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

"Where is this?"

"This... General, please forgive me, I was unaware."

The road to Shu is difficult, more difficult than ascending to heaven.

This was Li Dingguo's first impression as the vanguard; even he was deeply wary of these treacherous mountains.

A natural ambush site!

Especially here, after speeding all the way here and entering the valley, I felt a chill in the air and the wind was strange. Suddenly, my heart tightened, and I asked the person next to me a question.

Since even the person who knew the way didn't recognize him, Li Dingguo became even more cautious.

He reined in the horse, raised his hand to signal the group to slow down, and scanned the sheer cliffs on both sides with wary eyes. Unfortunately, the thick fog obscured the view, and the cliff top above was completely silent, with no one in sight and no sound to be heard, only the howling mountain wind...

"This place is so strange, why is there no sign of government troops?"

Li Dingguo pondered for a moment, and the scouts he had sent out earlier returned one after another, reporting to him that there were no government troops in the vicinity.

"Could it be that I'm overthinking it?"

To keep up with the journey, Li Dingguo's main force had been following closely behind. If his vanguard were to stagnate, it would inevitably delay their entry into Sichuan. Once the government troops realized this and their follow-up forces caught up, the consequences would be unimaginable. After a moment's thought, Li Dingguo decided to continue advancing and speed up their journey through the canyon.

"Speed ​​through the canyon, maintain formation, and be wary of unforeseen circumstances!"

Li Dingguo gave a stern order, and more than a hundred light cavalrymen spurred their horses, quickening their pace and galloping toward the middle of the canyon...

On the cliff top, Meng Ruhu saw Li Dingguo's vanguard enter the valley, and a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes, but he still firmly held down his hand to give the order, repeating the words he had said countless times before.

"Don't move! Don't move at all! Hide completely and let them pass! The big fish is behind us. We must wait for Zhang Xianzhong himself to enter the valley before launching a three-pronged attack and wiping them all out!"

Meng Ruhu's personal guards, musketeers, and crossbowmen all held their breath, their fingers tightly gripping the triggers and bowstrings, not daring to utter a sound, as they watched helplessly as Li Dingguo's hundred-odd light cavalrymen passed through the middle of the canyon and headed straight for the canyon entrance.

Zhang Yingyuan, however, had a clear view from the gorge position. Seeing Li Dingguo's vanguard approaching, he immediately gave the order.

"Hide all the spearmen behind the cliff, and conceal the chevaux-de-frise along the roadside. Leave a passage for them to leave the valley! Do not reveal a single trace!"

Dozens of spearmen immediately concealed themselves, and with no obstruction in the passage, Li Dingguo's troops rushed straight out of the canyon, temporarily stationed outside the pass to rest and await the main force.

Half an hour passed, and not a single soldier remained in the canyon.

An hour passed, and there was still no one there.

Oh no! His greed was insatiable; had he been discovered? Oh no! Not only will he lose his fame, but he might even lose his life!

Just as Zhang Yingyuan was sweating profusely, wanting to go to the top of the cliff to persuade Meng Ruhu to stop his defenses and quickly join forces to pursue Li Dingguo, hoping to salvage the situation...

A booming sound gradually echoed into the canyon...

Two hours later, finally, there was movement again at the entrance of the canyon. This time, the sound was huge, with footsteps, cart wheels and horses neighing all mixed together, stretching for miles and seemingly endless.

There's no mistake, it must be Zhang Xianzhong's main force!

Leading the way was Sun Kewang, who led 5,000 infantrymen. Most of the soldiers were dressed in plain clothes, their armor was worn and tattered, and their swords and spears were everywhere.

In the middle were tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, carrying grain, supplies, and their families. Grain carts and supply wagons were crowded in the passage, moving slowly.

Zhang Xianzhong himself, draped in a black cloak and wearing a felt hat, rode a tall horse, surrounded by over a hundred elite cavalrymen. With a bushy beard and a stern expression, he slowly stepped into the canyon.

