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

"A Qiu—"

As the cold wind swept by, Zhang Da, who had returned to the Wugang headquarters, suddenly sneezed loudly. Due to the violent movement, the old wounds on his body, which had been modified by the female assassin, were suddenly aggravated. Zhang Da subconsciously raised his hand to press his shoulder blade to relieve the pain. Although the poison of aconite mixed with arsenic had mostly subsided, the wounds were still bleeding slightly, and he felt a tearing sensation with the slightest force.

"Damn it, who's talking about me behind my back?"

Zhang Da muttered to himself, the vicious curses Zhang Feng'e had hurled at him earlier flashing through his mind. Of course, it could also be the Eighth King who had already invaded Huguang.

After all, he had made quite a stir in Baoqing Prefecture.

Seeing this, Zhang Wen, Zhou Wenqu, Wang Tui, and the others beside him all stepped forward, their faces filled with worry. Zhang Wen even reached out to help, his tone urgent.

"Brother, your poison has only mostly subsided, and you're not in good health. If you catch a cold, this battle... you really can't go yourself!"

Fortunately, Zhang Da didn't die. You know, in the days when Zhang Da was on the verge of death, apart from Shaoyang County, there were unusual movements in other parts of Baoqing Prefecture...

Therefore, Zhou Wenqu also humbly and earnestly advised him.

"Brother, you should give up. It would be better if I, Zhang Wen, Sun Liu, and I led the troops there, while you stayed in Shaoyang to coordinate the operation. That way, we can still be sure of victory."

Wang Tui, Li Dan, and others echoed his sentiments, and the officials of the censorate and the military commanders all knelt down to plead for him to stay. The entire tent was filled with voices urging him to stay.

Ancient medicine was underdeveloped. Let alone ordinary people, kings, and generals, even the emperor in the capital had imperial physicians on his side every day. Even so, how many people lived past fifty? Moreover, in an era where even a cold could be fatal, Zhang Da's resistance was weakened by poisoning; if he caught a cold...

The risks are enormous, as they go without saying.

However, Zhang Da slowly shook his head, raised his hand to stop everyone's advice, and forced a trace of strength onto his pale face as he scanned every familiar face in the tent.

"Gentlemen, please don't try to dissuade me. This battle is one I must go to personally."

Zhang Da had no choice but to do this.

Five days ago, he received an urgent report from Huguang (Hubei and Hunan provinces).

Just as Zhang Da had predicted, Zhang Xianzhong actually broke through the salt route in eastern Sichuan, captured Zhushan and Fang County in succession, and entered Huguang.

Of course, Zhang Xianzhong wasn't there for sightseeing, so just the day before yesterday, another urgent report from Huguang arrived.

Zhang Xianzhong has now divided his forces into three routes, preparing to sweep across the heart of Hubei and Hunan!

"The first force, the self-proclaimed Prince of Funan, Liu Wenxiu, claimed to lead more than 30,000 men and marched straight towards Prince Jing, Zhu Cikui, in Qizhou, Hubei! At this time, the Qizhou garrison troops were routed at the mere sight of the enemy. The rebel army had already breached three forts outside the city, slaughtered more than a thousand local militiamen, and abducted more than ten thousand civilians, and was eyeing the city with predatory intent..."

The Prince of Jing's mansion has amassed millions in wealth and mountains of grain, and it is likely to fall into the hands of the rebels! Moreover, Qizhou is the gateway to the south of Hubei and Hunan. Once it falls, the entire Yangtze River waterway will be under the control of Zhang Xianzhong's army!

This is absolutely unacceptable.

"The second force, led by the self-proclaimed Prince Dingbei, Ai Nengqi, with over 20,000 troops, marched west to attack Jingzhou, aiming directly at Prince Hui, Zhu Changrun! Jingzhou is a major town in Huguang, with high and thick city walls, but the garrison was disorganized. The rebel army successively captured Jiangling and Gong'an, opening granaries along the way to distribute food. Starving people flocked to join them, and within three days, their forces surged to 40,000!"

"The third force... led by Zhang Xianzhong himself, claiming to be 60,000 strong, with his fierce general Feng Shuangli as the vanguard, is marching south in full force, heading straight for northern Hunan! They have already captured Linxiang and Huarong, and their advance is aimed directly at Zhu Jianjun, the Prince of Ji in Changsha, and Zhu Changying, the Prince of Gui in Hengzhou! Beacon fires have already been lit outside Changsha, and Hengzhou, the Prince of Gui's fiefdom, is only about 300 li away from Baoqing!"

Zhang Da was so frightened at the time that he broke out in a cold sweat, and his face was even paler than it is now.

It's important to understand that if any one of these three armies could successfully seize the wealth and provisions of the vassal king, they could establish a foothold in Huguang. If all three succeeded...

