Chapter 1074: I'm Absolutely Fuming!
"Report! Minister of War Zhang Fengyi has led the capital's gentry army out of Xizhimen, pursuing the Manchu forces!"
A scout stood before Wang Pu, Wang Er, Bai Mao, and Ma Shouying.
Ma Shouying let out a snort of laughter.
Wang Er's face twisted into a strange expression. "They dare pursue *that*? Is the Minister of War trying to be a joke? The Manchu forces are clearly ready to turn around and strike back at any moment; otherwise, they wouldn't pull so many stunts to humiliate the high-ranking officials in the capital."
Wang Pu sighed deeply. "From my understanding of the Minister, he wouldn't be foolish to this extent. He must have been forced by the Emperor or the eunuchs."
That made a lot of sense.
The men present all thought the same: indeed, no matter how foolish the Minister of War might be, he still managed the military. He wouldn't be this idiotic unless the old Emperor himself had forced him to march out.
"This Emperor, ha!" Ma Shouying scoffed. "He still owes me my military pay, and it hasn't been fully disbursed yet."
He'd said this for Wang Er and Bai Mao's benefit, but to his surprise, Wang Pu showed a hint of embarrassment. "Oh? Brother Ma, is the imperial court withholding your military pay too?"
Wang Pu scratched his head, a little awkwardly. "They've owed me nine months of military pay. It's been a bit of a headache lately. I have some personal wealth, so it's not a huge problem for me, but my men are starting to struggle."
Silence fell over them.
This was hilariously awkward.
The three exchanged glances, and finally, Bai Mao spoke. "Regional Commander Wang, I'll make a note of this. I know some reliable Jin merchants. I'll have them get some money and grain for you on credit to tide you over."
Wang Pu beamed with delight. "Many thanks, brother."
"Alright, let's get back to the matter at hand," Ma Shouying said. "The Manchu forces have retreated. Do we pursue them or not?"
"Pursue! Of course, we pursue!" Wang Er declared without a moment's hesitation. "But our goal isn't just to kill a few Manchus to vent our anger. Our aim is to rescue as many abducted civilians as possible and reclaim the stolen goods. We will pursue with this objective."
"Launch the Reconnaissance Hot Air Balloon!"
The militia soldiers quickly got busy, and the Reconnaissance Hot Air Balloon soon ascended into the sky again.
In the air, a militia soldier picked up his binoculars, observing the Manchu army intently. He sketched their route onto a piece of paper, placed it in a bamboo tube, and sent it down...
The gentry army, led by Zhang Fengyi, trailed far behind the Manchu forces, not daring to get close. They only sent their scouts far ahead.
The scouts, however, engaged in fierce combat, clashing intensely in every small thicket and hillock. Yet, the main armies never even caught a glimpse of each other.
Ajige soon realized, "The Ming commanding general isn't falling for it. Our strategy of luring the enemy into pursuit is completely ineffective."
"Since that's the case, we'll up the ante," Ajige decided. "I'll pretend to lead the elite army ahead, leaving the baggage train to trail behind... Zhang Fengyi will surely be unable to resist the temptation to attack our supplies. Our logistics forces will hold him back with all their might, and I will quickly return with the elite units to annihilate Zhang Fengyi's division in one fell swoop. Then we'll march back to Yanjing and destroy the Great Ming."
Ajige's machinations were so transparent, Li Daoxuan could practically hear them all the way in Shaanxi.
Even Zhang Fengyi, as foolish as he was, wouldn't fall for that.
Instead, he simply led his gentry army back to the capital. He presented three Manchu scout heads as proof of his mission, declaring, "Three enemy heads taken."
The Chongzhen Emperor fumed. "You showed cowardice in battle!"
The censors immediately submitted memorials to impeach him.
Zhang Fengyi let out a long sigh. Returning home, he silently ingested poison.
Ajige frowned. "Haven't the Ming forces pursued us yet?"
"Report!" a subordinate stepped forward. "The Ming commander-in-chief, Minister of War Zhang Fengyi, has already returned to the capital."
Ajige shook his head. "He didn't dare attack even when I left the supplies trailing at the very end. Is this fellow genuinely cowardly, or did he see through my deception? Ah, let's just go home! There's no point even trying a counter-attack now."
As soon as Ajige's order was given, the Qing soldiers relaxed.
Now they could finally enjoy themselves, happily herding the captured slaves and carrying their looted treasures back to the Northeast...
But not long after the Qing army had relaxed their guard, A thunder of hoofbeats suddenly assaulted them.
Ma Shouying's Hui heavy cavalry, like a gust of wind, charged after the Qing scouts, instantly cutting off the Qing army's rearmost baggage train. The Ming civilians being escorted by the Qing forces, still bewildered, found themselves surrounded by Ma Shouying's troops.
The Qing logistics forces were startled. Someone roared, "Quick, go tell General Ajige to return with his army and rescue us!"
"Damn it, these guys are so fast!"
"They're back again! And they have reinforcements behind them!"
Ma Shouying's troops fought valiantly for a short while, buying time. Then, Wang Er and Bai Mao's forces arrived.
Ma Shouying brandished his scimitar, shouting to the civilians, "Get down! Everyone get down! If you don't want to die, get down! We're here to save you, but bullets don't discriminate, so everyone get down!"
The civilians had no room for doubt now. Without thinking, they immediately obeyed, falling to the ground...
"Bang bang bang!"
The crackle of flintlock rifles signaled that the outcome on the front lines was certain.
"Flintlocks silent! Retreat, retreat quickly!" Ma Shouying roared. "Everyone, get up and run south, fast!"
The cavalrymen swung their scimitars, desperately cutting the ropes that bound the civilians' feet.
The civilians, now free, scrambled to their feet, burning their meager remaining energy as they sprinted south with all their might.
"Ajige's main army will be here in thirty minutes! Hurry, hurry!" Wang Er shouted. "Retreat, retreat!"
The group protected the civilians, galloping several miles south.
Only when they saw their own city in the distance did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Ajige, who had been happily preparing to return home, suddenly received news that his baggage train, which had been left behind as bait, was attacked by Ming forces. The Ming army was remarkably swift and fierce in combat, routing the logistics forces almost instantly.
This meant the plan to have the baggage train hold the enemy until the main army could return with reinforcements had failed.
Ajige was greatly startled and immediately led his main army back to aid them.
But when he turned back, he saw only corpses of his logistics forces strewn across the ground. The civilians they had captured from the Great Ming and the treasures they had plundered were all gone.
Ajige was absolutely furious. He bellowed, "Agh! Who? Who did this? Which Ming army unit was it?"
A logistics soldier, not quite dead yet, uttered with difficulty, "Wang... Datong... Regional Commander... Wang Pu... and... Shan..."
After speaking, his head lolled to the side. This time, he was truly dead.
Ajige raged, "It'll be the death of me! Write down this Wang Pu's name! I swear I'll take his head next time! I swear I'll take his head!"
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