Transmigrating to the Chongzhen era, I started by confiscating the Donglin Party.

Chapter 44 Bloodfire Sword Sect

"General Qin!" the man shouted, "My general has sent word!"

The quiver was lowered. The basket was lowered down, and the letter was retrieved.

Qin Liangyu opened the letter. There was only one line on it:

"Tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), our army will attack the western section. General, please open the west gate and join forces to strike Zhang's central army."

There was no signature, but the handwriting was messy, clearly written in a hurry.

Qin Liangyu handed the letter to Ma Xianglin, who, after reading it, asked with suspicion, "Madam, could this... be a trap?"

"It doesn't seem like it." Qin Liangyu shook her head. "If it were a trick, he would have said to open the east gate—the east gate is closer to his main camp, so he could take the opportunity to seize the pass. He said to open the west gate, which faces the direction of Zhang Xianzhong's central army. If he enters the pass through the west gate, it would be like exposing his back to Zhang Xianzhong."

She gazed at the night sky beyond the pass. Sun Kewang's camp was brightly lit, and troops were frequently being moved around.

"He's gambling," Qin Liangyu said slowly. "Gambling that we trust him, gambling that Zhang Xianzhong won't have time to react, gambling that this battle... can be won."

"Shall we bet?"

Qin Liangyu remained silent.

Four thousand seven hundred soldiers, starving, were fighting against Zhang Xianzhong's army of one hundred thousand. This was a dead end.

But if Sun Kewang truly defectes, they will be attacked from both inside and outside...

"Let's gamble," she finally said. "Order: All troops prepare for battle. Tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), open the west gate."

February 25th, at the beginning of Chen hour.

A thin mist hangs in the air outside the west gate of Jianmen Pass.

Qin Liangyu stood personally atop the West Gate tower. She donned her finest armor—the mountain-patterned armor left to her by her husband, Ma Qiancheng, which, after forty years of care, still gleamed with a cold light. Her white cloak billowed in the morning breeze, like an unyielding flag.

Below the pass, Sun Kewang's troops were already arrayed in formation.

Twenty thousand men, a dark mass. But their formation was strange—the vanguard faced the wall, while the central army was turned to the side, facing the direction of Zhang Xianzhong's main camp to the east.

One quarter past Chen Shi (7:15 AM).

Sun Kewang rode out into battle, clad in black armor but without a helmet. He looked up at Qin Liangyu on the city wall.

The two looked at each other.

A hundred feet apart, a blood feud of forty-six days, and countless lives lost.

Sun Kewang raised his hand and waved.

That's a signal.

Qin Liangyu took a deep breath and shouted loudly, "Open—the—city—gates!"

The heavy west gate slowly opened, and the winch creaked and groaned.

The city gates were wide open.

Sun Kewang charged ahead, rushing into the pass. Behind him, 20,000 troops surged into Jianmen Pass like water bursting its banks.

The White-Spear Soldiers inside the pass gripped their swords and spears, staring intently at these "enemy troops." But after entering the pass, Sun Kewang's forces did not attack; instead, they quickly crossed the pass and surged out from the east gate—heading straight for Zhang Xianzhong's central camp!

"It's done!" Ma Xianglin exclaimed excitedly.

Qin Liangyu frowned deeply: "It's not over yet. Issue the order: the entire army will exit through the east gate and, in coordination with Sun Kewang's forces, attack their central army!"

The bugle sounded.

Four thousand seven hundred White-Spear Soldiers, hungry and swollen, rushed out of the east gate. Like a pack of tigers descending the mountain, they pounced on Zhang Xianzhong's unsuspecting camp.

Zhang Xianzhong was still asleep in his central command tent. He had been drinking the night before and was still hungover. When his personal guards rushed in and shook him awake, the sounds of battle outside were deafening.

"Father! Sun Kewang has rebelled! He has opened Jianmen Pass, joined forces with Qin Liangyu, and is marching towards us!"

Zhang Xianzhong sat bolt upright, his eyes bloodshot: "Sun Kewang?! He dares?!"

"They've already reached the camp gate!"

Zhang Xianzhong burst out of his tent. The sight before him chilled him to the bone—on the west side of the camp, Sun Kewang's black flag and Qin Liangyu's white flag were mixed together, advancing with unstoppable momentum. His own troops were caught off guard and were in complete chaos.

