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

The towering fire at the Dragon King Temple granary was a spectacular sight in the darkness.

The fire tore through the night sky over central Hunan, sending chaff and sparks billowing into the air and illuminating the surrounding mountains and fields in crimson.

Zhang Da had no time to appreciate the spectacle, no time to feel smug; the moment the fire was lit, he hurriedly led his troops to flee for their lives.

After all, the flames of this fire could be seen from miles away, and the government troops would definitely come to hunt them down once they found out, and they might arrive in an instant!

"The entire team retreats along the western ravine, maintaining silence and no fires are permitted!"

To be on the safe side and avoid the patrols of Huang Chaoxuan's camp, Zhang Da avoided the official roads and the previously used paths, opting instead for pre-surveyed mountain trails. The group wrapped their feet in cloth, sealed their mouths with scabbards, and moved silently and stealthily throughout the journey, even more cautiously than on the way there.

The fire behind him was growing fiercer, the flames becoming increasingly conspicuous in the night sky. While fearing pursuit by government troops, Zhang Da secretly felt a surge of joy.

At this point, Shaoyang was in an invincible position.

As they reached the dense forest halfway up the mountain, a very low coded signal suddenly came from ahead—three bamboo whistles. This was the emergency communication signal agreed upon by Wang Tui and the scouts. Zhang Da, surprised and puzzled, immediately raised his hand to stop the group and responded with the same whistle.

A moment later, Wang Tui arrived stumbling and running with three scouts. Their robes were torn, their armor plates were crooked, their straw sandals were worn through, and their feet were bleeding. Clearly, they had rushed through the night to deliver a message at great risk.

"Brother, something terrible has happened!" Wang Tui collapsed to his knees with a thud, his chest heaving violently, panting heavily. He urgently reported, "Zhou Fengqi has joined forces with Huang Chaoxuan! Huang Chaoxuan is leading the main force in a fierce attack on the east gate, but Zhou Fengqi's five hundred light cavalry... haven't appeared at the east gate at all!"

Zhang's mind went blank for a moment, and he instantly understood the Ming army's strategy: feint to the east while attacking the west, using infantry to distract the enemy and cavalry to break through their weaknesses.

Where are the cavalrymen? North Gate!

"The county town... it's probably already fallen." Wang Tui said in despair, lowering his voice to plead, "Brother, there's no point in us going to the county town now. Entering the town will only lead to our deaths. It would be better to... retreat to the western foothills of the Xuefeng Mountains, gather our scattered troops, and then look for an opportunity to harass the supply lines and retake the county town..."

After hesitating for a long time, Wang Tui made this suggestion, but he didn't forget to look at Zhang Da's reaction.

Fuck it!

Zhang Da wanted to curse Wang Tui, but he held back in this situation. He looked up towards Shaoyang, as if he could hear the sounds of fighting in the city, and the faces of Zhou Nianhui, Zhang Wen, Li Er, and others flashed before his eyes...

"Retreat?" Zhang Da pressed his hand on the long sword at his waist, his eyes cold and his voice steady and powerful. "My relatives, brothers, and landowners are in Shaoyang City. If I retreat, they will be slaughtered by the government troops."

Now that the Ming army's supplies have been burned, their morale is surely in chaos. Zhou Fengqi's army is deep in enemy territory and in dire straits. Follow me back and attack from the south gate, striking at their rear!

The local militiamen, whose families were all in the city, all nodded in agreement to fight to the death upon hearing this.

So Zhang Da reorganized his troops and rushed toward the county town.

Meanwhile, the streets and alleys from the North Gate to the County Government Office in Shaoyang City were also affected.

Upon learning that Zhang Da was not at the county office, Zhou Fengqi immediately led the remaining government troops towards the east gate.

But just as he rushed to the entrance of the county government street, he ran into Zhang Wen and his hundreds of elite local militia.

As before, the streets and alleys of Shaoyang were no more than ten feet wide, too narrow to ride a horse, and on both sides were houses with blue bricks and tiles, with eaves pressing down on the roofs, so that a torch could only illuminate a few steps in front of you.

Weapons, broken armor, and bloodstains were scattered on the ground. The air was thick with the stench of gunpowder, blood, burnt smoke, and dust... Neither side spoke or cursed; only heavy breathing and the grating sound of weapons scraping against armor plates filled the air.

Zhang Wen was covered in blood, using his long sword to support himself. His eyes were bloodshot, and strands of hair clung to his blood-stained face.

Zhou Fengqi held his spear horizontally, his knuckles white, his eyes cold and sharp, his brows showing the weariness and ruthlessness of a long battle.

Their eyes met in the firelight with a thunderous crash. There were no questions, no attempts to persuade each other to surrender, not a single extra word.

The next second, the two men simultaneously raised their arms and roared, leading their men in a charge.

The streets and alleys were too narrow for the army to deploy.

The soldiers in the front row clashed fiercely with swords and spears, the clang of metal deafening; the soldiers in the back row could only raise their swords and swing them in vain, unable to advance or retreat, huddled together in a tight mass.

The fighting was as slow as wading through thick blood; every inch of advance was accompanied by splattering blood, and every collision was accompanied by the dull thud of weapons breaking and flesh shattering.

The bluestone pavement was soaked with blood. Shadows of people intertwined, fell, and piled up in the firelight, like a long scroll soaked in blood, unfolding inch by inch in the narrow alley, tragic and stagnant, even the wind carried a heavy, pungent smell.

Zhou Fengqi immediately sensed something was wrong.

It's too narrow! Too narrow!

Despite having a numerical advantage, they were unable to make use of their strengths in this confined space.

