The night of April 17th.

Li Zicheng was just about to do some exercise before bed, but was interrupted by a voice from outside the tent: "Your Majesty, General Zongmin has sent a message."

"Read!" Li Zicheng pushed Gao away unhappily and sat up.

"The Ming navy broke through our navy's defense line, entered the Huai River from Hongze Lake, and then headed towards Fengyang. The navy's strength is unknown, with less than 2,000 infantry and cavalry."

"Another 10,000 Ming troops are trapped by me in the Sizhou area. I intend to annihilate them and then support Fengyang."

After listening to the scout's report, Li Zicheng sat on the bed and analyzed the situation.

He was wondering why the Ming navy dared to advance alone?

This question troubled him for a while.

In desperation, he summoned Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance into the military tent.

"Your Majesty, I think the Ming army is going to have a decisive battle with our army. The main task of the navy is not to participate in the war, but to build a pontoon bridge and send the Ming army on the north bank of the Huai River to the south bank to fight." Song Xiance guessed.

"Then...how should our army respond?"

"Deploy a large number of scouts on the south bank of the Huai River and station troops at various ferry crossings. There are less than 2,000 Ming infantrymen on the south bank of the Huai River. If anyone dares to cross the river on a pontoon bridge, our army will attack them halfway across the river."

Li Zicheng nodded, gave the order to dismiss everyone, and then continued to sleep.

Early morning of April 18th.

Before Li Zicheng even got up, he received a message from Li Laiheng, "Your Majesty, the Ming army in Fengyang is gathering in the north of the city."

Li Zicheng was obviously stunned for a moment, and after recovering from his shock, he hurriedly ordered: "Quick, the Ming army is not yet firmly established, quickly send the order for a surprise attack."

Li Laiheng sighed outside the tent: "It's too late, Your Majesty. The Ming army left the city under cover of darkness and has now assembled and formed a battle formation."

Li Zicheng was furious. While putting on his armor with Gao's help, he ordered, "Kill all the scouts who were on duty in the north of the city!"

Li Laiheng stood outside the tent and took a half step back in fear.

What happened to the emperor?

It was a dark and windy night last night, so it was normal that the scouts did not find the Ming army leaving the city.

Even if they found out, what would happen?

In order to besiege Fengyang, they dug many wide and deep trenches outside the city and diverted water from the Huai River.

If the Ming army wanted to fight across the trenches, they would need to spend time and energy to make equipment.

There is no need for the emperor to be angry.

Why was he so angry? Why was he so angry that he even wanted to kill someone in battle?

Now is the time to use manpower as we are facing a powerful enemy. Killing our own people on the battlefield will be detrimental to the morale of the army.

Thinking of this, Li Guo advised: "Your Majesty, the scouts are already very tired from investigating day and night. In addition, it was dark and windy at night, so it is understandable that they did not find the Ming army leaving the city. Now that the enemy is at hand, it may be dangerous to kill the generals on the battlefield..."

"Kill! Kill them all!" Li Zicheng's angry roar echoed in the air.

Li Laiheng was so frightened that he shrank his neck and said, "Your Majesty, I obey your order."

Without waiting for Li Laiheng to leave, Li Zicheng ordered his personal soldiers outside the tent: "Order all troops to assemble and prepare to meet the enemy."

"Report!" Before Li Zicheng could finish issuing the military order, another scout rushed in and said, "Your Majesty, a Ming army was discovered fifty miles east of the city, with one thousand infantry and two hundred cavalry. They are advancing in parallel with the Ming navy on the Huai River."

Fifty miles...

This news shocked Li Zicheng.

Too close.

According to the marching speed of the Ming army, they could set out in the morning and arrive in the evening.

However, since the Ming army wants a decisive battle, then let’s fight!

Li Zicheng quickly put on his armor and came out of the tent. After looking around, he whispered to a personal soldier he trusted very much, "Take my order and go to Huainan immediately. Let Hao Yaoqi cross the river to the north and wait for the opportunity to attack the Ming army on the north bank of the Huai River."

Then he took out a command arrow and handed it to another personal soldier: "You immediately go to Liu Tichun's camp and have him quietly withdraw 5,000 soldiers from the camp west of the city and go around to the east of the city to ambush."

"You," Li Zicheng pointed to another guard, "take my order and go to the east of the city. Ask Gu Kecheng to send troops to destroy the 1,200 Ming troops. Remind him that he must force the Ming troops to cross the river."

After giving these orders, Li Zicheng mounted his horse and went to the north of the city to see what the Ming army leaving the city was going to do.

Outside the moat north of the city, 10,000 Ming troops lined up to await the enemy.

Lu Jiude personally led the central army, riding on a horse and looking around with a clairvoyant.

The Shun army camp was located seven or eight miles away, and even with the help of a clairvoyant, one couldn't see anything clearly.

"Sir, where are we going?" asked the general beside Lu Jiude.

"Not going anywhere, waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"Stop talking nonsense, just wait obediently."

On the slope five miles north of the city, Li Zicheng was also very confused.

Through his clairvoyance he clearly saw that after the Ming army left the city and formed a battle array, they did not attack, but instead stood there to rest.

"What are they going to do?"

Li Laiheng shook his head and said, "I think they are bluffing, or...tying down our troops."

"Return to the camp and send out all the scouts. We must find the location of the Ming army's reinforcements."

"Yes, sir."

Li Zicheng had just returned to the camp in the north of the city when his scouts brought back news: "Ming troops are gathering on the north bank of the Huai River, and their intentions are unclear."

Li Zicheng rode non-stop to the bank of the Huai River and looked across the river with his telescope.

Countless Ming troops were seen gathering on the other side of the river.

The open space next to the military camp was filled with wood and planks for building a pontoon bridge.

It looks like it has been prepared for a long time.

When the Ming navy arrives, they will be able to move these wooden planks onto the ship, connect the warships together and build a floating bridge.

The various units of the Shun army were also gathering to prepare for the upcoming battle.

Strangely, after the Ming army assembled, they did not attack, just like the Ming army outside Fengyang City, but stood there to rest.

Li Zicheng was puzzled and had a bad feeling at the same time.

He felt that the Ming army was plotting a conspiracy, but he didn't know what it was.

Li Zicheng became increasingly irritated, so he summoned Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance to discuss matters.

The two sides remained in a stalemate from morning to evening, and nothing happened.

Just when everyone thought that Fengyang was going to be another day without war, battle reports came from Gu Kecheng's tribe in the east of the city.

"Report, General Gu Kecheng sent 2,000 elite troops to attack 1,200 Ming troops on the south bank of the Huai River, but they were defeated."

"What?" Li Zicheng stood up and said, "Say it again!"

"Gu Kecheng had 2,000 against 1,200 and was badly defeated. There were over a thousand casualties in this battle." The scout lowered his head and repeated it in the calmest tone possible.

"How is it possible?" Li Zicheng clenched his fists. "Gu Kecheng's men are all elite, how could they be defeated? Could it be that... the Ming navy joined the battle?"

"No, the Ming navy did not approach the shore, and the battlefield between the two sides was far away from the Huai River."

"How much did the Ming army lose?" Li Zicheng asked.

"We lost more than a hundred men. The general who led the troops was Liu Zhaoji."