Di Ming

Chapter 244 Kill anyone you see, extinguish any light you see!
"Bang bang—bang bang—" The sound of the watchman's gong came from the army, it was already the second watch of the night.

A night fog slowly rose around the camp. Within the fog, the camp lights flickered and shimmered, like a dreamlike illusion.

Zhu Yin snapped out of his thoughts. Wasn't it about time?

According to his and Qi Jiguang's plan, a night raid was to be launched tonight.

Zhu Yin had been preparing for several years to train troops skilled in night combat. His personal guards were all adept at night fighting. Nearly a thousand of Qi Jiguang's personal troops had also been trained in night combat.

The plan was to select 800 skilled "suicide squads" to launch a surprise attack on the enemy camp in the dead of night. The purpose was not only to demoralize the enemy, but also to provoke and entice them.

In addition to Qi Jiguang's eight hundred personal guards, fierce generals such as Lancha, Meihe, Mao Wenlong, and Cao Wenzhao also volunteered to join the suicide squad.

Apart from his eldest niece Ding Hongying, Zhu Yin had sent out all his most capable fighters.

The so-called suicide squad, which sounds like a one-way trip, is actually less likely to die the braver they are.

Each of the more than 800 daredevils wore two layers of armor and was equipped with a face shield. In addition to their usual weapons, each person also carried a three-eyed pistol, a rattan shield, and ten pieces of milk candy.

The plan was to set off after midnight, enter the western mountains, and then sneak out of the forest at midnight to launch a night raid on the enemy camp. After achieving some success, they would break out and escape into the mountains.

As for the enemy camp's location, structure, and orientation, Zhu Yin had received the latest intelligence and everything was under control.

Not far away, Qi Jiguang was polishing his goose-feather saber. Under the moonlight, the blade resembled a cold pool.

This is Qi Jiguang's ancestral sword, bestowed upon the Qi family ancestors by the founding emperor.

Suddenly, Qi Jiguang's son, Qi Zuoguo, arrived at the foot of the Gaoche and reported:

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, the 800-strong Night Raid Suicide Squad is ready. Please give your instructions."

Qi Zuoguo was brave and skilled in battle, with outstanding martial prowess. He was the most like Qi Jiguang among the Qi brothers.

Qi Jiguang looked at Qi Zuoguo with a complicated expression, his eyes filled with reluctance.

"Zuoguo, if you regret it, it's not too late to change generals." Qi Jiguang said, stroking the hilt of his sword. "These eight hundred daredevils have all disregarded their own lives. Although you are my son, it's not that I can't do without you."

"Replying to the Commander-in-Chief, this humble general has no regrets!" Qi Zuoguo knelt down, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, and said, "This humble general has been waiting for this day for a long time. What is there to fear in death? It is only that I will not be remembered in history."

Zhu Yin was greatly surprised. He hadn't expected that the one leading the suicide squad in the night raid was actually Qi Zuoguo!
In recent years, Qi Jiguang followed the example of Li Chengliang and, with the financial support of Ning Caiwei, raised three thousand elite retainers with fine wine, fat sheep, and generous pay. The general of these retainers was his son, Qi Zuoguo.

"Godfather," Zhu Yin said, changing his form of address since there were no outsiders around. "Why did you have Brother Zuoguo lead the suicide squad? What if Brother Zuoguo doesn't come back? How will you explain this to the family? I'm afraid Mother will go back to her parents' home in a huff again."

“Brother Zhihu.” Qi Zuoguo turned to look at Zhu Yin, his face remarkably similar to Qi Jiguang’s, his expression resolute. “It was my own decision. I am a member of the Qi family, and it is my duty to risk my life for the court. After this, regardless of life or death, I will owe the court nothing more.”

Zhu Yin smiled wryly and said, "Brother Zuoguo has nothing to owe the court; it is the court that owes the Qi family."

