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

……

Shaowu.

Shaowu Prefecture borders Jiangxi Province and also controls a vital passage from Jiangxi to Fujian.

Remnants of the Ming forces in Fuzhou, Jiangxi and other places rebelled. The Qing Dynasty dispatched General Chen Tai, the General Who Pacifies the South, and Governor-General Chen Jin of Zhejiang and Fujian to lead hundreds of thousands of troops south to rebel.

A vast array of banners obscured the sun.

Upon arriving at their destination, Chen Jin and Chen Tai discussed the matter and reached a consensus: to first resolve the Fujian rebellion before turning their attention to eliminating the remaining Ming forces.

So the two men split up, with Fujian coming under the jurisdiction of Chen Jin, the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian, so he was responsible for resolving the matter personally.

He led most of his troops, intending to first capture Jianning Prefecture, then reclaim Fuzhou, gradually eliminating the rebels' support, and finally attack Fuzhou in one fell swoop.

General Chen Tai of Jingnan went to handle affairs in Jiangxi and, incidentally, to defend against the Jiangxi rebels and support the Fujian rebels.

This strategic plan is perfect. In addition, the Ming rebels are unstable and constantly fighting among themselves. They only need to follow the plan step by step, and the Ming can be easily wiped out.

However, a huge unexpected event occurred during this plan.

The appearance of an army of 100,000 men disrupted the balance of the war.

Chen Jin died, and his army of over 100,000 was wiped out. Generals Zhang Yingmeng and Ma Degong fled in panic.

After leaving Xiaosongxi, they gathered their remaining troops and returned to Jianyang City, but the truth could not be hidden forever.

The death of the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian and the annihilation of over 100,000 Qing troops would surely shake the world once the news spread.

After entering the pass, the Qing army had a smooth journey and had never suffered such a major loss.

If the higher-ups investigate and hold someone accountable, who can take responsibility?

Inside the government office of Jianning Prefecture.

After Chen Jin's death, his surviving generals gathered together to discuss the matter.

The meeting was initiated by Zhang Cunren, who sat at the head of the table. After Chen Jin's death, he became the highest-ranking official there.

Zhang Cunren was the former Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian, but he was dismissed from his post and replaced by Chen Jin because he failed to suppress the rebellion.

In this operation, he was merely following Chen Jin to atone for his crimes and earn merit.

He generally did not express his opinion on the decisions of his political enemies, and even hoped that Chen Jin would make some mistakes so that he could impeach him and regain his position as Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian.

However, this time it seems to have gotten out of hand. The bandit army dared to launch a night attack outside the city, which directly led to Chen Jin's death.

This style of work is completely unlike that of the Ming army, and the enemy's firepower is terrifyingly strong.

Zhang Cunren's gaze swept across the area below.

Seated below him is General Ma Degong, formerly a Ming general who later abandoned the Ming and surrendered to the Qing.

General Ma Degong was originally a general in the Ming army. He later surrendered to the Qing army and once captured and killed members of the Zhu Ming imperial family.

General Wang Zhigang was originally a general in the Ming army, but later surrendered to the Qing army.

General Zhang Yingmeng was originally a Ming general who later surrendered to the Qing.

And Zhang Cunren's several deputy generals, Man Jinzhong, Li Xiu, Ma Chenglong and about ten other generals.

All of you here share a common characteristic: you were all once generals of the Ming Dynasty.

In the Battle of Xiaosongxi, almost all the Jianzhou Bannermen with status within the army were killed.

Everyone sat in their seats, silent and still. The atmosphere was oppressive and heavy, as if a physical weight was pressing down on everyone's shoulders.

"The governor is dead. If this matter isn't resolved, none of us will have a good end."

Finally, Zhang Cunren broke the silence and spoke first.

"Let's discuss what the next step is."

Ma Degong spoke first: "My lord, although our army has been defeated, our elite troops have not been lost. We can take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness to launch another attack and seize Jianning Prefecture in one fell swoop."

