With 100,000 elite soldiers at the start, what should you call me?

……

Tick ​​tock.

The rain dripped down the eaves.

The rain seemed to have quieted down the entire Jianning Prefecture.

Li Xiangqing paced back and forth in the hall.

His face showed a variety of expressions, sometimes angry, sometimes anxious.

The Li family village was wiped out, and all the male members of the Li family were executed, leaving only him and his younger brother Li Xiangshui.

Now they have nowhere to live and can only live in the house they bought in the city.

A figure wearing a straw raincoat pushed open the door and entered the house.

"How is Third Brother doing? Has Wang Qi decided to fight the rebel army outside the city?" Li Xiangqing asked anxiously.

Li Xiangshui took off his raincoat, threw it aside, and patted his sleeves. "I heard that the Imperial Advisor originally wanted to fight the bandit army, but later, for some reason, he changed his mind and wanted to meet with Li Tian instead."

"Meet? What meeting? Doesn't that idiot Wang Qi fear Li Tian will take him down?"

Li Xiangqing was very dissatisfied with the result.

"If Wang Qi doesn't want to fight, then we'll force him to!"

"How many organizations are willing to jointly submit a letter?"

Li Xiangshui counted on his fingers, one family after another: "The head of the Chen family, the head of the Zhu family, the head of the You family..."

This family was a well-known powerful and influential local gentry in Jianning Prefecture, and even included some prominent families with connections in both the Qing and Ming dynasties.

Li Xiangshui listed more than twenty families willing to jointly petition Wang Qi, urging him to attack Li Tian.

"Alright, since that's the case, let's not delay, I'll go over there."

Li Xiangqing was overjoyed upon hearing this and couldn't wait to go to the Qing army camp.

With the fate of the world already decided, these aristocratic families, if they want to continue to survive, must place bets on multiple sides, betting on the side most likely to win.

The rebel army appeared out of nowhere and was not worth mentioning. The Ming army was merely clinging to life and would be defeated sooner or later. It would be better for them to abandon the darkness and surrender to the light, and pledge allegiance to the Qing Dynasty. In that case, the Li family could continue to exist and remain landlords.

As the rain gradually subsided, Li Xiangqing sensed that this matter could not be delayed, so he quietly slipped out of the city wearing a raincoat.

"What makes you so confident that the rebels will fight the Ming army?"

Chen Jin looked down coldly. The loss of six thousand elite troops had already angered him, but he only met with Li Xiangqing after hearing that he had important intelligence to provide.

So far, the information seems quite good, which has calmed his anger considerably.

Li Xiangqing knelt on the ground, wet mud sticking to his body, but he didn't feel dirty at all. His head was lowered and his buttocks were sticking up high.

"General, I am absolutely confident, and I would stake my life on it, that the two bandit groups will surely clash within three to five days."

"That scoundrel Li Tian is inhuman and extremely cruel. When the army was short of food, he slaughtered the villages, causing unrest in the villages around Jianning Prefecture."

"Li Tian's actions have angered the public, and countless people have petitioned Wang Qi, requesting that he eliminate Li Tian. Wang Qi will certainly not ignore this."

"Furthermore, Li Tian destroyed the villages around Jianning Prefecture, which will cause problems with the supply of the Ming army in the city. Without food supplies, Wang Qi will have no choice but to go out of the city to deal with Li Tian."

"When the two armies clash, the general can reap the benefits."

"If the two of them don't fight each other, General, there's no need to worry. Li Tian is short of supplies, so he will plunder the Ming army. Therefore, the two armies will inevitably fight each other."

Li Xiangqing's words convinced Chen Jin considerably.

Regardless, the Qing army only needed to stand by and watch as the fighting broke out. Once the fighting started, they could reap the benefits without incurring any costs.

Moreover, there is an even more important point: he needs to capture Jianning Prefecture to give an explanation for the loss of his six thousand elite troops.

Chen Jin touched his chin, a smile appearing on his face, and looked at Li Xiangqing;

"Your name is Li Xiangqing, right? I heard your Li family was wiped out by that Li Tian?"

"I see you have considerable talent and wish to keep you by my side. Are you willing?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangqing looked up at Chen Jin, her face flushed, and her body trembled with excitement.

"This servant is willing! This servant is willing to give his life and die for you, my lord."

Chen Jin: "Good, very good. Go back now, and report to me immediately if the rebels or the Ming army make any unusual moves."

Li Xiangqing: "This servant obeys."

Not long after Li Xiangqing left, Chen Jin began to reorganize his troops, preparing to reap the rewards at any time.

~

~

It rained for a whole day and night.

In the barracks, some soldiers have already caught colds due to the cold.

At the same time, the army's food supplies ran out again, leaving Li Tian with no way out.

"The commander is ready."

Chu Gang led his troops and also mobilized 1,500 prisoners as a suicide squad.

These 1,500 prisoners carried explosive charges made of smokeless gunpowder and buried them at the foot of the city wall, then detonated them.

Chu Gang's men would provide suppressive fire from a distance of about 200 meters, a relatively safe distance that would allow them to rush into the city if it fell.

Of course, the vanguard that entered the city first consisted of the 1,500 prisoners.

"Very good, now..."

Just as Li Tian was about to order the attack on the city, a communications soldier hurriedly rode up on horseback.

"Reporting to the commander, an envoy from the Ming army is coming and says he wants to see you."

Li Tian frowned. Why would the Ming army send someone to contact him at this time?

"Out of sight, attack begins."

Li Tian's icy voice delivered the final order to attack.

He had to take Jianning Prefecture to give his soldiers a safe place.

"Attack! Charge the entire battalion of prisoners!"

"Yan Naichao!"

"arrive!"

A burly man with a square face stepped forward, standing ramrod straight.

"Take your regiment and provide suppressive fire from 200 meters below the city walls!"

"To guard against both prisoner-of-war camps simultaneously, in order to prevent any unforeseen events."

"Yes, Commander!" Yan Naichao received the order and led his troops to set off.

Yan Naichao was a regimental commander under Chu Gang. The 1,500 prisoners were divided into two battalions and assigned to Yan Naichao for guard.

As the troops set off in an orderly fashion, Yan Ying, who had just arrived at the new army camp, sensed something was amiss.

What are they doing, all armed like that?

They were heading towards Jianning Prefecture...

Could it be that……

Yan Ying seemed to have thought of something terrible.

Li Tian is planning to attack Jianning Prefecture!?

How could he do something so stupid!

If the two sides start fighting, wouldn't that give the Qing army a huge advantage?

"Brother, what did your commander say?" Yan Ying asked, grabbing the hand of the soldier who had just returned.

"Sorry, our commander is unavailable."

Having received the answer, Yan Ying became even more convinced that Li Tian truly intended to attack Jianning Prefecture.

Yan Ying was immediately anxious, her back soaked with sweat.

He couldn't care less about anything else and had no choice but to force his way in.

"General Li!"

"We must not attack Jianning Prefecture!"

"General Li, don't you understand the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'?"

"If we fight, the Qing army will only benefit!"

"General Li! I am here today on the orders of the Imperial Preceptor. The Imperial Preceptor wishes to meet with you to discuss the joint defense of Jianning Prefecture!"

"We can talk things over."

"We must never start a war lightly!"

Several soldiers grabbed Yan Ying and subdued him. Yan Ying struggled violently and shouted towards the command room.

Just then, a voice rang out: "Let him go, let him come over here."