Chapter 280: With Strength Like This, They Still Want to Rebel?

No one thought what Yuan Keli said made sense. The reason was also very simple—this sort of thing was too illusory, too fantastical.

After all, these people were all remnants of a defeated army.

What were remnants?

Insufficient numbers, and not even a complete organizational structure. Most critically, every one of these men was wounded and lacked stamina—how could such men win a battle?

If they lost, it would affect the entire war situation.

Some wanted to persuade Yuan Keli, but seeing his resolute attitude, they truly didn't know how to broach the subject.

At this moment, Zhang Cheng was extremely excited. He felt his heart pounding, his blood burning, his entire eyes bloodshot.

In recent days, many comrades-in-arms had died this way in battle, many subordinates had died this way too—how low had Zhang Cheng's spirits sunk?

He had originally been prepared to fight to the death. Under such emotions, Zhang Cheng was very calm.

But then things took a turn—not only had reinforcements arrived, but His Excellency the Governor had also ordered him to lead the charge. Under these circumstances, the hatred hidden in Zhang Cheng's heart and the desire for merit hidden there were all stirred to life.

Sharing Zhang Cheng's thoughts, the men behind him felt the same way.

Kill the enemy, avenge their comrades!

So at the very moment of contact, the rebels could see the difference in this group of men.

These men dared to fight and dared to struggle, coordinating with each other with great tacit understanding. Though wounded, they were ferocious in bearing, each one seeming as if they wanted to devour people. In such a state, they erupted with extremely high combat effectiveness.

In fact, anyone who had survived the defensive battle of the city—every single one of these men—had hacked to death quite a few rebels.

They had no psychological pressure facing blood and death; they had always been on the battlefield, extremely experienced. Though strangers to one another, their mutual coordination was highly tacit—this was forged on the edge of life and death.

At this moment, they erupted, shouting battle cries as they charged in slaughtering all the way.

Zhang Cheng led his thousand-plus men, sweeping forward with irresistible force. The men following behind him were shocked and excited, brandishing their blades as they charged and fought alongside.

For them, these were all money—every single one was a head-cart!

Everyone who witnessed this was shocked, while Yuan Keli nodded in satisfaction.

In Yuan Keli's view, these soldiers were far from being a strong army. They could fight when the wind was at their backs, but once they faced adversity, their fate would be grim.

Yuan Keli was very clear on this point. He soberly recognized the true strength of the men he had brought, so he needed to play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses—let them fight battles with the wind at their backs.

How could one make the battle situation favorable?

Very simple—display overwhelming pressure, gain the advantage from the very start of the battle, and never let the fight become bogged down. This way, the battle became one fought with the wind at their backs.

The cavalry in front, though useless, were intimidating enough. They charged in to disrupt the rebel formations, instilling fear in the rebels—but most importantly, giving confidence to their own soldiers.

See that? They've already been routed by the cavalry. All we have to do is go up and pick heads to earn money.

At the same time, having Zhang Cheng lead men to charge the formation served the same purpose. Zhang Cheng's men burned with vengeance; having experienced the cruelty of battle, it could be said they no longer feared slaughter—they were fundamentally different from the reinforcements he had brought.

If placed within the military, Zhang Cheng's men were already veterans. Having them charge the formation would naturally open a breach quickly.

This breach didn't need to be large, nor did it need to inflict massive casualties on the rebels—its main purpose was to give confidence to those who came behind.

See that? They're too weak—they can't even stop the remnants inside Bijie city.

What are you waiting for? Hurry up and charge in to grab heads!

Twenty taels of silver per head—today is the day to get rich!

Chop heads, go home, buy a house, buy land, marry a wife!

And so from this moment on, the outcome of this battle was completely sealed.

In fact, Yuan Keli had studied the Tang Dynasty's garrison militia system. He knew that the Tang garrison system was actually quite similar to the current situation.

Why was it that Tang garrison soldiers needed to provide their own armor and horses, yet could still win battles?

The reason was simple—rewards. Once they won, the rewards were extremely generous, and the treatment was very good. This was also why Yuan Keli offered the generous reward of twenty taels of silver.

Heavy rewards always produce brave men—this wasn't just empty talk, it was real.

"Have the remaining men press forward as well. Tell them to pursue for twenty li." Yuan Keli glanced at Li Biao and gave the order in a calm tone.

This battle no longer held much interest. At this point, it was time to end it.

