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

Chapter 186 Cao Wenzhao Comes to Suppress

Time quickly passed to mid-February, and the biting cold wind still swirled across the Guanzhong Plain. Cao Wenzhao and his entourage hurried along and finally stepped into the Guanzhong region.

Instead of receiving comfort from officials of nearby prefectures and counties, he was greeted by a constant stream of bad news from scouts at the front:

"Report! Weinan has fallen, and Huazhou is under siege!"

"Report! Magistrate Zhao Zhiyuan of Tongguan County has been hung on the city wall by rioters!"

Every message was like a resounding slap across Cao Wenzhao's face.

"Rebellion! Rebellion! Everything has rebelled!"

In the temporary camp at Xi'an Wei, Cao Wenzhao kicked over the brazier in front of him, scattering glowing embers all over the ground.

The generals behind him, including Zuo Guangxian and Deng Qi, looked at the marked red areas on the map with solemn expressions and remained silent.

Several generals in command were stunned to see the smoke of war spreading throughout Guanzhong, while Cao Wenzhao was both shocked and furious.

Last year, I led my troops to plow through Guanzhong, killing so many people that heads rolled and blood flowed like rivers.

How come so many fearless troublemakers have emerged again after just one year?
His eyes were bloodshot, like a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey. The murderous intent emanating from him made the surrounding generals tremble with fear.

It seems we haven't killed enough!

Just as Cao Wenzhao's eyes flashed with murderous intent, preparing to pick up his butcher's knife and repeat his old tricks to massacre Guanzhong again, news came from Xi'an Prefecture.

Representatives from the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commission and the Prince of Qin's Palace have arrived.

Leading the group were the councilors of the Provincial Administration Commission and the chief secretary of the Prince of Qin's residence. They brought together the common opinions of the Prince of Qin, the three provincial administrations of Shaanxi, and gentry from various parts of Guanzhong.

The message is clear: the wanton slaughter of civilians must cease!

This wasn't because the officials and gentry in Guanzhong suddenly had a change of heart, but because spring was just around the corner.

Just kidding. If we let Cao arbitrarily slaughter the people, who will farm the land for the lords?
Even if ordinary people are like leeks, they should at least wait a year or two before they can be harvested again, right?

Under pressure from all sides, and with Qin generals such as Zuo Guangxian and Ai Wannian making it clear that they refused to carry out indiscriminate massacres of the people of Guanzhong, the situation became unfavorable.

Even though Cao Wenzhao was filled with murderous intent at this moment, he could not possibly offend everyone.

Left with no other choice, Cao Wenzhao, seething with anger, went to cause trouble for Li Zicheng, who was entrenched in Fengxiang Prefecture.

He planned to deal with the most notorious bandit leader in Guanzhong first, and then leave the rest to the officials of Xi'an Prefecture to appease.

News of the main force of the government troops' massive attack quickly reached Li Zicheng's ears.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Li Zicheng immediately led his troops into the vast and boundless main peak of the Qinling Mountains, Mount Taibai.

He had already sent people to scout out the surrounding terrain and knew that Mount Taibai was steep and that there was a lake called Dayehai on the top of the mountain that could replenish the army's water supply.

Moreover, this area is located at the junction of Mei County, Taibai County, and Zhouzhi County, with high mountains and dense forests, making it ideal for guerrilla warfare.

"General Cao, the bandit leader has led several thousand bandits into the Taibai Mountains!"

Upon hearing the scout's report, Cao Wenzhao's face was so gloomy it could drip water.

"Damn bandits, they're as slippery as eels!"

Cao Wenzhao slammed his fist hard on the saddle. What he feared most was that the bandits would not confront him directly but instead run into the mountains to hide.

He had no intention of dismounting and going into the mountains; who knew if there were any elite members of the Mountain Tigers lying in ambush in the forest?

Left with no other option, Cao Wenzhao had to use the excuse that his cavalry was not able to easily enter the mountains to search for prisoners, and instead arranged for several other generals who were traveling with him to join the search.

"General Deng, General Zuo, General Ai."

Cao Wenzhao looked at Zuo Guangxian, Ai Wannian and Deng Qi beside him.

"I would like to trouble you two units to lead four thousand infantrymen into the mountains to search and annihilate them."

"We must find the bandits' lair. I am right outside the mountains, guarding all the key roads and keeping a close watch on the bandits' retreat."

The three generals all looked reluctant after receiving the order.

Zuo Guangxian and Ai Wannian had already incurred Cao Wenzhao's wrath during the Battle of Maojindu, and were extremely unwilling to accept it.

Deng Qi and Cao Wenzhao were both deputy commanders-in-chief, and should have been of equal rank.

