Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 385 Hua'an City

Under the command of Zheng Hongkui, the Ming field army was like a sharp sword, piercing straight into the enemy formation and quickly creating greater chaos among the fleeing soldiers of the Hong army.

The Ming field army's murderous aura swept through like a raging storm. The fleeing troops were rapidly being devoured by the Zheng army, and the once-powerful Hong Xu army suddenly had no resistance left. The soldiers of the Hong Xu army either fled in panic or were struck down one by one in the battle.

However, even though the situation had already tilted in Zheng Hongkui's favor, the Hong army's counterattacks had not completely ceased. Even though defeat was inevitable, they still maintained their extremely cautious retreat, striving to find a glimmer of hope in the chaos.

At the same time, behind the Hong army, Wu Yao and Liang Chao led more than 20 elite troops and quickly rushed out from the side. The Jinyiwei subordinates around them also followed closely. During this period, some local militias were quickly involved, and the conflict became more intense.

"Forward! Don't stop!" Wu Yao shouted loudly, pointing the spear in his hand forward.

However, the panic of the soldiers and the disparity in combat effectiveness had already caused the situation to get out of control. Some local militias were either suppressed by the Hong army's pursuers or fled to various corners of the battlefield, and order could no longer be restored.

Wu Yao gave orders while observing the movements around him.

"Prepare to retreat, quickly!" Liang Chao also shouted at this time, with a hint of urgency in his voice.

Zheng Hongkui's pursuit was like a tidal wave, forcing the Hong army's soldiers to retreat one by one under this immense pressure. While fleeing, Wu Yao and his team encountered a horse without an owner and lost its way.

Wu Yao quickly mounted the horse and commanded his team of less than twenty men to gallop towards Hong Xu. They did not charge directly at Hong Xu, but kept parallel to the group of Hong Xu's fleeing soldiers to avoid being mistaken for enemies or being swept up in them.

The journey was fraught with danger. Wu Yao and his accompanying general knew that if they could successfully march alongside Hong Xu's troops, they might be able to temporarily conceal their potential hostility. However, they also knew that if they acted too obviously, Hong Xu might become suspicious, leading to a pointless conflict.

Because of this, they had to carefully adjust their speed and maintain a certain distance to ensure that they would not be noticeable among Hong Xu's fleeing troops. Retreating too quickly might not only expose their identities, but might even make Hong Xu think that their escape was a deliberate attempt, which would only complicate the situation.

The fleeing troops surged like a flood, trapping Hong Xu and his elite troops within a tight encirclement. As for the dozen or so local militiamen, completely unaware of the situation, they were completely shaken by the fierce fighting ahead and had no time or energy to consider the true situation. They simply followed the two "leaders" before them, their minds blank, oblivious to anything else.

For these militiamen who had no combat experience, such a chaotic situation was undoubtedly the most terrifying. Under the leadership of Wu Yao and his generals, they could only try their best to keep up with the team and barely save their lives.

Hong Xu and his personal guards were now desperately trying to break out of the encirclement, their horses galloping beside them, sending clouds of dust flying. They fled in the direction of the initial attack. Hong Xu knew that if he could lead his troops into that narrow area and block the entrance, no matter how brave the Hong army was, it would be difficult to break through this line of defense.

Moreover, in that narrow area, the enemy cavalry could not assemble quickly, so Hong Xu had enough time to restore order and stabilize the position.

But Hong Xu underestimated the strength of the fleeing soldiers' counterattack. Initially believing the situation was favorable for his side, he was personally commanding the battle from the front lines. Seeing the Hong army's forces begin to disintegrate, his eagerness for quick success led him to make the wrong decision—he simply charged into battle with the fleeing soldiers, rather than directing the overall situation and consolidating the defense.

Seeing this, the cavalry guards and servants around Hong Xu also swung their swords to kill the fleeing soldiers blocking the way in front of them. The sound of horse hooves was deafening, and the war horses quickly ran over the corpses, causing the mud to fly.

The fleeing soldiers scrambled in panic, some even falling to the ground, unable to get up. The fallen soldiers were trampled by the horses behind them, emitting heartbreaking cries and the scene was in chaos.

