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

Chapter 354 Newly Compiled Qin Soldiers
In the third month of the eleventh year of the Chongzhen reign (early spring).

The chill in the mountains had not yet completely faded, and the Dan River flowed ceaselessly through the narrow valley, its roar like thunder.

The tens of thousands of troops under Gao Yingxiang's command were like a long snake, struggling to move forward through the narrow pass of Zhejiang and Sichuan.

One side of the road is a near-vertical cliff, and the other side is the turbulent Dan River. At its narrowest point, it can only accommodate a few riders side by side.

The men, horses, and supplies were crammed together, and their pace of travel was frustratingly slow.

"Quick! All of you, get on my heels!"

"Are you just dragging your feet and waiting for the government troops to come and suppress you?"

"Once we get out of this hellish place and take Zijing Pass ahead, the fertile Guanzhong Plains are not far away!"

Gao Yingxiang, mounted on his horse, kept waving his whip to urge the horse on, his brow furrowed, looking extremely agitated.

The scene before him involuntarily reminded him of the Ziwu Valley and Heishuiyu from before.

It was the same river valley, the same rugged and difficult terrain, but this narrow and cramped landscape made him very uneasy.

Has the scout returned?

"What's the situation at Zijing Pass ahead?"

He suppressed his unease and looked at Gao Ying'en beside him.

"Brother, the scout just reported that we're only three miles from this narrow pass, and Zijing Pass is right in front of us."

"According to the centurion surnamed Zhao, the garrison at Zijing Pass numbered only three or four hundred, and they could not possibly stop our army of ten thousand."

Gao Yingxiang felt slightly relieved upon hearing this. He took a deep breath and shouted:
"Tell the rear guard to speed up!"

"Tell the brothers, once we take Zijing Pass, we'll rest inside the pass tonight!"

"The garrison at the pass consists of only three or four hundred old and weak soldiers; they cannot stop our elite old camp!"

He said this to his subordinates, but also to encourage himself.

Once he entered Shaanxi, the world would be his oyster, and Gao Yingxiang would be able to stir up trouble again.

To Gao Yingxiang's utter surprise, his every move had already been clearly seen by the government troops' scouts.

On the high ground west of the valley, Sun Chuanting was personally leading three thousand Qin soldiers, quietly lying in ambush.

Watching the rebel army swarming like ants, Zheng Jiadong, the commander of Sun Chuanting's central army, rubbed his hands excitedly and whispered:
"Your Excellency, the rebels are already in our trap. Give the order!"

"This humble general is willing to be the vanguard and will surely cut that traitor down from his horse!"

Sun Chuanting simply held up his binoculars and said calmly:
"Shut up, calm down, it's still early."

“If the rebels want to leave the valley, they will definitely attack Zijing Pass first.”

"Let General Bai guard the area and wear down the enemy's strength and morale."

"When he has been attacking for a long time without success, and his troops are exhausted, we will take the opportunity to strike and cut off his retreat, so that we can achieve complete victory."

Upon hearing this, a hint of disdain flashed across Zheng Jiadong's face:
"Your Excellency, do you think that man surnamed Bai... is reliable?"

"He's just a peasant who was recruited by the government. What if he's afraid of the enemy in battle, or if he thinks of our past relationship and opens the gates to release the rebel? Wouldn't all our efforts be in vain?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Chuanting slowly lowered his binoculars, turned to stare at Zheng Jiadong, and said in a deep voice:
"How did I teach you during the peace period?"

"Now that you have surrendered, even if you are an official of the imperial court, you are still our comrades. How can you judge a hero by his or her birth?"

"As the saying goes, if you employ someone, don't doubt them; if you doubt someone, don't employ them. We can no longer view General Bai as a former outlaw."

"Don't worry, the firearms battalion will make the rebels suffer!"

The "General Bai" they were referring to was Bai Guang'en, who had surrendered to the government troops in Tiejiao City years ago.

