You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 160 Li Dingguo's Two Defeats of Famous Princes!
War elephants!

Kong Youde's pupils constricted, he reined in his horse, and shouted, "Brothers, retreat!"

The Tianyou Army cavalry collectively slowed down and began to turn, their reaction was remarkably swift.

But~
Behind them, a large number of war elephants charged out.

The elephants galloped wildly, shaking the ground, and their sharp cries echoed throughout the land.

The bloodline suppression etched into the DNA of living beings began to take effect. Kong Youde's warhorse was startled and thrashed about, overturning its master.

Kong Youde fell from his horse in a sorry state; he was not alone in such an accident.

Some cavalrymen, though not thrown off their horses, lost control of their direction and charged straight at the Great Western Army infantry.

"The Prince's Guard."

A group of guards abandoned their warhorses and rushed to Kong Youde's side.

They protected Kong Youde and retreated in formation.

The war elephant herd drew ever closer, their massive size leaving no chance of victory for anyone, yet they still refused to flee.

There's a rule in the army: if the commander-in-chief dies in battle, all his guards will be executed. It's better to die under the hooves of war elephants now than to die with my entire family at the hands of the Qing court.

……

Li Dingguo turned his head:
"Feng Shuangli."

"The end will be here."

"Go and bring back Kong Youde's head."

"I will obey my orders."

Feng Shuangli took the command flag from his personal guard, waved it a few times, and his elite cavalry immediately charged out of their formation, ready to encircle and kill.

The defenders of Guilin responded with artillery fire.

Several miles away, the shells fell meaninglessly into the open fields.

But the loud cannon fire frightened the elephant herd, and they stopped in their tracks. As the saying goes, every creature has its natural enemy; horses fear elephants, and elephants fear thunder.

……

Amidst the chaos.

A bodyguard who had come from Dengzhou used his incredible strength to control a runaway horse that was running past him.

"Your Highness, let's go quickly!"

He struggled to push Kong Youde onto the horse, then turned and charged at Feng Shuangli's cavalry with the copper hammer in hand. In the first encounter, Kong's armor was pierced by a spear.

The man knelt down, and blood flowed down the spear shaft to the ground.

"Don't run away, Kong Youde."

Feng Shuangli took off his bow and arrow.

The cavalry followed suit and hurled a volley of arrows.

Kong Youde turned around, screamed, and was struck in the forehead by an arrow. He lay on his horse and charged all the way up the suspension bridge.

Guns and cannons roared from the city walls.

Feng Shuangli returned home dejectedly.

In this battle, 2000 of Kong Youde's troops left the city, while 1400 returned.

The losses weren't too bad in terms of sheer numbers; the main problem was the shock of the war elephants. However, the commander-in-chief, Kong Youde, was hit in the forehead by an arrow that penetrated deep into his skull.

……

Wangfu.

Kong Youde lay on the couch, his face as pale as paper.

The physician said, "The arrow that struck Your Highness is too deep; there may be risks involved in removing it."

Before he could finish speaking, cannons roared from the city walls.

An officer rushed in: "Your Highness, the Great Western bandits have begun their attack. They are attacking from all directions, seemingly without end. This is their first and decisive battle."

Kong Youde was weak and listless.
"General Sun, you are now acting as the General of Guilin. The city's defense is now in your hands."

"Whoo."

Sun Yanling gazed affectionately at his fiancée, Kong Sizhen, before leaving the house.

"Pull out the arrow. Life and death are in the hands of fate. I don't blame you."

The medic gripped the arrow shaft tightly and exerted force. A scream pierced the roof. The arrow was released, but blood gushed out, mixed with white brain matter.

The sons present all crowded around the bedside, the meaning of which cannot be fathomed.

Father, if you die, who will inherit your title? You'll need to leave a will recommend you for the court to approve it.

……

Looking at these insects, Kong Youde couldn't laugh.

"Li Dingguo is determined to break through the city. I estimate that Guilin City may not be able to hold out this time. If the city falls, don't worry about anything else, just run away. Whoever survives will be the Prince of Dingnan."

The four sons left.

