Chapter 56: To Die or to Live

  "Let me go, sir! I'll fight the Tartars to the death!" Yu Po-chü's eyes blazed with fury as he tried to rush forward, but K'ou Chün was holding him back.

  This makeshift team has a big problem with its combat effectiveness. It's fine when the wind is at their back, and they can grab some easy victories, but when it comes to a tough battle where they have to fight for their lives, they usually collapse.

  Of course, letting the Qing army rush over will not end well, and it's possible that they will be frightened and flee in all directions. Gu Zhenhua frowned and said, "We must still use clever tactics to win, gunpowder is the key to dealing with the enemy."

  Li Xu also hastily nodded: "The young master is right, but how can we ignite it? The Tartars won't be foolish enough to wait for the explosion."

  As they were speaking, the Qing soldiers had already noticed their group, and those who were eager to plunder saw the numerous war horses and massive carts, and their eyes turned red. Anyway, they came to kill people, and didn't care whose team it was, so they simply killed first and asked questions later.

  Duoduo's face twisted into a ferocious grin, he raised his horse knife high and shouted wildly: "The Great Qing's Batulu, charge forward, annihilate them!"

  At the sound of the order, the Qing cavalry was like a pack of wolves, howling and charging forward. They were only two or three hundred paces away from Gu Zhenhua. As soon as they charged, it became clear that this army was in disarray, with soldiers fleeing in all directions, leaving their carts scattered all over the road.

  The Han people are weak and do not dare to contend with the brave warriors of the Qing dynasty!

  The blood of these robbers instantly boiled, the ferocity in their bones, the weaker the opponent, the more they want to vent, desperately whipping the war horses. A distance of three hundred steps, in the blink of an eye, was reached. Some rushed quickly and had already arrived at the front of the carriage, swinging the horse knife in their hand, splitting open the boxes on the carriage, wanting to see what was inside.

  A few Tartars poked their heads in and saw that the boxes were all filled with black powder, and there were also many wooden barrels, which were also this stuff. They weren't stupid either, the Qing dynasty had also equipped a lot of cannons, they all recognized this stuff, it was gunpowder!

  "Something's wrong, run quickly!"

  These people felt something was wrong and wanted to escape, but it was too late. One hundred and fifty steps away, Gu Zhenhua's hand tightly grasped the bow, with a heavy arrow wrapped in sulfur and other flammable materials, already ignited.

  Gu Zhenhua exerted force with both arms, drawing the bow to its fullest extent. Three fire arrows were shot out in succession. All three arrows hit the horse carriage, one hitting the frame of the carriage and the other two penetrating the barrels of gunpowder. The scorching flames met the gunpowder, and in an instant it was as if sparks had collided with the earth.

  A huge fireball suddenly rose in the middle of the street, and all the Manchu cavalry rushing over were engulfed. The intense shockwave easily destroyed the houses on both sides, and Gu Zhenhua only felt a dull thunderclap ringing in his ears, almost shaking him off his warhorse, and the other soldiers were no exception.

  The smoke has finally dispersed, revealing the desolate scene on the streets. More than thirty Manchu soldiers lay scattered on the ground, some blown to pieces, with only a dark red bloodstain remaining. Others, slightly farther away, had not yet died but were covered in blood, their anguished wails indicating they would not live much longer.

  Don't look at the thirty or so people who died as not being many, but these thirty or more people are actually the elite of the Qing dynasty's White Bordered Soldiers, the personal guards of the emperor, with only a few dozen in each battalion. In a field battle against the Ming army, it's almost like one can take on a hundred, and every single one is a treasure of the Qing dynasty. Suddenly having thirty or more killed by an explosion is even greater than the losses from a major battle!

  Duoduo's eyes were about to bleed, his lungs were about to explode with anger, but before he could erupt, a cavalry unit suddenly galloped over from afar.

  The team leader was Gu Zhenhua, who knew the importance of beating a fallen dog. He killed more than thirty people and shook the morale of the Qing army. On the other hand, his own soldiers were boosted in spirit, taking this opportunity to launch a fierce attack on the Qing army, buying time for the troops to leave the city.

  "Brother Li, hurry up and protect everyone to occupy the city gate, I'll go give Manqing a bit more blood!"

  Gu Zhenhua said, leading the charge out, with Yue Poqi and others closely following behind. Less than two hundred cavalrymen, like a whirlwind, charged towards the Qing soldiers.

  About a hundred paces away, Gu Zhenhua drew his bow and arrow, shooting three arrows in succession. Three Manchu cavalrymen fell to the ground, instantly boosting the morale of the soldiers.

  "Lord of the divine arrow, Lord invincible!"

  Roaring and yelling, in an instant he arrived at the forefront of the Qing army. Gu Zhenhua swung his saber and chopped towards a white armored soldier. The guy hastily parried, but how could he block Gu Zhenhua's ferocious slash? He was instantly split into two halves, his corpse falling to the ground.

  The Qing soldiers were still immersed in the explosion and hadn't come to their senses, Gu Zhenhua was like chopping melons and vegetables, cutting down five people in a row, the other soldiers were also like fierce tigers, Yue Po Xu also cut down two.

  The Qing army retreated in a big way, and Gu Zhenhua locked his eyes on Duoduo. Although he still didn't know the identity of this guy, among the crowd, he was definitely a high-ranking official. Gu Zhenhua abandoned the small fries and rushed towards him.

  "Hurry, protect the prince!"

