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Later that day, the main force of the Suoyi Gang encountered the enemy's vanguard. Composed primarily of refugees and equally numerous, the two sides engaged in battle without hesitation.

It was a chaotic battle, with few refugees able to follow orders, let alone armor, and even lacking complete weaponry. Yet, at the end of the day, the battle was evenly matched. It was obvious that neither side had truly mobilized their elite troops, merely testing each other, and even fewer casualties were incurred.

However, this was still a huge loss of morale. You have to know that the refugee army has no resilience. It can fight a favorable battle, but if it encounters a strong enemy, it will immediately collapse. And that group of rebels had exactly this idea.

Bad news came one after another. The Tianding Army was indeed confronted by the rebel fleet and was unable to join forces. Then two surrendered cities openly rebelled again, seemingly trying to cut off their food supplies and their retreat. Once this news spread, morale would be ruined.

However, Sun Yuanrang did not let his guard down. Both he and Fang Tianxi knew that the enemy had not yet used its trump card.

Sure enough, the next day, someone rushed in at night to report that hundreds of small boats had sailed down the river, bypassing the main army. Upon hearing this, Sun Yuanrang immediately said, "Tian Mingchun, take your men and stop those enemy soldiers. Make sure they disrupt their formation before they disembark and rally!"

This time, they chose a battlefield far from the river, partly to prevent a surprise attack from the enemy and partly to make them think they were complacent. After all, the farther from the river, the less likely they would be to pay attention to what was happening on the river, allowing them to move troops at night and launch a surprise attack.

He was waiting for this opportunity. It would take time to get off the boat, not to mention forming an army. The boats couldn't be hidden on the river, so as long as they were discovered in advance, they could divide their forces and set up an ambush.

Tian Mingchun is his fellow villager and one of his best generals. The victory or defeat of this battle depends on whether he can attack the enemy halfway across the river!

Thanks to Fang Tianxi's early advice, saying that eating fish can prevent night blindness, he was able to train such an elite force. Seeing that the troops were not frightened by the night and took orders to attack, Sun Yuanrang breathed a sigh of relief: "It only depends on the next two days."

The enemy had sent a surprise attack, signaling a decisive battle. The fighting would undoubtedly be fierce over the next two days. He faced the challenge of stopping the ambush, securing the food supply route, and directly confronting the rebels and Prince Xin's troops. Of course, the messenger had already departed, but the true decisive factor in this battle lay in the rear.

I just hope she can get the news soon.

However, what Sun Yuanrang did not expect was that the Red Flag Army had already received the news.

"A hundred or so small boats are heading west along the river?" Cheng Xi smiled upon hearing this news. "It seems they are preparing an ambush."

They had arranged a lot of spies on the river, and some even disguised themselves as refugees and sneaked into the city. Naturally, the information they received was faster than that of Sun Yuanrang who was on the front line.

"Should we take action immediately? Do we need to wait for news from General Sun?" Lin Liangtian immediately asked in a low voice.

These were the elite Lin Clan troops she had trained, and they had also commanded the previous battle of Leren City. However, the city they were to capture this time was much larger than Leren City.

His gaze swept across the faces of the crowd. Not a single one was nervous or anxious; their eyes flickered with a thirst for battle. They had long since prepared themselves, like a blade sharpened to a razor-sharp edge, ready to strike.

"Let's take action tonight and capture Luling City." Cheng Xi gave the order without hesitation.

…

"All the ambushes are deployed. This time we will definitely defeat those thieves." Wang Hengjiang couldn't sit still at all. He walked around the room, rubbing his hands excitedly.

This time, he had put a lot of thought into it, not only negotiating with several city lords, but also using a surprise force. The small boats alone carried a full 3,000 elite soldiers, a treasure trove he possessed. If he could stab the enemy in the back, he would surely give them a cold shoulder.

They were all from the Suoyi Gang. Wang Hengjiang knew all too well the weaknesses of this group in previous battles: if they could overwhelm the enemy by charging forward in unison, they would win a great victory. But if they were not careful, the refugees would flee in a flash. By then, even with more elite troops, it would be impossible to save the situation. Wouldn't they be at the mercy of others?

He had disliked Pan Laoer back then, so he would appoint his cronies and exclude them, the navy. General Yan's death was probably related to Pan Laoer, otherwise why did he only rescue the Chang family, while General Yan's men were killed and injured?

Of course, he only talked about this, constantly avenging General Yan, but his heart was still on the power grab. With such great power, why should he be subordinate to others? It was a pity that the rebellion failed to kill Old Man Pan in one fell swoop, and had to flee far away. Finally, even after reaching Luling, this group still refused to give up. So, he had to give them a good beating, so that they would remember that they were not to be trifled with.

He couldn't suppress his delight at the thought of Old Man Pan's face after the army's crushing defeat. However, fighting took time. They had to wait until nightfall to get around the rear of the Suoyi Army. If they were to fight, they would have to wait until tomorrow morning, and it would take another two days for the news to come back.