Qi Jiguang sighed and said, “Zhihu, I know what I'm doing, so don't say anything more. Zuoguo is right, this is the responsibility of a man of the Qi family. Zuoguo, you have risked your life for the court this time, so you owe the court nothing more.”

He handed the ancestral goose-feather saber to Qi Zuoguo, and said in a desolate tone:
"Brothers fight tigers together, fathers and sons go to war together. My son, although dying on the battlefield and being wrapped in a horse's hide is the glory of a warrior, I am old and what I fear most is that my white hair will bury my black hair. You, try your best to come back alive."

Qi Zuoguo took the goose-feather knife, kowtowed and said, "Your son obeys your father's orders and will try his best to... come back alive."

After speaking, he suddenly stood up, his tall and imposing body standing like a mountain.

Qi Jiguang patted his son on the shoulder and said, "Line up."

"Yes, sir!" Qi Zuoguo accepted the order and strode away.

A moment later, a heavy, powerful sound of footsteps came, and more than eight hundred daredevils lined up and came to the foot of the tall vehicle.

Instantly, a powerful and fearless aura of iron will was undeniably released, led by Qi Zuoguo, Lan Cha, Mao Wenlong, Cao Wenzhao, and others.

At the same time, four hundred mules with gags in their mouths were also driven over. The mules carried the suicide squad's armor, three-eyed pistols, and weapons.

There are also dozens of portable tiger-squatting cannons.

More than 800 people bowed down together, shouting, "Greetings, Your Excellency! Greetings, Commander!"

"Gentlemen, please rise!" Qi Jiguang said, pointing to Qi Zuoguo.

"The commander of the suicide squad is my son, Qi Baoguo! I should be fighting alongside you, but as the commander of the army, I am burdened with the greater good and cannot risk my life. So I have sent my son to lead the troops in my stead. It is a fight to the death!"

Upon hearing this, the more than eight hundred men's fighting spirit ignited, their resolve to die unwavering. They roared in unison, "Rest assured, Commander! We will fight to the death! We will die for our cause!"

Immediately, the guards of the central army brought out the army's most precious wine and filled each bottle to the brim.

Zhu Yin stepped down from the carriage, holding a cup of wine. He walked to the front of the crowd, his gaze sweeping over each face, and said slowly in a somber tone:

"You are all brave warriors of the nation, heroes among men, and I am proud of you. Among you are my brothers, my dearest relatives and friends. They will represent me and fight alongside you through thick and thin!"

He took out a roll of roster from his sleeve. "Your names, hometowns, and families are all recorded in this roster. I will not forget you, and I will not let any warrior have any worries, nor will I let anyone shed blood and tears."

"Whether you go or not, I will ensure that each of you... has your own family genealogy! This bowl of wine is my toast to you all, and I hope that each of you will return alive! Cheers!"

After saying that, he raised his head and drank the whole bowl of wine.

More than 800 people were moved to tears, and together they raised their wine bowls and drank them down.

"I am willing to die for you, my lord!"

"If you, my lord, give me your command, I would gladly go through fire and water, even to my death!"

Even Qi Jiguang, who had fought for decades and whose heart was as hard as stone, couldn't help but shed a few tears at this moment. He waved his hand and said, "Let's go!"

"Yes, sir!" The crowd responded with thunderous approval.

They then led their mules out of the camp quietly, following a pre-prepared route, and under the cover of night, headed west, silently entering the Qilian Mountains.

As the entire battalion watched the figures of the more than 800 daredevils disappear into the boundless darkness, their eyes welled up with tears. Their fighting spirit was greatly encouraged, and their resolve was strengthened.

After the suicide squad left, Zhu Yin looked north and said, "No matter how arrogant the enemy cavalry are when they harass us at night, all soldiers should rest. Except for the soldiers on night watch, we don't need to pay attention to the others."

When the order came down, the soldiers joked that they didn't need to care even if the sky fell, unless the war drums sounded.

Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang had made arrangements beforehand, both sitting comfortably in their high carriages with the demeanor of great generals, brewing tea and playing chess.

