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

Chapter 240 First Steps into the World, Slaying a Lieutenant General

Liu Hanru and Ding Yunxiang, leading their troops, successfully arrived at Shangxiong Pass via a side path, guided by Zheng Yu and the other two.

Although the journey was arduous and difficult, fortunately, they did not encounter any enemy ambushes, and the army passed through the path safely.

Seeing this, Liu Hanru and Ding Yunxiang, who had been very wary, gradually relaxed.

Shangxiong Pass was originally a pass established by the imperial court in its early years to defend against the barbarian tribes of Songpan.

However, it has long been in disrepair and is no longer of great use.

When the government troops arrived, the militiamen defending the city only fired two arrows as a token gesture, offering only minimal resistance.

They then abandoned the city and fled in disarray towards Shimen Valley.

After successfully capturing Shangxiong Pass, Liu Hanru and Ding Yunxiang were brimming with confidence.

This was indeed the bandits' weak point in defense!

Knowing the importance of speed in warfare, the two immediately ordered their troops to abandon the pass and head towards Shimen Valley in the rear to avoid the enemy being on guard.

At this moment, the mountain walls on both sides of Shimen Valley were already crowded with the righteous army holding their breath.

The scouts ahead have reported that the soldiers will enter the valley in one hour.

Yu Chengye lay prone behind a boulder, a dry blade of grass dangling from his mouth, his right hand constantly rubbing the quiver at his waist, appearing extremely tense.

"Brother Chengye, we're about to engage the enemy head-on. Have you brought all your equipment?"

Li Dingguo, standing to the side, was carefully inspecting his protective gear and equipment: chainmail, cloth armor, waist knife, and small bow.
The soft clanging of metal against metal was exceptionally clear in the silent valley.

"Remember, wait until the government troops have passed the valley entrance before making a move."

Li Zicheng's voice came from ahead, carrying a hint of murderous intent.

"Tsering, you lead the barbarian soldiers to guard the end of the road and prevent the government troops from crossing the minefield."

"Yu Chengye and Li Dingguo, you two will lead the militia to guard the flanks."

"Zong Min, Li Guo, you take your troops and be ready to cut off the government troops' retreat once they enter the valley!"

"Remember, you must wait until the entire government troops have entered the valley before you make your move!"

The winter sun pierced through the thin mist, illuminating the winding path at the bottom of the valley.

A series of chaotic hoofbeats approached from afar, and the government troops' soldiers appeared at the valley entrance on tall horses.

After confirming that it was safe, Tang Bing immediately signaled with two flags to the rear.

A moment later, several hundred government cavalry appeared at the valley entrance, followed by a large group of infantry.

The valley is flanked by towering cliffs, with only a narrow path less than two zhang wide in the middle.

Looking at the empty valley, Ding Yunxiang from the Central Military Command became wary:

"This place is dangerous; we cannot stay here for long."

"Pass on my order: the entire army must swiftly pass through the valley without delay!"

With his command, the government troops surged into Shimen Valley like a tidal wave, but just as they reached the middle of the valley entrance, a sudden change occurred!
boom--

A loud bang shook the mountainside, sending earth and debris flying. Several cavalrymen at the front stepped on a tripwire mine and were blown away along with their horses.

"How come there are bandits' minefields here too?!"

Before the government troops could react, arrows rained down from both sides of the valley, and gunfire erupted everywhere.

The rolling stones, carrying dust and smoke, hurtled down on the group of government troops huddled together below!
"Damn it! There's an ambush!"

"Don't stop, keep charging forward! Get out of here!"

Ding Yunxiang reacted quickly and immediately ordered the soldiers in the vanguard to continue forward, attempting to break out of the valley as quickly as possible.

But ahead lay a minefield laid by the bandits, and the soldiers below were already terrified. How could they dare to step on the mines with their bare hands?
Left with no other option, Ding Yunxiang ordered the rear guard to become the front guard and withdraw from the valley.

Just as the troops turned to retreat, they heard a commotion coming from the valley entrance behind them. Liu Zongmin had led his soldiers to block the government troops' retreat route.

"kill!"

Li Zicheng's roar echoed through the valley, and the ambushing rebel army surged out from all directions like a tide.

Seeing that there was no way to retreat, Ding Yunxiang and Liu Hanru had no choice but to muster their courage and lead their troops to meet the enemy.

Yu Chengye and Li Dingguo took the lead, leading the militia straight into the battle.

Although this was the first time the two had faced the government troops head-on, they had seen just as many battles, both large and small, as these government troops.

Having been exposed to this environment for a long time, the two quickly suppressed their nervousness and instead excitedly charged through the crowd.

