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

Chapter 199 Breakout
After much deliberation, Jiang Han finally agreed to Zhao Sheng's plan.

He had no choice.

Now is the critical moment for the army to break through the encirclement, and under his command are nearly seven thousand soldiers who have entrusted their lives to him.

Any shred of mercy or compassion could lead to disaster.

Zhao Sheng was very efficient. That afternoon, a huge notice was posted in the southwest corner of Yinchuan City.

This is the "slum" of Yinchuan City, where the poorest people in the city live.

The notice immediately attracted countless eyes as soon as it was posted.

Several officers stood to the side, holding silver and grain, explaining the contents of the notice to the poor people around them.

"Fellow villagers, my commander urgently needs three hundred 'grain transport soldiers' to help the army break through the encirclement!"

"Voluntary registration! Qualified applicants will receive ten taels of silver and two shi of wheat!"

"This journey is fraught with peril, and once selected, there is no turning back!!!"

These words caused an uproar throughout the slum.

The officials were surrounded by starving people who had rushed over upon hearing the news, forming a dense, impenetrable crowd.

If it weren't for the armored soldiers standing around, these starving people would probably have robbed those bags of grain and silver on the spot.

Ten taels of silver and two bushels of wheat!
For these starving people who were barely clothed and had no food, this was a huge fortune.

Ten taels of silver, given the soaring prices in Ningxia, could buy about two shi of millet and two shi of wheat. If they ate thin porridge every meal, it could allow a family of three to live for about half a year longer.

"Let's do it!"

From the crowd, a man with a pale face and swollen body stepped forward, his eyes red:

"The children haven't eaten for two days. Rather than watching them starve to death, I'd rather use my worthless life to give them a chance to live!"

These words instantly ignited the crowd, and the starving people, without prior agreement, ignored the warning of near-death experiences and rushed to join the grain transport team.

In their view, staying in the city was simply a matter of waiting to die; the only difference was whether they died a few days sooner or a few days later.

It would be better to take advantage of our mobility and try to exchange some food.

Jiang Han did not appear at the recruitment site. He simply stood on a nearby restaurant, opened the window, and silently watched the frenzied crowd below.

In less than an hour, the three hundred people were easily recruited.

Seeing that the grain transport team was no longer recruiting, many of the people who were not selected became anxious.

They knelt down with a thud, hugged the leg of the person in charge, and cried and begged for another spot, hoping to give their families a chance to survive.

The other "grain transport soldiers" who were successfully selected, however, had smiles on their faces, showing no trace of the sadness and fear of going to their deaths.

Jiang Han watched this scene silently, feeling as if a huge rock was blocking his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.

He sighed deeply, closed the window, and turned to leave the restaurant.

Who doesn't want to live?
It wasn't just the civilians who risked their lives for food, but also the brothers in the wounded soldiers' camp.

Zhao Sheng found a total of thirty-two soldiers in the wounded soldiers' camp who had volunteered to set themselves on fire and die.

They received the highest level of treatment during these past few days.

These people were placed in the most comfortable barracks, given clean and tidy clothes, and served good wine and food every day;

The army's medics were always by their side, cleaning and bandaging their wounds and relieving their pain as much as possible.

Everyone knew that these were their last days.

The night before the breakout, it was deep in darkness.

Jiang Han ordered his men to carry several jars of fine wine from the Prince's mansion into this special barracks.

"The commander-in-chief is here!"

Upon seeing Jiang Han enter, all the wounded soldiers who could still move struggled to get up and salute.

"Sit down! Don't move!"

Upon seeing this, Jiang Han quickly stepped forward and stopped the crowd.

He walked to the middle of the barracks, placed the wine jar he was carrying heavily on the ground, and without saying anything unnecessary, silently poured a large bowl of strong liquor for everyone.

Looking at the resolute faces around him, Jiang Han picked up his wine bowl and slowly spun it around:
"Brothers, I'd like to offer you all a bowl of wine!"

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank the bowl of strong liquor in one gulp.

Seeing this, the wounded soldiers around them also picked up their wine bowls and, with the help of their comrades, drank the wine in one gulp.

Jiang Han looked at them and said in a deep voice:

"I won't say more. Is there anything else you haven't fulfilled?"

“Say it all. As long as it’s within my power, Jiang Han will do it without hesitation!”

Inside the barracks, all was silent.

After waiting for a long time, a veteran with a broken leg next to me grinned and revealed a broad-minded smile.

"General, Zhao has done everything he could these past few days. We have no regrets."

"We won't go into what kind of life we ​​lived before; everyone knows the truth."

"Since I joined you, Commander, on the road to defend the emperor and started the rebellion, I've lived a life that's been worthwhile."

