In the face of artillery fire, the wooden gate of the mountain stronghold could only be described as being destroyed with ease.

“BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!!!”

More than ten large cannons fired at once, and the shells flew everywhere, shaking the earth, with smoke and sand rising.

After everything was gone, there was no gate to speak of. Only the broken wood showed that the gate had really existed.

"Oh my god, how the hell am I going to fight this???"

Wang Jingangnu, who led more than 20,000 soldiers from the mountain stronghold to defend the gate, was completely stunned.

Before this, he had imagined many scenes of government troops surging, fighting hard, and arrows flying.

The only thing he had never imagined was the scene of shattering explosions in front of him.

Turning around, he saw the soldiers in the mountain stronghold, all of them with their necks hunched, without any spirit at all.

Down the mountain,

Cao Zhen looked at the messy scene on the mountain from afar and smiled contemptuously.

In front of the General's Cannon, this kind of mountain stronghold was destroyed in one blow, without any pressure at all.

"Pass on my order, prepare the second round of artillery fire, and shoot him!"

Cao Zhen roared, pointed his sword forward and shouted loudly.

At this time, the adjutant beside him whispered, "General, isn't it too wasteful to fire like this?"

Cao Zhen's eyes widened and he shouted, "What do you know? To attack the enemy's heart, the first shot is to hit the gate, and the second shot is to hit the momentum."

The adjutant smiled bitterly and said no more.

Although artillery is good, its accuracy is not high. It is okay to hit large gates, but it is difficult to hit scattered enemies.

The rebels on the mountain were scattered, and the bombardment of twelve cannons could not cause too many casualties.

The key point is that artillery shells are extremely expensive, and these rebels in the mountains are not worth using artillery to attack.

With the second round of shelling, there were cries of grief and cry in the village.

Just as Cao Zhen said, the momentum of this shot was really strong. There were only three or four thousand people on our side, while the enemy had more than 20,000 people. Their morale was on the verge of collapse.

Wang Jingangnu shouted loudly and ordered his cronies to make various arrests, which stopped the disorganization and slightly boosted morale.

In fact, Wang Jingangnu's heart was also trembling, because just now, a cannonball fell not far from him, and an unlucky soldier was blown to pieces.

Some blood splattered on his body.

"Scatter! Everyone scatter!!!"

It has to be said that Wang Jingangnu still had some military talent. After he came to his senses, he quickly realized that artillery caused the most damage to densely packed groups of people.

Although the noise was loud just now, a careful count showed that there were only 20 to 30 casualties, and this was because a shell fell into a certain team.

Several artillery shells hit the big trees and missed.

As Wang Jingangnu shouted, the soldiers reacted and quickly dispersed.

"That's a pretty quick reaction, but I don't plan to use artillery anymore."

Cao Zhen sneered and said, then issued a military order:

"The sword and shield soldiers are in front, and the musketeers are in the back. Today, let this general see the power of the musket."

"Yes, sir."

As the army moved, hundreds of swordsmen and shieldmen and musketeers soon appeared, forming an array and pressing towards the mountain road.

The mountain path was naturally narrow, with no more than four or five people able to fit in a row, and there were extremely narrow places where only two people could pass through.

It is true that one man can block the passage of ten thousand men.

This is also the confidence of the rebels.

However, all this is meaningless in front of the musketeer.

A complete sitting duck.

BANG BANG BANG!!!

As the matchlock guns sounded, the rebels guarding the mountain road were shot off the cliff without any movement.

“Shameless!! Shameless!!!”

Seeing this scene, Wang Jingangnu was so angry that he started cursing.

Those guarding the narrow road are real veterans, veterans who were once fearless and dared to charge forward.

Now it has not been of any use at all and his life has been lost in vain.

Our advantage has completely turned into a disadvantage.

Even though there are 20,000 people on the mountain, there is a feeling that they have no place to use their strength.

"Where are the archers? Get ready to meet the enemy."

Seeing that the government troops were getting closer and closer to the main road of the mountain stronghold, Wang Jingangnu shouted loudly.

"Shield raised!!!"

Seeing this, the commander of the sword and shield troops also shouted loudly.

Large shields half a person's height were tightly spliced ​​together to form a shield wall. The musketeers hid in the shield wall, used the shields as a frame in the gaps, and aimed to counterattack.

A rain of arrows came, most of which were blocked by shields.

Most of the arrowheads in the rebels' hands were made of rough wood, and only a very small number were made of fine iron. After all, what they had robbed before were cities, not garrisons.

With only a few thousand troops stationed there, the armaments were naturally pitifully small.

Even the fine iron arrows could not penetrate the large shield, and only caused some sporadic casualties to the government troops, who were quickly replaced by those behind.

"Axemen, prepare to meet the enemy!"