Moreover, the cavalry's fighting strength is greatly reduced when they dismount, and they cannot exert their impact in narrow alleys. In addition, they are already exhausted from breaking through the city, fighting in the streets, and rushing around all night.

Huang Chaoxuan has been attacking the East Gate for a long time without success. If he were to retreat at any moment, and Zhang Wen were to trap him in this alley, his entire army would surely be wiped out today!

Huang Chaoxuan's previous battles had already proven him to be useless, so Zhou Fengqi really didn't dare to gamble like that.

"Leave one hundred men to hold them off from the front; the rest of you follow me, dismantle the wall, break through the courtyard, and circle around to the east gate!"

As expected of the Ming army, which is known for its strict discipline, the vanguard was able to continue fighting to the death to hold the enemy back, while Zhou Fengqi led the rear guard to take advantage of the narrow streets and obstructed visibility to suddenly retreat back into the county government office.

"Set it on fire! Set it on fire!"

Since I can't get to the East Gate anytime soon, I might as well burn down this county government office first.

At this moment, Zhou Fengqi's goal was very clear:

We must join forces with Huang Chaoxuan!

After setting the fire, Zhou Fengqi immediately led his troops again. Since Zhang Wen had blocked the straight road to the East Gate, he could only head to the South Gate first and take a detour to the East Gate!

Without further ado, Zhou Fengqi had just passed through two inner courtyard alleys when a group of silent, dark figures suddenly appeared at the intersection ahead, and torches were suddenly lit.

The leader was Zhang Da.

Coincidentally, he also came from the South Gate.

Since the fighting was still raging at the East Gate, and the North Gate might have already been captured by Zhou Fengqi, I had no choice but to enter through the South Gate, which was closest to the East Gate...

The night wind was silent, and the firelight flickered.

The night wind carried fireworks and ashes as the two men stood across the street, each with their own formation behind them.

Just like when they encountered Zhang Wen, the two men didn't shout, curse, or bluff. The firelight danced on their weapons, their murderous aura solidified, silencing the entire street.

Zhou Fengqi's armor was stained with blood, and he was panting heavily, his exhaustion penetrating to his very bones; Zhang Da's breathing was steady, his eyes filled with the relief of surviving a near-death experience, and now, seeing this thief who had stolen his home, his fighting spirit was at its peak! He exuded a fierce determination to fight to the death.

Needless to say.

Almost simultaneously, the two of them squeezed out a single word through clenched teeth:

"kill!"

The sound of metal clashing instantly reverberated through the streets and alleys, and the shouts of battle shook the heavens.

At this time, Zhou Fengqi's troops had been rushing to the city overnight, breaking through the city and fighting bitterly. They were already exhausted and their troops were divided outside, greatly reducing their combat strength.

Zhang Da, however, was in a better position than them, and his morale was high. The local militia fought to the death without retreating.

The tide of battle is slowly turning in Zhang Da's favor...

At the same time, just like Sun Liu, Zhang Dayi saw through the government army commander at the core of the formation. He still stood at the front and continued to wave his hand to direct the troops.

Like Sun Liu, Zhang Da also thought of capturing the leader first, so he personally drew his knife and rushed straight at Zhou Fengqi. The blade was sharp and aimed directly at his vital points, his killing intent was chilling.

Although Zhou Fengqi was exhausted, he was, after all, a seasoned deputy general of Yunxiang, and his spear skills were proficient and shrewd.

He sneered, swept his spear horizontally, and used the momentum to deliver a powerful flick, sending Zhang Da sprawling to the ground with a loud clang. A cold glint flashed at the spear tip, aimed straight for Zhang's heart, ready to finish him off.

However, unlike Sun Liu, Zhang Da was not alone behind him at this moment.

He was instantly rescued by the local militia members and dragged out.

At this moment, Liu Binghuo, the general guarding the west gate, and Li Dan, the general guarding the south gate, each led one hundred men to join the encirclement, following Zhang Dashi's prior orders.

Zhou Fengqi, who always regarded Zhang Da as a ragtag group, and who had been rampaging through Shaoyang County,

At this moment, panic finally gripped my heart.

If their commander was in such a state, how could the Ming soldiers, surrounded on three sides and with their retreat cut off, not panic? Seeing that the situation was hopeless, they began to scatter...

East Gate Battlefield

Li Er was shirtless, covered in wounds and bleeding profusely. One of his arms was pierced by a spear, yet he still fought to the death. His knife was dulled from being cut, so he fought with his fists and teeth.

The city walls changed hands several times, and the corpses piled up to the same level as the battlements. Rolling stones, hot oil, and arrows had long been exhausted, leaving only hand-to-hand combat.

Zhou Wenqu kept his word and personally led the last hundred men drawn from the west and south gates to barely hold the line.

Both men were severely injured, exhausted, and their vision was blurring. They were about to succumb to the next wave of attacks from the government troops.

Huang Chaoxuan commanded the Ming army to scale the city walls several times, and just when it seemed the city was about to be completely breached...

Suddenly, a deafening shout came from below the city.

Zhang Da, carrying Zhou Fengqi's head, climbed onto the city wall and displayed it to Huang Chaoxuan, loudly ordering:

"Zhou Fengqi is dead! The Ming army's supplies have been burned; those who surrender will not be killed."

Seeing this, the local militia on the city walls were greatly encouraged and fought back desperately; while Huang Chaoxuan's troops below the city walls, who were already weary of war, collapsed instantly upon hearing that Zhou Fengqi had been killed and their supplies burned.

Knowing that the situation was hopeless, Huang Chaoxuan dared not fight any longer and immediately led the remaining troops of the standard battalion to retreat, running wildly all the way without daring to look back.

As dawn broke, the smoke from the battle gradually dissipated.