Chapter 27

"WHAT? Danning has fallen?"

Yueyang's raised right hand froze in mid-air, a look of shock appearing on his face. He then asked urgently, "Was it Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong who did it?"

The servant's eyes showed surprise and admiration. "It turns out Young Master already knew. It was indeed Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong. Now these bandits are fiercely attacking Xizhou and Zezhou, and our Yingzhou city is in chaos. Magistrate Zheng is currently scrambling to gather reinforcements."

"Hmm... Why are you speaking in that tone?" Yueyang looked at the servant's smug expression, puzzled.

"Hmph, they deserve it! Who let Magistrate Zheng and the Wang family bully our Yue Family Village? Now it's their turn to panic." The servant said with a self-righteous tone. Last time, when Yueyang went to Yingzhou, he was pressured by Magistrate Zheng and the Wang, Lin, and Li families to open the Sanggan River, allowing them to draw water from it. This made the people of Yue Family Village and even Wulizhai feel aggrieved. So when the servant heard that Magistrate Zheng was scrambling for reinforcements, he couldn't help but feel a sense of schadenfreude.

Seeing the servant's smug smile, Yueyang felt a wave of worry. Danning was only five or six hundred miles from Yingzhou. If Gao Yingxiang's bandits came to Yingzhou, he didn't know if the city could be defended, but Wulizhai, which was only a few dozen miles away and had no walls, would definitely not have a good outcome. It might even be reduced to ruins.

Yueyang stood on the platform, lost in thought, while the hundreds of soldiers below remained at attention, awaiting orders. After more than two months of strict and brutal training, Yueyang had firmly instilled the concept of obeying orders in them. The training ground was now eerily quiet.

Slowly turning his gaze to the training ground, Yueyang's lips moved, and he suddenly shouted loudly, "Why are you all standing there? We're going to have a combat drill! Everyone, split into two groups, put on your masks, and start the live combat!"

"Swish!"

Following Yueyang's order, over four hundred soldiers skillfully divided into two groups. Some raised their spears, others their heavy swords and shields, and they all let out a roar as they marched forward in unison.

"Raise your spears!"

"Ha..."

"Thrust!"

"Ha..."

"Clang, clang, clang..."

As the two sides clashed, the sound of clear yet dull metal collisions echoed across the training ground. The hundreds of soldiers began to fight, and the sounds of battle filled the air...

At the same time, in the Yingzhou city magistrate's office, Magistrate Zheng Fagui, dressed in a crimson official robe, was pacing back and forth in the inner hall, his gaunt face full of anxiety. Beside him, a young constable in black, covered in dust, stood with his hands hanging by his sides.

Suddenly, Zheng Fagui stopped and turned to ask, "Constable Lu, what did Captain Lu say? Did he agree to send troops?"

The constable named Lu respectfully replied, "Your Excellency, Captain Lu said that their garrison is under the command of Datong Prefecture. Without an order from General Yang of Datong or the Ministry of War, they dare not send troops on their own. Otherwise, they would be punished."

Zheng Fagui was furious. "Nonsense! This Lu Youxiang, who usually begs for grain and supplies from this office, is now being so picky. Does he not fear that I will settle accounts with him in the future?"

Seeing Zheng Fagui's enraged state, Constable Lu said helplessly, "Your Excellency, please forgive me for speaking frankly. Although Captain Lu is the commander of the garrison, the garrison's current state is well-known. The garrison soldiers are no longer as brave as they were in the early days of the dynasty. They are good at farming, but if they were to fight, they might not be as capable as the ruffians in Yingzhou."

Zheng Fagui suppressed his anger and sighed deeply. "What can I do? There are fewer than five hundred soldiers available in Yingzhou, and even with the constables from the magistrate's office, we only have about six hundred people. Even if Captain Lu's garrison soldiers are useless, they could at least help with moving stones and logs. I didn't expect Lu Youxiang to be so cowardly, not even daring to step out of the garrison. This is truly disappointing. Now, we can only leave it to fate. If those bandits attack, I will stand or fall with Yingzhou."

"Your Excellency!" Seeing Zheng Fagui's dejected state, Constable Lu felt uncomfortable but had no way to comfort him, so he remained silent.

Suddenly, Constable Lu remembered something and his eyes lit up with joy. He quickly said, "Your Excellency, we still have reinforcements. There are many gentry families in Yingzhou. Each of them has at least a hundred or two hundred servants. Especially the Lin family, who have over a thousand fierce guards at their mines. If they agree to send people, we could have at least a thousand or two more soldiers!"

