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

"Nine days?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dayi suddenly opened his eyes, his blood rushing to his head, and he almost fainted again.

"what!"

The wound reopened, and a sharp pain shot through Zhang Da. He felt his heart sink, his blood pressure soared, and anger and anxiety erupted instantly.

Nine days! A full nine days!

As the chief official of central Hunan, he held supreme military and political power over four counties and one prefecture. At a critical time when the army was preparing for war and the bureaucracy was being cleaned up, he was bedridden and unconscious for nine days!

Not to mention the rumors circulating outside, even the people standing by his bedside probably thought they were about to be assassinated...

What difference is there between this and being dead?

"Damn it!" Zhang Da cursed under his breath. His anger, however, brought him a bit more clarity. Remembering the woman who had tried to assassinate him, he grew even angrier and asked through gritted teeth in a low voice, "What about the assassin? Is she dead or alive?"

This time, Wang stepped forward and answered with a fist salute.

"My lord, after we captured that vile woman, we locked her in the death row and put her under strict guard and interrogation. However... however, we used every kind of torture imaginable—whipping, branding irons, and clamps—but she refused to confess and wouldn't utter a single word. She was incredibly stubborn, only cursing us as the Ming Dynasty's lackeys. We were afraid of beating her to death, so we planned to wait until you woke up before interrogating her."

Zhang Da's anger intensified.

Still so stubborn!

The woman claimed to be Zhang Xianzhong's daughter. Presumably, she was the one who devised the plan to trap Zhang Xianzhong and cut off his escape route. Zhang Xianzhong eventually found out about this in Sichuan and harbored resentment, so he sent assassins to kill her in retaliation, intending to eliminate this major threat!

I was so focused on recuperating and expanding my army, and I almost fell into the hands of an assassin! Damn it! What's more, I hadn't even gotten to do what I was supposed to do in the bridal chamber!

Upon thinking of this, Zhang Da became enraged and struggled to sit up, intending to get out of bed and interrogate the person himself.

"Help me up! I'll interrogate this bitch myself! I want to see how long she can keep this up!"

"Husband, you mustn't!" Zhou Nianhui rushed forward and pressed him down, her eyes brimming with tears. "Your body is still poisoned, your wounds haven't healed, you're covered in injuries, how can you get up? You must take care of yourself, don't get angry!"

"My lord, please calm down and rest!" Zhou Wenqu quickly advised. "The assassin can't escape. It's not too late to interrogate him later. Your health is the most important thing right now!"

Everyone tried to dissuade him, their voices earnest.

Zhang Da didn't want to hear any more of this, but after struggling several times, he was too weak to get up and could only gasp for breath, his chest heaving violently.

At this moment, a person in the crowd stepped forward, bowed, and clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, his voice steady and calm.

"Lord Zhang, please don't be impatient. Focus on recovering from your injury. No matter how urgent the affairs of the state are, they are not as important as your precious health."

Zhang Da looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person was dressed in official robes and had a familiar face. After thinking carefully, he remembered that this was Zhao Quan, a trusted subordinate of Yang Sichang and the principal officer of the Ministry of War. They had met many times before at the military governor's headquarters in Xiangyang!

Wait... that's not the important thing...

Zhang Da felt a pang of doubt, as if he had discovered a blind spot.

If the news of my assassination attempt in Wugang reached Xiangyang immediately, it would take at least five days; and if Yang Sichang sent someone to visit me, the round trip would take at least ten days. Yet Zhao Quan had already arrived with his men after I had only been unconscious for nine days—the timing just doesn't add up!

There is only one possibility—Zhao Quan had already set off from Xiangyang for Wugang before he was assassinated!

So his initial visit here was definitely not to see me... or rather, he came to discuss political matters.

There was only one person who deserved Yang Sichang to send someone specifically to him—Zhang Xianzhong.

Since Zhang Xianzhong dared to send assassins to kill him, it couldn't have been just out of personal vendetta; he must have had another motive! A bandit trapped in eastern Sichuan wouldn't assassinate a local general without a reason.

It's estimated that Zhang Xianzhong no longer wanted to sit idly by and wait for his demise in Sichuan.

Suppressing his anger and excruciating pain, Zhang Daqiang asked in a deep voice...

"Master Zhao, you've come all the way from Xiangyang, surely not just to visit. Is Zhang Xianzhong... planning something big again?"

Zhao Quan, Zhou Wenqu, Zhang Wen, and the others exchanged glances, their expressions solemn, and slowly nodded.

"Your Excellency is wise." Zhao Quan bowed and said, "The Grand Coordinator and his advisors had long anticipated that Zhang Xianzhong would fight desperately to break through the encirclement, so they sent their subordinates to come here day and night to ask Your Excellency for advice. Who knew that as soon as we entered Wugang territory, we heard that Your Excellency had been assassinated and was seriously injured and unconscious, so we had to stay and wait, and this delay has lasted for several days."

Zhang Da's heart sank, and he knew something was wrong.

Now trapped in eastern Sichuan, Zhang Xianzhong is like a caged beast. His suggestion to block the passes and cut off his escape route could have easily trapped him to death in the mountains. Now, Zhang Xianzhong's dispatch of assassins is clearly a desperate act, a last-ditch effort to break out! And the assassination is merely the first step; his aim is likely to disrupt the deployment in central Hunan, paving the way for his own breakout.

The key question is, where will he break through?

"Quickly! What's Zhang Xianzhong's latest move?" Zhang Da pressed urgently, his tone urgent. "Has he mobilized all his forces? Where is he mainly attacking?"

