Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

Degelai was on the run. As Nurhaci's tenth son and the future leader of the Plain Blue Banner, this was the first time in his life that he had run away.

His personal guards escorted him as he rushed north, with only a few dozen white-armored soldiers remaining by his side.

Sangguji had gathered a portion of his cavalry earlier than him and came to his aid from the flank.

When the two met, Degerai's face was covered in dust, and his eyes were so red they looked like they were about to bleed.

"We can't run like this!" Degerai roared. "They've scattered and are chasing us now. Let's launch a counterattack!"

Sangguji grabbed his horse's reins.

"Taiji, don't be impulsive, let's go. Turning back now will just mean another round of gunfire. Do you really want to lose all of my Great Jin's wealth here?"

Degelai gritted his teeth. "When did our great Jin army ever get chased like this?"

Sangguji said sternly, "Defeat is defeat. Don't think about these useless things. Survive first!"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Degerai's head. He looked behind him and saw countless fleeing soldiers running north.

The only force that could still maintain its organizational structure was the cavalry.

If we turn back and charge, we might lose these people as well.

"Withdraw!" Degerai shouted with difficulty.

An Jingyuan led the remaining cavalry in pursuit.

The 500 cavalrymen, who had suffered heavy losses from the Jurchen cavalry, finally turned the tables and became the masters.

He did not charge at the Jurchen retreating troops who were arrayed in formation; these men were no match for the flintlock muskets.

He led his cavalry to drive away the warhorses, pursue and kill any lone riders, firing muskets at close range and finishing them off with sabers.

An Jingyuan's cavalry constantly increased the pressure on these Jurchen Tartars, making it impossible for them to stop and rest.

It wasn't until the sun was setting that Degelai managed to gather a thousand or so remaining soldiers in northern Jinzhou.

Of these, only about seven or eight hundred were truly obedient Eight Banner soldiers, while several hundred bondservants and surrendered soldiers were mixed in with the ranks.

The army of over five thousand that went out to battle this morning is now reduced to such a small number. Thinking of this, Degerai was overcome with grief and cried out to the heavens.

But the Dongning army did not give him time to grieve.

Soon, An Jingyuan's cavalry came into view.

Although the enemy only had a few hundred cavalry, Degerai was helpless. Whenever he tried to counterattack during the day, the enemy would retreat far away.

Once the pursuit got too intense, the Dongning Army's infantry would catch up, unleashing a barrage of musket fire that the Dege cavalry simply couldn't withstand.

God knows how the infantry of Dongning Kingdom managed to catch up with the cavalry on foot; they were all monsters.

"withdraw!"

Degelai had no choice but to order a retreat. It was not yet completely dark, and Degelai had to cross the valley outside Shilipu before nightfall and retreat towards Fuzhou.

Once he reaches Fuzhou, he can reorganize his troops, hold out in Fuzhou, and wait for reinforcements.

……

The valley outside Shilipo is not steep.

The slopes on both sides are less than 100 meters wide, covered with low trees, shrubs and bare yellow soil.

The central pass cuts through the valley; in its wider sections, it can accommodate six or seven riders abreast, and in its narrower sections, it can still allow three or five riders to pass.

Normally, Dege would never consider such a place a dangerous spot.

But today, as he passed through the valley, Degerai felt a chill run through his body.

Degerai reined in his horse and looked up at the hillside.

"Something's not right here?" Degerai frowned.

"Something's not right?" Sangguji asked, puzzled.

"It's too quiet, there's not a sound." As soon as Degerai finished speaking, the remaining horses of the few cavalrymen at the front suddenly neighed and then collapsed to the ground.

"A horse trap! It's a horse trap!" Sangguji exclaimed.

At the same time, countless flames lit up the hillside.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of gunfire erupted from both sides.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The Jurchen cavalry at the very front of the valley fell instantly. Their warhorses neighed and rolled, and the cavalry behind them, unable to stop in time, crashed into each other.

"There are ambushes, there are ambushes on the mountain."

As soon as the battle cries began, a flurry of gong sounds rang out from the hillsides on both sides.

"Kill the Tartars!"

Zhong Gui roared and led a large number of taxi drivers dressed in strange clothes out.

Among these people were those dressed in the Ming Dynasty's mandarin duck battle robes, Japanese samurai dressed in flamboyant attire, some savages with bare upper bodies and strange paints all over their bodies, as well as some Koreans, Mongols, and even Jurchens with braids.

This is the Green Standard Army of Dongning Kingdom. This super-hodgepodge brings together soldiers from various ethnic groups and countries. It was named the Green Standard Army by Lin Hao, and its flag is also a green flag.

The officer in charge of these Green Standard Army soldiers was Zhong Gui, formerly a centurion of the Ming Dynasty.

