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

Chapter 73 Rising to Fame
The area from Fugu County to Huangpuchuan Fort is the base established by Wang Jiayin, and he is now fighting with the government army for the strategic stronghold of Gushan Fort.

In August of the third year of the Chongzhen reign, Hong Chengchou, the governor of Yansui, personally led 5,000 elite troops from Shenmu County straight to Fugu.

General Du Wenhuan led his troops north to attack Mugua Fort, Qingshui Camp, and the various fortresses in the eastern mountains of Huangpuchuan.

Cao Wenzhao, deputy commander of the Yansui East Route, led the Guan Ning troops in a frontal assault on Gushan Fort.

The governor of Shanxi, Song Tongyin, was summoned to lead his troops to assist in the suppression and was stationed in Baode Prefecture.

The government troops gathered from all sides, determined to achieve their goal in one battle and completely annihilate Wang Jiayin's forces.

Wang Jiayin led his troops in a fierce resistance, relying on the fortifications in Fugu County and along the border wall, and fought the government army for three or four months. The war raged from autumn to winter, and the outcome remained uncertain.

Since most of Wang Jiayin's troops were from the border army and were all brave and skilled in battle, and they also had defensive fortifications, the government troops were unable to break through this tough nut for a while.

The imperial court's all-out effort to suppress Wang Jiayin gave other bandits an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

In a short time, flames of war broke out all over northern Shaanxi, and rebel groups sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

First, Zhang Xianzhong launched an uprising in the eighteen villages of Mizhi, calling himself the Eighth King, and led his army north to join Wang Jiayin's forces.

Later, Li Zicheng launched an uprising in Mizhi, leading the villagers to break through the county town. After killing the officials, he joined Bu Zhanni and became a captain under him, known as the "Chuang Jiang" (meaning "brave general").

Not to be outdone, Shen Yiyuan and Gao Yingdeng, soldiers of the western border of Yansui, led three thousand border soldiers in an uprising. Their advance was unstoppable, and government troops fled in disarray.

The rebels captured Xin'an Border Camp, killed Lieutenant General Chen Sanhuai, occupied Ningsai Camp, and then marched eastward, capturing Bao'an County.

Even more groups, such as the Double-Winged Tiger, the Purple-Gold Dragon, the Sky-Crushing One, and the Star-Passing One, raised their flags and rebelled, joining together in this grand event on the land of northern Shaanxi.

However, among this group of rebels, the most dazzling new star is Jiang Han.

After news of his army capturing Yan'an spread, he became incredibly famous, attracting many bandits to join him.

It was late September, and Jiang Han, dressed in military uniform, stood on the command platform, constantly directing the soldiers practicing their formations below.

A few days ago, he finally managed to get his hands on the two military books he had been dreaming of from Yan'an Prefecture: Qi Jiguang's "New Book of Military Efficiency" and "Records of Military Training".

After receiving the book, Jiang Han studied it day and night, wishing he could memorize every single word.

Now, he is figuring out how to train soldiers and how to practice formations according to the methods in the book.

Although Jiang Han had obtained the military treatise, he was still somewhat worried. After all, books are inanimate, but people are alive; one cannot train a strong army by relying solely on two military treatises.

Sigh. If only we could recruit a few high-ranking officers from the Ming Dynasty and teach them formations by hand, how much easier it would be!
But then he shook his head and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Putting aside whether he has the power to make these officers surrender, what if they do surrender and one day they try to poach his men?
Just as I was lost in thought, I suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps in the distance.

Jiang Han looked up and saw the messenger running over, sweating profusely, shouting:

"Report! Lord Jiang, a large number of bandit leaders have arrived outside the city, saying they want to see you!"

"That mud-free guy from Mizhi is here too, and he brought a few allies with him!"

Jiang Han was stunned when he heard this. What was going on? Why were so many bandit leaders coming to his door?

Zhang Cunmeng is here too? What's he up to?

Jiang Han racked his brains but still couldn't come up with a solution, but Zhang Cunmeng was, after all, his nominal ally, so he couldn't very well turn him away.

So he ordered the messenger:

"Go! Take them all to the prefectural government office. I'll be there shortly."

"Remember, send all the officials working in the yamen home, don't let them get in the way."

The messenger nodded, accepted the order, and left.

Jiang Han casually tossed the training to Li Laowai beside him, and then led Zhu Zi, Shao Yong, and the others to the government office.

Upon entering the main hall of the prefectural government office, Jiang Han found a group of people gathered there, making a ruckus, pointing and gesturing towards the office.

"Wow, this is the prefectural government office! It's really impressive!"

"That's right, we've never seen such a bright hall in our lives! It's so much better than our village."

Upon seeing Jiang Han enter, the group immediately shut their mouths and stood obediently on both sides.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Cunmeng, who was in the lead, immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands, and smiled:

"Your demeanor is even more impressive after several months!"

"I never expected that the general would take Yan'an Prefecture all by himself without making a sound. He has really made us proud and vented our anger!"

The people in the hall also cupped their hands and greeted Jiang Han warmly, their tone full of admiration.

Jiang Han glanced at the group, a smile appearing on his face, and returned the greeting with a cupped hand:
"We are honored by the presence of Chief Zhang and all the leaders. We apologize for not being able to welcome you properly!"

Zhang Cunmeng waved his hand and laughed heartily:
"How dare I! I heard that General Jiang has captured Yan'an Prefecture, so I brought a group of brothers here to congratulate him and also to admire his demeanor!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Han humbly replied:

"It was just a fluke."

"If I hadn't killed most of the government troops in Jinmingchuan, I wouldn't have been able to take down this tough nut of Yan'an Prefecture."