"Hold on! Hold on for me!" Zhang Xianzhong roared.

But it couldn't hold on.

Sun Kewang's troops were a fresh force, having rested and recuperated for many days; Qin Liangyu's White-Spear Soldiers were a desperate army, prepared to die. The two armies joined forces and were unstoppable.

Zhang Xianzhong's central camp was breached within half an hour.

"Father! Let's go!" Liu Wenxiu led his personal guards to protect Zhang Xianzhong and break through to the north.

Zhang Xianzhong turned back and took one last look at the battlefield. He saw Sun Kewang's black flag fluttering in the morning light, saw Qin Liangyu's white spear toppling his own general's flag, and saw his 100,000-strong army collapse like an avalanche.

"Sun Kewang..." he gritted his teeth, "I'll skin you alive!"

But we'll have to wait until later to say that.

By the end of Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the battle was decided.

Zhang Xianzhong fled in disarray, taking only a thousand or so veteran soldiers with him to escape north to Bazhong. Of his 100,000-strong army, over 10,000 were killed or wounded, with the remainder either surrendering or scattering.

Beneath Jianmen Pass, corpses littered the ground.

Sun Kewang and Qin Liangyu met on the battlefield.

Both men were covered in blood and wounded. Sun Kewang dismounted and knelt on one knee: "Unofficial Sun Kewang greets General Qin."

Qin Liangyu reached out to help him up: "General Sun, please rise. You deserve the most credit for today's achievements."

"I wouldn't dare." Sun Kewang stood up, looked at the battlefield, his eyes filled with complex emotions, "It's just... many of those who died were brothers who had followed me for many years."

"In war, people always die," Qin Liangyu said calmly. "But the deaths of these people today are worth it to save the lives of millions of people in Sichuan."

Sun Kewang remained silent for a long time before nodding.

"Old General," he suddenly said, "about the imperial court..."

"Rest assured," Qin Liangyu said, looking directly into his eyes. "I swear on my life that I will recommend the general to His Majesty. The Commander-in-Chief and the General of Zhaoyong, not one will be missing."

Sun Kewang clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, General."

At that moment, Ma Xianglin rushed over: "Madam! Zuo Menggeng's troops... have arrived!"

Everyone looked over. From the eastern mountain pass, they saw a troop of soldiers slowly advancing, bearing the banners of the Zuo family army. The force numbered about 30,000, their helmets and armor gleaming, their ranks perfectly orderly—clearly they had been nearby for some time, waiting for the battle to unfold before emerging.

Sun Kewang sneered: "Here comes the free lunch."

Qin Liangyu said expressionlessly, "Let him pick it up. Xianglin, go and make contact. Tell them that Jianmen Pass has been recovered and request the Left General to enter the pass to 'assist in defense'."

"Those battle achievements..."

"The war merits are ours, he can't take them away." Qin Liangyu paused, then said in a low voice, "But right now, we need supplies. Since he's here, he has to give us something."

Ma Xianglin accepted the order and left.

Qin Liangyu turned and looked towards Jianmen Pass. The pass was still majestic, and the tattered "Qin" flag on the pass wall fluttered in the morning breeze.

Forty-six days.

More than 200 people starved to death, and more than 3,000 died in battle.

But the pass was held.

Chuanmen was saved.

She suddenly felt all her strength drain away, her vision went black, and she fell backward.

"Madam!" Sun Kewang reacted quickly and helped her up.

Qin Liangyu leaned against his arm, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth—a recurrence of an old injury, and also a sign of exhaustion.

"General Sun," she said weakly, "Guanzhong... is in your hands now. This old woman... needs to rest."

After saying that, he fainted.

Sun Kewang held the 65-year-old veteran in his arms, looking at her full head of white hair, the deep wrinkles on her face, and the numerous scars on her armor.

He suddenly understood why Qin Liangyu was able to hold out for forty-six days.

It wasn't because the army was strong, nor because the city was fortified.

It's because there's something called "integrity".

Zhang Xianzhong didn't have this kind of thing, Zuo Menggeng didn't have it, and neither did his grandson Kewang...

But today, he saw it.

"Summon the army doctor!" Sun Kewang shouted hoarsely, "Quickly!"

