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

Chapter 149 Ironhorn City

Seeing Cao Wenzhao defeat Huang Youcai and Zhang Mengjin's troops, Hong Chengchou finally showed a long-lost smile on his tense face.

He summoned Cao Wenzhao and lavished praise upon him:
"General Cao is truly a valiant general; he deserves the greatest credit for this battle!"

"I will immediately submit a memorial to the court to request commendation for you. I believe General Cao will be reinstated to his original position soon!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Wenzhao felt relieved and immediately knelt down, cupping his hands in greeting:
"This battle was all thanks to the commander's skillful command and coordination. I was merely following orders and dare not take credit for it."

"In future campaigns to suppress bandits, I will obey your command, General, even at the cost of my life!"

He knew that if he wanted to make a comeback, Governor Hong was his greatest asset.

The two looked at each other and smiled, saying nothing.

After dealing with the surrendered soldiers, the army made some reorganizations and then marched in a grand procession straight towards Ironhorn.

The emperor was pressing him hard, so Hong Chengchou had to seize the opportunity and wipe out the last remaining powerful peasant army.

Tiejiaocheng is located north of Huanxian County. It is a valley surrounded by steep mountains and ravines, and has historically been a place where the government's control is weak.

Hao Lin'an, Ke Tianfei, and several other rebel armies chose this place because of its strategic location, so they divided up land here to cultivate and graze, store grain and fodder, and build their base.

The Ironhorn garrison, along with the starving civilians they had taken hostage, numbered approximately six thousand.

Hong Chengchou, Zhang Fuzhen, You Shilu and others joined forces, forming a force of 15,000 government troops, several times the size of the rebels.

However, despite having superior numbers, Ironhorn was indeed easy to defend and difficult to attack, and its more than 10,000 men were simply unable to make any real use of their strength.

Left with no other choice, Hong Chengchou could only send You Shilu with three thousand soldiers to launch a probing attack.

dong dong dong-

The dull sound of war drums rang out.

Under the cover of artillery fire, thousands of soldiers pushed siege engines and charged straight toward the stockade wall at the foot of the mountain.

On the hilltop, the rebels were well-prepared, and arrows rained down like a storm. There were also millstone-sized boulders and logs as thick as a person's embrace, whistling down with the wind.

Guerrilla General Zuo Guangxian brandished his sword and roared, urging his men on:

"Run it for me!"

"The commander-in-chief has ordered that whoever is the first to scale the walls will be rewarded with two hundred taels of silver

With such a generous reward, there are bound to be brave men. The officers and soldiers roared and pushed forward, disregarding their own safety.

Several ladders were shakily placed on the top of the wall, and the elite soldiers holding rattan shields were using their hands and feet to almost touch the wall.

"fall!"

At a command from the city wall, scalding hot molten gold and oil were poured down, and several barbed spears extended from the crenellations, constantly stabbing and probing.

The soldiers who were climbing fell with screams, and those who were lucky enough to survive were scalded and rolled on the ground, howling incessantly.

In other locations, the rebel archers and musketeers, positioned on higher ground, indiscriminately fired arrows and muskets into the battlefield, and in the blink of an eye, many unfortunate souls fell to the ground.

"Hold on! Push the cannon a little further!"

Zuo Guangxian, who was leading the team, shouted at the top of his lungs in an attempt to reverse the downward trend.

However, the mountain path was narrow and easy to defend, making it difficult to attack. The army was unable to maneuver effectively, and several waves of attacks were repelled.

At the central command post, Hong Chengchou stood on a makeshift earthen mound, his brow furrowed in worry.

His soldiers attacked for more than half an hour, but not only did they fail to set foot on the wall, they also left hundreds of corpses at the foot of the wall, and their offensive was thwarted.

He waved his hand slightly, signaling to call a retreat and make further plans.

In the following days, Hong Chengchou tried many methods, such as digging tunnels and blowing up the stockade walls, but all of them were repelled, resulting in heavy losses.

