Chapter 115

Chapter 115

Xiao Ye and his five thousand infantry soldiers left the city on the night of the third day.

For the next three days, they camped in the mountains near these hills, hiding during the day and moving at night, gradually transporting logs sent by the cavalry up the mountain.

To avoid being discovered by the rebels' scouts, they did not light any fires for those three days. They subsisted on dry flatbreads they carried with them and drank cold water. Even though they wore thick new cotton clothes and were wrapped in thick quilts, the cold they endured was unimaginable to the civilians and soldiers in the city.

After the rebel army passed through last night, the ambushers who had been resting immediately got busy, running back and forth to move large quantities of logs to the ambush site. When they finished, it was almost dawn. Everyone continued to drink cold water and eat dry flatbreads, taking advantage of the enemy's attack on the city to catch some sleep and recover their strength before launching their assault.

To ensure that the hardships of the past three days were not in vain, the five thousand men were determined to fight fiercely.

Among them, Xiao Shouyi, Xiao Yan, and other thousand-house commanders were all fierce warriors capable of fighting ten enemies at once, leaving rivers of blood wherever they went.

The enemy, lacking such high morale and exhausted from continuous attacks and marches, initially tried to resist out of fear of Li Gang before he fled. Once Li Gang ran away, the timid and weak soldiers surrendered immediately. The remaining soldiers either died at the hands of the Wei County troops or, due to fatigue and lack of weapons, had no choice but to surrender as well; they couldn't truly face death without hesitation.

After half an hour of intense fighting, the battle on the mountain road ended.

The Wei County troops had brought ropes, and there were also ropes on Li Gang's supply wagons. They collected all the ropes and bound the prisoners in groups of ten.

They also gathered the enemy's mules, horses, and weapons, and piled the corpses to be burned.

These were all labor-intensive tasks, so the defending troops chose some thin and obedient prisoners to do the work while they kept watch.

While they were busy, Xiao Ye returned on horseback, holding a severed head. He threw it towards the prisoners: "Li Gang is dead. Of the three thousand soldiers who fled with him, some have surrendered, and others are still trying to escape."

The head on the ground had disheveled hair and eyes wide open—it was indeed Li Gang.

Mr. Fan, among the prisoners, gave a bitter laugh and closed his eyes.

Was it another defeat due to his underestimation?

Mr. Fan shook his head. It wasn't that he underestimated them; rather, the Xiao family was too formidable. Who could have imagined that they would dare to send most of their troops outside the city, leaving only a small number to defend it? And who could have predicted that they would set up an ambush in the same place twice?

Xiao Yan picked up Li Gang's head, examined it, and said to his father, "Father, stay here and watch over things. We'll go chase the fleeing soldiers and support Second Brother. If we bring back the rebel king's head, Li Zhen's two-thousand-strong army will surely surrender without a fight."

Xiao Shouyi replied, "Go ahead, but be careful on the way."

Xiao Yan, Xiao Ye, Sun Dian, Tong Gui, and Pan Dai, all brave warriors, stepped forward. Qiao Changshun, sitting beside his uncle, did not vie for this opportunity. There were more than twenty thousand prisoners here, and they needed close supervision.

Zhang Wengong, Sun Wei, and Qiao Changan were also present, busily tallying supplies and unable to leave.

Due to limited horses, Xiao Yan, Xiao Ye, and Sun Dian took fifty brave soldiers with them and galloped off.

From here to Ding City, it was still dozens of miles away. The nearly two thousand cavalrymen Li Gang had dispatched earlier had no idea they had passed through a dangerous ambush area and certainly didn't anticipate what would happen next. They just kept riding forward.

As they passed through a forest, a group of cavalry suddenly appeared ahead. At the same time, another group of cavalry emerged from the woods, blocking their retreat.

The enemy commander, Li Zhong, a cousin of Li Gang, reined in his horse and looked around, feeling both angry and amused.

What nonsense about three thousand cavalry! Many of the mounts were clearly old and weak, and even donkeys were mixed in. Such mounts could not participate in combat, making the riders not true cavalry. Xiao Zhen actually had only one thousand five hundred cavalrymen, with one thousand belonging to him and the rest mostly from Ding County.

Focusing on the man suspected to be Xiao Zhen leading the opposing cavalry, Li Zhong sneered, "Everyone says the Xiao family excels in military tactics, but it seems their strategy is just deception. Your few cavalrymen are no match for Prince Li's two-thousand-strong army. Men, report back to the prince and tell him to continue attacking Wei City."

One person turned his horse around, but a line of Xiao family cavalry blocked his path, making it impossible for him to break through alone.

Xiao Zhen ignored Li Zhong and addressed the cavalry behind him, "We are all brothers from nearby counties. You must have exceptional skills to be cavalrymen. If you join our ranks, I will continue to let you serve as cavalrymen, ensuring you no longer harm innocent civilians and earning a monthly salary of one tael of silver. From now on, you can protect your homes and people with honor."

Some of Li Zhong's men remained indifferent, while others showed signs of hesitation, secretly observing their surroundings.

Li Zhong spat at Xiao Zhen, "If you're scared, surrender quickly. Stop using sweet words to deceive us. Brothers, don't listen to him. If we kill Xiao Zhen, I'll ask the prince to give each of us ten taels of silver!"

