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

Chapter 201 Capturing Cao Wenzhao Alive

As Li Laowai led his men in a feigned retreat, only a group of trembling civilians and thirty-two wounded soldiers hiding in the innermost layer remained in the vehicle formation.

Seeing this, Cao Wenzhao and his soldiers cheered in victory.

"Wan Sheng! Wan Sheng!"

Cao Wenzhao felt a great sense of satisfaction. He and his band of bandits had fought their way from Shanxi to Henan and had finally won a great victory.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a great victory. The hundred or so large carts in front of us must be the enemy's supplies and provisions.

In his view, these bandits were desperate and would starve to death in Shaanxi sooner or later without their supplies.

As for looting everywhere to replenish supplies?
The bandits were destined to be disappointed. They had led their troops all the way here, looting everything they could, and hadn't seen any civilian houses along the way, effectively preventing the bandits from obtaining supplies in advance.

He was certain that within ten days, these bandits would be starving and go mad.

When the time comes, I can wait in comfort and easily win.

Thinking of this, Cao Wenzhao breathed a sigh of relief and turned to order his men to lead troops up to receive the bandits' supplies and provisions.

Inside the army formation, the civilians from Yinchuan were terrified when they saw the government troops approaching.

Many people, clinging to a sliver of hope, desperately tried to break free of their chains and run away to surrender to the government troops.

Despite their desperate efforts, they were unable to break free of the iron chains binding their feet. In desperation, they could only kneel down and kowtow to the government troops outside the wagon formation, begging for mercy.

But our General Cao is not someone who can be easily subdued.
He had already made up his mind to slaughter all the people who had joined the bandits.

Cao Wenzhao first pretended to send people to bring a few of the outermost civilians to the central army headquarters for questioning.

The man brought before Cao Wenzhao was a middle-aged man named Tian Yong.

Upon seeing the murderous Cao Wenzhao, he was so terrified that he wet himself and his body trembled like a leaf.

Upon seeing this, Cao Wenzhao frowned:

"You bunch of unruly people, how dare you aid and abet the wicked and commit evil? Don't you know you're headed for death?"

Tian Yong kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy with a sob in his voice:
"Sir, spare my life! Sir, spare my life!"

"We were forced to join the bandits because we were starving and had no other choice!"

"Now that the imperial army has arrived, we are naturally willing to repent and return to the rule of the imperial court."

Cao Wenzhao glanced at him and continued to ask:

How did you join the bandit gang?

"Are those carts inside carrying the bandits' provisions?"

"Tell me everything! If you hide even a single word, I'll kill you on the spot!"

Tian Yong naturally dared not lie, and he stammered in response:
"Sir, the thieves posted notices in the city, offering large sums of money to lure soldiers who transport grain."

"We...we've all been struggling to make ends meet, so we just took this job."

Cao Wenzhao nodded and pressed on:

"Are you sure? The truck is full of thieves' supplies?"

Tian Yong nodded quickly:

"Absolutely true!"

“When I was transporting grain, I secretly peeked at the carts and saw that they were piled not only with grain and fodder, but also with gold and silver looted by the bandits!”

Cao Wenzhao asked several people in a row and received similar answers, so he finally felt relieved.

It should be fine now.

He keenly noticed that the people's feet were all shackled with iron chains, which aroused his suspicion:

"And what's with these iron chains?"

With a long face, Tian Yong hurriedly replied:
"These were all locked up by those damned thieves, everyone has one!"

"They were afraid that we, the temporary grain transport soldiers, would change our minds and desert, so they locked us all up."

Cao Wenzhao nodded and snorted coldly:
"I thought these thieves were kind-hearted bodhisattvas."

"In the end, won't it just be driving the people to their deaths!"

"However, this move is quite innovative; we can try it in the future."

He then summoned his personal guards who were not far away and inquired about the situation of the chariot formation ahead.

Several guards rushed forward, excitedly reporting:

"General Cao, just as those unruly people said, the thieves fled in panic, scattering gold, silver and grain all over the ground."

"The brothers up ahead are cleaning up the battlefield!"

The guard changed the subject.
"However, at the very back of the wagon formation, there seem to be some wounded bandits who are stubbornly resisting, clinging to the supply wagons."

"Guerrilla General Sun is leading his men to wipe out the remaining bandits. It shouldn't be long."

Upon hearing this, Cao Wenzhao frowned.

Why are there still thieves holding out here after the main force has fled?

"Come on, take me to see you."

……

At this moment, the innermost layer of the vehicle formation.

A young wounded soldier was clutching a tinderbox tightly in his hand, his palms covered in cold sweat.

He looked at the amputee veteran beside him and asked nervously:

"Squad Leader Ding, the government troops are about to charge! When...when should we light the fire?"