Zhang Cunmeng nodded, knowing in his heart that Jiang Han's words were true.

If the few thousand soldiers of Yan'an Guard had obediently defended the city, even if Jiang Han's three thousand men were highly skilled, they would only be able to look at the city with longing. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Jiang Han changed the subject and said with a smile:

"I heard that Chief Zhang is living quite comfortably lately, traveling back and forth between Shanxi and Shaanxi, and he's really making waves!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cunmeng revealed a smug look on his face.

His forces have now swelled to over 20,000 men, active in the areas of Mizhi, Jiazhou, and Linxian, spanning the two provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi.

He would occasionally run off to Shanxi to rob a few landlords and wealthy people, and then slip back to Shaanxi, infuriating the government troops of Zhenxiwei, who were powerless to do anything about it.

Zhang Cunmeng shook his head:
"He's still no match for General Jiang!"

"They captured the prefectural city in just over a month. This is one of the few prosperous places in northern Shaanxi."

At this point, Zhang Cunmeng paused, then lowered his voice and said:
"To be honest, we brought some looted goods with us this time, and we hope to exchange them for some food and weapons from the general."

"General, as you know, in our Shaanxi region, we have money but can't spend it. I'm thinking that the only place I can get something useful from you is here."

It turns out that Zhang Cunmeng had been looting everywhere recently, stealing a lot of gold and silver jewelry, but these things were just a pile of useless junk in northern Shaanxi.

If the people can't even afford to eat, giving them lots of gold and silver won't help.

His 20,000-strong army sounds impressive, but most of them are starving people who have rarely had a full meal. They are old farmers who dare to go to the battlefield with just a hoe, and their fighting strength is really worrying.

He was eager to exchange these valuables for food and weapons to improve the combat effectiveness of his troops.

Seeing Zhang Cunmeng's expectant eyes, Jiang Han couldn't refuse.

"Weapons are not a problem. There are still plenty of supplies in the Yan'an Garrison's armory. We can spare some of them."

"But this grain is not enough for my own brothers, so I really can't afford to give it to them."

You're kidding. Everyone knows how important grain is in northern Shaanxi. How could Jiang Han possibly sell it to Zhang Cunmeng?
He didn't care about the broken swords and guns in the armory, since they were just taking up space anyway.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cunmeng was overjoyed. Although there was no food, the weapons were excellent.

The batch of swords and armor that Jiang Han gave him last time greatly improved the combat power of his men. If he gets some more weapons this time, life will definitely be even better.

So he quickly pulled the people behind him and thanked Jiang Han repeatedly.

Jiang Han noticed the people behind Zhang Cunmeng and was somewhat puzzled:
"Who are these?"

Zhang Cunmeng quickly introduced them one by one:
“These two are Double-Winged Tiger and Purple-Gold Dragon. This year, they established a stronghold in Mizhi and launched an uprising against the Ming Dynasty. They are my allies.”

"Now, General, you are another pillar of our righteous army. Apart from Hengtian King in the north, you are the strongest under your command."

"That's why I brought them here to familiarize themselves with the place. If anything unexpected happens in the future, I hope the general will lend a hand!"

The Twin-Winged Tiger and the Purple-Gold Dragon hurriedly cupped their hands to Jiang Han and said in unison:
"General Jiang, I have long admired your name. I hope you will take good care of me in the future!"

Jiang Han looked at the two men and suddenly realized what was going on.

The two-winged tiger and the purple-gold dragon—aren't they the two unlucky guys who were later betrayed by Zhang Cunmeng?

However, he didn't intend to remind the two of this, since it was their first meeting and they shouldn't be too familiar with each other.

If he actually said it, they might think Jiang Han was trying to sow discord between them.

Jiang Han nodded and said a few polite words:

"You two leaders are too kind. If you ever need my help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

After saying that, Zhang Cunmeng pulled over another person and introduced him:
"This is Shen Yikui, who also came from the border troops of Yansui Town. Not long ago, he raised an army, killed the military commander Chen Sanhuai, and then captured Bao'an County."

Jiang Han looked at Shen Yikui with some curiosity:

"Why did you all betray us too? Where are your brothers, Shen Yiyuan and Gao Yingdeng?"

Shen Yikui gave a wry smile and cupped his hands in greeting:
"General, we were greatly encouraged when we heard the news of your rebellion; that's why we raised an army and fought our way from Xin'an Border Camp all the way to Bao'an County."

"It's a pity that my elder brother and Gao Yingdeng both died in battle when attacking Bao'an County, so the brothers elected me as their leader."

"We are now outnumbered and outgunned, and we have heard that the general has captured Yan'an Prefecture. We have come here to pay our respects and see if we can form an alliance with the general."

Hearing this, Jiang Han felt more favorably toward Shen Yikui, after all, they were both from the border army and had a natural sense of closeness.

"No problem, we both come from the border army, everything is negotiable."

“Bao’an County is not far from Yan’an Prefecture. Our two families can visit each other more often and get to know each other better.”

Jiang Han greeted him warmly for a few moments, and they chatted about their days in the border army. The atmosphere was harmonious.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Zhang Cunmeng pulled the two men aside and said with a smile:

"This is Zhao Sheng, General. You should know him already. He is my second brother."

"And this one is a hero who only recently joined my cause."

"Not long ago, he led more than a thousand starving people to break through the county town, kill officials and rebel."

"Currently, he is the captain of the Eighth Team under me, nicknamed 'Chuang Jiang,' and his name is Li Zicheng."

　Researching really takes a lot of time, please forgive me, godfathers.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)