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

Chapter 182 Crossing the River South
With this in mind, Hong Chengchou immediately mobilized his generals to rush to Mengjin Ferry from all directions, preparing to trap these rebels like turtles in a jar.

But just then, news arrived from the front lines that surprised all the generals:

Imperial envoys and military supervisors Li Jinchao and Lu Youde issued a decree ordering Hong Chengchou not to lead troops to Mengjin Ferry, lest it jeopardize the surrender negotiations.

Yang Jinchao and Lu Jiude were eunuchs sent by Emperor Chongzhen to the front lines to serve as military supervisors.

When the two men heard that bandits had come to surrender and even offered dozens of chests of silver, their eyes widened in astonishment.

This is a great achievement!

The two men made a quick decision and agreed to the surrender offer without even informing Hong Chengchou.

Yang Jinchao and Lu Jiude wielded considerable power.

Before leaving the capital, Emperor Chongzhen worried that they would not be able to subdue these arrogant and fierce generals, so he specially added the title of "commander of all generals" to their names.

But this addition ruined everything.

These eunuchs claim to be serving the emperor and the court, but deep down they are all greedy and opportunistic.

Seeing that the government troops had agreed to the surrender, Wang Ziyong immediately dispatched Zhang Miaoshou, He Shuangquan and several other leaders to carry the remaining dozen or so boxes of gold and silver to Zhangde Prefecture to pay respects to Yang Jinchao and Lu Jiude.

When it comes to being flexible and adaptable, the leaders of these rebel armies are truly exceptional.

In order to dispel the doubts of the government troops as much as possible, Zhang Miaoshou and others not only offered silver, but also adopted an extremely humble attitude, serving the two dead eunuchs day and night, making them completely bewildered.

For the sake of money and face, these two eunuchs no longer cared about military strategy. They simply bypassed Governor-General Hong Chengchou and, as "Imperial Envoy and Military Supervisor," directly ordered the cessation of all encirclement and suppression operations against the "surrendered troops" on behalf of the emperor.

Furthermore, he strictly ordered Hong Chengchou and his various government troops not to kill the surrendered peasant army after they laid down their weapons, and to "win people over with virtue and demonstrate the emperor's boundless grace."

Hong Chengchou was furious when he received these two orders.

Seeing that his hard work of the past six months was about to go to waste, he was furious. In his command tent, everything that could be smashed was smashed to pieces in a short time.

"Bastard!"

"Eunuchs are ruining the country! They're ruining the country!"

Hong Chengchou looked up at the sky and sighed, his chest heaving violently, clearly extremely angry.

No matter how unwilling or angry Hong Chengchou was, he was powerless to do anything about it.

The two supervising eunuchs, Yang Jinchao and Lu Jiude, represented the imperial decree and held the power to control the generals.

Even if Hong Chengchou had the greatest courage, he wouldn't dare to openly defy imperial power and go against the emperor's representative.

He could only watch helplessly as Wang Ziyong and his gang of rebels, under the "strict watch" of the Beijing garrison, swaggered out of the mountains and set up camp near Meng County.

Left with no other option, Hong Chengchou could only send a small force of 500 men to garrison near the ferry crossing to prevent the rebels from suddenly crossing the river and escaping south.

Meanwhile, the rebel army's life improved dramatically after they connected with the supervising eunuch.

Not only did they emerge from the mountains, but they were even able to establish a logistics base in the prosperous Meng County.

Wang Ziyong, Gao Yingxiang, and others, of course, would not let go of this precious opportunity to catch their breath.

The leaders of various factions strictly ordered their soldiers not to disturb the people or plunder, attempting to improve relations with the people near Meng County.

The rebels pretended to engage with Wang Pu, Yang Jinchao, Lu Jiude, and others to buy time;
On one hand, they dispatched capable personnel, disguised themselves, and entered Meng County to purchase grain, cotton clothing, medicinal herbs, and other supplies from the townspeople and merchants to replenish their provisions.

