Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 97 The Death of Geng Zhongming

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This unexpected encounter didn't last long. The numerically superior and well-trained guards ultimately gained the upper hand, wiping out about twenty rebels, leaving only two or three to flee in disarray. Liu Ye didn't order a pursuit, but instead led everyone to continue running towards the west gate.

Soon, facts proved that Liu Ye's choice was correct.

Just as they were about a street away from the South Gate, a cavalryman galloped towards the West Gate, arriving first and quickly passing them. Upon seeing the rebel corpses on the ground, he glanced at Liu Ye and the others in surprise, then lashed his whip, increasing his speed.

Liu Ye's heart tightened, and he said to Lin San, "Shoot the horse with an arrow and capture this cavalryman."

Lin San took out his bow, drew it, and with a "whoosh," shot an arrow that struck the warhorse. The horse neighed and knelt down, sliding a short distance before overturning and falling to its side, foaming at its nostrils and letting out a long, mournful cry. The cavalryman's leg was trapped under the horse's body and tangled in the stirrup, unable to free himself.

Liu Ye led his men to surround the cavalryman, held a knife to his neck, and demanded, "What orders did you receive? What are you doing at the West Gate?"

The cavalryman tried to pull his leg out from under his dying horse, but to no avail. Thinking of the dozens of corpses on the ground, he felt he needed to answer truthfully to have any hope of saving his life, so he honestly replied, "Governor Sun has been kidnapped. General Geng has ordered all city gates closed and a city-wide search to capture the thieves..."

Liu Ye and Liang Xiaoming exchanged a glance. As expected, the switch had been exposed. What Liu Ye hadn't anticipated was how quickly it had come to light; it seemed to be all thanks to the incompetent Bai Lian and her apprentice.

Liu Ye waved to the crowd and said, "Hurry up, time is running out. If the city gates close, we're finished."

With renewed vigor, the group ran across the street, and Ximen appeared at the end of the street. Liu Ye felt a sense of relief; it seemed they still had time.

At this moment, the sound of hooves thundered, and several more cavalrymen appeared behind them. One of them shouted, "General Geng has ordered that thieves have infiltrated Dengzhou. Close the city gates and capture the thieves!" Upon hearing this, the garrison at the west gate hurriedly pushed the heavy gate, trying to close it.

The heavy city gate was pushed open by the soldiers and slowly closed, until it was only seven or eight feet wide before it was completely shut. Lin San took the bow and arrow from his back and fired an arrow while running.

A scream rang out, and a soldier fell backward. Immediately after, another arrow pierced two soldiers standing close together, linking them together. A third arrow struck the forehead of the sergeant guarding the city gate. The rebel guards panicked, and the city gate slammed shut, leaving only a small gap for two or three people to pass through.

At this moment, Liu Ye and his men rushed up. The guards, without even bothering to open the door, grabbed their weapons and prepared to fight.

When they were less than seventy meters from the city gate, a dense sound of hooves sounded behind them again, and more cavalry appeared at the other end of the street.

Liu Ye glanced back at the cavalry, then at the guards standing ready at the city gate, and made a decisive decision: "Leave ten men to monitor the direction of the city gate, and the rest of you prepare to meet the enemy."

The forty guards turned to face the direction from which the cavalry had come, forming two horizontal lines. The street was only so wide that even the infantry couldn't form a proper battle formation, let alone the cavalry, so there was no need to use a hollow square formation to meet the enemy.

Seeing dozens of muskets poised in battle array, their blades gleaming coldly, the cavalry slowed their charge instead of charging recklessly. A military officer clad in mountain-patterned armor stepped forward—it was Geng Zhongming. He looked at Xia Tiannan with a cold smile: "Brother Liu, you've deceived us thoroughly. What exactly are you trying to achieve by disguising yourself as a member of the White Lotus Sect and infiltrating Dengzhou?"

Liu Ye naturally wouldn't publicly claim he had foreseen the future and was trying to stop the rebels from surrendering to the Tartars. He simply smiled and said, "You came so fast, so accurately. Do you have a dog's nose? Did you follow me by scent? Otherwise, how could you be so accurate as to know I was at the West Gate?"