The officer with the broken leg, named Ding Ming, glared at the young man beside him and hissed:

"No hurries?"

"Let's see if we can wait for a high-ranking official to come, and then we can drag a corrupt official down with us. That would be worth it!"

"You little brat, put the tinderbox on for me first!"

"Don't let the government troops blow our own brothers to bits before they even get here!"

Upon hearing this, the young wounded soldier nodded quickly and was about to put the tinderbox back into his pocket.

But just then, Ding Ming, who was standing to the side, suddenly shouted excitedly:

"I'm coming!"

"Quick! Get all the tinderboxes out of here! Don't fucking shake your hands, just do as I say!"

Upon hearing this, the wounded soldiers around them perked up and quickly took out their tinderboxes, peering through the gaps in the wagon formation.

The visitor was none other than Cao Wenzhao.

He looked at the scattered musket shots and arrows fired from the wagon formation and knew that there were not many bandits left inside.

In order to ascertain the strength of the rebel army and to obtain as much information as possible about their whereabouts, Cao Wenzhao decided to first try to persuade them to surrender.

He turned to the messenger beside him and stepped forward to shout:

"Listen up, you thieves inside!"

"You are already surrounded and dead. If you are willing to lay down your weapons and surrender now, my general, with his compassionate heart, might spare your lives!"

Ding Ming lay on a burlap sack, looking at the soldiers who came to shout outside, his brows furrowed.

"What the hell are you mumbling about?"

He has hearing problems and can only hear things vaguely.

The young wounded soldier standing nearby quickly spoke up and explained to him:
"That Cao fellow wants to recruit us; he's sending people inside to call out to him."

Ding Ming spat out a disdainful spit:
"Lower my ass! Do you think we're fools?"

"Someone quick and agile one, shoot those soldiers who are shouting!"

Upon hearing this, the young wounded soldier quickly intervened:

"Officer Ding, don't rush."

"Why don't we pretend to agree first and trick the commander of the officers and soldiers into coming here?"

"Let's light the fire when he gets closer, it'll definitely blow that bastard to bits!"

Upon hearing this, Ding Ming's eyes lit up:
"That makes sense! You're quite clever, kid!"

He immediately sat up and shouted loudly outside:

"We can surrender, but I don't trust you lowly pawns!"

"If you want to surrender, then let your commander come here in person!"

"Otherwise, I'll just burn all this grain, and nobody will get a piece of it!"

Before long, Cao Wenzhao heard about Ding Ming's request.

In his view, the bandits were already surrounded and had no choice but to surrender.

Cao Wenzhao, unsuspecting of any trickery, raised his leg, ready to lead his men forward to seize the surrender.

Seeing this, guerrilla commander Sun Shoufa stopped Cao Wenzhao:
"General Cao, let me go instead. Be careful, the thieves might be up to no good."

But Cao Wenzhao simply waved his hand dismissively:

"It doesn't matter."

"Just a few dozen defeated soldiers, do you think they can eat me?"

"The most important thing is to quickly take in these surrendered soldiers and pursue the main force of the enemy!"

Sun Shoufa could not persuade him otherwise, so he could only send his personal guards to protect Cao Wenzhao in the center.

Cao Wenzhao, unconcerned, swaggered to the front line, stood in an open area fifty paces away from the chariot formation, and shouted loudly into it:

"Listen up, you bandits inside!"

"I am the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Route of Yansui. As long as you sincerely wish to surrender, I guarantee I will not touch you!"

Inside the car formation, Ding Ming frowned as he looked at Cao Wenzhao, who was quite a distance away.
"Damn it, so afraid of dying!"

"Walk a little closer! If you're within thirty steps, I'll send you flying to the heavens today!"

Ding Ming raised his head and shouted loudly outside with all his might:

"What are the officials outside saying? We can't hear them clearly; they're too far away!"

"Could you please come closer to speak with me?"

But Cao Wenzhao wasn't stupid. If they went any further, they would be within range of arrows and muskets.

As a cavalryman, knowing how to judge distance is the most basic skill, and he didn't want to be shot to death by a bandit's arrow because of a moment of carelessness.

Cao Wenzhao sent several of his personal guards forward to call out to the rebels, but the rebel soldiers inside refused to surrender. They insisted that he, as their commander, personally go and persuade them to surrender.

Everyone else who went forward was driven back by their arrows.

At this point, Cao Wenzhao had completely lost his patience.

He turned his head and impatiently ordered Xiang Jun, the guerrilla commander beside him:

"Forget it, I think the thieves aren't really willing to surrender; they're probably just stalling for time."

"Take your men over there and wipe out the remaining troops first."