After he defected on the battlefield and acted as an inside agent, helping Hong Chengchou to capture Tiejiao City and making great contributions, he was first promoted to guerrilla commander, and later promoted to deputy commander for his merits.

Although this man came from humble origins, he was extremely obsessed with firearms and even called himself a firearms expert.

Bai Guang'en always believed that "even immortals cannot escape a wisp of smoke," and that firearms would be the mainstay of future battles.

Therefore, after taking office, he vigorously reformed the firearms in the Ming army.

Bai Guang'en was well aware of the problems with the old-style Ming army's firearms units, including uneven quality and lax training.

Therefore, he strictly selected soldiers, eliminating the old and weak, and choosing only the young and strong who had good eyesight, steady arm strength, and courage.

Secondly, he went to great lengths to acquire more than two hundred high-quality Lumi guns and arquebuses from various places, replacing all the old ones in the camp.

In terms of training, Bai Guang'en referred to Mu Ying's firearms battalion in the early Ming Dynasty, dividing the gunners into three rows to practice firing in rotation and in order to form a continuous firepower.

Although this firearms battalion still had many shortcomings due to its lack of provisions and logistics, it was already considered an elite force compared to other Ming army units.

Therefore, Sun Chuanting felt comfortable entrusting him with the task of guarding Zijing Pass.

At this moment, Bai Guang'en was holding a Lumi gun, crouching behind the crenellations of the wall, carefully observing the rebel army through the peephole.

Beside him, the other musketeers also held their breath, hiding behind the crenellations, waiting for orders.

As the vanguard of the rebel army drew near, the adjutant beside him couldn't help but ask in a low voice:
"General, the enemy soldiers are closing in. Should we order the brothers to open fire?"

Bai Guang'en didn't turn his head and scolded in a low voice:

"Why are you panicking?"

"How have I been teaching you all?"

"Although the Lumi gun can shoot a hundred paces, to penetrate armor and kill the enemy, it must be fired within fifty or sixty paces!"

"Hide yourselves! Anyone who dares to show their face and fire a gun without my order will be court-martialed!"

As he spoke, he steadily placed the Lumi musket on the eyelet of the battlement and stared intently at the busy figures of the rebel army in front of the battle lines.

Gao Yingxiang, who was below the city gate, was completely unaware of this. He was organizing his artillerymen to drag the cannons to the front of the battle line.

These cannons were all obtained by him from Sichuan with real money and grain. They were his precious possessions, and he couldn't bear to abandon them even when breaking out of the encirclement. He could only transport them here with great effort using mule carts.

"Quick! Set up the cannons for me! Aim them at the gate and the city walls!"

"Once we take Zijing Pass, we can sleep soundly inside the pass tonight!"

At his shouts, the artillerymen of the rebel army quickly set up their gun positions and began loading ammunition.

On the city wall, Bai Guang'en's heart skipped a beat when he saw the enemy soldiers had set up cannons.
"When did this thief start playing with these things?"

"Judging from the cannon's design, it's not an ordinary homemade cannon. Where did this guy get it from?"

Before he could react, several deafening explosions came from below the city walls. The rebel army had opened fire!

Several solid iron projectiles whistled as they crashed into the gate wall. Some struck the battlements, sending shards of stone flying, while others flew over the city walls and landed heavily inside the gate.

One shell even shattered the rampart, smashing the two gunners behind it into a bloody pulp.

Caught off guard, Bai Guang'en quickly lowered his body and loudly gave the order:
"Damn it! Let's retreat to the city wall and take shelter!"

"quick!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers guarding the city wall immediately crouched down and quickly retreated along the ramp to the base of the wall, using the wall to avoid artillery fire.

boom! boom! boom!
With three consecutive rapid-fire volleys and under the cover of artillery fire, thousands of rebel vanguard soldiers, seeing the makeshift ladders and battering rams, roared and charged toward the fortified walls.

