Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 314 Duoduo Retreats

The rumbling sound of drums shook the earth, and the low sound of trumpets swept across the battlefield.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the wind was getting stronger and stronger. The rain was mixed with strong winds. The smoke in the sky had long been blown away by the wind and rain, revealing the extremely tragic killing field on the battlefield.

As the royal flag moved forward, Meng Jun moved to the front line under the escort of his personal guards. Countless soldiers' attention was attracted by the royal flag, and their eyes were flashing with excitement and admiration. The tall royal flag was like a mountain standing on the battlefield.

"The king's flag, it's the king, the king is here in person!" a soldier shouted loudly. His voice was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, splashing ripples. More soldiers turned around and saw that the king was here in person. The king's oath in the past had never been violated. He would live and die with the troops and would never retreat a single step.

Even though it was raining heavily, the morale of the soldiers remained high and there was no sign of discouragement. On the other hand, the morale of the Qing army, whether it was Wu Sangui's troops, the Han army flags, the Green Camp soldiers, or even those bondservants from Liaodong, inevitably dropped.

The weather in the first month of the year is already cold. The rain mixed with strong winds seeps into clothes and armor, and the coldness blows straight into the cracks between people's bones.

Meng Jun's personal presence at the front line was like a shot of adrenaline injected into the hearts of the soldiers. Their eyes became more determined and their steps became steadier.

Zheng Wenbo looked at the tall royal flag, tears welling up in his eyes, his voice choking, and he said to Zhou Liu beside him: "Your Majesty is so majestic, like the sun at noon. If you come before the army, I will not die for you."

Zhou Liu couldn't help but shudder, and replied tremblingly: "Don't...don't be so pretentious, why...don't you want to win."

At this point, Zhou Liu made two loud "ho, ho" sounds, stamped his feet vigorously, cursed the weather, and then said, "You see, we are full of confidence. Those guys on the other side keep looking back. I bet that within a quarter of an hour, they will definitely collapse. Do you want to bet? It's just a small bet for fun. Let's bet two months' military pay. How about it?"

Zheng Wenbo shook his head like a rattle and refused, "I don't like gambling."

…………

Wang Qi followed Meng Jun closely. When the soldiers along the way saw Meng Jun in person, they were all very excited. Even though the rain was hitting their armor, they still shouted, "Victory, victory!"

At this exciting moment, even Gu Yanwu held a long sword and shouted "Victory".

The flag-guarding camp, built by three hundred elite soldiers, strictly guarded the king's flag. According to military law during wartime, if the king's flag fell, all the soldiers in the camp would be beheaded regardless of the reason.

Hu Zhan, holding a sword in his waist, followed closely beside Meng Jun. Suddenly, a strong wind blew, and the royal flag swayed. Several strong flag-guarding soldiers hurriedly tried to stabilize the royal flag.

Hu Zhan looked at the swaying royal flag and thought unconsciously in his mind: "What will happen if the strong wind blows down the royal flag?" As soon as he thought of this, Hu Zhan shook his head repeatedly and quickly threw this unlucky idea out of his mind.

Yu An asked curiously, "Counselor Hu, it's raining too hard, there's water in your brain, do you want to dry it?"

Hu Zhan was speechless for a moment when he heard this, not knowing how to refute.

The closer we got to the front line, the more corpses we saw. There were soldiers from the Zhou army, the Green Camp, the Han army, and the Mongols. The corpses piled up like a mountain, and the scene was so horrific, it was like hell on earth.

There were so many corpses, all over the ground, their faces were either hideous, calm, or terrified, their bodies were either intact or incomplete, their weapons were either tightly held in their hands, or scattered around them, or deeply embedded in the soil, their wounds were caused by swords, guns, arrows, or artillery.

A kind person cannot command an army, and a righteous person cannot manage finances. Meng Jun had been in so many battles that he was accustomed to large-scale death scenes. But despite this, when Meng Jun stepped into the bloody battlefield, the pungent smell of blood still made him feel uncomfortable.

