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

Chapter 147 Win-win
Having made up his mind, Jiang Han walked to the map and carefully examined the prefectures and counties near Pingyang Prefecture. He wanted to choose a place to bury these traitors who harmed the people.

Jiang Han finally decided on Xiangling County as the location. Xiangling County is only a hundred miles away from Pingyang Prefecture, and Deng Yang can arrive there in just one day.

Having made up his mind, Jiang Han ordered his men to bring Qin Lei and Wang Kang to the central command tent.

When these two men received the summons, they thought that Li Zicheng had filed a false accusation against them and that they were here to seek justice.

The two stepped into the tent, and before Jiang Han could speak, Qin Lei pointed at Li Zicheng, accusing him of being the villain first:
"General! You must do us justice!"

"This rebel general, without asking any questions, immediately started killing my brothers. This is clearly instigating infighting and breaking the rules of the righteous army!"

Wang Kang looked even more crestfallen, as if he had suffered a tremendous injustice:
"Yes, we all serve the commander-in-chief. Why would that rebel general do such a thing to us?"

"Could it be that they think we're easy to bully because we're new recruits?"

"General, if you don't give us an explanation today, we brothers will die with our eyes open in disgrace!"

Jiang Han was so angry at the shameless behavior of these two that he laughed out loud.

"You two dare to come here demanding an explanation?"

"The rebel general repeatedly warned you not to kill innocent people indiscriminately or harm the common people."

"Are you deaf, or do you simply not take me seriously?"

Jiang Han slammed his hand on the table and roared angrily.
"The rules set by King Hengtian are rules, but aren't my rules rules too?!"

Qin Lei and Wang Kang could act tough and unreasonable in front of Li Zicheng, but they were still somewhat intimidated by the angry Jiang Han.

The two dared not argue any longer and could only bow their heads and admit their mistakes.

"General, please calm down."

"We made a mistake this time because we were confused and failed to discipline our subordinates properly. We beg the commander to forgive us."

Qin Lei's eyes darted around, and sensing the situation was turning bad, he tried to slip away:
"We know we are guilty of grave sins and dare not bother the commander any further."

"We will leave with our troops now and never set foot on the commander's territory again!"

As he spoke, he tried to pull Wang Kang outside.

"stop!"

Jiang Han snorted coldly and ordered his men to stop them:
"What do you think this place is? A marketplace or your own backyard?"

"Come when you want and leave when you want?"

Jiang Han's voice suddenly rose, filled with murderous intent.
"You two have ruined the reputation of my department, and now you want to just pack up and leave?"
Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you two scoundrels?

"Even if I were to execute you both in a public and righteous manner today, do you think the Heavenly King would come looking for trouble for the sake of two country bumpkins like you?"

An intense killing intent, almost tangible, enveloped Qin Lei and Wang Kang.

They had no doubt that as long as Jiang Han gave the order, the fierce guards outside the tent would immediately rush in and chop them into mincemeat.

Wang Kang, the timely rain, felt his legs go weak and almost collapsed to his knees. He forced himself to ask:

"Then, General, what do you think we should be done with?"

Jiang Han sneered inwardly. Dealing with these two scoundrels was a trivial matter.

The more important thing right now is the situation on Deng Yang's side.

It seems that Deng Yang has been targeted by Zhang Zongheng and Bai An, and is in a precarious situation.

If not handled properly, my important informant planted within the government army might be rendered useless.

Perfect, we can use the heads of these traitors to clear Deng Yang of suspicion.

Thinking of this, the murderous aura on Jiang Han's face gradually subsided.

To avoid alerting the enemy, Jiang Han simply ordered the confiscation of the loot they had plundered near Wangjiazhuang, to be used as military supplies.

Qin Lei and Wang Kang were then sent to Xiangling County in the southwest.

"Let's go to Xiangling County to scout out the area and see if there are any large estates nearby."

“I will send a group of men to follow you. If you dare to massacre the village again, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Qin Lei and Wang Kang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that it was only a matter of confiscating their property, secretly feeling fortunate.

To be honest, they didn't want to let go of Shangshanhu, their right-hand man.

Otherwise, with only his seven or eight hundred bandits and outlaws, he simply couldn't have taken down those landlords' fortified villages and estates.

The two men, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, left the tent with profuse thanks.

Upon returning to their camp, the two immediately mustered their troops and slunk off towards Fushan County.

Little did they know that no sooner had they left than Jiang Han summoned a messenger and revealed the group's marching route to Deng Yang.

To make the performance more realistic, Jiang Han deliberately left his main force behind, pretending to be resting and recuperating.

He himself only brought eight hundred infantrymen and two hundred cavalrymen, following Qin Lei and Wang Kang at a distance to prevent them from escaping.

A few days later, Deng Yang and Bai An, who remained in Pingyang Prefecture, received a letter from Xiangling County requesting assistance.

In his letter, the magistrate of Xiangling County accused seven or eight hundred bandits of roaming into Fushan County. He said the county's military strength was too weak and pleaded with the prefectural city to send troops to its aid immediately.

