The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 124 Showdown in the Rain
The spring rains of the fourth year of the Chongzhen reign seemed determined to thoroughly drench the entire Lüliang Mountains.

The continuous rain has lasted for several days, and the world is shrouded in a gray haze.

When Cao Wenzhao led his troops to Ningwu Pass, the garrison inside the pass told him that Deng Yang had gone to Jingle County several hours earlier.

Xu Dingchen's order to Deng Yang was to rush to the aid of Jingle. Deng Yang dared not delay and did not want to join forces with Cao Wenzhao. He could only take Hei Zi and Zhao Sheng and travel in the rain.

Deng Yang estimated that Jiang Han had already taken Jing Le by this time, but Cao Wenzhao's arrival complicated the situation.

He was eager to find Jiang Han and hear what the next step was, since his troops were nominally still under the control of the imperial court.

Cao Wenzhao has arrived. Will he stay or leave?

Meanwhile, Jiang Han and Wang Jiayin had already separated their forces and were leading their troops northward, braving the drizzling rain, to select a suitable battlefield in the Lüliang Mountains.

Rainwater streamed down his helmet. Jiang Han stopped and stood at the foot of a small hill called Fantianmao, carefully observing the surrounding terrain.

Jiang Han thought it was a good idea to set up the battlefield on the small hill of Fantianmao.

Halfway up Fantianmao Mountain, a necessary passage on the official road, it presents a shape that is wide at both ends and narrow in the middle.

At its narrowest point, including the sloping earthen slopes on both sides of the road, it was only seven steps wide, and at most ten steps.

But the wide parts are also wide; except for the narrow and difficult twenty-mile stretch in the middle, the width below the mountain is about a hundred paces.

In some places, there are mountain trails that allow you to climb east-west ridges.

But with this awful weather, the hillsides are slippery and muddy, making it too difficult to climb.

If Cao Wenzhao's army wanted to continue south, it had to break through this north-south mountain road.

Jiang Han's plan was simple: get up the mountain first, block the narrowest part, and he could stop Cao Wenzhao.

Deng Yang spotted Jiang Han's troops in the distance and quickly led Hei Zi and Zhao Sheng to meet them.

He didn't bother wiping the rain and mud off his face, and asked bluntly:

"General, Cao Wenzhao is leading three thousand soldiers, abandoning their horses and marching on foot, towards Jingle."

What should we do now?

After listening, Jiang Han pondered for a moment and then gave him the following instructions:

"Your group should not show yourselves for the time being."

He pointed to the woods not far away.

"Let's find a secluded spot to hide and avoid the rain, and conserve our strength."

"Once I've finished fighting here, you guys can try to take a detour, cross the Song Dynasty city wall ruins behind it, go through Heyeping, and meet up with You Shilu in Kelan County."

Jiang Han did not want them to participate in the war.

It would be of little significance for Deng Yang's "official army" to join the battle to block Cao Wenzhao now; on the contrary, it would prematurely expose this trump card.

By keeping them embedded in the ranks of the government troops, they may be able to play a more important role in critical moments in the future.

Cao Wenzhao was indeed a fierce general, but in the end he still died at the hands of Li Zicheng.

If Li Zicheng could do it, Jiang Han might be able to do it too!

Upon hearing this, Deng Yang was taken aback. Jiang Han was about to turn around and confront Cao Wenzhao head-on!

Although he was shocked by Jiang Han's courage, he was naturally more than happy to not have to personally fight Cao Fengzi to the death.

But Hei Zi, who was standing to the side, objected, claiming that he was the real commander of the troops.

Kuroko frowned and asked in a muffled voice:

"Commander, Cao Wenzhao is not easy to defeat. How about I lead the troops and go with you?"

Jiang Han shook his head and pointed to the mountain in front of him, explaining:

"It's no use."

"The mountain path is narrow and rugged, and the army cannot deploy its forces. Even if there are many soldiers, only about ten can actually engage the enemy."

"Even if you bring people up, you can only squeeze in at the back and stare blankly."

"If you really want to fight, then take your men along the back paths and see if you can cut off Cao Wenzhao's retreat."

"But remember, you must change the flag, and take down all the government troops' flags!"

Just then, the scout sent out from the front rushed back with urgent news:
"General! We've spotted Cao Wenzhao's troop!"

"The government troops will arrive in about thirty li. They are all infantrymen, with only a small number of mules to carry equipment."

Thirty li?!

Upon hearing this, Jiang Han frowned.

He hadn't expected Cao Wenzhao to be able to run so fast in this awful weather.

On our side, we haven't even had a chance to secure the hilltop, yet we're about to engage the enemy.

Jiang Han's march was fraught with difficulties.

What started as a light drizzle has now become increasingly heavy.

Large raindrops pelted down on them, offering no protection from the oilcloth and raincoats they wore. Many were soaked to the bone and shivered from the cold.

The dirt road underfoot had completely turned into a muddy mess; once you stepped in, it was difficult to pull your foot out.

Even if they could pull it out, the boot would still be stuck in the mud.

Many people simply took off their shoes and waded barefoot through the cold mud.

The archers carefully tore off the oilcloth and wrapped their quivers tightly, afraid that the arrows would get wet.

