Chapter Thirty-Three: The Plan

"Brother, when you see the King of Hell, don't say I was the one who killed you. I am just sparing you from further suffering!"

As Zhou Kun muttered to himself, he plunged his saber into the neck of a Great Shun soldier. Blood gushed out instantly, and the soldier’s eyes rolled back as his life faded away.

The soldiers were busy clearing the battlefield and collecting supplies. They showed no mercy to those who were severely wounded, granting them a quick end. Gu Zhenhua had no objections to this; living in this era meant understanding its brutal laws. What truly excited Gu Zhenhua, however, were the warhorses. As soon as the situation was under control, he ordered his men to gather the horses, check for injuries, and pick out all the usable ones, putting far more care into this than he had for the human casualties.

"My Lord, take a look at this horse—there's a brand on its haunch!" Gao Hongtu led over a tall, sturdy warhorse and said to Gu Zhenhua with a smile.

Gu Zhenhua followed his finger and looked. Sure enough, on the horse's haunch was a walnut-sized burn mark, shaped with such precision that it was clearly man-made.

"General Gao, could these be military horses?"

"Exactly, and they belonged to the Capital Garrison," Gao Hongtu replied with a smile. "I remember back in the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, when Mongolia had already been occupied by the Qing, the imperial court was desperate for warhorses. They specifically purchased a batch from the Western Regions—two or three thousand of them. To prevent them from being stolen or embezzled, every horse was branded on the haunch. Because these horses were so strong and tall, many people coveted them, but I never expected them to end up in the hands of the rebel leader, Li Zicheng."

Hearing Gao Hongtu’s explanation, Gu Zhenhua couldn't help but sigh. These horses, changing hands so frequently, were a perfect microcosm of these chaotic times. But since they had fallen into his hands, they had finally found their true master.

Gu Zhenhua gently stroked the horse's mane and thought to himself: One day, you will gallop across the battlefield, wipe out the northern barbarians, and restore the glory of the Chinese cavalry!

"General Gao, pick out the best horses immediately. Use the rest as pack animals to transport our supplies!"

"Don't worry, My Lord, I've already set the men to it!"

There had been over a thousand cavalrymen and over a thousand horses. During the battle, more than three hundred were killed or wounded by explosions, and some had bolted. Over seven hundred remained in Gu Zhenhua's hands.

Looking at these horses, Gu Zhenhua couldn't help but swallow hard. He wasn't fantasizing about leading a massive army—that was a matter for the future. His immediate priority was to protect the supplies he had extracted from the capital.

Li Yan’s pursuit had exposed Gu Zhenhua’s weakness—a fatal flaw, even. Although they had secured many supplies from the capital, their transport capacity was severely inadequate. The carts laden with gold, silver, and muskets would have exhausted the horses within a single day of continuous travel. In a sense, Gu Zhenhua was carrying a massive burden that slowed him down significantly.

But that problem was now solved. With over seven hundred additional horses, they had a reliable guarantee for both transporting supplies and mobilizing the troops. From another perspective, Li Yan’s attack had been a timely blessing, helping Gu Zhenhua resolve his greatest vulnerability.

"My Lord, everything has been cleared. The rebel camp’s horses were a motley mix, and there are a few dozen mules, but we still have over two hundred fine warhorses. That’s enough for every man to have a mount!"

"Good, very good. Four legs are better than two." Gu Zhenhua knew well that after defeating Li Yan, Li Zicheng would certainly retaliate. Facing the formidable Great Shun army, they would inevitably have to retreat, and these horses were their lifeline.

With the battlefield mostly cleared, they also recovered three hundred high-quality bows, which delighted Gu Zhenhua. In the Ming Dynasty, crafting a superior bow required not just wood, but expensive materials like ox horn, animal tendons, and silk, and the process took an astonishing year to complete—far longer than a matchlock musket.

However, this did not mean bows were useless. On the contrary, compared to matchlocks, bows offered better accuracy and a faster rate of fire; they could not be discarded in the short term.

Of course, Gu Zhenhua wouldn't waste effort manufacturing them himself, so scavenging them was ideal. After a flurry of activity, the soldiers had "upgraded their equipment." Each man rode a horse while leading two or three others, hung with bows and muskets. They looked like wealthy warlords, all grinning from ear to ear.

Tang Zhanxiong also picked a black horse and galloped around with an imposing air before returning to Gu Zhenhua, laughing, "Fighting under you, My Lord, is truly satisfying! If we do this a few more times, we'll be rich!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Gu Zhenhua said calmly, not blinded by the immediate victory. "Li Yan only brought a thousand men. If he had brought ten thousand, how do you think we would have fared?"