Not to be outdone, Tsering, not far away, led his soldiers and laborers into the battlefield, howling with gusto.

The government troops had already traveled a long distance, and the ambush they encountered further demoralized them, making them no match for the well-rested and prepared rebel army.

As more and more rebels joined the battle, the officers and soldiers could no longer hold out and fell dead on the spot.

Only Ding Yunxiang and Liu Hanru, the two main generals, are still fighting back against the rebel army's attack with their hundreds of soldiers.

The two stood one in front of the other, supporting each other from all sides.

Liu Hanru led his men in front, blocking the troops of Li Zicheng and Liu Zongmin; while Ding Yunxiang led his troops behind, resisting the militia that surged in from all directions.

"Dingguo, do you see that officer leading the group?"

"This guy must be the commander of the government troops. If we kill him, we can break in."

In the chaos, Yu Chengye pulled Li Dingguo back to the cliff face, pointing down at Ding Yunxiang in the crowd.
"Find a way to shoot him with an arrow!"

Li Dingguo, covered in blood, stared at Ding Yunxiang below for a long time before nodding heavily.
Fifty paces away, Ding Yunxiang, dressed in mountain-patterned armor, was focused on dealing with the bandits in front of him and had no time to spare for anything else.

Li Dingguo took the bow, squinted his right eye, and slowly pulled the bowstring back against his cheek.

He held his breath, and with a gentle flick of his finger, the arrow shot out of the bowstring, heading straight for Ding Yunxiang's face.

Unfortunately, a sharp-eyed guard spotted Li Dingguo, who was drawing his bow and nocking an arrow on the high place, and immediately shouted at the top of his lungs:
"General, be careful!"

"There's a hidden attack!"

In the crowd, Ding Yunxiang had just led his men to repel a wave of attacks from the bandits.

Upon hearing the shouts, alarm bells rang in his mind, and he instinctively dodged to avoid the bandits' sneak attack.

But he was too late. The arrow pierced the air and, although it didn't kill him instantly, it still struck his thigh squarely.

what--

Ding Yunxiang was in pain, lost his balance, and fell to the ground with a scream.

"General!"

The guards nearby were shocked to see this and immediately stepped forward to protect Ding Yunxiang, lest the enemy soldiers take advantage of the situation.

In the chaos, a guard helped Ding Yunxiang up and pointed to a dense forest on the west side:
"General, let's go that way. This is the passage where the enemy soldiers hid."

"Maybe we can escape from here!"

Ding Yunxiang wanted to refuse, but the soldiers picked him up without saying a word and carried him into the woods.

"Brothers, cover my rear!"
"I'll lead the general along the side path!"

Upon hearing this, the guards around them immediately formed a human wall, blocking the two men and drawing the attention of the bandits.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the guard carried Ding Yunxiang on his back and quietly withdrew from the battlefield, heading straight for the dense forest to the west.

Although the human wall blocked most of the view, it couldn't stop Yu Chengye and Li Dingguo from looking down from above.

"Grab the one in the bright silver armor!"

Yu Chengye, with his sharp eyes, pointed at Ding Yunxiang, who was being protected by his personal guards, and shouted.

But as far as the eye could see, the battlefield was already in complete chaos.

To cover their commander's retreat, Ding Yunxiang's personal guards launched a frenzied counter-charge against the rebel army, forcefully repelling the surrounding militia.

The soldiers at the front were fighting Liu Hanru's troops at the valley entrance, while the militia were fighting on both sides of the valley around the government troops, and they couldn't spare any manpower for the time being.

Yu Chengye gritted his teeth and said to Li Dingguo beside him:

"Let's go!"

The two charged across the devastated battlefield, their knives drawn, their feet drenched in corpses and blood pooling into a muddy mess.

The two nearly slipped on the corpses several times, and it took them a lot of effort to finally get into the woods and begin searching for the enemy general.

Fortunately, Ding Yunxiang had a leg injury, so his bodyguards could only help him move forward slowly, step by step.

"General, I'll bandage you up after we get out of this forest."

Before the soldier could finish speaking, a rapid whooshing sound came from behind him.

Two arrows flew in quick succession, striking Ding Yunxiang and his personal guard in the back of the body respectively.

Ding Yunxiang felt a tremendous force coming from his back, lost his balance, and fell to the ground.

Ding Yunxiang, panting heavily, touched the breastplate behind him with lingering fear; a crater from an arrow was clearly visible on it.

But his personal guard was not so lucky. Without a breastplate, he was shot through by an arrow and died on the spot.

"Ma Yi!"

Seeing his personal guards lying on the ground, Ding Yunxiang's eyes widened in fury.

