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

"Those who are alive, come and collect your pay for today. Those with minor injuries, don't pretend to be dead, hurry back to the ranks. Those who are seriously wounded, take them to the back room for treatment! Give us your numbers, and don't hide anything!"

Zhang Da could hear Li Er's voice from afar; it was hoarse, as if it had been sanded, likely from the fierce roars he had just endured during the fierce battle.

This battle was far too brutal.

The smoke from the three-barreled guns on the city wall had not yet dissipated. The smell of gunpowder, blood, and burnt hot oil wafted far in the evening breeze, causing many people to vomit and feel nauseous.

Li Er's shoulder, still bleeding from the arrow wound, was exposed. He simply took off his blood-stained clothes, leaving his bare chest exposed. Ignoring the wound, he stepped over the rubble and broken arrow shafts to count the number of people.

The local militiamen dragged their weary bodies along, their faces smeared with blood and dust, their eyes filled with the relief of surviving a calamity and the dazed feeling of having just come back from the brink of death.

They experienced a regular war for the first time.

Clearly, the situation was worse than they had imagined.

Someone dislocated their arm after being hit by a rolling stone, and their face turned deathly pale with pain.

Some people suffered graze injuries to their calves from bullets, and their trouser legs were soaked in dark red.

Several young men, clutching their broken spears, trembled uncontrollably—the screams of agony from the hot oil being poured on people, the wailing as the ladder broke, and even the sounds of living people being stabbed to death still echoed in their ears.

"Brother, the count is done!" Li Er walked quickly to Zhang Da after finishing his work, his voice low and deep. "We lost seventy-nine brothers, more than thirty of whom were seriously injured and could not go back to the city wall, and more than a hundred of whom were slightly injured. However, most of the brothers were injured by rolling stones, hot oil, and some were injured by splinters from broken wood when they were setting up the yaksha.

Zhang Da nodded, his gaze sweeping over the city wall.

Several sections of the once-neat battlements had collapsed, and the bricks and stones bore the marks of broken arrows and bullets. Several pools of dark blood remained on the ground, and the night wind carried a foul stench.

In such a brutal environment, the uninjured villagers either slumped against the city wall or squatted on the ground stuffing dry rations into their mouths, chewing them without any taste. Their faces showed no joy at winning the battle, only unbearable exhaustion and unconcealable fear.

Seeing this, Zhang Da was extremely worried.

At this rate, it's uncertain which side's morale will collapse first!

Despite having the advantage of favorable timing, location, and popular support, and despite the opponent being merely an insignificant Ming general, they still couldn't hold onto the small county of Shaoyang... They might as well be dead.

Zhang Da recalled how dazzling the sharpness of the short knife he used to carry with him was...

Zhang Da clenched his fists, determined to say something to boost morale, but when he finally mustered up a bellyful of passionate words, he couldn't get them out, and swallowed them back down.

How can I put it? It's just easy for someone who's not experiencing the pain to talk!

"Sun Min!" Zhang Da couldn't bring himself to say it, but turned and called out. Upon hearing this, Sun Min immediately ran over with the account book, followed by two clerks. "According to the previous rules, the reward for killing a government soldier is three taels of silver, for seriously wounded soldiers it's five shi of grain, and for the families of fallen brothers, in addition to twenty mu of fertile land, an extra thirty taels of silver will be given. The merits will be calculated in front of everyone, and everything will be recorded carefully. It's better to be wrong than to be shortchanged by even a penny!"

"Don't worry, Dalang, I've remembered everything!" Sun Min opened the ledger, pointing to the densely written characters. "Wang Hu's team killed seven government soldiers, and each one has been verified; and Li Gou Dan, he single-handedly cut down two standard battalion soldiers who were setting up siege ladders. According to the rules, he should be promoted to squad leader, in charge of five brothers!"

Zhang Da specifically appointed people to record battle results before the war precisely for this purpose.

Upon hearing the battle report, Zhang strode up to the man named Li Gou Dan. This young man was only in his early twenties. In today's battle, his hands were covered in blisters that had broken several times, and his blood had mixed with dust and congealed into hard red lumps.

Seeing this, Zhang Da personally took out three taels of silver from his pocket and stuffed it into his hand, then patted him on the shoulder.

"Good lad, you've got guts! From this day forward, you're a squad leader. Lead your brothers well, and you'll have many opportunities to earn merit and be promoted to general or marquis!"

Li Gou Dan didn't hear what Zhang Da said; he just kept staring at the three taels of silver. He probably hadn't seen so much money before. He paused, then suddenly tightened his grip on the silver, his eyes reddening instantly. He choked back tears and quickly thanked him.

Upon seeing this, the eyes of the local militiamen gradually brightened, and some began to shout "Long live the leader!" Their fatigue seemed to lessen.

Zhang Da felt somewhat relieved and walked around the city wall again. He personally distributed rewards to all those who had killed many enemies and dared to charge ahead during the defense of the city, and promoted them to minor official positions such as squad leader and platoon leader.

By the time the silver hair was finished being displayed, it was already dusk. Torches were lit on the city wall, and the flickering flames cast long, unpredictable shadows of everyone.

Zhang Da gathered several key members, including Zhang Wen, Zhou Wenqu, and Li Er, and they squatted on the city wall, looking out of Shaoyang County by the moonlight.

"Huang Chaoxuan is quite a character. He lost so many people in his first attack on the city and still didn't go back to his hometown. He certainly won't let this go. He might attack other city gates tonight."

Zhou Wenqu nodded in agreement: "Dalang is right. Huang Chaoxuan is greedy for credit and eager for quick success. After losing this battle, he will definitely try to make up for it. We need to repair the defenses of the East Gate as soon as possible, and we also need to replenish the rolling stones and hot oil overnight. Liu Binghuo has already led people up the mountain to quarry stones and boil oil, and they will be delivered tomorrow morning."

"We can't let our guard down at the South Gate and West Gate either," Zhang Wen added. "Although those two locations are strategically important, it would be troublesome if Huang Chaoxuan sent troops to outflank us and take advantage of our weakness. We need to send more scouts to keep an eye on the movements of the government army camp and send messages immediately if anything happens."

Li Er clenched his fists, his face revealing his utter exhaustion.

"If he attacks the east gate again, I can't guarantee he won't get to the top. The brothers are too tired, some are dead and some are wounded, and I feel they can't hold on for the next battle."

"I'll guard the east gate tomorrow!"

Zhang Wen was eager to try and quickly nominated himself. After all, according to the discussion at the county office, he was to be the last resort. Only if the east gate fell could he lead the last hundred or so men to provide support.

Zhang Da hesitated for a moment before rejecting his suggestion.

"It's not your turn yet, no rush. Let's take turns. Let the lightly wounded brothers keep watch for the night, and the seriously wounded should rest and recover. We'll change shifts first thing tomorrow morning. Also, have Wang Tui send out some more scouts closer to the government army camp to see if the government troops are mobilizing troops or forcing local militias from the surrounding villages. We'll stick to our previous method: guard three gates and leave one open. Defend the east gate tightly, and set up an ambush at the north gate with a half-closed door. We'll wear him down!"

The group discussed in hushed tones, making arrangements for repairing city defenses, replenishing supplies, deploying scouts, and rotating the brothers...

The government army camp below the city was completely silent, with only a few torches flickering in the wind.

However, Zhang Da felt that he was like a lurking wild beast, waiting to pounce and bite again.