To make matters worse, You Shilu, a capable lieutenant, suffered a relapse of his old stomach ailment due to repeated hard battles, causing him unbearable pain and making it impossible for him to continue.

Left with no other choice, he wrote a letter requesting to resign and return to his hometown to recuperate.

With his commander side sidelined due to illness and the initial battle going poorly, Hong Chengchou was somewhat anxious, but remained outwardly calm. A direct assault on such a strategically important location would result in too many casualties and would be a net loss.

Therefore, Hong Chengchou continued to mobilize troops and make the appearance of attacking the city, putting pressure on the rebel army inside Tiejiao City.

Meanwhile, on the other hand, they secretly dispatched skilled spies, under the guise of appeasement, to traverse mountains and valleys and infiltrate various bandit camps.

These spies not only carried a large sum of money, but also a secret letter from Hong Chengchou, attempting to find those with weak wills within the rebel army.

Hong Chengchou promised him high-ranking official positions and generous salaries, instigating a split within the rebel army, preparing to use one rebel to kill another.

This tactic, though old-fashioned, is incredibly effective against peasant uprisings.

Some already wavering leaders, seeing the overwhelming strength of the government troops and the imminent fall of Ironhorn City, began to consider surrendering.

Bai Guang'en was one of the first to surrender.

He led his troops and secretly took a side path out of the valley to surrender to Hong Chengchou.

Upon seeing Hong Chengchou, Bai Guang'en bowed deeply and tearfully confessed that he had gone astray, but now he had come to his senses and was willing to die for the court.

Hong Chengchou sat upright in his command seat, coldly scrutinizing Bai Guang'en:
"Oh?"

"Since General Bai is willing to serve the court, he should show some sincerity."

"Otherwise, I will only think you are feigning surrender."

Upon hearing this, Bai Guang'en immediately kowtowed and said:

"General Hong, please allow me to report!"

“Bai has been operating in Ironhorn City for a long time and knows every plant and tree in the place like the back of his hand.”

"I know a secret path that can bypass Ironhorn City's frontal defenses and strike deep into the enemy's territory!"

"That's where the bandit leader can fly around freely!"

As he spoke, Bai Guang'en secretly glanced at Hong Chengchou's expression. Seeing that the other party seemed interested, he immediately pressed his advantage.

“The camp was usually poorly guarded and mostly inhabited by the elderly, women and children.”

"As long as the commander-in-chief sends a surprise force to attack that place, Tianfei will definitely lead the main force back to reinforce it!"

Hong Chengchou raised an eyebrow:
"What do you mean? How can you be so sure he will definitely come back to help?"

A sinister smile appeared on Bai Guang'en's face:

"Reporting to the Commander, I have some connections with the main bandit leaders in Ironhorn City and know their backgrounds."

Ke Tianfei's real name is He Chongwei.

"And that western camp is actually the old stronghold of the He family, where almost all of He Chongwei's blood relatives live!"

"Father, mother, wife, children, brothers, nephews, and nieces—not one is missing!"

"General, think about it. Isn't this a classic case of attacking where the enemy is forced to defend? Even if He Chongwei knows it's a trap, he'll have no choice but to obediently come back to his death!"

Hong Chengchou was overjoyed upon hearing this and personally went forward to help Bai Guang'en up:
"very good!"

"General Bai, if you can help me take Ironhorn City, I will definitely guarantee your future!"

Bai Guang'en was overjoyed. He had started the rebellion hoping to one day be granted amnesty and receive a government salary.

Now that his dream had come true, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed:

"Thank you for your guidance, Commander! I am willing to serve as the vanguard for the royal army, even at the cost of my life!"

In this way, Bai Guang'en transformed from a rebel leader into a lackey of the government army.

In order to be granted amnesty, he betrayed all his former comrades-in-arms and became the vanguard and executioner of the Ming army in suppressing the uprising.

(End of this chapter)