Li Biao's gaze toward Yuan Keli was filled with deep admiration.

Truly an extraordinary man—worthy of being the Governor sent by the court. Setting everything else aside, just this ability to strategize from within the command tent was truly not something an ordinary person could possess.

Even now, Li Biao didn't understand why victory had come so smoothly. It seemed he still had much to learn.

On the battlefield.

An Bangyan's eyes were bloodshot as he gripped his blade, his sword-hand trembling faintly. He knew he was finished—the Ming army had already pressed forward in force.

Looking around, many were already in retreat.

His gaze fixed on a spot not far away—there was a squad of men heading diagonally toward him. From their bearing, they were clearly coming for him.

One look at the man on horseback, and An Bangyan's face darkened.

He knew this man—Bijie's Guard Commander, Zhang Cheng.

They had dealt with each other before. When attacking Bijie city this time, An Bangyan had wanted to kill Zhang Cheng. He had been just about to succeed, but who would have thought that at this very last moment, all his efforts would come to naught.

Most critically, the man was now coming to kill him. An Bangyan had no desire to fall into Zhang Cheng's hands. If he truly fell into Zhang Cheng's hands, he estimated there would be no good outcome.

Surveying the situation around him, An Bangyan knew that today's battle was hopeless.

Gripping his blade, An Bangyan turned and left, shouting loudly: "Retreat!"

Without a moment's hesitation, not dragging his feet in the slightest.

In An Bangyan's view, preserving his own life was the most important thing—nothing else mattered.

Only by surviving could he make a comeback. Fighting to the death with the Ming army here simply wasn't worth it.

Zhang Cheng watched the fleeing An Bangyan, his face beaming even more, and shouted loudly while waving his blade: "Quick, An Bangyan is running! Everyone, go—capture him alive!"

Once An Bangyan fled, it was a complete collapse like a mountain falling.

The Ming army bit onto the rebels' tails and gave chase, collecting heads at a very fast pace. For them, these weren't fleeing rebels—they were all moving silver, so they pursued with great vigor.

Charge up and kill one—that's twenty taels of silver.

Zhang Cheng chased An Bangyan with his blade, but was blocked all the way and never caught up in the end.

Watching An Bangyan flee, Zhang Cheng swung his arm hard in frustration and cursed bitterly.

In the end he sighed helplessly—that bastard had gotten away after all.

That birdbrain couldn't fight worth a damn, but he sure could run fast!

A bunch of lard-headed fools, with strength like that, and they still want to rebel?

The thing is, don't run! Come back and fight me, damn it! Watch me kill you dead!

Everyone steered clear of the black-faced Zhang Cheng, including his own men.

Everyone knew this Lord Zhang too well—he'd been biting at An Bangyan's heels just now, looking like he wanted to kill the man. Now that An Bangyan had gotten away, this Lord Zhang was bound to be in a foul mood. Better to keep their distance, lest they become the target of his venting.

At that moment, Yuan Keli also walked up from behind.

The stench of blood on the battlefield didn't frighten the old man in the least; if anything, he seemed to be rather enjoying it.

Seeing Zhang Yanfang approach, Yuan Keli said with a smile: "Well done. I'll report your merits to the court when we return. Also, keep an eye on things—don't let them start quarreling over head counts. It wouldn't do to hurt morale."

"Yes, Your Excellency." Zhang Yanfang said hurriedly.

He was genuinely happy right now, his smile exceptionally bright. Winning this great battle was a major achievement for him.

Under such circumstances, promotion was only a matter of time.

If he won a few more victories after this, he would surely gain the court's favor. Besides, the court had promised twenty taels of silver per head this time—both his men and he himself stood to make a fortune.

And then there were the spoils to come—all of it money. Thinking about it, it was hard not to get excited.

After making a circuit of the battlefield, Yuan Keli led Zhang Cheng back.

To be honest, compared to Zhang Yanfang, Yuan Keli valued Zhang Cheng more. This was a man who dared to fight and dare to die—that last part being the most crucial.

Such commanders were rare. They said civil officials cared not for wealth and military officers feared not death, but such men were few indeed. A commander like Zhang Cheng deserved careful cultivation.

When he had come here, he hadn't had a single trusted commander under him—that simply wouldn't do.

