In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 1029 As Expected, Yet an Unexpected Visitor

Gong Xianzhi stood to the side and behind the musketeers, holding a telescope, his eyes fixed on the rebel generals in the ranks like those of a hawk.

He didn't say anything more, only gave the messenger beside him a wink:
"Second group on the left, keep a close eye on that centurion in the gray armor, fire three shots at once, don't let him wave the flag."

As soon as the messenger ran over, the three musketeers of the second group on the left quickly adjusted their positions.

The lead musketeer, Old Zhang, squinted and aimed his flintlock rifle at the chest of the gray-armored centurion.

The other two aimed at his arm and the horse's head, respectively.

"Load!"

Old Zhang gave a low shout, and the three of them simultaneously took out bullets from their waist pouches, stuffed them into the gun barrels, and then used a tamping rod to compact the gunpowder.

The movements were practiced and swift, as if they had rehearsed them a thousand times!
Compared to muskets, flintlock pistols are much easier to load and can be used by anyone.

"put!"

The three loud "bangs" almost overlapped.

Gunpowder smoke instantly filled the air, causing the archers nearby to cough involuntarily.

But no one had time to rub their eyes; everyone's eyes were fixed on the rebel ranks.

The gray-armored centurion had barely raised his command flag when two sprays of blood erupted from his chest.
Bullets pierced through the armor one after another and embedded themselves in the internal organs.

He grunted, the command flag slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, and he slid off his horse.

The startled warhorse reared up, knocking the rebel soldiers behind it off their feet.

"it is good!"

Mao Wenhao couldn't help but shout in a low voice at the front of the battle, his eyes filled with shock.

When did the imperial court acquire such accurate firearms?

A single strike from two hundred paces away is fatal.

Even better than the army's top archers!

The young soldiers beside him stared wide-eyed.
The flintlock musket's long, narrow barrel exuded a menacing ferocity, and the smoking muzzle sent shivers down their spines.

Gong Xianzhi did not stop there, and pointed to the other side:
"In the right group, that junior officer carrying the red flag is waving it and giving orders. Shoot him down!"

Three more gunshots rang out, and the flag officer carrying the red flag fell to the ground, the flag trampled into the mud by the horse's hooves.

The rebel formation instantly crumbled; without their commander, they were in disarray.
The infantry in the front ranks were clearly panicked, and the cavalry in the rear ranks dared not advance rashly, and could only slow down slowly!
"Kill! Keep charging! All the silver is ours if we make it to the top!"

Among the rebels, a man with a blood-covered face picked up a command flag, waving it and roaring:

"Don't panic! They only have these few firearms! Charge in and kill them!"

These words were like a shot of adrenaline to the rebels, and the previously hesitant infantrymen charged forward like madmen once again.

Two hundred steps passed in the blink of an eye.

Some carried ladders and smashed them against the shield wall, while others stepped over the corpses of their comrades to grab the spears on the shield wall.

Some people even pulled out short knives and stabbed them into the gaps in the shields.

The blood of the previous victim was still stained under the fingernails.

"Bang!"

A ladder slammed hard against the shield wall.

Wang Er, the shield bearer on the far side, couldn't hold on and took half a step back.

A spear pierced through the gap in the shield in an instant.

The spear pierced his ribs and went into the ground, the tip still dripping blood.

Wang Er broke out in a cold sweat. He immediately braced his shoulder against the shield and with his other hand drew his short sword and stabbed it back through the gap in the shield.

With a "thud," a scream came from outside, and the spear fell limply to the ground.

"Hold on! Don't back down!"

Mao Wenhao rode his horse behind the shield wall, his longsword slicing away an incoming arrow:

"Archers! Fire a volley!"

"Whoosh!"

The archers, who had been in shock, finally took action.

Arrows rained down into the sky.

The weapon slammed down, and the rebel soldiers were thrown into chaos.

The archers regained some confidence, and their crossbows were just as good!
The two sides clashed, and a fierce battle was about to break out, instantly turning the scene into a bloody massacre.

Xu Zengshou stood on the earthen slope, looking at the tragic scene before him, his hands and face bulging with veins.

Although the shield wall has not been breached, it is already on the verge of collapse.
The enemy forces were not elite, and the Yingtian Guard soldiers were not a battle-hardened army either; the two sides were evenly matched.

Just as the battle reached a stalemate, he suddenly remembered his time in Yunnan.

Lu Yunyi led over a thousand men to charge into a force of ten thousand.