  The Qing army charged over like madmen, Gu Zhenhua swung his saber without mercy, no one could withstand a single blow, these fierce and brave men finally met an even crazier opponent, they became the ones being slaughtered, piles of corpses accumulated in front of Gu Zhenhua's horse.

  "Run quickly, Prince!"

  Several Goshha saw Gu Zhenhua's momentum was shocking, they hurriedly urged Duoduo to escape, but Duoduo still had some reluctance.

  "This king does not believe it, a cowardly Han person, how can there be such a brave warrior? This king will personally kill him!"

  "Your Highness, avoid his sharp edge for now, it's not too late to kill him later."

  Before Gao Zha could finish speaking, Gu Zhenhua rushed forward, swung his large knife and a head flew out. A gush of fresh blood spurted out, landing all over Duoduo's body.

  Duoduo was also frightened, especially when Gu Zhenhua was shrouded in a layer of murderous aura, as if he was about to be surrounded.

  "Go!"

  Several loyal Goshha, tightly protecting Doudou, retreated and escaped. Gu Zhenhua cut down several people in a row, but Doudou had already run far away, and Gu Zhenhua was also somewhat regretful.

  "You dog slaves, remember that I am Gu Zhenhua. Sooner or later, you will all die at my hands!"

  Gu Zhenhua finished speaking and suddenly swung his sword, leading the soldiers in a hasty retreat.

  They attacked swiftly and retreated even more quickly, in just a moment's time, forty or fifty corpses were left on the ground, adding to those blown up, nearly one hundred Manchu soldiers were killed. As for Gu Zhenhua's side, they lost only 17 men, triumphantly defeating the Tartars with a small force.

  Every soldier is exceptionally excited, finding the kind of pride that only soldiers have. The Gwangneung Army is not bad, if it weren't for the muddle-headed emperor and a bunch of corrupt officials, how could they lose to the Qing? Now there is finally a good leader, and the combat effectiveness of the Gwangneung Army will finally be released.

  "My lord, fighting with you is exhilarating. In the past, even with tens of thousands of soldiers, we couldn't kill as many Tartars as this. It's really a bit embarrassing to say."

  Gu Zhenhua burst out laughing: "Brothers, the Tartars are also flesh and blood, with two shoulders carrying a meat ball, nothing to be afraid of. Once we leave the city and have our own territory, I, this lord, am confident that I can train you into the most elite warriors, taking on ten Tartars at once and sweeping them away!"

  "Long live the Earl, long live!"

  Continuous victories have made Gu Zhenhua's position more deeply rooted in people's hearts, and this fugitive team has gradually ignited hope. When everyone firmly believes that the future will be better, this team has an irresistible centripetal force.

  Gu Zhenhua led the soldiers to catch up with the main force. Li Jibei looked at Gu Zhenhua, who was covered in gunpowder and blood, and couldn't help but laugh: "Lord Gu, you've won another bet! It seems that even the Tartars are no match for you. Heaven is really helping you!"

  "Old Li, Ben Jue's victory was unexpected, a single strike that worked, what does it have to do with the heavens?" Gu Zhenhua laughed and said: "Ben Jue doesn't believe in heaven or earth, only in the knife in his hand and the brothers behind him!"

  "We also believe in Lord Jesus!"

  The passion of the soldiers was all ignited, and at this time Li Xu also smiled and urged his horse to arrive beside Gu Zhenhua.

  "Your lordship, I've persuaded the soldiers at the city gate and they have agreed to let us pass!"

  "Are you done hitting?" Gu Zhenhua was also a bit surprised.

  Li Xu burst out laughing: "These people have been unstable in their military hearts for a long time. I told them that we wanted to leave the city and surrender to Chu Wang, and they agreed, even preparing to follow us together."

  Gu Zhenhua was overjoyed: "Great, let's hurry up and leave the city. I just repelled the Tartars, they'll definitely take revenge when they turn back. Bandits are always cautious."

  After the handover was completed, the city gate slowly opened, and the soldiers finally rushed out of Shanhai Pass, leaving this prison, with a joyful smile on everyone's face.

  No need to shave heads and change clothes, no need to be slaves of the Manchu dynasty. Just thinking about this makes everyone's heart bloom with joy.

  But just as they rushed out, a large dust storm rose in front of them, and a mighty army blocked their way. A high flagpole stood tall, with a banner embroidered with the character "Li".

  "Zhenhua, is this Li Zicheng?" asked Li Jibo, unable to hold back.

  "It can't be you, Li Jibo!"

  Gu Zhenhua muttered to himself, hastily urging his horse forward. At this time, the leader of the opposing side also looked over in this direction. From a distance, the two people locked eyes, and both were taken aback!

  "It's you! We meet again!"

  The person who came was Li Yan of the Dashun Army. He had suffered a great loss at the hands of Gu Zhenhua, and nearly all of his 1,000 cavalrymen were wiped out. If it weren't for his wife's help, he might have been killed by Gu Zhenhua. After returning to the capital, he was also scolded severely.

  Two sworn enemies met again at Shanhai Pass, and this time Gu Zhenhua still had a large number of horses and vehicles with him, similar to the situation in Beijing.

  "You're Gu Zhenhua, aren't you? I've been inquiring about your whereabouts these past few days. I heard you defected to Wu Sangui? It's quite impressive that you managed to escape with your nose intact."

  "This guy doesn't have the heart to ask about your news, Li Yan." Gu Zhenhua said bluntly: "We're also old friends, think about it, give me an answer!"