Late Ming Dynasty: Starting with the overthrow of the county magistrate, a rebellion was launched to

At this moment, Zhang Da froze, as if he had fallen into an ice cave. A chill ran straight to the top of his head, and the wounds all over his body, which had not yet healed, suddenly throbbed with pain, as if reminding him that disaster was imminent.

"Dalang?"

Amidst the chaotic battle, the figure charging like a tiger suddenly paused, no longer retreating. He easily deflected two thrusting spears with his sword and stood motionless.

Zhang Da wasn't narcissistic, but he probably felt that ruthless person was watching him.

Just as Zhang Da predicted.

Li Dingguo's pupils contracted sharply, and then a burst of fiery light erupted from them.

"Dalang?"

Li Dingguo slowly recited the sentence again, then burst into laughter.

"So that's why it's so lively tonight! Turns out it's that scoundrel Zhang Da here!"

Finally, in that split second, Li Dingguo instantly understood everything.

What feint attack, what head-on confrontation—it's all a lie! Zhang Da was personally leading his elite troops, intending to outflank Huaqiao Pass from Shanmu'ao, cut off their retreat, and decide the outcome in one battle!

What audacity! What a brilliant plan! Zhang Da is truly something else!

Li Dingguo felt a surge of heroic spirit in his chest. All his previous doubts, anxieties, and hesitations transformed into ecstasy and ruthlessness.

You search high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly!

He originally only wanted to split his forces to attack from the side and break the stalemate, but he unexpectedly ran into the Ming army commander and blocked him in this narrow path where he could neither advance nor retreat!

"Zhang Da!"

Li Dingguo let out a long, resounding howl that shook the woods and startled countless night birds into a flurry of flight, their wings slicing through the night sky. "You treacherous villain, how dare you venture out alone into danger! Tonight is your death night!"

Before he finished speaking, Li Dingguo did not hesitate any longer. He squeezed the horse's belly with both legs. The horse was in pain and reared up. With a long neigh, it charged towards Zhang Dazhi like an arrow released from a bow!

His dark, fine-scaled armor gleamed coldly in the dim light. With a sweep of his long sword, the Baoqing soldiers who stood in his way fell to the ground like grass, their flesh and blood splattering everywhere. No one could stop him even for a moment.

"Protect our lord!"

The commander of the personal guards, his eyes bloodshot with rage, swung his sword forward, trying to stop Li Dingguo. However, he was struck on the shoulder by the other's blade, his armor shattering and the blade piercing his flesh. He was sent flying several feet away, crashing heavily into a tree trunk, spitting out blood, and dying on the spot.

Li Dingguo, with his swift horse and sharp blade, swept through the enemy lines, and in the blink of an eye, he was less than ten steps away from Zhang Da!

Ten steps!

Enough for a warhorse to charge, enough for a single stroke to sever a head!

Zhang Da's hair stood on end. At this critical moment, he suppressed all his panic, and the calmness of a transmigrator and the ruthlessness he had gained from six months of battlefield combat surged into his heart at the same time.

He knew he had nowhere to retreat.

Behind them was a narrow mountain path, and on both sides were cliffs. Most of the eight hundred elite troops were already caught up in the head-on melee, and only a hundred or so personal guards remained by their side. Once Li Dingguo broke through their formation, they would surely perish here today!

"What's the panic!"

Zhang Da suddenly drew his sword from his waist. The blade was a ring-pommel sword he had specially commissioned, made of fine iron. Though not a renowned blade, it was still incredibly sharp. A flash of cold light, and it pointed directly at Li Dingguo. "He's alone! What are you all afraid of! Follow me and kill him!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs to boost morale, while simultaneously advancing instead of retreating, taking a step forward to block his personal guards.

He can't retreat.

If the commander-in-chief retreats, the morale of the army will collapse, and everyone will die here tonight.

What's more, he is Zhang Da, a man who traveled from the modern era to the chaotic late Ming Dynasty. He started from scratch, from a commoner who lost his father, to a man who killed corrupt officials, raised righteous troops, defeated the Ming army, and pacified Hunan, and has come all the way to where he is today!

He can die in battle, but he must never retreat!

Seeing that Zhang Da dared to confront him directly, Li Dingguo was not surprised but laughed, his fighting spirit intensifying: "What a cowardly rat! Too bad you've met your match!"

The warhorse arrived in an instant. Li Dingguo raised his long sword high, the blade reflecting the faint light of the sky, and drew a deadly arc before slashing down fiercely at Zhang Da's head!

This strike was incredibly powerful, carrying the invincible aura of a young war god. The air itself was torn apart, emitting a piercing shriek.