Wang Jingangnu looked grim. The difficulty of dealing with the Ming court's elite troops was far beyond his imagination. The next battle would definitely be a fierce one.

There is not even any hope at the moment.

"There is no need for a large army to come. With only the three thousand vanguards of this general, we can put down the rebels in one fell swoop."

Cao Zhen laughed and spoke loudly.

The adjutant had no choice but to remind them: "General, although that is true, don't forget that there are still more than 20,000 rebels on the mountain. Although their morale is low, with only 3,000 soldiers like us, we will definitely pay a heavy price."

"Among them, there are 300 musketeers. Each of them is extremely valuable. We got them with great difficulty. If they are lost, it would be totally unworthy."

"Also, the Crown Prince has re-established military regulations. Every battle must be recorded in a written book. If you wantonly harm the lives of soldiers during a review afterwards, not only will you have no achievements, but you will also be charged with a crime. Please be careful, General."

Upon hearing the adjutant's reminder, Cao Zhen's face froze.

He looked at the military discipline officer not far away and smiled awkwardly: "This general is just an analogy. Of course, I will not act in this way."

"Alright, without further delay, quickly inform the general that the front position is about to be captured, please march out."

The adjutant immediately clasped his fists and said, "As you command."

Half a mile away,

Lan Yu smiled and said to Zhu Quan: "It seems that the situation ahead has been settled. We only need to guard the intersections and we can put down the rebels in one fell swoop today."

Zhu Quan nodded and praised: "It is hard to imagine that the cannons and matchlock guns can exert such power in such a mountain forest."

"I still have a lot to learn from you generals in this army."

Although it is difficult to see clearly at a distance of several hundred meters, the general situation can still be seen.

Two rounds of artillery fire almost destroyed the morale of the rebels in the mountain stronghold.

The cooperation between the sword and shield soldiers and the fire commanders, integrating offense and defense, turned disadvantage into advantage, and took over the dangerous mountain road with the least casualties.

Next, the situation is settled.

Lan Yu gave the order and the army moved forward.

More than 30,000 soldiers were dispatched.

Of the total number of more than 50,000 soldiers, only nearly 20,000 were used to blockade the mountain stronghold and prevent the rebels from escaping.

The number of more than 30,000 people is almost the same as that of the rebels. However, in actual combat, as the elite garrison of the capital, 30,000 people are enough to resist 100,000 rebel soldiers.

Wang Jingangnu looked at the surging army in the distance, and the entrance to the mountain road had been breached by the government troops. The sword and shield soldiers and musketeers advanced step by step, and a large number of soldiers were unable to form an effective charge and were instead being continuously harvested.

"Quick, go and invite the king over."

Wang Jingangnu said to his trusted subordinates that he already felt a little powerless at this time.

The most important thing is that Wang Jingangnu was prepared to go forward personally and charge with the veterans to break the morale of the government troops.

If you charge into battle yourself, you naturally need someone to stay behind you.

Just as Wang Jingangnu was waiting anxiously, the confidant came running over in a panic.

Without thinking too much, Wang Jingangnu asked directly: "What did the king say?"

The confidant was trembling all over, and subconsciously looked at the people next to him, and then whispered: "The king has left."

"What!!!"

Wang Jingangnu asked in disbelief.

The close associates around him looked over subconsciously.

He also knew that at this time, this kind of thing would have a huge impact on the morale of the army, so he grabbed his confidant, dragged him behind a tree, and asked, "Do you know what you just said?"

The confidant said bitterly, "Boss, of course I know. When I went to the king's residence just now, it was already empty. Even the bedding in the room had disappeared."

"And the king's personal guards were also missing. Seeing this, I immediately went to find Mr. Gao."

"But... Mr. Gao's place is also the same."

At this point, the confidant looked ahead nervously and whispered, "Boss, I found a secret passage in the king's room. Why don't we escape quickly?"

"Take this opportunity and bring a few brothers with us. The king's secret passage must have avoided the siege of the government troops, so we can definitely escape."

Wang Jingangnu's face was ashen and his eyes became somewhat empty.

He didn't expect that at such a critical moment, the king would abandon him.

Looking back at the past, the king was so high-spirited and ambitious, but now he is like a prodigal dog, fleeing in a panic.

"Boss, the king has gone. If we stay here we will die. Let's run away quickly." The confidant urged again, looking at the leader's dazed look.

Wang Jingangnu looked at his confidant blankly, as if he had just come to his senses.

When the confidant saw this, he opened his mouth and wanted to persuade him again.

Phew!

This was the sound of a sharp blade entering the body. A sharp pain came from the confidant's chest. He looked down with his eyes wide open, and saw the machete in Wang Jingangnu's hand, which directly gave him a chill to the heart.

