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

……

The once peaceful Xiaosongxi River suddenly became bustling with noise.

General Zhang Yingmeng, stationed on the north bank, rushed out of his tent. The camp was already brightly lit, and the soldiers ran out of their tents to look across the river.

"Damn it! The rebels are launching a night attack!"

"Everyone assemble immediately to support the Governor!"

The Qing army camp was stationed near Xiaosongxi, with some troops remaining on the north bank, in order to have a backup plan in case of emergency.

This backup plan has now come in handy.

The soldiers, who had been panicking and running around aimlessly, were gradually brought into the ranks when they saw friendly forces coming to their aid from the other side of the river. The chaos was gradually brought under control.

Meanwhile, Governor Chen Jin, led by his personal guards, approached the riverbank.

When he saw a team led by Zhang Yingmeng appear behind him, he felt much more at ease.

"Yingmeng, you've come at the right time. The enemy launched a night attack, but their offensive is not fierce. As long as we can reorganize our troops, we will surely be able to turn the tide and win."

Chen Jin still believed that the Qing army was capable of fighting.

Zhang Yingmeng looked around. There were shouts of battle everywhere, the scene was chaotic and the situation was unclear. He did not think that there was any strength left to fight.

However, he couldn't say that he needed to find an excuse to get rid of Chen Jin, seize military power, and control the situation.

"Your Excellency, I am currently assembling the troops and stabilizing morale. However, the battlefield is chaotic, and Your Excellency is of noble birth and should not take any risks. I will send men to escort you to a safe place."

Chen Jin frowned upon hearing this. If he retreated, who would take charge of the scene?

"No, I must not retreat. If our commander retreats, our army will be leaderless and will surely collapse."

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he remembered the story of Xiang Yu's Battle of Julu, where he famously broke the cauldrons and sank the boats.

"Raise my banner and push forward! I want everyone to see it!"

"We must burn our bridges; this is our chance to turn defeat into victory!"

Chen Jin, as if injected with adrenaline, turned his horse around with bloodshot eyes.

He must turn this battle around; if he loses, he will have nothing left.

Even if he survived, he would be executed for arguing, because he was not a genuine Manchu, but a Han Chinese.

"Zhang Yingmeng has already ordered you to immediately regroup your troops and launch a counterattack!"

Zhang Yingmeng had no choice but to agree.

Chen Jin's idea was correct at this point.

The commander raised his flag high and sent men to loudly rally the troops. Some Qing soldiers who were originally in a state of panic and confusion seemed to have found their leader and immediately moved towards the center.

However, his decision also attracted the attention of the Longxiang First Army.

The vanguard soldiers were all prisoners of war and were very familiar with the structure of the military camp. They rushed to the central command tent in no time.

Two thousand vanguard soldiers immediately spotted Chen Jin assembling his troops.

When Jiang Tao, the commander of the vanguard battalion, saw the dark mass of well-equipped Qing troops ahead, his brows furrowed immediately.

This group of Qing troops was clearly elite, and there were even some big fish among them.

"Immediately send a support signal to the rear."

"Sound the call to arms, vanguard battalion, charge!"

Jiang Tao immediately gave the order, and the soldiers around him took out bamboo tubes containing cinnabar mixed with gunpowder. They pulled the fuse, and a thick plume of red smoke shot into the sky, clearly visible across the entire battlefield.

The vanguard soldiers, who had given the order to charge, roared and charged forward.

Chen Jin and the others were also shocked and furious when they saw the rebel army rushing towards them.

At this moment, Zhang Yingmeng reacted even faster, gripping her spear and shouting loudly to those around her.

"Protect the Governor! The rest of you, charge!"

Zhang Yingmeng, clad in heavy armor, led his personal guards into battle.

The two sides fought each other relentlessly, and the battlefield was like a meat grinder, constantly devouring lives.

Chen Jin's pupils contracted sharply upon seeing this scene. His intuition told him that this rebel army had come specifically to find him.

But he did not back down. He could clearly see that his side had more people and was in a temporary advantage. It was impossible for the other side to get close to him; on the contrary, they risked being surrounded.

"Let's start the counter-offensive by wiping out this rebel army."

Chen Jin gave a cold laugh.

However, his smile froze the next second.

The sound of hooves thundered from the rear of the rebel army, and a cavalry force charged straight at them.

This cavalry unit was lightly armored and carried only a lance, yet they moved very quickly.

Upon seeing the battlefield ahead, Wang Xin immediately ordered a change of direction, directly flanking the Qing army.

Instead of launching a charge, the cavalry kept their distance from the Qing army.

"What are they trying to do?" This strange behavior alarmed Chen Jin, who quietly took a few steps back and hid among his personal guards.

"Whatever they want to do, we must hold the flanks."

Chen Jin's expression hardened, and he gave the order: "Scatter them!"

However, the next second, Wang Xin's cavalry battalion did not dismount. They could not afford to waste time at this distance, as the enemy's charging speed was enough to reach them within thirty seconds.

"Free fire!"

Boom!

After saying that, he pulled the trigger first, pulled back the bolt, ejected the spent cartridge, loaded a new bullet, and pulled the trigger again.

He was extremely skilled at this move and didn't need to aim carefully because they had unlimited ammunition; all they needed to do was provide fire support.

Within a range of 100 meters, the power of the Hanyang rifle was beyond imagination; even those wearing triple armor could not withstand it.

Few Qing soldiers could wear triple armor; wearing double armor was considered quite good.

A barrage of gunfire rang out, and Qing soldiers who charged forward fell one by one.

Even those around Chen Jin who hadn't yet charged were unlucky enough to be shot and die instantly, their warm blood splattering on their faces, still retaining its warmth.

This scene terrified Chen Jin.

The enemy's muskets were more powerful than matchlock guns, and their rate of fire was simply unbelievable.

"We can't beat them, we absolutely can't beat them!"

The thought had barely crossed Chen Jin's mind when several stray bullets pierced through him, and the dignified Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian died in the chaos of battle.

Zhang Yingmeng's flank was attacked, and the soldiers he had painstakingly gathered all fled in panic in an instant.

"Run!"

"Our army has been defeated!"

"Halt! Our Great Qing Dynasty is invincible! Those who retreat will be executed!"

However, the cold bullets mercilessly claimed the lives of Qing soldiers.

Even the invincible Eight Banners soldiers were killed with a single shot, just like ordinary people.

Within a minute, a thousand cavalrymen could fire tens of thousands of bullets, and swathes of Qing soldiers fell.

Even with a hit rate of only 20%, it can still take down around two thousand people in a short time.

As the Qing army collapsed, the cavalry battalion stopped firing, and the vanguard battalion immediately pressed forward and cut down the general's flag.

"Victory! Victory! Victory!"

The first army of the Longxiang Army broke through the Qing army's central command tent, and everyone celebrated and roared.

Zhang Yingmeng, who had disappeared into the darkness, glanced back, was terrified, and hastily retreated, returning to the north bank to burn down the pontoon bridge.

"This rebel army is quite special; we must inform General Jingnan about this!"