Rainy weather has a significant impact on ranged weapons, such as bows and arrows.

Once the fletching gets wet, it shrinks and deforms, and the arrow will naturally lose its accuracy, becoming an unpredictable shot.

As for firearms such as arquebuses and three-barreled guns, most of them were rendered useless.

Only a few firearms, carefully wrapped in oilcloth, were still usable, but whether they could be fired depended on luck.

The worst off were Dong Erzhu's artillery battalion.

Dong Erzhu had prepared a lot of oilcloth, intending to protect his precious children and then give Cao Wenzhao a good beating.

However, as the rain intensified, most of the artillery pieces became stuck in the mud and could not move.

Seeing that his precious child was about to be submerged, Dong Erzhu quickly sought help from Jiang Han.

Jiang Han looked at the artillery battalion struggling in the mud and felt a headache coming on.

With a major battle imminent, there's no time to worry about these cumbersome cannons.

Jiang Han had no choice but to allocate a few mules to Dong Erzhu.

He was instructed to drag the cannons to a higher earthen slope nearby, cover them with tarpaulins, and then follow up.

In this awful weather, we can't count on the artillery; we can only rely on the infantry!

Jiang Han hurriedly climbed up Fantianmao.

Meanwhile, twenty miles away, scouts sent out by Cao Wenzhao also discovered the whereabouts of Jiang Han's troops.

"General Cao! The enemy troops have appeared on the mountain road and have blocked our way!"

Cao Wenzhao wiped the rain from his face, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and gave the order without hesitation:

"Form ranks! Prepare for battle!"

He decided to personally lead his 1,500 Guan Ning soldiers to the mountain to defeat the enemy.

Cao Wenzhao disliked Wang Shih-hu's slow pace, so he left all the Qin soldiers he brought at the foot of the mountain and ordered him to set up a second line of defense to prevent the enemy from breaking out.

And so, amidst the heavy rain, the two elite infantry forces met head-on. Jiang Han's three divisions, totaling 1,800 men, faced off against Cao Wenzhao's 1,500 Guan Ning soldiers.

In this battle, Li Laowai led his troops as the vanguard.

The ridge is narrow, and can only accommodate a maximum of ten people.

With firearms rendered useless, Li Laowai simply placed all his most elite swordsmen and shieldmen in the front row, forming an impenetrable shield wall.

Behind the shields were spearmen wielding ten-foot-long spears, tasked with seizing opportunities to kill the enemy.

A shield wall in front, a hail of bullets behind.

Cao Wenzhao's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the formation, and he then gave instructions to Sun Shoufa beside him:
"Guerrilla General Sun, take four hundred elite soldiers and charge up to test the mettle of these bandits!"

Sun Shoufa nodded, accepted the order, and left.

He selected four hundred infantrymen, arranged them in the same formation, and launched an attack on Li Laowai's lines.

"kill!"

On the narrow official road, two rows of long shields collided violently, producing a dull thud.

The soldiers in the front row braced themselves against each other with their shields, while the spearmen behind them seized every opportunity to thrust their spears forward with frenzy.

Rain, sweat, and mud mingled together, accompanied by shouts, the clash of weapons, and screams.

While the battle raged on the front lines, the soldiers behind both sides were also busy.

The platoon leaders shouted themselves hoarse as they directed the troops to be constantly deployed to the hillsides on both flanks, attempting to encircle the enemy from the sidelines or at least gain a higher position to achieve a greater battlefield advantage.

Soon, the hillsides on both sides of the official road were filled with soldiers from both sides. They formed pairs, using shields and armor as cover, and faced each other with spears.

However, due to the heavy rain, the earthen slope was so muddy that it was impossible for anyone to stand on it.

Soldiers on the hillside kept slipping and falling, crashing heavily into the enemy formation below.

As more and more people fell and tumbled, gaps inevitably appeared in both shield walls, and the formation began to fall into chaos.

Sun Shoufa, who was bringing up the rear, keenly noticed that the enemy's shield wall was weakening.

His eyes lit up, and he immediately drew his sword, letting out a loud shout:
"Brothers, follow me!"

He led his personal guards, intending to break through the breach.

Li Laowai was also anxious at this moment. His horse-slaying saber was useless in this place, so he could only take two maces from his personal guards, one in each hand, and rush towards Sun Shoufa.

Li Laowai didn't dodge; instead, he slammed his left-hand mace against the back of Sun Shoufa's knife, forcefully smashing away the waist knife that was slashing down with all its might.

The immense force caused Sun Shoufa's arm to go numb, and he almost dropped it.

At the same time, Li Laowai swung his right mace down on the helmet of a Guan Ning soldier. With a muffled thud, the Guan Ning soldier collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound.

Seeing how fierce Li Laowai was, Sun Shoufa regained his spirits, gritted his teeth, and charged at Li Laowai again with his knife.

But how could he be a match for Li Laowai?
In just one exchange, Sun Shoufa's knife was knocked away by Li Laowai's hammer.
The second blow came immediately, slamming heavily onto his arm. With a crisp "crack," Sun Shoufa screamed in pain as the blow broke his arm bone!