Ma Degong had killed members of the Ming imperial family, so it was impossible for him to surrender to the Ming army again.

But if the higher-ups blame him for Chen Jin's death, he will definitely be implicated, and as a traitor, he will certainly not have a good end.

Instead of risking everything, let's take back Jianning Prefecture and avenge Chen Jin.

"General Ma is right. These past few days, the defeated soldiers have been regrouped, and our army still has 50,000 to 60,000 troops. We still have the strength to fight the enemy," Wang Zhigang said, stepping forward to support him.

But currently, only these two are the main fighters; the others remain silent.

Sitting below, Zhang Yingmeng even sneered inwardly; "A counterattack? What if we lose again? The enemy's firepower is simply absurd, and they've lost most of their weapons in the rout. What are they going to use to fight the enemy?"

Zhang Yingmeng wasn't the only one with this idea; during the night raid on Xiaosongxi, all the generals present witnessed the firepower of the new army firsthand.

It is dense, precise, powerful, and most importantly, has a high rate of fire.

It only takes two quick clicks to load the magazine and fire a shot.

Their matchlock guns and muskets seemed to come from completely different eras.

The meeting fell silent once again.

However, no one present mentioned surrendering.

They were all surrendered generals, how dare they surrender back to the Ming army?

How thick-skinned do you have to be?

Zhang Cunren frowned, realizing what everyone below was thinking.

Nobody wants to take responsibility.

He was even less likely to take responsibility, even though he was among the first to surrender to the Qing army.

Before the Qing army entered the pass, he was the deputy general of Ningyuan, guarding Dalinghe City with Zu Dashou. Later, he took the initiative to persuade Wu Sangui to surrender. After entering the pass, he made great military achievements and rose to the position of Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian. For a time, he was extremely popular.

He was getting old and was preparing to retire behind the scenes when the remaining members of the Ming imperial family continued to cause trouble, almost taking over the entire Fujian province.

After this matter was exposed, the imperial court took the opportunity to suppress him and dismissed him from his post, which suited him just as well.

If he can help the newly arrived Chen Jin suppress the rebellion again, he can make amends and retire.

However, Li Tian suddenly appeared out of nowhere, disrupting everyone's plans.

At this moment, the deputy general Man Jinzhong stepped forward and said, "Sir, although our elite troops still have some reserves, their morale is low and their weapons are not sharp. It would be better to postpone the attack, join forces with General Jingnan, and then make further plans."

Upon hearing this, many people nodded silently, essentially agreeing to the plan.

Zhang Cunren nodded slightly, indicating his agreement with the idea.

Chen Jin's affair cannot be kept secret, but it absolutely cannot be left unreported, otherwise his loyalty will be questioned by his superiors.

"Jinzhong's words are good."

"But before that, we can't just sit idly by, Zhang Yingmeng."

"Your subordinate is here."

Zhang Yingmeng was startled when her name was suddenly called.

"Before joining General Jingnan, I order you to continue harassing the enemy villages and not let them have peace. At the same time, find out the secrets of the enemy's weapons and it would be best to seize them so that our army can imitate them."

"Your subordinate obeys."

Zhang Yingmeng reluctantly accepted the order.

The claim that the Qing army conquered the country through archery and horsemanship is merely a misconception held by later rulers who were ignorant of the world.

In reality, the Qing army used Han Chinese to fight Han Chinese and used artillery to besiege cities and conquer the country; this is the truth.

The fact that Chen Jin, the newly appointed Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian, had died in battle could no longer be kept secret.

Several days later, General Chen Tai, who was stationed in Shaowu, received the news.

When Chen Tai saw the news in Zhang Cunren's letter that hundreds of thousands of rebel troops had launched a night attack on the city with fierce firepower, and that Governor Chen Jin had been unable to withstand the attack and had been shot and killed during the breakout, Chen Tai was stunned.

He then kicked the table over.

"Are you kidding me!"

"Summon Zhang Cunren here! I want to personally investigate how Chen Jin died! How did hundreds of thousands of troops perish!"