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

……

Qing army camp.

Faced with the sudden appearance of the rebel army, Chen Jin suffered two major defeats in just five days.

The first defeat was caused by Li Shuotai leading 6,000 elite infantry and cavalry to launch a surprise attack on the 100,000 people, hoping to take advantage of the rebels' unstable foothold and annihilate them in one fell swoop.

But things didn't go as he expected.

Based on the intelligence we received, the rebel army did indeed appear suddenly and in a very strange way.

Chen Jin didn't care. As long as the Qing army's position was not secure, they were invincible in open field battles, especially since they could launch surprise attacks.

But even under such conditions, these 6,000 elite troops were completely wiped out.

What followed was a dogfight between the remnants of the Ming army and the rebels.

Logically speaking, he should be able to reap the benefits this time.

But who could have imagined that the simple defense built by that rebel army on a small hill in the wilderness would actually stop the advance of his 50,000 to 60,000 troops!

Lu Wencai led his men in wave after wave of attacks, capturing nearby bondservants and servants to deplete the rebels' ammunition.

But the enemy's ammunition seemed inexhaustible, and gunfire continued unabated.

In the end, Lü Wencai himself charged forward and died on the battlefield.

Attacking the earthen slope outside the city caused him to lose another four or five thousand men. If you include the captured bondservants, the total number of dead was probably ten or twenty thousand. The area under the small earthen slope was full of corpses.

If it weren't for the arrival of rebel reinforcements, Chen Jin would have really wanted to launch a full-scale attack and take that small hill at all costs.

"So many soldiers have died, and there are still many elite troops left. Morale is low. We absolutely cannot fight this battle like this."

"Let's go back to Jianyang and rest for a while..."

Chen Jin wanted to return to Jianyang, but the rebels in Jianning Prefecture were making him anxious.

If he were to return to Jianyang like this, he would definitely lose his position as Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian.

"Why haven't we heard from Qi Wan yet? Could he have betrayed us?"

Meanwhile, inside Jianning Prefecture, Qi Wan, who had disguised himself as a refugee and infiltrated the prefecture, was also extremely anxious.

He paced back and forth in a courtyard.

"Damn it, why are these rebels so strict? When am I going to be able to get out?"

After the Qing army's first defeat, Qi Wan was sent to act as a spy to find a way to infiltrate the rebel army.

However, the rebels were too strict in their management, and he didn't know anyone in the city, so he couldn't join them. In the end, he could only sneak into the city and wait for an opportunity.

Just then, the voices of rebel patrol members came from outside the door.

"Fellow citizens, from this moment on, the gate restrictions are lifted, and you are free to move about and trade within the city."

"Recruiting soldiers! Two taels of silver per month, food, lodging, and equipment included! Honest and fair dealing! Those interested should register at the East City Military Camp!"

The two voices rang out one after the other on the street.

Qi Wan's eyes lit up upon hearing this; "This is our opportunity!"

"These bandits are really good at deceiving people to recruit soldiers. Two taels a month, including food, lodging and equipment. Even our Qing Dynasty, which is so rich and powerful, wouldn't dare to do this. It must be fake. Once they lure people in, they won't be able to get out."

"But that suits me perfectly. After gathering intelligence, I'll be leaving."

Qi Wan sneered, not believing a single word of the conditions offered by the new army. With such conditions, why would they need to be rebels?

"Hey! Brothers outside, wait a minute, I want to join the rebel army!"

"Brother, come this way, write down your name and place of origin, then undergo a physical examination. If you pass, you can join."

Qi Wan arrived at the military camp in the west of the city, registered his information and had his body checked as required, and passed through quickly.

Then I was given my equipment: a cloth armor and a long spear.

And it really did include food and lodging, with the food being dried goods such as millet, millet cakes, and wheat cakes, as well as a bowl of meat soup.

We stayed in ten-person barracks at night. Although there were many people, the barracks were spacious enough and it was still acceptable.

That evening, Qi Wan wrote a letter.