Although the rebel army acted covertly and deceived Wang Pu and his men, some observant generals still discovered the problem.

This person was Zuo Liangyu, who had been transferred here not long ago and was responsible for assisting in the defense near the ferry crossing.

He keenly noticed the rebels' subtle movements.

Although these rebels appeared to have laid low and were waiting to surrender, small groups of people were often seen moving around their camp, which did not seem like a relaxed or lax attitude towards surrendering.

Moreover, thieves often roam around the ferry crossing, acting suspiciously, clearly scouting the terrain.

Zuo Liangyu became suspicious and immediately reported his discovery to Wang Pu and the two supervising eunuchs.

However, at this time, Wang Pu, Yang Jinchao and others were busy dividing up the tribute sent by Wang Ziyong, and had no time to pay attention to Zuo Liangyu, this border town warrior who did not know the times.
This group of people casually dismissed Zuo Liangyu, thinking he was just being overly worried and trying to sow discord between the court and the rebel army, intending to gain promotion and wealth by killing surrendered soldiers.

Zuo Liangyu was rebuffed and became increasingly uneasy. At this time, a small detachment of troops sent by Hong Chengchou arrived near the ferry crossing, led by Du Sima Ke.

Upon meeting Marco, Zuo Liangyu made no attempt to conceal his suspicions.

Seeing Zuo Liangyu's worried expression, Marco felt equally helpless:
"General Zuo's concerns are not without merit; the military commander is also troubled by this."

"As early as when the bandits were being suppressed in Shaanxi, the military had already discovered that the bandits were cunning and loved to feign surrender. As soon as the government troops relaxed their guard, they would immediately rebel again, making it impossible to guard against them."

"However, Yang Jinchao and others did not heed the advice, so the military commander specially sent me to lead troops to the ferry to prevent the enemy soldiers from taking the opportunity to cross the river."

Zuo Liangyu sighed and said indignantly:
"Our combined forces number less than two thousand. How can we possibly withstand the enemy?"

"That damned eunuch will cause a disaster sooner or later!"

After discussing it, the two could only secretly strengthen their defenses and notify Xuan Mo, the governor of Henan, who was also nearby assisting in the defense, to be on high alert in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

Time quickly came to the fifth year of Chongzhen's reign. On the 28th day of the first month, the day the rebel army officially surrendered to the Beijing garrison, was also the day the rebel army prepared to cross the river.

At the Yellow River ferry crossing, Wang Pu, Yang Jinchao, and Lu Jiude stood triumphantly on the makeshift command platform.

The group seemed to already envision themselves achieving great merit, returning to the capital in triumph, and receiving their rewards; they were completely unaware of any danger.

The officers and soldiers of the Beijing garrison below were even more lax, their ranks scattered, and many had not even brought their weapons. They were just waiting for the ceremony to end so they could return to the city and enjoy themselves.

As agreed beforehand, Wang Ziyong, Gao Yingxiang, and other rebel leaders would lead their "repentant" soldiers to formally submit their surrender documents and present a roster to Wang Pu and others.

A cold wind blows across the crossing, stirring up gusts of white frost.

As expected, several rebel leaders arrived with hundreds of unarmed soldiers as promised, slowly making their way to the open space in front of the ferry.

They all looked dejected, wrapped in thick, coarse cotton robes, and from a distance, they appeared to be at their wits' end.

Upon seeing this, Yang Jinchao, who was in charge, smiled even more broadly and then led his guards to greet the group.

He accepted the surrender document, then cleared his throat, preparing to deliver a speech showcasing the imperial court's majesty and benevolence.

But at that moment, something unexpected happened!

A commotion was heard not far away. As it drew nearer, thousands of bandit soldiers, who had already assembled, suddenly charged out from their encampment, breaking through the government troops' obstruction and heading straight for the capital's garrison.

Yang Jinchao was unaware of what had happened; he only noticed the commotion outside.
He frowned and glanced up at the perimeter of the camp with displeasure:
On the horizon, shouts of battle rose from all sides as thousands of bandits, raising clouds of dust, charged toward the camp.

