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

……

Jianning Prefecture.

"Report! The Imperial Advisor reports unusual activity by the Qing army; they have sent a cavalry unit south."

A sentry reported to the commander.

Upon hearing this, Wang Qi immediately left his residence and went to the city tower. Looking into the distance, he indeed spotted a cavalry unit running south along the Jianxi River.

"This direction... leads to Li Tian's rebel army."

Wang Qi sent his personal guard Yan Ying to probe the rebel army that had suddenly appeared at Yunji Mountain.

According to the intelligence brought back by Yan Ying, the rebel army indeed numbered no less than 100,000, and they were all young and strong men, each carrying a musket, making their firearms quite luxurious.

But there were no cannons, no armor, no tents, no horses, not even swords or spears. Apart from a musket, the army had none of the things it should have, and it didn't look like a normal army at all.

Like a rebel army that hastily rose up, they made no preparations whatsoever.

However, the sheer number of muskets the enemy possessed told outsiders that they were not unprepared; at least they still had weapons.

This rebel army, whose origins and which nearby village they came from, appeared suddenly and seemed very strange.

Yan Ying tried to persuade them to surrender, but the other party seemed arrogant and refused their request.

"If I had 100,000 brave warriors, what would I have to worry about if I couldn't eliminate the Tartars and restore my Ming Dynasty?"

"Even if they are unwilling to accept the amnesty, we cannot let these people surrender to the Tartars; at the very least, we must make them stand on the opposite side of the Tartars."

Just as Wang Qi was muttering to himself, planning how to face Li Tian's army, he heard the voice of Zhu Changhu, the Prince of Yunxi, from behind him.

"Grand Preceptor, the Qing army has moved. Judging from their appearance, they're heading to attack the army outside the city. Why don't we take this opportunity to escape out of the city!"

Zhu Changhu ran up the city wall, with several civil officials standing behind him.

Upon hearing this, Wang Qi frowned immediately, and displeasure arose in his heart.

"Your Highness, you mustn't! If we flee, the rebel army outside the city will likely be wiped out by the Qing army immediately. This would not only mean losing a powerful anti-Qing force, but it would also discourage righteous people throughout the land!"

Seeing that Wang Qi's expression was off, Zhu Changhu was startled and dared not mention the matter again.

"So, Grand Preceptor, should we help that rebel army?"

"We must help," Wang Qi said firmly. This was 100,000 men. If they were defeated by the Qing army and tens of thousands more were captured, then Jianning Prefecture would no longer be a question of whether it could be defended.

Moreover, as long as these 100,000 men are present, the Qing army will not dare to launch a full-scale siege of Jianning Prefecture, thus relieving them of most of the pressure.

Zhu Changhu didn't speak; he just looked at the civil official beside him.

Qin Yan, the Vice Minister of Revenue, stepped forward and said, "We understand the Grand Preceptor's meaning. Helping the righteous army is not only beneficial to us, but also to the situation of resisting the Qing."

"But there's one thing I, Qin Yan, must make clear: we don't have the ability to help others."

"After defending the city for several months, only 30,000 soldiers and civilians remain. The food supplies can only last for less than three days, and there are only a little over 1,000 soldiers capable of fighting. How can we help others? We can barely take care of ourselves."

"If we don't take this opportunity to break through the Qing army's encirclement, our rebel army will probably be wiped out sooner or later."

"It doesn't matter if we die, but if anything happens to the Prince of Yunxi, the banner of the righteous army in Jianning will fall!"

Qin Yan was the Vice Minister of Revenue for this rebel army, in charge of money, food and logistics, and he knew the internal situation very well.

Wang Qi frowned even more deeply, while Zhu Changhu remained silent, simply standing quietly to the side.

He was merely a puppet, a figurehead temporarily erected by Wang Qi to resist the Qing dynasty.

Some were willing to die for their country, while others hesitated. No one wanted to die if there was a way to survive.

Especially in situations where there is still hope.

"You mean you won't help?" Wang Qi's tone was stern, carrying a hint of murderous intent.

He built this team from scratch, and he would never tolerate anyone who wanted to oppose his opinions or challenge his authority.