Before he could take a closer look, he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

"Stop right there! Stop right there!"

"If you touch me again, I'll kill you!"

Ding Yunxiang initially thought that the main force of the enemy had arrived, and he was contemplating whether to commit suicide to die for his country.

But when he turned around, he saw two boys, around thirteen or fourteen years old, chasing after him.

Two men, carrying longbows and swords, blocked his way from the front and back. Judging from their attire, Ding Yunxiang believed they belonged to the militia of the bandits, at most a militia captain.

"Just you?"

Ding Yunxiang laughed loudly and stood still, leaning on his knife.

"I've fought in the south and north for many years, pacifying Bozhou and conquering Yunnan. I've crossed more bridges than you've walked roads!"

"You two brats think you can stop me?"

However, Ding Yunxiang was injured and did not want to cause any further trouble.

So he changed the subject and began to try to induce surrender:
"Kid, what future can you have by following a rebel?"

"I see that you two are exceptionally brave and skilled. Why not abandon the darkness and embrace the light, and return to the rule of the imperial court?"

He endured his leg injury and put on an air of official authority.
"I am the Zhaoyi General of the Great Ming Dynasty, a Senior Light Cavalry Captain, and a Third-Rank Assistant General."

"As long as you are willing to abandon the darkness and turn to the light, and help me escape, I can recommend you two to join my army. You can choose the positions of centurion and battalion commander!"

What do you two think?

Upon hearing Ding Yunxiang's words, both Yu Chengye and Li Dingguo laughed.

Unexpectedly, we caught a big fish.

We absolutely cannot let him get away today!
Without saying a word, Li Dingguo immediately drew his bow and nocked an arrow, which flew straight at Ding Yunxiang's face with a "whoosh"!

Fortunately, Ding Yunxiang reacted quickly. When he saw the thief draw his bow, he instinctively raised his arms and used his arm guards to block the thief's face.

The arrow struck the iron arm guard hard, sending up a burst of dazzling sparks.

Even with protective gear, the immense kinetic energy from the arrow still caused Ding Yunxiang to stagger backward and lose his balance.

"court death!"

Ding Yunxiang was furious, but before he could finish speaking, Yu Chengye and Li Dingguo had already drawn their swords and rushed forward.

Seeing this irreconcilable confrontation, Ding Yunxiang had no choice but to draw his knife and charge forward, intending to kill these two arrogant brats first.

The goose-feather saber slashed towards Li Dingguo's face with a strong wind, forcing Li Dingguo to retreat repeatedly. He tripped over a tree root and almost fell.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yu Chengye attacked from the side, his blade aimed directly at Ding Yunxiang's lower body. He could clearly see that Ding Yunxiang's left leg was trembling.

The three of them instantly engaged in battle.

Although Ding Yunxiang had a leg injury, he had been fighting for many years and his experience was undeniable, so his moves were always aimed at the vital points.

Li Dingguo and Yu Chengye barely managed to hold on by relying entirely on their ruthlessness and tacit understanding, with one attacking from above and the other from below.

But as time went on, Ding Yunxiang's leg injury worsened, and blood almost stained half of his trouser leg.

His movements also became increasingly sluggish.

Yu Chengye and Li Dingguo immediately seized the opportunity and began to launch a fierce attack on Ding Yunxiang's lower body.

Several more wounds soon appeared on Ding Yunxiang's legs.

He was panting heavily, looking at Yu Chengye and Li Dingguo with a solemn expression.

These two lads are actually quite strong.

Although his moves were a bit rusty, it was clear that he had some basic skills; I wonder which veteran taught him.

Ding Yunxiang knew that he was unlikely to escape today.

Rather than being worn down to death by thieves in a cowardly manner, it's better to take someone down with you before you die, so you can keep each other company on the road to the underworld.

With this in mind, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he simply abandoned his defense and charged forward recklessly.

Relying on his height, strength, and long arms, Ding Yunxiang forced the two men to retreat repeatedly with a single sweep of his goose-feather saber.

He then kicked off with his right leg, lunged forward, and slashed at Li Dingguo's face with a backhand strike.

Upon seeing this, Li Dingguo hurriedly raised his knife to block, and his tiger's mouth was instantly shattered.

"You little brat!"

Ding Yunxiang grinned maliciously and changed his move, twisting his wrist slightly, and the hilt of his knife slammed hard into Li Dingguo's chest.

The boy coughed up blood and fell ten feet away, curling up like a ripe river shrimp clutching its stomach.

"Dingguo!"

Yu Chengye's eyes turned red, and he recklessly rushed forward to shield Li Dingguo.