Geng Zhongming sneered: "It's very simple: the north gate leads to the water city, which is heavily guarded; the south gate leads to Qixia and other places, and the main force of the army is in that direction; that leaves only the west and east gates. Going out to sea is the only way to escape the pursuit, and the west gate is the closest to the sea, so you are most likely to go through the west gate. I arranged for men to close all four gates and head straight for the west gate, and sure enough..."

"Damn old fox," Liu Ye spat. "To be able to sit in the position of one of the Three Princes, he really has some skills. He's truly a cunning old fox."

"Words are useless. Bring it on! Either I die by your sword, or you die by my gun."

Geng Zhongming laughed loudly, "You're already trapped like a turtle in a jar, yet you still spout such nonsense. Once the main force arrives, they'll crush your small group into mincemeat..."

Amidst the laughter, a dark figure pounced forward, knocking Geng Zhongming off his horse, and the laughter abruptly ceased.

The incident happened so suddenly that neither side could react in time. The rebels didn't have time to protect Geng Zhongming, and Liu Ye's side was also unaware of what was going on.

Geng Zhongming was a veteran soldier. He flipped himself up in a somersault, his helmet already off. He reached for the knife at his waist, but the attacker was faster. A cold blade was pressed against his neck.

Now everyone could see clearly that it was Bai Lian who attacked Geng Zhongming. Liu Ye clenched his fist excitedly and thought to himself, "Great!" It turned out that this saintess wasn't a useless ally; she was still trustworthy in crucial moments. As long as Geng Zhongming was under control, they could safely evacuate Dengzhou City.

Geng Zhongming glanced at the hidden sword at his neck and slowly asked, "He's just a swindler using your White Lotus Sect's name. Why are you still protecting him? You should know that we've provided a lot of convenience for the White Lotus Sect in recruiting followers throughout the city..."

Bai Lian shook her head: "I didn't do the work of recruiting believers in the city, and I don't care about it now. If you let them out of the city, I will spare your life."

Geng Zhongming didn't need to think long about whether his own life or the fate of a few thieves was more important; he quickly made his decision: "Okay, but I hope you keep your word."

The city gates were slowly opened, and the garrison troops stepped aside. Guards, rifles in hand, cautiously surveyed the rebel forces around them, and slowly retreated towards the city gates.

Seeing that the enemy was about to leave the city, Geng Zhongming sighed. He was truly unwilling to let them go like this. Just then, a large group of rebel soldiers arrived, and in front of them was a woman in white, covered in blood and bound hand and foot, staggering forward.

Bai Lian stared intently, then cried out in a hoarse voice, "Xi'er?"

Ling Xi'er looked at her with a wronged expression: "Master, your disciple is useless and my skills are not good enough..." Her shoulder injury had not yet healed and she was too weak. After killing several guards, she was surrounded and captured alive by a large number of rebels who rushed to the scene after hearing the commotion.

Geng Zhongming laughed heartily: "Truly, Heaven is helping me! You sorcerer, if you want your disciple to live, release me now!" He turned and ordered the city gate guards: "Close the city gates!"

Liu Ye and his men wouldn't give him a chance to close the city gates again. They rushed over and engaged the guards in battle. How could the guards be a match for the ferocious guards? In the blink of an eye, they were slaughtered as quickly as cutting melons and vegetables.

Seeing that Liu Ye had gained the upper hand, Bai Lian, worried about her disciple, released Geng Zhongming and leaped towards the rebel soldier who had captured Bai Xiaoxian, shouting, "Let her go!"

Once Geng Zhongming was out of control, he immediately ordered, "Kill her!"

Liu Ye turned around and saw a rebel soldier slashing at Ling Xi'er's back with his knife. Ling Xi'er fell to the ground in shock. He then looked at Geng Zhongming, who was directing the rebel army. It seemed that they were going to split into two groups, one to deal with Bai Lian and the other to pursue him.

He gave a low shout: "Everyone, get out of the city immediately! Lin San, shoot Geng Zhongming!"

While Geng Zhongming was issuing orders, caught off guard, an arrow flew in, entering his left temple and protruding from his right temple, piercing right through his skull. Thus, the historical Prince Huaishun of the Qing Dynasty died so unexpectedly from a cold arrow.

With their leader shot dead, the rebel army was thrown into chaos, and Liu Ye and his men seized the opportunity to escape the city.