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

……

He Li was not afraid at all when faced with the guns of Xiong Wen and others.

A gun is faster than seven paces away, and a knife is faster than seven paces away!

"Kid, if you push us too far, you'd better think about the consequences!" He Li threatened, but his greatest asset was not the knife in his hand, but his position as the company commander of the prisoner-of-war camp.

From being captured to being appointed, it took less than a day. He was convinced that the army was desperately short of manpower!

Although he had many followers and a high official position, he was still unwilling to actually get into a conflict.

Xiong Wen narrowed his eyes and stared at He Li.

"Disobeying military orders and repeatedly ignoring warnings, execute him immediately by firing squad!"

Xiong Wen pushed the bolt, and the dark muzzle pierced He Li's mouth. At that moment, He Li's pupils contracted, sensing something was wrong. He tried to reach out and grab the barrel, but the next second Xiong Wen pulled the trigger.

A gunshot rang out, and He Li's head was blasted open, with blood and white fluid flowing out of the back of his head.

His body stiffened as he fell to the ground.

The men following He Li were stunned by what they saw.

They really opened fire, and they just killed them outright!

Several loyal followers felt a chill run down their spines, wanting to avenge He Li, and stepped forward with their knives drawn.

Without Xiong Wen giving the order, the soldiers behind him opened fire. Several men who tried to resist were shot dead on the spot, while the remaining few, being cowardly, immediately raised their hands in surrender.

"Xiong Wen, what happened here?"

At this moment, other patrol teams heard the gunshots and immediately rushed over to provide support.

"If someone disobeys military orders, and tries to resist despite warnings, I will execute them on the spot."

Xiong Wen spoke in a cold tone, and then pointed to the people in front of him.

"Take them away and execute them publicly."

"Lord Xiong, you've been wronged! We didn't do anything. I was just a gatekeeper; I didn't even go inside."

"Yes, we didn't do anything, please let us go."

The two lookouts then realized what was happening and immediately knelt down, begging for mercy.

However, Xiong Wen completely ignored him.

At this moment, an elderly man with a frail face, who looked to be about fifty years old, came out of the mansion.

"This old general, Meng Yue, thanks you for rescuing me from this predicament."

"General, you've had a long day. Please come in and have a cup of tea."

Meng Yue is the patriarch of the Meng family, the head of the household. When He Li and his group rushed in to smash and rob, he was extremely panicked and held a torch in his hand, ready to set himself on fire.

But then things took a sudden turn. The thieves who had been vandalizing his house suddenly got into a fight. He sneaked to the gate with his men to see what was happening and saw that the thieves who had vandalized his house had been shot dead by his own men.

Meng Yue realized that this army was probably different.

Just as he expected, Xiong Wen refused without even thinking.

"No need. Our army has issued a notice that no civilians may go out on the streets before martial law is lifted. One warning will result in execution."

"Please stay home and wait. If you encounter any food shortages or other difficulties, you can call our patrol team for help."

Xiong Wen raised his hand in a salute, then led his team away from He Li's men.

"Father, they just left like that? These thieves even managed to fight amongst themselves..."

A man behind them watched this scene with a strange expression.

Meng Yue turned around and scolded, "Watch your mouth! This is the royal army!"

After being scolded, the son fell silent. Meng Yue watched Xiong Wen walk away, said nothing more, and instructed his family to close the gate.

Similar incidents have occurred more than once in the city.

These prisoners of war had only been incorporated into the new army for a short time, and their thinking was influenced by the times. Some of them were even unaware of military orders, so they acted according to their old habits, which caused quite a few problems.

However, there were many new soldiers, and they quickly suppressed this group.

Later, when Huang Cai entered the city and also wanted to rob, he heard that several prisoner-of-war camp officers had been shot dead for taking advantage of the chaos to rob.

"Damn, the new army's regulations are too strict. They shoot people for stealing things. I wonder if that kid He Li is dead?"

Huang Cai was somewhat frightened at this moment, and was glad that he had not rushed into the city immediately, otherwise he would have been executed as well!

Soon the entire Jianning Prefecture was under the control of the new army. The streets were cleaned up, and then Lei Yunlong led the Seventh Army directly through the main street and out of Ningyuan Gate to support Zheng Youren outside the city.

About three or four miles outside Ningyuan Gate, on a mound, the mound is crisscrossed with gullies about half a person's height. The ground of the gully is covered with gravel at intervals to keep it dry and prevent water accumulation.

At the very first moment the gunfire erupted at Zhennanmen, the Qing army also took action.

Tens of thousands of troops pressed forward, intending to take the opportunity to attack Ningyuan Gate.

The Ming soldiers on Ningyuan Gate noticed the Qing army's unusual movements, but they were not too nervous because the new army had set up a position outside the city, blocking the Qing army's path.

This position was like a nail; if the Qing army wanted to attack Jianning Prefecture, they had to remove this nail.

Upon learning of the situation, Chen Jin immediately ordered a full-scale encirclement of the new army and an attack from all sides.

"Without barricades or city walls, just some trenches—what's the difference between that and open field battle?"

"My Eight Banners troops are invincible in open field battles. Lü Wencai, I order you to annihilate this rebel army within one hour."

A general named Lü Wencai led more than 10,000 men to surround the earthen slope, observing the situation from the outside while mounted on horseback.

"The enemy has all taken refuge in trenches, and their cannons and firearms are not very effective. This is where our Qing army excels at: hand-to-hand combat in the field. To think that they can stop the advance of our Qing cavalry with such fortifications and troops is simply wishful thinking."

"Those southern barbarians are all delicate and tender, how can they compare to my Great Qing Eight Banners? I can cut them in two with one stroke."

Lu Wencai gave a cold laugh. At that moment, the sound of gunfire and cannon fire echoed from the distant valley. He knew that the 100,000 rebels and the Ming army had started fighting.

Once we defeat the rebels outside the city, we can then attack Ningyuan Gate and capture the North Gate.

If all goes well, they can take Jianning Prefecture before the rebels; if not, at most they can fight street battles with the rebels within Jianning Prefecture.

But no matter how the fighting went, Lü Wencai believed that they had already won the war.

"Focus on one side, with shield-wielders in front, spearmen behind, and archers in position."

"attack!"

Lu Wencai wanted a quick victory and decided to attack only one side, which would allow him to break through the enemy's defenses quickly while minimizing casualties.

The Qing infantry quickly formed ranks.

Hillsides and trenches are not conducive to cavalry charges, so infantry should be prioritized in this battle.

"Archers launched their arrows from about a hundred paces away."

Lü Wencai followed behind the army and gave orders.

The first wave of attacking troops numbered about three hundred men. The enemy positions ahead were like a spider web, crooked and crisscrossing, and they advanced toward the outermost defensive line.

Sun Liang, the battalion commander of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Regiment of the 1st Army, was responsible for defending this area.

The soldiers crouched in the trench, aiming their guns forward, with only their heads sticking out.

When the enemy approached within about 100 meters, Sun Liang fired the first shot.

boom!

A Qing soldier at the very front was shot in the head and died instantly.

The Qing soldiers around him narrowed their eyes, but they didn't even have time to react. The next second, a barrage of gunfire, like raindrops hitting banana leaves, rang out, and in less than half a minute, all three hundred men had fallen.

The Qing troops standing at the rear were not much better off. The Hanyang rifle had an actual range of up to 1,300 meters and could effectively kill any target within 400 meters. Even those wearing armor would die within 100 meters.

Upon seeing this, Lü Wencai was filled with fear and apprehension; something was wrong with the firepower!