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

"There's an ambush! The government troops have an ambush!"

Terrified screams erupted from Zhang Xianzhong's ranks, throwing the already crowded ranks into complete chaos. Soldiers scattered in all directions, trampling each other, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.

The cries of family members and ordinary people were deafening, and grain carts and supply wagons were blocked in the passage, unable to move forward or backward.

Zhang Xianzhong was struck dumb at the sight, but since the terrible thing he had feared had finally happened, he quickly calmed down, drew his long sword, and slashed down a panicked soldier who was fleeing in all directions.

"Don't panic! Don't lose your composure! Stop right there! This is a death trap. Retreat means death, surrender means death, only fighting to the death offers a chance of survival!"

The sound was like thunder, instantly calming the panicked soldiers.

Everyone stopped in their tracks and looked at this powerful and influential figure.

That was a warlord who had fought in the north and south for more than ten years. Although he was no longer as leisurely as before, his determined gaze told me that he must have a way!

Sun Kewang, who was ahead, was in an even more difficult situation. Caught off guard by the sudden ambush, he only reacted at this moment, swinging his sword to deflect the oncoming arrows.

"Shieldbearers, form ranks! Protect the center! No disorder allowed! Anyone who retreats will be executed!"

Unfortunately, the canyon was too narrow, and the shield formation could not be fully deployed. Arrows and rocks came from all directions, and the shields could not provide enough protection. The soldiers in the front ranks suffered heavy casualties, and the shield formation was on the verge of collapse.

Meanwhile, seeing the ambush succeed at the gorge pass, Zhang Yingyuan, his face flushed and his voice filled with anguish, cried out...

"Spearmen, advance! Close the barricades, seal off the gorge, and don't allow a single bandit to escape!"

Five hundred spearmen, wielding their spears, advanced like a wall. The triple chevaux-de-frise simultaneously closed in, completely sealing off the canyon exit, and locked in a fierce standoff with Sun Kewang's vanguard...

Meanwhile, in the rear, Liu Wenxiu's troops were also blocked by a thousand soldiers that Meng Ruhu had deployed in advance, and they were unable to break free for the time being.

Thus, Zhang Xianzhong's tens of thousands of troops were completely trapped in the Daning Pass Gorge. With their front blocked and their rear cut off, and fierce tigers on the cliff top bombarding them from above, Zhang Xianzhong was surrounded on three sides and found himself in a desperate situation...

"Haha! Good, well done! Men, put in more effort, and all the bandits' women, wives, and provisions will be yours!"

Perched atop the cliff, Meng Ruhu looked down at the bandits in disarray at the bottom of the valley, stroked his beard, and laughed heartily, his voice filled with smugness.

"Zhang Yingyuan's ambush was brilliant! This ambush is flawless; Zhang Xianzhong has no chance of escape! Pass down the order to continue the bombardment, exhaust the bandits' shields, and we will surely take Zhang Xianzhong's head within half an hour!"

Meng Ruhu was extremely pleased with himself. Below him, Zhang Xianzhong, dressed in a black robe, had already taken off his robe, intending to confuse the matter.

Heh, why not just kill them all?

Zhang Xianzhong, oh Zhang Xianzhong, I gave you a chance before, but you rebelled again. This time, even if you kowtow all the way to the capital, it won't matter.

I will definitely cut you into a thousand pieces!

Zhang Yingyuan, however, dared not relax his vigilance in the slightest while holding the position at the gorge pass.

These bandits were very strong; even in this situation, they hadn't collapsed. Zhang Xianzhong, Sun Kewang, and others were doing their best to stabilize morale, and there were even signs of a counterattack... Zhang Yingyuan sensed something was wrong and immediately sent a message to Meng Ruhu on the cliff top.

"Lord Meng, these bandits are fearless and ruthless, and Zhang Xianzhong is an even more ruthless and cunning leader. The garrison troops are insufficient in strength and I fear they cannot sustain a prolonged blockade! Please transfer border troops down the cliff to help us stabilize our defenses!"

After a stick of incense had burned out, Zhang Yingyuan received a response instructing him to hold the fort at the gorge.

The reason given is very simple.

"The bandits are in complete disarray, caught off guard. Our army has the upper hand, with plenty of rolling logs and stones, and we are bombarding them with firearms in turn. It won't be long before they naturally collapse!"

