Chapter 62: Quick Guide to the Soldier King (Twenty)
The news brought by the scout was like a bolt from the blue - Liu Xing had staged a coup in the palace, killed Zhu Youwen and hung his head on the palace gate, and all the concubines and royal heirs were killed. Liu Xing led the elite Eight Banners, bypassed the valley, and headed straight for the heart of Jiangnan!
Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng flew into a rage: "Liu Xing, you are so good at hiding your true intentions! The wise and righteous Ju Tu is just a cunning and treacherous villain, hahaha! Pass the order to return to the capital immediately and make sure to arrive before Liu Xing!"
The army turned around and headed south. The speed of the rapid march made everyone exhausted. I was riding on the horse, watching the scenery on both sides rapidly retreating, and I was extremely anxious. Dorgon's move was clearly to take advantage of our battle with the main force of the Qing army to launch a sneak attack on Jiangnan. If he succeeds, the consequences will be disastrous!
"Don't worry too much, Zi'ang," Bi Yuntao rode his horse to my side, "I have arranged a group of elite troops to rush to Jiangnan day and night, and they will definitely be able to hold back Liu Xing's army."
Now heroes have risen up, but the poor people are the only ones left unarmed. Looking at the corpses in tattered clothes lying on the muddy ground, I felt sad.
I turned to look at him, my eyes already wet with tears. Bi Yuntao, who is not a person who cries a lot, was also touched by me. "Life is full of pain."
After returning to Jiangnan, I did not even take a rest. I immediately discussed countermeasures with Li Zicheng.
"Liu Xing is coming with great force. We must strengthen our defenses as soon as possible, mobilize our forces, and prepare for the attack!" Li Zicheng said in a heavy tone.
"General Feng, you are experienced, so I will leave this matter to you. I will fully cooperate with you!"
I nodded solemnly and immediately began to deploy defenses. On the city walls, soldiers rushed to repair the walls and transported logs and rocks; inside the city, the people spontaneously organized themselves to prepare food and supplies for the defenders.
All of Jiangnan was mobilized at once, and a sense of unity and resentment spread in the air. Bi Yuntao was also not idle, he dispersed the special forces he had trained during this period to various dangerous places, preparing to give Dorgon a "surprise".
A few days later, Sima Kongxian and Hua Mucao rushed to my tent in a dusty state. "General Feng!" Hua Mucao arrived before he even showed up, opened the curtain and rushed in, with a tired look on his face, but he couldn't hide his excitement, "We got the news, the traitor Liu Xing's army is approaching Suzhou City!"
I put down the map in my hand and asked quickly, "What's the situation?"
Sima Kongxian bowed and said, "Liu Xing brought 50,000 elite soldiers with him this time, claiming to have 100,000. His force is overwhelming. However, we are not without a chance of winning."
He paused and continued, "According to the spies' report, Liu Xing's soldiers were exhausted after a long march, and they are not familiar with the terrain in Jiangnan. This is our advantage."
I nodded, and I had a plan in mind. "Teacher Sima, Mucao, you have worked hard, go down and rest first, we will discuss it tomorrow."
As night fell, flames shot up outside Suzhou City, and shouts of killing were deafening. Liu Xing's troops surged in like a tide and launched a fierce attack on the city wall. On the city wall, I was wearing armor, holding a long sword, and watching the situation on the battlefield with a sharp gaze.
"Shoot!"
As I gave the order, countless sharp arrows poured down from the towers, shooting at the enemy like raindrops. The Qing army was caught off guard and suffered heavy casualties. However, the Qing army was well-trained after all, and quickly adjusted its formation and continued to advance under the cover of shields.
"Bang!"
With a loud bang, a gap was opened in the city gate by the Qing army's battering ram.
"Kill!"
The Qing troops swarmed in and engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the local soldiers defending the city.
"Li Zicheng, it's your turn!" I shouted to the people below the city wall. I saw Li Zicheng leading the way with his special forces, rushing into the enemy camp like a tiger descending from a mountain. Wherever he went, the Qing troops fell one after another.
The shouts of killing in the city were deafening, but I remained calm. I knew that it would only be a matter of time before the city gate was breached, and the real decisive battle had just begun. I drew the sword at my waist and shouted loudly: "Generals, follow me to kill the enemy!" After that, I rushed down the city tower first and joined the melee.