Unfortunately, Cao Wenzhao was a favorite of Governor-General Hong, and before Hong Chengchou set off, he specially gave Cao Wenzhao the title of Commander of the Western Route Army.

As an outsider unfamiliar with the place, Deng Qi had no choice but to obey Hong Chengchou's orders.

Deng Qi was already somewhat resentful of being transferred from Shandong to Shaanxi, and the added burden of obeying orders from his peers only exacerbated his discontent. However, military orders were absolute, and they had no choice but to reluctantly accept the assignment.

Zuo, Ai, and Deng accepted the order and immediately led four thousand infantrymen, divided into several groups, into the vast Qinling Mountains.

However, they soon discovered that they were trapped in a nightmare.

Because Li Zicheng had scouted the terrain in advance, he was as familiar with this mountainous area as he was with his own backyard.

Once the government troops entered the mountains, they were like headless flies, getting beaten everywhere.

They often had barely set up camp and hadn't even caught their breath when a volley of arrows would come flying from the woods.
The grain transport team was inexplicably thrown about by rolling stones and logs as they walked.

Even with guides, it was often useless; they could only passively take hits.

Zuo Guangxian was the first to lose his temper.

He personally led a thousand-man squad, relentlessly pursuing a small group of rebels, and unknowingly ran to a narrow valley entrance.

Suddenly, horns sounded from both cliffs, and lead bullets mixed with arrows rained down like raindrops.

"There's an ambush! Retreat immediately!" Zuo Guangxian exclaimed in alarm.

However, the valley was narrow, and the roads in front and behind had already been blocked by their own people.

His soldiers huddled together, becoming easy targets.

After a volley of arrows, the rebel army on the mountain retreated immediately and quickly disappeared into the dense forest, leaving behind only the corpses of hundreds of government soldiers and the wails of the wounded.

Zuo Guangxian was so angry that he cursed loudly, but he could only gather his remaining troops in a sorry state and dared not advance any further.

Deng Qi, on the other hand, was much more astute. Faced with an unfamiliar mountainous area, he dared not move rashly and obediently followed the guide's footsteps, traversing the mountains step by step.

Deng Qi was originally from Sichuan, and he had once besieged An Bangyan in the mountains of Guizhou. He was very familiar with mountain warfare.

The rebels were clearly prepared and wanted to use the terrain advantage to wear down the government troops. He wouldn't fall for their trick.

Fire a few arrows or a few volleys from a distance, and that'll be enough to settle things.

For more than half a month, the government troops suffered heavy losses, yet they still couldn't find out where Li Zicheng's main force was.

Left with no other option, Cao Wenzhao resorted to a siege and defense strategy, ordering his generals to guard key routes in an attempt to trap and kill the enemy soldiers in the mountains.

This trick was quite effective.

Although Li Zicheng did not engage in battle with the main government forces, the harsh cold in the mountains constantly tested him and his troops.

Although the Spring Equinox has passed, the Taibai Mountains are still bitterly cold, with water freezing instantly.

Due to a severe shortage of captured winter clothing, bedding, and other cold-weather supplies, priority could only be given to veteran soldiers and able-bodied men from the old camps.

Almost every night, people froze and starved to death. Some of the weaker starving people could only huddle under the sheltered rocks and sleep wrapped in a blanket made of thatch and scraps of cloth.

He eventually stopped breathing in his sleep.

When his companions discovered his stiff body the next morning, no one paid much attention. They simply numbly took off the tattered clothes from the deceased and wrapped them around themselves, then hastily dragged the body outside the camp and dug a shallow pit to bury it.

Even more critical is the water supply problem.

Because Mount Taibai is the main peak of the Qinling Mountains, it has an extremely high altitude, and therefore the temperature in the mountains is also lower.

Especially at the top of the mountain, there is the Grandpa Lake, which is more than 3,000 meters above sea level. The paths there are almost all frozen, and you could easily slip and fall into the abyss.

Furthermore, the people responsible for fetching water had to be wrapped up tightly each time to keep out the biting cold wind at the mountaintop.

The group not only had to wear several layers of cotton clothing, but also had to carry heavy buckets of water, making their movements very inconvenient.

Almost every time they went to fetch water, one of Li Zicheng's men would accidentally slip and fall, letting out a brief scream before dying at the foot of Mount Taibai.

In less than half a month, Li Zicheng's forces had already lost nearly a thousand men.

Hearing the casualty figures, Li Zicheng felt a pang of pity, but he still waved his hand with a blank expression.

There's no other way; this is the survival rule for ordinary people at the bottom of society.

Only by fighting with all our might to survive can we carve out a new world for ourselves.

　I'll post 5k first, and update later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)