"The government troops are stunned by our cannon fire! Charge!"

"Take Zijing Pass, then we'll drink and eat meat!" Seeing that the enemy soldiers had already charged within a hundred paces, Bai Guang'en knew he couldn't wait any longer.

Taking advantage of a lull in the shelling, he immediately rushed up the city wall and quickly returned to his position.

Seeing their commander go up, the other musketeers also gritted their teeth and rushed forward.

"put!"

At his command, gunfire erupted like popping beans from the walls of Zijing Pass, and white smoke instantly filled the air.

Bang Bang Bang!
The vanguard of the rebel army fell like wheat being cut down, instantly.

The Lumi guns demonstrated tremendous lethality at a distance of fifty paces, the lead bullets easily piercing through the thin cotton armor of the rebel soldiers, spraying out bursts of blood.

Before the people behind could react, the second rank of musketeers had already stepped forward and unleashed another hail of bullets.

Gao Yingxiang was overseeing the battle from the central command post, hoping to storm the city wall in one fell swoop, but he was caught off guard by the sudden burst of intense firepower.

The defenders' firepower and reaction speed far exceeded his expectations!
"not good!"

His heart sank suddenly.
"This is hardly the firepower that three or four hundred old, weak, sick, and disabled people could have?!"

Gao Ying'en, who was standing nearby, was shocked and quickly shouted:

"Brother, something seems wrong!"

"There might be an ambush ahead, should we retreat?"

But Gao Yingxiang immediately interrupted him. If he retreated now, what if the government troops chased after him?
Behind them lies a narrow river valley, and there are also military families. If they were to retreat, it would inevitably lead to a major rout and even greater losses.

The only way forward is to seize Zijing Pass at all costs, if only then can we have a chance of survival.

He steeled his resolve and roared fiercely:
"Don't mess up!"

"The government troops' muskets are slow to load, charge! Charge in and fight hand-to-hand!"

Gao Yingxiang led the elite troops of the central army to personally supervise the battle, cutting down several retreating soldiers in succession.
"Brothers of the old camp, charge!"

"Everyone who breaks through this barrier will be rewarded!"

Under intense pressure, the rebel army launched another fierce attack, but under Bai Guang'en's relentless firing, the vanguard suffered heavy casualties, and the corpses quickly piled up under the gate.

The two sides engaged in a fierce tug-of-war at Zijing Pass. The rebel army, with its numerical advantage, launched continuous attacks, while the defending army resisted stubbornly with the help of firearms and the pass walls.

Just as the two sides were locked in a fierce battle, Sun Chuanting had already made preparations on the high ground of the valley.

"The time has come!"

He suddenly drew his sword from his waist and pointed it forward.
"Beat the drums! March!"

"Whoever captures or kills Gao Yingxiang will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver and promoted three ranks!"

Boom!Boom!Boom!
The earth-shaking sound of war drums suddenly rang out, and the three thousand Qin soldiers, who had been waiting for the right moment, led by Zheng Jiadong, rushed straight towards the flank of the rebel army like tigers descending the mountain!

"kill--!"

The Qin soldiers first unleashed a dense barrage of musket fire and powerful bows, with arrows and projectiles raining down like a torrential downpour, causing the rebel soldiers in the valley to fall and their formation to fall into chaos.

Many of the rebel soldiers who were attacking the city were shot down by gunfire from their sides before they even knew what was happening.

"Ambush! The government troops have laid an ambush!"

"Run!"

Panic spread as quickly as a plague.

The first to collapse were the families of the old soldiers who had accompanied the army and the refugees who had been taken hostage by the rebel army. They cried out and scattered in the valley, disrupting the already chaotic army formation.

Zheng Jiadong took the lead, with a clear goal in mind, heading straight for Gao Yingxiang's conspicuous banner with the character "闯" (breakthrough) on it!

"You thief! Die!"

Seeing that the situation was not good, Gao Yingxiang led his old camp troops to turn their guns around and charge towards the government troops.