Seeing that Meng Ruhu remained stubbornly opinionated, convinced that the advantages of terrain, firearms, and surprise attack were enough to starve the bandits to death, Zhang Yingyuan had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue to resist.

At the bottom of the valley, Zhang Xianzhong was covered in blood, his cloak pierced by several arrows, yet he remained unfazed, and even... for a moment, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

Zhang Xianzhong had already seen through the weakness of the government troops.

The government troops occupied a strategic location, but were constrained by the terrain. The soldiers on the cliff top could not go down to fight hand-to-hand. The government troops blocking the gorge were mostly garrison soldiers, whose combat strength was weak. As long as they concentrated their forces and broke through one point, the entire encirclement could be broken.

Retreat means death, charge means life!

"Sun Kewang! You lead all the shield bearers in the vanguard to hold off the government troops' spear formation at the gorge. If you retreat ten paces, you will bring me your head!"

"Liu Jinzhong! Select three hundred mountain warriors to scale the cliff and launch a surprise attack on the government troops' musket array!"

"Liu Wenxiu! Push grain carts to build fortifications, blocking the rear of the government troops. Collect rockets and fire them at the top of the cliff to harass the enemy!"

"Ainengqi! Follow me, I will personally lead the iron cavalry, charge straight at the breach in the gorge, break through the enemy lines, and break through the encirclement!"

The four men received their orders, and the first to take action were the three hundred elite warriors selected by Liu Jinzhong.

These three hundred people were mostly mountain dwellers from the Sichuan-Shaanxi region. They had been climbing mountains and traversing valleys since childhood, as agile as monkeys. So, following the vines and uneven parts of the cliff, they silently climbed upwards. In less than half an incense stick's time, dozens of them had reached the edge of the cliff top.

At this moment, the Ming soldiers' musketeers and crossbowmen on the cliff top were busy firing at the valley floor and had no idea that the bandits lurking at the cliff edge were hiding there.

Seeing this, Liu Jinzhong swung his sword fiercely, shouted "Kill!" and charged out first.

Most of the musketeers loaded ammunition by hand and were completely defenseless in close combat. Faced with the bandits' surprise attack, they were thrown into chaos, abandoning their muskets and scattering in all directions.

The matchlock was cut, the gun barrels were overturned, and the gunners of the tiger-crouching cannons were killed by the bandits. The firearms array on the left side of the cliff was instantly paralyzed...

"You bastards! Quickly, get the swordsmen and shieldmen down! Push the bandits off the cliff! Drive them down!"

Although the two hundred border guards with swords and shields engaged Liu Jinzhong's troops in hand-to-hand combat, the three hundred men gradually fell into a disadvantageous position and suffered heavy casualties.

But Liu Jinzhong had already achieved his objective. The bombardment from the cliff top instantly decreased, the pressure on the bandits in the valley was greatly reduced, and their formation gradually stabilized.

Zhang Xianzhong seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and shouted at Ai Nengqi...

"Charge with me!"

So he personally donned armor and took up his sword, leading two hundred elite heavy armored soldiers, charging fiercely towards the Ming army's spear formation at the gorge, braving the scattered arrows.

The Ming army's spearmen were already exhausted, and now Zhang Xianzhong, leading his elite troops, charged ahead and hacked and slashed relentlessly. As a result, Ming soldiers fell to the ground one after another, screaming in agony.

"Stop them! Stop them now!"

Seeing this, Zhang Yingyuan was extremely anxious. He swung his sword and killed two fleeing garrison soldiers. He shouted to stop them, but the garrison soldiers were already afraid of fighting, and their formation was instantly torn open in the face of this situation.

"My lord! The breach in the gorge has been made! Request reinforcements immediately!"

Zhang Yingyuan's men reached the top of the cliff and shouted for help towards Meng Ruhu.

However, how could someone as fierce as a tiger, surveying the entire situation from the cliff top, not see it? It's just that Liu Jinzhong's remaining troops hadn't been completely eliminated, and they couldn't escape. They could only grit their teeth and give the order.

"Move the Tiger Crouching Cannon forward and fire directly at the breach in the gorge! Right-wing crossbowmen, unleash your full firepower to seal the breach!"

