Chapter Twelve: Is the Entire Army Really Mobilizing?-The Last Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty(A few words, full of meaning.)

At this moment, Ruan Yingzhao arrived at Liu Kecheng’s side, panting heavily. "Brother Liu, this cannot go on! These harridans are firing with deadly accuracy and charging with ferocious intensity; if we keep this up, we’re all going to be finished!"

"Go ask the Commander for reinforcements!"

"Quickly, find a messenger and call for help!"

"Hurry! Tell the Commander that we can’t hold them off any longer!"

"Charge!"

In truth, there was no need for them to send anyone. Liu Zeqing knew the combat effectiveness of his own troops better than anyone. Before the men could even dispatch a messenger, Liu Zeqing had already rushed to Zhu Cilang’s side.

Just then, Chang Zhilang heard Old Seventeen shout in a deep, stern voice, his tone clearly displeased: "General Liu, the Imperial Inspector is currently observing the military situation!"

Upon hearing this, Chang Zhilang looked over and was stunned to discover that Liu Zeqing had arrived, accompanied by more than three hundred of his personal guards.

As Chang Zhilang looked on, he saw Liu Zeqing bellowing furiously at Old Seventeen: "But the brothers of the Shandong Garrison are fighting desperately! I cannot just stand by and watch! And the Inspector cannot simply watch my men go to their deaths! Hong Niangzi has exhausted her strength; this is the critical moment to defeat her. We cannot let the soldiers of the Shandong Garrison die in vain!"

"My Lord! Send in the troops! The cavalry can make a charge right now!"

"My Lord, our men of the Shandong Garrison are suffering such heavy losses. Why are the left and right wings still not moving?"

"My Lord! My provost marshal is fierce, but even he dares not push them too hard. Otherwise, those grunts might just revolt right on the battlefield!"

Chang Zhilang glanced at the battlefield. Liu Zhen’s dozens of cavalrymen and the thousand infantrymen behind him remained motionless. These men would not obey Liu Zeqing’s orders.

Hearing Liu Zeqing’s shouting, Zhu Cilang snapped to attention.

Watching the clamoring Liu Zeqing, Zhu Cilang stepped forward, locked eyes with him, and said, "General Liu, calm yourself. The soldiers of the Shandong Garrison are fighting well, and I will personally reward them. Go and pass the order: in this battle, every severed head earns three taels of silver, and every armored warrior killed earns ten taels. If we win this battle, every soldier in the entire army gets five taels! Furthermore, I will credit you, General Liu, with the primary victory! All of this will be memorialized to the Imperial Court!"

Liu Zeqing stared blankly at Zhu Cilang, his mind reeling.

This Qin Xia is truly generous!

If it were anyone else, they would likely be bowing and scraping at this very moment, ready to go and fight to the death. Even ten years ago, any military commander meeting such an Imperial Inspector would have been overjoyed.

But this was Liu Zeqing!

Liu Zeqing remained breathless, his face filled with righteous indignation as he said, "But... My Lord, one must be alive to enjoy that reward! That Hong Niangzi is charging with such ferocity that we are about to collapse! Lord Qin! Order the entire army to attack! If we strike now, we can crush Hong Niangzi’s forces! If we take down a fierce general of the rebel army, we will have earned our merit! If we wait any longer, not only will we fail to defeat Hong Niangzi, but those grunts will likely start a mutiny!"

Hearing this, Zhu Cilang finally furrowed his brows. He stared intently at the unfolding battle for a long time. Just as Liu Zeqing was about to speak again, Zhu Cilang finally said in a deep voice: "Very well. Pass the order: the left and right wings are to attack simultaneously and encircle Hong Niangzi’s forces! The entire army is to strike—take down Hong Niangzi!"

"Liu Zeqing! You are to announce my rewards to the entire army. Then, I order you to lead the remaining Shandong Garrison troops to secure the battlefield. Do not let a single soldier under Li Yan enter!"

"Yes! This subordinate obeys!" Liu Zeqing replied solemnly, knelt, and hurried away.

Beside Zhu Cilang, a cavalryman also received the order: "Yes, My Lord!"

After Liu Zeqing left, Old Seventeen looked at Zhu Cilang with a worried expression: "My Lord, is it really wise to charge so early?"

If anyone else in the Shandong Garrison dared to speak to Liu Zeqing like that, they would likely have had their tongues cut out. But Old Seventeen was fiercely loyal; he feared neither the danger of offering counsel nor did he doubt Zhu Cilang’s composure.

Sure enough, Zhu Cilang watched the battlefield, exhaled a long breath, and said, "A full-scale attack is indeed a bit premature. But in war, one must never fight piecemeal. Moreover, this is no ordinary engagement. In standard warfare, who doesn't spend time probing and testing, fighting countless minor skirmishes before uncovering the enemy's true strength? Few are like us, lining up for a decisive battle right from the start. This is not a sudden, unprepared encounter."

Old Seventeen understood the sentiment, but still wanted to dissuade him.

Before Old Seventeen could speak, Zhu Cilang voiced his thoughts for him: "I know that only Hong Niangzi’s troops have engaged so far, and Li Yan’s forces have yet to move. Therefore, the true opportunity has not yet arrived. However... rest easy, Old Seventeen. I am not a man who risks everything out of greed for merit."

If the opportunity had not yet arrived, it meant the time for a full-force strike had not yet come. But... since the opportunity had not yet arrived, the Commander had already revealed his trump cards one by one. My Lord... do you really have such confidence that you can swiftly defeat Hong Niangzi?

Old Seventeen was a veteran, and he was exceptionally sensitive to such nuances. Just as he was about to say more, he suddenly realized something and fell silent.

Zhu Cilang’s elite guards galloped off to reach Liu Zhen.

Having received his orders, Liu Zhen looked at the fifty or so cavalrymen beside him, then at the thousand-plus new recruits behind him—nervous, bewildered, and filled with a touch of fear. He suppressed his stray thoughts and roared, "I, Liu Zhen, am leading you into the charge! You need only follow orders and kill the enemy! Under our Lord Qin Yiming, there is no soldier who abandons his brothers-in-arms!"

"Listen to my command!"

"Advance, kill the enemy!"

The soldiers suppressed the fear in their hearts and shouted in unison:

"Kill the enemy!"

...

Waves of shouts rose from the ranks behind Liu Zhen, sounding like a surging tide. Like a great flood, they swept southward, crashing into the right flank of Hong Niangzi’s forces.

At the same time, the messenger delivered the order to the officers of the two thousand infantrymen on the left flank.

As the officers received the command, the drums began to roll. The two thousand infantrymen, under the orders of their respective officers, hoisted their spears and marched forward, steady and determined, moving toward the center of the battlefield.

However, those with a keen eye noticed something different. These two thousand infantrymen were not charging forward; instead, they were maneuvering southward, inserting themselves into the space between the government forces and the rebel army, effectively severing the connection between the two!

Seeing this, even the uninformed Old Seventeen’s eyes lit up.

With Liu Zhen’s reinforcements and the two thousand infantrymen from the left flank providing cover, Ruan Yingzhao and Liu Kecheng, while looking at each other in surprise, found their morale boosted and charged forward once more.

With three thousand troops under Liu Kecheng and Ruan Yingzhao not yet defeated, bolstered by Liu Zhen’s thousand-plus infantry and cavalry, and an additional two thousand infantry on the right flank—nearly seven thousand men pressing in—the situation, which Hong Niangzi had once dominated, was suddenly reversed.