Zhang Yanfang was his subordinate, true, but he was already a Regional Commander; winning him over and cultivating him wasn't easy. Zhang Cheng, on the other hand, had held no high rank before, but he was valiant, daring, and unafraid of death—an excellent candidate for cultivation.

Zhang Cheng was still feeling dejected at this moment, trailing behind Yuan Keli with his head hung low.

In Zhang Cheng's view, His Excellency had given him a chance—sent him to kill An Bangyan. And what had happened?

He hadn't even caught up with the man before letting him slip away. He had truly failed His Excellency.

Glancing at the dejected Zhang Cheng, Yuan Keli said with a smile: "Still brooding over not catching An Bangyan?"

"Your subordinate feels he has failed Your Excellency's trust." Zhang Cheng said quickly.

"A trifling matter," Yuan Keli said with a smile. "He's just one An Bangyan—what can he do?"

"He's a grasshopper after autumn—he won't be hopping for many more days. His head has already fallen; it's just being allowed to sit on his shoulders for a few days more. Since you feel ashamed, then do well—go and kill him next."

Hearing Yuan Keli's words, Zhang Cheng truly didn't dare agree—the fact was, he had almost no men left.

In that last charge, over a hundred more had died. He'd had only a little over a thousand left to begin with, and now more had fallen. If he kept fighting, his men might well be wiped out entirely.

That wouldn't do at all, so Zhang Cheng simply didn't dare agree. Even with guilt in his heart, even wanting badly to agree, he still didn't dare—he couldn't let his brothers go die again. If they died again, there'd be none left.

Yuan Keli looked at Zhang Cheng, stroking his beard, and said with a smile on his face: "I know what you're thinking."

"I'm not going to send you back into battle with these men. Your brothers here have earned merit this time, and I will naturally report their deeds to the court."

"Merit will be rewarded—rest assured on that point. But there are many battles ahead, so they certainly can't rest idle."

"You are a Guard Commander. Now I promote you to Regional Commander. I'll give you a quota of twenty thousand men—go recruit them yourself. As for officers, promote from among your own men; promote as far as they can go, and if that's not enough, come to me."

Listening to Yuan Keli's words, Zhang Cheng's face was filled with disbelief.

He raised his head to look at Yuan Keli, speaking with hesitation in his voice: "Your Excellency? Is this...?"

"Don't worry about the court. Once I write up a memorial, you'll be promoted. Recruit your men as quickly as possible—defeating An Bangyan isn't the end; it's a beginning."

Yuan Keli could not tolerate having no troops under his command.

There was still fighting to be done—how could he fight without men? Having Zhang Cheng expand to twenty thousand would give him elite troops of his own. Later he could bring them to Sichuan.

At the same time, the Ming army had suffered losses in this battle and needed to replenish its numbers quickly.

In Yuan Keli's view, there was no need for too many—expanding to fifty thousand would be a suitable number. After all, troops couldn't always fight gathered together; one had to consider the problem of dividing forces.

"Thank you, Your Excellency, for your patronage." Zhang Cheng bowed hastily.

Though he didn't know why His Excellency thought so highly of him, Zhang Cheng was still grateful—this would be his great patron from now on.

Yuan Keli nodded with satisfaction and said: "Alright, go on. Do well."

"Yes, Your Excellency." Zhang Cheng acknowledged, then turned and left.

Watching Zhang Cheng's departing back, Yuan Keli smiled and reached up to stroke his beard.

Now this was more like it—he finally had a bit of the look of a Governor-General of the Southwest. Without men under him, nothing could be accomplished.

With these troops, what tricks could a mere She Chongming still pull?

Just kill him outright, that was all.

He'd go kill him soon enough.

While Yuan Keli was thinking of killing She Chongming, another force he had dispatched was also advancing toward that very goal.

Qi Yuangong turned to glance at Sun Chuanting, then looked back at the column behind him, feeling a sigh of something he couldn't quite put into words.

The column had grown considerably larger than when they had set out.

But the two forces were clearly distinct—on the right were the men of the Roaring Tiger Battalion he had brought from the capital, still the same men as before.

On the left were Sun Chuanting's men. Sun Chuanting had brought five thousand troops from Guizhou, but the men behind him now numbered far more than five thousand.

If his memory served him correctly, Qi Yuangong reckoned there should be twenty thousand here.

All along the way, Qi Yuangong had been marveling—this Lord Sun truly played by no rules, or perhaps even "playing by no rules" couldn't adequately describe him.