The morning light fully illuminated Jianmen Pass.

Below the pass, Zuo Menggeng's troops were "receiving" the spoils of war. Inside the pass, the White-Spear Soldiers and Sun Kewang's troops were treating the wounded and taking stock of the casualties.

On the gate tower, the "Qin" flag was still fluttering.

Like an immortal monument.

March 3rd, Nanjing.

When Li Ce received the report of the great victory at Jianmen Pass, he was reviewing memorials in the Wenhua Hall.

The reports arrived by express courier, a thick stack of them: Qin Liangyu's last report (the one that was never sent), Sun Kewang's letter of surrender, Qin Yiming's detailed battle report, and Zuo Menggeng's "victory report"—which described how he "fought a bloody battle to recapture Jianmen Pass and beheaded tens of thousands."

Li Ce first read Qin Liangyu's report. When he saw the sentence "Your subject is determined to fight a decisive battle tomorrow and die for your country," his hand trembled, and the vermilion pen drew a red mark on the paper.

Looking at the battle report again, he breathed a long sigh of relief when he saw that Sun Kewang had defected, that they were attacked from both inside and outside, and that Zhang Xianzhong had fled.

Finally, after reading Zuo Menggeng's report of victory, he sneered and tossed it aside.

"Mr. Ni," he called to Ni Yuanlu, "draft an imperial edict."

"Your Majesty, please speak."

"First decree: Qin Liangyu is hereby granted the title of Earl of Loyalty and Integrity, a hereditary title, and the honorary title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. She is also granted a thousand taels of gold to recuperate from her injuries, and is to rest and recuperate in peace. The defense of Sichuan is to be temporarily entrusted to Qin Yiming and Sun Kewang."

"The second decree: Sun Kewang was granted the title of Zhaoyong General (a third-rank military officer), and was actually appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of Sichuan. His troops were organized into the 'Zhaowu Camp'. His merit in the defection was announced to the world."

"The third order," Li Ce paused, "is addressed to Zuo Menggeng: I am aware of your meritorious service in the 'bloody battle,' and I am very pleased. I hereby bestow upon you one hundred taels of silver and ten bolts of silk. Furthermore, I order your troops to immediately march north to assist in the defense of Hanzhong—without fail."

Ni Yuanlu noted it down, then hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, Zuo Menggeng's battle report is clearly an attempt to claim credit. Is a reward of only one hundred taels of silver...?"

"If you reward him too much, he'll really think he's a hero," Li Ce said calmly. "If you reward him too little, he won't dare to cause trouble—after all, the whole world knows the truth about the great victory at Jianmen Pass."

If he disagrees, I will send copies of Qin Yiming's battle reports to the entire nation, so that the people can see who is truly fighting and who is merely taking advantage.

Ni Yuanlu understood: "Your Majesty is wise."

The decree was drafted, sealed, and issued.

Li Ce walked to the map and placed a small red flag at the location of "Jianmen Pass".

Beside the red flag, he personally wrote two words:

"loyalty."

After finishing writing, he looked northwest, towards Tongguan.

Jianmen Pass was successfully defended.

Next, it's time for Tongguan.

Where is Zheng Sen's grain convoy?

Inside Jianmen Pass, Qin Liangyu awoke after being unconscious for three days. The army doctor said she was seriously injured and needed to rest for six months.

Sun Kewang officially took over the Zhaowu Camp and joined Qin Yiming in guarding Jianmen.

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Zuo Menggeng was so angry that he smashed his cup, but dared not disobey the order. He led his troops north to Hanzhong, but they traveled very slowly, only thirty li a day.

Zhang Xianzhong fled to Bazhong, where he gathered his remaining troops, numbering over 50,000. However, he dared not attack Jianmen Pass again and instead fled towards eastern Sichuan.

On the ruins of Jianmen Pass, a new "Qin" flag slowly rises.

The flag was white, as white as snow.

A new grave stands beneath the banner, burying three thousand White-Spear soldiers who died in the forty-six days of battle. There are no tombstones, only a blue stone, on which is engraved Qin Liangyu's own words:

"The loyal bones of Jianmen will forever guard the rivers and mountains."

The wind blows, and the new flag flutters in the wind.

Like three thousand departed souls, whispering.