Upon seeing this, Yang Jinchao was greatly alarmed and turned to look at the bandit leaders Wang Ziyong, Gao Yingxiang, and others in front of him.

The leaders exchanged glances, and seeing that the time was ripe, they took a deep breath and shouted sharply:
"Brothers, let's move! Follow me and slaughter these government soldiers! Let's fight our way out!"

As soon as he finished speaking, hundreds of seemingly unarmed surrendered soldiers behind him immediately took off their thick, coarse cotton robes, pulled out various weapons from their pockets, and headed straight for the guards of the capital garrison around them.

The dozens of guards at the front had no idea what was happening before they were hacked to the ground and died without even being able to scream.

Seeing this, Yang Jinchao didn't say a word. He immediately turned and ran with the guards beside him, intending to retreat to the central command and settle accounts with these untrustworthy thieves.

Seeing this, the surrounding guards immediately understood the situation and fled frantically after Yang Jinchao. Wang Ziyong, Gao Yingxiang, and the others did not pursue them. Instead, they turned their guns on each other and led their soldiers out of the camp, attempting to rejoin the main force.

Wang Pu, sitting on the command platform, was stunned by this sudden turn of events.

It wasn't until Lu Jiude reminded him that he realized what was happening. He immediately ordered the flag bearers to raise their command flags and commanded his Beijing garrison to block the road, determined not to let the bandit leader escape so easily.

It seems unlikely that he can stop the bandits from crossing the river now. He can only try to capture these bandit leaders who have come to feign surrender, and try to salvage the situation.

However, Wang Pu seemed to have forgotten the nature of his own troops.

Those arrogant noble sons, upon seeing the murderous bandits charging towards them, turned and ran with their personal guards and servants, utterly lacking the courage to resist.

As for the beggar soldiers who were temporarily captured from various places, they were even worse.

This group of people were just beggars and hooligans who had temporarily joined the ranks. When they saw the bandits coming, they scattered and ran faster than rabbits.

Even worse, some were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground, unable to lift their legs at all.

The entire army camp instantly descended into chaos.

Gao Yingxiang, wielding a thick-backed, ring-pommel broadsword, charged ahead, easily cutting down the soldiers blocking his path.
"Brothers! Follow me and charge out across the river! Once we're in Henan, we'll have a way to survive!"

"Kill!"

The hundreds of men encountered almost no resistance and easily broke out of the government army camp, making contact with the main force that had arrived.

The several groups of men joined forces and immediately rushed towards the ferry, preparing to cross the river and head south.

On the south bank of the Yellow River, Zuo Liangyu and Ma Ke were watching the situation on the north bank with great anxiety.

They had originally intended to go with them, but Yang Jinchao and the others ordered them to stay put and guard the ferry crossing.

To put it bluntly, Yang Jinchao and others were afraid that Zuo Liangyu would bring his troops over and ruin the pacification plan.

"General Zuo! Something's wrong!"

At Marco's exclamation, Zuo Liangyu's heart tightened, and he quickly took out his binoculars to carefully examine the situation on the other side.

Dust and smoke rose from the north bank, and the sounds of battle echoed across the land. Soon after, a large number of soldiers appeared near the ferry crossing.

Seeing this, Zuo Liangyu knew very well that the enemy soldiers must have broken through the defense line and were trying to escape south across the river.

But to his utter surprise, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Wang Pu's Beijing garrison was scattered.

Upon seeing this, Zuo Liangyu immediately instructed his son, Zuo Menggeng:
"Quickly! All troops on alert! Have archers and musketeers guard the north bank. We must not allow the bandits to cross the ice!"

"Also, bring out all the small cannons and bombard the ice with all your might!"

Then he looked at Marco:
"Commander Ma, you can lead the cavalry to guard the north bank. Do not go forward to engage the enemy."

Marco was somewhat puzzled upon hearing this:

"General Zuo, what is the meaning of this?"

