The rebels were already familiar with Gao Family Village's way of fighting.
Zuo Liangyu was not.
Before he could even understand what was happening, two deafening explosions tore through the air.
Boom!
Boom!
His artillery position collapsed instantly. The gunners were thrown off their feet. Some had instinctively dropped flat to the ground, hugging the earth. Those who survived were pale with terror.
Zuo Liangyu sucked in a breath.
"What was that?!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
More explosions followed.
The small mortars of Gao Family Village were light and easy to maneuver. And there were not just two or three. Even on Shi Kefa's relatively weaker flank, more than a dozen had been deployed.
Shells rained down continuously. Every blast threw Zuo Liangyu's forces into chaos.
The outer ranks, mostly former rebels who had surrendered, already lacked discipline and courage. If they had possessed any real backbone, they would not have abandoned their original banners so easily.
Where a shell landed, a circle of men fell.
That kind of precision shattered morale instantly.
With panicked shouts, the outer troops broke first, scattering in all directions.
Zuo Liangyu roared,
"Charge! Rush them! Cut down their artillery!"
His three thousand regular soldiers began forming ranks and advancing steadily.
But he still did not understand the true strength of Gao Family Village.
Advancing in tight formation against their Flintlock Riflemen was no different from marching into death.
The riflemen fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
This was not the main regiment, so not every soldier carried a breech-loading rifle. But there were still plenty of Chassepot rifles among them, the same weapons that had once unleashed four volleys in ten breaths and crushed the Wushen tribe.
The riflemen carved small firing gaps into the half-man-high earthen walls. Resting their barrels in those openings, they aimed calmly.
Another volley rang out.
A wide section of Zuo Liangyu's front line dropped.
Shields were useless.
Some soldiers felt their wrists jolt violently. They stared in disbelief at the neat hole punched through their shield. A heartbeat later, a burning pain erupted in their chest.
They fell screaming.
Zuo Liangyu cursed,
"Damn it!"
It was his first encounter with Gao Family Village.
Anyone would have been stunned.
For a brief moment, his mind went blank. He forgot to issue orders.
A strong army might still push forward without commands.
A disorganized one would collapse.
Zuo Liangyu's forces were the latter.
With chaotic shouts, they began retreating. What started as withdrawal quickly became a rout.
Zuo Menggeng grabbed his father's reins.
"Father, we have to retreat now!"
Zuo Liangyu growled,
"What just happened? What kind of troops are those?!"
"They're too strong!" Zuo Menggeng snapped. "Unbelievably strong! If we don't run now, we'll be finished!"
Zuo Liangyu spat bitterly.
"Shi Kefa? A mere civil official who only knows how to talk? How can he command troops like this?"
"Stop talking and move!" Zuo Menggeng shouted.
Father and son turned their horses and galloped west.
Shi Kefa did not pursue recklessly.
He remained calm.
"Zuo Liangyu has lost. He cannot move east anymore. He can only retreat west. We will seal every eastern route and advance steadily. Slowly compress the space. Then annihilate Zuo Liangyu and Zhang Xianzhong together."
---
From the mountainside, Li Zicheng watched the rout.
After a moment, he turned away.
"There's no need to keep watching," he said quietly.
He pointed toward a group of retreating soldiers heading into the Dabie Mountains.
"Look at that unit."
Li Guo narrowed his eyes.
"I recognize them. Those are Chuang Tatian's men."
Li Zicheng's expression shifted.
"Chuang Tatian is my sworn brother. A true friend. I don't know why his troops were under Zuo Liangyu's command. But now that Zuo Liangyu is defeated, this is our chance."
He looked at Li Guo.
"Let's go."
The two men slid down the slope.
---
Chuang Tatian's scattered troops were still running in panic when a figure suddenly blocked their path.
"Brothers," the man called out, "look closely. Do you recognize me?"
The soldiers froze.
"Brother Chuang Wang!"
Li Zicheng stepped forward.
"Where is Brother Chuang Tatian?"
The men lowered their heads.
"He was defeated by Zuo Liangyu. We got separated during the chaos. We searched but couldn't find him. With no choice, we joined Zuo Liangyu's ranks."
Li Zicheng was silent for a moment.
"Then follow me," he said at last. "But listen carefully. Things are different now. There will be no more burning, killing, or looting. I have changed our path. We will rise in a new way."
The men looked at one another.
Then they answered together,
"We follow Brother Chuang Wang!"
Li Zicheng nodded.
"Good. Come."
He turned and led them into the deeper stretches of the Dabie Mountains. Five thousand former followers trailed behind him, vanishing into the forest.
---
High above Baimao Town, a reconnaissance hot air balloon floated silently.
A scout from Gao Family Village carefully marked the movements of Zuo Liangyu's scattered forces on a map.
Then he spotted it.
A large group fleeing into the Dabie Mountains.
He quickly scribbled a note, sealed it inside a bamboo tube, and lowered it down.
The message soon reached Shi Kefa.
Shi Kefa studied the map.
"Our army blocks the southern side of the Dabie Mountains. East of the mountains lies Luzhou. Before I marched out, I strengthened Luzhou's defenses. That fleeing force cannot capture it."
He traced the northern route with his finger.
"They can only head north. Once they cross the Dabie Mountains, they will enter the Northern Army's jurisdiction. The Northern Army is strong enough to handle them."
---
Meanwhile, deeper within the mountains, Li Zicheng spoke to his trusted men.
"In Shaanxi and Sichuan, these Flintlock Riflemen must already be active. In Shanxi and Henan as well. Now Shi Kefa commands them here in the south. It's clear."
He paused.
"They are casting a wide net. They intend to wipe out every rebel force in the Central Plains."
His men stiffened.
"Then aren't we inside that net too?"
Li Zicheng nodded slowly.
"Yes. But there is a loophole."
"Where?"
"Fengyang."
He continued calmly.
"Fengyang is the ancestral homeland of the Zhu imperial clan. After Zhang Xianzhong desecrated the imperial tombs, the court became extremely sensitive about that region."
He glanced at them.
"And since even Wang Er is part of this Flintlock force, it proves they are not aligned with the court. If they act openly in Fengyang, they risk alarming the imperial court itself."
Understanding dawned.
"So we can pass through Fengyang to escape the encirclement?"
"Exactly."
Then his expression hardened.
"But remember this. We must not harm a single commoner in Fengyang. Not one. If we disturb the people, the Flintlock forces will immediately move against us."
He looked ahead into the forest.
"If we leave no trace, we slip through the net."
The mountains swallowed their figures as they moved northward.