Tang Zhanxiong was stunned into silence. He scratched his head and then laughed, "Such difficult problems are for you to think about, My Lord! I just follow orders!"

"Since you follow orders, go gather the men and get ready to head back to Xiao Wang Village. We need to plan our next move."

"Understood!" Tang Zhanxiong replied quickly, "My Lord, since we are leaving, should we finish off these rebels?"

Gu Zhenhua glanced at the five or six hundred captives, a complex look in his eyes. He spurred his horse forward to face them.

"Brothers of the Great Shun Army, we serve different masters and were forced to meet on the battlefield. But we all have the same blood flowing in our veins, and I will not slaughter you all. When you return to the rebel leader, please remind him that the Eastern Barbarians beyond the pass are the true, dangerous enemy. Tell him to be on his guard!"

*Li Zicheng, Li Zicheng, this is the most I can do for you!*

Gu Zhenhua muttered to himself, then turned his horse and led his men back to Xiao Wang Village like a whirlwind. News of the victory had already arrived ahead of them. He Zhonghou, Sun Cheng, Lu Yong, Xie Bin, and others—including the Crown Prince and Kou Gui—were waiting at the village entrance, watching anxiously.

Finally, the sound of rapid hoofbeats echoed, and Gu Zhenhua and his men swept into view.

"Number Four, you really are something! Two hundred men wiped out a thousand cavalry with less than ten casualties of our own. I'm truly impressed!" Sun Cheng said with a smile, his pale face showing a flush of excitement from the great victory.

Gu Zhenhua smiled back. "Everyone, we won, but the trouble is just beginning. We need to decide on our next plan of action as soon as possible."

Lu Yong added, "Exactly. The Great Shun army has suffered a loss and won't let it go. They will surely mobilize a larger force. If ten or twenty thousand come, we won't be able to handle it."

Sensing the urgency, they gathered in the village's Earth God Temple to discuss countermeasures. Xu Fang, the only civil official who had followed Gu Zhenhua out of the city, thought more deeply than the others, and because of this, he was deeply troubled.

"My Lord, I’ve summarized our situation. We face five major problems: the wounded, the families, the assets, the Crown Prince, and our route. They are all interconnected and contradictory. To protect the Prince, we must shed the burden; to look after the others, the Prince will be in danger. If we delay, the rebels will be upon us. It is truly a dilemma!"

Gu Zhenhua smiled slightly. "Mr. Xu is correct, but I am greedy—I want to look after everything."

"Does My Lord have a brilliant plan?" Xu Fang asked.

"Nothing more than splitting our forces," Gu Zhenhua said with a smile. "Our ultimate goal is to go south. I plan to divide our people into four groups. The first group will be led by Mr. Xu; you and Luan Hu will take thirty men to escort the families and Master Ge’s craftsmen south. The second group will be led by Uncle He; it will be small, twenty men, carrying the land deeds and antiques. You will take the Grand Canal south. Once there, convert those items into silver as quickly as possible to prepare for everyone’s resettlement."

"Zhenhua, the land deeds are of vital importance. I fear I might fail!"

"Uncle He, if you can't do it, no one can. I will have Tang Zhanxiong accompany you to ensure everything goes smoothly."

He Zhonghou could only nod in agreement. Gu Zhenhua looked at Sun Cheng and Lu Yong and said, "Brothers, you are injured and cannot head south for now. I plan to leave two hundred soldiers with you. Number Three, Xue Biao, and Xie Bin will stay with you. Hide in the mountains between the capital and the Great Wall and wait for an opportunity. As for me, I will take one hundred men to escort the Crown Prince south."

Sun Cheng sighed. "Number Four, it is us who are holding you back. Don't leave any soldiers with us; even with more men, how could we stop Li Zicheng’s massive army? You must focus on heading south. If the Prince ascends the throne, you will be a hero who saved the dynasty, and we will all be happy. We will hide in the village to recover, and once we are well, we will come to find you."

Lu Yong chimed in, "Exactly. Big Brother is right. With fewer people, it will be easier to hide. Whether our brothers can meet again is up to the heavens."

Both men were thinking only of Gu Zhenhua, who was deeply moved. However, his plan clearly went further than that. Gu Zhenhua suddenly stood up and led Sun Cheng and Lu Yong into the back courtyard of the temple.

"Brothers, I have some words from the heart. In my view, Li Zicheng’s reign will not last long, and the Qing will surely enter the pass. By leaving you here, there is actually a much greater task I need you to handle."

Sun Cheng and Lu Yong’s expressions turned solemn. "Number Four, tell us. We will follow your arrangements!"