serious man in the red chamber

Chapter 192
On the third day of September in the third year of Jianwu, it is noon.

More and more Zhou troops boarded the city wall, and the White Lotus Sect fought less and less. Soon, Zhou Jun captured the south gate tower, and countless Zhou troops rushed down the tower with their long swords held high, and killed towards the city gate.

"Take it!"

Ma Shang looked at the pocket watch in his hand, "Half an hour has passed, what are they waiting for?"

"Wait for the city to break down." Liu Fang answered very affirmatively.

Ma Shang: "Where should the Pioneer Camp be now?"

Liu Fang: "It should be in Xiao County."

Ma Shang was silent for a moment, and his face became very serious: "Is the main force really going to enter the city?"

Liu Fang: "If we don't enter the city, the elite rebel army commanded by the Manchus will not come."

"However, once they block us in the city, the army is in danger of collapsing."

"No but!"

Liu Fang waved her hand, "There are only [-] cavalry in the Pioneer Battalion. If we don't lure them to Xuzhou, we won't be able to wipe them out completely."

Only then did Ma Shang understand a little bit: "I hope nothing will happen to the Pioneer Camp."

At this time, a scout galloped over and reported loudly: "Report! The cavalry of the Vanguard Battalion is less than fifty miles away from Xuzhou City."

Ma Shang was surprised: "So fast!"

Suddenly, there was overwhelming cheers from the city of Xuzhou: "The city is broken! The city is broken!"

Liu Fang raised the binoculars and aimed at the south gate of Xuzhou City. Countless Zhou troops poured into the city like a tide. She couldn't help laughing, and then ordered to the herald beside her: "The whole army goes out and wipes out all the rebels in the city!"

The herald waved the flag.

The drums were loud.

Finally, the phalanx of [-] people rushed forward.

Liu Fang turned her head to look at Ma Shang: "Come on, let's wait on the tower." After speaking, she grabbed the horse's belly and rushed up.

Ma Shang and the generals followed closely behind.

Just when the official army broke through Xuzhou City, a large army appeared twenty miles to the northwest. Perhaps because of suspicion, the rebels immediately stopped their troops.

When the wind picked up, a big flag fluttered with the wind, with a big "Qing" character embroidered on it.

Under the banner, Ejin, the son of Ebi, the minister of the Ministry of Punishment of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, sat on the horse with an arrogant expression on his face.

The other Eight Banners aristocratic officers rode around him, also looking arrogant and domineering.

Two phalanxes of [-] people on both sides of him are ready to attack Xuzhou City at any time.

At this time, a master of the Cao Gang came galloping, ran to Ejin and reined in, "The situation is unknown, it is not suitable to fight, let's wait."

Ejin turned his head and looked at him deeply: "Zhang Xuesheng and other senior officials of the White Lotus Sect are in Xuzhou City, put away your little thoughts. In addition, the Yongwei Battalion has passed Tongguan, and the cavalry will arrive at the city of Xuzhou at the latest the day after tomorrow .This is our only chance."

A noble from the Eight Banners then said: "The Zhou army has besieged the city for so long, and after breaking it, they will definitely retaliate, burn, kill and loot. Let's take advantage of the chaos and destroy it at once."

The hall master sighed: "I'm afraid this is a trap set by them!"

Ejin sneered: "Zhou's army is all infantry and exhausted. Twenty thousand cavalry are enough to sweep everything!"

Paused, "The [-] cavalrymen from the Beijing camp were dragged around Shuyang by water, and no one can stop us."

The hall master wanted to say something more, but with the sound of horseshoes, a tartar disguised as an officer rushed over and reported to Ejin, "Report! The Zhou army has already broken through Xuzhou City and is launching a general attack on the White Lotus Sect in the city."

Ejin was overjoyed: "Zhou Jun has entered the city?"

The spy: "Except for the refugees who were driven to attack the city and some government troops, almost all of them have entered the city."

Ejin: "Okay, the whole army will attack immediately and defeat the Zhou army!" After speaking, he drew out his long knife and rushed out first.

The [-] Cao Gang cavalry also charged, rushing towards Xuzhou City like a tide.

On the tower of the south gate, a big flag with the word "Zhou" flutters in the wind.

Liu Fang and Ma Shang stood side by side under the banner, and the open space below the city was full of soldiers from the patrol battalion, who had already formed a square formation and were ready to attack.

Suddenly, there was a thunderous sound of horseshoes in the distance, getting louder and closer, and the ground trembled in an instant, and the dust was flying.

Ma Shang's eyes flashed coldly: "Here we come."

Liu Fang was expressionless, and the soldiers of the patrol battalion under the city had already erected their spears, densely packed with spears, forming a hedgehog-like jungle of spears.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the rebel cavalry did not slow down at all, and directly charged the spear array of the patrol battalion with their horses. Wherever the cavalry went, a crowd turned on their backs, screaming one after another, and the spear array was torn apart in an instant. The gap, under the leadership of the Manchus, instantly penetrated the military formation of the patrol battalion, and then rushed left and right in the military formation, running all the way, and the patrol battalion, which was already afraid of the cavalry, was brutally attacked by the rebels. Terrified, they dropped their weapons one after another and fled in all directions. Many of them fled towards Xuzhou City behind them.

Ejin roared loudly: "Chasing!" He took the lead in chasing after him.

At this moment, a low horn sounded from behind, E Bi's heart skipped a beat, and he turned his horse sharply. Sure enough, a large group of cavalry was heading towards the battlefield!
At this time, there was a shocking cry of killing in the city, and Zhou Jun's infantry roared like a mountain and a sea.