Deng Yang's heart stirred, and he immediately prepared to propose to Bai An that he lead his troops to Xiangling to wipe out this band of local thieves.

However, before he could speak, Bai An stepped forward first:
"A mere few hundred bandits are nothing to worry about!"

"General Deng, you should rest well. I will take care of these people myself."

In Bai An's eyes, this was practically a military achievement delivered to his doorstep, so how could he easily give it to Deng Yang?
Hearing this, Deng Yang was dumbfounded. This was clearly a military merit that Commander Jiang had arranged for me. Why did you, Bai An, jump out and try to take it?
Deng Yang quickly advised:

"General Bai, you must not act rashly!"

"Before Governor Zhang left, he specifically instructed us not to underestimate the enemy and advance rashly, lest we fall into the enemy's ambush."

Bai An shook his head, politely declining Deng Yang's "kind offer," and immediately mustered his troops and headed towards Xiangling County.

The main force of the Mountain Tigers was in Hongdong County, so this band of local thieves was clearly an isolated force.

In Bai An's view, as long as he is fast enough, he can wipe out this group of bandits and run away, and the mountain tiger can only sigh in vain.

Deng Yang, who remained in the city, watched Bai An lead his troops away, feeling both amused and exasperated. He had never seen anyone so eager to die.

"Damn Bai An, this is clearly a military merit that General Jiang prepared for me."

"You son of a bitch, barging in and trying to steal the credit, what kind of nonsense is this?!"

"Aren't you afraid that Commander Jiang will use this as a pretext to kill you as well?"

But despite the criticism, Bai An led his troops to suppress the bandits, so Deng Yang had to go even more.

If Bai An were to die in Xiangling County, wouldn't the suspicion against Deng Yang become even stronger?
Left with no other choice, Deng Yang mustered his troops and, under the pretext of "assisting General Bai in suppressing the bandits and preventing unforeseen circumstances," headed towards Xiangling County.

Bai An, traveling light, marched rapidly towards Xiangling County.

Within two days, they successfully blocked Qin Lei and Wang Kang's troops in a valley called Wuling Mountain near Xiangling County.

Qin Lei and Wang Kang remained calm upon seeing the government troops, knowing that Shangshanhu's reinforcements were following closely behind.

If we can hold them off for a while until Shangshanhu leads his troops to reinforce us, we can then encircle and annihilate these government troops.

But while their idea was good, they forgot what kind of people their men were.

They were good at dealing with unarmed civilians, but when it came to government troops, these bandits were no match for them.

Bai An led his army and, with a single charge, broke through the bandits' formation.

Seeing this, Qin Lei and Wang Kang had no choice but to grit their teeth and lead their troops in a desperate resistance. But as they fought, they became increasingly puzzled: how come the government troops were already at their doorstep? Where were the promised reinforcements?
Seeing the fierce offensive of the government troops, and realizing that their small force was no match for them, the two belatedly discovered that they had been betrayed.

"Damn it, that mountain tiger betrayed us!"

"Stop fighting, we surrender!"

Seeing that he could not resist, Qin Lei threw down his weapon and prepared to surrender to the government troops.

Seeing this, Wang Kang could only sigh and order his men to stop resisting and kneel down to surrender.

But Jiang Han would not let them have their way. Even if it wasn't Deng Yang who came today, these traitors who harm the people must die.

Just as Bai An was feeling smug and preparing to receive the prisoners, Jiang Han suddenly led his troops out and charged towards Bai An.

As Jiang Han charged forward, he led his men in chanting battle cries:
"Brothers in front, follow me and kill all these government troops!"

Upon hearing this, Bai An, on the other side of the battlefield, was immediately shocked:
"Oh no, the thieves are feigning surrender!"

When Bai An saw the banner of the Mountain Tiger, he was terrified and hurriedly ordered his troops to retreat and break through the encirclement.

But when he looked around, he was filled with despair and found that just as he was about to surrender, the bandits' cavalry had blocked his retreat.

Bai An was both shocked and furious. Seeing no hope of breaking through, he slashed down the bandit who came to surrender with a single stroke, roaring:
"Brothers, these bandits are bluffing! Kill them!"

At this moment, Qin Lei and Wang Kang, seeing the reinforcements suddenly appear and witnessing Bai An slaughtering surrendered soldiers, were truly speechless and wished they could die.

Why didn't these reinforcements come out to fight when I was resisting?

You only come out after we lay down our weapons and surrender to the government troops?
They were about to explain, but Bai An, realizing he had been tricked, could no longer believe them.
"Kill! Leave no one behind!"

Bai An took the lead, charging into the battlefield with his personal guards.

As a result, Qin Lei and Wang Kang's seven or eight hundred men were completely desperate.

They were caught between the enraged government troops and Jiang Han's main force; advancing meant certain death, and retreating meant certain death as well.

With no way to surrender and no power to resist, these people could only be caught in the middle between the government troops and the rebel army, becoming cannon fodder to fill the gaps.

Neither side was easy to deal with, so they had no choice but to pick up their weapons again and fight fiercely against the government troops.

Bai An was able to hold off the bandits at first, but as they were scattered and killed, he gradually began to falter.

