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

As dawn broke, the sounds of battle in Shaoyang finally subsided. However, the lingering stench of blood, the countless arrow holes, the broken spears and shattered armor beneath the walls still testified to the ferocity of the battle.

Even though they narrowly won last night, most people are still afraid to relax.

What if only a small part of the granary burned? What if they were just feigning surrender...?

With these wild thoughts in his hand, Zhang Da stood at the breach in the east gate, holding a rolled-up knife, gazing at the smoke and dust outside the city, fearing that the soldiers would return again.

Behind him, his brothers sat sprawled out, their armor askew and clothes torn, many with hastily bandaged wounds, too weak even to open their eyes.

"Brother, the bodies have all been collected." Li Er's left shoulder was wrapped in blood-soaked burlap, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping. "One hundred and eighty-seven people died at the East Gate... North Gate..."

Zhang Da turned around, his gaze sweeping over the wounded soldiers and weapons left behind by the fallen, and asked a question that perfectly reflected the scene.

"How is the coffin prepared?"

"The county government's storeroom only has about thirty thin-walled coffins, which isn't enough," Li Er said in a low voice. "My subordinates had the old corridor timber from the back garden of the government office dismantled, and also requisitioned some thick planks from several wealthy households to rush-produce thinner coffins..."

"Brothers who died in battle, register their names according to their village/township. For those whose names are unclaimed, erect a general monument. The monks and Taoists are requested to have the people of Baoqing Temple and Xuandu Temple in the west of the city perform a proper rite of passage."

Zhang Da paused, his gaze shifting from outside the city, and then proceeded to explain the compensation arrangements, word by word:

"The families of the fallen will each receive three shi of coarse rice and two taels of silver, be exempted from land tax for three years, and have able-bodied men in their families given priority for recruitment into the local militia, while continuing to receive their rations and pay."

Those seriously wounded and unable to fight will have their rations maintained during their recovery period. After they recover, they will be assigned to garrison duties or to repair weapons, and their positions will not be wasted.

Those with minor injuries shall return to their units immediately. Until they recover, they shall only stand guard at night and not climb the city walls. Their rations shall be increased by half a liter.

For several hours, Zhang Da was arranging the affairs of the wounded and surrendered soldiers.

……

Just after Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the open space in the western suburbs was finally set up.

Sun Liu's coffin was placed at the front, with Zhang Da personally placing a wooden plaque there, followed by wooden plaques for all the brothers.

Zhang Da wasn't wearing official robes; instead, he was wearing a white cloth and personally presided over the memorial service.

With each eulogy read by Zhang Da, he would bow, followed by Zhang Wen, Li Er, Wang Tui, and others. There were many sobs, but the suppressed silence was even more somber than the weeping.

The memorial service lasted for half an hour before slowly ending, and the coffin was then buried on the spot...

After things had settled down, Zhou Wenqu was helped over by two local militiamen.

While defending the city, he was wounded in the left arm by a stray arrow, and now the wound was so deep that the bone was visible. He had also managed to coordinate the battle last night. Now, Zhou Wenqu was pale and unsteady on his feet as he approached Zhang Da.

"Brother, the inventory is complete." Zhou Wenqu bowed and handed over the hemp paper ledger with both hands.

"In this battle, our troops suffered 287 dead, 63 seriously wounded, and 214 lightly wounded, a loss of nearly 40%; the government troops suffered more than 700 dead, 400-500 scattered, and 143 captured."

"Four hundred and twenty-seven warhorses were captured, including three hundred and sixteen cavalry horses from Zhou Fengqi's unit, all fully saddled and bridled, and one hundred and eleven riding horses from Huang Chaoxuan's unit, mostly draft horses, which are temporarily unavailable for battle."

More than 1,300 swords, spears, halberds, and daggers; more than 70 bows; and nearly 10,000 arrows.

The gun consisted of 27 three-barreled muskets and 27 flintlock pistols, and contained 4 shi (a unit of dry measure) of gunpowder and lead pellets, most of which were susceptible to dampness.

A bountiful harvest

This was Zhang Da's first impression.

As long as the government troops do not attack Shaoyang County again immediately, Zhang Da can even make his forces stronger than before!

Time, time is urgently needed.

Especially when it came to warhorses, Zhou Wenqu was very proud, and he talked a lot about strategies and methods for training cavalry.

Zhang listened attentively, nodding slightly when he thought the method was good, and offering his own suggestions when he thought it was not. The two then chatted for another half hour.

"Now that Huang Chaoxuan's grain supplies have been burned, more than half of them have been lost..." Zhang Da said calmly, "At this time, we should carry out cavalry training, army expansion, and stabilizing the city and surrounding areas to prevent internal strife. These things should be done at the same time."