Zuo Liangyu gave a cold laugh:
"Yesterday I ordered my men to break the ice under cover of night. If any enemy troops dare to cross the river in large numbers, they will surely fall into the water!"

"Although the ice surface looks intact now, if you lead your troops to meet the enemy, the ice might collapse."

Marco scratched his head and asked another question:
"General Zuo, even so, I'm afraid we still can't stop the enemy soldiers."

"The Yellow River is so wide that if the enemy soldiers find that the vanguard has fallen into the water, they can simply cross the river at another place."

Zuo Liangyu nodded, his expression calm:

"I know."

"Then why, General Zuo?"

Zuo Liangyu sighed and patiently explained:
"I knew this operation was doomed to fail the moment those two eunuchs started causing trouble."

"In that case, all I need to do is keep an eye on the ferry crossing and prevent the enemy soldiers from passing through my unit's defense zone, and that will complete my mission."

"At that time, the responsibility for the failure of the encirclement and suppression will not be pinned on me."

Zuo Liangyu wasn't stupid. He only had less than a thousand men left, and even with the addition of Ma Ke and Xuan Mo's forces, he only had a total of three thousand men.

Judging from their posture, the enemy soldiers opposite us numbered at least ten or twenty thousand, a vast and continuous force.

Now that the natural barrier of the Yellow River is gone, with the few men I have, there's no way I can stop the enemy.

All he had to do was guard his own territory to avoid being accused by those two eunuchs of failing to defend himself against the thieves.

As events unfolded, they were exactly as Zuo Liangyu had predicted.

Wang Ziyong and his men originally intended to lead their troops across the river at the ferry, but the ice surface could not withstand the advance and cracked into several pieces when the vanguard had only gone halfway.

Many of the rebel soldiers, caught off guard, fell directly into the icy river.

His comrades tried to help, but after taking only two steps forward, government troops' shells rained down on them, and the ice beneath their feet cracked, causing many to fall into the river.

Seeing this, no one dared to go forward to rescue them. They simply kept throwing ropes, trying to pull their comrade out of the water.

But now it's freezing cold, and even the people on the shore are freezing, let alone the soldiers who have fallen into the water.

Their bodies stiffened, unable to grip the rope, and they slowly sank to the icy riverbed.
Upon learning of this, Wang Ziyong, the commander of the central army, made a decisive decision: to abandon the current ferry crossing and instead order the army to move upstream along the riverbank to find another place to cross the river.

Thus, Zuo Liangyu successfully defended the ferry crossing, and the rebel army found another way to cross the Yellow River and head straight for the heart of Henan.

"idiot!"

"A bunch of greedy, scheming fools!"

The news quickly reached Hong Chengchou's ears. Upon learning what had happened, Hong Chengchou was so angry that he almost fainted.

He and his soldiers had been working hard for more than half a year, and were about to trap the rebels in the mountains, but all their efforts were in vain because of the greed and stupidity of these eunuchs.

Now things are different. These rebels have slipped into the flat Central Plains. Even if we want to wipe them out, we'll have to reorganize our troops, which will make things much more difficult.

In truth, deep down, Hong Chengchou harbored some resentment, but he dared not speak out against it.

The bandit suppression was going so well, why did Your Majesty have to send out a few eunuchs to supervise the army, thus ruining such a good situation?
However, he only dared to vent these doubts and complaints in his heart; outwardly, he dared not utter the slightest complaint.

But that wasn't the end of it. Just as Hong Chengchou was preparing to mobilize troops to continue pursuing the bandits, a personal guard suddenly rushed in, looking flustered.

"Governor Hong, something terrible has happened! An urgent report has come from Shaanxi!"

Hong Chengchou's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition welled up in his mind.

The guard, panting heavily, said urgently:
"The notorious bandit Shangshanhu bypassed the Tongguan defense line three days ago and his forces are heading straight for Huayin County. Guanzhong is in dire need of help!"

　During this sensitive period, my chapters have been constantly blocked and reviewed, which has been causing me a lot of trouble. I'm sorry.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)