Only Kong Sizhen and a group of weeping concubines remained.

"Why are you crying? Go back, dress up, put on your jewelry, and come see me looking beautiful."

After the concubine left, Kong Youde glanced at Kong Sizhen.

"Run for your life. If you can escape Guilin, head north to the capital to find the Empress Dowager."

"Father, has it really come to this?"

"Run for your life."

Kong Sizhen left, weeping and wailing.

Kong Youde was left staring blankly at the rooftop, listening to the rising waves of fighting and cannon fire outside the city.

Suddenly, countless people shouted in unison.

"The city is broken!"

"The city has fallen!!!"

……

5 miles outside the city.

Li Dingguo breathed a sigh of relief as he watched his own soldiers climb the ladders and ascend the city wall.

"Issue an order to the three armies to reiterate discipline. After entering the city, the Qing army shall not take any prisoners alive, whether officers or soldiers, whether they have surrendered or not. After entering the city, do not disturb the people. If anyone is found doing so, they shall be dealt with according to military law."

"As ordered."

Something called "worship" gleamed in the soldiers' eyes.

The King of Jin was a god of war.

In a world of great strife, for a small, disadvantaged group, nothing is more important than the arrival of a war god from the heavens.

This determined that Li Dingguo, who was skilled in warfare, would be ranked below Sun Kewang in the Daxi Army.

Even though Sun Kewang succeeded Zhang Xianzhong, possessing the gold and silver Zhang Xianzhong had amassed, and implemented the camp system, he was still in a naturally weak position within the army.

One is good at fighting, the other is good at business.

One had the support of the army, and the other was the ruler of the country.

The tragedy began here.

……

Inside the city.

Having lost too much blood, Prince Kong Youde of Dingnan took one last look at his wives and concubines gathered around his bed, and beckoned to his most loyal personal guards.

"Lock the door and set a fire outside to burn me."

"Your Highness, I'll carry you out of here."

Kong Youde remained silent, only shaking his head.

The soldiers knelt down and kowtowed three times with tears in their eyes, then left without looking back.

Before long, a fire broke out.

The wives and concubines inside the house were so frightened that they cried incessantly. They wanted to run away but couldn't, as all the doors and windows were locked.

Kong Youde stared at the roof and muttered to himself:

"Damn it, the coal miner is dead, and his wife ran off with the money. How could I let you get away?"

……

Chaos erupted in the city, with soldiers running around everywhere.

Just outside the city gate, she encountered a troop of the Great Western Army. Kong Sizhen, dressed as a common woman, was so frightened that she wet herself and collapsed to the ground.

As a result, the Dai-Xi army, seeing that she was a woman fleeing for her life, completely ignored her.

Li Dingguo was strict in disciplining his troops; soldiers who harassed women were to be beheaded.

Li Dingguo rode a white horse into the city!
The horse's hooves trod over blood and severed limbs, step by step, until it reached the burning palace.

The soldiers all knelt down on one knee.

"Greetings to the Prince of Jin."

"Where is Kong Youde?"

"It's said that the person is inside."

Li Dingguo glanced at the fire and asked again, "Where is Geng Jimao?"

"Your Highness, I beheaded Geng Jimao with one stroke." A young soldier raised his bloodied head, smiling broadly.

"A reward of 200 taels of silver and a promotion of three ranks."

"Your Highness, Prince Xie Jin."

Li Dingguo drew his sword and pointed it at the sky.

"Long live the Great Ming Dynasty! Long live the Great Western Army!"

One call and a hundred responses~
Soldiers throughout the city were shouting "Long live the champion!", many with tears of emotion streaming down their faces. After a series of defeats, morale was at an indescribable low; they desperately needed such a resounding victory.

Some overly excited soldiers even shouted, "Long live the Prince of Jin!"

Feng Shuangli's expression changed slightly. Over the years, he had been following Ai Nengqi.

After Ai Nengqi's death, he sided with Sun Kewang. The reason was simple: Sun Kewang had money and supplies, and he needed Sun Kewang's money and supplies, while Sun Kewang also needed a valiant general like him.

(End of this chapter)