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

When Zhang Xianzhong emerged from the Daning Pass Gorge, riddled with dismembered limbs and corpses, he did not choose to fight back. In fact, he didn't even have the courage to curse the government troops. Instead, he galloped headlong towards Sichuan...

Even after someone reported that the government troops had not pursued them, Zhang Xianzhong still refused to stop... until he was exhausted from adrenaline depletion, in excruciating pain, and even about to vomit blood, only then did he hurriedly wave his hand.

"Stop...all of you, stop right now..."

Zhang Xianzhong was covered in twenty or thirty wounds of varying sizes, the blood seeping out staining his horse a dark brown. Severely injured, his former domineering and arrogant demeanor had vanished, leaving only a disheveled appearance and a ferocious look in his eyes.

"Rest and reorganize... take stock of the number of troops and soldiers."

The scattered central army finally got a chance to rest.

The remaining troops behind them slowly gathered. Of the tens of thousands of soldiers who had once filled the sky with banners and gleaming armor, less than half were still standing, each bearing a look of deep resentment. Leaders such as Sun Kewang, Liu Wenxiu, Ai Nengqi, Feng Shuangli, and Ma Yuanli were all wounded. At this point, only Li Dingguo's vanguard troops remained uninjured.

Liu Wenxiu seemed to be very good at counting soldiers. Despite being wounded, he could quickly and roughly count the troops. However, at this moment, he did not feel fortunate about his ability; instead, his voice choked with emotion.

"General... I've calculated it... In this battle, our army suffered over 17,300 casualties, including 2,000 cavalry and 11,000 infantry. More than 3,000 families and civilians were killed or wounded... Over 23,000 shi of grain were burned, and firearms, bows and arrows, and armor were almost completely lost..."

Zhang Xianzhong trembled violently, his vision went black for three seconds, and he only managed to stay upright by leaning against his horse. Once he regained his senses, Zhang Xianzhong, his face covered in blood, grabbed Liu Wenxiu and dragged him roughly in front of him, his eyes bloodshot and his beard bristling.

"That was all the savings I worked so hard to build up, and it's just gone like that?!"

Liu Wenxiu dared not nod or shake his head, while the other adopted sons and generals beside Zhang Xianzhong, while advising Zhang Xianzhong to take care of his health and not to let his anger overwhelm him, also began to criticize him one after another.

"Liu Jinzhong! Didn't you keep saying you were familiar with the terrain of eastern Sichuan and that this route was remote and deserted, and that the government troops would never set up defenses?"

"This is such an obvious dead end, even my manhood knows it's a natural ambush site."

"Were the scouts blind? Or dead?! Why didn't they spot the government troops beforehand? Why didn't they scout out the strategic passes and defenses?!"

A barrage of accusations rained down on Liu Jinzhong, who turned ashen-faced with fear. Forgetting all about saving face, he immediately prostrated himself on the ground in front of the entire army, kowtowing incoherently.

"General, the fog in the mountains is thick, and the mountain paths are rugged. The scouts dared not venture deep into the valley, only exploring ten miles outside the valley, but found no trace of government troops... It is my dereliction of duty, I deserve to die!"

"Damn it? You absolutely deserve to die!"

Zhang Xianzhong, enraged, laughed. His entire army had suffered such a crushing defeat; he needed to find someone to take the blame.

Zhang Xianzhong, of course, cannot be mentioned.

Therefore, Liu Jinzhong had no choice but to carry it.

Having said that, Zhang Xianzhong swung his sword to strike, but whether due to injury or intentional misbehavior, his movements were slow. Before he could land a blow, Sun Kewang rushed forward and grabbed his arm tightly to stop him.

"General, you mustn't! The morale of the army is low. If we kill the leaders, the troops will fall apart on the spot! Although Liu Jinzhong is guilty of dereliction of duty, we still need him to guide us into Sichuan. Spare his life and let him atone for his crime through meritorious service."