Zhao Quan dared not delay and immediately reported in a deep voice.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, three days ago, Zhang Xianzhong suddenly launched a full-scale attack, splitting his forces into two groups to fiercely assault our defenses."

"One force, led by Li Dingguo and Sun Kewang, launched a fierce attack on Daning Pass in eastern Sichuan. They fought a desperate battle against the defending generals Meng Ruhu and Zhang Yingyuan. Their offensive was so intense that they disregarded casualties."

"Another force, led by Zhang Xianzhong himself, consisted of elite troops and tens of thousands of refugees, secretly heading south towards the Jiudaoliang and Zhushan line at the border of Sichuan and Hubei. They seemed intent on breaking through the defenses, infiltrating Hubei and Hunan, and then entering central Hunan!"

"Both enemy forces are fierce and fearless. Our army has been fighting fiercely for days, suffering heavy casualties, and our defense line is in grave danger."

Zhang Da frowned, his heart filled with surprise and doubt.

The Daning Pass was strategically important and heavily fortified by the Ming army. It was the throat of eastern Sichuan. Zhang Xianzhong launched a strong attack on this place, which seemed like a must-win location. However, he personally led his main force south to Jiudaoliang. The mountains there were high and the forests were dense. The roads were treacherous and easy to defend, making it far from a shortcut to break out.

This is suspicious! Absolutely suspicious!

This is absolutely not Zhang Xianzhong's style! He has always loved to use feints and deception, and besides, he has lost all his troops in this matter, so he would never make a pointless sacrifice.

Since the attack on Daning Pass and the southward advance to Jiudaoliang may both be illusions, what is his real target?

Seeing him deep in thought, Zhao Quan began to explain the Ming army's deployment.

"Now the commander-in-chief has adjusted the deployment, ordering Zuo Liangyu to lead his troops to reinforce Daning Pass and block Li Dingguo from the front; ordering He Renlong's troops to garrison Jiudaoliang and block Zhang Xianzhong's southward route; and ordering the Sichuan governor Shao Jiechun to mobilize Sichuan troops to follow and pursue, encircling Zhang Xianzhong from three sides, intending to annihilate him at the border of Sichuan and Hubei."

After saying that, he bowed to Zhang Da and asked...

"My lord, the commander-in-chief's arrangements are all based on your previous strategy of 'locking down the Three Gorges, allying with the local chieftains, and garrisoning northern Sichuan.' Now, the war situation has suddenly changed, you have been unconscious for nine days, and the opportunity to fight is fleeting. The commander-in-chief has specially sent his subordinates to ask you—do you think this deployment is appropriate?"

Zhang Da closed his eyes and pondered, his mind rapidly deducing the terrain and battle situation in eastern Sichuan.

It's fake, so fake!

A feint! It was all a feint!

A strong attack on Daning Pass was intended to draw away Zuo Liangyu's main force;

Heading south to Jiudaoliang was a tactic to lure He Renlong into dividing his forces.

So Zhang Xianzhong's real purpose must have been to feint to the east while attacking the west, taking advantage of the Ming army's dispersed forces and weak defenses to tear open a breach from the most unexpected place!

In addition to Daning Pass and Jiudaoliang, there is another dangerous place that has been overlooked at the junction of eastern Sichuan, western Hubei and central Hunan.

That road was treacherous and rugged, rarely traveled by people, and only used by salt merchants and mountain dwellers. The Ming army's defenses were extremely weak! Zhang Xianzhong, who came from humble origins, choosing this place as his escape route was in line with his status!

Upon realizing this, Zhang Da suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze flashing with a sharp light. Ignoring the excruciating pain all over his body, he shouted sternly.

"Oh no! The commander-in-chief has fallen into a trap! Zhang Xianzhong's attacks were all feints; Daning Pass and Jiudaoliang were illusions! His real escape route is the salt road in eastern Sichuan!"

Everyone was shocked, their faces filled with astonishment.

"The salt road? The terrain there is treacherous and sparsely populated. How could a large army pass through?" Zhang Wen asked, puzzled.

"Zhang Xianzhong was originally a bandit, accustomed to venturing into dangerous places. The more neglected the Ming army was, the more likely it was for him to survive!"

Zhang Da shouted urgently, his tone leaving no room for doubt, "He launched a strong attack on Daning and a feint at Jiudaoliang. At that time, he will likely take advantage of the weakened defenses of the salt route to break through in one fell swoop, infiltrate Huguang, and head straight for central Hunan!"

At that time, I will personally fight him.

To be fair, Zhang Da didn't want things to turn out this way. He was not yet fully developed, and bringing the war to his own territory would definitely be a waste of resources and manpower. In that case, there would be refugees everywhere, and the foundation he had painstakingly built would be destroyed in an instant!

Moreover, with himself seriously wounded in an assassination attempt and the morale of his troops unsettled, it's uncertain whether they can win...

"Help me up!" Zhang Da clenched his fists tightly, digging his fingernails into his palms, trying to wake his body with the excruciating pain, while simultaneously ordering the people around him to do so.

"One of you... prepare the car immediately. I want to go to the death row myself and interrogate that assassin!"

The woman was sent by Zhang Xianzhong, and Zhang Da didn't believe her when she said she didn't know all of Zhang Xianzhong's plans!

"I want to ask Zhang Xianzhong personally where he intends to break through!"

At this moment, the lamp beside Zhang Da's couch flickered, illuminating his pale yet resolute face.

We still have to face Zhang Xianzhong head-on.