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

Chapter 88 Tail-to-Tail Chase
Wang Chengen sent all his cavalrymen to the rear of the column, desperately trying to block Shao Yong's cavalry.

Behind them, the musketeers and archers in the army formation kept firing and shooting at the pursuers. For a moment, arrows and bullets flew at once, making Jiang Han's troops dare not advance.

Wang Chengen breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, these Lintao soldiers were trained by him personally. Many of them were fierce soldiers who had fought against the Eastern Barbarians. Their discipline and combat strength were top-notch.

Seeing this, Jiang Han, who was not far away, sneered:
"If I can get you all back safe and sound today, I'm not Jiang!"

He turned to the messenger beside him and gave the order:
"Go and tell a few of the battalion commanders to tighten the encirclement and force Wang Chengen to retreat."

The messenger took the order and left, delivering it to the officers in charge of the pursuit ahead.

Before long, Li Laowai led his troops to spread out from the flank, forming a line, and launched a fierce attack from the flank, like an anvil, constantly pounding on Wang Chengen's army formation.

Meanwhile, Hei Zi and Shao Yong continued to lead their troops forward, gradually eroding the government troops' living space.

Wang Chengen's army was being squeezed closer and closer, and he was extremely anxious, but there was nothing he could do.

Jiang Han put down his binoculars and a smile played on his lips:
"Go, tell the artillery battalion to fire! Bombard the crowd!"

"I refuse to believe they can withstand the cannonballs!"

Upon receiving the order, the artillery battalion quickly adjusted its firing range, loaded shells, and aimed the dark muzzles at the government troops.

The government troops in the formation were completely unaware of the danger and were still struggling to hold on, firing arrows and muskets alternately without daring to stop for a moment.

Even when their arms ached and their gun barrels were burning hot, they dared not relax, for fear of creating an opening and letting the rebels rush in.

Suddenly, several loud "booms" were heard, and more than a dozen solid iron bullets fell from the sky and crashed straight into Wang Chengen's army formation.

The shells fell to the ground like meteors, crashing into the dense crowd with a whistling sound, instantly tearing flesh and blood apart.

More than a dozen soldiers were torn to pieces on the spot, with limbs and fragments flying everywhere and blood splattered all over the ground.

A gunner had just raised his musket and hadn't even had time to aim when a shell grazed him, instantly taking half his body away. He fell to the ground dead before he could even scream.

The men behind him were not spared either. The shells, with their immense force, threw them all over the place, sending them flying several meters away, coughing up blood, and struggling to get up.

A strong stench of blood filled the air, and heart-wrenching screams echoed everywhere. The once orderly army formation was transformed into a living hell in the blink of an eye, with corpses strewn across the battlefield, a truly gruesome sight.

Seeing their comrades, who had just fought side by side, turn into a pile of mincemeat, was enough to drive anyone mad and completely shatter the morale of the government troops.

Someone yelled and dropped his weapon, then ran away.

The army, which had been barely holding on, suddenly broke apart, and the retreat turned into a massive rout.

The supervisory team could no longer stop them and had to give up the pursuit of the deserters.

Wang Chengen watched helplessly as his soldiers fled, his hands hanging limply at his sides, and he sighed deeply to the heavens:
"All is lost!"

Upon seeing this, Li Laowai and Shao Yong were overjoyed and immediately led their men to rush forward.

Shao Yong led his cavalry forward, slashing and hacking through the crowd. Scattered government troops were constantly cut down, their screams echoing everywhere.

The government cavalry tried to put up a fight, but just as the leading officer raised his saber, a hidden arrow flew from the crowd and struck him squarely in the face.

The officer died on the spot and fell off his horse.

This was a sniper squad that Jiang Han had recently formed. Each of them was armed with a heavy bow and musket, and they mingled in the crowd, specifically targeting officers who wanted to resist.

Seeing their captain killed, the cavalrymen dared not resist any longer, turned their horses around, and fled in terror.

The infantrymen who were trying to escape on foot fared even worse. Li Laowai and his men caught up with them and slashed them from behind, knocking them to the ground on the spot.

Even worse, some were unable to dodge in time and were knocked away by the galloping warhorses, crashing heavily to the ground and coughing up blood.

Upon seeing this scene, Wang Chengen's eyes widened in fury.

He abruptly reined in his horse and roared at the guards beside him:
"Raise the general's flag, gather the remaining troops, and I will cover the rear!"

The guards were shocked to hear this and quickly advised:
"General, this is unacceptable. Let's retreat back to Fuzhou first! We should preserve our lives to serve the court in the future!"

Wang Chengen smiled bitterly:
"What use is a defeated general? I have failed the Emperor's grace!"

"My mind is made up! If you don't want to cover our retreat, then you'd better run for your lives!"

Seeing that his mind was made up, the guards exchanged a glance and gritted their teeth, saying:
"My lord, please forgive me!"

Without saying a word, they hoisted Wang Chengen onto their horses and threw him onto their backs, then mounted their horses and fled towards Fuzhou City.

Wang Chengen struggled in vain, and could only watch helplessly as corpses littered the ground behind him, filled with grief and indignation.

Jiang Han and the others chased after them from dusk until nightfall.

With the idea of ​​eliminating the threat completely, everyone lit torches and relentlessly pursued and killed them.

Shao Yong and his men rode their horses all the way from Ganquan to the city of Fuzhou, a chase that covered nearly a hundred li.

Unfortunately, he was still one step too late; Wang Chengen's personal guards rushed him into Fuzhou City.

Shao Yong reined in his horse, gazing at the towering city wall, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes.

With no other option, he had to give up and rush back to Ganquan County.

Their cavalry pursued too aggressively, straying too far from the main force, which is not a good thing.

It was already late at night in Ganquan County, and most of the soldiers had already gone to sleep.

But Jiang Han, along with several of his subordinates, were gathered in the county government office discussing their next move.

With a mouthful of dried horse meat, Hei Zi leaned forward and asked:

"Chief, what's our next step? Should we continue south?"

Jiang Han unfolded the map and pointed to Fuzhou City on it:

"Now that Wang Chengen has fled to Fuzhou City, Aimu has probably returned to Yan'an Prefecture to join forces with He Huchen."

"Both cities have generals stationed there. Although they can't beat us in open battle, it's hard to say how they can defend the cities."

"Forced fighting would result in heavy casualties."

Kuroko nodded and suggested:
"How about we continue south? Bypass Fuzhou, attack Jinshuo Pass, and head towards the Guanzhong Plain?"

"Anyway, Wang Chengen has no troops at his disposal, so he definitely wouldn't dare to come out and fight in the field."

Jiang Han didn't respond immediately; he didn't actually want to go to the Guanzhong Plain.

The Guanzhong Plain did not suffer much from disasters, and the people there were still able to make a living, so he had no basis for rebellion.

Only in areas severely affected by disasters could these rebel bandits operate.

As long as the people have enough to eat, they won't risk their lives to rebel with him.

If he rashly rushes into the Guanzhong Plain and tries to implement some kind of land redistribution scheme, he will be digging his own grave.

Jiang Han is just a bandit now. Once he runs away, will those unarmed people still be able to keep the land they were allocated?
Therefore, Jiang Han would not choose to do this until he had a stable base.

His only goal at this stage is to undermine the Ming Dynasty and strengthen himself.

Jiang Han pondered for a moment, and finally made up his mind:
"Let's launch a surprise attack!"

"Attack Li Bei, break through Yanshui Pass, and advance into Shanxi!"

　I'll see if I can finish another chapter tonight.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)