Chapter 56: Do You Want to Live or Die?

"My Lord, let me go and fight those Tatars to the death!" Yue Polu's brows knitted in anger as he prepared to charge forward, but Gu Zhenhua held him back.

The combat effectiveness of this hastily assembled force was highly questionable. They were fine with fighting a winning battle or looting some supplies, but when it came to a hard-fought battle or a fight to the death, they would most likely collapse.

Of course, letting the Later Jin forces charge forward unchecked would also lead to a grim end, likely terrifying everyone into fleeing in all directions. Gu Zhenhua furrowed his brow tightly and said, "We must still win with clever tactics. Gunpowder is the key to dealing with the Tatars."

Li Xu also nodded hurriedly, "My Lord is right, but how are we supposed to ignite it? The Tatars aren't going to stand around foolishly waiting to be blown up."

Even as they spoke, the Qing soldiers had already noticed their group. Accustomed to plundering, these men immediately grew red-eyed at the sight of so many warhorses and massive wagons. Since they were here to kill anyway, they didn't care whose troops these were—they would simply slaughter them first.

Dodo wore a sinister grin, lifting his scimitar high and roaring, "Baturus of the Great Qing, charge and destroy them!"

At the command, the Qing cavalry rushed forward like a pack of vicious wolves, howling wildly. They were only two to three hundred paces away from Gu Zhenhua's group. During their initial charge, they had noticed this army acting in panic and fleeing in utter disarray, abandoning even their supply wagons in a chaotic mess across the road.

The Han people were truly cowardly, completely lacking the courage to stand against the warriors of the Great Qing!

The blood of these bandits boiled instantly. The more cowardly the opponent, the more viciously their innate cruelty drove them to torture and whip their horses. The distance of three hundred paces was covered in the blink of an eye. Some who charged fastest reached the front of the wagons, swinging their sabers to hack open the crates on board, eager to see what was inside.

A few Tatars peered in and saw that the boxes were filled with pitch-black powder, along with numerous wooden barrels containing the exact same substance. They were not fools; the Qing army was also equipped with many cannons, and they recognized this material immediately. It was gunpowder!

"Oh no, run!"

Realizing the danger, these men tried to flee, but it was already too late. At a distance of one hundred and fifty paces, Gu Zhenhua gripped his bow tightly. A heavy arrow, its tip wrapped in sulfur and other flammable materials, was already flickering with flame.

Gu Zhenhua exerted the full strength of his arms, drawing the bow to its limit, and loosed three consecutive fire arrows. All three arrows struck the wagons; one landed on the wooden frame, while the other two pierced straight into the gunpowder barrels. The blazing fire meeting the gunpowder ignited instantly, like a shooting star colliding with the earth.

A massive fireball rose into the air right in the middle of the street, swallowing up all the charging Qing cavalry. The intense shockwave easily demolished the buildings on both sides. Gu Zhenhua felt a muffled thunderclap ring in his ears, nearly jarring him right off his warhorse, and the other soldiers were affected just as badly.

When the smoke finally cleared, the gruesome scene on the street was fully revealed. Over thirty Qing soldiers lay sprawled across the ground in every direction; some had been blown to smithereens, leaving nothing behind but pools of dark red blood. Others, slightly further away, were still alive, but covered in blood and groaning in agony, clearly not expected to last much longer.

Though blowing up thirty-odd men might not sound like a huge number, these thirty-some men were elite Manchu Bairiyala troops—Dodo's personal guards, of which a single nuru numbered barely a dozen. In a field battle against the Ming army, they were practically worth a hundred men each, every single one considered a treasured asset of the Qing. To lose over thirty of them in an instant exceeded the casualties of a major battle!

As Dodo watched, his heart bled, and he was consumed with rage. Yet before he could even vent his fury, a troop of cavalry came thundering over like lightning from the distance.

Leading them was none other than Gu Zhenhua, who acutely understood the importance of beating a drowning dog. With over thirty men blown to pieces, the morale of the Qing forces had wavered, whereas his own soldiers were galvanized with spirit. This was the exact moment to seize the opportunity, deal the Qing a stunning blow, and buy time for his troops to evacuate the city.

"Brother Li, hurry and protect the others to secure the city gates! I'm going to bleed the Qing a little more!"

With that, Gu Zhenhua took the lead and charged out, closely followed by Yue Polu and the rest. Numbering less than two hundred horsemen in total, they swept toward the Qing soldiers like a whirlwind.

About a hundred paces away, Gu Zhenhua drew his bow and released three arrows in succession, dropping three Manchu armored soldiers. Instantly, the courage of all his soldiers surged.

"The Lord's archery is divine, the Lord is invincible!"

With roars and wild shouts, they closed the distance to the Qing forces in an instant. Gu Zhenhua swung his broadsword, slashing at an elite in white armor. The man hastily parried, but how could he withstand Gu Zhenhua's ferocious strike? He was instantly cleaved in two, his corpse crashing to the ground.

The Qing soldiers were still dazed by the explosion. Gu Zhenhua cut down five men in a row as easily as harvesting vegetables, and the rest of his soldiers fought like fierce tigers, with Yue Polu hacking down two more.

The Qing soldiers retreated in heavy steps. Gu Zhenhua's eyes locked onto Dodo. Though he did not yet know the man's identity, surrounded as he was by guards, he was undoubtedly a high-ranking officer. Abandoning the lesser targets, Gu Zhenhua charged straight toward him.

"Quickly, protect the Prince!"

The Qing soldiers rushed forward like madmen. Gu Zhenhua swung his broadsword mercilessly; not a single one of them could withstand a single blow. These fierce and brave men had finally encountered an even more frenzied opponent, turning instantly into objects of slaughter, with a growing pile of corpses mounting before Gu Zhenhua's horse.