This is the disadvantage of not going to the front line in person, but Wang Hengjiang has nothing to regret, he can afford to wait.

As for the fleet on the river, Wang Hengjiang was still somewhat concerned. He truly desired to expand his territory northward, ideally capturing Xinchang Prefecture to gain a greater advantage. This would inevitably lead to a conflict with the Tianding Army. Right now, they were unwilling to fight vigorously, but if the Suoyi Army fell into a disadvantage, or even collapsed, the situation would be uncertain. Perhaps he should use Ning Fu's method to stabilize that group first, and then return to fight for the territory of Jinghu. Regardless, whether it was west or north, as long as he could occupy the land with abundant fish and rice, it would be good. The more soldiers he could support, the greater his power would grow, and he would no longer have to rely on others for his support.

Thinking of this, Wang Hengjiang couldn't help but think of becoming king again. He now lived in the Duke's Mansion, and he had long ago beheaded the previous Duke. If he could even kill such a person, wouldn't it be natural for him to be king? Once he became king and occupied a larger territory, wouldn't he have the capital to fight for the world?

At the thought of this, Wang Hengjiang felt a surge of heat all over his body, and he grew increasingly agitated. However, he also knew the importance of the war, so he didn't call for his concubines to come and serve him. He dealt with military affairs for a while before returning to sleep.

Unexpectedly, after tossing and turning in bed for a long time, he finally fell asleep when a loud noise woke him up. Before he could ask, someone pushed open the door and shouted, "Great Marshal, the enemy is attacking the city!"

"What?!" Wang Hengjiang was so startled that his sleepiness suddenly flew away. He shouted, "Why are there people attacking the city? Where did the enemy come from? How many are there?"

"No, I don't know. It's just that the west gate has been breached, and the enemy troops are entering the city. I have already sent troops to stop them..."

The West City Gate is already open? Wang Hengjiang felt dizzy and almost jumped up. "Didn't I tell you to be alert? How come the city gate is already open?! What are you still standing here for? Go and gather the troops!"

The defense of the city depends on a gate. Now that the gate has been opened, the only option is to fight in the streets. But it is night now. His elite troops have been sent out for a surprise attack. It is doubtful whether the remaining soldiers can see at night. How can they defend the city?

However, he was a brave general who had fought his way to victory. He was only dazed for a moment before he roared, "Come on, put on your armor! Defend the Duke's Mansion with all your might, and send for help!"

It was true that the army was outside, but it wasn't too far from Luling City. If they rode fast, they could reach it in a flash. He only needed to hold one or two streets and fight the enemy to the end, and then reinforcements would arrive!

But how many enemies were there? How could the city gates fall so quietly? While asking his men to help put on their armor, he asked, "What's the situation outside? How many enemies are there?"

"It's hard to tell. They were all dressed in black, and they didn't hold any fire..."

Before he could finish his words, someone rushed in from outside: "Marshal, it's bad! The enemy has reached Zhengyang Street!"

Wang Hengjiang nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. Wasn't Zhengyang Street not far from the Duke's Mansion? Not only did they know where he was, they also fought all the way here. Were all the defenders dead?

Seeing that his subordinate was still frantically fastening his skirt armor and couldn't do it properly, Wang Hengjiang was so angry that he pushed the man away, picked up the knife and ran out.

We must hold on. There are at least three thousand soldiers in the city, and he's left seven or eight hundred elite soldiers with him. This is a night battle, and this is their home turf. How can they be easily defeated? Besides, how many elite soldiers can the Suoyi Gang send? The shouts and cries of killing haven't even reached us yet. I'm afraid it's just someone colluding inside and outside that has caused us to lose the initiative.

Just grit your teeth and hold on until dawn!

Instead of checking the gate, he went straight to the palace's watchtower. Looking down from there, he saw a string of torches lit up in the dark city, flickering and swaying like a dying dragon or snake. Those were the intercepting defenders, but where were the enemy troops?

Wang Hengjiang opened his eyes wide, wanting to see more closely. Unexpectedly, a dark wave surged over him. It was a group of masked men in black clothes and black scarves. Nothing could be seen clearly, only the swords in their hands gleamed with starlight.

What's going on? It's only been half an hour, how did they rush to the door? Wang Hengjiang felt his hands and feet cold, and anger surged in his heart. Aren't they just assassins? Do you think I don't have my own personal guards?

Wang Hengjiang stopped watching and drew his sword, shouting angrily: "One head for one ounce of gold, kill all the invading bandits!"

This was a reward that would make people fight for their lives. Wang Hengjiang turned around and went downstairs. He also wanted to kill people, so killing more people would save some gold and silver!

Shouts, roars, and intermittent explosions echoed throughout the night. As daylight dawned, the fighting finally ceased. Wang Hengjiang's eyes widened in anger, but he never had the chance to close them. The head was placed in a box and sent to the front lines.

On that day, Luling City changed hands.