If these people were to fight against the Later Jin army in normal times, they would be routed in a single charge.

But now, the Later Jin army was exhausted and demoralized. The Green Standard Army soldiers, having thoroughly beaten a defeated enemy, were in high spirits and were actually overwhelming the Later Jin forces.

Zhong Gui waited all day and finally saw this group of exhausted remnants of the Later Jin army.

He stood on a large rock on the left hillside, pointing his waist knife downwards.

"Strike the horse! Strike the horse first!"

The North Korean musketeers on the slope immediately launched a second round of fire. Although they were using matchlock muskets, their power was no less.

Lead bullets were fired into the valley from above. Many Jurchen soldiers were armored, but their warhorses were not.

One after another, the warhorses were struck in the neck, abdomen and legs, and began to gallop wildly with screams, completely scattering the Jurchen formation in the entire valley.

The valley was not wide to begin with, and the fallen horses and corpses immediately blocked the road, forcing the cavalry behind to stop, while the cavalry in front could not squeeze out.

Sangguji was the quickest to react; upon seeing this, he immediately roared.

"Dismount! Go uphill! Scatter them!"

The Later Jin cavalry were elite troops, and even when attacked, they did not collapse immediately.

Under the commander's orders, many armored soldiers dismounted and charged towards the Green Standard Army soldiers on the hillside with their shields raised.

The first group of Jurchen soldiers who charged up the slope were extremely fierce. They braved scattered muskets, rolling rocks and wooden stakes, and fought their way to the halfway point.

A Green Standard Army soldier had just fired a shot and hadn't even had time to draw his sword when he was cleaved in two by a Jurchen warrior charging down with a single blow.

A Luzon native, wielding a bow and arrow, fired at the enemy. The arrow struck its target, but the Jin soldier paid no heed, bracing himself against the arrows as he charged forward and slashed the man down with a single blow.

In just a moment, the Green Standard Army soldiers on the hillside were scattered.

Zhong Gui remained expressionless upon seeing this scene.

"Don't fight them head-on. Back off and lure them up."

The Green Standard Army troops immediately withdrew along the predetermined route.

The hillside looked messy, but several shallow ditches had been dug and piled with stones and thorns.

When the Later Jin soldiers chased after them, they were constantly tripped up, and their formation was broken up by bushes and ditches.

When they reached the halfway point, Zhong Gui personally led five hundred Japanese samurai to attack from the side.

They were finally able to repel the Later Jin troops after being attacked from both sides.

The Green Standard Army, with its numerical and terrain advantages, continuously fought against the Later Jin soldiers.

Although they were repeatedly driven back, they quickly made a comeback.

Sangguji looked anxiously at the hillside. He could see clearly that the ambush troops from Dongning were not particularly strong in combat.

If given half an hour, he could kill all the Green Standard Army soldiers on both sides of the hillside.

But he no longer has the time.

The faint sound of horses' hooves could be heard behind them again.

An Jingyuan's cavalry arrived behind them again.

According to previous practice, once the scouts appeared, the Dongning infantry would arrive within half an hour at most.

"Taiji, hurry!" Sangguji urged urgently. Then, ignoring the battle situation on both sides of the hillside, he spurred his horse and galloped away on the newly cleared road.

There were horse traps on the official road, but he gambled that there weren't any on the hillside, as both sides were gentle slopes and the horses wouldn't have much trouble running.

He soon realized he had won his gamble; he successfully traversed the valley, and the view ahead opened up without any obstruction.

Degerai was overjoyed at the sight and then led the rest of his men to follow closely behind, no longer caring about those who dismounted and fought on foot.

However, just as Degerai was about to pass through the valley, a row of taxi soldiers carrying matchlock guns suddenly appeared on both sides of the dense forest.

When they passed through Sangguji earlier, the other party made no move. But when Degerai passed through, his magnificent armor and the large banner made the soldiers realize that he was a big fish.

All the muskets were aimed at Deger horses.

At least five lead bullets pierced the warhorse's body, causing its forelegs to buckle and it to neigh as it collapsed forward.

Caught off guard, Deger was violently thrown out.

When he landed, his shoulder hit a rock, his vision went black, and half of his body went numb.

Several guards were shocked and immediately rushed over to protect him.

"master!"

"Master, are you alright?"

Degrei struggled to get up, only to find his right leg pinned down by the fallen warhorse.

He roared and drew his sword to slash at the horse, but to no avail.

Several guards immediately joined forces to try to move the warhorse away.

But Zhong Gui, who was on the hillside, had already noticed the situation, and his eyes lit up instantly.

"Big fish, that's a big fish, don't kill it, catch it alive."

The Green Standard Army soldiers immediately surrounded them from all directions, like wolves that had smelled blood.