Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 318 Attack

The rain was getting heavier and heavier. Chen Bin wiped the raindrops from his face in annoyance and urged his subordinates to set up camp as soon as possible.

The raindrops jumped on the tent, making crisp sounds, but the tranquility did not last long.

At this time, two scouts of the Zheng army came running over, shouting urgently: "Qing army cavalry! Qing army cavalry!"

Many of the Zheng army soldiers who were setting up camp heard the scouts' shouts. Everyone seemed a little at a loss and stood there in a daze.

Chen Bin's face changed drastically when he saw this, and he ordered urgently: "Stop setting up camp, and form a battle array!!!"

Deputy General Qin Da saw that the soldiers looked anxious and worried, so he said in a loud voice: "It's raining heavily, the roads are muddy, and the cavalry can't charge!"

The soldiers around felt a little relieved after hearing this, but the soldiers in the vanguard of Zheng army were scattered at this time, and it would take time to gather them together, but time was exactly what Chen Bin lacked.

In just two sentences, Chen Bin saw with his own eyes a large group of white-armored cavalrymen appearing in front of him. These Qing troops must be chasing the scouts all the way without sparing any horsepower.

When the rain first started, the ground was still hard mud, but by the time Bolo saw the vanguard of the Zheng army, the ground was already muddy.

Moreover, after running for a long time, the horse was exhausted. Bolo stopped the horse and turned to look at the soldiers of the White Banner behind him. Everyone looked a little tired. The heavy breathing and the breath from the soldiers' mouths created bursts of white mist in the cold weather.

But when Boro looked back, he saw the man he was looking at. Although he was tired, his eyes were firm and his will to fight was still there. The right time and the right place were gone, but only the harmony of people could be achieved.

Bolo looked at the Zheng army in front of him, which was already in chaos. He pointed his spear and shouted, "Charge in."

Then Bolo took the lead, followed closely by the soldiers of the Bordered White Banner. Raindrops hit their armor, making crisp sounds. Three thousand brave soldiers of the Bordered White Banner rushed towards the Zheng army silently, with a momentum like an overwhelming tidal wave.

Horse hooves flew, and from time to time, cavalrymen fell to the ground because their horses were stuck in mud pits. The fallen cavalrymen were trampled by the horses behind them in an instant. Even so, Bolo still did not stop and continued to gallop towards the Zheng army. Seeing that the horses were exhausted, Bolo shouted loudly: "Thrust the horses!!"

After he finished speaking, he lightly stabbed the horse's buttocks with his spear. The warhorse felt pain and ran even faster. The Qing troops behind him followed suit. For a moment, the war horses galloped, their hooves stepped into the mud and water, splashing pieces of mud.

Bolo's surprise attack swept through Zheng's camp like a storm. The soldiers of Zheng's army were busy setting up camp. The soldiers who were temporarily assembled were just clustered in groups and did not form any formation at all. What's more, the combat effectiveness of these Zheng troops was worrying and they had hardly fought much actual combat.

Facing the Qing army's surprise attack, the Zheng army was caught off guard. Their eyes were filled with fear and despair, and their voices were drowned out by the sound of rain.

The soldiers of the Bordered White Banner were like wolves, tearing at the Zheng army frantically. With their spears and swords, they ruthlessly harvested the Zheng army's vanguard. The Zheng army's resistance was like a candle in the wind and rain, swaying and weak, as if it would go out at any time.

Qin Da glanced at Chen Bin, gritted his teeth, and said, "General, the Tartars are attacking, please retreat first, I will cover your retreat!"

Chen Bin angrily refused: "Guoxing uses me as the vanguard, how can I retreat without fighting!"

Afterwards, Chen Bin personally led his guards forward to try to resist the Qing army. Under the protection of his guards, Chen Bin shouted at the top of his lungs: "Quick! Form a formation! Defend against the enemy cavalry!"