The remaining tiger-squatting cannons quickly moved forward, aimed their muzzles at the gap in the gorge, and fired with a roar. The stone projectiles sealed the gap, Zhang Xianzhong's charge was thwarted, and he had no choice but to temporarily lead his troops to retreat.

Taking advantage of the situation, Zhang Yingyuan commanded his soldiers to regroup their gun formation, fill the gap, and once again block the bandits in the valley.

For a time, the two armies were locked in a stalemate in the canyon.

On the cliff top, border troops and bandit warriors engaged in hand-to-hand combat; in the valley below, bandits and government troops faced off in a spear formation. Arrows and bullets flew sporadically, accompanied by shouts of battle, cries of agony, and the clashing of weapons...

The good times didn't last long. Despite the overwhelming terrain advantage held by the government troops, bad news kept coming one after another.

"My lord! The bandit leader has led another charge! There are even more of them now! The garrison soldiers are about to collapse!"

Zhang Yingyuan once again sought help from Meng Ruhu.

Fortunately, this time Meng Ruhu did not shirk his duty. He ultimately defeated Liu Jinzhong's remaining forces, drove the bandits off the cliff, reorganized his firearms, and launched another bombardment of the valley floor.

Seeing this, Zhang Xianzhong loudly ordered Liu Wenxiu...

"Wenxiu! Launch rockets at the government troops' barricades at the gorge entrance, set them ablaze, and clear the way for the main army!"

Liu Wenxiu finally collected the rockets, and upon hearing the military order, immediately commanded them to be fired.

Hundreds of rockets were launched simultaneously, trailing flames, heading straight for the Ming army's barricades at the gorge entrance.

A raging fire broke out, billowing thick smoke and flames shooting into the sky.

The pikemen coughed incessantly from the thick smoke, unable to open their eyes, and their formation was thrown into chaos once again.

Taking advantage of the situation, Sun Kewang led his vanguard shield soldiers, braving the thick smoke, and charged forward fiercely, once again closing in on the Ming army's lines.

"Spread barbed wire! Lay out nail boards! Block the passage and stop their charge!"

The Ming soldiers did as instructed, but Zhang Xianzhong's vanguard, unaware of the trap, continued their charge. Their horses' hooves struck the caltrops, instantly piercing the metal. The horses reared up in agony, and the soldiers fell to the ground, their bodies riddled with spikes, screaming in agony.

"Damn it, you beasts! Pass on my order: soldiers, remove your shoes, wrap yourselves in cloth, and charge barefoot! Anyone who retreats will be executed!"

Zhang Yingyuan was secretly pleased, but when he saw a group of people charging forward, stepping over the corpses of their comrades, breaking through the spiked barrier, and approaching his own army's spear formation, his face turned deathly pale.

There was no other reason than that he had run out of ideas.

Zhang Yingyuan used every means at his disposal, but he still couldn't stop the bandits' desperate charge...

Damn it, let's fight!

Just as the two armies were about to engage in another bloody battle, a deafening battle cry suddenly erupted from outside the canyon, growing louder and clearer as it approached.

"General! The rear guard reinforcements led by Feng Shuangli and Ma Yuanli have arrived!"

Zhang Xianzhong's personal guards were overjoyed and reported the news loudly.

It turned out that Feng Shuangli and Ma Yuanli led two thousand rear guards, whose march was slow due to escorting supplies, and they had only just arrived at Daning Pass.

Upon hearing of the fierce fighting within the canyon, they immediately dispatched their troops to launch a fierce attack on the Ming army's rear guard blocking the position.

The Ming army's rear guard of one thousand men, mostly garrison soldiers with weak fighting strength, collapsed instantly when faced with the fierce attack of Feng Shuangli and Ma Yuanli's two thousand elite troops. They abandoned their weapons and fled in disarray, leaving their retreat route completely open...

Zhang Xianzhong's army's morale soared.

Meanwhile, the fierce tiger on the cliff top wasn't so happy. The defense line below the cliff had completely collapsed because of this incident, and Zhang Yingyuan almost didn't make it out alive...

Upon witnessing this scene, the veteran general of the Shaanxi border army looked up to the sky and sighed deeply, his eyes wide with fury.

"Sound the retreat! Withdraw the troops! Retreat to Baima Pass!"