to block the government troops for him.

Shen Yikui hesitated for a moment, unsure whether he should send He Kai to guard the city, since such a task would be extremely risky.

Seeing this, He Kai quickly advised:
"General, why hesitate at this critical moment of life and death!"

"Quickly lead your men to break through from the east gate! I have five hundred defenders, enough to hold them off for a while!"

Shen Yikui was silent for a moment, then patted He Kai heavily on the shoulder:

"Good brother, I'll remember you!"

Having made up his mind, Shen Yikui no longer hesitated and immediately gave the order:

"Li Yuan, quickly gather the remaining troops and prepare to break out through the east gate!"

"He Kai, I'm assigning you five hundred elite soldiers to defend the north gate to the death and hold off the government troops!" "The lives of all the brothers in the army are in your hands!"

Having said that, he turned and left with his personal guards.

But after taking only a few steps, Shen Yikui hurriedly turned back:

"Brother, if you really can't hold on any longer, then lower your price."

"Survival is the priority!"

He Kai nodded heavily upon hearing this. Shen Yikui sighed inwardly, dared not look at He Kai again, and turned to leave in a hurry.

With things having come to this, he had no choice but to lead his troops out of the encirclement through the east gate and seek refuge with Jiang Han in Yan'an Prefecture.

Standing on the city wall, He Kai watched as Shen Yikui and his men gradually disappeared into the distance. He beckoned to his attendant and gave the order:
“Shen Yikui has gone far away. Go and plant a flag at the northeast corner of the city wall.”

He then rushed to the front line and commanded his five hundred elite soldiers to desperately resist the government troops who were climbing up.

No matter how much they resisted, more and more government troops climbed up the city walls and gained a firm foothold, forcing them into a series of defeats.

As night deepened, Shen Yikui had already assembled his troops at the east gate. He whispered a command:
"Open the city gates and charge out!"

As the hinges were lifted, the city gate burst open, revealing a large number of government troops on guard duty outside.

Shen Yikui took the lead, wielding a long spear, and suddenly accelerated forward.

Using the momentum of his warhorse, he swept aside several government soldiers blocking his way with a light touch.

The cavalry behind him were not to be outdone, following closely behind, constantly waving their sabers to clear a path for the infantry behind them.

Caught off guard, the government troops were slaughtered and scattered in disarray.

Taking advantage of the situation, Shen Yikui led his soldiers into the vast darkness of the night.

But the army had barely run ten miles, and Shen Yikui had just breathed a sigh of relief...

Suddenly, shouts of killing arose from the woods on both sides of the road, and torches were lit up, illuminating the night sky.

The government troops' ambush surged out like a tide, raining arrows down like locusts, overwhelming Shen Yikui's troops.

"There's an ambush!"

Shen Yikui was shocked and quickly swung his sword to parry, then commanded his soldiers to fight back.

In their panic, they were unable to mount any decent resistance, and Shen Yikui's troops were thrown into chaos.

Arrows rained down, relentlessly reaping the lives of his soldiers.

Seeing that enemies were all around him, Shen Yikui knew that breaking through was impossible.

So he quickly gave the order:

"Retreat! Retreat back to the city immediately!"

Shen Yikui led his remaining troops in a hasty retreat, all the way to the east gate of the city wall.

However, when they looked up, they found the city gates tightly closed and the city walls deserted, the silence unsettling.

Shen Yikui sighed inwardly, thankful that Li Yuan had chosen to stay in the city, otherwise he would have been turned away.

It turned out that Li Yuan was worried that the government troops would take advantage of the situation from the east gate and encircle He Kai, so he volunteered to stay at the east gate to cover the rear.

If He Kai were caught in the crossfire, the city would surely fall instantly, and the government troops would react immediately and send troops to hunt down Shen Yi Kui.

Therefore, Li Yuan chose to stay in the city and block the government troops at the east gate.

Seeing the pursuers getting closer and closer, Shen Yikui quickly sent his personal guards to knock on the door:

"Open the city gates! Open the city gates now!"

"There's an ambush outside! The general has retreated!"

However, all that answered him was the howling night wind and the distant shouts of government troops.

The guards pounded on the city gate and shouted at the top of their lungs, but no one responded.

Just as they were shouting, a round object suddenly flew down from the city wall, and Shen Yikui quickly went forward to check it out.

But when he looked closely, his eyes widened in shock. It was the head of his deputy, Li Yuan!
Li Yuan's expression was one of extreme anger, his eyes blazing with fury.

Shen Yikui suddenly stood up and looked towards the city wall, wanting to see who the culprit was.

He Kai slowly appeared at the top of the battlement, looking down at Shen Yikui:
"General, it's been a long time!"

　I can't take it anymore, typing is too slow, my eyes are getting tired.

　　One more chapter will be updated tomorrow during the day.

　　It's almost 3 o'clock, and I have to go to work tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)