"Your Highness, flee!"

Seeing Gu Zhenhua's terrifying momentum, several goshiha hurriedly urged Dodo to escape, but Dodo remained unwilling to concede.

"I don't believe it! How could cowardly Han people produce such a warrior? I'll kill him with my own hands!"

"Your Highness, avoid his sharp edge for now. We can always return to kill him later."

Before the goshiha could finish speaking, Gu Zhenhua had already closed the distance. With a sweep of his heavy blade, a head went flying into the air, a fountain of fresh blood spurting out and splattering all over Dodo.

Dodo felt a shiver of terror, especially as Gu Zhenhua seemed enveloped in an aura of killing intent that threatened to engulf him entirely.

"Go!"

A few loyal goshiha desperately protected Dodo as they fled backward. Although Gu Zhenhua cut down several more men, Dodo had already escaped far away, leaving Gu Zhenhua with a twinge of regret.

"Listen well, you dog Tatars! Remember that my name is Gu Zhenhua. Sooner or later, every single one of you will die by my hand!"

With that declaration, Gu Zhenhua swung his blade fiercely and ordered a hurried retreat with his soldiers.

Their attack had been swift, and their withdrawal even faster. In the span of barely a quarter of an hour, forty or fifty corpses had been left on the ground. Combined with those blown apart by the explosives, nearly a hundred Qing soldiers had been wiped out. Meanwhile, Gu Zhenhua's side had lost only seventeen men—a resounding, brilliant victory of the few defeating the many against the Tatars.

Every soldier was thoroughly invigorated, rediscovering the pride unique to true soldiers. The Guanning Army was not inherently weak; had it not been for a befuddled emperor and a swarm of corrupt officials, how could they have ever been defeated by the Qing? Now, finally blessed with a capable leader, the combat power of the Guanning Army was on the verge of being unleashed.

"My Lord, fighting under your command is truly exhilarating! In past battles involving tens of thousands of men, we couldn't even kill this many Tatars. Thinking about it now, it was utterly humiliating."

Gu Zhenhua laughed heartily, "Brothers, the Tatars are made of flesh and blood just like us, with two shoulders carrying a head—there is nothing to fear. Once we get out of the city and establish our own territory, I have no doubt I can train you into the most elite warriors, capable of taking on ten each and sweeping away the Tatars!"

"Long live the Lord, long live!"

A succession of victories had deeply cemented Gu Zhenhua's status in the hearts of his men, and this fleeing army gradually ignited with hope. When every single person firmly believes that the future will be better, an army attains an indestructible cohesion.

Gu Zhenhua led his soldiers to catch up with the main force. Li Jibo looked at Gu Zhenhua, who was covered in the smoke of battle and fresh blood, and couldn't help smiling, "Lord Gu, you've won your gamble once again. To think even the Tatars are no match for you—Heaven itself must be aiding you!"

"Old Li, when I win a battle, it's because of tactical surprise and decisive execution. What does that have to do with Heaven?" Gu Zhenhua laughed aloud, "I don't believe in Heaven, and I don't believe in Earth. I only believe in the blade in my hand and the brothers behind me!"

"We believe in the Lord too!"

The enthusiasm of the soldiers was completely fired up. At that moment, Li Xu also spurred his horse toward Gu Zhenhua with a smile.

"My Lord, I've persuaded the soldiers at the city gate! They've agreed to let us pass!"

"We don't have to fight our way through?" Gu Zhenhua was slightly surprised.

Li Xu laughed heartily, "Those men had already lost their morale. I told them we were breaking out of the city to join King Chuang, and they agreed on the spot, even saying they wanted to come along with us."

Hearing this, Gu Zhenhua was overjoyed, "Splendid! Everyone, hurry and get out of the city. I've just beaten back the Tatars, but once they turn around, they'll undoubtedly seek revenge. Bandits are always petty."

After issuing his instructions, the city gates slowly opened. The soldiers finally surged out of Shanhaiguan, leaving behind this cage, every face glowing with the joy of rebirth.

They wouldn't need to shave the fronts of their heads and change their attire, nor would they have to serve as slaves to the Qing. At the mere thought of this, everyone's hearts blossomed with elation.

Yet, no sooner had they emerged a short distance than dust billowed ahead of them. A massive force blocked their path, featuring a towering banner embroidered with the character "Li."

"Zhenhua, is that Li Zicheng?" Li Jibo couldn't help asking.

"At least it's not you, Li Jibo!"

Muttering to himself, Gu Zhenhua hurriedly spurred his horse forward. At that moment, the leader of the opposing force also looked over, their eyes meeting from afar. Both men froze in astonishment!

"It's you! We meet again!"

The newcomer was none other than Li Yan of the Dashun army. He had suffered a massive defeat at Gu Zhenhua's hands, losing nearly a thousand cavalrymen to total annihilation. Had it not been for his capable wife, he might have perished under Gu Zhenhua's blade entirely, and upon returning to Beijing, he had been subjected to a fierce scolding.

As old enemies crossing paths, neither expected to encounter each other again at Shanhaiguan. Moreover, this time Gu Zhenhua was leading a substantial number of horses and wagons, bearing an uncanny resemblance to the situation in Beijing.

"Your name is Gu Zhenhua, right? I've been asking around for news of you these past few days. I heard you defected to Wu Sangui? It's a wonder your nose is sensitive enough that you managed to slip out again."

"I haven't the slightest interest in asking about news of you, Li Yan," Gu Zhenhua said bluntly. "We can be considered old friends. Do you want to live or die? Give me your answer!"