Travel back in time and become Chongzhen, watch me turn the tide

Ke Yongsheng was still in shock, his face pale as paper. With trembling hands, he pushed away the bloody bodyguards who had been blown to pieces. The horrific sight made him almost nauseous. Just as he was about to struggle to stand up, he suddenly felt a piercing pain in his right leg, as if thousands of steel needles were piercing him simultaneously.

He lowered his head and looked carefully, only to see a sharp shrapnel deeply embedded in his calf. Blood was gushing out of his trouser leg, and the glaring red color looked particularly hideous in the sunlight.

"Marshal!" The guards who had escaped the disaster hurried forward and carefully helped him up. Their eyes were filled with fear and worry. They whispered, "Marshal, let's retreat!"

Ke Yongsheng, enduring the excruciating pain in his leg, limped along, gritted his teeth, and gazed grimly toward the battlefield. From afar, he could hear cries of "The commander is dead!" The battle, previously stalemated and inextricable, began to unravel. The Qing cavalry in the rear, upon hearing the tragic news of their commander's "death," were thrown into disarray. Their morale was shattered, and they began turning their horses and fleeing in panic, retreating like a tide.

"Let's go!" Ke Yongsheng knew in his heart that he had been defeated and the situation was hopeless.

Although he survived the battle, the destruction of his flag dealt a heavy blow to the Qing army's morale, causing them to lose heart and fall apart. Furthermore, with Fei Yanggu's death on the battlefield, his elite cavalry remained few and far between, severely weakening their forces. The rebel cavalry he had reorganized were already demoralized, and after suffering such a devastating loss, how could they possibly fight to the death?

The only option now is to quickly flee back to Jiaozhou and rely on the strong city defenses to hold out and wait for help. There may still be a glimmer of hope, otherwise there will only be a tragic end of annihilation of the entire army.

"Shuanzhu, well done!" Jiang Xuefeng was overjoyed to see Wang Shuanzhu had indeed destroyed the enemy's flag with one shot, and even the enemy's commander, Ke Yongsheng, had fallen seriously injured. He laughed heartily and said excitedly, "I will definitely commend you for this time! There will be a generous reward!"

With the fall of Ke Yongsheng's banner, this thrilling encounter gradually drew to a close. The morale of the Qing army plummeted, like a crater. Frightened and losing all will to fight, the soldiers turned their horses and fled in disarray. Some who hadn't had time to flee, seeing the situation was hopeless, wisely laid down their weapons, raised their hands in surrender, and knelt to beg for mercy, hoping to save their lives.

Ke Yongsheng, desperately protected by his personal guards, fled in disarray. Yao Er, unwilling to let such a golden opportunity slip by, pursued him relentlessly. The People's Army cavalry followed closely behind, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the Qing army. Jiang Xuefeng and his infantry remained behind to clean up the battlefield, gather the spoils, and handle post-battle matters.

After the battlefield was cleaned up, the cavalry company sent scouts to report that Yao Er's cavalry had already chased the enemy commander into Yishui City, so they went to meet up.

Meanwhile, in the Yishui County government office, Yao Er was sitting in the hall, feeling very proud and confident, with his head held high and his chest puffed out. The Yishui County government office was filled with Qing Dynasty officials and gentry kneeling, each of them trembling with fear, their faces pale.

Ultimately, Ke Yongsheng was unable to escape Yao Er's clutches. Seeing the Ming army's pursuit, the Jiaozhou general had intended to seek refuge in Yishui City, but he hadn't anticipated the hundreds of cavalrymen who dared to follow them into the city. However, when Ke Yongsheng captured him, he had already passed out from excessive bleeding and was currently receiving emergency treatment at the county government office, his life uncertain.

"We were all coerced by the Qing army and had no choice but to serve the bandits. In fact, we are always thinking about the return of the royal army," said Li Xian, the magistrate of Yishui County appointed by the Qing court.

Li Xian was the patriarch of the Li family, a prominent clan in the city. After the Qing army occupied Yishui, the county officials fled in droves. He was forcibly captured by Ke Yongsheng and appointed the magistrate of Yishui. However, he hadn't anticipated his tenure as magistrate for just a few days. He had only just sent Ke Yongsheng, the Jiaozhou general, away that morning, when the defeated troops fled back into Yishui like stray dogs.

