I, Emperor Chongzhen, have extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by five hundred years.

"Rush!"

"kill!"

Outside Zhen Ding Prefecture, the left front camp of the Shun army was attacked by the Ming army.

The commander of the left front battalion was Wang Liangzhi's third brother, Wang Yongzhen. Upon seeing the Ming army's attack, he immediately organized a counterattack.

However, when the troops finally assembled and rushed out of the camp, there wasn't a single person in sight.

Wang Yongzhen was furious and asked, "Where are the Ming soldiers? Was that a ghost we just saw?"

"Reporting to Commander Wang, the Ming army just arrived with about two thousand men, all cavalry. They had already withdrawn by the time our army assembled."

"Fuck you!"

Wang Yongzhen was holding his breath, after all, his elder brother had just died at the hands of the Ming army.

"Let's tally the casualties!"

"We've already tallied it up; five people have died, all of them from the outer perimeter guard posts."

Wang Yongzhen angrily retorted, "The Ming army dispatched two thousand cavalry, marching over a hundred li to my camp, just to kill five sentries? Are they out of their minds?!"

"Apart from that, there were indeed no casualties."

"This is outrageous!"

Wang Yongzhen grew increasingly angry and immediately ordered, "On my command, give chase!"

The Shun Army's Left Front Battalion had a total of 5,000 men, mainly cavalry, as it was an outpost.

The sound of horses' hooves thundered as they chased after the Ming army in the direction they had fled.

However, they never expected that all of this was a trap carefully set by the Ming army.

boom!

boom!

As the column marched into a mountain valley, the roar of artillery suddenly rang out!

These cannons were hidden behind the mountain, and there was a forest nearby. Without prior reconnaissance, they would be completely undetectable.

"Oh no, an ambush!"

Wang Yongzhen felt a chill and immediately reined in his horse.

Yesterday's battle, in which the Ming army launched the first wave of attack using firearms, is still fresh in everyone's memory.

Therefore, his first reaction upon hearing the sound of artillery fire was... Run!

Boom!

Boom!

The shells whistled in and crashed into the Shun army's lines, exploding in the process.

Fortunately, Wang Yongzhen reacted quickly and stopped in time, otherwise he would have gone to see his older brother on the spot!

"Retreat! Retreat now!"

Wang Yongzhen acted decisively; seeing an ambush, he immediately ordered a retreat.

"kill!"

Suddenly, countless Ming soldiers burst out of the mountains and forests!

Miao Gang took the lead, brandishing his long sword and charging forward with a roar.

"Retreat! Retreat!"

Wang Yongzhen shouted at the top of his lungs and then turned and ran!

The two armies chased each other, always maintaining a certain distance.

A few soldiers from the rear of the Shun army fell behind and were immediately killed by the Ming army. However, these soldiers slowed down the Ming army and allowed the front lines to advance further.

After an unknown amount of time, the Ming army behind them finally stopped moving.

Wang Yongzhen finally breathed a sigh of relief, led his troops back to the camp, and headed straight for the main camp.

In the Zhending government office, Liu Fangliang was discussing the current situation with Ma Chongxi.

A map lay open on the table, the two men frowning, the atmosphere heavy.

Wang Yongzhen rushed in, still catching his breath, and urgently reported that the left front battalion had been ambushed.

Upon hearing this, Liu Fangliang's face darkened, and he immediately said, "First, although your unit suffered few casualties, morale has been severely damaged. You, as the commander, should be held accountable!"

"Secondly, we are now the Southern Route Army of the Great Shun Dynasty, a regular army of the imperial court. Could you please give us prior notice before coming next time? Could you please stop using your previous unorthodox methods?"

Wang Yongzhen's face turned somewhat ugly, and he said awkwardly, "General Liu's reprimand is correct, I'll remember it!"

Liu Fangliang then said, "Your camp should focus on defense. If you are attacked by the Ming army, you should not launch an attack lightly."