Xiao Zhen smiled, "Even if you have more silver, you need to be alive to spend it. Both sides are young men with families waiting at home. I don't want too many brothers to die needlessly. How about this: choose three or five men to duel with me. If I lose, my three thousand troops will join your ranks. If I win, your two thousand cavalrymen will follow my orders."

Li Zhong scoffed, "What arrogance!"

Xiao Zhen ordered his troops to retreat thirty paces, then held his spear and bowed to Li Zhong, "Xiao Zhen from Wei County, please grant me the honor of a duel."

Li Zhong stared at Xiao Zhen's spear.

Unlike the wooden spears wielded by other cavalrymen, Xiao Zhen's spear had a gleaming tip and a black shaft that seemed to be made of fine iron, weighing several dozen pounds. Yet Xiao Zhen wielded it effortlessly.

Li Zhong did not dare to underestimate him but wanted to recruit Xiao Zhen's cavalry. After thinking for a moment, he selected five burly cavalrymen, all loyal to the Li brothers.

Someone from the Wei County side jeered, "Smart move, choosing three or five, and you really picked five! Six against one, you're sure to win!"

Li Zhong sternly commanded, "Enough talk. Brothers, charge with me!"

Six swift horses charged at Xiao Zhen from both sides.

Xiao Zhen met them head-on. As the six men attacked simultaneously, Xiao Zhen bent backward, sweeping his spear in a circle. With a series of clashing sounds, two of their spears fell from their hands. Xiao Zhen caught one with his left hand and, as his horse surged forward, turned it around and thrust the spear point into the nearest opponent.

The spear pierced the abdomen, and the man fell off his horse, clutching the spear in disbelief.

The enemy soldiers: ...

Didn't he say it was a friendly duel? Why is he so ruthless?

The Wei County troops cheered loudly.

Li Zhong and the remaining five men attacked Xiao Zhen again.

In this second round, Xiao Zhen killed another opponent, who crawled a short distance before collapsing.

Li Zhong's side was down to four men.

The other three panicked. Though loyal, their loyalty only extended when the rebels had the upper hand. Now facing such a formidable opponent, where every clash meant death, who dared to charge forward?

Even Li Zhong hesitated, forgetting his earlier agreement, and shouted to his nearly two thousand men, "We outnumber them. Don't fall for their tricks. Charge together!"

Dozens of horses charged out, but halfway through, they realized no one else was moving. These dozen or so men were stunned and instinctively pulled back on their reins.

Li Zhong, holding his spear high with great momentum: "…"

Xiao Zhen bowed to the enemy soldiers. "In these troubled times, all of us common folk suffer. The more we suffer, the more we should unite and help each other to find a way to survive. After I kill the rebel king's lackeys, I hope you will forsake the dark path and join me in protecting the counties and villages."

Some responded, while others cautiously remained silent, waiting to see which of the two would survive.

Xiao Zhen spurred his horse toward Li Zhong.

At this point, Li Zhong was alone. He wanted to escape, but he was surrounded by the three thousand cavalrymen Xiao Zhen had brought, who varied greatly in skill. With no way to escape, he gritted his teeth, roared, and charged back.

The two horses raced toward each other, swift as the wind. When Li Zhong was still several feet away and aiming for Xiao Zhen's chest, Xiao Zhen suddenly threw his spear forward.

The heavy spear pierced Li Zhong's chest fiercely.

Xiao Zhen reined in his horse. As Li Zhong's horse finally brought him close, Xiao Zhen grabbed the spear shaft and lifted it up, lifting Li Zhong high off his horse, suspended before the five thousand cavalrymen.

For a moment, there was complete silence, only the winter wind rustling through the nearby forest.

The cavalrymen of Wei Cheng dismounted first, kneeling and saying, "We swear our allegiance to the Second Master!"

Seeing this, the enemy soldiers hastily dismounted and knelt down, "We also wish to serve the Second Master, only hoping that the Second Master will not abandon us!"

Xiao Zhen threw Li Zhong's body to the ground and scanned the crowd. "Within an hour, Li Gang's army will be ambushed by ours. Gao Cunzhi, lead fifteen hundred infantrymen here to intercept the rebels fleeing from the rebel king. Everyone else, mount your horses and follow me to kill Li Zhen."

The three thousand five hundred true cavalrymen mounted their horses upon receiving the order.

Xiao Zhen led the Dingwei Alliance cavalry at the forefront, followed closely by the surrendered rebels.

The more fearless he was of the surrendered soldiers turning back or fleeing halfway, the less they dared to change their minds.

Racing to a low hill three miles outside Ding City, they could see Li Zhen's twenty-thousand-strong army still attacking the city.

The five or six hundred cavalrymen from Ding County were very anxious.

Xiao Zhen said, "Rest in place for fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes, attack in three divisions—left, center, and right."

After a brief period of rest, the three divisions of cavalry charged toward Ding City.

The left division shouted, "Li Gang and Li Zhong are dead; Li Zhen, surrender quickly!"

As the shout faded, the right division continued, "All the people in the five counties are brothers; those who surrender will not be killed!"

On the city walls, He Lianqing, who had left four thousand troops to defend the city after handing over three thousand troops to Xiao Zhen, excitedly slapped the wall. "Militia, defend the city! Any remaining Ding City troops, come out and fight!"

With inside and outside coordination, before dusk, Li Zhen was captured alive by the allied forces. His close associates either died in battle or were captured, and the remaining fifteen thousand soldiers surrendered.

The rebellion of the seven counties' rebel king thus came to an end.