Faced with the fierce attack of Jiang Han's elite infantry, Bai An was soon overwhelmed and suffered several gruesome wounds.

Seeing his soldiers suffer heavy casualties and with no hope of breaking through the encirclement, Bai An was filled with despair.

In his grief and indignation, he suddenly drew his waist knife, held it across his neck, and prepared to commit suicide for his country.

boom!
At that critical moment between life and death, a cannon shot suddenly rang out from not far away.

Immediately afterwards, a force bearing the banners of the Ming army charged out from the valley on the other side of the battlefield.

"General Bai, don't panic, reinforcements have arrived!"

The leading general was none other than Deng Yang, who arrived late!
"Brothers, follow me to kill the traitors!"

Deng Yang took the lead and rushed into the battlefield with his personal guards. He managed to rescue the swaying Bai An and sent him to the rear to recuperate.

After settling the injured Bai An in, Deng Yang took a deep breath. He knew that the moment to truly test his acting skills had arrived.

He braved arrows and stones, brandishing his spear and leaping onto his horse, charging back into the battle. Shouting "Kill the bandits!" he commanded his troops in a desperate fight against the "bandits."

Deng Yang and Hei Zi, leading six hundred elite troops, had a clear objective: to attack the bandits on the battlefield who were dressed in a jumbled mess and equipped with a variety of weapons.

This group of people stood out on the battlefield, unlike Jiang Han's main force, who wore uniform red jackets with plum blossom-patterned cloth armor underneath, all standard border army equipment.

We're all old acquaintances who eat from the same pot, so it's obvious who to target, and we naturally won't mistake our targets.

Thus, Qin Lei, Wang Kang, and their remaining troops on the battlefield were completely doomed.

They were first brutally beaten by Bai An's government troops, then driven from behind by Jiang Han's men, and now Deng Yang's reinforcements have arrived, and they are being beaten to death.

In an instant, this gang of scoundrels had nowhere to go but to heaven and nowhere to hide, and they fell in droves into pools of blood.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Jiang Han saw Deng Yang's actions and naturally understood what he meant.

Jiang Han led his 800 elite troops and targeted the 100 Shanxi garrison soldiers brought by Deng Yang, showing no mercy.

Meanwhile, Deng Yang, along with Hei Zi, focused intently on hunting down Qin Lei and Wang Kang, those scoundrels who harmed the people.

This scene, however, appeared entirely different to Bai An, who was on the edge of the battlefield:

All he saw was the newly appointed military commander Deng Yang leading his troops in a fierce and brutal battle against the elite main force of the bandit leader, Shangshanhu!

The two sides fought fiercely, neither gaining the upper hand.

The fierce battle lasted for about 45 minutes.

In the end, under General Deng's "valiant" charge, the two bandits who had feigned surrender, Qin Lei the Mountain Hawk and Wang Kang the Timely Rain, were beheaded and their heads displayed to the public.

The rest of his followers were also completely wiped out.

After suffering heavy casualties, the bandit leader, Shangshanhu, was unable to continue fighting and had no choice but to retreat and withdraw from the battlefield.

Afterwards, Deng Yang took stock of his troops and found that he had also suffered "heavy losses".

In particular, the nine hundred soldiers from Shanxi garrison that Zhang Zongheng had selected for him were almost all decimated.

More than half of the soldiers were killed or seriously wounded, leaving only a little over three hundred survivors.

Deng Yang himself also suffered several superficial wounds, staining his armor red and making him look quite disheveled.

Supported by his personal guards, Bai An limped towards Deng Yang:

"General Deng! Brother Deng!"

"If it weren't for your life-risking rescue, I, Bai, would probably have perished here in Wuling Mountain!"

"I cannot express my gratitude in words; I will repay your kindness in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Deng Yang quickly waved his hand:
"General Bai, you flatter us. Suppressing the bandits and protecting the people is our duty. How can you speak of favors?"

"It's just a pity about those brothers who died in battle."

Deng Yang looked grief-stricken, and a few tears welled up in his eyes at just the right moment.

Seeing this, Bai An also sighed:

“They were all men who were loyal to the country, and I will never forget them.”

"Don't worry, I'll ask Governor Zhang for credit for you when I get back!"

"This time, thanks to General Deng, we were able to thwart the giant bandit Shangshanhu's attempt to attack Xiangling County."

After saying that, Bai An patted Deng Yang on the shoulder.

"As expected, he's an old nemesis. This mountain tiger is something only General Deng can handle!"

Bai An was also good at shifting blame; he never mentioned that the battle was caused by his own attempt to claim credit, which led to the ambush.

Deng Yang also understood Bai An's implied meaning, and finally felt relieved.

He couldn't help but secretly admire it:
"Following Commander Jiang is still the best option. Who knows, I might actually be able to earn a merit by following the emperor!"

I wonder if He Lei of Guangwu Village will regret his decision to become a loyal minister and general of the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, everyone has their own ambitions.

There's nothing wrong with being a loyal minister or a good general, but for me, Deng Yang, being a founding hero would open up even more possibilities.

(End of this chapter)