Zhou Yuji angrily killed Xiong Tong and sent his head to the capital to show his determination to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty.

On February 7, Taiyuan fell and Cai Maode, the former governor of Shanxi, committed suicide.

After resting in Taiyuan for eight days, Li Zicheng captured Xinzhou and then rushed to attack Daizhou. After Zhou Yuji held in Daizhou for several days, he had no food and assistance and led his army to break through and retreat to Baoning Wu Pass.

Ningwu Pass is located in central Shanxi. Ningwu is a major transportation route from Taiyuan to Datong. During the Jingtai period of the Ming Dynasty, Guancheng was built. Together with Panguan and Yanmen Pass, it became one of the three passes in Shanxi to defend against Tatar cavalry, and its strategic position was extremely important.

However, Zhou Yuji had too few troops, and Shanxi's lonely brigade could not compete with Li Zicheng's hundreds of thousands of troops. It was only a matter of time before Daizhou's fall was lost. Ningwu Pass was in a dangerous terrain, and the bandits were determined to win. The battle was carried out quite tragic.

Because the bandits were hit hard by the Ming army's artillery and suffered heavy casualties, they used the propaganda offensive of "those who do not surrender for five days slaughter the city". When the Ming army's gunpowder was about to be exhausted, some generals also advised Zhou Yuji to change his strategy and not to fight hard, but was rejected by Zhou Yuji, who was "one army is loyal and righteous". So they set up an ambush in the city, and weak soldiers were sent to lure the enemy into the city, and they urgently went down the gate to kill thousands of people.

Due to Zhou Yuji's tenacious resistance, Li Zicheng was ready to give up the capture of Ningwu Pass, but his generals insisted repeatedly, and the bandits launched a fierce attack on Ningwu Pass again. Under the bombardment of artillery, the city of the gate continued to collapse. The bandits' charge of the bandits died in battle. The back team immediately followed up and finally broke through Ningwu Pass.

After the bandits attacked the pass city, Zhou Yuji continued to command the street battle. After falling off the horse, he fought on foot. After being captured by the bandits several arrows, he still scolded him and refused to surrender. The bandits hung Zhou Yuji on a high rod and shot him to death, and then dismembered the body. Zhou Yuji's wife Liu led dozens of women to refuse to guard the public hall, climbed the roof to shoot arrows at the bandits, and were all burned to death by the bandits.

After the city was broken, the peasant army "slaughtered Ningwu, leaving no infants and young people", and many people were killed.

This is the loyal and martyrdom of the Ming Dynasty in the hearts of Zhou Yuji and Zhu Cilang in history. Such a general cannot be buried.

During the Chongzhen period of the late Ming Dynasty, the Ming army was almost defeated at one touch. Zhou Yuji, a brilliant general, had a profound impact both at that time and in history. Li Zicheng was therefore ready to withdraw to Shaanxi for a time. After the bandits attacked Beijing, the bandits were still saying: "If the main generals of the Ming Dynasty were like General Zhou, how could we attack the capital?"

The Ming Dynasty was corrupt, and many generals relied on family background and nepotism to obtain positions, while Zhou Yuji became a famous general who was promoted through his military achievements and promoted.

However, Chongzhen did not know the heroes. If he gave Zhou Yuji more troops, Li Zicheng would definitely not be able to enter Beijing City.

Li Zicheng lost tens of thousands of people in this battle, which shows the intensity of Zhou Yuji's resistance. After the bandits broke through the pass, Zhou Yuji started a street battle with the Ming army.

He was one man and one horse, and the horse was lame. He fell off his horse and fought with the bandits, killing dozens of people. When he was captured, he was scolded. Li Zicheng was furious and hung him on a high pole, ordered the soldiers to shoot arrows at once, and then was dismembered.

Such a general led 20,000 soldiers to quell the separatist power in Shanxi.
Chapter completed!