Qin Yan broke out in a cold sweat, feeling the pressure of that gaze.

"No, it's not that we won't help, but rather that we will help gradually, through a strategic withdrawal. We will help again once our army has received supplies."

"We also need supplies, and even more importantly, we need to replenish our soldiers."

Wang Qi's brows relaxed a bit. He knew a little about the situation inside the city, and if they continued to hold out, something unexpected might happen.

"What about Jianning Prefecture? If this city is lost, it won't be easy to take it back."

Seeing that Wang Qi's tone had softened slightly, Qin Yan breathed a sigh of relief and continued;

"We can let the rebels from outside come in and defend the city with them."

"Then we should just let the rebel army in from outside. Why bother running?" Wang Qi said coldly.

Qin Yan: "As far as I know, the rebel army outside seems to be short of food and supplies. They are still scavenging for food and supplies in the villages outside the city at this moment. Moreover, I heard that the rebel army outside the city is unwilling to accept amnesty."

"Therefore, I suggest that we leave a portion of our men to defend Jianning Prefecture with the rebel army outside the city, and let the Prince of Yunxi go to Fuzhou to ask the Prince of Lu for provisions."

Zhu Changhu then stepped forward and said, "Grand Preceptor, I am not afraid of death. If you are unwilling to stay in Jianning, I can stay in Jianning Prefecture while you go to the rear to fetch reinforcements."

Wang Qi sighed inwardly; this method wasn't entirely unacceptable.

Wang Qi had already given up hope because Zheng Cai hadn't come to his aid, and was prepared to perish with Jianning City. However, the sudden appearance of Li Tian's righteous army brought a huge turning point.

The city might be able to be defended, and they might be able to get supplies.

At the same time, Wang Qi was seething with anger. He was determined to kill that bastard the next time he saw Zheng Cai.

They had just started to gain a slight advantage, but Zheng Cai became jealous and refused to come to their aid, thus squandering their good fortune.

"Your Majesty is eager to resist the Qing, but Your Majesty still needs to make a trip to the rear. I will stay here and guard the area."

A hint of joy flashed in Zhu Changhu's eyes, but he still reluctantly agreed.

If you can get out alive, of course you'll choose to leave.

"However, before agreeing to let the rebels outside the city come in, I think we should send someone to talk to them first."

"Yan Ying, I'd like to trouble you to go again."

"Yes, Imperial Advisor."

Yan Ying has to make another trip this afternoon.

The true nature of the rebel leader Wang Qi outside the city is unknown; he needs to send people to make more contact with him.

He heard that the rebel leader was a young man who looked to be around twenty years old, which made him feel that the rebels outside the city were even stranger.

Contact with the rebels can be made slowly, but Zhu Changhu and others can take advantage of the Qing army's division of forces to leave the city first.

Leaving Jianning Prefecture, Zhu Changhu glanced at the city and sighed deeply, feeling as if he had escaped death.

When we get back, we must ask King Lu why he didn't send troops to support us.

~

~

"Whoa!" Li Shuotai ran down the Jianxi River for more than ten miles and finally found a ferry crossing here.

"Jiang Jie".

"Your servant is here."

An officer dismounted and knelt before Li Shuotai.

"You lead a group of people to cross the river first."

"Yes, ma'am."

Jiang Jie led several hundred men to plunder some boats and crossed the river first. After reaching the other side, he immediately sent out cavalry to scout around, but found no enemy troops.

After confirming that it was safe, Li Shuotai ordered that boats be collected from the surrounding villages and that the crossing of the river begin.

"Sure enough, those rebels didn't have a single horse, and they couldn't even send out a single scout."

As Li Shuotai charged along the riverbank, he also observed the rebel army on the opposite bank. There were many people, but they were all infantry. He did not see any other types of troops, nor did he see any horses entering or leaving the camp.

This doesn't resemble a normal army at all; it's more like a temporary uprising by a group of lowly people.

The appearance of this rebel army, matching the intelligence, was a merit bestowed upon him.

After the entire army crossed the river, Li Shuotai immediately ordered: "Rest and reorganize on the spot; we will launch a surprise attack on the enemy camp at dawn tomorrow!"