But as soon as he engaged the Qin army's vanguard, he immediately realized something was wrong.

This unit of officers and soldiers was completely different from those they had encountered before; their formation was well-organized, and their advances and retreats were methodical.

In addition, the soldiers were all gleaming in their armor and fearless in the face of death, making them far from ordinary guards or hastily trained soldiers.

The moment the two sides met, Gao Yingxiang's elite troops were caught off guard and were no match for the officers and soldiers in front of them.

"What a bastard!"

"Where did such a elite force come from?!"

"Could it be Qin soldiers under Zuo Guangxian and He Renlong? Or Liao soldiers under Cao Bianjiao?"

Gao Yingxiang could never have imagined that the Qin soldiers in front of him were not the Qin soldiers of Zuo Guangxian and He Renlong, but a force that Sun Chuanting had only trained for a little over a year.

When Sun Chuanting was appointed governor of Shaanxi in a time of crisis, he faced a complete mess.

Hong Chengchou took almost all of Shaanxi's capable soldiers with him to pursue and suppress the bandits, leaving him with less than two thousand old and weak men.

In addition, Shaanxi was facing a shortage of money and grain, corruption in officialdom, and arrogance among local powerful officials and gentry.

To avoid repeating the mistakes of his predecessors, Sun Chuanting was determined to train a strong army capable of fighting tough battles.

As the saying goes, "An army marches on its stomach."

Therefore, at the beginning of his term, he took swift and decisive measures to rectify the officialdom, conduct land surveys and land reclamation, and even risked offending his colleagues and local powerful figures.

With provisions and pay in hand, he vigorously reorganized the military, dismissed the old and weak, and selected young and strong men to serve in the army.

Sun Chuanting was extremely strict in disciplining his troops, and he formulated seventeen prohibitions.

It covers all aspects, including desertion in the face of battle, false reporting of battle achievements, embezzlement of military pay, and harassment of civilians. Those who disobey the order will be executed without mercy.

Historical records state that his subordinates "all obeyed orders with trepidation," and military discipline was thus strictly enforced, demonstrating the severity of his military discipline.

However, excessive rigidity can lead to breakage. His iron-fisted approach, coupled with the fact that the clearing of villages touched upon the interests of powerful landlords, quickly provoked a strong backlash.

Incited by local powerful figures, some soldiers who could not endure the harsh training and military discipline mutinied and rebelled.

In the tenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, more than 900 border soldiers, including Xu Zhong and Liu Yingjie, led by Qianzong He Ruxiong, launched a mutiny in Lantian County.

They looted warehouses and released prisoners, and even joined forces with Ma Jinzhong's 100,000-strong army to turn against the government troops, once threatening Xi'an and shaking the entire Shaanxi province.

Caught off guard, Sun Chuanting swiftly recalled the elite troops of Zuo Guangxian and Cao Bianjiao, who were pursuing Zhang Tianlin of Tianxing, to suppress the rebellion.

Seeing that government troops were coming to their aid, the rebels fled from Weinan with Ma Jinzhong's troops.

This incident dealt a heavy blow to Sun Chuanting, who immediately wrote to the emperor to apologize.

He had expected to be severely scolded, but Zhu Youjian was very lenient this time and did not blame him.

After all, Sun Chuanting was one of the few capable officials who managed to raise military funds on his own in the quagmire of Shaanxi, greatly reducing the burden on the imperial court.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian not only did not blame Sun Chuanting, but also, considering the loss of his troops, transferred Deng Qi's Sichuan troops to him.

However, Sun Chuanting was still wary after the mutiny and remained suspicious of the visiting troops he had brought in.

In addition, Deng Qi's Sichuan army had a long history of mutinies, so he sent them to Hanzhong, intending to start anew and train a new, obedient army.

This is why Deng Qi appeared in Hanzhong in the first place.

(End of this chapter)