"After following you, I've eaten meat countless times and received countless salaries in these two years, I can't even remember how many meals I've had."

"My life was given to me by you, Commander. Now that I'm a cripple, I can still repay you one last time. I think it was all worth it!"

As soon as the veteran finished speaking, the wounded soldiers around him chimed in with their agreement.

They made no demands, but simply chatted and joked with Jiang Han in the calmest tone, recounting their life stories.

It was as if what was about to happen was not a mission that would surely lead to certain death, but rather an ordinary long journey.

"I will repay your kindness on the Golden Terrace and die for you, supporting the Jade Dragon."

This is not just a line of poetry, but a true reflection of the soldiers of ancient times.

After several rounds of drinks, Jiang Han looked at the smiling, fearless warriors facing their deaths and felt a mix of emotions.

He suddenly asked a question:
"Brothers, are there any of you who have no sons in your families, no one to carry on the family line?"

The moment the words were spoken, the atmosphere in the barracks froze.

The smiles on the faces of the men, who had been smiling, instantly froze.

They both lowered their heads, their eyes filled with sadness.

Most of these people are single men with no ties to them;
Those with families had mostly perished in the years of natural disasters, so there was no question of having offspring to carry on the family line.

In this era, it is said that of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is having no offspring.

Although dying on the battlefield and being wrapped in a horse's hide is their duty;
But if one dies without any descendants to burn incense and pay respects, wouldn't that be too tragic?

Jiang Han looked at them and slowly stood up:
Give me all your waist tags.

Upon hearing this, the wounded soldiers in the barracks looked at each other, puzzled, but still subconsciously obeyed and took off the wooden plaques from their waists.

Jiang Han walked over to each of the thirty-two wounded soldiers and collected all the waist tags in his hands.

During the Ming Dynasty, soldiers would carry a waist tag with a piece of paper attached, which recorded each soldier's name and place of origin in detail.

Jiang Han looked at the heavy waist tokens in his hand, his tone extremely solemn:
“Brothers, I have remembered your names.”

"I can't conjure up a son for you out of thin air." "However, once I, Jiang Han, have settled down, I will find an orphan for you, adopt him into your family, and set up a memorial tablet for you so that you can enjoy sacrifices throughout the four seasons!"

Upon hearing this, the wounded soldiers, who had been relatively calm, suddenly had tears in their eyes and could no longer hold back, so they all knelt down on the ground.

"Marshal!!"

Inside the barracks, the sound of weeping filled the air.

There is no sadness, only endless gratitude.

They can now set off with peace of mind.

As dawn broke the next day, the moment to break through arrived.

Jiang Han redeployed his nearly 7,000 troops, dividing them into four parts.

At the forefront was the vanguard battalion of two thousand men led by Shao Yong, who would be responsible for breaking through the government troops' defenses in this battle.

Following closely behind was the main force of two thousand troops personally led by Jiang Han.

This is the core of the entire army. Jiang Han is stationed here, responsible for dealing with all emergencies. He is the pillar of the entire army.

Next came the artillery battalion and supply battalion led by Dong Erzhu.

This was the lifeline of the army; hundreds of carts were loaded with money, food, and ammunition looted from Yinchuan.

Following closely behind was the fake supply battalion composed of civilians and suicide soldiers.

The fake supply wagons also numbered in the hundreds, covered on the surface with grain and fodder, but underneath they were piled high with gunpowder.

At the rear of the main army was the Left Battalion led by Li Laowai.

Their mission was to pull the fake supply battalion to cover the rear of the main army, buying time for the main force and the real supply battalion ahead.

The entire army was arranged in a vertical formation of "vanguard - main force - real supplies - fake supplies - rearguard".

In Jiang Han's battle plan, the vanguard was responsible for carving a bloody path, with the central army and the true supply battalion following closely behind.

When the government troops arrive, Li Laowai's rear guard will fight to the death to hold them off.

Once the main force and the real supply battalion have gone far away, Li Laowai can pretend to be defeated and abandon the fake supply battalion made up of civilians as bait.

Jiang Han was not too worried about the pursuit ability of the government infantry.

What he truly feared were Cao Wenzhao's Guan Ning cavalry and Hong Chengchou's main force of several thousand cavalry.

These two cavalry units together number approximately 2,500 riders. Once entangled with them, it will be very troublesome.

Therefore, this fake supply battalion was specially prepared by Jiang Han for the government army's cavalry.

At that time, using the sound of gunpowder exploding as a signal, and taking advantage of the chaos, the rear guard will become the vanguard, cooperating with the ambushed cavalry to launch a surprise attack and leave all the government troops in their tracks.

