Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 832 Encirclement and Suppression
When Marquis Changyuan saw the flames rising on the river, he knew that his men had succeeded.

"It really works."

Those earthenware jars filled with black oil were indeed flammable, but first the fuse left on the outside had to be lit. Marquis Changyuan was itching to see them, wishing he could immediately grab Xie... Wang Yan and ask if the court would issue these things to all the Xiang Army in the future. He could exchange them for military merits.

"The bridge has collapsed, the bridge has collapsed, the imperial army is coming."

“Run, run!”

Shouts came from above.

The soldiers who were preparing to cross the river heard the explosion of the firearms and saw the flames and their comrades falling into the water. They all began to retreat. In addition, the Marquis of Changyuan's men deliberately fanned the flames in the crowd. The soldiers who did not know the inside story, upon hearing such shouts, felt as if they had been given a death warrant. In the next moment, their legs made their choice before their brains, and they fled for their lives like a tide.

With so many people crammed together, the chaotic situation was unimaginable.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Marquis Changyuan's men threw firearms into the crowd. The moment the firearms exploded, the soldiers were completely out of control.

Marquis Changyuan stood on a high ground, looking down at the scene below.

There is only one pontoon bridge here. Whoever controls the pontoon bridge will have the advantage, including using the pontoon bridge to decide the course of the battle.

Setting a fire was not enough; the ice under the pontoon bridge had to be loosened beforehand, and the connecting cables had to be cut. Wang Yan had done all the work beforehand, and with some coordination from the back, he successfully disrupted the rebels' plans.

"My lord, what's next..." the general beside him asked in a low voice.

Marquis Changyuan decisively said, "Let's do it."

He deliberately aroused the suspicion of the Duke of Wei so that the Duke would place their troops in the middle of the entire army, seemingly restricting him, but actually making it easier for him to act.

With the Duke of Wei on the other side, he could turn around and deal with the Jiang family's troops left on this side.

Marquis Changyuan ordered, "Most of those behind are desperate fugitives from the sea. Show no mercy and kill them all."

The general accepted the order.

Marquis Changyuan continued, "If the King of Qin's men ask, just say that the Duke of Wei ordered someone to assassinate me, and we cannot sit idly by and wait for our doom."

The general was taken aback: "The King of Qin...would believe that?"

Marquis Changyuan said, "Even if he had doubts, would he be willing to risk going to find the Duke of Wei?"

The general knew that the King of Qin would not do so.

The King of Qin already harbored deep suspicions about the Duke of Wei. With this sudden attack, no one knew exactly what was going on. The King of Qin might take his men and leave first, then reappear once the situation was resolved.

At the Marquis of Changyuan's command, the Zeng family army, which had been prepared, immediately drew their weapons and slashed at the fleeing soldiers.

Those people never expected that their comrades would suddenly turn murderous. Before they could even react, they were killed.

But the killings have only just begun, because there are too many people to deal with.

Although the entire rebel army has now been divided, the remaining forces still outnumber those under Marquis Changyuan's command. Besides the Jiang family army of Duke Weiguo, they also include Xiang Army soldiers and men from the landlord's faction who have defected.

However, with so many people involved, it's difficult to control them.

This is why the Duke of Wei was separated from these troops beforehand.

What they need to do now is take advantage of the chaos to kill more people.

Changyuan Hou's men quickly dealt with the rebels around them, and without stopping, they continued their pursuit.

Marquis Changyuan also gripped his long sword and spurred his horse to meet the enemy troops heading towards the east.

Then things won't be so easy.

The owners' managers, recovering from their initial panic, began ordering their troops to form ranks. Such a commotion was definitely not just a simple sneak attack.

The shopkeepers sent by the master were on horseback. It was still dark and they couldn't see their surroundings clearly, but the fourth shopkeeper couldn't wait any longer.

"No matter who comes, I'll lead my men and kill them," the fourth manager said, glancing at the others. "I'll be right back." Without waiting for a reply, he led his troops and rode off.