Before he could react, the Ming cavalry rushed in like a force descending from the heavens. His ragtag group was no match for these elite cavalrymen and was instantly crushed, unable to fight back. Not only was Ke Yongsheng captured alive, but all the officials were also apprehended and brought to justice.

"Hmph! You bunch of people are aiding and abetting the evil. Your crime is unforgivable and will never be forgiven!" Yao Er said coldly with a stern expression and a hint of disgust and disdain in his eyes.

"Sir, please spare our lives!" A group of Qing Dynasty officials who were drafted suddenly wailed, tears streaming down their faces. "It's not that we want to be officials, but if we don't do it, they will kill my whole family..."

Yao Er sneered inwardly. How could he easily believe their words? These people had always been opportunistic and followed whoever fed them. In their minds, it didn't matter who was the master of the Ming Dynasty. As long as it didn't affect their family's interests, everything was fine.

However, before coming here, Chongzhen had already instructed them to try their best to unite the local forces. After all, it would be difficult for them to control Shandong with their current capabilities. The support of these gentry was crucial and had a bearing on the overall situation. Even so, they could not be too polite to these people, otherwise it would be even more difficult to control them, and the situation would become even more complicated and difficult.

"A stick in one hand and a carrot in the other." This is what Emperor Chongzhen said when he taught them. To deal with these local gentry, only by using both kindness and force can they be obedient and be used for one's own purposes.

"Take them all to the side hall for custody for the time being!" Yao Er was too lazy to waste words with them and gave the order in a distracted manner.

"Yes!" The soldiers obeyed the order in unison and escorted the officials and gentry away like wolves and tigers.

By the time Jiang Xuefeng arrived at Yishui City, Yao Er had already taken over the city's defense, and everything was in perfect order. The people on the street didn't seem panicked. After all, Yishui City's officials had been changing so frequently over the past few days that the people were used to it, numb to it.

"What should we do here?" Seeing Jiang Xuefeng walk into the county government office, Yao Er frowned and asked in confusion.

"We have limited military strength, and it is obviously impossible to divide our troops for garrison." Jiang Xuefeng pondered for a moment and said slowly, with a hint of worry in his eyes.

"Are we going to give up here?" Yao Er looked at the county government office and said with some reluctance, "After all, we conquered this place with great difficulty..."

"Of course we can't give up." Jiang Xuefeng shook his head firmly and said in a decisive tone: "We came here to reclaim our homeland. Now that we've fought so hard to get it, how can we just give it up? It's absolutely impossible!"

"We can't defend, and we can't abandon. This is just making things difficult for us. The Marshal is the same. He just told us to go up this road, but didn't tell us specifically what to do if we encounter such a situation..." Yao Er complained in frustration: "Old Chiang, I'm only suitable for fighting. You should handle this matter!"

"Me, I can't do it either." Jiang Xuefeng smiled and shook his head, saying self-deprecatingly, "Commanding battles is my strong point, but as for managing internal affairs... Zhengyan, you come!"

"Huh? What?" Gao Zhengyan, the battalion staff officer, couldn't help but say in surprise when he heard this, his face full of surprise and confusion.

"We don't have many people, so I'll leave you a hundred people. You can choose the candidates yourself. How about you govern Yishui City for me?" Jiang Xuefeng smiled and patted Gao Zhengyan's shoulder, asking with a hint of expectation and trust in his eyes.

"This..." Gao Zhengyan looked embarrassed and said in surprise, "Can I do it? I have no experience in governing a place..."

"Why not?" Jiang Xuefeng said with an encouraging smile, "I think the people here are quite supportive of the Ming Dynasty. At least they won't reject us. Plus, you're a scholar, well-educated, so I'm sure the gentry will support you. You'll definitely be able to do the job!"

"Then... I'll give it a try." Gao Zhengyan thought for a moment and said with gritted teeth. Although he felt a little nervous, he was also full of determination to challenge himself.

"Zhengyan, if we want to gain a foothold here, military force is indispensable." Jiang Xuefeng pondered for a moment, then said seriously, "Your main focus in the camp is training. I think you can seize the opportunity to expand your forces here. Those gentry are mostly fence-sitters. Although we can rely on them, they are ultimately not worthy of complete trust. You must recruit new soldiers according to the standards of our People's Army and train a new force that can be deployed for battle in a short period of time. This is the most urgent task!"

"Yes!" Gao Zhengyan clasped his fists and accepted the order, his eyes revealing a firmness and determination.