The car interior lights flickered, and Qi Jiguang's sharply defined face remained calm and composed, showing no sign of worry for his beloved son.

However, Zhu Yin still sensed his adoptive father's emotions, and the old man remained worried.

"Father," Zhu Yin pointed to the chessboard with his folding fan, "your moves here are not up to par. I'm still worried."

"Is that so?" Qi Jiguang suddenly smiled, his smile appearing unfathomable under the lamplight, and the black chess piece in his hand fell with a "snap".

"Take another look, is there any hope for your dragon?"

Zhu Yin took a closer look and couldn't help but blink. "Dad, you even cheat when playing chess?"

Qi Jiguang put away his chess pieces. "All's fair in war. Judging others by your own standards will surely lead to your downfall. You think I'm worried about the safety of the nation and that I'm uneasy. Little do you know that your assumption is precisely the result of my manipulation." "Young Tiger, you've lost."

Zhu Yin threw down the chess piece, looking somewhat ashamed, and said, "Father is right. I was just being presumptuous. I concede defeat by abandoning the piece."

Qi Jiguang said, "It is true that I am worried about Zuoguo, but it is also true that I am focused on playing chess. These are two different things. Why do you think that I will definitely be disturbed? Many of your enemies are not so simple in nature."

Zhu Yin pondered his godfather's words and remained silent for a long time.

The two had just finished a game of chess when the thunderous sound of horses' hooves came from the north.

coming!

Judging from the sounds, there were at least two thousand cavalrymen.

However, no matter how much the Mongol cavalry made a ruckus outside the camp gates, the Ming army camp remained eerily quiet, ignoring them completely.

Visibility was low at night, so the Mongol cavalry didn't dare to actually go forward; they just shouted from fifty or sixty paces away from the barricade.

But after they put on their show for a long time, the Ming army camp, as prickly as hedgehogs, ignored them completely, treating them like air.

Apart from a small number of Ming soldiers who took turns defending the area, most of them were sleeping soundly and remained completely unmoved.

The Mongol cavalry were exhausted after working hard all day, but it did not affect the Ming army's rest at all.

……

Just as the Mongol cavalry were harassing the Ming army's camp under cover of night, Qi Zuoguo and Lancha and others had already driven their mule caravan for more than ten miles through the Qilian Mountains and arrived at the banks of the Zamu River in the Qilian Mountains.

Just one mile to the east was the enemy camp.

The Mongol army had a habit of camping near mountains and rivers, a practice that had been established over hundreds of years.

On the grasslands, Mongol tribes fought each other, both sides using cavalry. To prevent enemy cavalry attacks, they camped near mountains and rivers, using the terrain and water to their advantage.

Even when fighting against Han Chinese armies, their camping habits are hard to change.

However, the truth, Ayun and other Mongol nobles did not expect that tonight the Ming army's suicide squad would not only dare to fight at night, but also come out of the Qilian Mountains to attack the camp!

They fought against the Ming army for many years, and never encountered a Ming army that dared to attack their camp in the middle of the night.

This wasn't just a matter of courage; it was also because the Ming army couldn't see at night, making it difficult to fight. Even the Mongols were reluctant to fight at night, and the Han Chinese, who consumed very little meat and dairy, had even fewer who could fight at night.

Zhu Yin's intelligence confirmed this, which led to the formulation of the tactic of "sailing out of Qilian at night and launching a surprise attack on the enemy camp".

Qi Zuoguo and the others tethered the mules in the dense forest by the river, then untied the bags from the mules' backs and took out their armor to put on.

Each person wore two layers of iron armor, and they were quickly dressed.

The group then took out tiger-squatting cannons, three-eyed handguns, and other weapons, and put on face shields.

"Tiger crouching gun loaded!" the gunner said in a low voice.

Qi Zuoguo immediately led eight hundred elite soldiers and quietly slipped out of the mountains.

Looking down from this vantage point, one could see a vast camp below, its lights twinkling like stars. The rebel army's camp of 30,000 men stretched for several miles.