Zhang Da's pupils shrank sharply. He knew his own martial arts skills well. Let alone someone like Li Dingguo who could defeat ten thousand men, he would be unable to withstand even three moves from an ordinary fierce general.

But at this moment, he had no other choice.

At the critical moment, Zhang Da suddenly turned to the side, and at the same time used all his strength to block the overhead attack with the ring-pommel sword in his hand!

"clang--!!!"

The sound of metal clashing was deafening and extremely piercing.

A tremendous force traveled along the blade, and Zhang Da felt as if all the bones in his arms had shattered, his tiger's mouth split open, and blood gushed out. The ring-pommel sword almost slipped from his hand and flew away.

His legs went weak, and he staggered back three steps. His foot slipped, and he crashed heavily into the bluestone behind him. His back ached terribly, his throat tasted sweet, and he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

one move!

He was defeated in just one move!

"My lord!"

The guards rushed forward like madmen, several of them simultaneously thrusting their spears at Li Dingguo's warhorse, trying to force him back.

Li Dingguo snorted coldly, his long sword twirled lightly, and the spear shafts snapped one after another. Then he kicked out, striking the chest of the foremost guard. The guard was sent flying as if hit by a heavy hammer, knocking down a group of his own men.

"Those who block my way shall die!"

Li Dingguo spurred his horse forward again, his gaze fixed on Zhang Da like a tiger eyeing its prey. "Zhang Da, you flattered Yang Sichang, cutting off the lifeline of my Great Western Army and causing the tragic death of my sworn sister Feng'e. Today, I will tear you to pieces to appease her spirit in heaven!"

Zhang Da was taken aback, but then he understood.

Feng'e, the adopted daughter of Zhang Xianzhong who assassinated him.

It turns out that Li Dingguo had long hated him to the core.

"Hahaha……"

Zhang Da suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, ignoring the blood trickling from his mouth, the excruciating pain in his arms, and the reopening of his wounds, his clothes soaked in blood. "Li Dingguo, we each serve our own masters, how can you say I harmed her? She attacked first, I was just defending myself, what wrong have I done?!"

He paused, then suddenly raised his voice, each word clear in the darkness, reaching Li Dingguo's ears and those of every soldier:

"You think I'm loyal to the Ming Dynasty for the sake of its rule? Let me tell you, I'm loyal for the sake of Chinese culture and tradition, to prevent the Manchus from entering the Central Plains, and to prevent the Han people from becoming slaves of a conquered nation!"

"Zhang Xianzhong entered Sichuan and slaughtered the people, leaving the land deserted for thousands of miles. By following him, you are merely aiding and abetting his evil deeds!"

"You, Li Dingguo, possess unparalleled skill and unmatched bravery among the three armies. You should have been protecting the borders and the people, safeguarding the Han people's land. Instead, you followed a bandit, burning, killing, looting, and harming your compatriots. You are the true sinner for all time!"

Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo flew into a rage, his eyes blazing with fury: "Nonsense! The Ming Dynasty is corrupt and its oppressive government is more ferocious than a tiger. The people have nowhere to turn. My lord's uprising is to act on behalf of Heaven! You traitor, with your flowery words, you dare to argue even when you're about to die!"

"Acting on behalf of Heaven?" Zhang Da sneered. "Killing innocent people and claiming credit, coercing refugees, and massacring cities—is this what you call acting on behalf of Heaven? Zhang Xianzhong wants to be emperor, not save the people! You and I are both Han Chinese, and now the Manchus are eyeing us covetously. If we kill each other, it will only benefit the barbarians in the end!"

"Shut up!"

Li Dingguo, his sore spot struck, flew into a rage and charged forward again, brandishing his knife, shouting, "Today I won't argue with you about principles; I'll only take your dog's life!"

At that moment, a sudden change occurred!

"BOOM—!!!"

A violent explosion suddenly came from the direction of the main battlefield, flames shot into the sky, and smoke filled the air, instantly turning the previously intense fighting into chaos.

Li Dingguo paused in his charge and turned around in surprise.

Zhang Da was also taken aback, then his eyes burst with wild joy.

It's artillery!

Zhou Wenqu and Zhang Wen, who remained on the front, saw that the battle was going on for a long time in the dark, so they pushed the red-coated cannons up and opened fire on the chaotic army in the narrow mountain path!

The red-coated cannons of the late Ming Dynasty, while not the most powerful, were incredibly lethal when fired at such close range and in dense crowds!

With one shot, blood and flesh flew everywhere. Both the Daxi Army and the Baoqing Army were blown to pieces, screaming in agony.