However, the chaos on the battlefield was not limited to the fleeing soldiers; even the Hong Army's cavalry was dragged into the melee. Hong Xu was clearly riding a warhorse, but seeing the defeated troops slowing down the pace of the overall offensive, he became a little anxious.

The initial charges should have seen the tide of battle turning, but the cavalry encountered repeated obstacles. The corpses scattered across the ground severely hampered the cavalry's charge. Several horses even lost their balance while running, falling with their cavalrymen and charging into the nearby rout, only to be crushed by the fleeing hordes.

Hong Xu was filled with panic upon seeing this. He hurriedly urged his guards to quicken their pace, but it was too late. Looking back, he saw the guards who had originally aided his retreat now desperately fighting for their lives. Several cavalrymen frantically wielded their swords to kill the fleeing soldiers who blocked their path, but these fleeing soldiers paid no attention to the cavalrymen before them; their only concern was escape.

Hong Xu swung his sword again and slashed at a fleeing soldier who was rushing towards him. A stream of blood splashed onto his face and all over his visor, but he didn't bother to wipe it off. He turned the blade and pointed it at another fleeing soldier.

"If that defeated army of more than a thousand people came, I would probably die here today." Hong Xu was anxious and worried. He knew that the situation could no longer be reversed by his simple tactical deployment.

In the process of suppressing the rebellious army two years ago, he witnessed with his own eyes the explosive power of the defeated soldiers in despair - those soldiers had lost their discipline after a long period of fighting and betrayal, but they were still able to create huge waves in the chaos, and even dragged the most elite troops into a desperate situation at one point.

He thought of the veterans who had fought alongside him. Now, seeing more and more deserters joining them, he couldn't help but feel powerless. In this chaotic river valley, his retreat had been cut off.

On the battlefield, Hong Xu felt an unprecedented sense of oppression. His chest, which was once full of confidence, now seemed to be pressed by something heavy, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Hong Xu began to regret his decision to recruit local armed forces to strengthen his army. At that time, he thought that these local armed forces could add strength to his army, especially in terms of numbers. However, although these local armed forces were large in number, they lacked training and morale, and were simply unable to fight against the elite Ming army.

Hong Xu knew very well that the more than 2,000 troops under his command would never fall into such a predicament, but the current situation was something he had never dreamed of: his team of veteran soldiers who had been tempered by the years were completely collapsed by those defeated soldiers who did not even have basic military skills.

He couldn't help but feel anguish, filled with regret. If he had been less greedy, less adventurous, perhaps the situation would have been different now. He understood that the strength of the Ming army wasn't simply reflected in its sheer numbers, but rather its determination to fight to the death. Facing such an enemy, it would be naive and foolish to expect his own troops to handle it without personally participating in the battle.

The current situation left him with no way to retreat. Hong Xu continued to swing his sword to kill the fleeing soldiers who were rushing up. However, his personal guards were also defeated in the crazy counterattack.

Seeing that four of his nineteen cavalrymen had fallen, the remaining three had been stabbed to death by the fleeing soldiers, and the remaining twelve cavalrymen were under an unprecedented siege, Hong Xu was extremely anxious, but there was nothing he could do.

The Ming army surged forward like a tide, pushing his horse so hard that it could barely move forward. The chaos around him severely restricted his vision and movement. The ground around him was trampled and splattered, with corpses strewn everywhere and blood splattered everywhere.

Hong Xu watched the cavalrymen beside him being pushed out of formation. The neighing of war horses and the roar of the fleeing soldiers intertwined into one. He felt a strong sense of powerlessness. In this dead and silent river valley, he seemed to have completely lost the ability to control the situation.

Seeing the fleeing soldiers becoming more and more crazy, Hong Xu felt that every time he swung his sword, he seemed to be losing his strength. He had not been to the battle in person for a long time, which made him feel a little powerless. His arms were already numb, and the sharpness of the blade began to gradually decrease.

At this moment, a shrill scream came from the side. Hong Xu turned around suddenly and saw that a guard had been pierced through the face by a spear, blood spurting out. The guard's body was dragged off the horse by the fleeing soldiers. Then, a group of disorderly fleeing soldiers rushed over, fighting for the horse.

Hong Xu felt a sharp pain in his heart as he watched this scene. Even more terrifying was the chaos before him, which made it impossible for him to react at all. It was only when he heard the sound of swords clashing that he realized the battlefield had completely spiraled out of control. Then, Hong Xu's gaze swept around him, and he was horrified to see an unusually ferocious figure.