The very center, where the lights were most concentrated, was naturally the location of the enemy's central command tent.

Outside the bandit camp, some cavalrymen acting as night watchmen patrolled the area. But it was clear that these night sentries were not very vigilant.

By the light of the camp gate, Qi Zuoguo, Cao Wenzhao, and others even saw that some of them were sleeping on their horses.

While sleeping on horseback was a skill of the Mongols, it also shows that these patrolling night cavalry were quite careless.

Their initial victory against the Ming army during the day caused them to once again underestimate the Ming army.

Qi Zuoguo and his men already knew the enemy camp's layout, and immediately chose the best point of attack based on Zhu Yin's intelligence.

Dozens of fully loaded tiger-squatting runners, each carried by two people, slowly emerged from the mountains and forests.

Then, at the foot of the mountain, the direction was adjusted, and the chosen attack point was aimed at the southwest gate, which was the weakest point in the defense.

The gunners took out their tinderboxes, removed the stoppers, and waited for Qi Zuoguo's order.

Qi Zuoguo took out a white triangular command flag and waved it in the night!
The gunners immediately used tinderboxes to light the fuse on the Tiger Crouching Cannon.

The white command flag was quite conspicuous in the night, attracting the attention of a Mongolian sentry not far away.

However, he thought it was a white crane.

White cranes and silver pheasants are often seen flying at night in the mountains and by the water, so it must be them.

So he wasn't surprised.

But the next moment, a Mongolian sentry suddenly pointed to the foot of the mountain, "There are sparks over there! Could something be on fire?"

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of flashes of fire appeared, followed by a deafening roar, like thunderclaps from a clear sky.

Almost simultaneously, the southwest gate of the camp, constructed of tree fences, was smashed open as if by an invisible giant hand!

"Ah—!" A group of bandit soldiers guarding the camp gate were instantly torn apart by the bombardment of artillery shells.

With a rattan shield in his left hand, a tinderbox in his mouth, a three-eyed pistol in his right, and a sword under his arm, Qi Zuoguo led eight hundred double-armored assassins toward the breached southwest gate of the camp!
A tremendous roar shattered the silence, startling the enemy camp and plunging the entire camp into chaos.

"Woo woo woo—" The mournful sound of the conch shell and the horn rang out.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" The angry shouts of the Mongols rang out.

The rebel army reacted quickly. Just as the Ming army's suicide squad rushed to the breached camp gate, a large contingent of rebel soldiers also rushed out.

The two sides were only a few feet apart.

When the Ming soldiers encountered a large band of bandits, they immediately used the tinder they held in their mouths to light their three-barreled pistols.

"Boom—!"

Before the hastily arriving bandits could even fire their arrows, the roar of the three-eyed muskets shattered the Mongols' rhythm.

Just as the fierce Tartar was about to nock an arrow, a lead bullet at close range blasted him and his armor into a bloody mess. The roar of the firearms drowned out the screams of agony.

The rebel army suffered a great loss, with hundreds killed or wounded in a single encounter under the close-range bombardment of a large number of three-eyed muskets!
A large number of the rebel troops near the southwest camp gate fell.

"Kill!" Qi Zuoguo spat out the tinderbox, swung the three-eyed musket in his hand, and blew open the head of a Tartar, then drew his long sword.

Lancha, wielding a spiked club, charged into the enemy camp like a ferocious god.

More than 800 elite soldiers rushed in like an iron torrent bursting through a dam, or a tyrannical dragon, charging forward and killing anyone they saw and extinguishing any light they encountered!
The enemy camp of 30,000 men was caught off guard and turned upside down by more than 800 men!
P.S.: The title "Late Ming Dynasty Splendor" has been changed to "Late Ming Dynasty: Why Did His Majesty Rebel?", which was also suggested by the editor. The official title will be used after the book is completed. Thank you to all my readers who have supported me. Goodnight!
(End of this chapter)