Historical records state that when Li Zicheng first rebelled against the Ming Dynasty, he besieged Luoyang. At that time, he had at most 50,000 men, which was not a significant force. However, when Luoyang fell, he used all the wealth of the Prince of Fu's mansion to build up his army... In ten days, he had 100,000 soldiers, and a month later, he had expanded his army to a million!

With such an example before us, how can we not be afraid?

These four vassal states of Jing, Hui, Ji, and Gui were all wealthy vassal states that had accumulated riches over a century since the Wanli and Tianqi reigns. They possessed vast tracts of fertile land and mountains of wealth. If Zhang Xianzhong were to conquer these four vassal states and use their wealth to expand his army, it would be no problem for him to control half of the Huguang region!

Someone has to stop him!

However, the government troops were not up to par.

Yang Sichang's main force was still tied down in eastern Sichuan by Li Dingguo and Sun Kewang. Zuo Liangyu and He Renlong were too far away to help. The government troops were depleted in the entire hinterland of Huguang, and the garrisons were practically useless. There was not a single soldier capable of fighting!

Then who in Huguang could keep Zhang Xianzhong in check?

It can only be that he grew up.

As a result, Zhang Da received many emergency medical requests over the past few days. New ones were arriving almost daily.

Those feudal lords weren't fools. After learning of Zhang Xianzhong's intention to attack, they all sent urgent messages, their words becoming increasingly respectful.

For example, Zhu Changying, the Prince of Gui in Hengzhou, urgently sent a letter seeking help, saying that he was willing to provide three years' rent and taxes from his palace, 50,000 shi of grain and 100,000 taels of silver, and asked Zhang Da to send troops to his aid. Meanwhile, the Prince of Ji in Changsha also sent three letters written in blood, asking the prince to send troops to resist Feng Shuangli!

It wasn't just letters of appeal from princes; there were even urgent dispatches from the Ministry of War. For example, Yang Sichang's letter to Zhang Da was filled with anxiety.

"Zhang Xianzhong has fled to Huguang, the princes are in grave danger, and Hunan is vulnerable. You are in charge of the military and political affairs of Baoqing. Immediately send troops to contain him and prevent the bandits from growing stronger. Hold the line until the Sichuan army returns to reinforce! The court will reward you handsomely!"

Clearly, the heavy responsibility for the safety of Huguang fell almost entirely on Zhang Da's shoulders.

Letters and urgent reports rained down on Zhang Da's heart like heavy hammer blows.

With so many people urging him to go, should Zhang Da go or not?

Of course I'm going!

Personally, Zhang Xianzhong already harbored a deep hatred for Zhang Da, having sent assassins to kill him; their feud was already irreconcilable. If Zhang Xianzhong were allowed to swallow up the princes of Huguang and amass hundreds of thousands of troops, becoming king and ruler of Huguang, Zhang Da would be the first person he would deal with!

As the Deputy Military Commissioner of Baoqing Military Circuit in Huguang, appointed by the imperial court, he was in charge of the military and political affairs of four counties and one prefecture. It was already an honor that he obeyed orders but not summons. If he were to hold onto his troops and refuse to come to the rescue at this time, he would surely give others a handle to use against him.

It's unclear what Yang Sichang's attitude was, but Chongzhen was certainly wary of Zhang Da. If Zhang Da were accused of "colluding with bandits and holding military power for himself," the consequences could range from stripping him of his power and land to armed conflict.

Therefore, Zhang Da had nowhere to retreat and nowhere to avoid it!

Then we have no choice but to fight! And this battle must be personally commanded by Zhang Da, after all, this is our family's wealth; if it's squandered, we're finished.

Now that these things have been decided, there is still one question.

Which of Zhang Xianzhong's armies should we attack?

At this moment, Zhang Dameng stood up, ignoring everyone's objections, and strode to the "Map of Huguang Mountains and Rivers" hanging in the tent, his fingertips landing heavily on the two characters "Hengzhou".

"Look, everyone, Zhang Xianzhong has launched a three-pronged attack. Liu Wenxiu is far away in Qizhou, and Ai Nengqi is trapped in Jingzhou. Only the vanguard led by Feng Shuangli has advanced to Qingcaoqiao on the northern outskirts of Hengzhou, which is the closest to Baoqing, only two days' journey away!"

Zhang's meaning was clear: teach this Feng Shuangli a lesson first.

"Feng Shuangli's purpose in this trip is to first capture the Gui Prince's Mansion in Hengzhou, seize grain and expand his army, and then head south to attack Baoqing! At this time, Gui Prince Zhu Changying has promised to provide all the grain and military supplies from his mansion to aid in the battle. Hengzhou is a high-walled city, and if our army comes to its aid, we can attack from both inside and outside with the Gui Prince's troops; if we are a step late, Hengzhou will fall, and Feng Shuangli will head south with the momentum of a great victory, and Baoqing will face the main force of the enemy army! By then, it will be too late to regret it."