My swordsmanship was taught by Bi Yuntao himself. Although I am not as skilled as him, I am still one of the best. I charged left and right, and wherever my sword flashed, a Qing soldier would fall. However, there were too many Qing soldiers, and I could not kill them all. I gradually felt exhausted.
At this moment, I heard Li Zicheng's voice behind me: "General Feng, please step back and rest. Leave this to me!"
I looked back and saw Li Zicheng holding a spear, leading the troops with unparalleled bravery. Around him, the Qing soldiers fell like wheat. I secretly admired Li Zicheng, who was indeed a veteran leader of the peasant army. His courage and martial arts were far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
I nodded to Li Zicheng, then led a few personal soldiers, fighting and retreating, to the foot of the city wall.
"Pass the order, archers get ready!" I shouted.
"yes!"
A moment later, the archers on the city wall were ready. I took a deep breath, drew my sword again, pointed it at the most concentrated area of the Qing army, and shouted loudly: "Shoot!"
“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…”
A hail of arrows fell from the sky, like a swarm of locusts, shrouding the Qing army in a shadow of death. The Qing army was immediately thrown into disarray, with countless casualties.
However, Liu Xing's troops were well-trained after all, and they reacted quickly, raising their shields to block the rain of arrows.
"Damn it!" I cursed in a low voice. It seemed that it was unrealistic to repel the Qing army with bows and arrows alone.
At this moment, I suddenly heard a burst of shouting and killing coming from the rear of the Qing army. I was moved and looked up quickly, only to see Bi Yuntao leading his special forces, like a god-like army descending from the sky, killing from the flank of Liu Xing.
"Kill!" Bi Yuntao's voice was like a thunder, echoing over the battlefield.
Each of the local soldiers of the special forces was an elite who could fight ten enemies at once. Holding sharp blades in their hands, they charged into the Qing army's formation like tigers descending from the mountains. Wherever they went, Qing soldiers fell down one after another, like wheat being cut.
"Good job, Bi Yuntao!" I praised in my heart. Bi Yuntao's move was just right. It disrupted Liu Xing's formation and dealt them a heavy blow.
I seized this opportunity and gave the order again: "Archers, keep shooting! All soldiers, follow me and charge!"
"Kill!" I raised my sword high and led the Ming army to charge at the enemy like a tiger descending from a mountain. The Qing army was already losing, and under the attack from both inside and outside, they were even more defeated. They cried for their parents and scrambled to escape.
"Don't chase the enemy!" When the remnants of the Qing army had fled, I immediately ordered the troops to withdraw, comfort the wounded, and check the battlefield. In this battle, our army defeated the enemy with fewer troops and won a great victory, successfully driving Liu Xing back to the north of the Yangtze River.
The news of victory spread throughout Jiangnan, and the people were all excited and told each other about it. I stood on the city wall, looking at the crowd cheering and rejoicing below, and I felt a lot of emotions in my heart.
"Xiaoyu, you did it."
Bi Yuntao walked up to me, gently held my hand, his eyes full of admiration and tenderness.
I turned to look at him, this towering man, my lover, my comrade-in-arms, my support. At this moment, his face was filled with the joy of victory, but he was still calm and composed, giving me strength as always.
“We did it together.”
I held his hand, my heart filled with happiness and hope. Yes, we fought side by side, guarding this land and our homeland. I believe that as long as we work together, we will be able to overcome all difficulties and create a better future. However, at night when Bi Yuntao and I were sleeping soundly, a rebellion broke out in the city.
Bi Yuntao and I had our meals drugged, and when we woke up we were tied up with hemp ropes. Liu Xing appeared in front of me and asked someone to splash me with cold water to wake me up.
Liu Xing said, "Zi'ang, I have always treated you as my best student, but you never understand people's hearts. You are a martial arts expert, but you don't know much about human nature. Look at the people around you, who is a well-trained soldier? They are just ruffians. You are guarding this city, but who will follow you if you don't have food? I only need to give them a bag of rice and they will kill a man for me. If I give them a title of nobility and land, they will rush to help me kill you."
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