"Then I will transport all the supplies back to my unit."

Xiang Jun nodded, went back and mustered more than 300 soldiers, preparing to go forward and wipe out the bandits.

Seeing that Cao Wenzhao refused to advance any further, Ding Ming instead dispatched a large force to launch a strong attack.

He also realized that the enemy general seemed to have become suspicious, and that he probably wouldn't be able to kill him today.

Ding Ming sighed regretfully, then glanced at the brothers around him and slowly blew on the tinderbox in his hand.

"Brothers, the time is almost up, it's time for us to set off."

Seeing this, the wounded soldiers around him followed Ding Ming and blew on their own tinderboxes, looking completely at ease.

Ding Ming looked at them and nodded:
"We're all good brothers, see you in the next life."

At this moment, guerrilla commander Xiang Jun had led more than 300 soldiers to the front of the wagon formation.

Seeing this, Ding Ming did not hesitate for a moment and resolutely lit the fuse beside him.

"I'll die for the Commander!!"

With a roar, the wounded soldiers around them lit the fuses beside them, shouting in unison:
"I'll die for the Commander!!"

Xiang Jun, who was charging ahead, suddenly heard angry roars coming from the traffic jam and became puzzled.

Before he could even step forward to check, the line of cars in front of him suddenly burst into flames, followed by a violent explosion.

boom! boom! boom!
With several deafening roars, dozens of trucks loaded with black powder and iron shot were detonated at the same time.

The massive shockwave, carrying iron filings, wood chips, and severed limbs, swept wildly in all directions.

Xiang Jun, who was at the forefront, and his more than 300 soldiers were torn to pieces by the massive explosion before they could even react.

In an instant, severed limbs flew everywhere, and flesh was mangled beyond recognition; the scene was extremely gruesome.

Moreover, the shockwave from the explosion slammed into the cavalrymen on the perimeter like a heavy hammer, knocking them off their horses.

The large number of warhorses were frightened and neighed loudly. They broke free of their reins and fled wildly in all directions.

Under normal circumstances, the warhorses of the Ming army were rigorously trained and had long been accustomed to the sound of guns and cannons through countless drills.

However, the sound of ordinary cannons was nothing compared to the explosion of these dozens of truckloads of gunpowder!

Not only the warhorses, but even the surrounding soldiers were terrified and collapsed to the ground.

Cao Wenzhao, who was a hundred paces away from the explosion's epicenter, was in an even worse situation.

He felt as if a tremendous force had slammed into his chest, sending him flying. He tumbled several times before crashing heavily to the ground.

Cao Wenzhao felt a sweet taste in his throat, and then spat out a mouthful of blood, clearly indicating that he had suffered a serious internal injury.

"General Cao!"

"Quickly! Protect the General!"

The guards around him were also stunned and dizzy.

But seeing their commander injured, they disregarded their own disheveled state, struggled to their feet, and helped Cao Wenzhao up from the ground.

At this moment, Cao Wenzhao was covered in dust and dirt, his ears were ringing, and apart from the sound of his heart pounding wildly, everything else had become a blank.

He looked at the scene before him, both shocked and furious:
"What's going on?! What's going on?!"

He opened his mouth and roared with all his might, but found that he couldn't hear anything.

Before a response could be heard, the sound of rapid hoofbeats and deafening battle cries came from not far away.

"The bandits are back!!"

A guard leaned close to Cao Wenzhao's ear, pointed behind him, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

But Cao Wenzhao still couldn't hear anything. He looked at his personal guards' anxious mouth movements with a blank expression.

Seeing this, the guard was so anxious that he broke out in a cold sweat and forcefully turned Cao Wenzhao's body over.

The moment Cao Wenzhao turned around, his pupils suddenly contracted!

He was horrified to discover that a dark mass of bandits had rushed out from the intersection and was about to attack him.

Without time to think, his survival instinct made him take off running!

It turned out that the moment the explosion rang out, Li Laowai and Shao Yong, who had been lying in ambush, immediately realized that the time to counterattack had come.

Without hesitation, the two immediately mustered their troops and charged back at full speed in the direction of the explosion.

At that moment, the officers and soldiers were still reeling from the massive explosion.

Many people were still on the ground, clutching their shattered ears and wailing in pain.
Most people, however, were trying their best to calm the frightened warhorses.

The entire army was in complete chaos, with no time to organize a defense before the enemy soldiers attacked.

Upon seeing the menacing bandit cavalry, the government soldiers, who were already terrified, dared not fight any longer.

They instinctively took off running, wishing their parents had given them two more legs.

The problem is, they escaped, but their commander, Cao Wenzhao, is still inside!
Cao Wenzhao had not previously rode forward on horseback in an attempt to persuade Cao Wenzhao to surrender.