"Boss, why...why..." The confidant asked in disbelief, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.

At this moment, Wang Jingangnu's eyes were sad yet determined.

"Brother, I'm sorry. The king is unkind, but I can't be unjust. My family, young and old, were helped by the king to survive. Now my wife and children have their own way. It's time for me to repay the king."

After saying this, he flipped the machete in his hand, not giving his confidant any chance to speak.

"Don't worry, it won't be long before I come down to apologize to you in person."

Drawing out his broadsword, Wang Jingangnu returns to the battlefield.

"Boss, what's going on? Where's Brother Li?"

"Boss, why is the king not moving? Did he escape?"

"Boss, there are rumors that the king has taken his men and escaped through a secret passage. Is this true? Did the king really run away?"

When several small leaders saw Wang Jingangnu coming, they rushed over and asked.

Wang Jingang Nu remained calm and shouted, "Li San has spoken nonsense and has been killed by this Heavenly King. The Great King has issued a secret order and he has led several thousand brothers to encircle the government troops through the secret passage."

"As long as we hold out for another hour, the king will be able to join us in attacking the Ming army from the front and back, and we will surely win in one fell swoop."

"Pass on this Heavenly King's military order. All brothers must fight to the death to hold out for this hour. Anyone who shrinks back will be killed!"

"Brothers, follow this Heavenly King and defend the mountain road to the death! Kill!!!"

With a pointed blade, everyone came together.

Hearing that the king had already encircled the enemy, everyone felt relieved.

Even if there were skeptics, when they saw Wang Jingangnu standing in the front, they would suppress their doubts.

The rumor just now was proven false. If the king had escaped, why would the king of heaven still be fighting here?

Morale rose, and the government troops that were pressing forward were forced back.

Cao Zhen at the foot of the mountain was a little puzzled.

What the hell are these rebels doing? Why are their morale so high all of a sudden? Could it be that the rebel Tian Jiucheng has come in person?

Well, this is the rebels’ final counterattack.

If we break through this wave, we can capture the rebels directly.

At this time, Lan Yu had come over, rode his horse to Cao Zhen's side and said, "Yes, you are the first to achieve this victory."

"Thank you, General." Cao Zhen laughed and bowed.

Lan Yu then looked at Zhu Quan and said, "The mountain road is narrow. Your Highness, please order the Black Armor Guards to go out and open the mountain road."

Zhu Quan nodded, drew the sword from his waist, and pointed it at the mountain path.

Thousands of people were surging in the rear, and the black-armored guards of a thousand households were jogging in unison.

Looking closely, everyone had a sword on their waist, a fuse wrapped around them, and a musket in their hands. They were covered in armor with only their eyes exposed.

Even when running, they follow a strict formation.

Even though Cao Zhen had seen Lan Yu many times, he couldn't help but be amazed at this moment.

The same matchlock gun can kill people like the Black Armor Guards, just like a sharpshooter.

Gunshots rang out in an orderly and continuous manner, the mountainside was filled with smoke, and the rebels fell down in large numbers.

In less than two incense sticks of time, the mountain road had been taken by the government troops.

The Black Armor Guards did not rush to charge, but held their ground at the entrance of the mountain path while the army behind them continued to pour in.

What followed was a one-sided massacre.

In less than half an hour, the rebels on the mountain had completely collapsed, and a large number of soldiers dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground.

No matter how strong the resistance is, under the matchlock gun, it will all be reduced to dust and earth, without causing even a single wave.

As dusk approached, the entire stronghold had been completely taken over and the battlefield cleanup began.

"Report!"

"The rebel king Jin Gangnu died at the mountain pass, and the fake king Tian Jiucheng, the heavenly king Gao Fuxing, and He Miaoshun are nowhere to be found."

"A secret passage was found in the residence of the fake king in the mountain stronghold, but the secret passage has been blocked by rocks and its whereabouts are unknown."

Upon hearing this, Lan Yu immediately combined the previous situation and realized the changes in the mountain stronghold: "This Wang Jingang slave is a loyal and righteous man, but it's a pity that he has joined the rebels."

After sighing, he ordered his adjutant: "Pass on this general's order to search for the whereabouts of Tian Jiucheng and others immediately."

“Understood, sir.” The adjutant saluted and went to inform the soldiers surrounding the mountain.

Although several leaders ran away, Lan Yu didn't care too much.

Such a stray dog ​​will certainly have a hard time in the future. We just need to go to sea to capture the documents and it is only a matter of time before we catch it.

All that remains is to report the good news to the capital.

Today is the Crown Prince's wedding, the rebels have been annihilated, the spring ploughing season has been started, and the Ming Dynasty is unified. It can be said that the country is peaceful and the people are prosperous.