The immense pain and impact caused Sun Shoufa to lose his balance and collapse to his knees with a thud, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood before he could recover.

Fortunately, Sun Shoufa's personal guards reacted quickly and risked their lives to protect him, thus rescuing Sun Shoufa from Li Laowai's hammer and dragging him back to the rear in a disheveled state.

Cao Wenzhao, who was watching closely from the rear, frowned when he saw Sun Shoufa's setback.

Behind him, Cao Bianjiao had long been unable to contain himself and volunteered before Cao Wenzhao could give any orders:

"Uncle, let your nephew go and meet that traitorous general!"

After saying this, Cao Bianjiao led his personal guards and charged forward.

He picked up his pistol and confronted Li Laowai. Both were fierce and brave men, and they fought each other on the narrow and slippery official road.

The guards around the two men also engaged in fierce combat, with swords and spears clashing and shouts of battle deafening the heavens.

Since both sides consisted of elite troops clad in heavy armor, swords and spears striking the armor often only produced a string of sparks, rarely causing fatal damage.

So the soldiers followed Li Laowai's example, taking every opportunity to pull out their maces and hammers and smash the enemy's helmets, joints, and other vulnerable spots.

For a time, the sound of clanging and banging echoed along the ridge, and the scene was extremely tragic.

Cao Bianjiao was young and strong, with excellent martial arts skills, while Li Laowai was experienced and fearless.

The two fought fiercely, and for a time it was difficult to determine who was superior.

The surrounding soldiers were also locked in a fierce battle, with corpses falling one after another and being trampled underfoot by those behind them.

However, as time went on, Li Laowai's weakness in wielding short weapons became apparent.

Although Cao Bianjiao's short spear was called a short spear, it was at least ten feet long.

With his superior weaponry and considerable martial arts skills, Cao Bianjiao stabbed and punched Li Laowai repeatedly, quickly leaving several bloody holes in his body.

Li Laowai realized that things couldn't continue like this.

So he simply abandoned the mace in his right hand, leaving his armpit exposed, creating an opening to lure Cao Bianjiao into attacking.

Cao Bianjiao was overjoyed at the sight and indeed raised his spear to stab, but unexpectedly, Li Laowai simply turned his body sideways and grabbed Cao Bianjiao's short spear tightly.

The two men, each holding one end, pulled and tugged at each other, vying for the short gun, and for a time it was difficult to determine who was superior.

Just as the stalemate was at its peak, Li Laowai seized an opening, steeled his heart, abandoned his short gun, lunged forward, and grabbed Cao Bianjiao tightly around the waist, roaring:
"Get down here, you son of a bitch!"

Cao Bianjiao reacted very quickly, trying to dodge to the side, but was still locked in a bear hug by Li Laowai.

The two were already walking on slippery mud, and when they got tangled up, they lost their footing and tumbled down the hillside.

Like a rolling gourd, the two clung tightly to each other and tumbled down the steep hillside.

In the blink of an eye, their figures were swallowed up by the dense rain and the bushes below the slope, disappearing from everyone's sight.

The two generals suddenly fell off a cliff, their fate unknown!
This sudden turn of events caught the soldiers on both sides off guard, causing considerable chaos and commotion in their formations.

Jiang Han, who was watching from behind, saw it clearly and his heart tightened. He quickly shouted to Shao Yong beside him:
"Shao Yong, take a team and go find Lao Wai right now! We need to see him alive or dead!"

After giving his orders, seeing that the front line was wavering, Jiang Han disregarded everything else, drew his mace, and personally rushed forward to bolster the defenses.

"Hold your ground! No retreating!"

His appearance was like a stabilizing force, calming their own situation.

On the other side, Cao Wenzhao was also shocked to see his nephew and the bandit general rolling down the hillside together.

He immediately shouted at another guerrilla under his command, Xiang Jun:
"Xiang Jun! Quickly take men to search down the slope! You must find the transformed dragon!"

Then, Cao Wenzhao took a deep breath, drew his sword, and personally stepped to the front of the battle, his eyes fixed on Jiang Han on the opposite side.

The commander-in-chief's personal supervision helped the Guan Ning soldiers regain their composure.

The fighting on the official road eased somewhat, and both sides sent people to carefully search down the slippery, steep slope.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the hillside was muddy and difficult to walk on.

The soldiers on the search and rescue mission slipped and fell from time to time, but they gritted their teeth, got up, and continued to move forward.

Before long, the search teams on both sides found the target on a relatively gentle slope covered with shrubs at the bottom of the hill!
Li Laowai and Cao Bianjiao were both dazed and confused, covered in mud, lying haphazardly in the bushes, both unconscious.

Fortunately, both of them were still breathing, their chests were rising and falling.

The two groups of people who came to search also spotted each other, and both raised their weapons warily, testing each other, and confronted each other again.

At this tense moment, someone shouted:
"Saving the general is the priority!"

These words awakened everyone.

If a fight breaks out here and medical treatment is delayed, no one can bear the responsibility!
So, the two sides tacitly ceased hostilities, carefully lifted their unconscious generals, and retreated step by step towards their respective positions.

(End of this chapter)