In the chaos, the Daxi Army, which was already outnumbered by the Baoqing Army, was thrown into disarray by the artillery fire. The soldiers panicked and fled in all directions.

"General! Our army... our army can't hold out! The Ming army has cannons!"

The general, covered in blood, rushed in, his voice trembling, "Our entire front is routed! If we don't leave now, we'll be surrounded!"

Li Dingguo's expression changed drastically.

He never expected that Zhang Da would actually deploy artillery on the front lines!

The fir ravine was narrow and rugged, and he thought the cannons would never be able to be transported up there, but Zhang Da actually managed to do it!

The trend is over!

He only had 500 cavalry, most of whom were now caught in the melee, surrounded by 13,000 Baoqing soldiers, and bombarded by artillery, leaving him with no way to turn the tide.

"Retreat! All troops retreat! Retreat back to Huaqiao Pass!"

Li Dingguo made a decisive move, ceasing his fight. He glared at Zhang Da one last time, his eyes filled with resentment and bitterness. "Zhang Da, you're lucky to be alive today. If we meet again on the battlefield, I will take your head!"

Having said that, he turned his horse around and, under the protection of his personal guards, made a desperate breakout toward Huaqiao Pass.

Zhang Da watched Li Dingguo's departing figure, breathed a sigh of relief, and felt all his strength drain away, almost causing him to collapse to the ground.

He won.

In this desperate situation, he relied on artillery and the desperate fighting of his soldiers to force Li Dingguo to retreat and save his life.

"Chase!"

Despite the excruciating pain, Zhang Daqiang roared, "All troops, press forward! Seize the opportunity and capture Huaqiao Pass!"

"Here you go!"

Seeing that their commander was unharmed and had even forced back the enemy's invincible general, the soldiers of Baoqing Army were filled with high morale. They shouted in unison and chased after the enemy towards Huaqiao Pass like a tidal wave.

The defeat on the main battlefield was like an avalanche. The soldiers of the Great Western Army, who had already been left behind by Li Dingguo to guard the front, lost all will to fight when they saw the main force break through and fled.

Zhang Wen took the lead, holding a long spear, and rushed to the Huaqiao Pass, cutting down two stubborn Daxi Army soldiers and planting the "Baoqing" military flag on the gate tower!

"We've taken it! Huaqiao Pass has been captured!"

The cheers were deafening and echoed through the mountains.

As dawn broke in the eastern sky, a pale light finally appeared, dispelling the long night and the cold fog.

Supported by his personal guards, Zhang Da stepped onto the bluestone city wall of Huaqiao Pass, facing the first rays of morning sunlight, and looked down at the battlefield below.

Corpses lay strewn across the field, blood flowed like rivers, flags were broken, weapons were scattered, and the air was thick with the stench of gunpowder and blood, making one want to vomit.

This was a Pyrrhic victory.

The 800 elite flanking troops suffered more than half their casualties, and the main force also suffered heavy losses, with thousands of soldiers forever remaining on this land.

But he won in the end.

They defeated Li Dingguo, captured Huaqiao Pass, and opened up the road to reinforce Hengzhou.

"My lord," Zhang Wen strode forward, kneeling on one knee, his face covered in blood but unable to hide his excitement, "Huaqiao Pass is completely under our control! The remnants of the Great Western Army were pursued for over twenty miles and routed. Li Dingguo escaped with only a hundred or so cavalry!"

Zhou Wenqu stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Young Master, this battle was extremely dangerous. If you hadn't personally led your elite troops to flank us, and if the artillery hadn't fired in time, our army would have had no chance of winning. Now that we have the pass in our hands and the road to Hengzhou is open, we must immediately regroup and rush to His Highness Prince Gui's aid!"

Zhang Da nodded slowly, his gaze turning south towards Hengzhou.

There, Feng Shuangli's army was fiercely attacking the Prince Gui's mansion, slaughtering civilians and plundering wealth.

Having just defeated Li Dingguo, the most formidable general of the late Ming Dynasty, he was about to face Feng Shuangli, Zhang Xianzhong's vanguard general.

He took a deep breath, the cold morning wind filling his throat, carrying the smell of blood, but it only made him more awake.

In chaotic times, there is no way out.

Either die, or fight to the bitter end.

"Pass down the order," Zhang Da's voice was hoarse but incredibly firm, "The entire army will rest for one hour to treat the wounded, bury the dead, and seize provisions and weapons. One hour later, we will break camp and march on Hengzhou to annihilate Feng Shuangli and protect the people of central Hunan!"

"Here you go!"

The entire army responded in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.