South of Yinchuan City, at Nanxun Gate.

Shao Yong led the vanguard out of Nanxun Gate in single file, followed closely by the main force of the mighty army.

Because the city gate was narrow, the army had to pass through the gate before they could rearrange their formation and prepare to break out.

The government troops on guard outside the city quickly discovered the rebels' unusual movements and immediately sent someone to report to their commander.

The commander-in-chief of Gansu, Yang Jiamo, was in charge of guarding Nanxun Gate. Upon receiving the news, he immediately realized that the enemy soldiers were about to break through.

"Quickly! All troops, prepare for battle! Beat the drums and form ranks!"

He dared not delay. While ordering his soldiers to prepare for defense, he immediately dispatched fast horses to request reinforcements from Guanghua Gate, which was guarded by He Huchen, and the main camp of Hong Chengchou in the north of the city.

Because of Jiang Han's previous night raid, the government troops' defensive focus had shifted to the north of the city.

Currently, there are only a little over 6,000 soldiers in the southern part of the city, and they are also divided to guard the Guanghua Gate and Nanxun Gate, leaving the military force very weak.

The battle quickly escalated, with both sides giving their all.

"kill!!"

As the vanguard of the entire army, Shao Yong, without hesitation, led his two thousand elite troops in a fierce attack on the hastily organized defense line of Yang Jiamo, like tigers descending a mountain.

The vanguard, clad in armor and carrying shields, formed a tight wedge formation and charged forward recklessly, braving the rain of arrows and bullets from the government troops.

"Hold on! Spearmen, move forward! Hold the line!"

Yang Jiamo's expression changed drastically when he saw the heavily armored vanguard of the enemy soldiers. He shouted hoarsely as he commanded his troops to defend.

The Gansu soldiers under his command were considered a formidable force in the army.

They quickly deployed several rows of dense spear formations in front of their lines, the sharp spears resembling an inverted jungle, attempting to block the enemy's advance.

However, the vanguard at the forefront did not hesitate at all when faced with the government troops' gleaming guns. As if they were blind to it, they charged forward with all their might.

They entrusted the task of breaking through the gun emplacement to their comrades behind them.

The soldiers following behind understood and immediately lit the thunderbolts in their hands, throwing them wildly into the government troops' gun formation as if they were free.

boom--!
Accompanied by a series of loud explosions, dozens of thunderclaps detonated amidst the government troops' gunfire.

The massive shockwave, carrying lead pellets, slammed heavily into the government troops.

In an instant, the government troops were thrown into disarray by the bombing, and their once tight gun formation was reduced to rubble.

The vanguard seized the opportunity and charged straight into the enemy ranks, shields raised.

The government soldiers at the front were still reeling from the roar of the enemy's firearms and had no time to react before they were knocked away, gun and all.

Upon seeing this, Yang Jiamo's deputy immediately led his men forward to block the opening, forming a second line of defense, and launched a frenzied attack on the enemy soldiers in front.

Liu Ning, a commander under Shao Yong, took the lead. Relying on his thick armor, he withstood the barrage of spear thrusts, swept away the spear shafts with his mace, and smashed the iron helmets of the government soldiers in front of him with a single blow.

Swordsmen and shieldmen followed closely behind, forming a shield wall, and frantically hurled javelins at the government troops' spearmen in front of them.

Many gunners instinctively lowered their guns and tried to dodge, but were immediately slit in the throat by the bandits who rushed forward.

With just one charge, a huge gap was torn in Yang Jiamo's hastily laid-out defenses.

The government troops' lines began to break down.

Faced with well-equipped bandits, their morale was rapidly crumbling.

"Reinforcements are almost here! Hold the line!"

Seeing this, Yang Jiamo's eyes turned bloodshot. No matter what, he absolutely could not back down.

Once this point is breached, the entire southern defense will completely collapse!

If the bandits escape in a flash, he'll lose his head.

With this in mind, he suddenly drew his sword and led his personal guards to the front line in an attempt to stabilize morale.

However, the enemy's offensive became increasingly fierce, and many soldiers around them dared not resist at all, turning around and wanting to abandon their positions and flee.

"No retreating! Anyone who dares to retreat, I'll chop them up!"

Seeing this, Yang Jiamo did not hesitate at all and cut down several deserters who tried to retreat.

Just as his defenses were about to be completely breached, a sudden burst of urgent drumbeats and shouts of battle came from the western horizon.

Yang Jiamo looked up and was overjoyed.

It's He Huchen!

He Huchen, who is in charge of guarding Guanghua Gate, has brought reinforcements!

As long as He Huchen launches an attack from the right flank of the enemy troops, he will surely be able to repel them!

(End of this chapter)