They weren't far apart to begin with, and with one rushing forward and the other meeting up, Marquis Changyuan met the Fourth Manager a short while later.

"So it was you." The fourth manager stared at Marquis Changyuan, both surprised and expectant. Anyone not from the master's faction might not be on their side. Without saying much, he led his two generals and charged at Marquis Changyuan with their swords.

The fourth manager had blood on his hands when he was at sea, and he was considered brave and skilled in battle. In addition, he was strong and fought against Marquis Changyuan with great force. Marquis Changyuan was old, and he wanted to use his strength to suppress Marquis Changyuan.

In the first few rounds, Marquis Changyuan did indeed struggle a bit, but later on, the shortcomings of the fourth manager became apparent. A person who had spent most of his life at sea was somewhat unaccustomed to riding on horseback.

Marquis Changyuan's warhorse reared up, and Marquis Changyuan thrust his spear downwards. The fourth shopkeeper was unable to dodge and was stabbed squarely in the shoulder, tumbling off his horse.

But the fourth manager was quite agile. He rolled on the ground, stood up again, and remounted his horse. Just as the two were fighting, the second manager arrived with his troops, and the two generals were about to be surrounded by the soldiers.

Marquis Changyuan showed no panic whatsoever; instead, he revealed a smile.

As dawn broke, the smile in the second manager's eyes, for some reason, made the hairs on his body stand on end. He subconsciously looked around.

"Second brother, let's cut off this old bastard's head together."

No sooner had the fourth manager finished speaking than they heard the sounds of fighting behind them.

In the gray, overcast sky, a cavalry unit suddenly charged out, like a sharp blade piercing straight into the rebel ranks. The leading general was clad in full armor, with a bright red helmet finial. He wielded a long sword and was unstoppable, easily carving a bloody path through the enemy ranks.

As the general approached, the sixth shopkeeper recognized his identity.

“He Tan”.

The person who arrived was He Tan, and He Tan was actually alive.

Marquis Changyuan went to the Northwest to suppress the He family army, thinking he would win a great victory, but little did he know... they had deceived everyone.

He Tan didn't die, so naturally the He family army was still there.

While the sixth shopkeeper was pondering, the cavalry he had in mind arrived. While the master's troops were indeed trained according to the Duke of Wei's methods, they lacked real combat experience and were riddled with weaknesses against the seasoned He family army. He Ji and his men only needed to charge once to shatter the rebels' newly formed formation.

He Tan moved as if he were in an empty field, wielding his long sword with such ease that no one could get close.

A scream rang out, and the second manager looked over to see that the fourth manager had been stabbed in the abdomen by Marquis Changyuan.

Marquis Changyuan said, “You beasts, we can’t do anything to you at sea, but once you’re on land, you’re just waiting to die. I’ve endured this for so long, and now it’s finally time to settle accounts with you.”

The troops brought out from the Northwest were not just He's army; the army was large enough to surround the rebels.

With Wang Yan in front and He Tan cleaning up the mess behind, they'll have nowhere to escape.

The fourth manager suddenly felt like he had been tricked, and he subconsciously looked towards the sea.

……

The King of Qin was protected by his officials and taken to hide in a forest.

Hearing the deafening shouts of battle, the King of Qin's face turned completely pale, and some of the officials surrounding him began to tremble.

"Didn't they say that the war would officially begin after we passed Kaide Prefecture?" the King of Qin asked the general beside him.

The general said, "It seems we were ambushed while crossing the bridge."

The official frowned: "Still haven't figured out what happened?"

The general replied, "The Duke of Wei's men said there was an ambush, but... but the Marquis of Changyuan's men said... the Duke of Wei wanted to take advantage of the chaos to kill him... and asked us to leave some troops to help."

The King of Qin frowned even more deeply as he stared at the general: "You detained the man?"

The general nodded: "Leave...leave half." This was originally the King of Qin's order, to let them act according to the Marquis of Changyuan's arrangements.

(End of this chapter)