"Hmm, could that work?" Zheng Fagui was intrigued and began to consider the feasibility of the idea.

Seeing Zheng Fagui's hesitation, Constable Lu added, "Your Excellency, even if it doesn't work, having an additional thousand or two guards would still be beneficial. We don't know if the bandits will attack Yingzhou, but it's better to be prepared than to have no preparation at all."

"Hmm, that makes sense." Zheng Fagui looked at Constable Lu with surprise and admiration. "Even you, a constable, understand the importance of being prepared. How can I fall behind you? Good, take my letter and go to the Wang, Lin, and Li families. Ask them to send their servants to help defend the city. Also, tell the other major families that if we can defend Yingzhou, I will petition the court for their commendation after the bandits are driven away!"

"Yes!"

Constable Lu knelt down and bowed before immediately leaving.

Under the pressure of the bandits, all the gentry in Yingzhou immediately sprang into action. Although they usually had their own conflicts, they all understood the principle of mutual dependence. Within a day, they sent out dozens, a hundred, or even hundreds of their servants. By the next day, to Zheng Fagui's surprise, he had over a thousand and five hundred more men, bringing the total to over two thousand, which, while not a large number, should be sufficient for defending the city.

On August 26, 1632, Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Xianzhong, and Luo Rucai led a total of fifty thousand bandits and attacked Xizhou, Zezhou, and Shouyang from four directions. When the news reached the court, the Ministry of War immediately ordered the governor of Xuan and Datong, Zhang Zongheng, to station in Pingyang, and the inspector, Xu Dingchen, to station in Fenzhou, to defend their respective areas. On the 14th, Li Zicheng, a general under Gao Yingxiang, captured Xiuxian County and killed the magistrate, Liu Fengxiang. When the news reached Emperor Chongzhen, he was furious and immediately reprimanded Zhang Zongheng, ordering him to gather troops to suppress the bandits. Zhang Zongheng, upon receiving the imperial edict, did not dare to delay and ordered the general of Xuan Town, Yang Dazhu, to send no fewer than five thousand elite troops to Xiuxian County to suppress the bandits.

Yang Dazhu, upon receiving the stern order, did not dare to delay and personally led six thousand elite troops to Xiuxian County to suppress the bandits. On August 30, the six thousand troops from Xuan Town arrived at Xiuxian County and encountered over ten thousand bandits led by Li Zicheng. As soon as they clashed, the bandits were routed, and Li Zicheng had to abandon his army and flee to Shouyang with his nephew, Li Guo, and a few hundred remaining soldiers. Yang Dazhu pursued them relentlessly.

On September 3, Li Zicheng finally reached Shouyang and met Gao Yingxiang. Both were somewhat disheartened.

"Father, I am ashamed. I was defeated by the imperial troops again." Upon seeing Gao Yingxiang, Li Zicheng knelt down and confessed his failure to his adoptive father.

Gao Yingxiang valued this adoptive son highly because Li Zicheng was generous and righteous, yet decisive in battle. He had been groomed as a key figure. However, as the leader of the rebel army, Li Zicheng's defeat required a response to maintain morale. Just as Gao Yingxiang was about to speak, a woman in her mid-twenties with a blue robe and thick eyebrows stepped forward and said, "Father, although Brother Li was defeated, it was understandable. After all, he faced the elite border troops of the Ming dynasty. Anyone would have been defeated in such a situation. You shouldn't be too harsh on Brother Li."

This woman was Gao Guiying, Gao Yingxiang's daughter, whom he doted on. Hearing her words, he laughed and teased, "Xiu Ying, don't worry. Your father isn't senile and won't punish Brother Li over this. But I'm curious, why are you so protective of Brother Li? Are you afraid your father will be jealous?"

"Father..."

Hearing Gao Yingxiang's teasing, Gao Guiying blushed and became shy. Li Zicheng also felt embarrassed. Everyone knew about their relationship, but no one had mentioned it until now. Gao Yingxiang's words made her even more shy.

"Alright, let's get to business." Gao Yingxiang's expression turned serious. He said to Zhang Xianzhong, "Eighth King, now that the elite Ming troops have arrived, we can't fight them head-on. We need to change direction. You will immediately lead your troops toward Yingzhou and try to capture it as soon as possible. We need to show the court that we, the rebels, are not so easily suppressed."

"Sure thing!"

Zhang Xianzhong grinned and said, "Rebel King, rest assured. I will give those Ming dogs a good show. I will definitely capture Yingzhou! Just wait for my good news!"