"How precipitous and magnificent! Tell me, after we enter Sichuan, when the government troops see these mountains, how dare they pursue us?"

As soon as they entered the valley, Zhang Xianzhong reined in his horses, looked up at the sheer cliffs on both sides, and laughed heartily at the generals and soldiers beside him.

Of course, anyone could tell that he was forcing a smile...

Damn! This looks like an ambush! The Sichuan region is treacherous, but I never imagined it would be this treacherous!

Zhang Xianzhong cursed inwardly, a strong sense of danger welling up within him.

After all, he had been a powerful figure in the world for over a decade, and he possessed some ability to foresee good and bad fortune. As he passed through this place, Zhang Xianzhong could sense the faint hostility, killing intent, and chill in the air...

This place is flanked by sheer cliffs, with narrow passages, thick fog, and eerie winds; it is an absolute dead end. Once ambushed, escape would be nearly impossible.

How is Dingguo? Didn't he go there? Why didn't he tell me how dangerous this place was?

"General, this place is treacherous, with thick fog and steep walls; it's definitely not a safe location!"

At this moment, Liu Jinzhong also noticed something was wrong and quickly stepped forward, urgently advising him.

"This humble general suggests that the army immediately withdraw from the valley entrance, divide its forces to scout the surrounding area, and proceed only after confirming it is safe. Under no circumstances should we rashly venture deeper!"

Sun Kewang, Ai Nengqi, and other generals beside him echoed his sentiments, demonstrating remarkable unity.

"General, Liu Jinzhong is absolutely right. This place is too gloomy; there might be an ambush. We'd better retreat!"

To be honest, Zhang Xianzhong agreed with what everyone said, after all, this place was indeed extremely dangerous, it was just a pity that it was a bit too late...

Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians at the valley entrance have already entered the valley one after another, with supplies and provisions stretching for miles. If they were to retreat hastily at this moment, morale would surely collapse and the troops would scatter. Even without an ambush, they would still be thrown into disarray...

Alas, Liu Jinzhong offered a way out too late.

Besides, we're already here...

"What's the panic!" Zhang Xianzhong snapped, suppressing his unease. "I've roamed the world for over a decade, what dangerous place haven't I conquered? It's just a canyon, how can we be scared off? Now that our army has entered the valley, we're caught in a dilemma. A hasty retreat will surely cause internal strife. The only best course of action is to pass through at full speed!"

Zhang Xianzhong suppressed his dangerous intuition and raised his hand to wave.

"Dingguo has already passed through, so there's no need to worry—pass down the order: the vanguard will accelerate, the central army will protect the families and supplies, and the rearguard will follow closely behind, passing through this valley at full speed without stopping!"

The military order was quickly relayed, and Sun Kewang and the others had no choice but to direct the vanguard soldiers to quicken their pace and advance towards the middle of the canyon.

Zhang Xianzhong tried to comfort himself and his army with all sorts of words, but even so, his eyes were always scanning the cliff tops on both sides with vigilance. However, no matter how he observed, he could not see a single person or hear a single sound, as if there was really no one else in the canyon except his own troops.

"Could it be that I'm just overthinking things?"

Zhang Xianzhong said something similar to what Li Dingguo said again.

Just as Zhang Xianzhong's main force had entered the valley and reached its narrowest point, Meng Ruhu suddenly swung his arm down from the cliff top, unleashing a deafening roar.

"put!"

In an instant, the sounds of clappers, cannons, guns, and crossbow bolts rang out simultaneously from the cliff tops on both sides of the canyon, echoing through the valley and reverberating endlessly.

Powerful crossbow bolts, gunpowder bullets, and other projectiles rained down on the crowd, instantly causing soldiers to scream and fall to the ground; even the government troops brought out their crouching cannons, which roared in succession...

The sounds of breaking bones and screams of agony filled the air as many soldiers were crushed by rolling logs and died on the spot.

Only then did Zhang Xianzhong and his tens of thousands of soldiers suddenly realize...

There's an ambush!