"My lord, please wait!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Chongxi immediately raised an objection: "Our army's lines are currently contracting, and we are completely unaware of the Ming army's movements. This is a cardinal sin in military strategy. I believe we should take the initiative and launch an attack."

Upon hearing this, Liu Fangliang's anger surfaced: "Mr. Ma, you are not unaware of our army's current situation! In yesterday's battle, our army suffered a crushing defeat, our supplies were burned, and our morale is low. How can we take the initiative to attack? The most urgent task is to hold our ground and await reinforcements, quickly gather supplies, recruit new soldiers, and wait for the right opportunity before engaging in battle."

Ma Chongxi shook his head and said, "My lord, please calm down. If we keep defending, we will only become more passive."

"The Ming army was clearly well-prepared. They used their cavalry advantage to be fast and flexible, and they did not linger in battle. If we cannot keep track of their movements, we will become very passive."

"Even if we cannot carry out large-scale operations, we still need to find out the Ming army's deployment before we can formulate the next plan."

"Otherwise, we'll be completely in the dark. If the Ming army transfers its troops, wouldn't we miss a golden opportunity?"

Liu Fangliang waved his hand and said, "The Ming army is at its peak; how could they possibly transfer their troops? The most urgent task is to solidify the defenses and preserve our strength. There's no need to discuss this matter further!"

Seeing Liu Fangliang's resolute attitude, Ma Chongxi, though unwilling, had no choice but to give up.

In the current situation, internal unity is of paramount importance, and we must not allow disagreements to affect the overall situation.

Wang Yongzhen returned to the camp and began setting up hidden sentry posts to strengthen the defenses.

At the dead of night, a scout galloped in to report that a large number of Ming troops had been spotted, and it seemed they were preparing for a night attack!

Upon hearing the news, Wang Yongzhen immediately ordered the formation of a defensive array. The barricades were placed on the outer perimeter, followed by the rattan shield bearers, and then the archers inside, with arrows already drawn and ready for battle.

Da da da……

The sound of horses' hooves thundered as Ming cavalry appeared under the cover of night.

However, they were cautious, only lingering around the perimeter of the camp, seemingly looking for a breakthrough.

Wang Yongzhen was very nervous and ordered everyone to be on high alert, ready to fight to the death.

The Ming army did not rush to attack, but after several probing attacks, they decisively retreated and disappeared into the night.

Seeing the Ming army retreat, Wang Yongzhen felt somewhat relieved and immediately dispatched scouts to track their movements.

After confirming that the Ming army had indeed withdrawn, he breathed a sigh of relief and entered the city that very night to report the news to Liu Fangliang.

"well done!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Fangliang's brows relaxed slightly, and he expressed his approval of Wang Yongzhen's response.

"As long as we remain vigilant and hold our ground, the Ming army will find it difficult to achieve anything."

Wang Yongzhen quickly replied, "Please rest assured, General Liu, if the Ming army dares to force their way in, they will be taught a lesson!"

Liu Fangliang smiled, then looked at Ma Chongxi and asked, "What does the strategist think?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Chongxi remained silent for a moment, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

He knew very well that Liu Fangliang was just trying to convince himself that his decision was correct, because the Ming army's meticulously planned night raid had not yielded any advantage.

However, he felt something was amiss, so he slowly spoke up: "My lord, the Ming army's actions do not seem to be a simple test. They are probably looking for our weaknesses or deliberately trying to distract us."

"I still believe that our army should take the initiative to test the Ming army's true intentions."

Liu Fangliang was immediately displeased and said, "The Ming army just won a battle and doesn't know their own limitations. There's no need to pay them any attention. Judging from our current troop strength, the advantage still lies with us!"

"But what if the Ming army has other intentions..."

"Sir, you should consider how to replenish your supplies. Otherwise, if supplies are insufficient and new recruits have not arrived, a hasty attack will only lead to repeating the same mistakes."