Back then, he thought Lu Yunyi was crazy, but now he understands.
Sometimes, the most dangerous path is the path to survival.

"Li Fangying!"

Xu Zengshou shouted.

Li Fangying was helping to support the wounded crossbowman.
Hearing the shouts, he immediately ran over, his face still covered in blood.

"General, should we send over men from the rear guard?"

Xu Zengshou shook his head and pointed to the rebel army's right flank formation:

"Look over there, the musketeers just killed their centurion. That rebel squad is now without a commander, and their formation is the most chaotic."

"Take a hundred elite soldiers and follow me into the fray, tear through their lines!"

Li Fangying's eyes lit up, and she touched the long sword at her waist. Her previous tension was instantly replaced by excitement.
"Great! I've been waiting for this! I'll go get them right now!"

"and many more!"

Xu Zengshou called him back, took a jujube wood lance from his guard, and held it in his hand with a heavy weight that made him feel particularly at ease.

"Stay close to me, don't rush in recklessly. Once you're inside, split to the left and right and disrupt their formation."

"understand!"

Li Fangying nodded vigorously, then turned and ran towards the central army.

"Elite troops, follow me! The general is about to charge!"

Before long, a hundred elite soldiers of the central army gathered at the foot of the earthen slope.

They were all veterans handpicked by the Yingtian Guard.

Although the Yingtian Guards were jokingly called "spoiled brats," many of them were veterans of countless battles!
At this moment, there was no tension or excitement in their eyes.

Only the tranquility that came after the battlefield was the key to their survival in their campaigns across the north and south.

Xu Zengshou mounted his horse, and the chestnut horse seemed to sense its master's determination, pawing the ground incessantly.

He raised his lance, his voice booming:

"Brothers, people in the capital call us pampered soldiers."

Today, let these traitors see if the soldiers of Yingtianwei dare to charge! Dare to kill!

"kill!"

The shouts of a hundred people made the surrounding torches flicker.
Even wealthy people watching from afar couldn't help but peek out.

Master Zhang's hands, gripping the cart shaft, turned white. Manager Wang sighed softly beside him:
"I never expected General Xu to be so brave."

Xu Zengshou spurred the horse's belly:
"Come into battle with me!"

The chestnut horse galloped forward, its lance aimed directly at the rebels' weak point on the right flank.

The first rebel soldier had just raised his knife to stop him when a spear pierced his chest like lightning.

Xu Zengshou twisted his wrist, sending the corpse flying and making room for the elite central army behind him.

"General, be careful!"

Li Fangying followed behind and suddenly shouted.

An arrow struck Xu Zengshou in the back.

He swung his sword and cleaved the arrow in two.

Xu Zengshou turned and nodded, then continued his charge.

The lance fell again, piercing the throat of a rebel junior officer.

The elite troops of the central army followed closely behind, forming a wedge formation.

It was like a sharp knife piercing into the rebel ranks.

With spears piercing and longswords slashing, the rebel army, leaderless, was unable to resist.

Some rebels tried to retreat but were pushed forward by those behind them.
Some even threw down their knives and fled, only to be caught and cut down by the elite troops of the central army.

Gong Xianzhi, who was watching closely from behind, immediately gave the order:
"Flintlock musket squad, aim at the rear cavalry of the rebels! Shoot them one by one, but avoid harming your own men!"

The musketeers, already loaded with ammunition, immediately aimed at the rear of the rebel army upon hearing this.

"Bang bang bang!"

Gunfire rang out again.

This time, the "three against one" strategy was not used.

Instead, it was one person, one gun—simple, direct, and decisive!

With the sound of gunfire, dozens of cavalrymen fell from their horses as if struck by a heavy hammer.
Only the warhorses remained, charging aimlessly through the ranks.

This scene deterred the rebel troops who had just charged forward.
Where is the enemy?

This is a battlefield where the enemy's whereabouts are unknown, and people fall at the sound of gunfire.
That's the most terrifying thing!
Xu Zengshou charged ahead,
The lance was stained with blood, and the armor plates were also splattered with dirt.

He looked back; the battle lines were still advancing, and a large gap had been torn in the rebel formation. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Mao Wenhao, behind the shield wall, gave the order:
"Pikemen, advance! Drive the rebels out!"

The soldiers behind the shield wall were greatly encouraged. They pushed their shields forward and thrust their spears forward continuously, causing the rebels to retreat in defeat.

Xu Zengshou reined in his horse, panting heavily.

The smell of blood in the wind was even stronger.

The torchlight shone on his sweat-drenched face, but his eyes shone even brighter than before.