Ejin and other Eight Banners aristocratic officers changed their faces, and they were caught!
A noble from the Eight Banners: "It should be the [-] cavalry in the Beijing camp, defeat them first."

After hearing what he said, Ejin was relieved, then nodded, and swung his saber, "Kill!"

"Kill!" All the noble officers of the Eight Banners shouted and rushed out, and the rebels swarmed and rushed up.

Ma Shang sneered: "A bunch of idiots!"

Liu Fang smiled.

The Pioneer Battalion sped up their horses and charged towards the rebel cavalry with overwhelming momentum.

The horses galloped, and the distance between the two sides continued to narrow, and soon they entered the range of the Xiyi muskets. The cavalry of the vanguard battalion slammed the firecrackers in their hands, and the sound of the firecracker salvo was deafening. Huo Guang, before he could react, fell off his horse, and only a few dozen of the thousands of rebels who charged in the first row were still on the horse.

Several Eight Banners noble officers were also pierced through the front and back by the bullets fired at high speed, and fell off the horse with terrified eyes, and were instantly trampled into flesh by the horses behind.

The phalanx at the front became sparse in an instant. In this round of attacks, at least two to three thousand people were killed. Such a brutal scene shocked everyone, and even made Ejin feel a little timid.

The two teams collided fiercely like a tidal wave. The sound of crashing, screams and killing resounded outside the city of Xuzhou. Slashing right and left, the blood of the rebels was all over his body.

The vanguard battalion was in such a state of destruction that it cut the rebel army into two in an instant, and then divided and surrounded them, killing the rebel army until their heads rolled to the ground, blood flowing into rivers, and the fear brought about by the brutal killing shrouded the hearts of the rebel army. Under the fierce attack, they could only retreat steadily. After a stick of incense, the army collapsed, and the rebels began to flee in all directions.

Ejin's face was pale. At this time, he had realized that the opponent in front of him was not the cavalry of the Beijing camp at all, but the brave guard camp had arrived.

"Run away!"

A noble officer of the Eight Banners covered in blood rushed to Ejin and shouted loudly, "I won't be able to leave any later."

Ejin looked blank: "Escape? Where are you going?!"

"We protect you and kill a bloody road! Let's go!"

Before he could say a word, he was suddenly put around his neck by a noose, and then he was dragged to the ground.

Wang Dalei had noticed this group of Manchu Tartars wearing Eight Banners armor long ago, knew that they were the noble officers of the Eight Banners that Jia Hu said, and immediately ordered them to be captured alive.

A vanguard battalion commander led a group of sturdy cavalry, and rushed over with a lasso in his hand.

Hurrah, the lasso flew over.

Ejin and more than a dozen Eight Banners noble officers were tied around the neck, fell off the horse, were dragged to the ground, and then their hands and feet were tied.

On the tower, there was a dead silence.

All eyes are shocked!

No one thought that the Pioneer Battalion completely defeated these rebel cavalry in just one stick of incense. You must know that they were not a mob. .

There was a trace of panic in Ma Shang's eyes, but it soon turned into a smile: "With such an elite, why worry about rebellion!"

The generals behind them nodded.

Liu Fang looked away from the battlefield slowly, and then slowly said: "Put down the rebellion as soon as possible, and restore peace to the people of the Central Plains."

At this moment, a general covered in blood hurried over and said, "Old man, Zhang Xuesheng was caught!"

Liu Fang was startled: "Oh? Where is he now?"

"Come on!" the general shouted.

Everyone turned around and saw a group of officers and soldiers coming up, escorting Zhang Xuesheng, who was tied up.

At this time, the leader of the White Lotus Sect advocated that Xue Sheng's bloody face was disheveled, and only the blood-stained shirt was left.

The general: "Kneel down."

Zhang Xuesheng stared angrily and remained motionless.

Liu Fang shook her hand, "No need, he is considered a legend, there is no need to humiliate him." She then asked Zhang Xuesheng, "What do you want to say?"

Zhang Xuesheng looked at Liu Fang and said coldly, "Kill me."

Liu Fang: "What?"

Zhang Xuesheng: "Kill me!"

Liu Fang: "How dare I kill you!"

Zhang Xuesheng was taken aback.

Liu Fang laughed and said, "I will prepare a cage for you, and send you to the capital, so that the people along the way can see what the fate of rebellion will be."

As soon as these words came out, Ma Shang and the generals all laughed.

Zhang Xuesheng also laughed, and then slowly said: "This rotten court is about to be destroyed. If you go against the will of the people, help the tyrant to abuse the people, and help the faint king slaughter the people, you will die without a place to die."

"public opinion?"

Liu Fang laughed loudly: "He said that the White Lotus Sect represents public opinion!"

Everyone laughed again.

Liu Fang suppressed her smile: "I'm still thinking about your Manchu master." She snorted coldly, and then said, "I'll tell you the truth. The Yongwei Battalion has already entered the customs, and it's just outside the city."

Zhang Xuesheng didn't say a word, just stared at Liu Fang with wide eyes.

At this time, Niu Ben, covered in blood, climbed onto the tower, strode over, and shouted, "Old Man, I caught a big fish. It's the brother-in-law of the Prince of Manchu Tartars."

Zhang Xuesheng was startled.

Liu Fang's eyes lit up: "Okay, just send them to Beijing together."

(End of this chapter)