Those who had just attacked Liu Jinzhong, such as Li Dingguo and Ai Nengqi, also stepped forward to plead for his life.

Zhang Xianzhong feigned hesitation, his chest heaving violently. His long sword hovered in mid-air for a long time before finally slamming into the nearby rock, sparks flying and a piercing hum resounding.

If you're given a way out, you have to take it.

You can fool your soldiers, but your generals aren't stupid.

They knew who was ultimately responsible for this crushing defeat, but none of them said it outright...

Zhang Xianzhong knew this, but he was Zhang Xianzhong, the Eighth King, a powerful figure who dominated seven provinces, and he could never admit his mistakes!

"Sigh, I'm becoming more and more stubborn and self-willed."

His own generals were willing to give him face.

However, this rebel army also included troops led by Luo Rucai and others.

He was present throughout the entire meeting.

As expected, after resting, the troops set off into Sichuan again. However, this time, resentment slowly arose among the soldiers and men. At first, it was faint, but later it grew louder and louder, and even drifted into Zhang Xianzhong's ears without any attempt to conceal it.

"If the commander hadn't insisted on taking this deadly path, we wouldn't have ended up like this..."

"The canyon is so dangerous. We were told there was an ambush, but the commander wouldn't listen. Now look what's happened, half the brothers are dead..."

"Going into Sichuan? Going into Sichuan? I think it's going to our graves! If we continue following the commander, we'll all die in these deep mountains and forests!"

"The government troops are so powerful, and we had such a hard time even getting through the Daning Pass. Do we even have a chance of survival once we get to Sichuan?"

At this moment, Zhang Xianzhong truly harbored murderous intent.

Unfortunately, the morale of the troops was not as high as before, and his prestige was now only that of his own men. If he were to slaughter his own people again, the army would fall apart and scatter like birds and beasts without the government troops even having to chase after him.

Helpless, after suffering such a crushing defeat, being gossiped about by his own soldiers only fueled his anger, which he had nowhere to vent.

Thus, during the army's march into Sichuan, many saw their commander pointing his sword to the sky and roaring with all his might.

"Today's grudge will be repaid a hundredfold tomorrow!"

Meanwhile, at the Xiangyang headquarters, in the commander-in-chief's tent.

Yang Sichang held the urgent battle report from Daning Pass, reading it over and over again. After finishing it, he couldn't even believe his eyes. He then took out his collection of military books, looking at the contents of the books and the map at the same time.

His expression changed from initial solemnity to shock, then to rage, and finally turned ashen.

This natural ambush point is exactly the kind of place described in military texts where one man can hold off ten thousand.

Why the hell can't we hold on?

Why did three thousand Ming soldiers, equipped with firearms, crossbows, spears, armor, and all sorts of gear, still manage to let Zhang Xianzhong escape?!

Inside the tent, Wan Yuanji, his generals, and his staff all fell silent, heads bowed, just like the generals in Zhang Xianzhong's army.

"Useless! Idiots! You've ruined my plans! A bunch of good-for-nothings!"

Yang Sichang finally erupted, letting out a furious roar and sweeping the inkstone, teacup, official documents, and military tally off the table, sending shards of porcelain flying and ink spilling everywhere.

"As fierce as a tiger! Zhang Yingyuan!"

He gritted his teeth and muttered those two names, his voice filled with a hatred that seemed to devour anyone.

"You had an overwhelming advantage, you had the perfect timing and terrain! You held all the cards, yet you still managed to let Zhang Xianzhong escape?! You even allowed him to break through with his remaining troops?!"

"Just one step away! Just one final step away! Now that Zhang Xianzhong has entered Sichuan, who can stop him now!"

Despite it being a resounding victory, Yang Sichang was still filled with resentment and grief.

Perhaps Yang Sichang had already foreseen that he would not be able to personally kill Zhang Xianzhong in his lifetime...