Zhou Wenqu immediately responded, explaining the draft decree to Zhang Da.

"Shops within the city are permitted to open for business, and taxes will be paid as usual, with appropriate reductions... Farmers in the surrounding countryside will continue their farming as usual, and those who contribute to the defense of the city will be exempt from one month of miscellaneous labor... When repairing the city walls and streets, priority will be given to hiring poor people from within the city, who will be given half a liter of rice per day."

As they were talking, Zhang Da suddenly seemed to remember something. He didn't reply, but instead gazed towards the official road outside the city, his eyes deep and unfocused, as if talking to himself or asking a question.

"Will the government troops... come again?"

Zhang Da also heard about it from the surrendered soldiers.

At this point, it was actually Yang Sichang who personally ordered the encirclement and suppression of him... And Yang Sichang was the Grand Coordinator and Assistant Minister. Having issued a death order to kill Huang Chaoxuan, would he send more generals and mobilize more troops after Huang Chaoxuan's defeat? Or was he simply not a stubborn person...?

Zhou Wenqu, who was standing to the side, remained silent for a moment before replying truthfully.

"They're probably coming, but it's hard to say how soon. Yang Sichang's main force is chasing Zhang Xianzhong in Fangzhu, so he can't send heavy troops to Shaoyang in the short term; but Huang Chaoxuan will definitely report this, and the governor of Huguang won't sit idly by either. It might take several months or several years."

Zhang Da was still lost in thought, and asked again.

"By then, the scale will inevitably be huge. Will we be able to win then?"

"I don't know. If it's still a rabble like Huang Chaoxuan's, we can hold our ground; but if we bring in border troops and elite soldiers, I'm afraid..."

It's unclear whether Zhang Da listened to Zhou Wenqu's words, but after a moment of silence, he made up his mind and turned to walk towards the county government's signing office.

"Grind the ink and prepare the paper. I will personally write another letter to Yang Sichang!"

Zhou Wenqu was taken aback, and quickly followed.

"Does the eldest son want it written by himself?"

"Hmm." Zhang Dalian didn't even turn his head. "Although it's a bit shameful to write a plea for mercy after winning a battle, I really have no intention of fighting him... at least not for the next few years."

That's right, Zhang Da wanted to write another letter of humbly begging for mercy, hoping that he could give Yang Sichang a way out and leave him a way out.

Zhang Da started writing, but as he wrote, he frowned, crumpled the paper into a ball, and threw it away.

The content is too obsequious and shameful.

He wrote it over and over again, and Zhang Da read it several times...

Finally, the letter was written, sealed, and stamped. At this point, he was still using the seal of Shaoyang County, and dared not even use the seal of Baoqing Prefecture.

"Go, bring Wu Lian'er here." Zhang Da placed the letter on the table and spoke calmly.

Before long, Wu Lian'er was brought before the hall. She was still dressed in plain clothes, her face pale. She had been kicked in the abdomen by the soldiers yesterday, and she was still slightly uncomfortable when walking, with some pain in her abdomen. At this moment, her eyes no longer held their usual indifference, but only a blank look of helplessness and a fear of being taken to the execution ground...

She stood at the foot of the steps, head bowed, without uttering a word.

Zhang Da looked at her, his tone indifferent.

"I swore before that on the day the city falls, I will make you wish you were dead."

Wu Lian'er suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with disbelief as she waited for him to finish his sentence.

"You're lucky now."

Zhang Da was clearly somewhat displeased, as if he would be at a disadvantage if he let her go.

"I'll let you go." General Zhang pushed the letter in front of her. "Take this letter to the governor's office in Huguang and give it to Yang Sichang... Once you get to the government troops' camp, you can complain or cry for justice as you please."

Wu Lian'er stared blankly at the letter, then looked at Zhang Da, her lips trembling.

The hatred for her father's murder was etched into her bones, yet now that the other party had spared her life, this complex feeling left her unsure whether to hate or avoid them. She opened her mouth, but ultimately uttered not a single word of pleading, much less a thank you. She simply curtsied slightly, performing a customary gesture of courtesy befitting a young lady from the late Ming Dynasty, as a gesture of acceptance.

She hated Zhang Da, but she wanted to live even more, wanted to spread the news, and wanted to see with her own eyes where this chaotic world would lead everyone.

Zhang Da, too lazy to read her expression, waved his hand.

"Go and pack your belongings. You will depart in one hour."

……

……

After sending Wu Lian'er away, Zhang Da walked out of the signing room and looked at the smoke gradually rising from the chimneys in the city.

As the setting sun cast its slanting rays, the ruined city of Shaoyang stood resiliently, the smoke of battle gradually dissipating and the sounds of people returning...