I was living at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and I dealt a brutal blow to the Eight Banners!

Beneath Guangli Bridge, the Hun River sobbed, its waters stained red with blood, and floating corpses blocked the riverbed.

Fang Zhengbang, as Wu Sangui's adjutant, led the Leopard Battalion to garrison Guangli Bridge.

The three thousand armored soldiers of the Leopard Camp were all newly trained soldiers personally trained by him. Although their combat strength was not as good as that of the Lion and Tiger Camp, Guangli Bridge was easy to defend and difficult to attack. With the advantage of the terrain, it was possible to achieve a situation where one man could hold the pass against ten thousand men.

Moreover, Li Dingguo only had 50,000 rebel troops under his command.

Having fought their way from Kaifeng to Shuntian, they were already exhausted. Wu Guogui's 6,000 elite Lion and Tiger Battalion were holding the city of Fangshan, waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out. He absolutely did not believe that the enemy army could reach Guangli Bridge.

at least,

He thought the same thing three days ago.

But in these three days,

As more and more corpses floated on the Hun River, Fang Zhengbang's heart also changed.

In the beginning,

The Hun River was still littered with the corpses of the rebel army.

But starting the next day, the number of Ming soldiers' corpses in the Hun River increased.

Fang Zhengbang's heart began to race.

"Report!!!"

The scout reined in his horse and stepped forward to report: "General, a large number of enemy troops have been spotted ten miles to the west!"

Fang Zhengbang's eyelids twitched, and he asked in shock, "How many troops have come?!"

"No less than ten thousand!" the scout replied truthfully.

Fang Zhengbang frowned and pressed on, "Have you seen any of your comrades who retreated from Fangshan?"

The scout lowered his head and said, "Among the rebel army, there are many of our comrades from Fangshan..."

With this remark,

Fang Zhengbang was shocked.

Then,

Fang Zhengbang turned around and shouted, "Summon my commanders, beat the drums to meet the enemy!"

……

Beijing,

Beizhen Fusi.

Luo Yangxing paced anxiously back and forth at the entrance of the pigeon house, glancing at the sky every now and then.

At this time,

A gray pigeon flapped its wings and landed.

Luo Yangxing hurriedly chased into the pigeon house, just as a member of the Imperial Guard took the note from the gray pigeon's leg.

Luo Yangxing snatched it from his hand and unfolded it to examine it.

When he saw the words "Fangshan City fell, Wu Guogui plunged into the sea of ​​fire," his expression changed drastically.

Luo Yangxing dared not delay.

He rushed out of Beizhenfusi in two strides, mounted his fast horse, and lashed the horse's rump with the whip.

The horse, in pain, neighed and charged off like an arrow.

It was in the direction of the palace.

……

West bank of Guangli Bridge

Bai Wenxuan stood at the bridgehead, stepping on a corpse riddled with arrows, the blade of his goose-feather saber dulled and saw-like.

His face was covered in blood and dirt, half of his left ear had been cut off, and blood was flowing down his cheek, but he seemed to feel no pain, his eyes filled only with a frenzied killing intent.

It took an hour.

He then occupied the west bank of Guangli Bridge.

On the opposite bank, Fang Zhengbang led the remaining thousand or so armored soldiers of the Leopard Battalion to defend the bridgehead. Three rows of barricades gleamed coldly, their tips stained with the blood of the bandits.

Fang Zhengbang stood on the makeshift watchtower, his palms bleeding from gripping his spear so tightly.

His gaze was fixed on Bai Wenxuan on the west side of the bridge, his face pale.

an hour,

These bandits occupied the west side of the bridge in just one hour, which greatly exceeded his expectations.

these days,

He led the soldiers of the Leopard Camp, working day and night to dig trenches and deep pits, and to build traps and barricades on the west side of the bridge.

I originally thought I could hold out for two days with this.

did not expect,

They were captured by these bandits in just one hour.

What angered him even more was that

The rebel army actually used nearly two thousand captured soldiers from the Lion and Tiger Battalion as cannon fodder, almost filling the trenches and pits with their bodies.

at the moment,

Fang Zhengbang's only asset was the Guangli Bridge.

As long as Guangli Bridge can be blocked, the enemy army will not be able to get through!

"Fill the river!" Bai Wenxuan roared, his voice hoarse and fierce.