He touched the blood on the lance.

He suddenly smiled. Although this was not the way his father had taken the enemy general's head from the midst of a thousand troops, it was his own unique posture.

In the distance, nestled in a mountain valley, Zou Chuanqiao held up his binoculars, observing the scene in the camp with a grim expression.

Zou Zeyang said anxiously from the side:

"Father, let's retreat! These people were prepared!"

Zou Chuanqiao smashed the telescope to pieces, scattering the shards all over the ground.
"Withdraw! Withdraw what?!"

We've come this far, how can we back down now?
Send all your men on board, or die trying!
"With so many wealthy households under their command, how can the Yingtian Guard possibly manage everything?"

Zou Zeyang's breath hitched as he looked at the chaotic battlefield, a resolute glint in his eyes.

He also knew that retreating at this moment would be the worst possible outcome!
Unable to gain the support of powerful figures in the capital region or intimidate the imperial court, they would only be attacked from both sides.

He took a deep breath, turned around, and waved to the soldiers:

"Everyone, prepare yourselves and charge!"

A quarter of an hour passed in the blink of an eye; the battle continued, the sounds of fighting and the clatter of horses' hooves echoing endlessly.

The sounds of flintlock muskets clashing mingled together.
Like the Grim Reaper's scythe hanging over everyone's heads

Every gunshot shattered the morale of the rebels.

But just then, the chaos of the battlefield gradually became orderly, and at the edge of the field of vision,
A group of rebels, fully armored and wielding long swords and halberds,
Like a moving city wall, it slowly pressed in from the northern mountain pass.

The moonlight shone on their armor, giving it a cold, sharp gleam.

Each step caused the dirt road to tremble slightly, and even the air seemed to freeze under the force of the movement.

Just as Xu Zengshou was about to mount his horse and charge, Li Fangying suddenly grabbed his wrist:
"General, we can't charge any further!"

This unit is the elite of the rebels! We just broke through their vanguard, and our forces are exhausted.

If we charge out again, the camp will be undefended and fall into chaos!

Xu Zengshou's lance was still dripping blood.

The bloodstains on the armor felt cold as the night wind blew.

He watched the approaching rebel army, his chest heaving violently.

The passion he had just felt during the charge hadn't cooled down, but Li Fangying's words extinguished his impulse.

Inside the camp, the wealthy villagers, though guarded by their personal guards, still peeked out cautiously, their eyes filled with fear.

Most of the soldiers on the shield wall were wounded and were using strips of cloth to wrap their wounds and stop the bleeding.

"Withdraw!"

Xu Zengshou gritted his teeth and turned his horse around:

"Mao Wenhao, you lead the elite troops to guard the gate of the stronghold and prevent the rebels from getting close!"

Gong Xianzhi, the flintlock musketeers are concentrated on the north side, and the captain with the halberds, once within range, fire a volley!

"Yes!"

Mao Wenhao and Gong Xianzhi responded in unison.

The soldiers retreated back to their camp in an orderly fashion, and the newly repaired shield wall was erected again.

Xu Zengshou dismounted and bent down to examine the wound of one of his wounded guards. The arrow shaft had been pulled out, and the cloth strip was soaked with blood.

"Can you hold on?"

He patted his bodyguard on the shoulder.

The guard grinned, revealing a mouth missing a tooth:

"Don't worry, General, we can still chop down two more traitors!"

Just then, dozens of red lights suddenly appeared at the mountain pass on the north side.

Gong Xianzhi suddenly shouted:
"General! It's a rocket!"

Xu Zengshou looked up abruptly and saw dozens of rockets trailing long streaks of fire.
Like a shooting star streaking across the night sky, it crashed straight into the camp!
"Quick! Stop the rocket!"

The words had barely left his mouth when the first rocket struck the tent on the east side of the camp.
The canvas ignites instantly upon contact with fire, and thick smoke billows up amidst the crackling and popping sounds of burning.

The wealthy men panicked immediately; some tried to rush out of their tents, but were firmly stopped by their guards.
"Don't panic! Crouch down! Hide behind the carriage!"

Cries erupted instantly, some people covered their heads and sobbed, and the scene instantly descended into chaos.

Xu Zengshou strode to the front of the formation, planted his long sword in the ground, and shouted:

"Don't panic! The rockets won't hit the carriages. Just stay safe and you'll be fine! The soldiers will put out the fire!"

The soldiers split into two groups, one group continuing to guard the shield wall.

A group of people carrying buckets of water and sand rushed toward the burning tent.

