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

The night was as dark as ink, and a cold mist enveloped the mountains.

The September night breeze in central Hunan carries the dampness of mountain dew; clinging to clothes, they are so wet that they can drip water if you wring them out.

This caused Zhang Da some concern during the march.

If it fails to burn, wouldn't everything be over?

While lost in these wild thoughts, Zhang Da led a hundred elite local militiamen, who kept silent and wore cloth-covered shoes. The entire group moved slowly along the rugged mountain path like a long, lurking snake.

Because being discovered would most likely mean certain death, the entire team refrained from using open flames or uttering a word. They merely touched the mountainside with their fingertips and probed the terrain with their footsteps, using the faint light to grope their way forward along the mountain path...

Zhang Da led the way, a long knife at his waist, cutting grass and chopping wood. Every few dozen steps, he would raise his hand to signal a halt, listen carefully for any sounds, and only continue forward after confirming it was safe. Behind him, the village militia carried coarse hemp baskets strapped to their shoulders, lined with dry straw to keep out moisture, and tightly bound with oil-soaked hemp cloth, rockets, fire starter, saltpeter, and dry pine branches.

The mountain path was rugged and slippery, with tangled tree roots and jagged rocks. In addition, each person was carrying heavy loads, so it took nearly two hours to move the dozen or so miles before they finally reached the edge of the Longshen Temple valley.

"Brother, we've arrived! This is the place!"

After being identified by the local militia members who knew the area well, Zhang Da was secretly delighted and immediately signaled the whole team to lie down and hide behind the weeds and rocks.

The Dragon King Temple granary faces south, backed by a low, green stone hill and overlooking a shallow stream. Its elevated position is, to be fair, an excellent location for storing grain, chosen by the officials and soldiers.

The exact location of the granary was easier to discern. Outside the temple, there was a mud wall about half a person's height, and inside the wall, more than ten granary rooms were built in a row, with the roofs covered with thick straw.

This is it, you can't go wrong!

The Ming Dynasty did have telescopes, but unfortunately, these were not items available to country bumpkins like them. Furthermore, the local militia under his command were malnourished and lacked vitamins, so Zhang Da had to personally use his naked eye to see the entrance to the distant granary.

The granary was extremely poorly defended; only a few wooden palisades were sparsely placed around the walls, and there were no trenches, no antlers, and no watchtowers.

Even with more detailed analysis, Zhang Da couldn't make it out.

Judging from this, Huang Chaoxuan probably didn't take Zhang Da seriously. With such rudimentary fortifications, Zhang Da believed what Wang Tui's scout had reported—that this place was only guarded by a hundred garrison soldiers.

The garrison soldiers were already old, weak, and exhausted. Like the Shaoyang county garrison soldiers Zhang Da had faced before, about 80% of them were probably already fast asleep, fully clothed, in the corners of the barns or in haystacks.

Perfect timing!

Zhang Da suppressed his elation, slowly drew his sword, and quickly issued the order:

Fifty men circled around to the back of the temple to block the retreat, fifty men broke through the wall from the front and rushed in, and fifty men, carrying flammable materials, charged straight at the main warehouse, aiming for a swift and decisive victory...

The group nodded and quietly approached in three separate groups.

The sound came first from the group that circled around. The two villagers climbed the wall and bumped into two sentries behind the temple. Their panicked shouts completely shattered Zhang Da's simple plan. Fortunately, the main force arrived at the granary at the same time and used thick wooden bars to ram the door. With a muffled bang, the already loose wooden door broke.

"kill!"

Then, a series of screams pierced the night sky.

The local militia, no longer adhering to any plan, charged into the temple courtyard armed with knives and guns, hacking and killing anyone they saw...

The garrison soldiers inside the warehouse awoke in a panic. In the darkness, they could not distinguish friend from foe. In their confusion, they could not even find their weapons. Some were pierced through the chest by spears as soon as they sat up, while others knelt down and cried out for mercy, only to be mercilessly killed.

The sounds of weapons piercing flesh, short screams of agony, and hurried footsteps mingled together. The old and weak soldiers of the garrison had no will to fight. In the short span of half an incense stick's time, the soldiers on duty were either dead or surrendered, and not a single one was able to rush out of the temple to report the news...

Immediately, Zhang Da personally led the arson team straight to the three main warehouses, throwing oil-soaked burlap and saltpeter igniters onto the grain stacks and sacks. Rockets were fired simultaneously, and flames instantly erupted.

The autumn winds spurred the flames to the sky...

At the very moment the fire at the Dragon King Temple began to burn, drums and horns sounded in unison at the government army camp outside Shaoyang City, and the sounds of battle shook the fields.

Huang Chaoxuan finally made his move. Following the plan, he led all the standard battalion, garrison soldiers, and militia in a high-profile night attack on the east gate, as if he had burned his boats. Although it was called a feint attack, it was more like a desperate battle.

Caught off guard, the local militia on guard of the city wall panicked instantly. Beneath the east gate, torches lit up the entire battlefield. Huang Chaoxuan, mounted on a black horse, his obese body swaying in the firelight.

"Archers, suppress them! Militia, set up ladders! Shout encouragement, charge! Let's rush up and grab the woman!"

Aside from having his own standard battalion hold the line, Huang Chaoxuan's other actions did not resemble a feint attack at all. Militiamen carried ladders and rushed to the edge of the moat, while the garrison soldiers lined up and fired arrows.

War drums thundered, arrows pierced the air, voices clamored, and flames soared into the sky, illuminating the east gate city wall.

