Southern Ming Rebel Army

The sun shines through the blue sky and onto the earth, dyeing everything with bright colors. The sky is clear and there is not a single cloud blocking the sky. Just like the mood of Suzhou people today, the haze of the siege has dissipated.

But after the noise, sadness surged into people's hearts. There had been several battles near Suzhou City in the past few months, and countless fathers, sons, and brothers had died on the battlefields. After the siege of Suzhou was lifted, there was an endless stream of teams leaving the city to bury their dead, and an atmosphere of sadness spread among the crowd.

On the morning of the next day after the attack on the camp, Bai Yongfu's cavalry attacked from all sides, searching everywhere for the fleeing Qing soldiers, leaving no chance for Ma Degong and others to gather the fleeing soldiers. They reaped a rich harvest, with teams of cavalry galloping everywhere. The frightened Ma Degong, Kong Youde, and Tian Xiong did not dare to stay for too long, and retreated to Jiangning with the remaining soldiers.

Just as Meng Jun and his men were busy preparing the army and preparing to go south to support Fang Guoan, a piece of sad news that shocked everyone came: Fang Guoan's troops suffered a major defeat in Tongxiang Town.

Fast forward one day, when Meng Jun led his troops to attack the Qing camp at night, Bolo also intercepted Fang Guoan's troops in Tongxiang Town.

Fang Guoan's cavalry was scarce, but when the scouts discovered the Qing army's vanguard, they rushed back frantically. Fang Guoan received the urgent report from the scouts, his face full of horror. Fang Guoan's eyes were wide open with astonishment, his face turned pale, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his hands were shaking unconsciously.

Zhang Mingzhen shouted urgently, "General, make a quick decision, no delay!"

Fang Guoan came back to his senses at once, and then shouted, "Form a formation on the spot, shield soldiers in front, form a formation!"

At this time, Fang Guoan's troops had already crossed Tongxiang Town and had no time to retreat. They had to form a large formation on the spot and prepared the Bolo cavalry, with the main troops in the center and the rebel troops on both sides. In front of the front line was an open plain and in the distance was a small hill. The army was filled with a tense atmosphere.

Soon, the sound of horns came from far away, and the Eight Banners scouts appeared in front of Zhang Mingzhen. Zhang Mingzhen shouted loudly, "Prepare for battle, prepare for battle, don't panic, hold steady!"

Bolo arrived with his army, stopped his horse and looked around. He saw that the enemy's front line was unstable and the soldiers behind the formation were in a panic. Bolo made a prompt decision and rushed forward without hesitation. In an instant, shouts of killing were heard everywhere, and the Eight Banners rushed towards the enemy like a tide. Swords flashed, arrows crossed, and in the bloody wind, life and death were only a matter of seconds. The horses neighed, the sound of horses' hooves resounded through the sky, and the dust raised covered the sky.

Generals Zhang Mingzhen, Zhang Huangyan and others led the charge, waving their weapons and shouting "Fight hard!", motivating the soldiers to charge forward bravely; their shouts echoed across the battlefield.

The rebel soldiers had thin bodies without armor, but they used their flesh and blood to fight against the Eight Banners soldiers. Although they were at a disadvantage, the rebels still refused to retreat. After a long battle, corpses were everywhere. Zhang Mingzhen's sword had broken into two pieces, but he still shouted to kill the enemy.

Although the rebels on both sides suffered heavy casualties, they still persisted. However, the front line of Fang Guoan's regular troops became increasingly unstable. Finally, some people began to flee, and the entire central army began to disintegrate like an infectious disease. The central army's large banners retreated again and again. Fang Guoan looked ashen and sighed, "The defeat is not my fault."

He immediately sent someone to order Zhang Mingzhen to lead his troops to cover the rear. When the army retreated to the Qiantang River, Shen Tingyang's navy was still deployed in the Qiantang River. Only the troops could withdraw to the riverside. With the support of the navy, there was still a glimmer of hope. Then Fang Guoan was the first to flee the battlefield, and the entire army was defeated. The huge military formation scattered like sand.

When Zhang Mingzhen received the order, he looked up to the sky and sighed, "It is a worthy death to die for the country," and then led his troops to fight to the death to stop the Eight Banners' attack.

Zhang Huangyan would rather die than retreat, but was forced to leave the battlefield by his subordinates. Zhang Huangyan walked and cried, not knowing where his hope was. So many men had shed their blood on the battlefield, but could not bring any news of a great victory for the country. How could he have the face to see His Royal Highness the Regent, or the women and children who had entrusted their husbands and children to him?

The setting sun was blood-red, reflecting a desolate and desolate scene. The land that had once been the scene of fierce fighting was now filled with the smell of death. The defeated soldiers looked exhausted and staggered away from the battlefield.

Their battle robes were tattered, stained with blood and dust. Their faces were filled with fear and despair, their eyes revealed fatigue, some of them held broken swords, some carried wounded companions, and everyone bore the scars of war.

The battlefield was littered with fallen flags and corpses, and arrows and weapons were scattered on the ground, as if telling of the tragic battle that had just taken place. The wind blew, bringing with it the smell of blood, making people feel suffocated.

The defeated soldiers only knew to flee away from the battlefield and towards the Qiantang River to seek a ray of hope. Their figures gradually faded away in the afterglow of the evening and disappeared on the distant horizon, leaving behind a desolate and silent scene.

At dusk, the setting sun.

The Eight Banners soldiers surrounded Zhang Mingzhen. There were only more than 300 remaining soldiers around Zhang Mingzhen. Each of them had a bloody face or several wounds, but they still surrounded Zhang Mingzhen.

"As the old saying goes, a gentleman shall not take off his hat even when he dies. Today, I, Zhang Mingzhen, have shed blood for the emperor of the Ming Dynasty on the battlefield. How can I look so embarrassed?" Then Zhang Mingzhen took out the water bottle he carried with him, drank a sip of water, washed his face with the remaining water, and straightened his collar.

When Bolo saw this, he did not immediately order his soldiers to surround and kill him, but stood on his horse, looking at Zhang Mingzhen without saying a word.

"A real man shall not die without a name. My name is Zhang Zhen, with the courtesy name Houfu. I am from Jiangning County, Yingtian Prefecture, Nanzhili. I have served as the Shipu Guerrilla and the Fuping General. Now that I have been defeated like this, I have no intention of living. Please kill me quickly." Then he looked at Bolo with disdain.

Bolo rode forward a few steps and said, "You have done your best. I am willing to spare your life. As long as you surrender, you and your men will be safe."

"I have received the grace of the country for generations, how can I surrender to the Tartars? No need to say more, I just want to die quickly."

Bolo looked at Zhang Mingzhen deeply, raised his hand slightly, then waved it forward vigorously and said, "Then kill him!"

Zhang Mingzhen was a man of integrity, boldness, strategy and ambition when he was young. He was determined to serve the country and had traveled to the capital, where he had close ties with the Donglin Party. In the 16th year of Chongzhen, he served as a deputy general in Shipu, Taizhou.

In the summer of the first year of the Hongguang reign, Nanjing and Hangzhou fell one after another. Qian Sulue and others raised an army to support Prince Lu as regent in Shaoxing, and Zhang Mingzhen led his troops to the cause.

On the Qiantang River, Shen Tingyang looked at the defeated soldiers on the river bank, tears streaming down his face, wailing, "The state is in trouble, the world is dark."