Bolo shouted loudly: "Charge in and defeat the pirates!" The cavalrymen were galloping, and the whistling sound of wind and rain kept coming into their ears, making the Eight Banners soldiers behind him feel their blood boiling.

The Zheng army, which had hastily formed its battle line, was knocked away by the horses that were running at full speed in pain. The Eight Banners soldiers charged into the battle line, stabbed with their spears, and slashed with their swords, killing many of the Zheng army.

The defeat of the Zheng army was like a landslide, and it was out of control. The eyes of the defeated soldiers were full of fear. Although Chen Bin was unwilling, he knew that it was irreversible. Then, under the protection of his personal guards, he ran away to the rear.

Deputy General Qin Da fought to the end, with only one personal guard by his side. Looking around, there were no Zheng soldiers standing. The Zheng soldiers in front of Qin Da were either dead or surrendered. Behind him, there were a large number of defeated soldiers, fleeing in panic.

Bolo looked at Qin Da, who was now the only one left. The scene seemed familiar. After a little thought, Bolo remembered that it was a few years ago when he also used his cavalry to break through Fang Guoan's troops. There was a Ming general who shouted before his death, "A gentleman dies without taking off his crown. I, Zhang Mingzhen, shed blood on the battlefield for the emperor!"

Not knowing whether this man would rather die than surrender like that man, Bo Luo rode his horse forward and said to Qin Da, "Are you willing to surrender?"

"No surrender!"

"If you are willing to surrender, wealth and glory will be at your fingertips."

"No surrender!"

"My father's sperm and my mother's blood, you throw this body away so lightly, you are ashamed of your father and mother."

"I have a country but no home, so I won't surrender!"

Bolo was somewhat bored and said, "Many Han people are spineless, but there are also many stubborn ones. Well, since you won't surrender, I'll grant your wish."

After saying that, Bolo waved his hand, and the Eight Banners cavalry rushed forward. Qin Da died in the battle under the chaos of swords.

Qin Da, a native of Xinghua Prefecture in Fujian, was born in an ordinary family in Xinghua Prefecture. He loved reading since childhood and treated people with sincerity. His neighbors all called him a gentleman.

When the empire changed drastically, Longwu ascended to the capital of Fujian and Qin Da joined the army to serve. Fujian experienced many changes and he eventually served under Zheng Chenggong, where he died in battle in Huguang.

This surprise attack in the rain destroyed the vanguard of the Zheng army. When the 5,000 vanguard fled back to the Zheng army camp, there were only more than 700 of them, and most of the rest surrendered.

Zheng Chenggong was furious when he received the news and wanted to execute the vanguard general Chen Bin. The other generals tried to persuade him, and Chen Yonghua also said: "The Tartars are all cavalry, coming and going like the wind. General Chen was defeated by their surprise attack when he was setting up camp. Moreover, it is unlucky to kill the general now that the army has just arrived!"

Zheng Chenggong heard this and said, "The death penalty can be avoided, but the punishment of life cannot be avoided. Come, drag him away and give him 30 blows of the military cane as a warning to others! Demote him to a soldier and lead the charge in every battle."

Chen Bin remained silent, willing to be punished. Zheng Chenggong sat on the chair, listening to the muffled groans coming from outside the tent. He frowned and said in a deep voice: "The vanguard has been defeated. Do you have any plans?"

Shi Lang stepped forward and said, "Now that Wuchang is empty, why not go north and attack Wuchang?"

"It's not appropriate, Guoxing. This time King Zhou is in a stalemate with Duoduo. If we can capture Ezhou, we will be able to threaten his rear. Although Wuchang is an important town, but in the current situation, it is not as influential as Ezhou on the war situation. In my opinion, we still have to attack Ezhou." Chen Yonghua said to Zheng Chenggong.

Zheng Chenggong pondered for a moment, tapped the table, stared out of the tent with sharp eyes, and said in a deep voice: "Wait until the rain stops, and then go south to Ezhou. I have come a long way from Fujian to Huguang, how can I not fight with the Tartars? This will make the world look down on me!"