General Li Er was awakened by the flickering firelight. Bare-chested and wounded, he swung his sword and severed the ropes of the scaling ladder, roaring fiercely.

"On alert! Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Bring up the rolling stones and hot oil quickly!"

The surprise attack in the dead of night caused panic, and the darkness meant the hot oil needed to be reheated. The rolling stones couldn't be moved quickly enough in the dark, and the three-barreled gun was difficult to aim at in the dark…

Huang Chaoxuan fought more and more fiercely, shouting battle cries that shook the heavens. Ladders were set up in front of the trenches, and many garrison soldiers had actually climbed the ladders, only a few feet away from the city wall!

Oh no, the east gate is going to fall!

Li Er and his local militia were at a loss, and despite their desperate defense, they could not repel the government troops.

"Quickly! Report to Zhang Wen and Da Lang at the county office! The East Gate is in danger; come to their aid immediately!"

At this moment, Li Er was hit by another arrow in his other shoulder, and the pain was excruciating, but he still fought to the death and refused to retreat.

The messenger stumbled down the city wall and headed straight for the county office.

The entire city was shaken; flames and shouts of battle mingled, and no one could sleep.

Inside the county government office, Zhang Wen was awakened by the deafening noise. He donned his armor, drew his sword, and strode out, loudly summoning his personal guards.

"All troops assemble! Prepare your weapons and arrows, and follow me to reinforce the East Gate!"

The guards quickly formed ranks, the clinking of armor plates and the flashing of swords and spears echoing as they were drawn. Zhang Wen was frantic. He hadn't expected Huang Chaoxuan to launch a midnight attack on the city. The east gate must be vulnerable right now; if it fell, it would be impossible to retake it, and Shaoyang would surely fall!

"Zhang Wen! Halt! Do not proceed to the East Gate!"

Hearing the deafening sounds of battle, Zhou Wenqu rushed over, his expression stern. He grabbed Zhang Wen's arm, his tone brooking no argument.

"You must immediately lead these brothers, don their armor, and hurry to the north gate to reinforce Sun Liu!"

"The government troops are attacking the east gate, and Li Er is desperately pleading for reinforcements. The east gate is about to fall. Why is Little Zhuge sending me to the north gate?"

Zhang Wen's eyes were bloodshot as he struggled to break free.

"Huang Chaoxuan has been relentlessly attacking the east gate for days without success. Why would he suddenly launch a desperate attack on the siege ladders with inferior forces in the dead of night?" Zhou Wenqu lowered his voice, each word ringing with conviction. "I'm certain this is a feint! The north gate is probably their main attack target!"

"But Li Er reports that the east gate is already under attack!"

"In the darkness and thick smoke, how many government troops can he possibly see? He's just intimidated by the sheer number of them!" Zhou Wenqu declared decisively. "Besides, if all else fails, I can transfer troops from the south and west gates to reinforce the defenses. Even if a breach occurs, I'll personally lead the defense to the death! Zhang Wen, you go to the north gate immediately; delay could lead to unforeseen circumstances!"

Zhang Wen frowned, looked around but couldn't find Zhang Da, and asked in a deep voice.

"Where is my elder brother? Hasn't anyone called him? Why is he nowhere to be found?"

Zhou Wenqu's heart tightened; to maintain morale, he could only offer a vague answer.

"The eldest son patrolled the city all night and is currently making arrangements in the west city; he will arrive shortly. The military situation is urgent; do not ask any further questions!"

Zhang Wen had doubts, but he knew that the opportunity was not to be missed... In the end, Zhang Wen did not completely obey orders. He ordered his troops to guard the key passage between the East Gate and the North Gate, and then sent people to these two gates to provide assistance to whichever side was in danger.

Meanwhile, the situation on the east gate of the city wall became increasingly critical.

The government troops, feigning an attack, continued their battle shouts and rained down arrows. Li Er's troops, exhausted from the fierce fighting, had run out of rolling stones and hot oil, and could only resort to hand-to-hand combat with swords and spears. In the darkness, it was difficult to distinguish friend from foe, and panic gripped the troops. A few elite soldiers from the standard battalion took advantage of the chaos to scale the battlements and tear open a breach. The local militia suffered heavy casualties, and the defensive line was on the verge of collapse.

Li Er's eyes were bloodshot as he thrust his spear and killed an enemy soldier, but more government troops surged up behind him. He was covered in blood and exhausted...

Outside the North Gate, the night was as dark as iron.

"General, you may."

Zhou Fengqi, clad in light armor and with a long sword at his waist, sat astride his warhorse, his posture upright and his face cold and stern. The five hundred light cavalry dismounted, men gagged and horses hoofed, and formed ranks in the darkness, each with bow drawn and sword at the ready, holding their breath and focusing intently.

They arrived here early and had been lying in wait for nearly half an hour, quietly waiting for the best opportunity when the fierce battle at the East Gate was in full swing and all the troops in the city had been transferred east.

Hearing the deafening shouts and towering flames at the East Gate, a cold glint flashed in Zhou Fengqi's eyes.

The time has come.

Without saying a word, he slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers spread, paused in the air for a moment, and then swung it down fiercely.

There were no horns, no shouts, only the deep sound of horses' hooves pounding the ground.

Five hundred light cavalrymen mounted their horses and, like a black torrent, surged toward the half-closed north gate of Shaoyang!

Iron hooves shattered the night, their roar like thunder, and they arrived at the city walls in an instant.