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

Chapter 82 Spy
The night was deep, and the firelight flickered.

Shen Yikui stood below the city wall, staring at He Kai on the crenellations, his face filled with shock and anger.

Even if he were stupid, he would have figured it out by now: He Kai was a spy for the government troops!
When was He Kai turned by the government troops?
Why didn't he, as the head coach, notice anything at all?
He Kai stood atop the city wall, the torchlight casting an ambiguous shadow on his face. His eyes swept contemptuously over Shen Yikui below, a smug look on his face.
"He Kai, you scoundrel!"

Shen Yikui gritted his teeth, his roar echoing through the night sky.
"When did you join the government army?!"

He Kai threw his head back and laughed, his voice full of sarcasm:

"General, please don't blame me."

"General Du sent someone to persuade me to surrender a few days ago, promising me the position of guerrilla general. How could I not be tempted?"

He Kai was originally from Ningsai and was a fellow townsman of Du Wenhuan.

Now that Du Wenhuan had promised a great reward, He Kai readily agreed and promised to open the city gates when the time came.

When Shen Yikui led his troops to break out from the east gate, he even specially planted a flag on the east side to guide the government troops in the direction of Shen Yikui's escape.

Then, he led a group of surrendered soldiers to decisively turn against the enemy, not only opening the city gates but also personally beheading Shen Yikui's deputy general, Li Yuan.

Along his campaign, Shen Yikui not only incorporated border troops from several fortresses, but also scattered soldiers and vagrants from various places.

The troops included those from Xin'an Border Camp, Xinxingbao, and Ningsai, making for a mixed group.

Looking back now, this chaotic military camp was practically a hunting ground for government troops.

With just a flick of the wrist, government troops could easily recruit spies within the army by offering them high-ranking positions and generous salaries.

Shen Yikui stared at He Kai's smug face, gritting his teeth in anger, but now was not the time to settle scores.

Outside the city, a large number of government troops were gradually surrounding the east gate, with flames soaring into the sky and a cacophony of voices.

Seeing that they were about to be surrounded, Wei Ping, the captain under Shen Yi Kui, shouted at the top of his lungs to persuade them:

"General! Break through the encirclement quickly! The brothers will clear a way for you!"

Shen Yikui was about to refuse, but Wei Ping didn't give him a chance to speak. He led his men straight into the enemy formation, determined to carve out a way out for Shen Yikui.

The government troops, like wolves and tigers, pressed forward layer by layer, their battle cries shaking the heavens.

Seeing this, Shen Yikui could only grit his teeth, mount his horse, and follow behind Wei Ping and the others.

When the government troops saw that he wanted to break through the encirclement, they immediately turned their spears around and shot arrows at Shen Yikui from all directions.

"General, be careful!"

Several guards immediately raised their shields and pulled Shen Yikui off his horse, protecting both the warhorse and Shen Yikui.

The surrounding cavalrymen tightly encircled Shen Yikui in the center of the formation, using their own bodies to shield him from the constantly flying arrows.

One cavalryman after another was shot off his horse, and the government troops around him swarmed forward and hacked him to death.

His soldiers fought desperately to pave a path, finally tearing open a gap. Only then could Shen Yikui lead his remaining hundred or so men out of the encirclement and flee in a frenzy.

Shen Yikui and his men fled relentlessly, even killing several of their warhorses, but they dared not rest for a moment.

They crossed the territory of Yan'an Prefecture and fled all the way to the vicinity of Wuqi County, where they finally caught their breath.

Shen Yikui was filled with grief and indignation as he watched his men die and be wounded.

His elder brother Shen Yiyuan and Gao Yingdeng fought desperately to capture Bao'an County, but he lost it overnight.

Since the uprising began, the border troops who had followed him in conquering cities and territories have been almost all killed or wounded. The original force of more than 3,000 men is now reduced to less than 100.

"I have no face to face my brother, no face to face my dead brothers!"

Shen Yikui felt increasingly distressed and burst into tears.

While crying, Shen Yikui suddenly drew his long sword from his waist and slashed it at his own neck.

In a moment of despair, he even considered committing suicide to atone for his sins. His few remaining guards, seeing this, quickly stopped him.
"General, no!"

Several guards carefully removed the knife from Shen Yikui's hand, repeatedly trying to persuade him:
"General, if you die, what will happen to the brothers' revenge?"

"Yes, General Li Yuan is still waiting for you to avenge him!"

Shen Yikui's face was ashen, and he gave a self-deprecating laugh:
"revenge?"

"With just over a hundred of our defeated soldiers, what can we possibly use to avenge ourselves?"

Upon hearing this, the bodyguard beside him lowered his voice and leaned closer:
"General, why don't we go beyond the Great Wall and make contact with the Mongols in the Ordos region?"

"They would definitely be willing to lend us troops!"

Shen Yikui frowned, looking at the personal guard with a serious expression:
"Mongol?"

"We have a blood feud with the Mongols, why should they lend us troops?"

The guard shook his head and explained:

"The Mongols don't care about any family feuds; they just want to cross the border wall and plunder."

"We've been guarding the border for years, so we know exactly where the gaps are, don't we?"

A glint of shrewdness flashed in the guard's eyes.
"We'll lead the way, let the Mongols send troops, and we'll split the looted money and grain 50/50!"

"With money and provisions, we can recruit soldiers; with soldiers, we can avenge our grievances!"

Shen Yikui weighed the matter for a long time, but hesitated to make a decision.

He was originally from the border army, and he was very resistant to being asked to go and talk to the Mongols about cooperation.

But when Shen Yikui thought of He Kai's smug face, the unseeing look on Li Yuan's face as he died, and the brothers who had died tragically under his command, he couldn't help but think of them.
Ultimately, the desire for revenge prevailed.

So he gritted his teeth and gave the order:

"Let's go to the Hetao region!"

Unable to capture the bandit leader Shen Yikui, Du Wenhuan flew into a rage, kicking over the table in front of him and pacing back and forth in the tent.

It took him a long time to calm down.

Forget it, Shen Yikui is already a defeated dog, with only a hundred or so men under his command. He probably can't cause any more trouble.

It's a pity I couldn't personally kill him and avenge my people.

Du Wenhuan sighed deeply and summoned a messenger:
"Immediately send a report to Yulin, saying that the rebels in Bao'an County have been wiped out!"

"More than a thousand people surrendered, eight hundred were beheaded, and countless others went missing. The bandit leader, Shen Yikui, had only a hundred or so riders left and fled to Wuqi."

The good news traveled north along the border wall and arrived in Yulin in less than a day.

Yang He was overjoyed when he saw the battle report sent by Du Wenhuan:
"Good! I didn't expect that Shen Yikui would be defeated so quickly!"

"Now that the bandits on the eastern and western routes have been wiped out, as long as we take down Jiang Han, who is entrenched in Yan'an Prefecture, there will be no more powerful bandits in the entire northern Shaanxi."

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"At that time, I will be able to implement a policy of pacification and send these rebels back to their hometowns!"

Yang He recently learned of news from the court that the emperor quite agreed with his views and would soon issue an edict approving his policies.

Upon receiving the news, Yang He was secretly delighted and immediately began preparations for the pacification efforts.

Once Jiang Han of Yan'an Prefecture is defeated, he will be able to recruit the bandits in northern Shaanxi and send them all back to their hometowns.

If he succeeds in this endeavor, he might be able to be transferred back to the capital and advance further in his career.

(End of this chapter)