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

Chapter 166 Fleeing in Panic
Li Zicheng, Liu Guoneng, Zhang Tianlin and other rebel leaders, like sharks smelling blood, led their troops from all sides and surrounded the government army, completely blocking its retreat.

Seeing that there were obstacles in front and pursuers behind, Ai Wannian's cousin Ai Hui gritted his teeth and took the initiative to ride out of the enemy lines.

"Things have come to this, we have no choice but to fight to the death!"

"Commander Wu, quickly take my brother and retreat to the west. The enemy troops there are weak. I will cover the rear!"

Without waiting for Ai Wannian's reply, he turned his horse around, and with the remaining hundred or so personal guards beside him, he reined in his horse and stopped, blocking Li Laowai's way.

"The imperial court has raised its army for three hundred years; today is the day to fight for justice and die for our country!"

"Men of Qin, there is no living or dead! Brothers, follow me and stop the enemy!"

After saying that, Ai Hui suddenly blew the bone whistle and led his personal guards in a resolute suicidal counter-charge against the pursuing troops behind them.

Ai Hui's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like a mad tiger. He took the lead and went straight for the cavalry led by Li Laowai.

Seeing his menacing approach, Li Laowai also drew his knife and stepped forward to fight Ai Hui.

Ai Hui wanted to trade his life with Li Laowai, but with his martial arts skills, how could he be a match for Li Laowai?
The two had barely exchanged three blows when Ai Hui's waist knife was knocked away by Li Laowai's powerful and heavy horse-slaying saber.

In the instant he was distracted, Hong Ming's cavalry charged over from not far away, crashing heavily into the flank of Ai Hui's troops.

In a panic, Ai Hui tried to rein in his horse to dodge, but he exposed a huge opening.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Laowai roared and, with both hands holding the horse-slaying saber, used all his strength to deliver a powerful downward chop to Ai Hui's neck!

"Pfft."

With a muffled thud, Ai Hui, armor and all, was cleaved from the shoulder into the chest by the blade, instantly decapitating him, his blood and internal organs splattering all over the ground.

Ai Wannian, who was fleeing for his life ahead, seemed to sense something and turned around to see this scene. His eyes widened in fury, and he immediately ordered the two sides to turn around, wanting to go back and fight Li Laowai to the death.

But his guerrilla commander Qiao Hong and chiliarch Wu Yongze repeatedly advised him:

"General, you mustn't!"

"As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn. If you die here, the brothers will truly be finished!"

This word of advice pulled Ai Wannian back from his rage.

He finally calmed down, let out a furious roar, and then commanded Wu Yongze to charge towards the enemy's defensive line.

And blocking their way was none other than Liu Guoneng, the one who had caused the collapse of the city.

This put him in a terrible predicament. Ai Wannian's enraged elite cavalry charged head-on, and his troops were thrown into disarray, with a gap being torn open in the defensive line.

Upon seeing this, Li Zicheng and Zhang Tianlin, who were not far away, were startled and quickly led their troops over to try to plug the gap.

Seeing that they were about to be completely surrounded, guerrilla general Qiao Hong glanced at Wu Yongze and Ai Wannian behind him, and roared:
"Commander Wu, protect the general, I'll charge into battle for you!"

Having said that, he drew his lance and charged straight at the bandits in front of him.

Qiao Hong, leading a group of trusted men, used the momentum of his warhorses to knock over several bandits in the front row on the spot.

However, before he could make the breach even bigger, he suddenly found himself stuck in a swamp, unable to move.

His trusted cavalrymen were surrounded by bandits who surged in from all directions almost simultaneously.

The bandits, in groups of three or five, wielding hook-and-sickle spears, repeatedly dragged the government soldiers off their horses before swarming them and hacking them to death.

Seeing this, Wu Yongze turned to the cavalry sergeant beside him and gave the order:

"Quickly, charge into the enemy lines first, then attack!" The cavalry commander understood and immediately led his men to dismount. He then gathered dozens of warhorses together and arranged them into a wall of horses.

"rush!"

At Wu Yongze's command, the cavalrymen behind him brandished their swords and stabbed the warhorses in front of them.

In an instant, the warhorse, in pain, broke free and charged towards the bandits in front of it.

At this moment, Liu Guoneng was focused on leading his men to surround and kill the government troops who had rushed in earlier.

Caught off guard, he was nearly knocked away by the startled warhorse.

Fortunately, Li Zicheng reacted quickly and pulled Liu Guoneng back, preventing him from being trampled to death by the galloping warhorse.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Wu Yongze suddenly cracked his whip and charged out of the enemy formation with the warhorse in front of him.

Thus, with the desperate escort of his generals, Ai Wannian broke out of the encirclement like a stray dog ​​and fled in panic.

Of the three thousand soldiers he had brought in a massive ambush, less than five hundred were able to escape with him!

Ai Wannian lay prostrate behind Wu Yongze, his chest tight with suppressed anger, as if the dying roar of Ai Hui still echoed in his ears.

He recalled the tragic scene of his cousin being beheaded by a bandit while protecting him, leaving no trace of his body. Overwhelmed with grief, tears welled up in his eyes.

After running wildly for dozens of miles, the soldiers finally shook off the pursuing bandits and breathed a sigh of relief.

Wu Yongze gently lifted Ai Wannian off the horse and sighed deeply:
"General, please accept my condolences. In this battle, our army fought with all our might, and we had both favorable timing and terrain, but we were still defeated."

"This mountain tiger is indeed troublesome; it is worthy of being a formidable bandit who severely injured Cao Wenzhao."

It would have been better if Wu Yongze hadn't mentioned Cao Wenzhao; the moment he did, Ai Wannian, who had been lying on the ground, immediately jumped up.
"You son of a bitch, Cao Wenzhao! I curse your ancestors!"

Ai Wannian, panting heavily, cursed hysterically.
"We Qin soldiers are fighting a bloody battle with the enemy in these damned Zhongtiao Mountains."

"Where is Cao Wenzhao, the deputy commander-in-chief, and his Guan Ning soldiers now, enjoying a life of leisure?!"

Ai Wannian was filled with resentment and could not contain himself. He cursed and could no longer hold back. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and then his vision went black as he fainted.

Little did they know that at that very moment, Cao Wenzhao was leading his Guan Ning cavalry, stationed near a flat official road far from the mountains.

He wasn't even in the Zhongtiao Mountains.

Ever since the Battle of Lüliang Mountain, Cao Wenzhao has been intimidated by the sight of the continuous mountain range.

Having learned his lesson, he now vows that as long as he can travel on a smooth official road, he will never dismount and venture into the mountains.

The cavalry did not dismount.

This is a military strategy that Cao Wenzhao summarized from his previous defeat.

As for combat missions like traversing forests, those hardworking Qin soldiers can handle them.

Qin soldiers were mostly mixed units, and most of them traveled on foot, traversing mountains and valleys as if walking on flat ground.

Cao Wenzhao simply handed over the arduous task of intercepting the bandits to Ai Wannian and Zuo Guangxian, a group of Qin soldiers.

All I need to do is sit back and guard the main roads, waiting for good news. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

　I'll start with 5K.

　　Damn it, something came up at the company and they called me back to work overtime. I'll keep writing until I finish this post!
　　A man's promise!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)