Wu Yao charged forward on horseback, followed by an officer with a bloodstained face. The man's eyes were fierce and his aura was overwhelming. Hong Xu was stunned for a moment, his eyes locked on the officer following behind him, and an indescribable fear rose in his heart.

Wu Yao and Liang Chao seemed completely unaffected by the fleeing soldiers in front of them. They avoided the frontal attack of the crowd at an extremely clever angle and quickly rushed into Hong Xu's battle circle from the side. Seeing this scene, Hong Xu's heartbeat could not help but accelerate, and he was no longer able to remain calm.

As Wu Yao's guards followed closely behind, Hong Xu felt an increasing pressure. He instinctively wanted to retreat, but even so, the few surviving guards around him had already been trapped by the mad tide of fleeing soldiers, and even their retreat was cut off.

Hong Xu once tried to force his way through, but he was unable to get past the numerous obstacles. The chaotic battle before him almost made him lose his direction. However, as Wu Yao and Liang Chao approached with their team, the fear deep in Hong Xu's heart grew. He could no longer think rationally and instinctively clenched the knife in his hand.

Liang Chao and Wu Yao quickly approached Hong Xu on horseback. Seeing that they did not launch an attack but tried to break out of the encirclement, this action made Hong Xu a little stunned for a moment.

Their goal was clearly not to directly attack him, but to escape during the chaos. After being blocked, the two of them actually gave up their original positions and instead protected Hong Xu's flank, as if replacing his personal guards and unexpectedly becoming his new line of defense.

Hong Xu's heart trembled, and his original anxiety and impatience were instantly relieved. This sudden change made him let down his guard. After all, if Wu Yao and Liang Chao really wanted to deal with him, they would never choose this method.

At this moment, he slowly turned his head and looked at the group of defeated soldiers who had fallen into chaos and the surging battle situation. After a moment of silence, he decided to deal with it calmly.

"Can't get out?" Hong Xu thought to himself. There was really no way to achieve a surprise victory in the current situation.

He had originally intended to break the encirclement by making a fierce charge, but facing such a massive, defeated crowd, it was clearly impossible. At this moment, he was completely trapped between the crowd and the soldiers.

"In that case, I might as well just go with the flow and preserve my strength for now." He made a decision quickly.

Hong Xu didn't struggle any further, instead directing his guards to slowly and orderly move in the direction of the crowd, avoiding direct conflict with them. This decision not only saved him from near collapse, but also bought him a moment of respite for his next move.

Following closely behind, Liang Chao and Wu Yao also kept up. Their speed was neither fast nor slow, and they seemed to be intentionally keeping a certain distance from Hong Xu so that they could provide assistance at any time without arousing suspicion.

Meanwhile, Li Xiaolin and Zheng Hongkui had successfully defeated the main force of the Hong Army. Standing high above, they overlooked the now-destroyed battlefield, a scene littered with corpses. Although the Hong Army's strength had been significantly weakened, Li Xiaolin didn't celebrate the victory; his gaze remained fixed on the distance.

Li Xiaolin knew that this battle was only the beginning. Although Hong Xu had been defeated, he still had enough strength to regroup. To give the enemy no chance to breathe, Li Xiaolin acted decisively and instructed Zhao Zhengdong to lead a force to clear the battlefield and continue the steady advance, striving to strike the enemy at its weakest point before Hong Xu could recover.

"Continue to advance towards Hua'an. We can't give Hong Xu any chance to recover." Li Xiaolin said calmly with a sharp gaze. He has already begun to think about the next strategy.

"Yes," the general replied, his voice tinged with a deep, resolute tone. He then turned and walked towards the military camp, with Zheng Hongkui following closely behind. The two walked side by side, their steps steady and resolute.

When the two arrived at Hua'an City, it was already approaching evening. The city was completely silent, with only a few exhausted soldiers wandering the empty streets, cleaning up the mess.

Before they arrived, Hong Xu had already retreated, taking away the last few war horses and some remaining supplies in the city, and disappeared under the cover of night. All that remained in the city, besides broken walls and piles of scattered corpses.

(End of this chapter)