Ding Yunxiang deliberately created an opening, and when Yu Chengye rushed close, he suddenly dodged to the side to avoid a fatal blow.

Then he lunged forward with all his might, knocking Yu Chengye to the ground!
Ding Yunxiang's large, iron-like hand gripped Yu Chengye's throat tightly.
"You're the one I've been waiting for!"

He grinned maliciously and reached for his waist, pulling out a short dagger to cut his wrist.

"Come and die for me!"

The short knife, gleaming coldly, plunged straight into Yu Chengye's heart.

With a "whoosh," the tip of the knife easily tore through the cloth armor. Yu Chengye felt a tremendous force strike his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.

He stared at Ding Yunxiang's ferocious grin, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Done
Li Dingguo, who was standing to the side, had just struggled to get up from the excruciating pain when he saw this scene that made his eyes widen in horror!
"Brother Chengye!"

Ding Yunxiang was about to finish off Yu Chengye in one fell swoop, but the short knife in his hand pierced through the cloth armor, only to suddenly stop when it touched the inside.

Yu Chengye instinctively raised his hand to block, but his palm was slashed by the blade, and blood gushed out instantly.

Ding Yunxiang felt the dullness from the tip of the knife, his eyes widened, and he stared in disbelief at the short knife in his hand.

This is impossible!

In the instant he was distracted, a cold wind swept in from behind.

Li Dingguo, who had just gotten up, rushed forward with red eyes, grabbed the waist knife on the ground, and stabbed it into Ding Yunxiang's waist with all his might!

The sharp tip of the blade pierced through the abdominal armor and emerged from his chest, bringing with it a jet of scalding blood that splattered all over Ding Yunxiang's face.

Ding Yunxiang's body stiffened abruptly, and he instantly lost all his strength.

He slowly lowered his head, looking at the drops of blood dripping from the tip of the knife in his abdomen, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Ding Yunxiang opened his mouth as if to say something, but a large amount of blood and foam welled up in his throat.

But Li Dingguo didn't have time to pay attention to him. He kicked Ding Yunxiang away and revealed Yu Chengye beneath him.

Seeing the short blade in Yu Chengye's chest, Li Dingguo's eyes instantly turned red.

"Brother Chengye! Brother Chengye!"

"Don't scare me!"

Yu Chengye was jolted awake by the sudden movement.

"Stop fucking shaking!"

"Are you afraid I can still breathe?!"

He shoved Li Dingguo aside, struggled to tear open the cloth mask covering his chest, and gasped for breath of fresh air.

"Ho ho."

Ding Yunxiang collapsed not far away, his throat emitting a hoarse, bellows-like sound.

His eyes widened as he stared intently at Yu Chengye's chest, trying to see exactly what had blocked his fatal blow.

Yu Chengye's cloth armor was soaked with blood, and the silver gleam beneath could be faintly seen.

He parted the scattered cotton wool, revealing the bright silver soft armor underneath, with a clearly visible dent on the fine armor plates.

"This is... chainmail?"

Ding Yunxiang lay on the ground, his vision gradually blurring, but he still stared at Yu Chengye's torn collar, the gleaming chainmail making his eyes hurt.

He couldn't understand how this kid in front of him, who was clearly just a militiaman, could possibly have chainmail for protection.

In the official military, this was a fine inner armor that only elite soldiers and personal guards were entitled to wear.

"Cough cough."

Although they killed Ding Yunxiang, Yu Chengye and Li Dingguo were also seriously injured.

Yu Chengye felt an excruciating pain in his chest.

He lay on the ground, panting heavily, each breath feeling like a knife scraping his lungs.

Li Dingguo was also seriously injured; he was struck hard by Ding Yunxiang, breaking at least three of his ribs.

Fortunately, the enemy general was already dead.

The two lay on the ground and smiled at each other, both seeing the relief of surviving a disaster in each other's eyes.

At this time, the main force of the Ming army in the valley had been completely annihilated.

The auxiliary soldiers followed the trail of blood and discovered the two people in the dense forest.

Upon hearing the news, Li Zicheng immediately led his men over.

When he saw the three people lying haphazardly on the ground, he was shocked, thinking that they had all perished together.

But when he went closer, he found that the two boys were still panting heavily, while Ding Yunxiang, whose eyes were wide open, was already dead.

Li Zicheng cut off Ding Yunxiang's head, looked at the half-grown boy beside him, covered in blood but still grinning foolishly, and couldn't help but burst into laughter:

"Good lad! He killed a lieutenant general on his first battlefield!"

"After the war is over, I will personally petition the commander-in-chief to commend you for your achievements!"

(End of this chapter)