The Western Army drove the remaining prisoners forward, carrying sandbags, in an attempt to fill in the Hun River and open a passage for the main army.

A rain of arrows fell from the opposite bank, and prisoners fell in rows, their blood staining the Hun River.

An old soldier crawled on his stomach, the sandbags pressing down on his spine and making a creaking sound. Suddenly, his palm was pierced by barbed wire, and before he could even scream, he was pinned to the riverbank by a hail of arrows falling from the sky.

Fang Zhengbang stood on the watchtower, watching helplessly as his friendly soldiers fell one by one, his heart aching as if being torn apart.

But under the cover of the enemy's shield bearers,

Bags of sand and stones were thrown into the Hun River.

This created numerous places to settle in the Hun River, which was not very turbulent and had a shallow riverbed.

The rebels laid bamboo ladders and wooden planks on these footholds, forming simple wooden bridges.

Seeing this scene,

Fang Zhengbang was extremely anxious.

After running out of arrows, they began firing with three-barreled muskets and flintlock pistols, but to little effect against the fearless bandits.

When the rebel army built a wooden bridge to the middle of the Hun River,

Some Ming soldiers simply picked up stones from the riverbed and threw them at the rebel soldiers on the wooden bridge.

As the Western Army soldiers approached, some of the soldiers who were hit fell into the river, and casualties began to increase.

Bai Wenxuan on the west bank gritted his teeth and had no choice but to personally lead his men to rush across the bridge in order to attract the attention of the Ming army.

Fang Zhengbang's side,

Seeing Bai Wenxuan personally lead the rattan shield bearers in a charge, blood blossomed from the throats of the Leopard Camp soldiers as their blades flashed, and screams of agony rose and fell.

"Put out the kerosene!" Fang Zhengbang ordered through gritted teeth, his voice trembling slightly.

Thick, black oil poured down from upstream, floating on the surface of the Hun River and drifting toward the makeshift wooden bridge built by the bandits.

As the Ming army ignited the oil on the river surface,

The rebel soldiers instantly turned into flames, screaming and rolling on the bridge.

The acrid smell permeated the air, making people nauseous.

A bandit soldier engulfed in flames charged into the Ming army's ranks, grabbed a Ming soldier, and the two fell off the bridge together. The flames exploded on the water's surface, like a fiery lotus blooming.

As dusk settled, the bridge had become a scene of carnage.

Bai Wenxuan suffered another wound on his left cheek, half of his face was soaked in blood, but he still grinned, his smile was ferocious and terrifying.

He swung his sword and cut down a Ming soldier, then roared at Fang Zhengbang on the watchtower, "Hurry up and come down to die, or I might leave you a whole corpse!"

As more and more Western Army soldiers crossed the inferno and rushed toward the Ming army's defenses on the east bank,

This forced the Ming army to retreat.

But this retreat gave Bai Wenxuan more space.

The watchtower where Fang Zhengbang was stationed also became a key focus of attention for the soldiers of the Western Army.

Fang Zhengbang's spear broke, and he used the broken shaft to stab an enemy in the abdomen, but his armor was torn apart by three hook-and-sickle spears.

Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, his gaze gradually became unfocused, and finally he looked towards the direction of the capital, squeezing out a hoarse roar: "Your Majesty..." Before he could finish speaking, his head rolled to the side, and his body fell into the Hun River, splashing up a spray of blood.

……

The sky was dim.

Li Dingguo walked slowly onto the bridge, stepping over the arrows scattered everywhere.

Bai Wenxuan knelt down and presented Fang Zhengbang's head, blood dripping down his arm and onto the ground.

Li Dingguo did not take the head, but instead bent down to pick up half of the blood-stained Ming army flag and gently covered Fang Zhengbang's head.

“It’s all wrapped up,” he said softly, his gaze drifting towards the eaves of the Forbidden City in the distance. “It’s time to send Chongzhen a grand gift.”

The hooting of owls echoed through the night sky, and countless sparks rose from the Hun River.

Those were unclosed pupils, reflecting the crumbling dynasty.

……

Godfathers, your humble servant is here again to ask for a triple gift!

These two chapters don't advance the plot, but they are necessary setups...

(Actually, I haven't planned out the later plot yet...hehe~)