Suddenly, Meng Jun's foot slipped and he stumbled, almost falling to the ground. Yu An, who was standing by, quickly supported Meng Jun and said anxiously, "My king, be careful!"

Meng Jun looked back and saw that the person who tripped him was a Qing soldier. His helmet had fallen to the side, revealing his hairstyle, and he should be a Mongolian knight.

Meng Jun took a close look at the Mongolian cavalryman. Judging from his age, he was about sixteen or seventeen, with a very immature look. At this moment, he was lying on his side in the rain with lifeless eyes, an arrow stuck in his neck, and the rain kept splashing on his face. Perhaps it was because it had been too long, or perhaps he had lost too much blood, the exposed skin had already turned extremely pale.

Meng Jun squatted down, reached out, and wiped his eyes, which were still open. This action was like wiping out the remaining glory of Genghis Khan, a great hero.

The progress of the battle was more smooth than Meng Jun had imagined. In the opposite Qing army formation, Duoduo was a little dazed. He saw Meng Jun's flag move forward and the Zhou army marching forward with great momentum across the board. They shouted "Ten Thousand Victories" and shook the heaven and earth.

Duoduo pulled himself together and shouted, "The bandits are so arrogant that they dare to underestimate me. Send an order to the Guanning cavalry of King Pingxi to lead the way and attack the Meng bandit's flag directly. Capture the bandit and the king. I will lead the guards and capture the enemy's flag!"

Goshaha beside him looked at Duoduo with some concern, and said in a low voice: "Prince, your body..." The further he spoke, the lower his voice became. Goshaha closed his mouth in the face of Duoduo's red and murderous eyes.

The messenger galloped towards the direction of Wu Sangui's royal flag. After a while, Wu Sangui received Duoduo's military order. After Wu Sangui sent the messenger away, he hurriedly asked Fang Guangchen what to do in this situation.

Fang Guangchen looked at the battlefield ahead, then lowered his head in deep thought. Wu Sangui looked anxious, and was about to urge him, when Fang Guangchen suddenly raised his head, stared into Wu Sangui's eyes and said, "Your Highness, the morale of the army has fallen, and it is raining heavily. The wind and rain are not conducive to the horses' charge. Even if Your Highness follows orders to attack, even if we fight to the last soldier, the outcome is still unpredictable."

Wu Sangui's eyes flashed with a complex emotion, and he whispered, "But if I disobey orders and leave, I know that Prince Su is still in the direction of Xianning, and Baiyintu is fighting with Li Dingguo. Will the court punish me for this?"

Fang Guangchen smiled when he heard this, and whispered a few words in Wu Sangui's ear. The more Wu Sangui listened, the more he smiled unconsciously, and his eyes became crescent-shaped.

At this time, Duoduo was fully armed and was waiting for Wu Sangui's troops, riding ahead. Duoduo was wearing a red robe and riding a BMW. In the rain, he looked so majestic.

"Report..."

A messenger came running to Duoduo and said urgently, "Your Highness, this is the report from the Pingxi King's army." After that, he quickly handed over a letter.

Seeing this, Duoduo suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart and opened the letter: "Dear Prince Yu, when I received the order, I was about to call up the troops to fight, but my subordinates said that it was raining heavily and the horses were weak, so how could we charge into the battle? I angrily rebuked the generals and said that although it was raining heavily, the enemy could fight in the rain, so why couldn't I do the same? However, one of my generals was so bold that he threatened me with a knife and forced me to retreat. But please rest assured, Prince Yu, I will reorganize the army and come back in less than two hours."

Duoduo's tall body couldn't help but tremble, then staggered and fell off the horse. Seeing this, his personal guard Goshha exclaimed: "Your Majesty..."

Then he jumped off his horse and helped Duoduo up. Duoduo had blood oozing from his mouth. He said weakly, "Withdraw and return to camp!"