At this moment, he was suffering from internal injuries and surrounded by hundreds of personal guards, so he couldn't escape even if he wanted to.

Cao Wenzhao could only watch helplessly as Shao Yong's cavalry easily broke through the chaotic army formation and surrounded him.

"uncle!!"

On the outskirts, Cao Bianjiao, who had narrowly escaped death, saw his uncle surrounded by bandits and was filled with rage.

His first instinct was to muster his troops, charge forward, break through the enemy lines, and support Cao Wenzhao.

At this moment, apart from a few dozen shaken personal guards, there was no other organized force to be found beside Cao Bianjiao.

The bandits' cavalry came on strong and relentlessly pursued the fleeing government troops.

Even so, Cao Bianjiao, his eyes red, prepared to urge his horse forward, attempting to rescue Cao Wenzhao from the chaos of the army.

Just then, Sun Shoufa stepped forward and grabbed his horse's reins tightly.

"Commander Cao! Don't act rashly!"

Cao Bianjiao didn't even glance at him, his eyes fixed on the battlefield not far away, and roared:
"Get out of the way! My uncle is inside!!"

Sun Shoufa was sweating profusely with anxiety and refused to let go no matter what:

"Guerrilla Commander Cao, calm down! The enemy forces are overwhelming, and our army has already been defeated!"

"If you rush in now, what good will it do but send yourself to your death?"

"The most crucial thing now is to gather the remaining troops. If our cavalry is completely wiped out by the bandits, then there will truly be no one to control them in the future!"

"Where there's life, there's hope. Commander Cao should prioritize the overall interests of the court!"

After much persuasion, Sun Shoufa finally managed to calm Cao Bianjiao down from his near-madness.

Cao Bianjiao sighed, turned around and glared angrily at his uncle Cao Wenzhao, who was surrounded in the middle of the battlefield.

After thinking for a long time, he gritted his teeth and suddenly turned his horse around.

"Walk!!"

He had to leave.

At this moment, Hong Ming had already dispatched more than a thousand cavalrymen, who were fiercely pursuing and killing the fleeing soldiers.

It must be said that since the arrival of this elite cavalry force of over a thousand men, Jiang Han's troops have significantly improved their pursuit capabilities.

Faced with these terrified routs, the cavalry only needed to pursue them closely, nock their arrows, and easily take them down one by one; none of them could escape.

In the blink of an eye, the battlefield was littered with the corpses of thousands of government soldiers.

At the heart of the battlefield, Cao Wenzhao was leading his last remaining personal guards in a desperate struggle.

All around him, as far as the eye could see, were gleaming blades.

The bandits' cavalry patrolled the perimeter, firing arrows, while their infantry pressed in layers, constantly shrinking the encirclement.

The two commanders, Shao Yong and Li Laowai, personally led over a thousand elite troops to surround him like an iron barrel.

Even when trapped in a desperate situation, Cao Wenzhao did not give up and continued to fight desperately.

The steel sword in his hand was already dulled from cutting; his body was also riddled with arrows, and his armor was stained red with blood.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break through the thieves' encirclement.

His personal guards fell one after another, almost all of them dead or wounded.

Seeing no hope of breaking through, Cao Wenzhao let out a long sigh of helplessness.

He fought back several bandits in front of him, drew the short blade from his waist, and was about to commit suicide by cutting his own throat, sacrificing himself for his country.

But just then, a sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out!

"call out!"

A powerful arrow pierced through the air and precisely struck his right palm!
"what--!"

A sharp, piercing pain shot through Cao Wenzhao, who let out a shrill scream. He could no longer hold onto the short blade, and it clattered to the ground.

Not far away, Shao Yong, riding on his horse, sneered and slowly lowered the longbow in his hand.

That arrow was shot by him.

He had been watching Cao Wenzhao's every move from his high vantage point. When he saw that Cao Wenzhao was about to draw his sword and commit suicide, he immediately drew his bow and shot an arrow that pierced Cao Wenzhao's right hand.

Cao Wenzhao's entire palm was pierced by an arrow, and it was covered in blood.

He endured the excruciating pain, gritting his teeth, trying to pull the arrow from his hand.

But at that moment, Li Laowai and his men had already cut down the last few stubborn soldiers.

Overjoyed to see the injured Cao Wenzhao, he pounced on him like a hungry tiger, leaping forward and pinning Cao Wenzhao to the ground.

"You traitor Cao! Let's see where you can run to this time!!"

The dust has settled.

Thus, Cao Wenzhao, who had fought on the battlefield for more than ten years and was known as the "best general of the late Ming Dynasty," was captured alive on the spot.

　Here's one chapter, more should follow later.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)