The rebels' halberd formation, under the cover of rockets, slowly advanced.

They braced their halberds against the shield wall and pushed forward with all their might, causing the shield wall to shift slightly backward, with the sound of armor plates colliding constantly filling the air.

Mao Wenhao shouted from behind the shield wall:
"Hold on! Musketeers, prepare!"

"Bang bang bang!"

The sound of flintlock muskets firing volleys rang out again.

The halberdiers in the front row fell instantly, and the rebel soldiers behind them immediately took their place.

The ranks remained perfectly orderly; this elite force was far more difficult to deal with than the previous scattered soldiers.
Even though several people fell, no one retreated.

Xu Zengshou frowned as he looked at the stalemate.

This can't go on.

The rocket is still falling, and many tents have been burned.
The soldiers had to defend the area and fight the fire, which quickly depleted their energy.
Meanwhile, the rebels continued to pour in, and their numbers were unknown. Despite the casualties caused by flintlock muskets, they kept pressing the camp.

"Li Fangying, you take thirty men and charge with me one more time!"

Xu Zengshou picked up the lance, flipped it onto his horse, and mounted it.
"Let's rush out and disrupt their rhythm, giving the musketeers a chance to fire!"

Li Fangying did not try to dissuade him further; he knew that at this moment, the only option was to take the initiative.

Thirty guards quickly mounted their horses and followed Xu Zengshou as he charged north.

The spear pierced the night sky, and Xu Zengshou took the lead, the tip of his spear piercing the throat of a halberd-wielding soldier.

The guards followed closely behind, slashing with their long swords, tearing a small opening in front of the rebel ranks.

Upon seeing this, the rebel junior officer immediately brandished his halberd and gave orders:

"Surround them! Don't let them escape!"

But the next moment, a lead bullet pierced his head, his body stiffened abruptly, and he collapsed to the ground.

But the dozen or so halberd bearers only glanced at it.
They continued to gather around Xu Zengshou!
Xu Zengshou reined in his horse and turned around, sweeping his spear across and knocking away two long halberds.

Yet one still grazed his calf, leaving a cut on his nail that stung painfully.

"General! Retreat!"

Li Fangying cut down a rebel soldier and spurred her horse to stand in front of Xu Zengshou:
"If we keep going, we'll get stuck!"

Xu Zengshou looked towards the camp, and the musketeers took the opportunity to kill more than fifty rebels, while the density of rockets also decreased.

He gritted his teeth:
"withdraw!"

The thirty men fought and retreated, but when they returned to the camp, three of them were missing.

One of the guards, while protecting Xu Zengshou, was pierced through the back by a halberd.
Before the horse reached the camp, the man had already died.

Xu Zengshou jumped off his horse, blood seeping from the wound on his calf, staining his trousers red.

He didn't bother to deal with it and walked up to Gong Xianzhi:

How much flintlock ammunition do we have left?

Gong Xianzhi wiped the dust off his face, his voice hoarse:
"Ammunition is plentiful, but the night is dark and the enemy is numerous, making it difficult to influence the course of the battle."

Xu Zengshou's face was extremely gloomy. He suddenly looked up at the camp.
The wealthy households were filled with fear and anxiety, and the soldiers were divided into two groups: one defending the area, and the other looking after the wealthy households and fighting the fire.

Ignoring the wealthy households will only lead to greater chaos!
He felt a surge of frustration. If two thousand men had been deployed in full force, the rebels would have been defeated long ago!

"How to do how to do."

Just as he was at his wit's end, a strange sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from the mountain path to the west.
It wasn't the chaotic roar of the rebels, but a uniform "thump-thump" sound, like drumbeats striking everyone's heart.

Xu Zengshou suddenly turned his head.
Under the moonlight, a troop of black-armored cavalry charged from the mountain path behind the rebels.

Their armor was as black as ink, even the horses' heads were covered with black iron masks.

Holding long-handled sabers, there were no shouts of battle, only the sharp whistling sound of sabers cutting through the air.

The rebels' halberd formation was thrown into chaos instantly!

The rebels in the rear had just spotted the cavalry behind them when...

He was then struck on the back of the head with a saber, and his body fell straight down.

The black-armored cavalry moved like lightning.
Tearing a gap in the rebel ranks from behind, the cavalrymen fell one after another as their sabers flashed.

The blood splattered on the black armor without leaving a trace.

Xu Zengshou recognized the cavalry force, his eyes initially filled with confusion, then his pupils suddenly contracted:

"Left-behind Department?"

(End of this chapter)