"To Governor-General Chen Jinqi of Zhejiang and Fujian, my official post is Niru Zhangjing Qiwan. I have important matters to report. I have fulfilled my mission and successfully infiltrated the rebel army. The rebels call themselves the New Army, totaling about 100,000 men. I assert that the rebels are now outwardly strong but inwardly weak. They are currently recruiting soldiers in the city, boasting that they offer two taels of silver a month, with food and lodging included... Their military system is ten men per squad, ten squads per platoon, and three platoons per company..."

After writing the letter, Qi Wan took advantage of the fact that everyone in the military camp was asleep, secretly left the barracks, and buried the letter under the old locust tree that they had agreed to meet.

As soon as he left the barracks, a pair of eyes were already watching him in the darkness.

~

~

Fuzhou Prefecture.

After breaking away from Jianning Prefecture, Zhu Changhu, the Prince of Yunxi, and his group of civil officials traveled all the way to Fuzhou Prefecture.

Unfortunately, they were imprisoned in some sense as soon as they arrived in Fuzhou.

He didn't even get to see Prince Lu, Zhu Yihai.

"Have you made contact with Vice Minister Qin and Grand Secretary Qian?"

Upon seeing Qin Yan arrive, Zhu Changhu quickly stepped forward to ask him questions.

Qin Yan was panting heavily, clearly having run too fast.

"Your Majesty, we have made contact."

"Minister Qin, please don't rush. Speak slowly and have a cup of tea first." Zhu Changhu's face lit up with joy upon hearing this, and he quickly handed over a cup of brewed tea.

Qin Yan took a sip of his drink before speaking slowly.

"Grand Secretary Qian has told us about the situation in Jianning Prefecture. Tomorrow he will write a memorial to be sent directly to Prince Lu."

"Good, good, good! As long as Prince Lu sees the memorial, he will definitely send troops to rescue Wang Qi!"

Zhu Changhu exclaimed "Good!" three times in a row, almost jumping for joy.

His hard work in coming to Fuzhou Prefecture was worthwhile.

When he first arrived in Fuzhou, he was intercepted by an army. After a struggle, he revealed his identity and paid a lot of money to bribe them before he was able to get through the ordeal.

But not long after, Duke Zheng Cai of Jian Guo sent a troop of soldiers to "protect" them, and Zhu Changhu and his party were separated and housed in a courtyard.

Fortunately, Qin Yan was a member of the Donglin Party's Fushe Society and had many acquaintances in the civil service. After establishing connections, he finally made contact with Grand Secretary Qian, Qian Sule.

Nowadays, the only one who can rival Duke Zheng Cai is Grand Secretary Qian.

"Your Majesty, however, I have also learned of another matter. Not long ago, Duke Zheng Cai of Jian Guo, who was abusing his power, killed Xiong Rulin, the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion and the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince."

"The court was in an uproar over this matter. Prince Lu suspended court for five days and was deeply saddened. But Zheng Cai did not stop there. He instigated his subordinates to force Marquis Yixing, Zheng Zunqian, to commit suicide. Now the entire court is probably under Zheng Cai's absolute control."

"Moreover, there's an emergency coming from the rear; it seems the rebel army outside the city has begun attacking Jianning Prefecture!"

"What!?"

A series of shocking news stunned Zhu Changhu.

He had anticipated that Jianning Prefecture would be besieged, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly. He also didn't expect that Zheng Cai would be so arrogant and domineering, daring to kill Xiong Rulin!

Zhu Changhu, now thinking about his own situation, immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

"Minister Qin, are you sure no one saw you go out?"

"Probably not," Qin Yan said, not entirely sure.

Zhu Changhu was well aware of the sordid affairs in the court. Zheng Cai represented the military barbarians, while Xiong Rulin represented the civil officials and scholars.

Now that military officers dare to kill scholar-officials at will, the situation looks very bad.

Just then, a loud banging came from outside the gate.

"Open the door! The Duke of Jian Guo has business with the Prince of Yunxi. If you delay, I'll kill all of you servants!"

The gates opened, and a group of soldiers, resembling thugs, stormed into the mansion.

Zhu Changhu broke out in a cold sweat instantly.